I’ve never been one to venture too far out of my comfort zone…
THE STORY
…I know, based on my “I’ll do whatever I want” attitude in regard to my clothing and hair, one might assume I’m the adventurous sort. Well, guess what? I’m not. I’m sure that has something to do with the chaos and uncertainty of my childhood; pretty much all of my quirks can be tied to that in some way.
I do aspire to being adventurous. And by adventurous I don’t mean things like jumping out of airplanes and deep sea diving with sharks with fifty pounds of raw meat strapped to my back. I mean simply trying new things like going to restaurants and shops that I’ve never been to or finding fun things to do within driving distance of home. Simple stuff, you know? No, I’m not agoraphobic; I’m just very much a creature of habit. Habit and routine brings comfort. And safety. Things that the six year old in my brain craves. The thing is though, the adult in my brain is saying, “What the hell is going on? Let’s do something different.”
With that in mind, I’ve started checking out some places in my immediate area. Two of which you’ll read more about in The Outfit portion of this post. And this morning, when I’m done with this post, my daughter and I are going to this cute little cupcake/donut/coffee shop I just noticed while driving through town the other day. Once my foot is more fully healed, she and I are going to go on a little walking tour of both of our local small towns; we live right in between two of them so I’m sure there’s plenty to of things we don’t know about. There is also a really cool event going on next month about an hour away that I am most definitely going to. And come hell or high water, we will be going to see the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater’s The Nutcracker again this Christmas. Baby steps my friends, baby steps.
THE OUTFIT
This skirt…omg, you guys. It came with directions. I’m not kidding; directions with pictures. You can wear it twelve different ways, although I suspect with some playing around the number is even higher. I found it at a local shop that I didn’t even know existed until my favorite student ever (seriously, if you haven’t already, go read about him) told me about it. It’s called The Emerald Tablet and they carry a hodgepodge of holistic products, teas, oils, crystals/gemstones, home decor and yep, clothing; it’s like a bohemian dream.
The cool thing about the magic wrap skirt (yes, that’s what it’s called) is that no two are the same. Each one is made from vintage saris. So even if some how, some way you showed up at a party where everyone was wearing a magic wrap skirt no one would look the same. Each one is unique. And in light of the fact the magic wrap skirt is like the MacGyver of the clothing world, I promise I will do another post highlighting other ways to wrap/tie/wear it.
For the observant folks out there…I’m talking to you Jodie…lol…you may have noticed that while I’m wearing Birks they are not my brown pair which I lamented about Monday because they are the only shoes that I own that fit my still surgery-swollen foot. I could not take even one more day wearing only my brown pair, so I knew I needed another pair. I headed out the other day to another recent discovery, a local (about 20 minutes away) small town family owned shoe store, Vince’s Family Shoes, that carries seemingly every Birkenstock known to man.
Here’s the secret: ask them what they have in the back. Why? Because once they have an idea of your taste and what you’re looking for, they disappear through a door, that in my mind leads to this secret magical world where Birks grow on trees and if you close your eyes and wish, the Birkenstocks of your dreams appear. When they return, in their hands are at least three or four pairs of Birkenstocks that you love. You will want all of the shoes. Seriously though, in the back they have a lot of previous season’s styles and colors that are no longer available (meaning everyone won’t be wearing them) and they are often discounted. The pair I have on today are the same style as my brown pair (the Granada), but in Twilight which is a discontinued color. The moment the box was open and I saw the gorgeous deep blue on my most favorite style of Birkenstocks it was a done deal my friends.
THE TIP
Check out small local shops. You never know what hidden gems you might discover.
THE LINK UPS
Check out the weekly link ups I participate in for even more fashion and style ideas…
Skirt: Similar; Tee: H&M (Similar); Bralette: American Eagle; Birkenstocks: Similar
