Took a bit of a break there, didn't I?

October, despite the joys of Fall and Halloween, is not my favorite month. Thus it's been harder than usual to find inspiration for outfits to share here - especially when you consider everything happening in the world around us. I don't have anything smart to say. I think it's really scary to be aware, especially as a black/bi-racial woman, and it's been a particularly troubling time for my brain.

I hesitate to say that something as superficial as buying new clothing could alleviate all that, but I do kind of also feel like this hoodie is made of love and joy and I'd wear it 24/7 if I could. Make of that what you will.

Also, I blame this whole belt bag/crossbody thing on bloggers much cooler than me in general, and more specifically on Katie Jane Hughes, who featured it in an Instagram story forever ago. I'm not saying I don't look bulky, instead I am saying it's actually large enough to hold enough sh*t to be useful.

I'm not tying to be a party pooper here, but WOW do I feel like I have nothing to say here. You know those social media "experts" that lecture you to find what makes you unique and showcase that? I've felt for a while, years really, that I have no idea what that is when it comes to me and this blog, but right now when the world is literally and figuratively on fire, I find it extra hard to remember why I do this.

I don't feel like writing paragraphs on Instagram and maybe that does make me appear aloof or mysterious, but it's more that I just prefer to keep my inner angst and battles private, and let those with stronger and more relevant voices speak more.

So instead here are the second set of sunflower photos from last month, that involved me getting half naked in a field in Maryland while my friend Tanya kept an eye out for other photographers hahaha. Oh and these pants from Zara? I'm actually super sad I bought them near the end of the season, cause even though they were on sale I love them and wish I could have grabbed the other color. I'm officially at that point in life where avoiding swamp ass is more important than "flattering"....

I always had this idea in my head of what a "rainy days" outfit would look like when I shared one here. I definitely had more of an Atlantic Pacific aesthetic in mind, with lots of color and maybe a coordinating boots and jacket set. The reality is though that my life - and wardrobe - don't look like that. So here's what rainy days actually look in my world: light, packable rain jacket in a color that won't show dirt, and water resistant leather boots. And because warm rainy days equals humid, an equally lightweight t-shirt that won't make me hate my life.

Since I like to be as real with myself as possible, I'm going to say that title up there is 100% correct. Even if I tried at it I probably couldn't pull off as effortlessly cool an outfit again (though believe you me, I will try). Stumbling upon this jacket in Ralph Lauren is one of those holy grail discoveries I'm not typically known for. I'd tried so many times since watching Lizzy's Testing Basics review to find that perfect leather/faux leather jacket of my own, and it'd always been close but no cigar. I did find one for a friend though, so not a total loss.

But this jacket is just AMAZING. It is both already broken in but still structured, fitted in the shoulder but still manages to hang perfectly unzipped (I could zip it, but I probably won't). And the final reason that I couldn't walk away from it was that it was down to $200. FROM $800. It was 50% off the red price and that, folks, is why you sometimes go into stores you usually can never afford, and try on everything.

1) When the weather is determined to flip flop between Winter and Spring it's best just to go with it and hope that your allergies forgive you later.

2) Sometimes you get through an entire set of photos before you get home and realize that your spiffy camera decided that the parked car behind you was *actually* the reason for each shot and focused accordingly. So no bother squinting, except for that last shot all of these really are just that bit soft focus. FML.

In solidarity with what feels like 90% of the internet, brown and brown tones have definitely taken the spotlight in my new purchases. I'm not sure how much neutral as a whole is taking over my wardrobe, but I do really like the look of mixing them together, so looks like today's brown and black make my heart happy.

Also funnily enough this combines two different pieces of Nordstrom Blogger collaborations - the sweater is from Chriselle Lim's collection, and the cami underneath from Blair's Halogen collection. I'd wear one without the other, but I have to admit that together it's become one of my favorite looks.