40 Years

I distinctly remember this day; it was a few days after I had gotten my hair lightened and I was still marveling at its boldness. The air was humid and the day was overcast, the sky heavy and still. On a whim, I brushed gold eyeshadow over my eyes and bridge of my nose, like a shimmering mask suspended holographically over my skin. I was so disappointed that it didn't show up well in my photos. I was wearing a simple dress with a simpler vest thrown over the top, but everything still felt too hot to the touch. I wanted to wear something easy to go to work, and this fit the criteria. 

The outfit is indelibly inscribed to a certain memory from that work shift; I work at a coffee shop and a man pulled up in his car, and the normal exchange of a cashier/customer was exchanged. And then, and then, and then! he asked me if my co-worker was "my daughter". My daughter! A girl only a few years younger than me, but apparently so mature I appeared, he legitimately thought she was capable of being my offspring. I had the strong suspicion he was fishing for information on whether or not I was old enough to hit on (sigh) or he lacked all reference to time. I'm more amused than offended by such a out-landish question, but idea that somebody's age radar can be so wildly askew is rather interesting. Do I WANT to look older? Do I want to look younger? How will I look as I age? I hope that wherever life takes me, that I will grow into a strong and beautiful character, that my view of myself will mature and grow as my body ages, changes, and decays. 

(p.s. I'm in my early twenties)

Dress, vest, necklace - thrifted

Earrings - World Market

Sandals - DSW

<3 The Magpie

The Twilight Hour

I wore this outfit for my finals last semester. It's hard to tell in the thick twilight blue, but my lips were as red as my dress. Worn together, the effect was vivid, almost shocking in its brightness, and illicited many comments. My inner streak of mischievous glee delighted in the visual uproar it produced. I was never in the tangled webs of drama in high school, but in some ways, I do have a strong sense of flair that errs towards a dramatic aesthetic. Perhaps you think I am exaggerating at its results, and maybe I am unintentionally, but try wearing a red dress with red lipstick for a day, and see what you get.

The beaded cat-eye necklace I am wearing was something I put together from another necklace and an antique store find. There were a bunch of large marble-like glass stones with tiny embroidered beads around the edges, and this one was the coolest, with its golden eye, blue fringe, and slit pupil. It wasn't meant to be a necklace, but it did have a small loop that I attached to a necklace cord. I love wearing it for the drama and the sheer strangeness of it - that sense of the dramatic coming into play I guess. I paired it with some beaded earrings from World Market because the colors matched.

I wish I had taken pictures in earlier light, but had to do what I could with what I had. I do love the rich blue of the twilight hour; it is my favorite color yet. When the sun falls and the eastern horizon sinks towards black indigo, the sky turns a luminous saturated blue like the clear clarion call of a bell echoing through the evening as it pulls the whole world towards night. I have a very clear picture in my mind of what my favorite color is supposed to be, but when someone asks, I usually just say "blue", as the real shade is attached to a certain time and wondrous effect, but that can be too difficult to describe.

As for the dress, it is pretty simple, almost too simple for my usually complicated tastes, but I fell in love with the bell-like sleeves and rich hue of red. I hope I will find another chance to wear it and not tire of it quickly. I will have to make myself wear it again, maybe to work, in an effort to get the most for my money. Serves me right though, I know better then to get something I don't like, and although I do want to wear it again, I'm just trying to decide how useful it will be in the gamut of my wardrobe.

Dress - thrifted

Necklace - made

Earrings - World Market

Boots - DSW

Coat - gift

<3 The Magpie

Background Explorer

The wind is a wild thing, howling down around me and tangling my hair. I remember this day; it was cold and blustery, chilling my bones despite the light of the sun. I spent an inordinate amount of time that day searching for good places to take photographs. I look for small niches, tucked away spots with preferably a wall or other item to be a subject matter or a background. And I HATE having any people around. If there are people in the area, I stay far away from them as I can. People's curious stares and even creepy vibes make me really uncomfortable, disrupt my flow, and show up in the photographs in the stiffness of my poses and face. If possible, I like to work alone (unless with a trusted friend), content to experiment with angles and comfortability of myself in the shots; it can take a few shots to get what I am looking for, so the less people watch me, the better. Plus, people in general are CREEPY. I don't have a very high opinion of the public in general, because of all the weird people (i.e. men) who have followed me, purposefully gone out of their paths to try to talk to me, or stared at me taking photographs from a distance. Sorry for the small rant there, I'm just a grouchy old hermit at heart. I just want to work on my stuff and be left alone, is that too much to ask?

This outfit was a mishmash of layers, textures, and attempt at pattern matching. The scarf and skirt are two entirely different item, but I saw them one time close by, and suddenly thought "Wow, those have potential together!" It's funny when that happens, and even funnier when somebody notices.. Guy in my class: "Did you know your skirt and scarf match?" Me: "Er...Yes, I did that on purpose.."

Do people not think it is purposeful?? As if it somehow, accidentally, magically, these clothes fell on my body in a perfect pattern-matching-extravaganza??? Really, I don't don't understand people.

Phew. Getting lots of things out of my system here. Anyways, I really liked this outfit. The layers and complexity of it appealed to me, and the matching patterns made it sing. I'm not sure if it is different than any of my other outfits, but it definitely felt like ME. 

Shirt, socks - Target

Scarf - World Market

Jean shirt, bag - thrifted

Shoes - Costco

Earrings, leggings - unknown

<3 The Magpie

White Pine

Solid cool weather post - wore this outfit a few weeks back, when I felt like showing off a new pine-green dress. I paired it with pure white tights and sweater, and gleams of gold at my ears and crown. Simple, classic, and easy, but with a touch of something extra. Even on my most basic outfits, I always have to add a certain tiny something that makes it fully my own. In this particular outfit, it was the gold leaf headband. I love the look of it, but unfortunately, it catches in your hair like nothing else, so wearing it always comes with some expectation of effort. I found the gold earrings for $6 at a flea market. I'd been craving pure gold at my earlobes for awhile, so of course I snatched them up as soon as I saw them. I remember there was a broad selection of earrings at that booth, but these were the only ones I liked. It's funny how that happens; either good finds are rare, or else I'm just picky. Wearing golden jewelry has a double bonus for me, because it matches my hair. I like how my hair is its own accessory, and I definitely try to play that up. It will be fun to wear this outfit during future autumns and holiday seasons with tights and boots or heels, and then in spring with bare shoulders and leather sandals. So many possibilities for a deceptively simple green dress. Even writing about this dress makes me want to wear it again; I'll have to try pull it out this week and wear it to school. I wish rich green was a more popular clothing color, as I love how it contrasts with my dark hair and golden skin, but for now, I'll have to content myself with sales online. 

ps. aren't those goats great? My neighbors have a whole flock of them. (herd? flock? ????)

Dress, boots - Modcloth

Sweater, bag - thrifted

Headband - Claire's

Earrings - flea market

Tights - Walmart

<3 The Magpie

Green Skirt, Green Bow

I suppose it would be more accurate to call the color of my skirt 'chartreuse', but calling it green is easier for people to digest. I used to not be fan of this particular shade, or even of green really, but as I have expanded my tastes and wardrobe color-wise, I find myself wearing colors I previously ignored. I think it's good for me to expand my color horizons, otherwise I would still be stuck in my teal-blue sea. I found this skirt at a thrift and consider it one of my lucky finds. It's so beautiful and flowy - I've worn it in different variations, both in warm and cool weather. These photos were taken only a few weeks ago, when the day was sunny, but a chill hummed in the air. We have guests over, so I only had time to snap a few pics, but I love how the light lit up the grass and spun through the trees with a golden glow. 

Shirt, dress - thrifted

Boots - Modcloth

Necklace - gift

<3 The Magpie

Daisy Train

Another summery outfit post. I have quite the backlog of photos, but am able to slowly work my way through them. I still can't quite believe I have my own computer! My own means of producing and creating my work... My own way to connect with the world and use a tool to create and draw inspiration from.. Truly, we are blessed to live in this tech-saturated world, where ideas dance at our fingertips, and the process from mere thought to full-bodied creation is shorter than ever before. People may decry the proliferation of media and how new technology can damage society, stilt creativity, and on and on and on, but really, it's only a tool, and although it IS a powerful tool, it only affects us as much as we allow it. For me, my computer has given me freedom whereas previously, my hands were tied to specific locations and times. Ironically, I am writing this on the computer at school, but the principle remains! I edited these photos on my own computer last night, and was thusly reminded and gladdened of the power it gave me. All the poweersss, yessss! *cackles maniacally* Ahem. 

This outfit is color coordinated, and so 'me'. Did you notice how the lipstick matches the bright magenta in the dress?? Do you see it?? CAN YOU TELL???!? Have I mentioned I'm a little obsessed with colors..? As for the turquoise eyeliner, I was on a turquoise-liner kick for awhile this summer. I go through turquoise spurts. Turquoise was my first color of non-traditional eyeliner, and one of my favorite colors to wear in high school, so I definitely go through turquoise phases that fade and then swing back in full force. Wearing it with the contrast of the bright magenta was also a plus!

I painted daisies all over my nails; hence the blog post title. I know they aren't that splashy, but they were so fun to wear! Daisies randomly became a favorite trend of mine, so hopefully I will get to show some more outfits with said flower in different shapes and forms. I was so happy when they actually became a mainstream trend, because that enabled all of my feels for them that had suddenly bubbled up from the dark recesses of my creative soul. Can anybody else relate? There should be a word for the surprising affection of a random theme.

Dress, bag, necklace - thrifted

Sandals - DSW

Earrings - Target?World Market? One of them. 

<3 The Magpie