photoshoot

washed ashore

hello again!

thanks for coming back for another post. this is my last set of photos from my vacation, and it’s my favorite. i’m wearing a gorgeous fringe leather jacket that i still can’t believe i actually own, with a free people maxi dress i’ve had in my closet for a while but never actually worn. it’s quite long so i have to wear it with high heels if i were to wear it out, and if you know me, you know that i rarely wear heels. not because i don’t like them, but sometimes i feel too fussy in them, and also because i’m a big baby and don’t like wearing shoes that hurt.

anyway, for this i ended up ditching my shoes and i thought the photos turned out pretty. to me, it looks like i was shipwrecked and just washed up on the beach. i’d be damn lucky to be shipwrecked and manage to make it to shore with my fringe jacket. i recently read “the giver” series by lois lowry, and the last book in the series is centered around the protagonist being lost at sea for a time, so i think that was part of what inspired me.

as you may have noticed, i only took a few of my very favorite accessories on this trip. i am usually an extreme over packer, but this time around i actually did a pretty good job of just bring what was essential. that was partly because i packed very last minute and had basically no time to think about what else i would want, but i also made a conscious effort to not over do it.

dress: free people; jacket: cleobella; bracelets: chan luu; turquoise ring: vintage; simple rings: considerthwldflwrs; watch: michele; bar necklace: considerthewldflwrs.

i know you can’t see them in the photos, but there were a million of these tiny little crabs on this little beach. they were teeny, and had one disproportinately large pincher instead of two.

my personal style is all about balance; for me, i love all things girly but i don’t ever want to feel too girly or fussy. that’s why i wear a girly, ethereal maxi dress (this one just so happens to be printed with little birds) with a leather fringe jacket. i think the jacket grounds the dress and brings it back to earth. most of my outfits will feature some kind of tomboy or earthy element when i’m wearing something feminine. i almost never wear a girly frock with equally girly shoes. or, if i do, there’s some unexpected twist that makes it feel less done-up. similarly, you’d never see me in a bodyconscious dress with a blazer; if i’m wearing something fitted, i have to pair it with something with body, like a kimono or oversized sweater. i want to feel effortless in my clothes, not like i’m trying too hard, so i want to look polished but a little undone. although, who am i kidding? i try real hard.

i’m not saying everyone has to do this, but i do think it’s a fun way to transform an item you already own in order to breathe new life into your wardrobe. for example, if you always wear a particular piece in a certain way, try styling it with something that is the complete opposite, or takes it in a completely different direction, than what you normally do. it will make the item feel fresh to you, and it may even inspire more outfits! mix silhouettes, or try a masculine/feminine pairing to mix it up every once in a while. i promise you, people will compliment you on your outfit. people often don’t think to mix masculine with feminine, or don’t know how, but it almost always turns out well.

what a lot of people don’t seem to realize is that great style is about things that complement, rather than match.

we kind of lucked out finding this spot. it was probably someones private pier, but it was not in use. we thought it kind of looked like a gateway to heaven.

obviously, this jacket begged for the requisite blogger drape. actually putting your arms in the sleeves is for the birds.

if you are wondering why i’m not looking at the camera in most of these, it’s because it was unbearably sunny and every photo in which i was looking at the camera, i was making the most unattractive faces imaginable.