Honeyuck

Hana Haley's photography is full of summer vibes. They look like stills from home videos featuring a surf-inspired soundtrack. Everything is sunshine and pastels and I can't get enough.

Miscellaneous

*collages by Kelly O'Connor

What I wore this week: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

Something to chew on: "In the fashion magazines that crowd the rack of bookstores and corner shops, beautiful models live beautiful lives wearing beautiful clothes in beautiful homes. Whereas my Happy Victims are neither strikingly attractive nor occupy handsomely appointed dwellings. And yet in all of Japan, they’re the ones who buy these brands most, not models. These Happy Victims unilaterally dedicated their lives to the brands they love despite getting no kudos from the sellers. But they’re magic to my eyes, they radiate positive vibes that transcend all reason." Happy Victims by Kyoichi Tsuzuki

Saturday links:
-don't forget to enter my Loop Theory giveaway!
-sweet music video & perfect summer tune
-behind the scenes at the Natural History museum
-I want all the novelty purses
-a new study finds that people with high “justice sensitivity” are driven by logic, not emotion
-I want this folksy dress
-my dinosaur accessories are for sale on Etsy now
-a pretty visual history of typewriter art--words becoming pictures

Style Crush: The Snail and the Cyclops

When I first got into the online world of personal style wardrobe_remix on Flickr was my main resource. Dozens of stylish girls uploaded their daily looks and inspired me to realize that I could dress how I wanted on a regular basis. Many of those girls moved on to blogs and other projects, one such inspiration to me was Francesca of The Snail and The Cyclops. She no longer updates her Flickr or blog, but the archives of both remain to bring inspiration to those like myself who admire a nearly head-to-toe vintage wardrobe. I admired her lovely dresses and delicate blouses and the way she still managed to inject bright colors and tee shirts into her retro ensembles. 

Familiar Territory

A host of old favorite collide in this post--one of my favorite dresses (which is completely worn to death), railroad tracks (the state I live in might change, but I always hunt down quiet railroad tracks for pictures since college), and my classic trench coat (also worn to death). The best thing about old favorites is when you get an opportunity to take a break from them by going away, or putting them in a box in the basement, and coming back to them with fresh eyes and a new appreciation. Even your favorite meal gets tiring when it's the only thing you know how to cook and you're forced to eat it every day, but after some variety it's nice to return to something familiar. And no matter how familiar the train tracks and no matter how many times I go and don't see trains, I do spend the whole time looking over my shoulder...

Outfit details:

ASOS trench coat (customized)

Triptych dress (old, similar)

belt ℅ Modcloth (sold out, similar)

Tabbisocks tights

Seychelles heels

J Crew purse (old, similar)

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Beautiful Ful S/S 2014

I'm a sucker for boys with tattoos and girls with beehives so this lookbook for Beautiful Ful's Spring/Summer 2014 collection is one of my number one summer inspirations. This summer I'm thinking full skirts and perhaps a few crops tops but with a definite 50s influence of exaggerated winged eyeliner rather than the usual 90s interpretation of a crop top. I think I also need some fitted black jeans. Anyway, Beautiful Ful is a menswear brand, but I love the way they styled things for a couple in their lookbook down to the matching tops and shared milkshake.

Cream of the Crop

I have a couple of cropped sweaters I like wearing over dressed in fall and winter and now I'm slowly adding some cropped tops to my collection. I was quite resistant to the crop top at first since I hate crunches and nearly every article that mentions crop tops also goes into some body-shaming of suggesting we all amp up our spring exercises in order to look "appropriate" in these shorter tops, but after trying one on it a store with a high waist skirt I was won over (they're quite demure on petite a petite person, no?). Moreover, one of my favorite summer lines is something along the lines of "want a bikini body? have a body, put bikini on body, enjoy the summer." Too often the magazines and articles that are telling us about the latest trend are also telling us who can and can't wear it--when ultimately everyone is allowed to wear the clothes they want. Admittedly I'm still not completely comfortable in a bikini, but I'm one step closer to caring about all that nonsense less. I want to wear fun clothes, but ultimately I want to forget about what I'm wearing once it is one--the fun is in picking out the closet then going forth and being so comfortable in your clothes you can focus on the rest of your life.

Outfit details:

Hello Holiday necklace (old)

H&M crop top (similar)

skirt ℅ Sheinside

old flats (similar)

Zara purse

Modcloth umbrella (old, similar)
temporary tattoo on my foot by Family Affairs

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Laying The Scene

Too often I take for granted the wealth of information that is only a fingertip away--the amount of books available online for free, the archives available to browse, and yet I usually waste my time looking at the same old sites and reading about who wore what to blank event. I definitely feel sucked into a culture of useless information sometimes and have to fight to correct my habits. Anyway, recently I stumbled upon the American Museum of Natural History's digital exhibits and have since spent countless hours enjoying their website. The featured exhibit right now is on rare illustrated books of natural history--stunning and interesting. Visually I got the biggest kick out of their surreal exhibit preparation pages where giant centipedes and miniature buffalos take center stage. Very fun. Overall visiting the site was a good reminder to utilize the resources available to anyone with a computer and access to the internet. 

Grease Lightning

I've worn a variation of this outfit several times since getting back to the States and people keep telling me I look like a character out of Grease. It wasn't my intention, but I can see it. Anyway, it's both weird and good to be back--I find myself having to remember that this is home. I only moved to Pennsylvania a couple of years ago, so now spending several months away and then coming back is disconcerting. I still get lost sometimes when I'm driving and the city can feel as unfamiliar as Ireland was. I catch up with friends and work, but I spend a lot of time feeling as if I'm only half here. Visiting my family when they're scattered around the States means I've probably spent more time this year away from my apartment than at it. It's hard enough knowing where home is when you grew up moving every few years, it's getting even more confusing living out of a suitcase several months of the year...

Outfit details:

Reif headband

Crew Cuts jacket (old, similar)
Les Mirettes brooch

ASOS top
Jane Basch necklace

Modcloth skirt

Seychelles heels

Wink & Winn purse

*pictures by Thomas

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