Style Post: Stripes and a Little Fleur de Sel

Life is sort of pushing me out of my comfort zone at the moment. First, I leave the only job I've ever known to start a new one. Then, I'm forced to scout out new, and very public, locations to take outfit photos. Sadly, I've reached the point where I'm only able to shoot on weekends. Mornings just aren't practical this time of year. So off I went last Saturday, with Kyle and a good attitude by my side, to find a new and somewhat secluded spot to take pictures. But it all had to start with coffee, a croissant, and some fleur de sel caramel sweets from La Patisserie before we could really get things going.

We didn't have to go very far to find an interesting something to take photos with. This abandoned trailer was just in the lot next to La Patisserie. I thought the color scheme was interesting, and stripes next to stripes are always fun.

[Madewell sweater and shoes (last seen here); American Apparel shirt; Langford Market skirt; J.Crew tights; Tiffany's necklace (old gift from mom)]

I've really been loving the slouchy sweater with a skirt look lately. It's a nice way to casually dress up, I think. This skirt was a recent find from Langford Market and a fun addition to my sad skirt collection. I'm always looking for more playful skirts that I can skip around town in.

Do you take outfit photos for your blog? How do you overcome that strange fear of people watching you?

Style Post: Feathered Hat and Maxi Skirt

Last weekend I had a chance to explore one of Austin's neighboring towns. Georgetown, we call it, and it's just a mere 30 miles outside of the city. My friend Lacy lives up there and kindly offered to show me around some of the cute antique and consignment shops. The perfect excuse to wear a feathered hat, right?

Yea, I've been dying to wear this hat more often. And it seemed perfect for a rather windy afternoon. I also just figured out what's missing from this outfit: color. I feel like I've been doing a good job incorporating more color into my looks this year, but sometimes you have to just go with whatever feels right. Like black. And brown.

[Madewell hat and skirt; J.Crew shirt and boots (last seen here)]

What do you wear when you go exploring?

Pics From Last Night (New Year's Eve)

I hope last night was everything you wanted it to be, whether that's drinking champagne until midnight or dozing off well before the fireworks. I love doing both. Here's how we made out on New Year's Eve:

[Dinner at Uchi; wagyu beef on a hot rock; Kyle and balloons; glitz; champagne at midnight; more balloons; me]

Happy new year, friends!

I Ruche You

I've been on a dress kick the last couple of weeks. I don't think I'm doing it on purpose, but it seems like every time I pop my head into a new store I find a dress with a fun print and silhouette that's nothing like what I already own. I guess it's not a horrible problem to have! The other plus is that I think both new dresses will transition nicely into fall.

[Dress from Feathers Boutique; J.Crew sweater and belt; Madewell shoes]

Last week I finally made it into Feathers, a little vintage boutique just off South Congress. I'd been in a few times, but never felt inspired to try anything on until now. Feathers has so many unique pieces, everything from wild Jeffrey Campbell shoes to a super vintage Biba dress.

I found this fun floral maxi dress with the perfect amount of ruching on top. All my dresses right now are either full of lace, solid black, striped, or with polka dots. My closet was definitely crying for a floral number. The fit couldn't have been more perfect when I tried it on (I'm not crazy about getting "new to me" clothes altered), and I thought the length was interesting for a maxi dress. I can't wait to wear it with boots and shorter jackets as it gets cooler out.

You may have also noticed that I'm in the woods! That's right--I've expanded my selection of photo shoot locations to the woodsy area across the street. We live very close the hike and bike trail and it's so peaceful in the mornings.

In other news, I'm learning a few new things in Photoshop and now I can make circle pictures:

Now, isn't that fun. Thank you, Anna, from Door Sixteen for posting this super easy tutorial. Next up--Photoshop actions.

P.S. How do you wear maxi dresses in the fall?

A Good Day for Brunch

Yesterday I ate like a queen, a southern queen with a strong liking for breakfast meats, alcohol, and bread.

We've been wanting to try the Sunday breakfast buffet at Paggi House for quite some time and I found yesterday's experience to be rather blog-worthy.

From the outside, Paggi House looks exactly like the kind "house" you'd expect an historic landmark to look like. But the long stairway leading up to the main doorway and a huge patio surrounded by trees were very inviting, and the inside is more modern than mid 19th century. 

I decided not to haul the camera around, so please enjoy the Instagram photos:

I love the beautiful chandeliers in this dining room. You may not be able to tell, but they're painted black, creating a rather eerie vibe. Paggi House kept that vibe going with music from bands like Portishead and Daft Punk--easy electronic and eerie tempos. It wasn't what I'd expect for music during brunch, but then again I'd never been to brunch at Paggi House before. It was subtle and interesting.

I tried to start things off slow once the buffet opened, but that's hard when things like strawberry butter, bread pudding, and bacon are up for grabs. So, I loaded up. Food items pictured: bleu cheese grits, home fries, lox, berries and cream, bread pudding, scones with strawberry butter, quiche, cheese, bacon, and sausage.

The freshly prepared buffet items included chicken and waffles and eggs benedict with pulled pork. I swear the English muffin was homemade. That or baked in butter.

And we drank a few mimosas because that's what you do at brunch, and Paggi House does brunch well.

"Where to brunch next," is what I always ask. Are you eating well over the Labor Day holiday?