FPotD: Mullet: Charlotte York on top, Badass on the Bottom

Down below, I'm wearing the badass Miss Mooz black boots. Up top, I've got a classic blue cardigan (from Maurices) with pearls (grandmother's old costume jewelry). Based on this outfit, one could almost argue that a mullet is an intellectual hair style choice. It's not in poor taste, it's a demonstration of juxtaposition.

FPotD: Exshoeses exshoeses. I'm laming out today.

Well not totally laming out.

Today's fashion point is all about the shoes. I love them. They're pearly. And they've got a bound up look with the toe decoration. So soft and girly covering up something hard. I suppose that could be a point in today's fashion: Juxtaposition.

The polka dots are super hard and graphic, but the shirt is soft and flirty under a soft pink sweater. Juxtaposition is one of my favorite fashion devices.

In other news, I'm switching over from the Nike+GPS app on my phone to a Garmin Forerunner 405 GPS watch today. It was a tough decision because I've got over 2 years of data saved on the Nikeplus website. It's made me a bit of a data junky in fact. And it's Nike, so it's proprietary and I can't export it. I almost got the Nike watch, just so I could keep with the same data interface. But after plenty of thought and discussion, I decided Garmin was the way to go. I'll have to get used to a new data interface.

FPotD: Emma Swan in a Dystopian Future

Another TV character today. Emma Swan is the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. As their castle is under attack by the evil queen, Snow and Charming transport their daughter to safety in our universe. The queen then transports all of fairyland to a place called Storybrook, Maine. Time stands still and nobody can come or go. That is until Emma shows up, lured by her son who was adopted by the evil queen who is now the Mayor of Storybrook. Her son insists that she can save everybody from the queen/mayor's evil spell. Emma wears a red leather biker jacket and boots. All. The. Time.

That's my look today, except my jacket and boots are black, which is where the dystopian future comes in. I feel like all clothes are black in a dystopian future.

I feel like a bad ass in this outfit. I have swagger. I got the jacket in NYC at a store called Uniqlo. I think it was $30. Or $50. Either way, I think it was a good deal. The sweater & necklace are J.Crew. The pants are Urban Outfitters. I love the pants. They are the best. The boots are Miss Mooz.

 
They were an amazing find. I'd had black boots on my list for a couple of years. I went into Relish, a local home/clothing boutique, just to kill time before picking Oscar up from work. And there they were on the half-off table. They were the last pair and they fit perfectly, even the calves. Their style name is Bonnie, which is my mom's name. How could I not buy these boots?

So that's today's fashion point.

I'm still sore from Sunday. I'm starting to see the first signs of aging, I guess.

I've been obsessively listening to fun. Nate Ruess, the singer is pretty awesome. He reminds me of Freddie Mercury, who is also a recent obsession (his teeth fascinate me). Both their voices are so clear and powerful. So clear. Back to Freddie Mercury's teeth. I've decided that Jessica Paré, Mrs. Don Draper, is a female Freddie Mercury. They have similar teeth. They're great and adorable.

FPotD: Rory Gilmore, Eat Your Heart Out

Little known fact: I like Gilmore Girls. I used to love it. I've seen it from beginning to end three times. It used to be on ABC Family when I got home from work. It was my thing. In later seasons, Rory's style went really feminine. In one episode Rory wore a ballet wrap sweater and I loved it. I've been looking for one for ages. Well, I was in Old Navy yesterday and they had the perfect ballet wrap sweater. Since it has been on my list for years, I nabbed it for $12. Anyway, today's Fashion Point is Rory Gilmore, Eat Your Heart Out. And bonus points because I have a character. I'm the person who tells Rory Gilmore to eat her heart out. Oh, the dress is also Old Navy. Also only $12.

I had a busy weekend. I had a noontime 5K on Saturday. I PRed by a minute with 30:47. I am determined to break thirty this year. For my Indy Mini training, I was scheduled for a 10 mile run, so after the 5K (+1mile warmup) I went out for six more miles. Worst six miles, ever. But oh well, I killed the 5K.

Sunday I went on a horseback trail ride with Aulaire. My ass hurts so badly today. It had been nine years since I'd been on a horse. Last time I went was with my cousin Jennifer. She has a friend who runs a farm that offers trail rides. They usually let the horses run back to the stables. I'd never run on a horse and promptly fell off. After the shock wore off and my lungs inflated, it was pretty awesome. I fell off a horse! How crazy is that? I didn't fall off this time, but it was fun. There were a couple of hairy hills, though. I want to do an equestrian FPotD, sometime.

After riding, we went mushroom hunting. It's a thing here in Indiana. It seems kind of secret too. Nobody shares their spots. The mushrooms go for $40/pound in an abundant season. We didn't come away with many. I got four. You cut them in half to soak in salt water overnight. That kills the bugs. Then you toss them in flour and fry them in butter. So Oscar and I will get just a taste of this Indiana tradition.

FPotD: There's a Tweeman Waiting in the Sky

In writing about fashion points, I came to realize I'm breaking the rules a bit. It was unspoken, but I think Ashley and I only made fashion points when there was a character to our outfit. You know, sexy librarian or sexy puritan. They weren't all sexy/not sexy person. But I've been titling outfits without thought as to the character that would wear it. That's so much harder than just naming an outfit. So I'm going to continue as I have been, but know I get bonus points when the FPotD is a character.

That said, today's doesn't have a character. It's just about a starry shirt.

I don't feel like David Bowie or a spaceman. I wish I did. That'd be awesome. But today's fashion point is "There's a Tweeman" because this shirt is so twee.  It's from anthropologie with is oddly the perfect combination of everything that ever existed. It's just too much. But isn't everything they do a little twee? And shabby chic (blegh)? I love anthropologie despite my unwillingness to pay their prices. I still go in every time I see one. I'm over the whole DIY crafty shabby chic aesthetic, but I still like it somehow. Can you be over something and still like it? Oh and dig the pink pants. They're awesome.

This shirt brings the question of what I'm going to do about naming outfits when I start repeating them. I wear this shirt 3-4 times a month. I can't be Tweeman every time I wear this. This can only lead to me being a more creative dresser. And I'll think of things in a different way.

New goals have arisen from the FPotD.
1. Buy fewer clothes
    1a. Be more deliberate when buying clothes
    1b. Save it for clothes I love.
2. Cull my current wardrobe. I'll know exactly how often I wear something.
3. While I'm culling clothes, also tackle other household crap.
4. Indulge my creative side more. This just occurred so we'll see what that means in the future.

FPotD: Erin from "The Office" Has this Same Shirt . . .

I'm wearing green today. But green is cannot a fashion point. That's way too easy. That's why today's FPotD is "Erin from 'The Office' Has this Same Shirt, but I Bet Hers Doesn't Have a Tiny Hole In It."

There's really no explanation needed, except mine has a tiny hole near the hem. I almost can't see it, so I won't trash the shirt, but I know it's there and that annoys me. I love it when tv characters have the same clothes as me. Next time I wear my pink sweater with the ruffle placket, the FPotD will be Ellie from cougar town has the same sweater.

I heard a story on NPR about "Days of Our Lives." They talked about how it's not doing well and consequently neither are the budgets. The actors used to wear $30,000 wedding dresses. Now it's Target. It just makes me wonder about the wardrobe budgets of my favorite shows. Id like to live in a world where a receptionist can afford J. crew on a regular basis.

So yeah, the shirt is J. Crew. Go figure. When Oscar and I went to Myrtle Beach last month for the (half) marathon, we forgot my suitcase so I needed a pair of pants and a couple of shirts. Rather than hunt and hunt for a pair of jeans that fit well, we went to jcrew, where every pant knows my game. I also got this shirt. I love it because the lacy top feels sexy on my shoulders, but it looks demure. The skirt is from Gap. It's from the Holiday 08 collection. I love that stores started dating their clothes. I like to think it was to help out Plato's closet, but who knows.

And check out these shoes. They are everything I love in a shoe. They're timeless. I could travel back in time to any decade up to the fifties and my shoes would not stand out. Well, maybe the chunky chunky late nineties would be an issue. They're graceful with perfect embellishment.

Oh and there's more green. Check out this mugshot of my hand. Check out that grey green polish. Isn't is sickening yet flattering? It's OPI On Stranger Tides. It's from their Pirates of the Caribbean collection, so that name was a given. But how cool would it be to have that job? I know, I know. How Clementine-Manic-Panic of me.

Dang. Now I wanna watch "Eternal Sunshine."

FPotD: Not Everything I Own is From J.Crew

My original FPotD was "Not Everything I Own Is from J.Crew." But I forgot that and was thinking "Myrtle Beach Coastline." The ocean water there is a greenish gray. If you're expecting Caribbean blue, you'll be disappointed, but it is a lovely color in its own right. Oh, and my white tank top could be sea foam.

But then, there was a test of the Emergency Alert System. I'm a psychic for dressing in tornado colors today. Gray and teal? That's a stormy color combination. I like my original points, but EAS is much more applicable today.

So the outfit. The dress is from Kohl's. The sweater is from Target. The necklace has a story. They're silk wrapped beads. When I was very young, my mother had me in a little shop and I was so taken with the necklace and I was so damn cute that the shopkeeper gave it to me. My mother held onto it for years. Good call on her part. I didn't know that story until she gave it to me before we moved to Bloomington. As an adolescent, I thought it was a stupid ugly thing. But I fell in love with it in college. So I would have ruined or tossed it as a child. Funny how tastes change.

Oh yeah and my shoes. I'm not showing them with the whole outfit because frankly, all together it's a dud. The shoes were a mistake. Don't get me wrong, I love them, but they fail this outfit.

Going off the shoes alone, today's fashion point would be "Sally." Like from "Nightmare Before Christmas." I feel like Sally when I wear them. Like limbs should just fall off of me. I also call these my wicked witch shoes. I need striped tights with them. I wish I could wear a flowy skirt and ride a bike in these shoes. If I could base a wardrobe off a single item I already own, these would be a contender. I got them at the outlets. They're the Indigo label by Clark's. I love half the shoes on this label. They're quirky but not insane. The other half is just ugly. I want this pair:

 

Too bad about that price, though.

Spring has sprung and I want to go shopping. I want to spend so much money. It's such a perplexing urge. I don't know what it satisfies. What does it satisfy? What is this desire for new stuff? Why does it so often outweigh my desire to save up for bigger things? I should just run when I get the urge to shop.

Oscar and I are moving in a couple of months. Just to a new apartment. I think I'm going to start packing a box a day. That way it'll be easier when the big day arrives. I'm really looking forward to the purge, though. I think I like getting rid of stuff almost as much as I like getting stuff.

Fashion Point of the Day: Wear ALLLLL the Necklaces

There is a web comic/blog that I've read called Hyperbole and a Half. There's one entry where the author enumerates all the reasons she'll never be an adult. I particularly love the panel where she cleans "ALL the things." Oscar and I have taken to blanking ALLLL the blanks. Drink ALLLL the beers. Hug ALLLL the kittens. Today, I wear ALLLL the necklaces.

Well, technically not all the necklaces. Not even all my necklaces. But five is more than usual. I must confess I came up with the title for the FPotD before the outfit. Not that it's much of an outfit without the necklaces. But that's the point. I was in a blah mood yesterday when choosing today's outfit. So I figured. T-shirt plus jewelry. I'm also wearing jeans, but nobody needs to see jeans. You know what they are. I am wearing white low-rise Chuck Taylors. How very 2002 of me. My socks are white and my pants are cuffed so from the waist down I look a bit like a greaser. But back to the necklaces. All but the longest gold one are from J. Crew or J. Crew Outlet. The longest gold one is Banana Republic. I love love love J. Crew jewelry. You will come to learn that I love J. Crew in general. It's a problem. In particular because I don't see myself as all that preppy. I think I'm more classic with a twist. We'll see as this little project progresses.

Fashion Point of the Day: Joan's Day Off Is My Day On

My friend Ashley and I have occasional back and forths about our Fashion Points of the Day. I guess it's an artist's need to name things, even if it is just "Untitled." It's a way to describe what we are thinking when choosing an outfit. It's a mood for the day. It's us being quippy.

So today's Point? Joan's Day Off Is My Day On.

Note: This expression is just what I caught. I took the picture on my work computer and was terrified of getting caught. It would have just been embarrassing. I will try to remember to take a photo at home next time.

Joan's Day Off. Joan is Joan Harris from Mad Men. Basically this outfit reminds me of something she'd wear on her day off. But we live now and I don't have a dress code at work, so I try to look generally nice. And nice now would have been weekend attire 50 years ago.

The pants are Minnie from J.Crew. I love them. They are the best pants ever. I have four pairs. Gray, black, navy, red. Overkill? I think so. Which is part of why I'm starting this series on the blog. If I can be more intentional in choosing my outfits, perhaps I'll be more intentional in my shopping. Perhaps, I'll even shop less. I'd like to make a goal of no new clothes (thrifting would be okay) for six months, but I don't want to fail. And I'm pretty sure I would. I'd like to apply that to things as well. No new things for six months. Unless I can identify the need before the purchase. Sometimes, you do actually need something as much as a person needs anything these days. Or perhaps, no new things unless and old thing goes out. I don't know. I'm starting to ramble. I would just like less stuff in general and I could use any little tricks I can think of.

I really should be more consistent

I started a post a couple of months ago about the Girl Scouts. I actually care about this topic and want to have an actual thesis for what I want to write about them. I haven't researched in a while and I just kind of avoided it. I will eventually write it, but I need to stop avoiding this place in the meantime.

Now For Fluff

 This is perhaps my favorite place on earth. This is The Cabin. My grandfather bought it in the 1960s. It's near Erwin, TN. Just across the border in NC. It's kind of near the Appalachian Trail and I secretly hope that there's a spur trail that leads to the Trail. I secretly hope that thousands of hikers have seen this place and there's this unknown mutual knowledge we share. I Google things that I think will lead me to the history or stories about this place. So far, no dice. I did discover a nearby ghost town, though. That's cool.

 The history I do know is that The Cabin was once a nursery. I assume they grew hemlock trees because there is a grove beside the cabin that was clearly planted in rows.

The Cabin is secluded. There are two other cabins on the mountain, but like ours, neither is inhabited full-time. The road up is a logging road, so it's good, but not good enough for my Rabbit. And that's what's so lovely. You're alone up there. As close to genuinely alone as I'll ever get at least.

I had the worst nightmare about this place the other night. I dreamed they opened a Ponderosa steak house in the hemlock grove. As the dream progressed, more and more things had suddenly been built around it. First a strip mall. Then, a bank. And a middle school. And a nail salon. My place was gone. The Cabin is as much a person and a character as a place can be in a life. And it had died. Killed off by early-bird seniors after a $9 steak dinner.