Little Short Long Short Black Dress

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I had not seen this dress before I noticed it in the sale section while browsing on Free People’s online website. I now know it is because it is listed as a tunic and not a dress. It was called Free People Romantics Same Suit Tunic (now sold out. Slightly similar “tunic” here). I am generally not an impulse buyer, but this was an impulse buy in the summer.

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It was odd to me that this was listed as a tunic for a variety of reasons. First, half of Free People’s dresses would really be tops for this thirty seven year old. So, this piece being labeled as a tunic and not a dress made absolutely no sense to me. Second because I really, really liked it and I was shocked to not have seen it before.

But then I looked up the word “tunic,” having previously thought it meant a loose top. But it really is defined as a loose piece of clothing that goes to your knees. So, this fits. And Free People is right once again.

And I was wrong.

Again.

Sigh.

Don’t tell my husband I admitted that.

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I paired the dress with some gold jewelry on this day. My cuff from World Market and Honeycomb Earrings from Modcloth.

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I know there will be some mixed reviews on the extreme severity of the hem disproportion of this dress. My daughter being a huge not-fan of it.

However, as an extreme champion klutz, having extra coverage in the back for the inevitable picking up of fallen objects is an amazing addition.

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Plus, it is as though I have a cape trailing behind me when I walk.

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A cape or odd tail feathers. I guess it depends on your point of view.

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Maybe I am the superhero of ducks. It would certainly explain many things.

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What? You ask.

Hmmmm. I cannot think of any but I certainly have an affinity for quacking.

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Hey! I think I see a pond over yonder. Let’s go.

Do you have anything with a hi-low hem line? I will admit that I am getting kind of sick of the trend. But for some reason I still like this piece.

Quack.

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

*This dress can also be seen in my root beer cake post.

*this post was edited using the App VSCO Cam filters: C1 at level 3, temperature at level 1 and contrast at level one.

A Dress Falled With Embroidery

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My husband and I went on a lunch date on this day. It was not cool enough for the sweater, so I wish I had set it down.

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I also wish I had more pictures of the dress itself, but my photographer that day was all about the closeups.

I hate closeups.

I love my photographer.

You will just have to bear with me.

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Or bare with me. Look at the cute Free People bandeau bra (bralette post can be found here) I simply put over a regular bra for a pretty lace peek-a-boo moment.

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I found this dress at my local Nordstrom Rack for a screaming deal. I could not believe nobody had scooped it up (it is sold out. I could only find one size medium of a similar dress. It is on sale for $30 from $148 on Free People here).

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The embroidered detail is amazing.

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I wanted to pair the dress with some wood accessories. I slipped on this Scrabble Ring for a fun solution. If I was a pumpkin latte kind of gal, I would happily drink it in this dress. This dress screams, “fall!”, with its orange and mustard accents.

Alas, I am allergic to pumpkin. So, I will have to get by just wearing the color.

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I will somehow manage to get through the autumn with regular ol’ coffee.

And closeups of my thirty seven year old face.

Somehow.

The secret is in the sauce a little thing I am grateful to not be allergic to, wine.

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Did you notice something amiss in the previous closeup picture? Something that did not look right?

Was it a bit creepy?

Was it my elbow?

I am double jointed in my elbows, so sometimes in pictures like those it looks as though my head should be flipped the other way.

Just give it time.

Halloween is coming up.

With pumpkins. And closeups. And weird elbows.

And wine.

It’s enough to make a girl’s head spin. What is making your head spin lately? I am definitely craning my head towards this dress. Are you double jointed? I only have it in my elbows and my thumbs…

And my mind.

did you

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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.

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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…

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Did you…remember to smile?

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

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Did you…drop something?

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Did you…get deodorant on your shirt?

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Did you…wear too long of a skirt?

Or did you…wear too short of a shoe?

Either way, just tie that baby up.

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

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

Did you…wear it to bed again that night?

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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?

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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! : )

Bohemian Polka Dots

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

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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.