New State of Mind

White tunic: Sears, remixed * Navy wool vest: Banana Republic, thrifted * Pants: Limited, remixed * Mary janes: Born, remixed * Silver feather earrings: The Mexican Shop, remixed * Navy bracelet: Target * White bracelet: heirloom

My thrifting excursion this past weekend resulted in major returns. Yesterday's skirt was one of my discovered treasures, as well as this amazing Banana Republic vest. I've really been digging the military/naval-inspired style, and I've long been a big fan of anything double-breasted ("that's what she said"...heehee...), so I was immediately smitten with this little number. I decided to keep it simple with the rest of the ensemble, so I paired it with this breezy white tunic and my uber-comfy dress pants. I love how the whole look stayed pretty simple while still highlighting the awesomeness of this vest thing. I love these silver feather earrings that I got on an excursion to the Mexican Shop with the lovely Sal, but I kind of wished that I had dainty little anchor earrings to finish up the nautical look.

As much as I loved this outfit on my own, the reason that I truly believed in its awesomeness was that I actually got a few in-real-life comments! As much as I adore all the comments I get here (see yesterday's post for proof if you don't believe me!), I feel like my outfit has truly succeeded if I get a compliment from a real flesh-and-blood human being. It's partly the joy of receiving a compliment face-to-face (I mean, let's face it, the internet is not, by definition, super personal), but I think it's also like the moment when the two parts of my life intersect. (Kind of like when your high school friends meet your college roommate, and they kind of like each other, because they both know you, and you're pretty cool, but they don't really have anything in common, so you just sit kind of awkwardly in the coffeeshop sipping your chai tea trying to think of stories that they both might relate to. And then you eventually give up and they go their separate ways, only they still see each other occasionally, and feel the need to say hi even though they never know what to say after that. Kind of like that...) Do any of you feel like that, too? Do you get extra excited about an outfit when it gets noticed by the non-blogging community?

So I desperately wish I had a more exposed place to take my pictures. I'm still getting done with work after the sun goes down, so I really don't have a chance to take my pictures anywhere but at home. I've pretty much explored every nook and cranny of our apartment building to find somewhere more interesting, but I always seem to come back to the balcony. It's fine and all, but it's just protected enough that you can never properly see what it's like outside. Like, for example, when I took these pictures it had already been snowing here in the city for almost 24 hours, and the world had taken on that gorgeous, soft, whipped-cream feel to it. If I was truly ballsy, I'd be out in the middle of the street with my tripod to take snowy pictures, but then I'd probably get hit by someone wildly trying to maneuver the snowy streets. Honestly, it's like people forget that the steering wheel isn't just a big yo-yo to spin and spin and spin. Anyway, until I regain my faith in the Chicago residents' driving abilities (hello, never? It's me, Clare), I think we're stuck with the balcony.

Title song: Yes, "From the Balcony"

Lend Me Your Ears

Black sweater: Laundry room freebie! * Skirt: vintage, thrifted * Tights; Target * Boots: Ciao Bella, remixed * Earrings: courtesy of Maurices * Ring: heirloom, remixed

Can I please just say how awesome I felt in this outfit! I feel like this had a totally retro, Mad-Men-inspired feel to it. I found this skirt over the weekend when my friend and I went thrift-shopping, along with a couple of other finds that I'll debut soon. This particular thrift store doesn't have dressing rooms, so I basically just eye-balled the fit of the pieces I found. I fell in love with this skirt the second I saw it, but I was a little afraid it wouldn't fit properly. Below-the-knee skirts can be really difficult to pull off, especially for people of short stature (me alert!), so I was half expecting to have to hem this one, but I actually really like where it ended up falling. Just long enough to feel retro, but not so long that I felt squat.

I've been thinking a lot about the blogging community lately. There have been some great posts lately, most notably by Already Pretty, The Coveted, Style Symmetry, and Oranges and Apples, which have gone over some of the finer points of what exactly it means to be a fashion blogger, in one capacity or another. I mentioned this in my comment to Eyeliah's post, but what I really think it all boils down to is community. These big issues, these controversies, peoples' blood boiling (okay, maybe I'm over-dramatizing here)...I think it's just each person's own interpretation of what it means to be a part of this internet-based, fashion-centric, blogging community. Each of you that I've interacted with on a more personal level have expressed your connection with the community. Community is why we blog. It is why we continue to post every day (or close to it, at least). It is the community that keeps us coming back, day after day, week after week, to post pictures of ourselves and read posts by other bloggers. But what is that community? How do we define it? Does the "fashion blogging community" mean different things to different people? I feel like many of the more incendiary posts, comments, and controversies in the fashion blogging world can really be tracked back to a basic disagreement about what it means to be a part of the blogging community. To me, blogging means posting, relatively regularly, but commenting, too. The commenting part is actually just as, if not more, important as the posting part, in my opinion. I'm not going to get too into the whole comments "thing", because I honestly just don't have the energy for it, and I think the commenters over at Already Pretty have really done a beautiful job at hashing out the intricacies of the issue, but I am definitely a firm believer that my commenters make my blog. Between Laundry Days would just be some weird daily journal if it weren't for all of you. And I feel that I've formed real relationships with many of you, relationships that have formed over the months as we've participated in this so-called community.

I think that one of the things that gets lost in the shuffle is the aspect of real, personal, humanity. The internet, by definition, is a pretty impersonal thing. We post, and comment, and check emails, and upload photos to Facebook and Flickr, and post our innermost thoughts on Twitter and Tumblr, but we do so from the privacy of our living room, in our pajamas, without anyone around. That allows us to make the whole experience as impersonal as we want. So I think that sometimes people forget that there are real people on the other ends of these websites. Jessica, of What I Wore, is a real woman, whose real feelings can really get hurt. But, then again, so are her readers, and insinuating that they are all jealous of her can be pretty tactless as well (okay, so I guess I am going to get into the commenting thing...). In any case, I think that many of us tend to forget that there are whole people, with whole lives, that read our blogs, and make their own blogs, and are reaching out to this community of women for friendship, and support, and creativity. There are dozens of blogs that I read every day written by women that I would love to meet in real life. Because these blogs have connected with mine, and together we form a community of beautiful, funny, supportive women who, I think, genuinely care about each other. To me, that is what the fashion blogging community is. When I read my comments at the end of each day, I know who each of you are and what your lives are like, to some extent. I feel connected to you all, in some small way, and I hope you feel connected to me. But let me put it to you: what is the "blogging community" to you? Why do you stick with this crazy project? Who keeps your creative wheels turning?

Title song: Joe Cocker, "With a Little Help from My Friends"

The Things You Say Will Come out in Reverse

Blazer: thrifted, remixed * Brown tank: H&M, remixed * Green sweater: Old Navy, remixed * Linen shorts: Forever 21, remixed * Leggings: Pink Rose, remixed * Socks: Target * Boots: Rockport, remixed

So can I just say that weekends are the best? Weekends are the best and I love Chicago. I had a friend here from out of town this weekend, and we spent the weekend playing Wii Sports, drinking delicious IPAs, eating some of the most amazing pizza, having fabulous giggle-fests, doing some major thrifting, and exploring this marv city. These pictures were all taken late last night after our day out on the town. I've been wanting to take photos down on the bank of the Chicago river for some time, but I'm always a bit too timid to take pictures in such a busy part of town. But the river was so beautiful last night, so we slipped down some steps and had a fun-times photoshoot.

I would also like to take this opportunity to point out the above photo. D and I went to one of the Unique Thrift locations in town, and ended up walking quite a ways to get there. It was actually a really nice walk, since the sun was shining, and we walked past a Chicago candy and nuts factory store. In front of the candy store was this delightful sign. I was, in fact, wondering if this particular candy store had doodles. Just as we were walking by the store, I thought to myself, "hm, the one thing I don't have right now is a doodle. I wonder if one of these lovely local shops might be able to fulfill my need to procure a doodle", and lo! and behold! Doodle central.* It did remind me of how much I like this city. Chicago is a huge place, with many millions of people, and it has some of the most fascinating places and people I've ever seen. It just has its own feeling, and I love it. I think that was a big part of why Saturday was so fun. We ended up wandering and exploring parts of the city that I had never been to, and it was so exciting to find new shops and neighborhoods that I really liked, and that I definitely plan on returning to.

One of the places we went was Revolution Brewery, up near Lincoln Square. They very recently opened a restaurant in the brewery, and I'd been wanting to go try it out. I'd seen their beer, but never actually tried it. Joe and I have been homebrewing our own beer for a few months, so I think I've turned into a bit of a beer snob. I'm on a major hoppy beer kick right now, so I happily partook in a few of Revolution's awesome pale ales. The place was packed, the beer was tastilicious, and the food was so incredible. (I promise Revolution didn't tell me to say all this, I was really just genuinely blown away by all the deliciousness.) Anyway, all this has been to say how much I love weekends. I love having a few days to enjoy life, explore things, drink beer and eat pizza. It makes everything so much sweeter, and so much easier to go back to work on Monday morning. That being said, I am so not ready to go back to work on Monday. What about you? How was your weekend?

*If anybody, anybody, knows what a doodle is, pleasepleasePLEASE enlighten me!

Title song: Tommy Dorsey, "The Dipsy Doodle"

We're Still on the Payroll

Sweater dress: Pink Rose, remixed * Mustard shirt: Target, remixed * Scarf: heirloom from my grandmother * Tights: Target * Moccasins: Kmart, remixed * Earrings: gift

I've been thinking a lot about motivation lately, and taking control of your own goals and projects. How we get from point A to point B, how we name and imagine and reach our goals, and how we respond to the things we've achieved. These have all been on my mind a lot lately. Part of it, of course, has to do with Between Laundry Days, but it's more than that, too. Ever since I started my job I've had this new found sense of motivation, energy, and inspiration. I have these major life goals for myself now, things that I didn't even have the energy to perceive while I was working through unemployment and temp jobs last year. I want to pursue things, work to achieve my dreams, and share my successes with the people in my life. What's more, Joe is starting to find out about some of the schools he's interested in for next year, and our dreams and goals and motivations seem to be happily converging.

Sometimes it seems like good things happen with a bit of a snowball effect, with things growing and gaining speed as they go. And there's a part of me that wants to believe that it's karma, or luck. With Joe and I, for example. We had a lot of big hurdles to overcome last year, and it's easy to think that maybe now is our time; that things will start going well because we truly deserve them and we've paid our dues. But I think it's more than that. I think that when one good thing happens, you grow because of it. Your desire to succeed grows, and your confidence that you can do anything is solidified. So you take risks, and push harder, and achieve more. And as each thing falls into place you allow bigger, better goals to come into the picture. Look, I know this isn't exactly breaking news. It makes perfect sense that achievement would lead to confidence, leading to greater goal-making and motivation to succeed. But I still think it's worth considering, and even worth trying to take control of. Don't wait for the good things to come before you work hard to meet your goals. Turn the cycle around, and use your own motivation to create those wonderful achievements. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of karma, but I'm more than willing to believe that you can take bits and pieces of that karma into your own hands.

Title song: Radiohead, "Karma Police"

That's Just the Way it Is

Shirt: Target, remixed * Dress: thrifted, remixed * Cardigan: Rodarte for Target, remixed * Tights: Target * Brogues: Andiamo, remixed * Scarf: sarong, remixed

So I guess we can call this post "Clare ponders the meaning of life, the universe, and Between Laundry Days, part 2". First I want to thank you all for your incredibly loving outpouring of support after yesterday's post. I truly hope I didn't come across as sad or upset about this blogging thing, because I'm truly not. This project has been a wonderful hobby for me, and one that has brought me a lot of real happiness, in ways that I absolutely never expected. And all of your comments yesterday truly warmed my little heart. Knowing that you are supportive of this project, and that you'll be patient with me as I stretch my legs a bit, makes me feel so secure and cared for. I'm proud to count many of you in my list of dear friends. Additionally, your comments, and subsequent conversations I had with my mom, my sister, and Joe, have left me feeling very excited about the next phase of this blog. Posts will probably become a bit more sporadic (but then again, maybe not), but I guarantee that the content of those posts will be more substantive, more true to me, more real.

You've probably already noticed that I did a few more tweaks on the site. Ultimately, I decided that Between Laundry Days, as a website, had become a bit busy. There were links and images galore. Basically, I just streamlined everything. My blog roll is still there, it has just been moved (see that little link to the right that says "BetweenLaundryDays Blog Roll"? Click on that sucker and you should be blasted to the original list of blogs I follow). On that note, however, pleasepleaseplease send me a note if I've missed your blog. With all this moving around, I'm afraid a few may have fallen through the cracks. Rest assured that this list will be tweaked pretty regularly for the next few weeks. Also, please tell me what you think! I'm definitely not finished messing around entirely, so if you have any pointers, or ideas about this design business, please let me know. I'm definitely an HTML newbie, but I'm a quick learner, so I'd be thrilled to hear your input about some of this formatting/design stuff.

Whew! Who else is sick of me rambling about website gibberish? *raises hand* It's kind of funny, because for all my talk of change and improvement and content and substance, what I really want to write about today is my outfit. This Rodarte cardigan totally takes over my life whenever I wear it. It's so unique, so bright, so versatile, and so flipping beautiful. I love what it does to an otherwise simple neutral ensemble. Oh, and what is up with me lately and mixing neutrals? Apparently I've convinced myself that mixing shades of black, brown, and navy is the only way to go. Honestly, I think I may be right, because these have been some of my favorite outfits for a long time. I think that today I'm most proud of how each element of the outfit is complimented by another piece. The yellow in the scarf picks up the vibrancy of the mustard cardigan, the black tights and shirt balance the weight of the outfit, and the brown brogues mirror the warm color of the scarf. I felt perfect all day.

Title song: 2Pac, "Changes"