Pleated Peplum

{ f21 top/earrings; Francesca's shorts; Old Navy flats; mom's Coach bag; vintage watch/ring }

I've always been a fan of pleats, but I've never seen them in peplum form until I saw this top on one of my favorite bloggers. I checked where she got it: JCrew. Ugh. That store is just a hopeful daydream that maybe one day I'll actually be able to afford something from it. I have to actually avoid the side of the mall where JCrew is so that I won't be tempted to go in! (Help me, I'm poor.)

Thankfully, I found what looked close enough to the exact same thing at Forever 21 for waaay less! As in, less than half the price I would have paid at JCrew. I love when that happens, don't you? It's like an "In your face!" moment to name brands haha ;)

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Back with a Bang

{ mom's top; f21 pants; Target belt & bag; Old Navy flats; UO watch }

I am constantly facing a "bang conundrum". When my hair is long and my bangs are basically non-existent, I want them back where they are short enough to cover my whole forehead. Then when I actually do get them cut, I regret it. This happens every 6 months, it's a vicious cycle! I think I just need to pull a Gretchen Wieners and stop trying to make full bangs happen. It's not going to happen. I'm forever a side-swept gal.

As for my outfit... I love these pants, but for some reason whenever I put them on in the past, I felt like they were swallowing me whole. Like you would look at me and all you would see is PANTS. It kept me from wearing them for a long time. Then I got this crazy idea: what if I rolled up the pant legs a little bit? I gave it a shot and suddenly I didn't look as weird! Still some weird, just not as much. ;)

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Old Navy

{ Target top; F21 skirt & clutch; thrifted belt; Old Navy flats }

Everyone has a certain color they gravitate toward, and apparently mine is navy. I was browsing through my closet, and the color just seemed to be everywhere. Tops, dresses, cardigans, belts, shoes, blazers, jeans (duh)... I tried to resist but before I knew it, I was already wearing the color top to bottom, just in different prints. When you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

So it only reached 90 degrees today. That must mean fall is just around the corner! I say that with a slight sarcasm, of course. While many people outside of Texas are already draping on the scarves and getting out the boots, I'm still trying to wear as less clothes as is socially acceptable. I'm hoping we won't have to wait until November this year for some actual cold weather. Or even something below 80 degrees would be nice. Maybe just a cool breeze every now and again? I'm desperate here.

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Second Chances

{ mom's top; Francesca's shorts; thrifted belt; UO watch; DSW wedges }

These shorts were definitely an impulse buy last summer. I fell in love when I first saw them, but when I took them home it was like... oh, now what?? I had no idea how to style them, and my first attempt only proved that maybe I shouldn't have cut the tags so quickly.

But every pair of quirky-looking shorts deserves a second chance right? I found them tucked away in a drawer at my parent's house looking all abandoned and whatnot (it was so sad, you guys). I decided to give them another try as I remembered that I have the perfect pair of wedges to go with them! Another crisis solved by shoes, ladies & gents.

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Austin Graffiti Park

{ f21 top, skirt & sandals; Target belt; Old Navy bag }

I stumbled upon a magical place the other day. No, not Disney World (we don't get one of those in Austin). This graffiti wonderland of urban ruins is located in some random neighborhood on the west side of the city. I've seen photos of it through friends' instagram pictures but had always wanted to check it out myself. Turns out, pictures did not do it justice.

No one gave me the memo to not wear a skirt here. Sandals were probably not a good choice either. The graffiti park has tiered levels, so you have to climb your way up to see more art. My roommate urged me to try the climb anyway, but I figured I would save the rest of the people there the trouble of seeing me fall on my butt. Ouch.

Apparently there is a beautiful view of Austin's skyline once you reach the top, but I didn't get to see it because of my uninformed fashion choices. That's okay, I'll be back... with a vengeance. And proper shoes.

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The Fighting Temptation

{ F21 top, shorts & belt; Target sandals; Seattle boutique camera ring (also found here) }

I made myself so proud today. I successfully resisted the urge to buy on-sale shoes at Target. Yes, ON-SALE. One of those glorious less-than-10-dollars sales. They had some cute wedges exactly in my size; I went as far as to try them on, but they didn't wow me. After hours of contemplating (okay, more like 15 minutes), I put them back. You've never seen a girl look so torn walking out of a Target.

You may be thinking geez Rachel for less than $10 you might as well have just bought them, and last year I would have agreed. But as a money saving trick, I'm trying to reduce my spending only to items I feel I absolutely MUST have. I wanna hear "This Magic Moment" playing inside my head when something catches my eye in a store. Then I'll buy it. Unless the price is wrong, then I'll just go cry in a corner somewhere.

For now, I'll just stick to these sandals I bought from Target over a year ago. And yes, they were also on-sale.

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Notes to Self

{ f21 top, shorts, sandals; Ralph Lauren sunnies; James Avery ring }

 Notes to Self:

• Make sure all clothing tags are tucked in before taking outfit photos. Rookie mistake.
• Wearing corduroy AND denim on a Texas day in August? Why.
• Don't make eye contact with passers-by because they will ask you what the heck you're doing. Thus following the awkward conversation of trying to explain what you were actually doing.
• Get a haircut. It's too hot for long hair. In fact, just shave it all off. Go full 2007 Britney.
• Leave looking cool in a Delorean car to the professionals AKA Michael J. Fox in "Back to the Future". Only he can pull it off.

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101 Dalmatians

{ f21 top, sandals, & earrings; Target skirt & belt; UO watch }

I'm pretty sure this skirt literally has 101 dalmatians on it. Okay, not literally. I didn't actually count them. Ain't nobody got time for that. Unless you do, then in that case, go ahead and get back to me with the correct number. But not really, because I don't feel like changing the title of this post (it's just too clever, right?).

You can't tell by these photos, but my left sandal is broken. A couple of the straps around the toe area randomly decided to bust on me. I was bummed but also relieved that they were still wearable! So no one really has to know that I'm wearing a broken shoe... except now y'all know. Hm. Where's one of those Men in Black flashy things when you need one?

xx

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Sound and Cinema

{ Cotton On top; f21 shorts, ring & sandals; Kohls bracelet }

I love living in a city where there are so many fun things to do for free! I remember a quote from one of my favorite shows where a waitress says to the main character, "Free is good. Even if I was rich, free is always good." I couldn't agree more.

Sound and Cinema is a six-week long summer event Austin holds on the lawn of the Long Center (just outside of downtown). It features a movie on a giant inflatable screen, and there's also a band that plays before it starts. It was a great time to just chill with friends, eat snacks and lay out while watching this week's feature film "Jurassic Park." I didn't realize I had never seen the movie all the way through before, haha oh well! Next week they're playing "Back to the Future," and I can't wait!

xx


(a snapshot of my view taken from my iPhone!)

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