What I wore today 08/10/2012 (Meet Hazel)

We're doing apparel moves at work, setting up everything for fall. We have three apparel concepts (certain kinds of girls who wear certain things), and for the next three weeks we're having fun by "dressing the concept." This is my outfit for "Meet Hazel," our front-of-store fall concept about a textile designer in Scotland who loves wooly sweaters, rich shades, and pattern mixing.

I wouldn't normally pair these two pieces together, but I thought Hazel would, and I found that I really, really liked it. It's always fun to mix things up a little by stepping outside your comfort zone. Don't you think?

Ruffled floral dress - Target (ages ago)

Cape-cut plaid jacket - Vintage

Gray knee socks - Target

Brown leather oxfords - Wanted

ENGAGEMENT RING - Richter and Phillips

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The perks of putting a ring on it

Because I like to share snippets of my life from time to time, you're probably aware of a certain guy named Ryan (often called Rye) who lives with me, loves me, shares my adventures, and occasionally even takes my picture and makes me pizza. Sometimes he dashes up mud-covered mountains with an eyeliner mustache drawn on his upper lip. He's pretty awesome. 

Well . . . recently, he asked me if I wouldn't mind sticking around for the rest of my life, and I said that nothing would make me happier than to wake up next to his sweet face every day for the rest of my days.

There was no kneeling and no presenting of a ring. My man knows me well enough to know that the most expensive piece of jewelry I would own, the one I would wear every day, would need to be my choice. 

Not only did I get to choose it. I got to design it. When we walked into Richter and Phillips, a long-established Cincinnati jeweler (that made my mom's ring as well), I knew exactly what I wanted, and they did an amazing job making it for me.

I didn't want anything too big or gaudy looking. I didn't want anything that would make wearing gloves difficult. I wanted color, but I wanted the focus to be a diamond. I wanted it to be simple but strikingly unique. It also needed to be timeless since I'll be wearing it into the days of robots that fetch Dr. Pepper for you from the fridge. (I wonder if I'll have an ice maker by then.)

I feel like I got everything I wanted with this ring, which is a relief because, though I never questioned my commitment to Ryan, I did have a few panicky moments regarding the ring. I mean, I don't have any tattoos partly because I'm afraid of committing to one aesthetic choice forever, so this choice was a big one, and I wanted to get it right.

I feel like I did. Get it right, I mean. With the ring and the man. I feel really lucky right now.

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What I wore today: 08/04/2012 (Pixies and Roses)

I feel very lucky to have a job where I can wear clothes that express my personality. However, it's not a free-for-all, and there are a few things I can't wear at work. T-shirts with graphics are against the rules, as are short shorts and denim shorts, and I can't work on my feet for hours in a pair of killer heels. Therefore, on my days off, I often try to plan my outfit around something I've been wanting to wear but couldn't wear to work.

I wear this band tee a lot on casual days with a simple pair of jeans. But, I'm also a big fan of dressing up a super casual t-shirt with a girly high-waisted skirt. The unexpected combination is one of my favorite outfit recipes. 

"Death to the Pixies" band tee - gift from Ryan

"Flora Fortress Skirt" - Anthropologie (also seen here)

Sandals - Dolce Vita, Urban Outfitters (last seen here, here, and here)

Sparkly suede clutch - Anthropologie (also seen here)

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What I wore today: 08/03/2012 (Sage)

Little details like a knotted hem, floral socks, and a monogram necklace can make a simple outfit more interesting.

Still, I'm looking forward to warmer weather so that I can play with layering and not have to feel so sartorially constricted by my desire to wear as little clothing as possible. Oh, summer.

 

T-shirt - Nordstrom Rack

Floral mini skirt - Vintage (last seen here, here, and here)

Rosette socks - Ruche

Canvass lace-up shoes - Big Buddha 

Monogram necklace - Bauble Bar (also seen here)

Pavé cable link bracelet J.Crew (last seen here and here)

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Summer recipe: toasted-corn Caprese salad

For this light summer meal, I decided to combine some of my favorite flavors of summer in an unexpected way. For me, summer means tomatoes (It's, sadly, the only time of year they are any good), fresh herbs, and lots of yummy corn. So, it's not surprising that I eventually decided to add corn to a Caprese salad.

All you have to do here is is assemble a basic Caprese salad and then top it with toasted corn. 

To assemble the salad, layer sliced Roma tomatoes, sliced fresh mozzarella, and fresh basil, and drizzle everything with some balsamic vinegar and some extra-virgin olive oil.

To toast the corn, slice off the kernels of one good-sized cob directly into a dry skillet (no oil, no nothing), and cook them over medium heat, stirring occasionally until they are browned in places and have a nice toasty flavor to them. 

It's that easy.

And, yes, it's that good.

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