I have finally returned from my crazy trek around the world and am wallowing a bit in my jet lag and post-travel cold (that I always seem to get). A whopping 36 hours in transit isn’t the most pleasant experience, but I have to say I still marvel at how small the world has become. How I can get on an airplane (okay 4) and miraculously find myself on the opposite side of the planet. And how liberating that feeling is. As though anywhere – and anything – is within reach.
As we all know, that all loved up day that comes but once a year has come around the mountain again. Where the world succumbs to a glittery, heart-shaped confetti explosion at every turn. I know that a lot of people are pretty down on the whole concept of Valentine’s Day. Dubbing it “Black Sunday” and cursing it into oblivion. But, I think the V-Day tends to get a bad rep: “It’s a Hallmark Holiday,” “It was invented by the candy companies,” “It mocks singletons”….etc etc etc. We’ve all heard them (and some we may individually agree with). But, much like any…
We all have features about ourselves that we try to hide. Try to cover up, deflecting the gaze of passersby to other things. Maybe this is a birthmark you find unsightly, an area of your body you wish you could tone. Whether it’s stature or shape or a tiny feature no one notices except you, in your heart they are your cross to bear. But the truth is, these beautiful ‘flaws’ mark a roadmap to who you truly are, and should never be hidden away.
I’m sure I’m not the only one who wakes up on occasion and just wishes that, instead of work, I could go to the beach instead. Now, I know what you’re all thinking: “Ummm…aren’t you a marine biologist? Don’t you work at the beach?” I have a sad reality to confess (especially to any younguns out there who dream of becoming a marine biologist so they can spend their days sunbathing and swimming with dolphins): Although I hate to rain on the Awesome Job Fantasy Parade, most of the time we sad seafarers are in the lab looking down a microscope…
I get a fair few questions about my makeup routine. Truthfully, I can’t say that I have a ‘routine’ per se – primarily because I see makeup as a fun adventure every morning and I usually go with whatever suits my mood on a given day. But, I have a few tried and true cosmetics that I reach more more often than others and I definitely have a few favorite brands. So, I thought I’d take the mystery out of my makeup routine and share my makeup must-haves.
How was everyone’s Christmas Day? Ours was fill of gifts and love and I ate more food than I care to confess (my Christmas dress didn’t last too long before the red and green striped pajamas were brought forth!) Mr. Dressed and I have fully let the holidays roll on over here and have sat under the gaze of our Christmas tree most of the weekend, barely leaving our pajamas and reveling in the happiness only true relaxation can bring.
I hear those sleigh bells jingling, ring-ting-tingling here! From our Dressed family to yours – wishing you a merry, sparkly, love-filled holiday season. I’m unspeakably grateful to you all for following along with my fashionable adventures this year – that’s been the best Christmas gift a vintage-loving gal can ask for.
Okay, we all know I love to dress up. I get fancy for a Tuesday. So I practically start to quiver with excitement when I get to get seriously frocked up. And not run-of-the-mill, simply wearing a dress fancy. I’m talking: Glitter. Tulle. Heels so high I become Amazonian. Eyeshadow so glittery I am mistaken for a disco ball. Skirts so poofy they need their own zip code. That level of fancy. Because standing under the mistletoe, welcoming the jolly fat guy in a red suit, ringing in the new year – these are not things to be taken lightly…
I’ve done a fair bit of traveling in my life, and have lived in some weird and wonderful places. From the bright lights of Boston all the way to a tiny fishing village in New Zealand, back to sunny San Diego and then across to peaceful Perth. And although I would never call myself a City Girl, because I love the outdoors too much, there is just something about the pace of a bustling metropolis that feels so invigorating.
There are a LOT of reasons why I love vintage. The stories the garments come with, the attention to detail, the one-of-a-kind nature. But few things get my heart beating quicker than a glance at the INSIDE of a vintage garment. Back in the day, so much care went into every aspect of making a vintage dress – each seam, each stitch – and care even went to imagining the future woman who would wear her. The adjustments she might want to make. Because fashion was once about longevity.