today i decided to pay homage to the tourist. it’s been a month since i moved back to my childhood home of redlands, ca. and while most of that time has been spent getting myself situated in our new place and settling in to a new routine, it’s also been a fun opportunity to look at this place with new eyes. yes, i spent half of my life here, but back then i was just a kid. i could hardly appreciate where i was living because i had no other perspective to measure against. then, when i was a teenage, i spent all of my time hating everything and counting down the days until i could move away. i wasn’t strolling along appreciating all of the old historic landmarks or extolling the virtues of such a family-friendly community. so it’s been kind of fun to play the tourist and to revisit all of my old haunts with a fresh perspective on the place. so since i was trying to conjure up the touristy vibe, i decided to hike up the hemline on my overalls for a bit of a geeky look. and the round bag looks kinda like a canteen, which speaks to a certain practicality while trekking around in new lands.

wearing:
fall 2013 overalls courtesy of family affairs
everlane box cut tee
kork-ease ava wedges
benah for karen walker bag
jasper sunglasses courtesy of warby parker

this summer, i’ve really been wanting a pair of cream (or white) overalls. i was browsing around online for some when i realized that i already had these cutoffs from last spring! i’d still love to find a pair with legs, but these actually turn out to be a much better option in this sweltering summer heat. last year, i wore them with a striped t-shirt, but lately i’ve been having fun with more minimalist, monochrome dressing. so this time around, i paired them with my new favorite top from ayr. it’s made with this super soft japanese seeded cotton, and i want to wear it with everything, all the time.

i also hereby declare this to be the summer of the clog. i mean, i’ve always been a fan of clogs, but lately they seem to be the only type of shoe i wear. i own several different pairs by swedish hasbeens, so i almost felt like i was cheating when i thrifted these by sven a couple of months back. since then, i’ve been stalking the sven site because you can custom order their clogs with your choice of wood, leather type, and color. they have a particular pair with criss cross straps that i can’t seem to get out of my mind.

wearing:
the everywhere shirt in seeded cotton courtesy of ayr
ganni overalls from last spring
thrifted sven clogs
clare vivier messenger tote in navy
jasper sunglasses courtesy of warby parker 

even though i created this space to share my outfits (and other interests), the truth is that most of my looks never make it onto the blog.  i’m only able to pull out my dslr for blog photoshoots on the weekends, so i can usually only share one or two outfits per week these days. but with the rise of instagram, and the ease of snapping a quick outfit photo with my phone, i’m starting to pick up the habit again. it kinda reminds me of the days before i was blogging, in the early 2000s when all i had was a little digital point and shoot and i’d ask my boyfriend to snap a picture of my look, just so i could remember it.

so if you don’t follow me on instagram, then here is a selection of some of what i’ve been wearing on the daily. that dress up at the top is a vintage find from my mom. we chat on the phone a lot and i tell her what pieces i’m looking for so she can keep an eye out when she’s thrifting. i was absolutely in love with this when she found it, until i accidentally dropped it into the wash with a tiny red bonnet. now it’s covered in huge pink splotches, despite soaking it in bleach for a week. cue tiny violins. i think i’ll probably have to dye it now…

wearing: vintage dress, j.w. hulme medium legacy handbag, peep toe clogs courtesy of swedish hasbeens, double hoop necklace courtesy of giantlion.

wearing: dress courtesy of corey lynn calter, custom handbag courtesy of wink & winn (i’ll be sharing a post about it soon!), and handmade sandals by tuto.

wearing: vintage mexican dress, elizabeth suzann headband worn as a neck tie, clare vivier messenger tote, swedish hasbeens braided clogs, and jasper sunglasses courtesy of warby parker.

wearing: jumpsuit from spring 2013 courtesy of lauren moffatt, american apparel crop top, swedish hasbeens braided clogs, clare vivier messenger tote, jasper sunglasses courtesy of warby parker.

wearing: vintage dress, vintage coach bucket bag, birkenstock arizona sandals.

wearing: a.p.c. crop top, charlie skirt courtesy of bon george, manhattan laquer sandal courtesy of steven alan x dr. scholl’s.

wearing: american apparel crop top, vintage linen pencil skirt, j.w. hulme medium legacy handbag, swedish hasbeens braided clogs, hat by san diego hat company.

wearing: quiltee courtesy of clashist, vintage calvin klein mom jeans, manhattan laquer sandal courtesy of steven alan x dr. scholl’s, clare vivier messenger tote, jasper sunglasses courtesy of warby parker.

i’m all about the super casual vibes this summer. so much so, that i could not resist this super beachy woven set that i received as a gift from cardigan ny. it’s just so soft and comfy and cool, and it makes me feel like i walked right off the set of the classic 1959 film gidget. as a kid, i watched that movie so many times that i could probably quote the entire thing verbatim. i mean really, who could resist those hunky beach bums in their woven ponchos, straw hats, and little swim trunks? so even though i’m not spending much time at the beach, i’ve still been enjoying all of the ways i can mix and match the different pieces for super casual looks to wear around town.

look one:
cardigan arequipa poncho and shorts with the gisella stripe top
saltwater sandals
jasper sunglasses courtesy of warby parker

look two:
american apparel crop top
cardigan ny arequipa shorts
tuto sandals
j.w. hulme medium legacy bag
rayban round classic sunglasses courtesy of sunglasses shop

look three:
cardigan arequipa poncho
lauren moffatt fishtail romper
swedish hasbeens braided sky high
vintage coach bucket bag
rayban round classic sunglasses courtesy of sunglasses shop

if you looked at this post and last, you’d think i was on a bit of a wide leg kick. they’re really the only two pairs of pants i own in this silhouette, but i tend to dress in themes that slowly evolve over time. if i were ever to manage to actually photograph my outfit every single day, you’d see that certain styles will repeat themselves in slightly different variations over the course of a few days or even weeks. i might wear the same top or pants two days in a row as i slowly add in different elements to change the look. or i might focus on a certain silhouette or a color scheme or some other vague idea that i sort of play around with until i get bored and move on to the next idea.

i’ve been wanting to try a pair of pants like this for a while now, so i was pretty excited to find this pair to play around with. as i suspected, a pair of wide leg pants in bright white are definitely hard to pull off. i had originally envisioned an entirely oversized look with a big, billowy top, but i’m not sure if the proportions are quite right to work with my frame. now that i look at the pictures, i think i’d need something fitted in the hip and thigh to make it work. these i think will look even better with a more fitted top. like a stretchy white crop top or even– dare i say– a leotard. i also kinda wanna try hemming them up so that they’re a tad bit shorter in the length. i know “they” will tell you that a longer hem will lengthen the leg, but i think in this case, it might work to show off an ankle to balance out the proportion and show that you actually have a leg under there, ha. like i said,  i’m gonna keep on working on it until i find a way to make the silhouette work for me. i’m convinced it can be done!

wearing:
jasper sunglasses courtesy of warby parker
american apparel top
flared jeans courtesy of front row shop
manhattan lacquer sandal courtesy of steven alan x dr. scholl’s
dooney & bourke bucket bag

since moving to redlands, i’ve had to adjust to yet another new climate. it’s still in southern california, and it’s only an hour away from los angeles, but the summers here are brutally hot. to give you an idea location-wise, we’re located at the halfway point between la and palm springs. brendan keeps telling everyone that we live in the desert, but as you can tell in my photos, it’s not quite so dry. i was curious exactly what you would call this area, so i looked it up. redlands is technically a chaparral with a hot-summer mediterranean climate, in case you were interested. ha.

anyway, my point is that it’s hot. so hot that i’m now wishing i owned more tank tops and shorts. but in the meantime, i’ve been pulling out all of my loose-fitting, lightweight cotton clothes to keep cool during my daily activities that find me outdoors. these pants are actually a lauren moffatt jumpsuit that i got last spring that i’ve worn on the blog a few times before. and they’re coming in a lot of handy this summer as well.

wearing:
lauren moffatt spring 2013 jumpsuit
jasper sunglasses courtesy of warby parker
american apparel loose crop top
swedish hasbeens braided sky high
clare vivier messenger tote in navy

i suppose we should probably start with the obvious today: yes, i am indeed wearing a fanny pack. technically speaking, it’s a vintage coach belt bag. which means that it’s a tiny purse with a detachable shoulder strap that has conveniently placed loops with which you can use to fasten to a belt. but who am i trying to kid? it’s a fanny pack and i know it. and i don’t care that the entire planet seems to have collectively decided that they are incredibly uncool, no matter how many “fashion” iterations have been designed over the years. in fact, i think that’s probably part of what makes me like it. you know, i was that annoying kid in high school who always had to be different. i dyed my hair pink and shopped in the little boy’s section at the thrift store. so yeah, fanny pack.

and for whatever reason, it just seemed like the absolute perfect accessory to go with my new dress by au lait. you might remember that i wrote about this cool new company several weeks back. all of the dresses and tops are designed to be worn before, during, and after pregnancy with particular attention to nursing moms. it looks like a simple jersey dress, but it’s made with a nifty double layer so that i can still easily breastfeed without having to completely remove my dress or risk stretching it out by attempting to pull it down. it was lovingly designed and made right here in the united states by a super talented and dedicated mom who definitely understands the art of dressing with baby in mind. and it certainly doesn’t hurt that it is also made with the most luxuriously soft and comfy jersey i have ever worn. so much so that it doubles as a nightgown on the days that i wear it.

wearing:
x-back maxi dress courtesy of au lait
vintage coach belt bag (i found mine on ebay)
swedish hasbeens braided sky high in natural
san diego hat company oversized straw fedora (found at t.j. maxx)