The Quest for the Perfect Short-Sleeve Maxi Dress

I had only one fashion goal this summer.

Find a maxi dress with short sleeves.

It might sound simple, but it's no easy feat. Think about the maxis you've seen on your shopping adventures. Most of them are sleeveless, aren't they?

Forever 21 Floral and a Floppy Hat for Fall

Alliteration much?

Sorry, I just couldn't help it.

Fall in Florida continues, and the weather is flip-flopping from warm to chilly and back again. I want to dress for autumn, but I have to do it strategically to stay cool in the heat.

I wore this outfit to a local gardening event and community showcase on Sunday. I thought the floral print on the dress was appropriate, and the hat covered my messy hair.

That's the great thing about hats, isn't it? They're fashionable and functional. ;)

Outfit details
Dress from Forever 21 (in stores only)
Maddie Ghillie Wedge from Payless
Purse from Payless (old)
Hat from Icing
Leaf Charm on Short Necklace from Art Beads
Long Leaf Necklace from Anthropologie (old)
Earrings from Charming Charlie
Ring from local craft fair (one-of-a-kind)

This post contains Forever 21 and Payless affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you click on them and make a purchase.

What I Wore to the Local Art Festival

The Temple Terrace Arts Festival is a yearly event in which talented artists and crafters come together to show and sell their work.

This weekend is the 41st annual festival, and it's taking place in a new location, which just happens to be within walking distance from my house.

I'm really into burgundy for fall, and I was pretty pumped to wear a couple new accessories when I went to the festival on Saturday.

Who says flower crowns are just for summer? The burgundy one I'm wearing is perfect for the season, and the sales clerk at Icing said they'll even be getting holly-style ones in for winter. This seems to be the year of the flower crown, and I'm all about it.

There's something about puffballs that I think are just so cute, and this purse has plenty of 'em. I'll be wearing it with a lot of outfits this fall.

What are you really into this season? Tell me in the comments!

Outfit details:
Dress from Forever 21 (in stores only)
Tank from Urban Outfitters (old)
Leggings from Forever 21
Socks from Icing (old, similar)
Boots from Payless (old, similar)
Purse from Etsy shop Miyas Ethnic Bags
Flower Crown from Icing
Leaf Charm on Short Necklace from Art Beads
Long Leaf Necklace from Anthropologie (old)
Earrings from Charming Charlie
Ring from Urban Outfitters (old)

This post contains Forever 21, Urban Outfitters and Payless affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you click on them and make a purchase.

It's a Chambray Kind of Day

And a day for silly faces, apparently.

I'm loving the versatility of this chambray dress from ModCloth. The weather doesn't usually get too chilly here in Florida, but on the few days that it does cool off this season, I'll be able to wear this dress with tights and a cute sweater. Or leggings, boots and a thick belt. The possibilities are many.

While it's still warm, I'm wearing it with some cute flats and bare legs.

(The dress looks a bit purple in this photo, but it's definitely blue.)

Outfit details:

Dress and Flats from ModCloth (similar flats)

Purse from Oasap

Zodiac Necklace from The Alchemy Shop

Locket from Etsy shop Mama's Little Babies

XO Ring from Charming Charlie

Letterpress Ring from Etsy shop Headcase Press

This post contains ModCloth and Oasap affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you click on them and make a purchase.

October Wish List

Here's what I'm wishing for this month.

1. Claire Richards Print Tea Dress from Simply Be, $64.95
Vintage-inspired styling with a bird and butterfly print. You had me at vintage-inspired.

2. Wool Felt Floppy Hat from Icing, $26
This screams fall to me, and the feathers are a pretty touch.

3. Trapunto Saddle Crossbody in Navy from Charming Charlie, $25
I have several crossbody bags, but none of them are navy. Seems like it's time to remedy the situation.

4. Silver Sagittarius Zodiac Pendant Necklace from The Alchemy Shop, $35.99
For some reason unbeknownst to me, I'm really into my zodiac sign lately. Maybe the reason is in the stars?

5. Woodland Nail Decals from JsUtopia on Etsy, $4.90
I'm also into all creatures woodland for fall.

6. Cowl Neck Pullover from Old Navy, $29.94
I know I live in Florida where we basically have year-round summer, but for the few chilly days, this sweatshirt looks so super soft and cozy. And bonus: I can wear it with leggings. #comfy

What are you wishing for this month? Tell me in the comments!

Watercolor Warblers for Work

Starting the week with some alliteration--woot!

The first time I posted about this dress (One Bird, Two Birds, Pink Birds, Blue Birds), I said I was looking forward to wearing it a lot.

Well, this is how I styled it for work recently. This time, I couldn't resist wearing accessories in my favorite color, mint, to bring out the blue birds in the print.

Looks like Cleo is a fan, too. :)

Have a great week, everyone!

Outfit Details:
Simply Be Dress
Target Tights
Kmart Shoes
Urban Outfitters Purse (old)
Charming Charlie Necklace (in stores only)
RRKK Ring via Etsy

Photos by my sweet fiance, Matt

This post contains Urban Outfitters affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you click on them and make a purchase.

Indiska Dress and Closet Explosion

Several things to talk about today, you guys, and there's good news and bad news.

Let's start with the good news: I got a job! I'm working for The Tampa Tribune/TBO.com as a web editor. I started Thursday, and although I don't really have a desk/office yet, I'm super pumped to be working full time again. The team I'm working with is awesome, and everyone has been so welcoming. Win!

Now, let's get to the bad news before I move on to talking about my Indiska dress, which is why you're really here and what I promised in the title of this post.

My closet exploded, and I don't mean in a good way. A good way would be that my clothes somehow multiplied and I had double the outfits. No, I mean my closet exploded in a bad, super frustrating, spend-all-of-Sunday-fixing-the-mess way. :'-(

See those two brackets at the top of the photo that are angled downward? Yeah, those are supposed to angle upward. The weight of my clothes was too much for them, and the shelf they were supporting came crashing down at some point on Friday when Matt and I were both at work.

I didn't realize what had happened until Saturday morning when I tried to open the door and couldn't get in. Matt and I had plans that day, so we couldn't work on repairs until Sunday. I had to pull out all of the clothes and purses that had fallen, and then we had to go to the hardware store to get new brackets.

Matt spent the afternoon installing five new brackets and re-positioning the shelf.

Then, I had to put all the stuff back. One of the worst ways to spend a Sunday!

The only positive that came from the closet explosion is that I've rediscovered items that had gotten pushed to the back of my closet. Hashtag bright side.

Matt and I had planned to take a few outfit photos on Sunday, so I could post what I had worn on my first two days of work, but we had to put that on hold. Maybe we'll get to it later this week.

Instead, I'm sharing photos that we took a while back that, for whatever reason, haven't made it on the blog.

If you've read my blog for a while, you might notice that I sometimes reference a 2011 trip to Finland. One of my college roommates is from Finland and still lives there. After college, she came back to the states a couple times to visit, and in the fall of 2011, I decided it was my turn to visit her. We had an amazing time, and I returned to Florida with lots of Nordic trinkets and clothing, including this pink floral dress from Swedish retailer Indiska.

I so wish we had Indiska in the states, or at least that they shipped to the U.S., because I would shop there all the time. The clothes--especially their dresses--are so easy-breezy with a bohemian vibe. The word "Indiska" in Swedish means "Indian," so that gives you an idea of the styles you'd typically find: a perfect blend of Indian and Scandinavian.

Outfit Details:
Indiska Dress (old)
Target Tights
Payless Shoes (old)
Target Purse
Charming Charlie Necklace (in stores only)
The Native Source Ring

Photos by my sweet fiance, Matt

This post contains Payless affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you click on them and make a purchase.

Boho Beauty vs. Gardening Granny

I'm a ModCloth affiliate, meaning that I've partnered with the online retailer to offer links to their site on my blog. Those links are meant to generate sales, and in exchange for each sale, I receive a small commission.

Every so often, ModCloth sets a fashion challenge for their bloggers, and most recently, they asked us to style our best boho/festival-themed outfit. Always up for a challenge, I decided to participate and pulled all my best boho pieces from my closet.

But when I took a look at the first set of pictures (the outfit on the right above), something about the combination of the straw hat with the crocheted shrug read more "grandma in the garden" than "boho girl at a festival."

So, I gave it a second try (the outfit on the left above). The dress and jewelry were right, so I kept them the same. But I switched the straw hat for a flower crown, the crocheted shrug for a lacy cardi, and the beachy sandals for gladiators.

Although the second look is similar to the first, I think it's more of a success as far as the challenge is concerned. Do you agree? Tell me in the comments!

Here are both looks so you can compare.

First Attempt:

Outfit Details:

Old Navy Dress (old)

Torrid Shrug (old)

Old Navy Sandals

Vintage Hat via eBay

Free People Long Necklace (old)

Charming Charlie Short Necklace (in store only)
The Native Source Ring

Photos by my sweet fiance, Matt

***

Second Attempt:

Outfit Details:
Old Navy Dress (old)
Victoria's Secret Cardigan (old)
ModCloth Sandals
Flower Crown from the 2010 Bay Area Renaissance Festival (This year's festival is going on now!)

Free People Long Necklace (old)

Charming Charlie Short Necklace (in store only)
The Native Source Ring

Photos by yours truly

***

Check out other boho/festival-themed looks in the ModCloth Style Gallery! One of my other festival-inspired outfits is there. :)

This post contains ModCloth and Free People affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you click on them and make a purchase.