Summer Sun is Never Done: Still Giving Fall the Cold Shoulder

Skirt: Candie's, Kohl's

Scrunchies: Holiday Lane, Macy's

Top: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Skirt: Tinseltown, Macy's

Red Striped Blossom Barrette Brooch

Top: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Bag: Loop, Marshalls

Bag: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Top: Love Notes, Marshalls

Shoes: Ami Clubwear; Ring: Making Waves, Ocean City; Green bracelet: Cloud Nine, Ocean City; Purple bracelet: Etsy; Other bracelets: So, Kohl's; Barrette: The Tote Trove

Pineapple Pirate Necklace

Bag: Xhilaration, Target

Fabulous Felt Blue Dice Barrette

Shoes: Nine West, Kohl's

Dress: Candie's, Kohl's

Garden Games Necklace

Blue and green bangles: B Fabulous; Mint bangle: Decree, JCPenney

You heard me, autumn.  Stand down with your corduroy and football and pumpkin-spiced everything!  I'm not ready for cool air and dark skies and the sad slide of all the green things turning brown.  (And it goes without saying that I'll never be ready for football.)  No, I'm still squeezing the last bit of juice out of summer -- as evidenced by these outfits (or, as the kids are calling them, fits), at least one of which includes lemons.  

But enough of my caterwauling.  It's time to talk about my favorite oldie but goodie pieces in this post.  The first is the red Candie's dress, which I've had a few years.  Maybe you remember it.  It's simple, but I like the fit and color, and it has a slightly retro feel.  Still, the real star is my looks-like-it's-thrifted-but-is-actually-from-Marshalls Loop bird bag.  It was ever so slightly mangled (bent sequins, a little hanger grease on the plastic), when I wrestled it from the racks twenty years ago, but that only made it more precious.  Which is why I've styled it here and here and here and here  . . . 

Fall or not, it's one bird that keeps flying.

Savor the Labor: Red, White, and Blueberry

Skirt: H&M

Shoes: Impo, DSW

Top: So, Kohl's

Floral bangle: JCPenney; Strawberry bangle: B Fabulous; Red bangle: XOXO, ROSS; Ring and rainbow necklace: Cloud Nine, Ocean City

Shoes: Mix No. 6, DSW

Mellow Yellow Nest Barrette Brooch

Dress: Lily Rose, Kohl's

Red White and Blue Moon Necklace

Bag: Betsey Johnson, Zulily

Dress: B. Smart, Kohl's

Bangles from left to right: Silver Linings, Ocean City; So, Kohl's; XOXO, ROSS

Bag: Nahui Ollin

Flip flops: Betsey Johnson, Macy's

Skirt: Candie's, Kohl's

Shoes: Ami Clubwear

Sunglasses: Party City; Yellow necklace: Sonoma, Kohl's; Headband: Marshalls; Bracelets: Madden Girl, Kohl's

Top: ELLE, Kohl's

Bag: Loop, Marshalls

Red Romance Fan Necklace

Not manual labor or delivery labor, but Labor Day labor -- or rather, play.  Because raspberries are red, blueberries are blue, and summer is sweet but over too soon.  My own holiday labors -- if you can call them that -- included making Americana-themed baubles and wearing my red, white, and blue best for the butterflies.  

True Blue Unicorn Earrings

As for festivities, the husband and I went to my parents' house yesterday and to Rita's tonight, where we enjoyed our treats outside by the light of the highway.  And that made for a big weekend for me because I'm almost always home.  Which reminds me of something my mom said last summer: the pandemic brings us back to a simpler time.  As in, there's nowhere to go, just like back in the day, so even a trip to the ice cream stand becomes special.  And however horrific the reason (i.e. a deadly, global virus of summer blockbuster proportions), slowing down and appreciating the extraordinary ordinary is a gift. 

So I hope your Labor Day weekend was lazy.  In other words, filled with fashion, fruit pies, and featherdown pillows for taking the very best naps.  

Fiesta, Fleur-Ever

Trippy Hippie Choker

Top: Candie's, Kohl's

Shorts: Merona, Target

Shoes: MIA, JCPenney

Bag: Loop, Marshalls

Sunglasses: Michaels

Watch: A.C. Moore

Bracelet: Betsey Johnson, Macy's

Ring: Seahorse Designs, Etsy 

Patty Pompom Necklace

Top: Byer, Boscov's

Skirt: ROSS Dress for Less

Bag: Delia's

Shoes: Qupid, DSW

Sunglasses: The Tote Trove

Barrette: The Tote Trove

Bangles: Mixit, JCPenney

Ring: Making Waves, Ocean City

Fiery Flowers Necklace

Top: Arizona Jeans, JCPenney

Jeans: Arizona Jeans, JCPenney

Shoes: Nine West, DSW

Bag: The Tote Trove

Sunglasses: Party City

Orange bangle: Mixit, JCPenney

Yellow bangle: B Fabulous

Ring: Making Waves

Question 1: How many bloggers, myself included, have referenced Lionel Richie's "All Night Long" in a post about Cinco de Mayo?  

Question 2: Is it wrong to use the French word for "flower" instead of the Spanish one in a post about Cinco de Mayo (even if the French word is only one syllable instead of two, making for a more rhythmic pun)?

I don't know the answers to these questions, but I do know that Cinco de Mayo is fun and festive and makes me want to make south of the border accessories.  (It also makes me think of counting to ten in Spanish on "Sesame Street" and of (the less kid-friendly) "Pretty Fly (for a White Guy).").  So, to celebrate, I'm shaking things up like a bunch of maracas.  For one thing, I've given Tammy the weekend off (right now she's taking a much-needed siesta after one too many margaritas) and instead photographed my outfits hodgepodge-collage style on the floor, backlit by a bevy of my beloved backdrops.  I like these messy new configurations (if something as scientific-sounding as a configuration can be called messy), and I think the colors came out more vibrant, too.  They're also ideal layouts for (finally!) displaying my quirky cute cocktail umbrellas which have been, until now, cooped up in my craft room.

The USPS is also in on the party (now, there's a transition you don't hear every day).  Last week when I went to the post office to buy stamps, they offered me flowers, birds, or these:

They're a little hard to see, but these stamps feature colorful illustrations of traditional Mexican dishes, including empanadas, tamales, and, my personal favorite, flan (who doesn't crave that caramel custard treat?).  One look at the appetizing images had me saying, "I'll take those" to the surprised postal worker.  And now they're out and about in the world, bringing joy (and takeout envy) to the gas company, the electric company, and my dear friends at Macy's.    

Sigh.  I could go for a churro.

Pastel Belle: Or Should I Say Cinderella?

 True Blue Bauble Necklace

Blue Enchanted Bird Barrette

Dress: Xhilaration, Target

Shoes: Worthington, JCPenney

Bag: Xhilaration, Target

Belt: Candie's, Kohl's

Sunglasses: Mudd, Kohl's

Big Red Bow Barrette

Dress: Bisou Bisou, JCPenney

Shoes: Dolce by Mojo Moxy, DSW

Bag: Loop, Marshalls

Hat: Sea Star, Brigantine

Sunglasses: Relic, Kohl's

Spring Swag Barrette

Pink Enchanted Bird Barrette 

Dress: Modcloth

Shoes: Penny Loves Kenny, DSW

Bag: Princess Vera, Kohl's

Sunglasses: Michaels

Assorted flower brooches: Kohl's, A.C. Moore

Big Peach Bow Barrette

Top (a dress!): Modcloth

Skirt: Necessary Objects, Annie Sez

Shoes: Penny Loves Kenny, DSW

Bag: Modcloth

Belt: Candie's, Kohl's

Sunglasses: Party City

With Beauty and the Beast on the big screen, I've got Disney damsels on the brain.  Not, mind you, that their modern-day incarnations are the old-school kind famous for flailing in distress.  Always a markedly brave soul of the Disney canon, Belle (Emma Watson) does battle with the beast like never before in this live action version.  Watson brings just the right blend of grit and tenderness as she teaches that tale as old as time lesson, namely that being different is nothing to be afraid of and that letting your freak flag fly can make dreams come true.

In honor of all that, I'm going to attempt to do that Disney princess outfit association thing so popular on Pinterest (yep, from now on I'll be referencing old Pinny out the wazoo).  The blue outfit is Cinderella, the yellow one is a cross between Belle and Snow White, the pink one is Sleeping Beauty, and the green one is a cross between The Little Mermaid and no one (hey, I did say "attempt).  So, it's no surprise that my enchanted bird barrettes are channeling Cinderella, too, their pink and blue plumage the same colors as her first homespun, off-to-the-ball dress (which, by the way, I've always preferred to the austere ice blue one conjured up by her fairy godmother).  These feathered friends are also reminiscent of the birds that helped make Cindy's dress.  Mr. Bluebird on my shoulder, indeed!  Still, if I'm being honest, then I'd have to say that my favorite fairy tale gown is Snow White's.  Her story may be the weirdest (I've never cottoned to those dwarfs, or to Snow slaving away for them), but her red, blue, and yellow dress is unparalleled primary color perfection.

'Cause to me, Crayola is always queen.