hippie chic

My outfit reads a bit hippie'ish today, which I guess is okay. Once in awhile. I did wear deodorant today, I swear.

tunic: Hayden Harnett, jeans: Gap, shoes: Miz Mooz, bag: Elliot Lucca, earrings: Haute Hardware, shades: Ray Ban

It's quite appropriate that I've been watching a few episodes from Playing for Change throughout the day today, a site my friend Bill referred me to a couple weeks ago when he sent me the link to One Love, which by the way reduced me to a teary mess by the end of it. But in a good way. Anyway, I revisited today & read up a little more on the project & watched more episodes. I know this is a fashion/crafty blog, but this stuff is too good not to want to share. A little blurb on the inspiration behind the project:

"Playing for Change is a multimedia movement created to inspire, connect, and bring peace to the world through music. The idea for this project arose from a common belief that music has the power to break down boundaries and overcome distances between people. No matter whether people come from different geographic, political, economic, spiritual or ideological backgrounds, music has the universal power to transcend and unite us as one human race. And with this truth firmly fixed in our minds, we set out to share it with the world."

So watch some of these songs already, if you like feeling good and maybe crying a bit (not mutually exclusive).

Peace & love,

Erin

thrifty

I've been pretty lazy/casual thus far this week - nothing worth photographing - but here are a couple outfits from the weekend: I dragged Rod out thrifting on Saturday morning & found a few gems, one of which was this tunic/caftan thingy. The side slits go all the way to the hip, so I figured it was the perfect thing to pair with my American Apparel faux eel leggings. They're one of my favorite things that I almost never wear. I guess I don't have too many occasions that call for faux eel leggings, but the Bishop Arts gallery gig we went to on Saturday seemed to be the right venue. These shots are taken in a big empty space at Bubble gallery, next door to where the fabulous & incredibly talented Nathan Ezra Trimm was showing.

tunic: thrifted, leggings: American Apparel, shoes: Worishofer, bag: Hayden Harnett, necklace: Haute Hardware

I also wore this last Friday. Nothing spectacular, but it always feels like summer when I bust out one of my many Mexican embroidered pieces.

Close-up of this fantastic carved bracelet that was my grandma's (and also a good shot of my e-ring!):

top: Mexico, jeans: Martin+Osa, bag: Lauren Merkin, shades (hanging off my bag) Ray Ban, shoes: Aerosoles, bracelet: vintage, engagement bling: Van Peterson

funny face

More JCrew Outlet love today by way of this fantastic bow skirt:

I really hemmed & hawed over buying it, but seeing these pics & considering how sass-tastic I feel in it, IDK why I ever hesitated. I'm also trying to jazz up my pics a little bit, including actually cropping them (!) and trying some new poses. I like the way this next shot turned out, but it kind of looks like I'm fixin' to smell my own pit. Which I've been known to do from time to time, so I guess it's an accurate depiction.

You can't see it as well as I'd hoped in the pics, but I'm attempting a bright-ass lip today. I keep seeing girls in magazines & blogs wearing the most stunning bright red & pink shades that it made me haul out an oldie but goodie last night - NARS Funny Face. It's pretty much the brightest pink that ever lived, and it scares me and intrigues me at the same time. Bright lipstick is such a pain in the ass compared to my normal lip balm that I slap on 52x/day, but it's such an instant "look" if you wear it (and subsequently touch it up every 5 mins. so it doesn't migrate to the edge of your lips or onto your teeth).

skirt: JCrew, shirt: American Apparel, shoes: Bakers, necklaces: Haute Hardware, bag: Olivia Harris, lipstick: NARS Funny Face

Lipstick close-up (I told you, scary.):

Finally, no Funny Face reference would be complete without...

haute grandma

This dress used to belong to my Grandma Karnas. I have a handful of her old dresses, and I love them all. Not only does she have great style & taste, but it's just more fun to wear something that carries sentimental value & just happens to look stylish & current at the same time. Also, this dress is a little bit western with the bib front and patchwork print, with a touch of Asian inspiration in the mandarin collar, bamboo buttons and floral/bird print. Bizarre, but it works.

Dress: vintage, shoes: Frye, bag: Marc Jacobs, earrings: Eve M. Metalsmith

peonies

This weekend we went to Bread Winners for brunch (yum), and on the way there we saw on the marquee at Dr. Delphinium (basically the most gorgeous floral shop, ever) that peonies were on sale. So we took a spin back there after stuffing ourselves & got these:

**SWOONAGE**

I love my outfit today, but wasn't much in the mood for picture-taking. My cardi today matches the peonies, so that kind of ties this whole random post together. I had a moment of weakness at the JCrew outfit yesterday, so I'm pretty much head-to-toe JCrew, apart from the shoes & bag.

outfit: JCrew, shoes: Hype, bag: Rebecca Minkoff

I also bought new running shoes at the outlet mall. I needed them in a bad way since Rod & I are training for a 20K in September (that's over 12 miles...zoinks), but I really dislike dropping serious cash on practical shoes. I don't bat an eye buying impractical shoes, but those are much more fun. But I digress. I got Nike Shox that I will eventually install that nifty device that communicates how far & fast I'm running to my iPhone, and the insoles and arch support pretty much feel like I'm running on pillows. They put my old, cheap New Balance pair to shame!

Now I HAVE to run this 20K. Damnit, that purchase backfired, didn't it?

yay, summer

This is one of my favorite summer dresses, and even though I don't subscribe to the 'no white after Labor Day/before Memorial Day' rule, this one really is limited to the hotter months due to the style & fabric. It's so pretty & floaty, and I feel almost Greek goddess-like in it. The designer is Austin gal Katherine Reeves of King William Clothing.

dress: King William, shoes: Frye, bag: Rebecca Minkoff, cardi wrap: Alternative Apparel, necklace: my grandma's, earrings: Eve M Metalsmith

el oh el

Yes people, I've purchased a jumpsuit. I'm already thinking ahead to my Puerto Rico wardrobe for October, and when I saw this in the Newport News catalog (yes, I ordered AGAIN) & had a 30% off code that made this baby $14, I decided I needed it for PR. And then it seemed perfect for going out to dinner last night as well:

Close-up of HH necklace & my Eve earrings that I can't stop wearing!
I'm sorry, but you simply cannot wear a garment like this without doing a 1985 Spiegel catalog-esque pose (note the popped collar):

jumpsuit: Newport News, shoes: Loeffler Randall for Target, necklace: Haute Hardware, earrings: Eve M

I do have a penchant for the ridiculous, and this piece definitely falls into that category. But it's also ridiculously comfortable & easy to wear (trips to the restroom are a different story :/). Also, unstyled (i.e. with legs & sleeves unrolled) it kind of resembles a Meineke uniform, so that's good to have on hand in the event of a career change.