Sunday, September 28, 2014

~ swing time ~

Last night was the annual swing dance in the streets.  I've waited for this since last year's event, counting down the days!  It lived up to its expectations.

{I might have picked out my outfit a month in advance}

This is one of my favorite 1940s dresses and after a little repairing and altering it fits like a glove.  I paired it with a vintage velvet 40s hat and vintage silk flower that belonged to my grandmother.  


It was a perfect night of dancing with strangers, listening to great music, and meeting new friends!  Let's do it again next year.

xoxo,
Eliza

Saturday, September 20, 2014

~ sick day ~

(The post title should actually read "sick week")

So far this week I've used the neti pot 10+ times, gone through two boxes of kleenex, had to get a refill on my inhaler prescription, watched four movies on netflix, had a temperature of 98.6, 101, and everywhere in between, made a whole recipe of brownies, eaten half a recipe of brownies, successfully gone several days in a row without wearing a bra, done homework in bed, done homework on the couch, and then done homework in bed again.


I've also walked outside to watch the rain, listened to the birds chirping in the morning, and allowed myself to rest without feeling a) guilty, b) like a slob, or c) like I'm wasting my life away.



So all in all, it hasn't been such a terrible week!

xoxo,
Eliza

Sunday, September 14, 2014

~ dress code ~

I've always tried to plan out my outfits in my head before I fall asleep.  That way, when I wake up grumpy and exhausted, I don't have to stand half naked in front of my closet asking myself "what am I going to wear?"

But as you're setting your alarm for 6 am, sometimes abiding by your personal dress code is more realistic than wasting precious moments figuring out an outfit when you could've spent that time sleeping.

As was the case yesterday.

{vintage skirt from my grandmother, gap shirt, gap shoes, target bag}

{day two of the 360 braid - all I had to do was stick a few bobby pins in when I woke up and I was good to go!}

Circle skirt + t-shirt + belt + flats = an outfit simple enough to come up with at 6:04 am, comfy enough to last until 5pm, and cute enough to earn you several compliments (thank you, kind strangers)!

xoxo,
Eliza

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

~ photographer spotlight ~

I'm a sucker for black and white photography, that's no secret.  But there's something extraordinary in Arthur Elgort's photographs.  It's like the difference between typing in regular font and typing in bold font.

His photographic style is rich, and understated.  Nothing seems out of place or overly stylized, despite the glamorous subjects and dramatic poses.   There's an understated quality to his photos.  Bold, no doubt, but size 11 font.








Though he does use nudity in his photos, there's not that over-sexualized fashion magazine quality that Tom Ford and Gucci feel is absolutely necessary to sell a pair of jeans. 




He's definitely near the top of my list when it comes to photographic inspiration.

xoxo,
Eliza

Sunday, September 7, 2014

~ day to night ~

My daily ritual is as follows:
Wake up.  Eat breakfast.  Drink tea.  Get dressed (some variation of jeans and a striped shirt).  Go to class/go to work.  Come home.  Change into yoga pants and t-shirt.  Do homework/edit photos.  Eat dinner.  Watch netflix.  Go to bed.

But because I'm very bored of this, I'm making a conscious effort to do things differently - I mean, there's no way I can avoid work, school, breakfast, or netflix, but the yoga pants and t-shirt can definitely be traded in.  Instead of immediately changing clothes when I get home, or wearing jeans for a night out, Friday I switched things up a bit by challenging myself to wear the same piece day and night and style it two different ways.

Daytime:
Went to class, ran errands, came home and studied.


{F21 top, vintage skirt, gap ballet flats}

Nighttime:
Went to a play, got donuts afterwards.

{F21 top, gap pencil skirt, gap ballet flats, target bag}

It's nice to step outside of your comfort zone once in a while!  

And while you're outside your comfort zone, make sure you grab some donuts for breakfast.  


You'll be happy you did.

xoxo,
Eliza

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

~ bow down to the brows ~

All my life I've had what I like to call "baby brows."  Teeny tiny, not a hair out of place, and perfectly boring. So a couple years ago I decided to start training my brows (i.e. plucking a few hairs every month and hoping I'd plucked the right ones) so I could easily achieve a 1940s and 50s look with just a bit of pencil and some patience.

A century of brows

My perfect eyebrow would be somewhere between Joan Crawford and Lauren Bacall with a little bit of Carmen Miranda thrown in there for added fun.


The Old Hollywood guide to fabulous eyebrows!

And to those of you who are thinking "does she really put that much thought into her eyebrows?"  Yes.  Yes I do.




Who knows - maybe one day I'll join the ranks of Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe.  But first I need to get braver with my tweezers!


Happy plucking.

xoxo,
Eliza

Monday, September 1, 2014

~ lovely rita ~

If you haven't seen the 1944 musical "Cover Girl" with Rita Hayworth and Gene Kelly, do yourself a favor and watch it ASAP.

Colorful, upbeat, wonderfully predictable, and wonderfully costumed.  

Seriously though.  THE COSTUMES.  





{major hair inspiration}







Seriously, go watch it now!  I'm gonna go dig some vintage silk flowers out of my closet and set my hair.


xoxo,
Eliza