Outfits Not Just Clothes

 With the close of August, the start of the school year, and the slow transition into autumn I donned a subtle patriotic kind of look of small stars and bold stripes to celebrate the last bit of summer.  shirt-Old Navy(similar here ), shorts- G1 Good s from  Dina Ellen , headband-J.Crew Factory(similar here ), earring-Etsy seller The Seedy Merchan t, bracelet-homemade, ring- Skelton Jewelry , bag-Modcloth(similar here ), sandals-Target  I featured this shirt in this post from last summer. Recently, I broke up the set wearing the shorts with a tee here . These shorts I got awhile back from a local boutique Dina Ellen , which is temporarily closed due to a fire damage from the restaurant next door. So if you can please make an online purchase to support a local decades-long business here in Pgh.  On a less supportive note, I have not linked to the retailer of these shoes because of reasons of late. So I'd suggest checking our Vivaia sandals here . I'll probably ...

 Last year I had the pleasure of going to the Water Lantern Festival with a dear friend and picked up this Tee as well as a flower crown or two. We are set to attend this year's festival on Saturday, tickets are still available in the link below. Don't know if I'll wear this shirt or go with something a bit more boho and airy we shall see.   Tee- Water Lantern Festival Merch, Shorts-Old Navy(similarish here ), Sunnies-Versace(similar here ), Necklace- Mejuri , Bag-ModCloth(similar here ), Sandals-Target(kind of similar here ), Kid Button-Downs- Old Navy Another photo shoot by a very murky river. Similar posts here and here . It was so hot and muggy that the outfit best called for had to be a simple tee and shorts, but not without some style, hence the bits of blue, the bag, etc.  I wanted to pointed out my sandals. They are from one of Target's years' past Pride collections when they had some backbone before rolling back it's commitment to diversity and inclusi...

It can be tricky to build an outfit around "merch" which is usually gimmicky or niche or sports themed. Here I felt up to the challenge of creating an eclectic, greater-than-the-sum-of-its-parts look using pieces that each contribute to a very specific vibe.   vest-thrifted from Phoenix Boutique originally Halogen from Nordstrom (similar here ), tee-Etsy seller  Warungnyabagus  shorts-H&M (similar here ), hat- Every Outfit Podcast Merch , earrings-Amazon seller Woworama ,  kerchief-Etsy seller  indiancottonaura , ring and bracelet-- Ana Luisa , bag- The Frick Pittsburgh , shoes-- Madewell I'm not sure what that specific vibe is, but I am loving how this outfit came together. Tori Amos has been a bedrock for me since the 90s. I wouldn't be the redheaded woman I am today if not for her, hands down!  Her rendering on this tee really pops with my hair, and then we have the unexpected pairing of leopard shorts with a long office-setting vest. It shoul...

💕💖 Hello! It's been a very busy and quite active summer since my last post back in June!  We've been road-tripping, Picklesburghing, trekking kiddos to camps, and enjoying our city and shopping local. Here's a recent running-around-on-errands outfit.  jacket-J.Crew Factory(more cropped version here ), T-shirt-Kansas City Kitty(more options here ), pants-Boden(similar here ), sneakers-H&M(similar here ) Necklace/Bracelet-- Slide Jewels Box Subscription Speaking of shopping small, this T-shirt featured previously here and here  was not so local, but still small at a boutique in Fort Collins, CO when I was visiting last year.  You can get this heart graphic in sticker form still.  And speaking of 💕I've paired up this tee with a heart pendant and heart bracelet.  This pants weren't the best for summer, but I couldn't resist the pink as a bottom for the tee. Basically the T-shirt dictated the rest of the outfit.  Oh, and I can tell it's been a whil...