Ensemble du Jour - 9-28-12

On Friday, I took off work to go to my favorite antiques show. It's twice a year and each time I go, I find something great.  Past purchases have included structured bags, great hats, linens and gold cases.  I don't always go with a plan in mind but I usually end up with something great.

The show is held in a big farm field so boots are necessary.  I went with a bit of a "modern Victorian" look wearing my ruffly Betsey Johnson knee-high boots and a mini-straw hat headband.

''I should have brought a parasol as I usually do, because it was warmer and sunnier than I had anticipated.  But it all worked out for the best, because I found a darling French flax (I think) parasol which I promptly put to good use.

I also found a beautiful ladies English boating hat and two Fall hued table cloths which I will be using in my bakery booth next month. 

I'm always excited to wear my new purchases and we had great weather on Sunday, so I paired my new hat with white and coral Zara dress which I topped with a navy blazer from Anthropologie.  I also wore white wingtip oxfords and another previous show purchase, a white wicker purse.  It was perfect for a bookstore visit and stroll outside.

(I have got to set up my good camera with the timer and tripod!)

I hope I don't have to put these away until Spring.  Maybe there are a few more warm Fall days ahead.

Parasols, Please

I have a serious love for parasols and umbrellas.

Growing up in Florida, I know to be stocked up with umbrellas for the rain and parasols to avoid the sun.  My pasty skin hates the sun and heat so I have quite a collection of both.

But there is always room for more!

I saw this image on Pinterest and was smitten.  A pink heart umbrella became a must have!

They come in tons of different colors to if you prefer a more traditional red or even white, black, purple and more...

In the process of looking around, I found the amazingly girly and lush designs from Lisbeth Dahl.  I couldn't resist this stripe-y number...

Or this pink pagoda with glitter dots.  Yep, I got all three!

I also am tempted by this frilly dotted number...

Maybe a bit more restrained but still lovely and also, Lisbeth Dahl...

One style I've always liked are the clear bubble umbrellas... Maybe that will be next.

And for pure excess, I really love this Guy de Jean parasol, although I can't decide between the mauve, creme or black.  They're all so good!

Protection, from sun or rain, is important but it can also be fun.

I love upgrading my "mundane" accessories, from wellies with ribbons to ruffly umbrellas.  It makes the day so much better!

Ensemble du Jour: 6-4-11

More outfit photos!  Can you believe it?

So, I spent a week miserable from sunburn and basically not wanting to go outside ever again.  When I did go out on Saturday I decided I was going to be as covered up as possible while still looking cute. Which means: dress, cardigan, espadrilles, parasol, hat and sunglasses. 

I bought this white dress a few months ago knowing I'd want something cool to walk around in and it really is perfect for a hot day.  The good thing is I have a ton of cute shoes I can pair this with, from espadrilles to oxfords.  

The dress is the "Who's That Girl" dress from ModCloth and the adjustable tie and straps are great, plus it's lined.

There are my shoes!

Wedge Espadrilles are the SUV of the shoe world.  These are Mossimo from Target.

I got to break out my Cambridge Satchel, finally.  It was going to go to New York but I didn't have the room, plus I wouldn't have wanted to take it out in the rain so I guess it's a good think it stayed home.

We went to a town event held at our Park. It's funny how stuck in a rut people get about clothes.  This may not be true in bigger cities but here in North Carolina, I am a fish out of water fashion-wise. I was just walking around on the sidewalks and then running some errands but, even though I was dressed very comfortably and simply with non-fancy or pricey clothes, people were gaping. If you don't wear shorts/sneakers/jeans/flip-flops/t-shirts you are out of the comfort zone.

Not that I care.

The husband said I looked very clean and pretty and dressier then him but that's most of the time anyways.  It doesn't bother me how surprised other people are but I do find it funny.

Do you all get this kind of response when you "dress-up" a bit out of the "norm"?

Hot Dog under a Heat Lamp

I was reading Gala's blog today and she linked to a post talking about a very young woman who died of skin cancer. It still amazes me how many people still layout in the sun A LOT and still go to tanning beds.

I can’t believe there are people who don’t know how horrible tanning beds are. I’m from Florida but extremely fair (aka Irish Chicken Meat skin), and, luckily, never got into tanning. It was way too boring to lay around like a hot dog under a heat lamp. I’ve since moved to North Carolina and it amazes me how many tanning salons are here. People are obsessed with it, and with getting tanned/burned.

Is the whole skin cancer message not getting through to people?



Why is tanning and being tanned still considered a good thing. Maybe we need to hand out some ribbons and hold some races to get it more noticed and generate more awareness about it.

Please please please don’t layout and don’t go out without sunscreen. Not only will you look younger and better, but You. Won’t. Die.

I also always ask if babies and kids have sunscreen on too. You would be surprised how many don’t.



Better yet, play up the whole lack-of-tan element. I love parasols. I have some vintage ones, a lacy one from Italy, a black kind of Goth black velvet one and some pretty Asian ones - in florals, red and white splatter patterns and rice paper. You can get some for less than $20 at Pearl River.



And there are pretty hats for all seasons. I love straw hats with flowers on them and then pinning vintage brooches, but there are tons and tons out there, especially online.


Don't wait until they have to cut something off of you. Wear the sunscreen and cover up. A tan can fade but a big biopsy scar will last far far longer.

Photos from Swan4 and KateMonkey - Flickr