farmer market

The way to my (weekend-loving) heart? A day at the farmer's market and a bouquet of fresh flowers. Summer, I am not -- in any way -- ready to be over you.

wear:
crocheted tank: Nordstrom (similar)
dress: Anthropologie (similar)
shoes: BC shoes (similar)
sunglasses: Target

pineapple

Admittedly I can be a little behind the trends. Some times I see a trend and I wonder if it's "wait and see if it's it's a real" trend. Other times, I'm just behind.

Case in point. When I started seventh grade, everyone came to school wearing fleece vests -- specifically Old Navy performance fleece vests. (Anyone remember those?) I did not have one, but was able to get one for Christmas... but by that time, no one else was wearing them. And my vest went into the closet.

So a few weeks ago pineapples started popping up everywhere. Not to eat, but on shirts and on desktop backgrounds and table linens. 

I'm just now wearing the pineapple trend but I've decided it's no longer seventh grade, so even if we're into mangoes or peaches, I'm still going to rock the pineapple -- especially on this super cute tank. :)

wear:
pineapple tank: c/o stylelately
shorts: gap 
sandals: seychelles

a prescription for ordinary days

Some days are really ordinary. Let's just say that. And some days I want fireworks, a big event with laughter and late nights. But instead, it's laundry and traffic and responsibilities ... the same old routine. 

I think, whenever possible, it's good to inject special into the everyday. Like eating cake for breakfast or wearing glittery nail polish, or maybe wearing something out of your comfort zone. For me, the injection is a kimono with fringe. This is not my normal uniform. It is loud and bright and makes a statement. And on an ordinary weekday, it's just what the doctor ordered. (Because there should be doctors who prescribe cute clothing... )

kimono c/o: gypsy threads
jeans: bdg

backyard swings and to-do lists

You know those things that you mean to do? Those things that linger on the to-do list for ages? And each day, you're like, someday. Some day this will be a priority.

Yes, me too.

In fact I have quite the to-do list -- mentally, typed into my phone and scrawled on notepads. Some are important, some not-so-much. Some things have been on there for years. And I'm happy to say I finally checked one item off.

The back story: Our little house has actually quite a big backyard, (big for city limits, that is), and holding center court is an enormous willow tree. The tree guy said it's one the biggest he's ever seen in Seattle. When we bought our house I told the husband that the tree would some day be perfect for a swing.

I kept saying it. We talked about buying one. And then our neighbor made one out of part of fallen tree in his own backyard. The seat is rustic and perfect and of course, it sat on our deck for a few weeks before we finally got around to hanging it this past weekend.

One (fun) item checked off the to-do list. I feel accomplished.



p.s. can we talk about maxi skirts for just one quick second? I left my token maxi skirt in Uganda for Asher, and have been looking for a new staple for awhile. This one has a bit of a swing-y action at the bottom, which makes it quite fun.

skirt: c/o Gypsy Threads
top: Target
sandals: Seychelles
necklace: Mandy England
bracelets: Nordstrom Rack

a post about polka dots and maybe nothing at all

I haven't done an outfit photo post in awhile. It's not because I've stopped wearing outfits or clothes in general -- (although there is a nudist colony about a half hour north of Seattle... ha) -- but I have a hard time forcing myself to get out the camera and take photos. I still have not mastered the tripod thing and I absolutely feel so awkward taking photos by myself. Apparently I still care a little too much about what people think.

And if I do get good outfit photos, they are care of my friend Sam, and sometimes it's hard to coordinate schedules and good outfits. I know, life is so hard.

With all that said, I'm ploughing through June and waiting for the weather to make up its mind and just be steadily nice. Until then, it's still about my favorite leather jacket and polka dots.

wear:
tee: thrifted
jacket: Nordstrom
jeans: Gap
shoes: Toms

remixing a dress as a skirt

Some days I roll out of bed and pull on the a go-to outfit: jeans, flats, a favorite tee. And some days, I decide I need more of a challenge, so I try to put together something new. It's a way for me to have fun and get the most wear out of what's in my closet. One of my recent remasteries (new word right there) was a favorite dress from Anthropologie and a thrifted button-up blouse.

p.s. don't mind the blue tape peeking out on my knee. I'm battling through some tightness in my quad and a physical therapist suggested kinesio tape. I'm not sure if it works, but it definitely makes me look (and feel) more like an athlete than I am.

what i wore:
blouse: thrifted similar
dress: anthropologie (several years old) similar
shoes: BC shoes (several years old) similar in nude
sunglasses: target

what i wore in nola (or how to style a crop top without showing your stomach)

Crop tops are everywhere but even if you have the stomach to show off, showing off your stomach in public is not always the best choice. So how do you style the cut crop top without flashing midriff?

I bought a too-short tee from my local thrift store (Value Village to me, Savers to everyone else) and hemmed it so it hit at belly button length. From there, I paired it with another thrifted skirt -- one I can wear at my belly button. The effect is the same-- a shorter, fun top, but rather than baring skin underneath, I'm merely showing off the waist band of my pleated skirt.

There's a ton of box-ier tees to be found at thrift shops (mine was $2) and if you're comfortable with a sewing machine (it's a super basic technique) you can hem one to the length you want.

happy friday!

xo, erika

an outfit with "soccer pants"

I've been eying these pants for awhile. Some places call them soft pants, or silky pants or warmup pants My husband calls them soccer pants because they remind him of the zippered pants he wore before practice.

I call them comfy pants. I actually bought them right before going to Uganda -- I wanted something other than leggings to wear on the plane and decided that a pair of these were perfect. I bought them at Nordstrom Rack but I've seen them everywhere. Yes, they're loose and casual, but you can dress them up with flats or heels (or do what I did on the plane to home from Uganda -- pair them unwashed dirty feet in flipflops and three-day, greasy hair). It's up to you, really.

wear:
jacket: Nordstrom (similar)
tee: Everlane
pants: Nordstrom Rack (similar -- on sale!)
flats: Target

what i wore in wind + rain

Oh spring weather. Just when I think you're balmy and sweet, you come roaring in with wind and rain, and I'm forced to drag out the sweater I just packed away. When will you make up your mind, dear sweet fickle spring? It's about time for consistency.

dress: made by me
sweater: thrifted
boots: dsw
necklace: c/o l'avenir design

sometimes edgy

 

I don't think that I could ever pin down my style. I feel like with each outfit I put on, I have a new style. One day I'm preppy Erika, another day I'm a little more boho. Some days I wish I was more edgy, other days I think it would be great to be more girly.

I don't know that you have to stick to one style-- one certain type of clothing. You can be edgy or classic or both.

Wear what you feel like today. And, ttoday, this jacket makes me feel a little bit wild. Tomorrow, I'll likely be more subdued.


wear:
jacket, purse: nordstrom rack
jeans: Gap
booties: DSW (similar)
knuckle rings: GlamRocks Designs

current uniform + a giveaway

There are some things in my closet that just work. I can throw them on and feel good about what I'm wearing, with very little effort. A blazer, a boyfriend tee, cuffed skinny denim and booties is my current go-to, feel-good outfit.

I've been fighting (another) cold and I knew that feeling put together would be one the little things that would help me get through my day. (Does anyone else dress nicer when they don't feel good?) The blazer is stretchy so it's easy to wear and even though the booties have heels, they're stacked and short.

My blazer is from Wallis, but I know Target has some super soft, stretchy blazers and so does Old Navy.

The final piece to my go-to outfit? An interesting necklace. I'm wearing this skeleton key necklace from one of my sponsors L'Avenir, and they are generous enough to offer a delicate key necklace up to one of my readers! I got quite a few compliments while wearing my key necklace and the husband even asked me coyly if it was the key to my heart.

enter to win a delicate key necklace using the rafflecopter widget below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

wear:
blazer: Wallis (similar)
tee: Target
jeans: Gap
booties: DSW

thoughts on fashion blogging

If you think about it for awhile, fashion blogging is an odd thing. Putting photos of yourself out there, on the Internet. It feels entirely foreign. It can feel self-obsessive.

But when I think about where we used to get style inspiration, fashion blogging seems like such a good thing. Style inspiration used to be primarily through magazine features that showcased perfect models in stylized, editorial shoots with big budgets and high-end clothing. The fashion blog is a democratizing of the fashion magazine. Rather than perfect models, it's real people. There's no big editorial shoot -- unless you call my friend taking photos of me at the local community center "a fashion shoot" -- and the budget is small, teeny-tiny, even, and the clothing, at least in many cases, is decided not high-end.

Sure, fashion blogging, like anything, can become narcissistic. It can become obsessive. But so many things in our life can turn that way. I do think a lot about how I fell into this weird thing of sharing what I wear. And I admit that I like the selfish parts of it; I like the compliments and little buzz of comments. But I also like to imagine that I am somehow inspiring someone -- that I'm showing them how a real person is wearing something. Maybe they'll see my post and be inspired to look in their closet and try something new or pull something out they haven't worn in ages. Maybe they'll feel encouraged to start their own blog, to share what they're wearing. These are "maybes" that I hope turn true.

On a similar note, I put together a video sharing where faith and fashion blogging can coincide and even co-exist beautifully over on the member portion of the Influence Network (you can find it under the videos tab). I'd love to hear what you thought and maybe what you think about fashion blogging in general. Love it? Hate it? Indifferent? I'd love to know.

xo, erika

wear:
sweater: target
necklace: modcloth (similar)
skirt: thrifted
shoes: seychelles

finding outfit inspiration

I have some really great coworkers at the day job and many of them have great style-- (which may be surprising for a Seattle tech company.)

One of my coworkers wore a silky-ish summer dress (or skirt, maybe?) topped with a printed sweatshirt and tights. It sounds odd but I realized that I could recreate the exact outfit with what I had in my closet.

I love that; I love being able to mix and match items that I already own-- creating something new to wear, something different.

Speaking of something new -- I also recently chopped my hair to my shoulders, which ended up to be quite a drastic haircut (almost 5 inches off). I told my hair stylist that I wanted shorter hair but it could, by no means, be "Mom" hair. (No offense Mom, but your bangs and shoulder-length bob of the early '90s is not one I want to emulate.)

I love what she ended up doing. I love that my hair cut is messy and different. And I love how much less time it takes to dry after washing it. I was starting to leave the house with wet hair, which in winter is really not the best idea.

xo, erika

wear:

sweatshirt: hello merchandise

dress: bridesmaid dress from h&m 

tights: target

booties: Toms (snagged them on major sale!)