Gothic Lace Cowgirl

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I am breaking so many of my boundaries in these pictures.

Wait. Do you break boundaries or cross them?

Whichever it was, all at once, I found them tossed to the wind.

1. Never be photographed in sleeveless.

2. Never wear all dark colors.

3. Never wear braids in the wind.

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I layered my two Anthropologie Scalloped Monogram Bracelets with my husband and my initials.

And they were the only pieces of jewelry I wore that day.

The gnome doesn’t count, right?

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I just had to break my own silly rules when I found this cute Free People Dear Bridgette Lace Top at Nordstrom Rack (I cannot find it online but I found a similar shirt here). It was a steal. I all ready had the skirt (similar here) from early 2013 and the lace maxi slip underneath the whole outfit was a fabulous deal at NR last summer for around $30.

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The reason I had only worn bracelets on this day was because I decided to wear one of my fabric flowers I had purchased from a sweet seller at Pike’s Market in Seattle last year.

By the way, do you see why I have no back shots of this outfit? I forgot to have my husband button the back of my shirt!

Aw, well, you break some rules and everything just falls apart.

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I had mentioned in a post last week that I never wear black, because I think it is hard to make it look cheerful. But this outfit made me happy that day.

I am branching out.

Kicking my heels up, so to speak.

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Or boots, as it were.

Do you have any silly fashion rules? Have you ever broken them? Have you ever spent the whole day with your shirt or dress completely unbuttoned?

Yea, me neither.

*this post was edited using the App Afterlife’s Row filter at 50%.

Late Summer Love Dress

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I know it is not really “late summer” yet. I would say we are smack dab in the middle of summer as far as time plotting goes. However, Late Summer Love is the name of this dress and since I spent hours minutes staring at these outfit pictures trying to come up with a title and nothing came to me. Well, we went with the name of the dress. And when I say “we”, I mean “I”. Just like when I say “late summer” I mean “middle summer”. Unless I actually mean late summer but at that point I would probably call it early fall.

We are a walking contradiction.

For instance, sometimes I will have to layer something underneath a short dress or I feel naked. Other times, I will leave the house in a dress my husband mistook for a shirt.

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I do not know why some pieces of clothing garner different rules than others. It is a conundrum.

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This is off topic (if we were ever really on one), but my son calls this pose my chicken pose. That makes me laugh. Or rather squawk.

We took these pictures the other day at my daddy’s apiary. In the second picture above this one, you can see some old hives. I grew up wandering these paths.

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I love this picture. It is probably my favorite outfit picture my husband has ever taken. I am not sure why. But it is such a candid shot, because I did not know my husband had started shooting. I like that I am fixing my gnome. It reminds me of being a little girl on that very road.

Although my mother never would have let me wear a dress that short.

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My husband agrees with her.

I will pair this dress with leggings, tights and maybe even jeans in the wintertime.

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Back to my son’s earlier observation: What would happen if I made it to the other side of this road?

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Whatever the answer, I hope I could get there without flashing anybody.

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I love the lilac tones in this dress mixed with the yellow. I purchased this dress with my birthday discount and a gift card while it is on sale.

And although it is short, it has really cool sleeves.

That is important.

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‘Cause when you’re marching to your own beat, it’s nice to be able to do it with a little flare, regardless of the name of the season or the stance of your pose.

Do you have odd rules about clothes? Do you ever contradict yourself?

I do not know why I do. Squawk!

Purple Dayz

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Who doesn’t want an easy summer? The deeper into summer it gets, the less I want to wear. Nothing says, “easy,” like a maxi skirt. More comfortable than jeans. More covering than shorts.

The best part about a maxi is definitely the breeze around your legs.

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I purchased this maxi skirt for a great sale price on Free People (they have a new version here) last year. I have worn it but have never gotten around to blogging about it.

Purple is my least favorite color, but I love the volume of this skirt. And it has grown on me.

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I did not want to be bogged down with too many accessories so I simply paired it with my Anthropologie Necklace from earlier this year.

The sandals were a killer deal that I scored in December. The were originally around $130 and I paid $23. I usually wait for a sale on most of my clothing and accessories. In fact, this whole outfit head to toe was obtained for $128.

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I plan on wearing this skirt a lot this summer. A good rule of thumb is to buy your summer clothes in the fall and your winter clothes in the spring. You will get the best deals that way.

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Do you wear maxis or shorts in the summer? Are you with me on wearing less accessories in the heat?

These photos were edited using the App Afterlife’s Equinox Filter.

More Anthropologie Fall Reviews

Here is where I break my own rules and do more reviews.

My kids were going camping last weekend. It was booked for months. Can you see where this is going? Oh, yes. The government shutdown strikes again. And the campground was closed. Thankfully, they could just go camping on my family’s land, but it still was a dent in the plans.

My father met me to pick up the kids at Anthropologie. ‘Cause he’s awesome. I had two returns to do. I will happily note I left Anthropologie with a negative balance. Did I buy something? Ugh. Yes. But I was proud of myself for leaving so many lovelies behind.

I decided to try on some things. Some of them, because I have had my eye on them. Others, because they are different than what I would normally wear and someone might like to see them on the average girl.

I probably will not get to another brick and mortar store until Christmastime. It was fun to try on some pretty pieces.

Movin’ along. Here are the reviews:

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That day, I wore my Free People Lace babydoll shirt from Nordstrom Rack. Of course, I did not take a picture of the outfit in the dressing room. Here is a “selfie” I took at home earlier in the day. By the time I got to Anthropologie, it was late in the day and my hair changed. Oh, and my make up kind of smeared. Bear with me. I paired it with my Free People skinny corduroy pants also from Nordstrom Rack ($19.99 last week. Run! Don’t walk!). I am wearing lace flats from H & M. The necklace was gifted to me from Simply Livly on Etsy (I wear it all of the time and love it!).

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I don’t know about you, but I have a system when I try things on. Because I hate trying things on. The quicker I can get it done, the better. If I all ready have pants on, I start with tops. So, first I tried on a top I had loved online. It is the Honore Buttondown. I was not in love with it once I tried it on. It is just okay. This is a size 6. It just wasn’t for me in real life. Or maybe it would be great tucked in?

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First, please ignore the weird expression on my face. What the heck? This black top ended up in my dressing room. I had not picked it out. It was my usual size medium and so I tried it on. I think it is the Smocked Sabine V-Neck. It is black. It is a blouse. It is a black blouse. Nothing much more to see here.

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This sweater was so pretty on the hanger. This is the Stitched Flora Cardigan. It swam on me when I tried it on. This is a medium. I could have used a size small. It is expensive. This just isn’t for me, but I am sure many lovely ladies will rock it.

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Hedgehogs! Oh my! I love this top. I have the bunny version in this new release Creature Feature Top with the buttons down the back. I purchased the bunny version in my usual medium, and immediately had regrets. This is a large. I think definitely size up in this shirt if you do not like things “showing.”

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On to the dresses! I tried on this Narva Swing Dress, on a whim. Please ignore my claw. Gosh! I am weird! This is a medium. If they would have had a small, I probably would have cradled it all the way home. As it is, I am glad they did not. This dress is one I will wait for sale on. It is a pretty blue swing dress. But I am looking for something with spunk. It did make me feel all small and girlish in it. As in, someone could throw me over their shoulder and then take me home and rock me. Hmmm. Maybe I shouldn’t drink wine and write reviews.

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This dress is a small (Spacedye Day Dress). It was the only size they had in stock. It is too small. Small. Small. Small. Moving along.

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I lusted after the Elodie Sweater Dress online. I loved the color. But once I tried it on, the love was lost. The color just is not good on me. I think someone with the right coloring is going to rock this dress. And I will be envious and glad for them all at once. I am wearing a medium. The fit is right. The stripes do not do my hips any favors. It also comes in a black color, but it is not for me.

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Okay. Maybe I am delusional. Scratch that. Yes, I am delusional. But maybe more so with this skirt. First, after poring over the reviews online about the Ponte Bell Skirt, I stubbornly tried on the XS/S version and refused to budge on the issue. Did my refusal to budge create a bulge? Hmmm. I don’t know. The bump on the side is not a hip baby, but the sensor from the shirt. I loved this skirt. It was so whimsical. So fun. And I felt itty bitty in it. When something makes you feel like that, it is a no brainer. This skirt came home with me.

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Oh gosh! I love this vest. It is the Corduroy Puffer Vest. Of course, my kids had to leave when I tried this on. Sorry! This is the only picture I have.

I love the vest, but I live in Southern California. I would probably wear it once a year. It is soft. It is my favorite mustard. It kind of made me teary to let it go. Well, not really, but it is adorable. If you live in a colder climate, this vest is wonderful. I sized down to a small, and that is what I would have bought had I lived in the climate that would support the wearing of this vest. Hmmmm. Do you think this would look good over a swimsuit?

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And this jacket is so not me. It is the Chevron Sweep Poncho. But I figured it might be someone. I don’t wear fur or fake fur. I don’t wear animal print (the actual animal printed on the item of clothing gives me heart palpitations, but a print of animal hide… Nah.). But I can see why some women like it. This jacket is huge. If you love this, size down. This is a medium. I definitely could have sized down at least one size. The colors are very striking. Again, not for me, but for someone fun.

So, have you spotted anything you love lately? Please tell!

P.S. Roxy of Effortless Anthropologie just posted some reviews! Check them out. They are always so helpful. : ).