Hard + Soft

Today’s outfit post draws inspiration from two sources: first, my absolute favorite blogger/idol Emily Schuman of Cupcakes and Cashmere and second, Rumi Neely of Fashiontoast. Neely’s minimalist way of dressing sometimes frustrates me, but other times I can really appreciate her aesthetic — she’s definitely a less is more, quality over quantity, monochrome kind of girl. Schuman’s style is a bit more approachable and I have gathered a lot of inspiration from her ability to seamlessly integrate different textures, patterns and colors in each of her looks. Her style communicates this classic effortlessness, something I always want to achieve when I’m picking out what to wear.

This look is centered around the bib necklace I received in yesterday’s care package, passed down from my grandma Lee:

I wanted to juxtapose the sweet girly look of the necklace with something a bit edgier. I immediately reached for one of my favorite pieces in my closet — a black faux leather skirt I picked up at Buffalo Exchange for a cool $13.00. To balance out the skirt, I opted for a loose fitting linen tank top and some black booties.

I just like how this outfit makes me feel — it’s a happy little union of hard and soft, like “I’m a biker chick who also likes cupcakes and art and indie music.”

… or you know, something kind of along the lines of that. I topped it off with a subtle red lip stain and a super messy top knot (with maybe one too many flyaways for my taste, but who’s counting?). The weather in DC has been pretty strange the last couple of days — overall really humid with temperatures ranging from the 60s to the 80s. This reality has forced me to reign in my “OH MY GOD, IT’S FALL I NEED TO WEAR SWEATERS AND BOOTS AND TIGHTS ALL THE TIME AND NOTHING ELSE EVER” attitude. Sweaters and humidity are two words that should never be associated together. Linen and humidity, however, is slightly better.

Do you guys have any other suggestions of how to wear this bib necklace? Maybe with a collar? More sweet sartorial stories and awesome alliteration-filled adventures to come.

Unexpected Surprises

There is nothing quite like a care package to make a day go from good to great. They take me back to my summers at camp and I still get that same giddy anticipation when I get a package notification, even when it’s just a refill printer cartridge I ordered from Amazon. Lucky for me, today wasn’t the average package kind of day; today I received the most wonderful surprise from none other than my lovely maman:

She filled a box with some of my favorite things: a big book combining the mediums of photography and illustration (great inspiration for my next project in graphic design); a bib necklace passed down from my sweet grandmother Lee — check back tomorrow for the related outfit post; nail polish in some of fall’s best metallic shades; tights on tights on tights; AND CANDY CORN. I. love. candy corn. And now that it’s fall, it feels more appropriate to start consuming it in mass quantities again.

My mom is the greatest. I’ll try not to turn this post into a big cheese fest, but she really is one of my best friends. And she is an avid reader of SLB, so at least I know I’ve got one faithful fan. Thanks ma!

And in honor of yesterday’s holiday, I leave you guys with this:

More adventures to come.

Friends + Music

Today I was lucky to hear from a few faraway friends that I have been missing pretty dearly. Coincidentally, with every new conversation followed a song recommendation. Even when I am separated from these people by miles of road and ocean, music is one of those common threads that can link us back together. I love getting new music recommendations because it encourages me to listen to artists outside my every day indie/alternative favorites. Even if I’m not partial to the particular genre, new music can always draw on old memories — my dear friend Bailey (pursuing a law degree in Las Vegas now) recommended the song “Angel Eyes” by Love and Theft:

It is a country song through and through, and although I don’t usually tune into country, listening to the genre always makes me nostalgic for my Texas roots.

The next recommendation came from the lovely Helen, who graduated last year and just got a marketing job in New York City (congrats Helen!). I had never heard of Morning Parade until she messaged me a link to their song “Headlights”, and now I am tempted to go through and sample all of their other tracks:

The last recommendation came from one of my oldest friends at school, Naomi. Although she is currently studying abroad in Amman, Jordan, Naomi remains a constant part of my life through our weekly conversations via Facebook/WhatsApp/Skype — ah, gotta love technology. Today she introduced me to this Macklemore song and I haven’t stopped listening to it since…

“Love is patient, love is kind.”

All of these songs are so different, but so good in their own ways — there’s something for everyone. To end this post, here’s a song that I have been listening to a lot lately:

Do you guys have any good music recommendations? I’m open to anything, comment or tweet at me!