WARMfest: the Outfits & the Music

Welcome back from the long weekend, everyone! I hope yours was lovely.  I spent a good chunk of mine at WARMfest, which was a pretty good distraction from the fact that I’m no longer at the beach. I relaxed on a picnic blanket, I ate from food trucks, I did some pretty great people-watching, and (obviously) I listened to good music.

Below are my festival outfits from Saturday and Sunday. They’re nothing terribly exciting – I was more worried about being comfortable than impressing anyone. You shouldn’t be disappointed…I mean “real life” is right there in the blog title. You knew what you were getting in to. If you’re looking for ridiculous, impractical festival wear, there are plenty of other blogs for that.

My outfit photos are in color, and I included some photos of my favorite bands in black & white. So if you’re just here for the clothes, that part’s easy to find. But if you’re a music fan, be sure to check out the black & white stuff, too!

Outfit 1: Shirt (on sale) // similar Skirt (only $10) // similar Bag // similar Sunglasses

On Saturday we paid a little extra to take a “cruise” on the White River while being entertained by folk rock singer Megan Maudlin. She was really great, as was her friend Dave Vogt who played with her. I’m not convinced he’s real, though. I think he had a little mouse inside his guitar, and the mouse had its own tiny guitar that was supplying half the notes he was playing. He was insane.

This was Sweet Poison Victim (great name, right?)…their sound is like a blend of African and Caribbean music. Very fun.

Of Montreal was the headliner for Saturday. I loved the music, just don’t ask me to explain the…dancers?

Outfit 2: Jacket // similar Dress // similar Belt (under $13) // Shoes (under $15) // similar Bag // similar Sunglasses // Bracelet (on sale)

These two are from the Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band. This chick is the most badass washboard player ever. Granted, there’s probably not a lot of competition.

Spend or Save? You Won’t Find the Answer Here.

The elusive “they” say that you should spend more on the things you’ll wear for years, and less on trendy items. In general, I’d say that’s pretty good advice. Then again, sometimes I don’t even know whether I’ll wear something for years at the time I buy it. I got this dress for about $40 I think. Not super cheap, but definitely not what I’d call an “investment piece.” It’s from the Isaac Mizrahi line for Target…that shows you just how old it is, because Isaac hasn’t been designing for Target since 2008! But I distinctly remember buying this from the Target in my college town, which means it’s more likely 2007 or earlier. Since when is a cream, mod-style crochet mini dress a staple to keep in your closet for years? It’s really not. But it is for me. And if I had known at the time I bought it that I would have it for 7+ years, I might have spent more than $40 on it, but it would have been a waste of money because this one has held up perfectly.

And to make you (or maybe just me) scratch your head even more: Less than a year ago I spent $70 on Kate Spade sunglasses, and I now realize they look ridiculous on me and I think I’m going to sell them. So…spend or save? WHO THE HELL KNOWS. Have a good weekend.

similar Dress // Hat (on sale) // Jacket // Shoes* // similar Necklace (on sale) // Bag (on sale)

*Shoes purchased with gift card provided courtesy of H&M.

Chambray & Aliens

I really love this shirt, but I’m now realizing I probably shouldn’t wear it tucked in like this. Because as soon as I move at all, it looks like there’s a little alien inside my ribcage that’s trying to escape through my skin and take over the world.

Well…now that you have that lovely image in your head…have a great day!

similar Top // Jacket // similar Skirt (on sale) // similar Necklace* // similar Shoes (on sale) // Sunglasses

Nothing new here! This jacket, top, necklace, & skirt are all on repeat. It’s the Real Life Remix…

*Necklace purchased with gift card provided courtesy of H&M.

Palmer House

Just a quickie post today because we got back from Chicago yesterday and I’m exhausted! It was a fun trip and a great way to celebrate my graduation with my family. Oh, did I mention I graduated law school on Saturday? Yeah, that happened.

We stayed at the Palmer House, and can I just say…it’s amazing. The location is awesome (practically across the street from Millennium Park and the Art Institute), it has a really cool history (nerd alert!), it’s beeaauutiful, and it’s actually not as expensive as I just made it sound. Oh, and it doesn’t hurt that the bar in the lobby has some fantastic cocktails. 😉

Point is: I highly recommend the Palmer House next time you’re in Chicago. I’ll tell you more about my trip in a later post!

Dress* // Jacket // similar Shoes // Necklace* // Bag // similar Bracelet

*Dress purchased with gift card provided courtesy of H&M; necklace provided courtesy of Stella & Dot.

Windsday

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In case you think I’m just trying to “model” and be all cute by touching my hair oh so casually…don’t judge. It was SO windy on Friday, the hair touching was actually totally functional and necessary (way to check the forecast before wearing your hair down, Sarah). If anyone saw me looking like total awkwardsauce taking photos of myself with a tripod while trying not to blow away, who knows what they thought. Hopefully they just thought, “Damn, that is a cute outfit.”

Other than the uncooperative weather, I was quite happy to take these photos. They’re proof that it was warm enough to forego tights, and that I’ve bought some cute new stuff for spring (this was the first time I wore the necklace, shirt, and shoes). Oh, and that I’m still awesome at print mixing.

Have a great Sunday!

Shirt (on sale) // Necklace // similar Jacket // similar Skirt // similar Shoes (on sale)// similar Sunglasses

Warm Feet

I don’t even remember the last time I wore anything besides boots. Somebody scroll back through the archives until you find it and then let me know. And then I’ll make fun of you for wasting so much of your time.

I’m willing to make a few sacrifices to my comfort for the sake of fashion, but a blister is one thing. Amputating a frostbitten foot is quite another. So boots it is.

Naturally, the best way to keep from being totally bored with wearing boots is to buy more boots. If you read my post yesterday, you know I’m trying to be better about my spending habits. But I’ll have you know I snagged these babies for just $40! So hold your judgment. Or don’t. It doesn’t matter…they were final sale and I already wore them.

similar Boots (on sale) // similar Jacket // Watch* // similar Shirt // Lips “Punch Drunk”

*Watch provided courtesy of Timex.

Mixed Feelings

I’m having mixed feelings about this summer’s weather. On the one hand, I thoroughly enjoyed going outside without melting. On the other hand, I only went to the pool one time and the water was too cold to swim. Back on the first hand, it was nice wearing all my cute cardigans and blazers to my internship. And on the other hand one last time, it’s usually the dog days of summer that make me fed up and ready for fall.

Anyway, just as I was coming to terms with the fact that fall is almost here (I did go back to school this week, after all), it FINALLY got hot. Where were these temps when I wanted to play outside in a sundress? Instead it has to be 90 degrees outside when I’m inside studying. So I somehow have to figure out an outfit where I won’t die in the heat walking to the law building OR freeze to death in my law review office. (Did I mention I have an office? Baller status.) I’m patting myself on the back for buying this jacket in the spring. And I’m patting my mom on the back for buying me these shorts. My mom and I are the smartest people I know. The dumbest person? Whoever makes the weather happen.

similar Jacket // Shorts (on sale) // Sunglasses (on sale) // similar Sandals (on sale) // Bracelet // Necklace

It’s the Remix…

Romping Around

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I bought a romper shortly before my 25th birthday because I thought it was cute and I was worried there might be an age limit on rompers (actually there is – and it’s 18 months).

I wore it a couple times, washed it, and it shrank, so I couldn’t wear it again whether or not I was too old for it. I had pretty much written off the romper – or the adult onesie, as I like to call it – until I saw this one at Loft. Besides the fact that it’s a romper, it actually has a very chic structure and pattern. So now that I’m coming up on my 28th birthday, I figured what better time to try out a more mature romper.

See? Mature.

Romper // similar Jacket // similar Bag (on sale) // similar Shoes (on sale) // Sunglasses (on sale)

P.S. I was blown away by all the great reactions to yesterday’s post. I really truly appreciate all the comments, retweets, shares, and “happy anniversary” wishes! Thank you!

Over the River and Through the Woods

I wore this outfit more than a week ago when my family was in town, but the day was so busy I never got around to taking photos. So this past Sunday afternoon when we went for a stroll through River Road Park, I threw the look back together to take les photos. Side note: it was much cooler when I originally wore this, so the jacket didn’t last long the second time around.

Now. Are you ready for your random Sarah fact of the day? Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been strangely good at finding four-leaf clovers. I used to spot them while I was walking, without even stopping to look. Yep, I’ve always been a freak. I did actually stop and look this time, but I probably found this little guy in under 2 minutes. Lucky me!

Dress (on clearance) // Jacket // similar Shoes (on sale) // vintage Coach bag via eBay