Stranded at the Drive-In

Halter - Arden B (sample sale), Bracelet - Vintage

Being a Los Angeles transplant now living in a small town, I do my fair share of complaining about all the things I miss about living in a big city. But I have to say that one of the ways that my current town trumps big city life HANDS DOWN is the fact that this town has a drive-in theater. I had never been to one until about three years ago, but now I absolutely LOVE going to the drive-in! There's just something so adorably retro about it. I love the old-fashioned snack bar and feeling the summer breeze while I enjoy a movie with my pup fast asleep on my lap. I love the fact that we can pack up the car with yummy snacks and drinks and soft blankets and pillows and then settle back for a double feature for just $6.95 a person. These are amenities that you just can't get at a regular movie theater. And with my love affair of all things vintage and retro, how could I not love the drive-in? Every time I go, I'm half tempted to wear a full poodle skirt and a high ponytail just because it feels so 1950s there. I don't though. I think the boyfriend would pretend he didn't know me if I did. So for our trip last night, I went with a halter top and cropped pants for a little retro flavor instead, and he happily acknowledged who I was. Until I ordered a gigantic popcorn and started snapping photos of it at the snack bar for this blog. Geez. So unsupportive.

For more on drive-ins, check out ModCloth's recent blog entry about them. I love ModCloth. I love drive-ins. ModCloth loves drive-ins. Best threesome ever.

Aquorange Time

Tank - Target, Skirt - H&M, Ring - gifted from sister, Earrings - ModCloth

A few months ago, I saw an old picture of Twiggy (circa 1970s)  in a fashion magazine, and she was wearing the most adorable orange drawstring pants, paired with a long-sleeved aqua-colored top. When I saw it, something just clicked for me. Ever since then, I have become OBSESSED with the aqua-orange combination. Or "aquorange" as I call it. I'm trying to get that to catch on. Any day now, I'm thinking. Yep, aaaany day.

In the meantime, I. Can't. Stop. Wearing. Aquorange. (See how I just snuck that word in there? That's how you do it, you know). I just love how the combination is somewhat unexpected and yet the colors play so well off each other. If you haven't tried it yet...go for it! It's bold and yet not too crazy. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, but how chic was Fred Flinstone for his time? He rocked this color combination since prehistoric times. Fred, you are the godfather of aquorange. (See how I did that again there? I'm slick, I tell you).

By the way, how cute is this bow skirt with POCKETS? I am also loving bows this season, and this skirt, with its dusty orange shade and flattering cut was definitely a must-have for me. I'm sure you've noticed by now that my definition of "must-have" is not something that I can't live without. It's something that makes living life all the more worth it. This description can apply to clothing, shoes, a loved one, or even a spoonful of ice cream. If that definition of "must-have" is wrong, then I definitely don't wanna be right.

Perfect Saturday

Jacket - Gap, Tank - Tunic dress worn as tank from F21, Shorts - Banana Republic, Sandals - Target, Ring - gifted (sister)

This past weekend was one of those fabulous weekends where you literally ache on Sunday night because it's come to an end. As I mentioned, we drove out to Point Reyes on Saturday for an amazing picnic/barbecue, complete with fresh oysters that you shuck yourself. I, of course, did no shucking. I ate a ton, but the boyfriend did the shucking, thank goodness. As accident prone as I am, I probably would have lost a thumb, although it would have been for a good cause. The oysters were delicious! We rounded out our feast with gourmet cheeses, wine, proscuitto, breads, barbecued chicken, sausages, sauteed clams, and homemade strawberry shortcake. SUPER thanks to my girl, Miss B, for preparing most of the yummy grub!

I couldn't resist going with a nautical themed outfit since we were heading to the water, and this navy tunic and white shorts proved to be comfortable and weather-appropriate all at the same time. I felt like the outfit looked a little boring and was thrilled to add a teal belt, since navy and aqua is becoming one of my favorite new color combinations for the summer. There's just something about white shorts and a brightly colored belt that screams summer, and the outfit got me excited before we even loaded up the car to head to the beach.

After our serious chowfest, we packed in our goodies and headed to a local beach (where I found a great graffiti wall...I love graffiti art!) to watch the dogs play in the surf and sip on some more wine. Well, let's be clear here, my dog refused to go anywhere near the surf (uh, it would mess up her hair!) and sat on the beach blanket with me while our friends' dogs played in the water. The weather was in the high 70s and amazing. It was one of those perfect days that can really only happen in the summertime. Have I mentioned that I love summer?

Let It Be

Dress - Vintage, Shoes - boutique by Nordstrom

If you're not new to this blog, then you know that I have a serious love affair with vintage dresses. But one of the things that can be difficult about incorporating vintage items into your wardrobe is deciding how and whether to alter them. Sometimes, altering a vintage item can freshen it up, make it your own, and take the item from tired to amazing. I recently bought a vintage dress that had been marked down to FIVE dollars because the owner said everyone who tried it on said it looked funny on them. I saw the problem right away. The long tight sleeves made the dress look like something your grandmother would wear. Fifty years ago. So I simply took the sleeves off the dress, shortened it, and voila! It is now totally wearable and totally ADORABLE (can't wait to wear it on this blog!). Wearing vintage sometimes means having a little imagination.

But on the other hand, sometimes, I really feel like you have to respect the vintage item for what it is, and let its own character shine through. If you alter it too much, or alter a key element of it, then it may as well not even look/feel/be vintage anymore. It's like the Beatles said, baby. Sometimes you've got to just let it be. That's what I did with this dress. Every instinct in me told me to shorten it, shorten it, shorten it, because midi-length dresses are so hard to wear for the petite. But I just respected the dress too much and I left it alone. I'm so glad I did! This dress totally looks like something my mother wore in the 1970s, and I love it because the midi length adds to that vintage feel. What do you think? Did I choose right?

I adore how bright and colorful this dress is. Just wearing it brightens up my mood and makes me feel like summer. Speaking of summer, this weekend will be full of great summer activities. Laying out by the pool, a picnic on the beach where we'll shuck fresh oysters, and a trip to the drive-in are all on the agenda. Ah, I love them summer weekends. Have a great one, loves!

Once Upon A Time

Tank - Target, Skirt - F21, Belt - H&M

As promised, this is what I wore on my birthday. Yesterday. I had such a great birthday, I didn't want it to end. The boyfriend took me to the swankiest restaurant in town for some delicious fare and drinks and then we ended the night with a few rounds of some serious miniature golfing. Yep, to me, it was a perfect night. Nothing like celebrating growing old by proving to yourself that you can party like a little kid. The birthday was topped off with amazing gifts from amazing people, including some yummy new clothes and (YAY!) a new camera from the boyfriend! I guess he was getting tired of me complaining about my blog photos. Either ways, yay for me and yay for BSMMH!

Some highlights from dinner:

DELICIOUS blueberry mojito



Fresh peach and heirloom tomato salad with jalapeno, lime, and cilantro



Lemon pudding cake, white chocolate marscapone, and fresh berries for dessert

Aaaand back to the outfit...


There is actually a story behind this outfit. So settle back, young'uns, and listen here. Once up on a time, many many months ago, I fell in love with a dress on ModCloth. It was a gorgeous party dress and I couldn't wait to order it. It would actually mark my very first ModCloth purchase (to be followed by many, MANY more). Alas, when the dress arrived, it did not fit me properly, due to my abnormally large rib cage (thank you, Dad). I couldn't zip the thing up. I even took it to a tailor to see if it could be fixed but to no avail. I returned the dress but never forgot its gorgeous details. I vowed that I would recreate that dress one day. And HERE IT IS! What do you think? I put together the pieces one at a time, searching high and low for a ruffly white tank top and a bright coral skirt. I added a black banded belt, and voila! It's not as great as the original, but I'm pretty pleased with the result.

The moral of this story? Don't ever give up on a true fashion find! You can make it happen. Oh, and in case you're wondering, me and my outfit lived happily ever after.

Birthday Suit

Halter - Ann Taylor (old), Skirt - F21, Bracelets - Aloha Stadium Swap Meet, HI

So today is my birthday, but this is not what I wore on my birthday. This is what I wore on America's birthday. I don't know what America is wearing on my birthday. Tomorrow, I will post what I wore on my birthday, but I'm sure America will not post what it wore on my birthday. I know, it all gets very confusing. Let's just get back to my outfit. The one I wore yesterday.

Happy Belated Fourth of July everyone! I love this bright red A-line skirt. It was so festive for the fourth, and its thick jersey material is very forgiving. I have tons of ideas for other ways to wear it this summer, but for the Fourth of July barbecue I went to, I figured it was appropriate to wear a plain white halter with it and some navy sunglasses. Red, white, and blue, baby. I love that our nation's colors fit right in with the nautical trend that's so hot right now.

For the Fourth, we celebrated by watching a little neighborhood parade roll down in front of my house and then headed over to a barbecue at the house of one of my closest friends. The greatest thing about the small town I live in now is that it's legal to set off all sorts of amazing fireworks. Being from LA, this always amazes me and excites me. I think I may be a bit of a pyro because I just LOVE lighting them up. We ate amazing food, drank yummy fruity drinks, and lit off hundreds of fireworks. It was a great night...and a great start to celebrating my birthday. Yup, bringing it back to ME again.

Cool LED light ice cubes that changed colors in my mai tai

What did you guys do for the Fourth? Tonight, we head to some special secret place for a celebratory birthday dinner and I've been told to "dress my best." My favorite directive. Happy Birthday to me!

The Great Pumpkin

Tank - F21, Skirt - H&M, Bracelets - Aloha Stadium Swap Meet, HI

I've mentioned on this blog before (here and here) that orange and navy is quickly becoming one of my favorite color combinations. There's just something about the two colors that play off so well against one another. Which is great because I own a ton of navy clothing already, and lately, I just can't seem to stop buying orange. It's like I was an orange in a past life. Or a traffic cone. Or a pumpkin. Yum, pumpkin pie. Better yet, pumpkin pie SHAKE from Jack in the Box (my guilty pleasure). Nom nom no...wait, what were we talking about?

I love these bracelets that I got from Hawaii!I keep wearing them with EVERYTHING, and I love that it can give a girly outfit like this one a little edge.

Speaking of vacations, what's everyone up to for the holiday weekend? The Fourth of July weekend is always exciting for me because it's so close to my birthday. So our celebrations of the independence of our country always coincide with the celebrations of my birth, which is infinitely more important than the Fourth of July, right? Even though we usually go away for the weekend to see the fireworks show in South Lake Tahoe, I think we're going to change it up this year and spend the holiday at home with friends, good barbecue, great weather, and sparklers. One of the greatest things about living here is that you can set off fireworks! Being from LA, where setting off fireworks in the neighborhood is illegal, this always shocks me. Hope you guys have a great long weekend celebrating my birth, I mean, our country's independence (no, I really mean my birth).