Song of Colors

I feel like this outfit is my style incarnate; the floppy felt hats, the constant scarves, the cute little side-bag, the boots, and of course, the perfect color pairing contained in a limited spectrum. The hat matches and reiterates the boot texture and color, the lines on the beige turtleneck mimic the pleats on the pale chartreuse skirt, which in turn is repeated in the color of the ribbon tied in a bow on my loose braid. The coral in the earrings matches the coral of the lipstick and bracelet, while the gold metal from my jewelry is repeated on the shimmery chain links of my bag. The soft pink scarf is the go-between the softness of the beige and the brightness of the coral. Every item and color is thought out and pertains to another part of the outfit; everything has a place, a system that it fits in, a tightly controlled gamut of colors while the draping layers and flowing fabrics keep it from being too harsh and stiff. The overall effect is pretty and almost casual looking, until one notices the little bits of glitz and the hint of preparation from all the matching hues.

To be honest, this is probably one of the best outfits I've ever created. Not only did I feel comfortable and free wearing it, but I also loved the way the colors sung and danced together, as if I myself was a walking piece of art. That feeling is what I try to create and recreate in my outfits; some hit the mark, others are learning experiments, but to feel like one is walking in a delicious, delirious dream is what I aim for. To say this one hit the mark is an understatement.

These photographs stir up bad memories, aside from the happiness my outfit brought me; memories of a strange man watching me in the park while I took photos, stabbing me with his leering gaze, like mud clouding clear spring water. My outfits are my mental resting place, my tiny shield against the harshness of the world. Despite the attention they might bring, oh how brightly I hear the colors sing.

Shirt, skirt, bag, earrings - thrifted

Hat - Target

Scarf - gift

Earrings - Walmart

Boots - Modcloth

<3 The Magpie

Outland

These pictures of from a trip I went on with a friend to collect pretty pictures and have an adventure of sorts. It was so beautiful there, and all the hues of blue were incredibly surreal. The trip turned into a long and hot dusty walk.. but the scenery and company made up for it. I wish my life was made up of more of this - exploring interesting places and experiencing beauty. I do what I can, but I definitely hope this year that I will push myself to go do more. Looking back upon these pics makes me want to sink into blue skies and surround myself with the wild wind that only flies over open plains and water. It's the kind of place that makes you itch to spread wings and fly.

This outfit was pretty simple; just a throw-on dress and go. I tried to spice it up with interesting jewelry and cute little socks. I wasn't so sure about the dress when I originally found it, but I wanted a easy dress (for once); something to slip on and be out the door with no fuss, and this dress definitely fit the bill. I usually wear complicated and layered outfits, so something this simple was a new thing for me, but I enjoyed the concept  of it.

I've been struggling with a recent nasty shock from work; apparently my co-workers hate me and I'm not doing a good enough job at what I do. It's been sticking with me over the last week, keeping me up at night and spinning through my head throughout the day. I am trying to be pragmatic about it, and tell myself that it's an inevitable result in life; not everybody will like you, nor will you ever be perfect. The only thing I can do is just do better, and I am already trying to make attempts to do so. It's such a blow because I already try to do a good job and work really hard, to the best of my knowledge, but you know what? It's a good learning experience. Just gotta roll with the punches and all. I can usually get over things pretty quickly, but this one has been burning holes of pain inside for longer than expected... all I can do is wait it out, and in the meantime, do better. I want this year to be a year of growth and development for me, so it's as good as any a place to start.

 

 

Dress, shoes, backpack, necklace - thrifted

Cardigan, socks - Target

Earrings - outlet store

Lion ring - gift

Camera ring - museum gift store

 

<3 The Magpie

Dual Tone

My grandfather died over the summer. I've avoided making this post because I wanted to write so much, yet so little. I knew he was dying, and yet the knowledge of his death shocked me to the core. He had a brave, full life and was well-taken care of at his end. I got to see him, one last time before he passed. I wish I had seen him more. Regrets are those things in life that can never be experienced again, no matter what you do. I was overwhelmed by eternity and the existence-less of a life that had once burned so brightly. How do you name or contain grief? It shivers in your bones and seeps through the cracks in little slivers of tears in the most ordinary of moments. Driving my car, walking down a grocery aisle, talking to a customer at work; during all these small mundane tasks, I suddenly would be swept away by the knowledge that somebody I loved was dead. I will not forget you! my mind cried, I will never let your memory be vanquished!

And yet. Here I was putting on pretty dresses and wearing pretty things, continuing on with my own little chores and work and school, as if nothing had changed. And maybe that's the crux of the matter; you think the world will change, that life itself will change, but maybe only you really change. Maybe it's only inwardly that your soul cries out in anguish, but the sun still rises and sets, and the earth still turns, and the people still walk by. I am not an expert on death, and I certainly hope not to be. Neither do I think death is a part of life, but rather a loss, a void of previous existence. But I can still enjoy the sweetness and brightness of the world and do my best not to languish in despair. "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comeths in the morning" Psalm 30:5b. This summer was a long night of weeping, but joy has returned, and tomorrow is a new morning.

Dress - thrifted

Earrings - World Market

<3 The Magpie

First Idea

This photo series was taken in late December, right around when the idea for creating a blog of sorts was fermenting in my mind. This was the first shoot I took with said blog in mind, so it's pretty cool  to see how much I've advanced from that, and how I made my idea a reality. Turning ideas into the real world always been a difficult thing for me to accomplish, so I'm rather proud of myself for making the effort. I always have so many ideas, but I rarely carry them through. As I've been growing older, I've been trying to discipline myself to carry out what I want to do, and not just waste my time on day-dreams. I'm sure many other people struggle with the same concepts, but it's always seemed to be a little harder for me. I just have this natural reluctance to set in motion plans or goals that I actually really want to accomplish! It has been this weird, self-inhibiting thing that I'm trying to work on. A self-help project, so to speak. I have many self-help projects, haha.

I'd like to do more as time goes on, but even putting up a new post every now and then is an accomplishment for me. As I go further along in life, I want to push myself to grow; both aesthetically and creatively. Having the outlet of a blog to focus on has been the needed push to motivate me to continue to create and to help me to overcome my lack of dream-accomplishing inertia . So even if it seems to be not much of anything, I'm just personally happy I've gotten this far. Yay for random internet spaces that make my (inner) world a better place! :)

Time to talk about the outfit now. Clearly my color-matchy impulses were still in full force, but I do feel like I have grown a bit, style-wise. I'm getting better at putting together outfits that aren't so obvious; by adding more textures, layers, or details to create more nuanced, thoughful look. It's been really fun to to grow and experiment with my personal style. When dressing a certain way stops being fun, I will probably stop having an interest in it. Happily, that has yet to happen. Still, this outfit feels very accessible, and is a quintessential "me" outfit. I wouldn't wear it again, namely since I have since donated the skirt, but the overall look will probably crop up here and there, with hopefully a little more edge.

Skirt, beret, bag - thrifted

Cardigan - Target

Boots - Modcloth

Earrings, necklace - Old Navy

 

<3 The Magpie

Christmas in October

I pulled these photos out of my photo archives; they were taken last Christmas when we went over to friends of the family's house and had a grand time. I bought this lovely satiny blue skirt originally as a costume for a photoshoot, but it was so beautiful and decadent, I just had to wear it out. $4 at a thriftstore! Now that's what I call a deal. Looking at these photos makes me miss my bangs. They make me look so young! I actually prefer my face framed by bangs, but I grew them out over the summer since it gets so hot and sweaty here, and I have to straighten out my natural waves to even have them.

I paired the magnificent skirt with a see-through lace blouse and received several comments about resembling Elsa from Frozen. Probably not a good time to admit that I didn't think Frozen was that great, eh? When is it ever a good time to admit that? I don't even know. Will I be socially ostracized? Will people lead marches against my door? WHAT AM I REALLY WORRIED ABOUT??? Regardless, she DOES have some pretty killer style, so I can't really complain. Icy blue foreversz!

Still can't get over this skirt. Looking at it makes me want to wear it. And touch it. And love it. I could sleep in that skirt like a giant lazy-satiny-butterfly-thing. Actually, it was interesting to see the reactions it procured. When one wears a dramatic piece of clothing, you must expect to illicit some response. My family is decently used to seeing me wear crazy or "weird" things by now, but they still sometimes make comments or are taken aback by items of clothing I consider pretty normal. I just keep wearing my outfits while hoping that one day they won't even blink an eye. It definitely makes one consider the power of clothes though. There is so much information to be read by what we wear; the ideas and concepts that are projected and inferred, interest me intensely.

Skirt - thrifted

Shirt - gift

Earrings - Target

Shoes - Modcloth

<3 The Magpie