I know what you’re thinking. “But Kara! Shark Week was MONTHS ago.” Well, dear readers, it’s time I come clean: In my world of marine biology and shark neuroscience, every week is shark week. And in true shark week fashion, I could think of no better option than to finally burst forth in a vintage novelty print I have hunted for years, but only just managed to recently acquire…
Every so often, a dress, a print, a detail just inexplicably calls to me. Well, I’m sure why this beauty called to me is more than a little explicable. I’ve spied her in three color ways now, and this one is by far my favorite. The crisp white background, dotted with red sharks and offset by perfect blue and black fishes. The minute I saw a teaser post from Cheshire Vintage, in all her awesome glory, complete with matching cropped jacket, I knew I had to get my game face on. So much about vintage is patience. Staying alert, but knowing that good things come at the right time.
And I’m not ashamed to admit I slipped into Shark Mode to catch this one. Stalking the Cheshire Vintage instagram like an ambush predator. Circling, senses poised. Relying on the fact that 400+ million years of evolution will get me to my chosen target with precision and accuracy. And I’m happy to say that when the time came, I clamped my jaws down and didn’t let go….
An ocean without its unnamed monsters would be like a completely dreamless sleep.
John Steinback, The Log from the Sea of Cortez
This past week has been more than a bit hectic on the shark front. Trying to get the lab back up and running, getting salvageable equipment serviced, and offering assistance to colleagues who have been displaced to all corners of campus. Doing what I can to calm down my students, and trying to make the best use of the time we have left to inject as much knowledge as I possibly can without their heads imploding (okay, without my head imploding). I was admittedly more than a little disheartened by the state of the world last week, where I was straining to see through the negative. Fighting through the stories of looting and price gauging, politics and misogyny, to see through to the ways that we can and will rebuild.
But some days, you just have to wake up and be a shark. Own your ocean. Grow a tough skin. Cut through the water and get it done. Form a school on occasion when you need a little backup. And, most importantly, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming… (or else, be a benthic shark and just chill. All good options.).
So if you need me, I’ll be here, sharking it up. Chompin’ prey and takin’ names.
xoxo
Outfit Details:
Dress + Jacket: Cheshire Vintage (similar modern or vintage here, here & here)
Necklace: gift (similar)
Belt: ASOS (similar)
Handbag: Bettina Darling (similar here & here)
Shoes: Irregular Choice
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