Ikat and a cat

This dress is one of my favorite finds - although I really have so many favorites.
It's a regular cotton Forever 21 dress, but I found it for just $2 during one of Goodwill's half price colored tag days. On top of this, its lovely previous owner did me the favor of taking in the sides of the top a little, which makes for a better fit! (I am a pear shape and don't fill out tops enough)

The dress is pretty short, but with opaque tights it passes as work-appropriate. But then I can get away with quite a lot in my office, so the tights may not necessarily be required!


Dress: F21 | Goodwill | $2
Cardigan: 3-7-9 | Goodwill by the Pound
Tights: Marshalls (I think?)
Flats: Dexter | Goodwill | ~$3.50

My cat Chester (pictured bottom right) is very affectionate and always wants to get in on whatever I'm doing. He sits on the bathroom sink while I'm brushing my teeth, climbs into my dresser drawers, sticks his nose in the fridge, etc. So he pretty much appears in every other outfit photo I take. Sometimes I even trip on him when I'm doing the self-timer backstep. :(

Curls

My sister has curly hair. Really, really, curly hair.
So it goes with siblings; both want what the other has. Throughout middle and high school, she would spend hours straightening her thick curls with an iron, or get her hair chemically relaxed at the salon. Meanwhile, I would sleep with my hair in rollers, twists, or any other curl inducing method possible. I tried standard curling irons, but that would take hours, and no matter how much product I used nothing ever held past 3rd period.

Last fall I bought a curling wand, and somehow that device does what nothing else could. In just a half an hour, I can curl my entire head, and even without using any product my hair stays curly through the day or night.

But, I can only seem to create one type of curls. I've read and watched tutorials, but somehow even when I'm going for soft, subtle waves I still end up with big, all-over curls. Alternatively, if I only curl the bottom section, I get something resembling a classic poodle cut. I even got a layered hair cut hoping that would aid in my curling endeavors... but that has just added to the volume. Not that I don't love big hair, because I really do.

The iron I have is the 1/2"-1" tapered Remington TStudio Pearl clipless wand. This is a great low-cost wand, and it has certainly paid for itself in number of uses. However, I think the reason I'm unable to create soft waves is that this is the wrong size iron for my long, thick hair! So it looks like I'm going to be throwing down and buying a second wand in the 1.5" - 2" range. Or trading... anyone?

Dolman Tops

I've recently read both rants and raves from other bloggers on the dolman top, and while I don't have any strong feelings in either direction on this style of shirt itself, I do have a problem with styling these.

As someone who wears cardigans nearly every day, I find it very difficult to layer these shirts. They are great by themselves, but in Seattle you can really only wear shirts by themselves 2-3 months of the year. But then, working indoors often calls for a sweater or light jacket even in the summertime. 

Dolman shirts have extra fabric that drapes from the upper beginning of the sleeve to its loose torso section. Unless your sweater/jacket is also a drapey style, or it is an oversized menswear piece, this extra fabric is going to bunch in your armpits. So to avoid this, I reached for a drape sweater (not sure what this is called?) but now I'm wearing two unstructured, loose layers and that doesn't look right either.

top: Goodwill by the pound
sweater: Goodwill by the pound
jeans: PRVCY - gifted














Apologies for the terrible photos. I have never been good at taking pictures, and I have no idea where my actual camera is. (The result of moving 5 times in 1.5 years) So I'm working with the camera on my phone. Then to make things worse there's the bad lighting, trying to rig it up sans tripod, and use the self timer. Struggles.

Stay tuned for the evolution of photography.

New Beginning?

I was introduced to thrifting at a young age, and I am thankful for this - and all of my family's dollar-conscious values. I recall spending summer weekends garage sale hopping, my fanny pack full of my own coins, as well as sifting through the bins at the (once) 99 cents-a-pound Goodwill. Though my sister and I both partook in these activities with our mom, we have since fallen into opposite ends of the spectrum; she loves high-end brands and will fork over a pretty penny for a purse, while some of my favorite clothing items came from free piles.

More than just a money saving strategy, thrifting/ treasure hunting is a true hobby of mine. However, coupled with my inability to get rid of anything, this favorite activity has resulted in multiple dressers, closets, and households full of clothing.

I am a twenty-something girl, born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, where I remain. I work for a small company in the arts, where our office environment and dress code is casual. Though I can wear just about anything to work, and I have more clothing that any ten normal people, I still struggle to find things to wear each morning and fall back on the same go-to outfits.

This blog is a multifunction attempt to pare down my wardrobe, expand my style, record my amazing finds, and organize it all.