Food, Style, and Travel
Aka my shoe collection
I was going through my blog archives recently, and came across this post on what shoes I wanted for fall back in 2014. I’m happy to say that my shoe collection has expanded since then.
At this point in my life, I have probably the biggest shoe collection I’ve ever had. Some pairs were Christmas presents, others were hand-me downs, and the rest I got for myself.
Once every season or less, I decide to do an outfit post. Today just so happens to be that day. I’ve been wanting to share this outfit because it makes me feel relaxed but put together at the same time.
My boyfriend Paul and I were wearing very similar version of this outfit on a recent trip to Trader Joes. When we were on different aisles, I kept seeing plaid shirts out of the corner of my eye and thinking for a second that it was him, but it would just be some other shopper.
Maybe I’m wrong, but this feels like such a California outfit. It’s easy to throw a button up shirt on over a tee shirt and take it on or off depending on the weather. These days it’s raining one day and in the high 80s the next around Los Angeles so versatility is key.
I thought it would be fun to post some of my favorite summer outfits. I feel very ME in each of these outfits. They remind me of what I used to like wearing as a kid. I’ve always liked combining ~girly~ clothes with practical and comfortable choices like sneakers and hats. I’ve actually worn each of these outfits recently, so I named them after what was happening at the time.
Look #1: Sunday morning at the Farmer’s Market
My boyfriend recently went from a contract position at his job to being a permanent employee. We’ve been hoping for this for a while and he’s been working hard to make it happen. Naturally, we had to celebrate. On Saturday, we went back to our college, Cal Poly Pomona, for its annual Pumpkin Festival. Then we headed over to one of our favorite date night hangouts, the city of Claremont. It’s a college town, unlike Pomona. You see, Pomona has one college and it’s mostly a commuter school. Claremont has three colleges within walking distance of many shops. It’s nickname “The city of trees and PHDs” rings true.
We ended up going to a Spanish restaurant in town and ordering some delicious tapas. It was nice to have a long, relaxing dinner and catch up. Of course, we talk every day, but this really gave us an opportunity to bring up things we had forgotten about mentioning.
Recently, I cleaned out my closet and got rid of a some shoes that were way past their prime, including a pair of black booties, two pairs of flats and a few sandals. The upside? I’m in the market for new shoes!
In summer (and these fall heats waves we get California), I tend to go barefoot around the house and wear flip flops outside. I’m excited for cooler weather because it means showing off great footwear. Although I wish that could include strappy things, I’ve decided that comfort is key for me. I don’t care how cute a shoe is if it means getting foot cramps after an hour of wear. Comfy, cute and casual are what I’m looking for now. Most of these are out of my price range, but it’s always fun to window shop. I got the slippers and tan pumps shown above and just had to share them.
Before this two week Boise trip, we hadn’t been apart for more than a week. Maybe not even that long. The longest I can think of is when he went to SXSW earlier this year. I probably saw him the weekend before and soon after. I have a terrible memory. Can you tell? I know couples have survived a lot worse. I don’t mean to complain. But man, I’m going to miss him just for a bit.
If you’re at all interested in fashion, you’ve probably seen galleries of “The Best Outfits at Coachella” and recaps from bloggers on what they wore. Besides the typical flower crowns, cutoff shorts, crop tops and big sunglasses, style runs the gamete.
As a first-timer, I thought I had an idea of what to expect. I knew I would see plenty of white people wearing big headdresses and lots of shirtless dudes trying to cool off from the unrelenting Indio sun.
Side note: I was surprised that people of all ages were in attendance. There were families with babies and toddlers as well as couples who looked to be in their 50s.
So, after reading a dozen articles on what to wear to Coachella I packed a whole week before and then threw more stuff in my bag the day of. My goal was too look cute and stay cool, without looking like a character.
In the new Aerie Real campaign, all the photos are (supposedly) unretouched. The author of this AD week article says that her favorite part are the changes to the website. It must be pretty popular because I can’t get the website to load.
I’m loving these Team USA opening ceremony Olympics uniforms by Ralph Lauren.
Fashion blogger and Fashion Week regular Jillian Mercado is among the cast of 23 models featured in Diesel’s campaign. Jillian, who was diagnosed with spastic muscular dystrophy, is one of those freakin’ amazing people my age working her ass off. Just read the bio on her awesome Tumblr style blog and you’ll see what I mean.
“I woke up like this. I got morning face.” Just watch it already.
Besides those Aerie models, many people in media get Photoshopped. Especially for magazine covers. That means Nicki Minaj and Lina Dunham too. So, does it really matter? I think it does, but this NPR story had me doing some serious critical thinking on the issue.
Joan Rivers is just a jerk and babies aren’t excluded from her not so witty jokes.
So, what’s so bad about needing/wanting to wear makeup and look pretty any way?
Wanting to? Nothing. Needing to? I kind of hate that. That’s why Dove keeps making videos like this Selfie one, which I still don’t 100 percent agree with. I have so much more I want to say about all these issues, so I should really write a long article soon. Consider this an early draft.
Yes, it can be hard to stay positive sometimes and not just because of beauty standards in the media. This article was a friendly reminder to me earlier in the week that we need to be kind to ourselves.
Side note: This Buzzfeed listicle “14 Emotions You’ll Feel While Job Hunting As Told By Mean Girls” is so on point.
Want to see more links I love? Follow me on Twitter (Erin_writes). And hey, while you’re at it, you can also follow Take Comfort Project on Bloglovin,’ a website that makes following blogs easy.
Modern Notebook 