Category: 30 x 30

30 x 30: Ten

Joe Fresh striped dress
Dress, Joe Fresh; necklace, J. Crew Factory; shoes, Gap Factory; bag, Rebecca Minkoff (via Kijiji)

Hey, look: my wish came true, and I didn’t have to ruin this dress with a cardigan again. Progress. I’ll take all the credit, Mother Nature, thankyouverymuch.

Gap Factory wedge espadrille
Ooh, pretty! And the sandals are cute, too …

Can we talk about my sandals for a minute? I’m pretty sure I wrote this in a post somewhere, but I used to have just one pair of sandals. One. Uno. That’s it. I know that might seem hard to believe – because, hello, have you seen my shoe collection? –  but it’s true. Or it was true until earlier this spring, when I went on a sandal-buying binge. My erstwhile lonely pair gave up the ghost at the end of last summer, and I was left … sandal-less. But not for long. I went from zero to three pairs in almost no time about 3 months, but this Gap Factory pair might just be my favourite of the bunch.

(Now, in case you were wondering, the reason why I didn’t have more than one pair of sandals for the longest time is because I hate feet. Mine mostly, but probably yours too. Sorry, I’m sure they’re perfectly serviceable feet, and I will admire them all the day long – provided they’re wearing shoes. You may imagine the problem I have with sandals. Ironically, my feet get really hot easily. And now you can also imagine my sandal dilemma. It is very difficult being neurotic, yes.)

I love the slightly retro vibe, the minimal wedge, the kicky coral colour. They work with everything in my summer wardrobe! And they’re comfortable! Although they do tend to get dirty easily, which is not helped by the fact my son likes stepping on my feet for some unfathomable reason. Boo for dirt, and boo for inexplicable toddler reasoning. But! They were only $26, and I really wish I had bought the blue chambray version as well.

OPI Don't Be a Buda-Pest

 

30 x 30: Nine

Old Navy chambray shirt; House of Harlow starburst necklace
Pants, AG (via Kijiji); shirt & shoes, Old Navy; belt, J. Crew Factory; necklace, House of Harlow; bag, Rebecca Minkoff (via Kijiji)

Words I’d never thought I would utter here or anywhere: I think I might be turning into a minimalist.

Gasp!

Guys, I know! The wonders, they never cease. To be fair, I am talking about (possibly) being a minimalist in style not, um, lifestyle. I still like things. All of the things. But when it comes to dressing, maybe less is more? I know they’ve been saying that for years, but I always assumed they were jealous, lying bitches who couldn’t afford the finest bedazzling to come out of China. Could it be that I was … wrong? I freaking loved wearing this outfit, even after I realized it’s basically the same as this one.

Old Navy chambray shirt; House of Harlow starburst necklace
Good Hair

And it didn’t hurt that I was having a Good Hair Day. This might even be close to my Perfect Hair – I just need another 4 inches or so. I know, my Perfect Hair is wildly inappropriate for my fairly conservative office but … we will cross that bridge when we get there. Or just wear a lot of chignons. Chignons are classic and professional, yes? Bah, who am I kidding – I will never do a chignon, because that would require me to learn how to, and not have two left hands and 4 thumbs.

I know, it’s a terrible affliction.

30 x 30: Eight

J. Crew striped floral top
Jeans, RACHEL Rachel Roy; top, J. Crew; necklace, J. Crew Factory; shoes, Mel; bag, MbMJ (via eBay); squinty derp face (self-made)

Yes, I’ve worn this exact same outfit last year. Which, whatever. More importantly, I’ve shown this exact same outfit (or close enough) on the blog before. It’s, like, blog-official. Oops?

How about a walk down memory lane? The last time I wore this top, I was about a week or so post-partum. You can see it in my eyes:

"Save me"
“Save me”

That’s the face of new motherhood no one wants to see until they’ve already had kids and it’s too late to turn back. Hah! But seriously, babies are awesome. (Most of the time.) They change your life. (Mostly for the better.) They do get through that soul-crushing terrifying challenging newborn stage, and so will you. And it is much less of a shock to the system the second time around, no matter what my expression in that photo might suggest.

Anyway, comparing the two versions of this outfit, let’s look at some positives, because otherwise I’ll fixate again on how I have lost exactly zero pounds in 9 months and y’all are going to have to talk me off some drastic diet ledge. Ahem. My hair is finally growing out! I found a nicer pair of jeans! I no longer have to wear a nursing tank under every damn thing! My iPhone takes slightly less blurry pictures! Hurrah!

Speaking of things that have changed in the last 9 months, this one is pretty major.

Left, old Soviet dictator phase; right, cute baby phase
Left, (napping) Soviet dictator phase; right, cute baby phase

Oh right, this is a personal style blog! Let’s take another look at mah (non-baby) accessories:

Mel jelly flats; Old Navy ring
Hey, look at me, all mixing and matching my nail polish