A few of my favorite things... collide!

Nothing beats the exhilarating feeling of worlds colliding. For some, it's new friends and old. For others, it's cake and lollipops. 

For me, it's the mighty pen and a stunning gown by Anthropologie.
I stumbled upon this wonderful short narrative piece by a blogger, JLgerhardt, and I couldn't resist sharing it!

"Why I'm Not Allowed to Daydream in the Dressing Room"

I’m at Anthropologie and I’ve already broken two of my cardinal shopping rules:

1. Do not go into Anthropologie.
2. Do not touch the merchandise.

Fingering the hem of a jewel-toned shift in raw silk, I break a third.


    3. Do not daydream about wearing the clothes.

Here I go…


When I wear this dress people will see me differently. I’ll step out of the background like an actress stepping into a lone spotlight. I will be respectable and mature but still fun and unconventional. I’ll look like I’ve just come back from a trip around the world, like I, only minutes ago, left a so-cool-you-don’t-know-it’s-name gallery, like I have class or, at the very least, style.

I may as well take it to the dressing room. There, looking at myself in the mirror wearing someone else’s clothes, I can step outside my stay-at-home-mom, covered-in-snot reality. I can be someone new.

I forget, conveniently, that the dress is dry clean only, that I’ll wear it once (to a pizza buffet, not an uptown soiree) and then throw it in a pile of clothes awaiting the day when I have enough extra cash to take it to the cleaners.

This dress will not change my life. It won’t fit my life either. It will make me painfully aware of the life I wish I were living. It will mock me from the dirty clothes pile. It will make me wish I had better shoes to wear with it, a more flattering hair color, daintier earrings.


Whatever it is I expect from this dress, I can be assured it will not provide.


But here in the store, holding it close to my chest, smelling that perfectly new smell, all I can imagine is a new me, a better me. In this dress.

I love it. I love the artistic vision behind the clothes we wear, the clothes that have yet to even come into existence because they are being conceived in the mind of a renowned designer at her drawing board in NYC or the Academy of Art student in his sketchbook. I love the potential for clothing to speak through us and transform us into someone new. Or even to reveal a part of ourselves we didn't realize we could be. The beauty of clothing? It is universal. Everyone is an artist in this way, even if you don't carry a paintbrush or hold a camera.

Her piece also got my brain buzzing about Anthropologie's fall catalog...

Hellooooo boots. Hello prints and colors like the changing trees and sunsets. Hello socks and scarves and full skirts. Hello mustard yellow <3!

A tip of my hat to creative writing, fashion, and fall in their beautiful marriage!
Gabrielle

P.S. My hair is currently in Phase Two! This is quite the process, let me tell you. But it will be worth it, I just know it!

Hair adventures!

Happy Saturday!

For some reason I have been waking up much earlier than I'd prefer to (especially after I've had a late night!). It's 8:24. What to do? Write a blog post, alright!

Anywho, I'm not going to be putting up any outfit photos for a while, at least a week or so, due to some drastic, experimental changes my hair is going through. I won't say what, although I'm sure those of you who bump into me throughout the week will have a pretty good idea. Also, I apologize in advance if you do, I'm currently in Phase One and it's a bit of a frightening sight. The ideal would have been to do it all in one go, but you can't rush this kind of thing. The poor mop needs time to rest!

If you're really curious, Lady Gaga alludes to what I'm doing on a certain song on her album, The Fame Monster!

Wish me luck as it all turns out!

Red drums

Skirt, belt, bag: thrifted vintage
Top: old Old Navy
Earrings: gift from my mother-in-law
Shoes: gift from Christina

Jumping right back in to vintage fashion again, my friends! Had some trouble modeling for this one thanks to a combination of wardrobe malfunctions and the wind. Hopefully that explains my closed-eyed, smiling shenanigans. I'm especially drawn to southwestern prints. So geometric! Geometry is probably the only type of math I have ever felt any kind of affinity for. Also! Gare was my photographer today! Didn't he do a swell job? Now I can be one of those fashion bloggers whose husbands does their photography. No more tripods and timers for me, wahoo!

I think I may be overdue for another trip to the thrift store. (Psst, want to come sift through orphaned clothes and granny shoes with me? Open invitation!) I really really really want to find some maxi skirts to play with for fall. Fall is right around the corner, you know! And it sure won't last long here before the snow rears its icy head.

On a more important, non-fashion related note, I literally just caught word about a horrifying plane crash at the Reno Air Races. As if this town hasn't had enough tragedy lately! My prayers go out to the victims and their families <3 :(

Geranium kisses

Wow. Hi, hello, blogging world! This has been quite the vacation, let me tell you.
Before I start shpieling about what's new, I first have to share this amazing surprise I discovered upon logging into Blogger for the first time in a few weeks:

Well, hot dog, that's ILSE! That's the very photoshoot we did back in May! As it turns out, a lovely lady, Natza, has featured my blog as one of her fashion influences on Polyvore! What an honor, my mind is just blown. Thank you, Natza!

Anyway, last we left off, I was about to get married! And now...

I am officially a Mrs!!! I think I have been subconsciously putting off this post because I am afraid I don't have the right words to do my feelings justice. The wedding was... it was just more than I had ever imagined it would be. All of the elements came together so wonderfully. The lace runners and fabric flowers, the yarn chandeliers, the bunting with our names, the perfect weather, the great food, the music, all our friends and family in one place at one time. (I promise I will make a special post with more photos, just as soon as we get the CD with all of the pictures.) It's so difficult to describe decently because it all happened so quickly, as for some reason weddings do when you're the one in the dress! I just remember feeling like I was an astral projection floating above my body the entire time, looking at everything going on around me as if I were dreaming. I cried, I laughed, I nearly starved to death before Gare and I were finally able to sit down and have a plate of food. All of a sudden the night was over and all I wanted was to keep repeating it over and over and over.

The very next morning, we were off on our honeymoon, to spend a whole week exploring in both Seaside and Portland, Oregon. More on that later!

And now, I am back in college, starting the year fresh. Except this time, I've taken up residence with a certain special man of mine ;) Living with my husband is somehow so natural to me. We have spent more consecutive waking (and sleeping!) hours together the past couple weeks than we ever have over the course of our three and a half year relationship, but it feels like we've always been this way.

It does seem a bit strange when I think about this life course I have chosen, especially in a world that doesn't have much support for it. In fact, it just recently hit me that I am one of the first in my graduating class to get married. People have asked me, how am I ready to make such a decision right now? To devote my entire life to someone so early? You might not be too surprised when you see that we're Christians. And young marriage is, honestly, something that Christian culture is known for. But the underlying reason behind why I feel like I can be able to unconditionally love and commit myself to someone like this is because Jesus has done exactly that for me (when I didn't even do anything to deserve it, what the heck?! haha). This marriage will take serious sweat and blood, and it won't be perfect. But what is life without taking some risks for what you care about? :)

So, that's the story. We're married. And excited. And grateful. And we love everyone in our lives so, so much. But enough about my life, I can't even WAIT to get back into vintage fashion! Stay tuned :)