The Pirate and the Equestrian

Blouse, Belt, Bracelet: J Crew final sale / Cardi: TJ Maxx / Pants: F21 / Shoes: Piperlime (BC Footwear)

I wore this to school last month. Yes, this post is that old. I forgot about it, evidently... My students said I looked like a pirate. One even asked if I'd hook my finger and say "Aaarrr" when I began class. I wanted to retort that I'd worked at Pirates of the Caribbean, thank you very much, so I think I'd know how a pirate would dress. I suppose in the eyes of teenagers, this outfit was a fail. I hope it wasn't an epic fail.

I vowed never to wear it again. But then that evening at Bunco I received several compliments, then nods of disapproval after I told my lady friends that my students quite disagreed with their consensus. It was a confusing day. Then I won Bunco. Which was also confusing as it makes the 5th time since I began playing. Which was only 10 months ago. Those are 50% odds. I'm good at math like that. I thought for sure my luck had run out. Remember this bag? Bunco grand prize. I've gotten all sorts of loot.

Aaaaand the pirate theme has found its way back to haunt me. Nom d'une pipe!*

P.S. Just in case you were wondering, below is the costume a pirate wears. According to Disney, anyhow. I was deployed to the Pirates of the Caribbean shop for a few weeks from my usual post at the Emporium on Main Street, back in the days when I worked for the Mouse in Florida. Best job ever. I can officially say that now that I'm no longer required to tell crabby vacationers to "have a magical day."

P.P.S. This isn't the first outfit my students have categorized / criticized. Earlier this year, while wearing the outfit below, they told me I looked like "one of those people that rides horses."  Perhaps I should work on more original outfits. Perhaps they should work on more vocabulary. I told them I was headed to a polo match with my other equestrian friends { ha! I wish...} and they had no clue what I was talking about.

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*Nom d'une pipe = Good grief! / What the heck? It's a rather dated expression, but I like it :)

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Owls Are In

Skirt, Belt: J Crew final sale / Top: Urban Outfitters / Cardi: Gap clearance / Shoes & Socks: TJ Maxx (AE & ?) / Headband: Claire's /  Owl Earrings: Royal Touch (local shop)

We've had a bitterly cold wind the past few days. I tried bare legs, but just couldn't do it. Rest assured I still love my tights, but I am a bit tired of them at the moment. So I dug out my tall socks,  pulled out a long sleeved cardi, and let my floral blouse do the spring time talking for me. Apparently, the blossoms are no longer sufficient and I need clothes to remind me that it really is Spring, even almost Summer. I'm needy like that.

I'm loving this owl jewelry trend.  We have several owls and hear them hooting almost every night.  We've even caught them swooping out of the trees while driving down the road or taking the Hound for a walk. I pull her close when that happens. She's a smaller breed, after all, and you never really know how loftily an owl is scheming. That's what happens when you have a Hound for several years instead of children. You start to imagine that owls are about to swoop down and try to snatch up your 25 pound beagle. Then you give her a treat for being brilliant enough to avoid such catastrophe. And wonder why she's supposed to be 25 lbs but is almost 30...

She's just a bit gâtée* in case you haven't noticed. She even has her own 80s La-Z-Boy.  

All the other Hounds are way jaloux*.

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*gâté = spoiled {fyi: the 'e' with an accent aigu (acute) is pronounced like the letter a}; jaloux = jealous

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Francophone Friday: Je Ne Sais Quoi

 Skirt: France (? No tag and I can't recall the shop name) / Top: Charlotte Russe / Cardi: TJ Maxx / Tights: AE / Shoes, Earrings: Gabes (Relativity, Monet) / Sash: ? / Necklace: Nordstrom (Betsey Johnson, Valentine's gift)

Ashey, over at The Shine Project, has issued a challenge to define beauty. I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to add a French twist and discuss inner beauty with the French phrase je ne sais quoi.

Je ne sais quoi translates to I don't know what. To Wiktionary,  it's "an intangible quality that makes something distinctive or attractive." Merriam-Webster defines it as "something that cannot be adequately described or expressed," and Dictionary.com says it's "an indefinable, elusive quality, especially a pleasing one."

When drawn to someone without quite being able to explain why, you could say they have a 'certain je ne sais quoi.' The world has varied and changing definitions of beauty and obviously not everyone conforms to them. But everyone can have a certain je ne sais quoi, an inner beauty that shines through. Every person's je ne sais quoi would refer to something unique: a kind heart, a cheerful demeanor, a positive attitude, an inner drive to succeed, an innocent vulnerability, a will to live, a passion, a confidence, etc. It's that something special within that manifests itself without and is often described as a je ne sais quoi by one who perhaps doesn't know you well enough yet to describe it. That je ne sais quoi, I would argue, exhibits itself as beauty.

I used photos the Husband took of me this past Valentine's for this post. At the time, I'd decided to give fashion blogging a go but hadn't yet created the blog. It took awhile to make the decision then put it in action. I'm not always the most confident person. I have some scars on my face, my teenage awkward years lasted a ridiculously long time, and I certainly wasn't comfortable in front of a camera. But I think it was this shoot that nudged me to throw caution to the wind and go for it. I was working on something I felt passionate about {style, fashion}, and I felt loved by a dear Husband, who went home at lunch to leave this for me...

...and who was willing to go along with a rather vain vice and become my personal photographer. I was probably also a bit bewitched by the fact that it was a beautiful day for February, and that it was Valentine's and we were on our way to celebrate with dinner and these divine treats:

I felt happy and loved and, for the first time since we began outfit pictures, I also felt less posed and inhibited.

Perhaps it was a certain je ne sais quoi :)

To end, I can't help but add a few French beauty notes:

French Women's Beauty Tips and Secrets, from The Art of Being Feminine, a beautiful post about letting inner beauty shine by taking care of our bodies.

French Beauty, a documentary on the enduring image of beauty in France.

5 Top Beauty Secrets of French Women, by Mireille Divulges.

À bientôt, mes belles* :)

P.S. Post also linked up here to Frenchy's French Obsession Party!

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*À bientôt, mes belles = Until next time, beautiful

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Awkward and Awesome Thursday: Sailor Stripes

  Tank & Earrings: J Crew final sale / Blazer: H&M / Pants &Scarf: AE / Wellies: Hunter via Bloomingdales gift card

Awkward / Maladroit* :

- The fact that it snowed on June 1st. Just going to throw that out there. It's more maddening than awkward. 
- Getting yelled at by a random jogger, literally screaming from shore for us to get off the rock bridge we were on, fascinated and giggling like kids by the way the waves went under it then crashed into a blow hole by the shore, spraying water way into the air.
- Continuing to happily dance in the wave spray while said jogger screams at us. We finally heard him over the roar of the waves. Apparently, sneaker waves can wipe out people on the bridge, and some have died . You'd think they'd post a sign!
- People shaking their heads at us while we leave, quite abashedly, only to return a few minutes later with a camera and dry clothes to take photos in front of the blow hole instead. Shameless, yet spellbound.

Awesome / Génial*:

- My double striped fashion risk. I'm calling it awesome. It could be awkward. I felt like a rebellious sailor. First double dots, now double stripes. Maybe one day I'll be daring enough to pair dots and stripes.
- The fact that I found these skinny cords for $15 at AE. Yay, sales and fab deals!
- The fact that dizzying cliffs + huge waves + sea rocks to climb upon = a very happy Husband.  It's like his own personal crack, people. And we encountered lots of it on our trip :)
- That he takes a flurry of photos in his high, which is good for my blog. He was all, "Oh, this is a cool spot. Right here. Climb this craggy rock. Now, pose on the edge of this cliff. A little closer to the edge; you can't tell how high it is. Be sure to balance inwards." Oh why? Because it's like a way scary drop into treacherous waves and I'm the worst swimmer ever? Yeah, that's why.

- This person's house. So green with envy right now.

- Kyllo's crab cakes with garlic mash, crab melt, and hazelnut bleu cheese salad. Oooh, miam miam*!

- And last, but not least, the Pacific Northwest Coast! We just love it.

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*Maladroit = Awkward; Génial = Awesome; Miam miam = Yum yum / Nom nom!

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Travel Style

Tank, Cardi: F21 / Jeans: Gap ($8!) / Shoes: Express / Belt: Ruche / Headband: J Crew Factory clearance / Earrings: AE / Lighthouse in the background: Heceta Head (breathtaking- highly recommend the hike to visit it!)

I've pinky promised myself to no longer use vacations as an excuse to dress like a student who studied for finals all night. I'm no longer a student, so I've no excuse to dress like one. Further, I'm almost embarrassed when looking back at shots from previous travels. I'm usually wearing old jeans and a tee. Sometimes even sweats. No attempt whatsoever, really. Is that how I want to remember myself and my travels one day? Absolument pas*. So this coast trip became my debut for attempting to travel a bit more stylishly. I packed my new jean capris that I found at Gap's extra-40% of sale items sale. They seem to be having those a lot lately, and I'm taking full  advantage.

I think I was fairly successful. When entering a shop in this outfit, a random person exiting told me she loved my outfit. My baggy fleece pants never got that kind of love. The Husband said I should make up cards to hand out for my blog. Ha! Um, no thanks dear, but sweet of you to think of my blog. You get 2 points :)

I found it surprisingly easy to maintain the comfort I wanted using stretchy but fitted bottoms, flowy tanks, and cardigans or blazers. I packed a raincoat and wellies for inclement weather, and found I could still wear nice shoes and remove them to climb on smoother rocks or play in the sand. Perfect for hunting sea stars.

The only one who didn't appreciate my new-found desire for style while traveling was the Hound. Dressing nicely is promptly negated when covered with furs. She's shedding like crazy, and was thus relegated to the back seat, for which she determinedly demonstrated her distaste by alternating pitiful glances at my lap while resting her head sorrowfully on the center console and whining insistently, then appealing to the Husband by resting her head on the corner of his seat back and cutely hanging on with her paws when he rounded a curve.

He caved a few times and called her up to his lap. He's a softie like that. Sigh, 2 more points :)

P.S. Linked up here for the Pleated Poppy's What I Wore Wednesday and here for Tiffany's Cute Party!

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*Absolument pas = Certainly not

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