Redneck Riviera style

So I am here on a short vacation in Destin, Fla with my wonderful little brother. And I am keeping this post short because the outlet mall across the street is calling my name.

Actually, my bro lives in Thomasville, GA, but we drove 2 hours to Destin for the beach and ... well ok the outlet mall. I know, outlet malls aren't even that great, the prices are rarely as cheap as promised and the stock is usually lacking. But whatever. I'm falling for the trap. Fell, really.

Earlier today we stopped at the biggest Goodwill I have ever seen.

I scored a vintage dress and some sweet barely-worn Seychelles wedges.

Then we went to a shitty little tourist/souvenir shop.

Unfortunately I couldn't convince Brian to purchase this sweet tee. And I also could not discover how to rotate this photo. I feel so stupid and lost without Photoshop.

I think that tee, however, pretty much sums up the fashion here in Destin. And, I'm out.

Conflicted

I feel like these booties are a one-way ticket to Rockstarville. Just put 'em on with some leggings and a sweet tunic and bam. Insta-rock star. Especially the styles with all kinds of studs all over 'em.

But here's my question:
How do these boots work in the winter? The open toe design throws me way off. Do I let my already chilly toes suffer in the name of fashion all throughout the cold months? Surely it's unacceptable to wear these peep-toe booties with tights. But surely they can't be limited to onlywarmer months of the year.

HELP ME!


Oh and just a side note: were I to purchase these shoes, mine would not have such a high heel. I can do 3 inches MAX. But anything more is just deadly.

Cheating

Ok, remember, I'm not buying any new stuff. Only thrifted stuff. And I can sell stuff on eBay and use the credit for new stuff. That new stuff will most likely come from eBay since that's just easier with paypal and all. Or Etsy. Don't forget Etsy!

Anways, next week I am going to visit my brother in Tallahassee. One thing I love about my brother is that he loves to shop. This has only been the case for the last 10 years or so, because as a child, he would magically come down with the "shopping sickness" everytime my mom and I, with him in tow, would set foot in the mall. Symptoms of the shopping sickness include:

• Upset stomach
• Sore throat
• Increased whineyness
• Lack of motivation
• Frequent urination

I digress. Brian, my brother, likes to shop now. He's very classic in his dress, polo shirts, khakis, plaid shirts, etc. Growing up, we bonded over many many shopping trips with mom. Back to school shopping, special event shopping, grocery shopping. We were all there, in it together, in good times and bad, in sickness and in health. So I think part of our plans for my vacation include doing a bit of outlet shopping. And I think I am going to have to put my Zimbabwe Challenge on hold for a few days. Just a few. Like, 3. I won't have a ton of money to spend, but there are a few basic pieces that I need to look for that would help further my wardrobe:

• Black jeans. Nice black jeans. I might have to spend a bit of money here, but I want some super well fitting, bootcut black jeans that I can wear in place of my semi-frumpy black dress pants. In the past, I have tried to bargain shop for said jeans, and they just end up ill-fitting and faded.
• Funky colored ankle boots. To spice up all my neutrals.

Here is a nice little photo of Brian and I from sometime last year.

And while I was parusing eBay, I stumbled upon this little number:

I don't know if it's the uber-natural looking whiskering, or the super classy dragon ass, but I think I need these jeans to live. Let's not forget that oh-so-flattering ultra low waist!

More Arkie Ink

Joe sports the classic state outline tattoo. The eyeball above is 'cause of his band, The See. Or maybe just his love of money, because isn't that eyeball on a dollar bill? Nah, it's for the band. I think.

Tiffany's forearm.

This lovely lady exposed her shoulder for me and I cannot remember her name. Shame on me.

Liz and the cutest darn tattoo in all the land.

Back in time

This is my Friday outfit.

Dress: Rue 21

Shirt: Thirfted

Shoes: Cole Haan via eBay

Earrings and bracelet: not too sure

I never thought I could pull off the tied-up shirt thing, but after seeing this post from Blue Collar Catwalk, I was inspired. I think it worked out pretty well!

Oh and also notice I finally got my hair cut! Hooray!

Friday seems like 2 weeks ago because I had the most unexpectedly exhausting yet totally fun weekend. And here I am on Monday morning, totally tired still, but hoping this giant cup of coffee will do the trick.

This is me this morning, road worn and weary:

(Weird how being tired actually makes me look younger, and shorter.)

Went to the White Water Tavern on Friday night. It seems like all my guy friends love to showcase irony in their fashion choices. A perfect example:

Dylan's 'stache, shorty shorts and strange Hawaiian shirt. Sweet.

Then there is my friend and bandmate Jeremy, who makes looking this cool completely effortless. (Must have been kinda late in the night when I took this because there seems to be a party foul on his shirt.)

Stay tuned for a few more Arkie tattoos!

Arkie Tattoos/thrifing fun

PART ONE:

Everytime I go out, it seems, I see another person with an Arkansas-themed tattoo. Now I don't know if this happens in other states (I'm sure it does, because I've seen at least 2 wayward Texas tats here in LR) but it seems to happen A LOT in Arkansas. I had no idea that state pride was such a hip statement, but most of my life, I was given grief for being from Arkansas (I was an Air Force brat) so it's quite lovely to see so many of my bretheran proudly displaying their Arkie pride.

THE POINT: I am collecting photos of Arkansas tattoos. Here are my first two.

I think this was the very first Arkie tattoo to which I was exposed. It's on the arm of Ben Nichols, who plays with Lucero.

This Little Rock Skyline tattoo is on the arm of my friend and coworker Cash. He hooks me up wtih PPR sometimes.

PART TWO:

As I mentioned in my previous post, Brittany and I went thrifting the other day. One of the best things about thrifting is the absolutely hideous gems of clothing, just waiting there to be mocked.

I constantly wonder why metallic vinyl outfits never became a fashion staple.

I'm pretty sure Kid and/or Play wore this shirt in one of the House Party movies.

Week two: no new stuff

It's been a week and guess what? No new stuff!

I did buy a super cute kelly green dress/tunic at Goodwill on Tuesday, but that fits within the allowable parameters.

And I sold a few things on eBay, so I will have a bit of money to buy a new things, but I must choose wisely!

What do you think is an essential addition to my wardrobe?

I'm thinking about the often-referenced denim leggings. They will come in handy in the fall, with my semi-vast collection of too-short-for-work dresses.

What do you think of this pair?

Stay tuned for photos from Erin and Brittany's thirifting adventure, as well as the first photos in my new Arkie Tattoos series!

Will someone please please cut my hair?

Yesterday I tried to get in touch with a friend of a friend who said she would cut my hair for a case of beer. She never returned my call.

Today, I called the salon and left a message. They haven't returned my call.

For the love of Jesus, I need a haircut STAT!

A pretty steamy weekend

Seriously, this weekend was steamy. Not like a dime-store romance. Like for real, like your shower. Like a steam room. Like something you may use to cook broccoli. Steam.

It takes some carefully thought out plans to remain stylin' when the mercury is a risin' and the baromettric pressure is ... pressurizing.

First, always choose a natural fiber. Sure, that vintage polyester printed sun dress may be the cutest in town, but you yourself won't feel so cute once your armpits are highlighted in a musky sweat halo.

Cotton. Cotton is the way to go.

Chose to leave the lycra-spandex body binding undergarments at home during the most sweltering of seasons. Sure you may have an extra pudge, but that's easy enough to disguise under a nice flowing babydoll dress, right?

I'm not quite sure where I was going with this. Really, I just needed an appropriate intro for some summertime stylish Arkie ladies.

I was lucky enough to hang with these dress-wearing hotties on Friday. At least two of the above dresses were purchased a deep-discount strip mall type place. Can you guess which two?

This is my friend Shannon. He has some wicked hot style.

T-shirt: ShadesOfErin at Etsy

Speaking of dress-wearing hotties ... ok no. Here I am in my reclaimed estate sale grandma skirt. You can't really tell but I added a black tube-ish band at the top to make it a dress. I think the vest completes the ensemble nicely. And then that yellow necklace I found at a junk shop in Hammond, Indiana throws everyone for a loop.

Not too sure about this pose. I look like I'm about to start Riverdancing.

I was diggin' the ensembles on these two ladies. I don't actually know them, so that's why I cropped off their heads. Being unsure of etiquette regarding posting stranger's photos to the internet, I decided just to play it safe.

Anyways, their dresses are flowy and flattering and all kinds of yes! And they are cotton. The fabric of your life.

Well I have worked up quite a sweat with this here post, all this typing and all. So now I shall take my third shower of the day.

Happy summer to all my steamy Arkies! (and everyone else, steamy or not!)

P.S. I have no idea why this text turned blue. It just happened.

Let's go black and gold, let's go!

Go team go!

Ok so my high school colors were not black an

d gold. They were black and orange, a la Halloween High. Actually went to two different high schools. The other one was red and black. But no gold and black.

I like gold and black. I like studded belts.

I like standing on hills.

I do NOT like getting bit by 43 mosquitos while standing outside for 4 MINUTES to take my picture!

Gold top: H&M (Chicago. We have no such place in Arkansas.)

Bubble skirt: Ann Taylor via clothes swap

Belt" JC Penny

Necklace: The Villa, a sweet boutique in Hot Springs

Sandals: Melissa via Box Turtle

Winnie also wanted her photo taken. She makes all her own clothes.

Inspired

I work for a hospice here in Little Rock. We have a partner hospice in Zimbabwe. In February, the founders of said hospice paid us a visit. They were amazing people, and it was fascinating to hear how much their daily lives differed from ours. In May, I have the opportunity to visit Zimbabwe for 2 weeks. The catch is, I need the money to get there.

I have been spending waaaay too much money lately. Clothes and shoes mostly. Stuff for the house. It always seems to help fill some kind of void. Only temporarily, of course. I should learn to fill voids in other ways, like drugs and alcohol, maybe?

So after checking out several blogs, I have decided that I can't buy any more clothes or shoes. I can swap, I can sell on eBay and use the money for new stuff. I can alter and borrow, estate and thrift. That's it. Nothing new. I really want to see how much money I will have saved by May.

I think I can get pretty creative. And I do love the occasional fashion challenge. So let's see where this takes me. Hopefully to Zimbabwe.

(I am patting myself on the back for that closing line.)

Brown and purple?

So do brown and purple work together?

I think they look pretty good in this outfit. I just really wanted an excuse to wear these bitchin' Cole Haan wedges.

PS-It's like 105 with the heat index today, with like 80% humidity. I am gross and sticky in this photo, antsy to change into my "it's too damn hot to care" outfit of shorts and a tank top.

Shoes: Cole Haan via eBay

Cardi: The Limited

Birdie collared top: my friend used it as packing material when he moved. Gave it to me upon unpacking and discovering it.

Purple skirt: Old Navy, thrifted

Necklaces: one from grandma, one found in the neighbor's garbage pile

Earrings:F21

(I'm not loving my bangs lately. I think they make my face look too fat. Time to quit cutting them so short and perhaps try a side swept look. I probably just need a new haircut in general, now that I think about it.)

To prove I'm not afraid...

I'm not afraid to post unflattering/goofy-lookin'* photos of myself in the name of fashion. And blogging. And flogging, which is what I'm going to call Fashion Blogging.

This weekend there was a lot going on! I splurged and bought three new wide belts at JC Penny (on sale, mind you) to go with some vintage dresses I picked up at an estate sale last week. Remember only two weeks ago when I blogged about how wide belts are a complete no-no for me? Well, I have done a total 180 as you can see.

Dress: Vintage from estate sale

Boots: Vintage via eBay

Belt: JC Penny

Necklaces: Grandma, Box Turtle

Dog: Jacksonville Animal Shelter

There is also a lovely cropped, short sleeve jacket to go with this dress. It's trimmed in white. I wore it last night with a red tank and denim skirt, but failed to take any photos.

When rocking out to Guns 'n' Roses in my wood paneled den I like to wear:

Top: I heart Ronson (JC Penny)

Jeans: Gap from like 24 years ago. (Yes, I was two when I bought my first Gap jeans) (*editors note* Apparently I can't do math either, because two plus twenty-four equals 26, and I am 27, almost 28.)

Belt: Forever 21

Shoes: Gap

I swear I really don't get that much stuff from JC Penny. But whatever, apparently JCP really did have the "style of your life" in my this weekend. Or wait, is that Dillard's?

*Apparently over the weekend I also developed some sort of syndrome that caused me to make completely moronic faces in every photograph. I hope you at least had a good laugh, because I sure did.