My Week in Photos May 31 - June 10

The last ten days have been quite a whirlwind! As the school year was closing, I was feeling less and less inclined to look like anything other than an ad for the local City Sports store. So I put together a fashion challenge for June so that I'd have some motivation to look halfway human during this lazy time of year. Between my eighth graders' promotion ceremony, the DC Pride Festival, a retirement party for two of my sweet co-workers, and our 7th grade awards ceremony, I didn't even want to think about grading finals, cleaning my classroom, or all of the chores around the apartment that still need tending to. More detailed outfit breakdowns are coming, but for now, here's a quick rundown of the more fun times of the last 240 hours :-)

Clockwise from left: with my eighth graders who I had as seventh graders; my polka dot OOTD; my black and white OOTD; with my chica Georgia at the DC Pride Festival; at home after giving myself a blowout; with my co-worker Danielle at the retirement party; with my co-worker Jim (AKA JT) at the retirement party (and, no! he wasn't one of the retirees!); with Thom at the DC Pride Festival; my "collar" OOTD (even though you can't see the collar, haha..... it's gold studs).

A Couple Shades of Grey

Black tank: Forever 21 $2.50; Grey with black lace vest: Forever 21 (old); Grey stretch corduroys: Old Navy Rockstar Jeans on sale for $8.99; Nude studded pumps: Steve Madden from TJ Maxx $49.99

This past weekend was very ho-hum. I mainly ran errands and worked on sprucing up my bedroom in my new apartment with my friend/roomie/sorority sister Erin. I was needing a day of "dressing up" after two days of being in a tank and leggings, so even though my day consisted of popping into Target and returning a foldable table to my mom, I put a little effort into my ensemble. For some reason, just putting on a pair of fancy pumps is enough to lift my mood to a noticeably better level. You feel taller, walk a little straighter, and carry yourself with a little more confidence. And those heels are no joke. Though probably a half size too small, I could not resist their Valentino feel (at 10% of the original's price), and thus I forked over the cash to call them mine. It was a little breezy in DC that day so I threw on the vest for an additional layer of warmth and comfort. The microcords are easy to move around in, a necessary characteristic for a day of carrying tables and moving furniture.

Split Personality

"Tell me what do they see when they look at me
Do they see my many personalities"

- "Split Personality" by P!nk (from Can't Take Me Home)

Okay, so it's really more like multiple personalities, but I digress...

I'm one of those people who has a fear of commitment, or rather, I steer clear of commitment -- at least when it comes to clothes. I think people are too multidimensional to stick with one style. Even those of us who feel like we have the most die-hard classic sense of style are sometimes seduced by the rebellious, anarchist attitude of studs, leather, spikes, and jet jet jet-on-a-red-eye black (blackest black if you're further indulging your rocker side with liquid eyeliner). That's why sometimes you'll see me in sweats and a skirt, a motorcycle jacket with jeans and lace, or a sheath dress and pearls.

H&M - head to toe

H&M - head to toe

Old Navy - cardigan, polka dot chambray shirt, polka dot Rockstar skinnies, plaid flats

H&M - navy cropped peacoat

TJ Maxx - navy quilted vegan leather chain crossbody bag

Don't be uncomfortable picking up something new just because it doesn't fit in with your normal style. Too many of us get bogged down by the expectations that we think others are putting on us. And this leads to a suppression of self. Whether it's at work and we're afraid that we'll be looked at peculiarly because we have an out-of-box idea, or whether we take an unconventional approach in meeting new people... we need to be true to ourselves and stop worrying so much about perception.

Take it from me: if I can snatch a dude's hand as he's walking by me on campus my freshman year of college, spark up a conversation about anime and occult fiction, and then be best friends with him for the next 12 years, you can do a similar feat.

Feats over fear. Split your personality. We all have more than one.


As always, thank you for reading! Stay true to you!

Dog Park Prep

Munki is a fan of pretending like she's going to be Speedy Gonzalez if I take her to the dog park in the afternoon. She scratches at the door, whines incessantly, and looks up at me with those big caramel eyes, imploring me to leash her up and drive her down. But alas, when we reach the park, instead of being like that Mexican mouse she is more like cat-and-mouse (sad for a dog). She runs for a good three seconds while another dog chases her and then flops on her belly under a bench in submission. This has earned her the nickname "Punki Munki" and I am left to leave only my wardrobe as some kind of hope for redemption.

Shirt: H&M $12.95

Shorts (old): H&M

Belt: Banana Republic $9.99 on sale

Purse: H&M $24.95

Shoes: Express $13.99 on sale

Sunnies: H&M $6.95

Bracelet (old but just took the tag off!): Forever 21

Scarf: TJ Maxx for $12.95

"Come on, mama! Let's go!!!"

I get a LOT of stares when I wear these to the dog park but I don't care! You can be chic even when you're picking up your pet's poop!

Last Days of Casual

With the new school year quickly approaching, I have been running out of casual options to wear without doing a new load of laundry. When work resumes on Monday I'll be back to more structured, but still fun, attire but snapped shots of my "outfits" from Sunday and Monday. I'll try to snap a pic or two of today's outfit as well (if it warrants a photo in the first place). 

Dress: H&M $12.95

Hat: H&M $7.95

Sandals (old): Gap

The ultimate in casual: hat and pigtails

Shirt (old): Express

Shorts: H&M $24.95

Belt: Betsey Johnson at Marshalls $12.99

Bag: Deux Lux at TJ Maxx $39.99

Wedges (old): Nine West

On Monday I went into school to meet the new principal and make sure I'm still in my same classroom as last year. I wanted to look professional but still able to climb on tables, move furniture, and put up materials if need be. 

This is my first time wearing this belt. It's a bit big on me, which is why it's sitting outside of my belt loops, but I love the metal ladybugs so much!

One of my favorite pairs of wedges! I got them at Nine West about 4 years ago and wear them all the time every summer.