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Apologies for boring (and blurry!) pictures today. I am photographerless this week so it was just me and the tripod in the park. I feel bad cuz I really love this outfit and it deserves better than these measley pictures, but…it was these or nothing.

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I think that thing over my left shoulder that looks like a piece of truck that was leftover after an accident is art. I’m at an art museum. I enjoy art in theory. I just don’t understand the vast majority of it. I’d like to take a “how to understand art” class. I still haven’t started my first watercolor yet. I don’t really know what to do. I’ve watched gazillions of YouTube videos on beginner watercolor…and it looks so easy. I’m expecting to end up with a soggy piece of brown paper. Art is intimidating.

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That’s why I like photography (just not tripod selfies!). There’s a machine that actually Does the Thing. I just need a vague idea of what I want the finished product to be, and the machine actually does the work. It doesn’t matter if I have a shaky hand or my fingers won’t do what my mind is telling them to do. It’s sort of the same with a computer. I can tell a graphics program to make a certain shape or match a color or create a straight line between two points, and it just does it. I’m grateful for machines that can help me create art.

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Fashion styling is like art. Combining colors and patterns and shapes and textures and selecting the right looks for different settings and moods. I really loved styling models when I used to shoot for my vintage clothing store on ebay. Here’s some pictures from back in the day…

justine 1k fullres

justine 2

Dpp_0005B

SB 1

shannon driveway 1-tiltshift 2

tara 10

shannon

aaa

I’m glad I had that fun, cuz it’s not quite as much fun styling myself! I’m so limited by sizing and budget. With models, it was literally like playing with a life size Barbie. I don’t mean to be condescending, they were all bright, lovely girls – one is working at a nonprofit now, one recently passed the bar, one is associate producer of a magazine. They were just so easy to dress! Anyway, I’m rambling….

I’ve had this floral Bobeau top for three summers now and I love it as much as the day I got it. It’s an easy to wear polyester crepe – and while I usually pass on poly, especially in the summer, this is very lightweight and breathable, and skims so nicely over lumps and bumps. It’s no longer available, but I found some comparable items:

B Collection by Bobeau Curvy Lily Pleat-Back Top in plus size

and B Collection by Bobeau Lily Pleated Back Floral Print Tank Top in straight size

The soft oatmeal duster cardigan is the fairer sister to my black Old Navy duster-length cardigan I wear all the time. It’s a very thin, fine knit. Perfect for summertime air conditioned buildings (like my office!). I’m wearing a 2x and they call the color “Palomino.” They are both very versatile items that can be worn all year.

I’m wearing my chestnut espadrilles from Aldo. I got them on clearance at DSW and they’re sold out, but I found these that have sort of the same vibe and are in that same great “goes with everything” chestnut brown tone.

or…

or…

I saw one pair very similar to mine but they were $650 HA HA HA HA HA I wouldn’t do that to you. Trust me, mine were not $650!

Boy, I was all over the place today! I planned to write about something very specific but I got off-track when my pictures weren’t what I hoped and…It Is What It Is!

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