September 28, 2014 by gn0mel0ver

Oiseau Maxi Dress

I fell in love with Anthropologie’s Oiseau Maxi Dress as soon as it came out (this keeps popping back in stock. With the 25% off sale, you might be able to call and find it in a store). The bold graphic bird print reminded me of one of my favorite dresses (ironically never shown on this blog), the Indigo Shoal Dress.

However, as much as I loved the idea of it, I knew I would never wear it without having to have some sort of coverage on my arms. The straps were just too thin for my comfort level.

It finally went on sale and miraculously enough, it also happened to be during Anthropologie’s extra 20% off sale price promotion.

I swooped in and grabbed it.

The dramatic ruffled bottom was such an unexpected, sweet surprise.

Because it was September and the end of summer, I did not want to wear it with a denim jacket as I had planned. Instead I borrowed my daughter’s Forever 21 Cardigan.

One of the great things about having a teenage daughter is borrowing her stuff.

One of the not so great things? The borrowing goes both ways.

I had no idea what Oiseau meant when I purchased the dress.

Do you?

Want to take a guess?

It is French for “bird.”

Doh.

I probably should have made that deduction.

What kind of birds or Oiseaus would you say these are?

I am really unsure about the answer. I just know I like them.

Do you own any animal print dresses?

I believe I own four.

I could be wrong.

Sometimes it feels as though my brain has flown the coop. It needs to come home to roost. That would make me happy as a lark.

Groan. Sorry about the idioms. I really need to quit them cold turkey.

P.S. * I shared this on The Pleated Poppy!

*this post was edited using VSCO’s C1 filter at level 3 and contrast at level 1.

September 22, 2014 by gn0mel0ver

did you

I wanted to do a quick outfit photo session before my husband and I went on a lunch date. We were driving to our favorite desert spot for pictures. It is easy. Secluded. Private.

But halfway there, we drove by an orange grove and some interesting graffiti was spotted on a fence surrounding some equipment.

As someone who took two college philosophy courses, I was intrigued with the message.

“did you?” That is all that it said. I admire the choice of lower case letters. It was not aggressive in its innocence. Lower case letters never are. It was simply curious.

As a lover of the obscure, I admired the simple, but deep, question. There are many, many ways you could take the message:

Did you find the pumpkin I buried thirteen paces to the left?

Did you call the police when you saw me graffiti this sign?

Did you regret not getting on that plane to New Orleans?

Ahem.

I went for a more shallow approach, myself. This is a fashion post, after all…

Did you…remember to smile?

Did you…brush your hair? I’m guessing… No.

Did you…drop something?

Did you…get deodorant on your shirt?

Did you…wear too long of a skirt?

Or did you…wear too short of a shoe?

Either way, just tie that baby up.

Did you…wait for a sale price on this skirt for almost two years?

Did you…tuck your pajama shirt into your skirt and hope no one would notice?

Did you…wear it to bed again that night?

Did you…wear this outfit to the chiropractor’s office and then remember too late that you had not shaved your legs in over a week?

Did you…decide to have fun despite all of those things? Well, did you?

In the words of the great philosopher, Aristotle, “Happiness depends upon ourselves.”

Or in the words of Jenni, “Yep.”

*this post was edited using Afterlife’s Crest Filter at 40%.

P.S. Sorry for the unexpected break! I will have new posts up again on a daily basis starting tomorrow! : )

September 17, 2014 by gn0mel0ver

Bohemian Polka Dots

I never thought I could incorporate polka dots into a bohemian look. Polka dots are fun. They are unstructured. But for some reason, I always think “preppy” not “hippie” when I see them.

I underestimated Free People.

When I saw this maxi skirt hanging out on the Free People rack at Nordstrom Rack, I loved it, but I thought it had been put in the wrong place. I checked the tag, and low and behold, it was my beloved Free People.

Of course, being at the rack meant a significant discount. I believe it was originally $128 and I paid $50. The skirt is sold out, but I have seen it on eBay.

Once again, I ended up on an ant hill. You guys. I am beginning to think this is not a coincidence.

I do not have ants in my pants. Or skirt as it were, in this picture. I simply wanted to see the skirt blow in the breeze. There is absolutely nothing I like better than a maxi skirt. And a maxi skirt with polka dots? Forget about it. I paired it with a simple white tee from Forever 21.

I thought if I added some color and fun to the skirt, I could make it more “me.” So, let’s talk accessories: The belt was one of my favorite purchases in January of 2013. It is an Obi belt from Free People (similar here and here). The necklace was a neat gift from Free People for participating in Free People Me (similar here). And the shoes are Anthropologie’s Atlas Sandals.

It is also not an accident that the shirt is being worn backwards. The seam is supposed to be worn down the back.

But someone decided to eat chocolate in bed before this photo shoot.

Don’t worry. Nothing will happen. It is just a bite… Whoops!

So, I flipped it around and put my hair down. Tricky. This did not help with the ants, by the way.

Do you love polka dots like me? Would you rather wear a maxi or a short skirt? Or a maxi and jeans? Have you ever gotten chocolate on a white shirt? Please tell me it comes out.

*These photos were edited using the Whim filter on the app afterlite. I love the pinky hue.

September 11, 2014 by gn0mel0ver

Embroidered Happiness

Vineet Bahl is one of my favorite designers. His Kantha Dresses he designed for Anthropologie a few years ago are my most treasured items in my closet (previous outfit post can be found here).

I stalked The Vine Beaded Maxi Dress (now sold out) for many months until it finally went on sale with an extra percentage off.

I love the polka dot pattern mixed with the really neat bohemian neckline.

I feel all of my thirty seven years in this dress. I like that it is more mature and the length is perfect.

I kept the accessories simple. With the intricate neckline all ready so busy, I just paired the dress with some earrings from World Market (old). You cannot really see my shoes but they are Indian sandals from a trip to Maui two years ago.

The dress comes lined and I very much appreciate that. Especially since I have a tendency for odd poses.

I love the way Jessica wore it on What I Wore. In fact, after seeing it on her many months ago, I began lusting after the dress even more.

Do you ever see an item of clothing on someone else and want it even more? What is the longest you have waited for an item to hit sale? I think the River Fade Dress might be it for me. I finally got it at the end of August, after waiting since January for it to hit sale.

*Everything I am wearing is sold out. Sorry about that. If I can find a similar item, I will link to it. But I will never put in a link for the sake of simply getting clicks. I do not want to waste your time. I could not find something similar enough to link to that I felt was worthy of a link. I have seen the dress selling on eBay for a bit more than what I paid (I paid $104). I took a size small in the dress.

Gnome Lover

Stumbling through life while still having fun

maxi

Oiseau Maxi Dress

did you

Bohemian Polka Dots

Embroidered Happiness