I thought I'd strayed away from the feminine-lace look but something about this dress caught my eye. Aside from it being the comfiest "fancy" dress in my closet, its fit and cut made it feel more sophisticated than some of my other lace pieces. Even though I've been gravitating more towards simple shift dresses and solid colors lately, I'll always have a thing for girly dresses like this.
In other news, I've taken up a new hobby—reading. Good old fashioned literacy. I've started with this gem and I'm loving every second of it. I've got a new Saturday morning routine that I'm becoming very attached to: wake up embarrassingly late, make eggs and coffee regardless of the time of morning (or usually, afternoon) and read. This may not sound life-changing or even blog-worthy, but I've always found a sense of contentment in routine.
I've got a couple more weeks of this Daylight Savings golden light and I'm going to take full advantage of it. I've always liked playing with light in my photographs and I'm actually planning on taking a photography class on it soon (key to getting out of ruts = hobbies). I loved how the warm colors in my outfit played off the evening light.
Maybe it's the change in season, but I've been feeling a lot more stylistically inspired lately. Nothing better than pulling out some of my fall favorites and pretending they are brand new. Aaaand buying things that are actually brand new is fun too. I may have gone on a slight online shopping binge after a 6+ month shopping fast. I know I've said this before, but I live for the drama of online shopping. Coming home to a package and having things fit perfectly is another one of those "little things" that makes me happy.
Lately, I've been thinking a lot about the social "edit" we go through on a daily basis. Perhaps this is just a symptom of me working in social media...but I can't help but think about the contrast between peoples' online personas and reality. Even on this blog (which I try to keep as authentic as possible) I'm creating an edited version of myself. Editing out the nitty gritty details that no one wants needs to hear about—postgrad turmoil, dating drama, mundane obligations, etc. etc. etc. It's a unique symptom of the generation (Gen X, Gen Y ...which one is it again? All I know is I'm a Millennial and marketers love me) and I'm sure there will be plenty to be said about this—and us—twenty, fifty, or a hundred years from now.
A week or so ago, in an attempt to make myself feel better about the whole not-being-a-student-thing I went through a couple of my favorite class syllabi. While school has never been my favorite (although, yeah I'll definitely be the first to admit I miss certain aspects of it), there were a few Sociology classes I took that really stood out to me. One in particular was a unique seminar on Hipsters. I had completely forgotten until I re-read it, but I wrote my final paper on the Modern Hipster's use of social media as a means of creating his or her identity. Performing and reinforcing their "coolness" through a filtered (no pun intended) version of themselves.
And it's so true, it's too true. There are 100% a million times (math) I would love to temporarily unplug if it weren't a part of my work and the fact that while there are some pretty negative symptoms of social media...there's also an invaluable connectivity gained from being plugged-in. While sometimes I don't care that #Beyonce is trending on Twitter, or the latest #OOTD someone (could have been me!) posted, I do care about the real time interaction and the virtually instantaneous spread of information.
If you're wondering what the hell kind of non-outfit post this is, the truth is I don't have any essays for class to channel these random thoughts so I figured I might as well use a platform I do have. Blogspot has provided me with an internet soapbox so I'm going to use it! Maybe it's time for me to consider pursuing my PHD in Social Media. Is that a thing?
Food for thought.
P.S. this photo was taken in The Last Bookstore in Downtown. I went for the photo op...but it's a pretty cool place worth checking out.
I'm not quite sure why, but I've always had a thing for rooftops. When I was shopping around for a new apartment, any place with a rooftop view got huge bonus points in my book. Surprisingly, I wound up signing a lease at my current apartment before I even realized it came with an amazing view. It took me about 2 weeks to discover the "secret" rooftop access that makes for a pretty impressive panorama of the city at sunset. A part of me really thinks I'm meant to live in Brooklyn and have Pinterest-perfect rooftop picnics all summer long. This is still in the plans...eventually.
Anyway, I left my apartment mid-dinner to run and snap these photos before the sunset. This whole outfit has a '70s vibe to me and consists entirely of old pieces in my closet. You might recognize this daisy blouse from the archives. If you go back far enough you'll see it was one of my very first blog posts. Further proof that I literally do not get rid of clothes. I've heard the word "hoarder" thrown around a few times and I'm still not sure what to make of it.
I don't know whether it was my new dress or something else in the air, but I just felt like blogging. And it's a feeling I've been waiting on for quite some time. I've fallen in and out of ruts, but thankfully inspiration has always managed to find its way back to me. However, I must say that waiting for it when it's missing is an uncomfortable and downright painful process. There's nothing particularly special about this outfit, but it made me feel like a cool-girl rocking a paper bag and has enough edge to potentially intimidate a stranger upon first glance. SO, it felt blog worthy. This dress was one of those purchases (like many that I make at Madewell) that I had to sort of force myself to buy. But I've quickly become obsessed/plan to never take it off. Seriously: sleeping, eating, plus-ing or minus-ing 15 pounds—this shift can and will withstand anything. The last recorded case of this kind of obsession involves my grey sweatshirt dress which will likely come back in heavy rotation once it starts to cool down in LA.
I can already feel it...this post is going to be long and wordy and much more information than you probably want in an outfit post. I get it—you came here for outfits and suggestive shopping links—I'm the same way. But, I've salvaged my little old internet soapbox, if only for a moment, so I'm going to ramble as long as my html and attention span will let me.
Lately, I've been caught up in everything except myself and as silly as that sounds, it's true. I think sometimes we (and by we, I mean me) lose ourselves in relationships, work, and anything in between. When one part of my life falls out of whack, it takes a while for me to find my center. And when more than one thing is off-balance, well...that's when I don't blog for five months and only pop in to write a few lengthy and wonderfully vague posts about "life, etc." However, I can feel myself gradually bouncing back and I think a lot of it has to do with my active attempt at building a schedule, finding contentment in routine, and pushing myself to just go through the motions until something feels different. Best post-grad advice I've been given. Thanks Mom.
So here's to a long overdue outfit post. And hoping this isn't just a momentary spark of style blogging brilliance. And by brilliance, I really just mean attendance.
The Caffeinated Closet contains some affiliate marketing links that may result in a small commission for my site if items are purchased through them. Any items I receive free of charge from a company I mark as "courtesy of" (c/o) on my outfit details. I only endorse brands that fit my personal preferences and style, and my blog content is never influenced by advertisers.
