over the weekend, i found myself browsing through all of my favorite fall collections to get outfit inspiration for transitional outfits and beyond. one of the collections that really stood out to me was peter jensen. it’s one of those collections where i seriously wish i could have every single piece and just wear them all winter. but since i don’t think i’ll be able to afford too many designer pieces come fall, i decided to have a bit of fun putting together a little “look for less.”

j.crew jackie cardigan, old navy women’s perfect tee, american apparel hampton shorts, j.crew large madaket tote (you can also get a similar tote from l.l.bean for much less, i just couldn’t find a good picture of it), tic tac toes celine t-straps, revlon super lustrous lipstick in fuchsia fusion, almay liquid eye liner.

i’ve actually been making a lot of collages lately, so if this is a feature you like, expect to see more in the coming weeks!

it seems as though lately i just can’t get enough of wearing polka dots! i think this may have something to do with my need to constantly wear my new karen walker sunglasses. i keep playing off their shape when i get dressed, so before i know it, i’m wearing teeny tiny polka dots and a big puff ball at my collar. i actually got this skirt at a thrift shop ages ago with the idea that i would hem it up to a mini length, but i kinda sorta never got around to it. but as i think forward to fall, i’m appreciating longer hemlines, so i guess my laziness worked out in this case!

being a mere 5’5″ (if i was talking, you’d sense sarcasm because i know that 5’5″ isn’t short), i’ve always shied away from longer skirts and opted for mini lengths with this idea that i would look bad in a maxi length. but honestly, that’s just silliness. i know i’ve brought this up before, but i think it’s worth repeating: it’s too bad that we’re constantly getting messages that the only way we should want to look is long and lean, or super sexy. why should anyone be made to feel like they’re not allowed to wear certain clothes just because of their body type? it’s kind of amazing how that kind of “advice” can make almost anyone feel bad about themselves if they believe it. so basically, the moral of the story is: go get a maxi skirt. or a skirt that cuts you off at the widest part of your leg. it’s really not a fashion don’t.

haha, ok, enough with the pep talks and onto the outfit:
blouse: thrifted vintage silk blouse
skirt: thrifted vintage polka dot skirt
shoes: seychelles platform clogs
sunglasses: karen walker
pin: loft raffia pin

i had a lot of fun today in my vintage-inspired outfit! what i find so great about these pieces is that they are all new items, but they were all inspired by styles from the past. the nice thing about vintage reproductions and vintage-inspired styles, is that you’ll always be able to find your size! oh, how many times i have found the perfect vintage dress or the most amazing vintage shoes, only to discover that they will not fit! or else the condition is such that i can only reserve those special pieces to be worn on the rarest of occasions. this dress is particularly nice because it is made of a sturdy 100% cotton, so it’s something that i can wash and wear over and over again. and the pretty puff sleeves and sweet floral and cherry print on this dress remind me of styles from the 1940’s, so i thought it would be fun to pair it with my reproduction 1940’s platform heels. and of course, the best way to top off such a cheerful outfit is with the cherry on top: my favorite bright red boater hat.

and in other news, i am excited to announce that this time tomorrow, i will be in new york! i’m only going to be around for wednesday and thursday, but if you want to meet up, let me know! or if you want to give me any recommendations, i’m all ears! i read the forecast and apparently it’s going to be 80 degrees with thunderstorms. i have yet to figure out exactly how to dress for such weather, but i’ll do my best!

hat: the last straw hat in ruby
dress: with flying florals dress courtesy of modcloth
it’s currently out of stock, but you can sign up to be notified when they get more!
shoes: remix vintage shoes ‘rita’ reproduction 1940’s platforms

on this particular day, we took the short hike to kehoe beach and laid out on the sand enjoying turkey and swiss on a baguette, and mapping out a short story that we’re writing together. well, brendan is doing most of the writing, but i helped him out with character development and plot! i’m really excited about this latest project and hope we’ll be able to find a suitable place to get it published in a lit mag or journal or something (if you have any tips or hints, let me know)! then we napped a bit before hiking back and exploring an historic dairy ranch in the area nearby. and you’ll have to excuse me, because we had so much taking pictures that this post is going to be packed full!

and since this is still a bit of an outfit post…
jacket: gap belted utility jacket
sweater: american apparel sailor strip pullover
jeans: j brand 210 the oslo
shoes: vintage anne klein flats from pineapple mint
sunglasses: karen walker

(you can click the images to enlarge)

today i’m taking out the calivintage dress for another spin! i thought it would be the perfect dress for a simple outfit where i really wanted just a few pieces to do all the talking. see, yesterday i got my jessica simpson dany platforms in the mail! for those of you who aren’t familiar with them, they’re a knock off of the charles anastase platforms from spring 2009 (i’m still slightly obsessed with that collection!), only without the insane price tag. they came out last year some time and quickly sold out before people started listing them on ebay for like $200 and up. at which point, i regretted that i didn’t purchase them when i first saw them. so when they were re-released this month, i went ahead and indulged myself. i’ve been wanting a suuuper tall pair of heels for a long while now and these are so fun to wear! and in all honesty, they’re not hard to walk in and are actually one of the more comfortable pairs of heels i own. because of the huge platform in front, they aren’t steep at all. my only concern is that if i were to trip on something, i would probably take a nasty spill. fortunately for me, i’m not very accident prone, so i’ll gladly take the marginal risk.

anyway, knock-offs seem to always be a hot topic within the fashion industry. i remember a while back leproust vintage wrote a post asking her readers for their thoughts on the subject. it reminded me of a video i saw by johanna blakley, lessons from fashion’s free culture. while i don’t agree with everything she has to say, she did make an interesting point that the people who are buying knockoffs aren’t taking any business away from the designers who make the high end pieces because they simply can’t afford those insane price tags. then, for an almost perfect coincidence, this morning there was a post on threadbared about some of the social and cultural judgments made against women who buy cheap clothes. certainly something to think about. and there is certainly much more to the equation that i’m not even getting into. in the meantime, i am having oh so much fun prancing around in my new shoes!

dress: the modcloth calivintage dress
shoes: jessica simpson dany platforms
sunglasses: karen walker
clutch: thrifted vintage woven straw clutch

anyway, we spent our time staying at a cabin in forestville and enjoyed a long and leisurely canoe trip down the russian river. we were all so exhausted from all of the rowing and heat of the sun that we barely had enough energy for an evening bbq! the next day we went on an expedition to one of my favorite bakeries, wild flour, for delicious fougasse, and then did some wandering around sebastopol, guerneville, and healdsburg before finishing up the evening watching the local fireworks show. all in all, it was a nice, relaxing weekend.

view of the front of the canoe.

view of the back of the canoe.

i think cheap beer is mandatory on the river.

almost every single shore was filled with people.

the bus ride back. heat exhaustion!

guerneville.

healdsburg.

how quickly the month of june has passed right by… i can’t believe i’m almost done with my month of guest editing and styling at the live.love.LOFT. blog. tomorrow will be my last official post, and with it, will come a little surprise for you all! but first, i want to share with you one of the projects that i worked on with LOFT. it was a challenge to style up one piece four different ways. i’ve actually never done a post like this before, but i certainly love to wear my favorite pieces over and over, so i decided to try my hand at styling up the pleated sleeve ruffle neck blouse. it is one my favorite LOFT pieces this month, and i actually already styled it up in a teddy girl inspired look seen here. i’d worn it so much that i knew i could think up four more looks for all different occasions. in fact, i had so much fun styling up these outfits, that i think i might have to make this a more regular feature on my blog! so without further adieu, here’s what i came up with:

top: pleated sleeve ruffle neck blouse courtesy of LOFT
jumper: puddle splashing jumper from modcloth
shoes: kork-ease wedges
bag: caning woven leather clutch courtesy of LOFT

top: pleated sleeve ruffle neck blouse courtesy of LOFT
bottoms: high rise trousers from urban outfitters
shoes: nine west suede platforms

top: pleated sleeve ruffle neck blouse courtesy of LOFT
jacket: gap belted utility jacket
jeans: j brand 210 the oslo
sandals: volcom knock on wood sandals
sunglasses: ray-ban round wayfarers

top: pleated sleeve ruffle neck blouse courtesy of LOFT
dress: h&m strapless cocktail dress
shoes: wedge sandals courtesy of LOFT

and just a quick note to remind you to check out my guest posts at live.love.LOFT. for the month of june!

top: embroidered bib pullover courtesy of LOFT
jumper: puddle splashing jumper courtesy of modcloth
shoes: vintage salvatore ferragamo bow flats