"Everything is a diary."

"Your handwriting. The way you walk. Which china pattern you choose. It’s all giving you away. Everything you do shows your hand. Everything is a self portrait. Everything is a diary."

- Chuck Palahniuk

This sort of thinking seems to me to also extend to how you choose to dress yourself.  Sydney's post yesterday really got me thinking about why and how I clothe my body.  There will always be societal and professional considerations to make, but I strive to mesh those things with what makes me feel like ME.  When people meet me, I don't want for them to merely see the outfit I put together but instead hope that they see some outward expression of my personality.  After all, if it is a self portrait, why not make it as accurate an expression as possible?     

two-fer...Wednesday?

Two days worth of outfits in one post?  Why not?  I realize that I'm just getting warmed up here, but the end of April is hellishly busy.  Working in higher education in the capacity that I do means that there are three times of the year where things are truly moving at a breakneck pace: April - June, August - September, and December - January.  I'm getting less sleep these days, and I actually don't mind it because the weather is nice enough to put me in a cheerful mood.

Well.....the weather is nice enough most days.  As you can see, I had to pull out my tights for this outfit, and despite the smiles you see here, I was none too pleased about that fact.  Who wants to wake up to a 46 degree morning when you've already tasted the sweetness of 70 degrees at 8am?  Not me.

In an effort to fight against the black tights and boots, I tried to go for a pop of color and a subtle pattern mixture.  It might not show up well in these photographs, but the coral top has a burnt-out polka dot pattern which I opted to pair with a charcoal grey striped cardigan.  I don't know that it works so well, but I can say that having that color close to my face all day did help soothe my desire for breezy skirts and wedge sandals.

cardigan: hand-me-down Old Navy, top: F21, skirt: Michael Kors via TJ Maxx, boots: Via Spiga via eBay

 Today, the weather was a bit more aligned with my notions of "spring".  There was still a bit of a chill this morning, so I opted for pants.  These are the pink cousin to the khaki pants I wore in an earlier outfit. 

I have to say, I felt so confident today wearing these, which was a bit of a surprise given my neutral loving ways.  The shape is classic and flattering and the color really punches up the outfit.  I'm not quite sure about the shoe choice here (despite my deep and abiding love for those heels), but I'm quite pleased with everything else from the ankle up.

cardigan: Lands End Canvas, striped tee: old F21, hot pink pants: H&M, heels: Seychelles

rain can't get me down

top: J. Crew Factory, colored jeans: H&M, boots: Hunter via Gilt

just being my gangly, awkward self...

I actually found it difficult to muster the willpower to get dressed today, as we've suffered a return to cold, rainy weather here in Annapolis.  My tendency on days like this is to roll on the leggings and sweatshirt and call it good.  I fought that urge by pulling out these cornflower blue jeans and one of my favorite breton striped shirts (I have three...!) and added the purple Hunters for venturing out onto the rain-drenched bricks of the historic district.  Here's hoping I only get to wear them once more this week!

shirt: thrifted, pants: H&M, shoes: Seychelles via DSW

This is one of those outfits that started with the pants, which is not something that happens all that often given my penchant for dresses and skirts.  We had a bit of a cold spell after a really warm start to the week, so I had to plan accordingly.  I had originally intended on wearing them with something a bit more feminine and demure, but the outfit seemed forced.  So I did a 180 and decided to go with an oxford and sweater vest for a menswear vibe.  This happens quite a bit for me in the mornings.  I start out with an idea and inevitably go with the complete opposite of it.  And I have to say...it really works out most of the time.  Maybe when I'm planning my outfits I should just go in with that mindset...

Anyhow, you might see photos from this location for the next few weeks.  A roommate of mine moved out recently, leaving a wide open space with lots of natural light.  Enter: me and my camera.  I guess I'll have to start planning ahead for when we welcome her replacement...  

inaugural.

Well, hello there.  While I realize that posting photos of one's outfit is not so original (and I suppose dressing oneself is not so creative either!), here I am doing what so many before me have done.  Why?  First of all, I think I'd like to learn something from the experience of sharing some of my interests.  Second, I am audacious enough to think that I might have something small to contribute to the already thriving community of style blogs (preppy/quirky style? red hair? parenthetical statements?).  Third, I drive certain people in my life (ahem, boyfriend...) crazy with my incessant talk of "cute outfits" and "pretty photos" and "Isn't that so creative?!".  So, here I am.

And here are some photos of what I wore to work today:

cardigan: J. Crew, top: H&M, skirt: F21, wedges: Old Navy (seriously!), watch: Fossil (last year), nails: Essie Mint Candy Apple

Awkward smile?  Yep!

As you might be able to glean from these photographs, my place of employment has a rather relaxed dress code...er, rather...not really a written dress code at all.  Perhaps this would seem like a benefit to some, but for me it is a struggle.  I want to look put together and neat for the students and faculty I work with so that they respect me as a staff member, but I also want to look my age (27) and not like some twenty-something stuffed into dowdy work attire.  

It got up to 85 degrees on this day, and I had a feeling the A/C would not yet be on in my building (whaddya know...I was right!), so I dressed in breathable layers.  A flash of a bright, cheery polka dots, a little wedge, and a simple top and I was ready to go.  Getting ready for work really can't be easier.

PS: I promise to get better at photographing things.  Seriously.