My friends, we're ending the year on an unexpected success: I made a dress. A for real, wearable dress.

I've had "learning to sew" on my to-do list for years, due to a generous gift from a former coworker, but having no idea how to turn on, let alone thread a sewing machine, is a big hurdle. Especially because I know me - the show and tell of someone showing me how to use the machine was always going to be far superior than reading instructions or watching a video.

So, fast forward and I manage to convince my friend to venture into DC. And after a few false starts and learning to wind a bobbin and such, I decided to do that thing you never do: jump into a project way too advanced for you (god forbid I just like, make a pillow case or something). For years I'd been watching Annika Victoria on YouTube, and the way she explains things is just so damn logical. It makes almost every project seem manageable. So I took my theory from this video on copying a dress, and decided to make a version of an Urban Outfitters dress I bought over the summer. Because while I knew that the skirt layers might be moderately difficult, the bodice shape was simple and easily transferred to paper.

And then, impressing even myself, I was SUCH AN ADULT, and made the pattern, a full mock up, and then pre-washed AND IRONED the final fabric. That I so graciously received from my sorority sister when she was in the Democratic Republic of Congo. And nearing the finish line I also decided last minute to put in a side zipper (slightly shoddily by hand, we won't discuss the work I need to do on my back stitch). I'm too impatient to wait for the season it's intended for, so please excuse the slightly formal styling. My final plan is to wear this with sandals in a super casual way, but hey, at least it admirably performs double duty?

Also, no, before you ask there aren't any pockets in this dress but let's not ask for the moon and stars ok? Double layers of gathered skirt that I cut into to insert a zipper was as much as my heart could take. The original didn't have pockets either LMAO.

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"....

Yes I am that b*tch, the one who went to see the sunflowers at the height of the season and I have NO REGRETS.

(Except for the heat, humidity, flat hair, BUGS, weird allergic reaction, etc.) 

Honestly I'm just glad to have friends who put up with my shenanigans, because this was not a woman one job. But with their help I'm able to share one of the most ridiculous purchases I've made in recent memory, aka a linen romper with a super deep v-neckline.

Do I wear rompers? No. Do I wear super low plunge necklines with a lot of leg? No. Did Free People force my hand and find the one piece to make me break those rules? YES. Will I wear this enough to be worth the sale price + alterations final cost? Questionable....

To be honest my first instinct here was to wear a dress, but 1) I wasn't sure what the terrain was going to be like, and 2) I have worn a *lot* of dresses on the blog lately so I felt like mixing it up.

I haven't gotten a chance to share this linen top yet, but it's one of my better buys this season, another random win from Talbots, and I love wearing it with super high-waisted items at work, or with an inch or so of skin showing like I did here. It's a new look for me, and one I'm still getting comfortable with, but when it's almost 100 degrees combined with enough humidity to make me feel like I'm breathing underwater, it works perfectly. Especially since the dark color doesn't show sweat easily.

It appears that I've bought myself another yellow dress. I would say oops but that's would be a lie because I stalked it, loved it in theory, and then nabbed it on sale when it proved to be as wonderful as I wanted it to be.

I also found out via these pictures that my skimpiest bikini is apparently not all that skimpy, lol.

Before this past weekend I had never been to Meridian Hill, never seen Malcolm X Park, and I can't explain to you how that sentence makes any more sense than the non-sense that it's making now. I'm an idiot.

Luckily my friend is more informed than me and is willing to get sucked into my hobby, and suggested this locale. You'll definitely be seeing it again - I can't wait until the fountains are turned on! - but until then we can all enjoy the incredible greenary.

I thought before we all (myself included) forgot what I looked like in anything other than jeans and sweaters I should probably put in a bit more effort here on the ol' blog. It's weird because I'm typically *such* a Fall/Winter person, but this year I'm just not feeling it. Thankfully this dress is so soft that it mostly feels like I'm walking around in a full length sweatshirt, so it's easier to convince myself to wear it.

I'd never actually done the hidden belt trick before this outfit, and while I liked the different silhouette, I think I might try it with other dresses in the future, because I had to fidget a bit more than I would like to get everything to lay correctly.

Over DC's "peak bloom" weekend the weather was simply beautiful almost. Despite the calls for rain there was sun and flowers and it was a great time to be outside.

UNLIKE LATELY, when it's been super cold, windy, and actually raining.

I'm going to make it through though, apparently with lots of sleep, because it's been the only thing lately making me feel human enough to function.

Despite DC's determination to take this jacket from me (damn you 79 degrees - really?!) it's one of my favorite Fall purchases. The knit arms and slim cut make it perfect to layer up for cooler temperatures, but it also goes great on top of just a plain t-shirt.

Also, just in case you're like me, these are my favorite plaid shirts this season - pretty much anywhere. I've looked in all my usual places (J.Crew, Madewell, Nordstrom, H&M) and just haven't been able to find anything that's both the right texture and not boxy as hell. I bought two of these shirts and they're soft enough to wear to bed (you know, if you were so inclined) with a fun back detail. Plus, if you keep your eye out, you can score them on sale (I bought mine at 40% off).

In case you think I spend all my time in fit and flare dress or skirts, this is a pretty common look for me as the heat rises - easy walking shorts with a breezy top that covers my arms (I'm terrible at remembering to put sunscreen on any exposed skin).

So before I did a season welcoming hair chop (no worries, nothing drastic) I took these outfit photos - and I have to admit they turned out better than I expected! I've only ever worn this sweater layered over buttons downs, because for some reason I had it in my head it would be too tight to wear on its own. It's a vaguely retro inspired look in the end, with the pencil skirt and leopard pumps, and I can't wait to wear this to work.

It is as terribly, brutally cold here in DC as it is pretty much everywhere else (except Boston - props to the NE for surviving the apocalyptic levels of snow you've gotten this year). And on Valentine's Day I made the dumb-ass decision to try and take blog photos as quickly as possible without my coat.

Not a good plan.

*I've also mentally dubbed this my "Meghan Trainor" outfit. Was I a bit over dressed to be hanging out in Michael's and Home Depot? Yes. Did I care? Of course not!

As the temperature finally starts to cool down in DC I've found myself starting to reach for the darker, more saturated pieces in my closet. While I'm lucky enough to not have to do any wardrobe transitions to bring forward my warmer options, I thought it might be helpful to highlight some of the trends I'm going to be rocking more often this season.
 
Burgundy is still going strong this year and faux-leather accents. I picked up this raglan inspired shirt from The Limited last year, but there are plenty of options in stores for you to take a look at (Banana Republic in particular seems to have embraced the look).  If I was that type of person I would have paired my jeans with Converse or some other cute sneaker, but at heart I'm a ballet flats kind of girl. I do have say these Vince Camuto ones (from DSW) are AMAZING and have actually replaced most of the other shoes in my closet. Who has time for blisters when you can walk on air? I can't find them online but they do seem to still be around in stores, in a variety of colors, so I highly recommend checking them out!

And since updating ones wardrobe can at times be a budget busting activity, may I suggest you take a look at Raise? It's an online tool that not only lets you sell unwanted gift cards, but gives you the opportunity to buy new ones at a discount. For example, you can save up to 4.2% on a BR gift card, or 25.5% on one from Ann Taylor! Personally I've got my eye on these AMC options since there are so many cool movies coming out lately.