OotD: Summer days, make me feel fine

Dress, Sandals, Belt UO; Cardigan Nordstrom BP

 

This dress is probably my favorite dress in my closet at the moment. I've been wearing it all summer long, and it's lovely color, great pattern, and perfect length make for an awesomely airy dress to wear on those days when the warmth is still hanging around like it's its job. So glad I hunted it down when I did! And I love the way it pairs with this simple black cardigan and the black sandals. There's not much need for accessorizing at all!

Also, I forgot to mention this in my last post, but I recently discovered that I can touch up photos and "enhance" them to make the colors much brighter. Hooray! Now you, readers, will be getting consistent OotD's with pictures of me in the actual outfits! Yay!

--Laura

OotD: Sea of Monochrome

Sweater J Crew; Tank Nordstrom BP;
Pants Anthropologie; Shoes Sperry's

Hello again readers! Here's an outfit I wore on a cooler day last week. I picked up this sweater in two colors from J Crew a little while ago--it is a basic piece that will function in my wardrobe quite well! I really liked the look of it with these incredibly soft, comfortable yellow Pilcro pants (which I subsequently splattered pasta sauce all over in the evening) that I picked up on my annual trip to Anthropologie while I was home at the end of July. I'm pretty sure Pilcro has become my new favorite pants maker! Excellent quality and fantastic cuts, if you ask me.

The shoes I actually wanted to wear with this outfit were my Frye sneakers... But one of them has mysteriously gone missing! I'm not one to typically lose shoes (especially just one of them), but I have no idea where this one has gone. I completely disassembled (and reassembled) my closet looking for it, but to no avail! I hope it turns up soon; those shoes are set to be on heavy rotation for the next two months!

I hope everyone had a great weekend! Mine was pretty productive (including some play time!), but I still am left with what feels like a never-ending load of work. Double-majoring in civil engineering and German will really do that to ya!

--Laura

Giants = my first love.

So if you know me, you probably know that I am an absolutely huge, undying San Francisco Giants fan. I have been raised in an avid baseball family (my mom was 8 months pregnant with me when my dad took her and my older brother to the 1989 A's/Giants World Series game when the Loma Prieta earthquake happen! They had just reached the top of a ridiculously long escalator when the ground started rumbling) and have had it in my blood all my life. Baseball is by far my favorite sport to watch on TV, and I will pretty much watch any game that's on, even if it's not a Giants game!

In the fourth grade, I took as my elective class a class about fantasy baseball. I don't think my team did all too well, but I sure as heck learned how to read box scores!

So you're probably wondering what I wear when I'm going to game. Well, here goes!

I've got my Giants jersey, my hat, (a sweatshirt on the ground) and best of all...

My baseball Keds! I hunted these babies down on Ebay earlier this summer... As soon as I found out they existed (they're from some time in the early 90s), I knew I had to have them! I was lucky to have found them in my perfect size so easily! These shoes are now reserved only for baseball games.

Luckily for me, I got the opportunity to go to lots of games as a kid at both Candlestick Park and AT&T Park. Now I typically make it to about one game a year when I'm home for a visit during the summer. I need to move back to somewhere with a baseball team!

OotD! For a nice dinner out!

Get ready for a picture-heavy post, readers!

The main purpose of my quick trip home to California at the end of August was to celebrate my dad's 70th birthday. Because my dad's birthday falls right around the start of school for me every day, I haven't been there in the past few years at all. So I was glad when I was able to make the quick trip home for a long weekend to be there for it!

On his actual birthday, before my redeye back to the east coast, we went out for a very nice dinner at the Moss Beach Distillery. Here's what I wore:

Dress AE; Cardigan, Shoes UO; Scarf H&M

I brought this outfit back with my (I flew carry-on only, a big accomplishment for me!) because it had easy pieces that wouldn't get crushed or wrinkled in my bag. I love the bold, saturated colors the dress and the cardigan have, and this scarf that I picked up while I was abroad in Austria from H&M adds the perfect touch!

All in all we had a lovely dinner with a beautiful view:

I had the sea bass for dinner, which unfortunately didn't taste as good as it should have for its cost. But it looked nice!

My brother had the salmon, which I immediately kicked myself for not ordering!

But overall, the outcome of the dinner was a lovely time spent with good discussion with close loved ones. Happy birthday, Dad! To many more to come!

Current Wishlist

Hi readers! Happy Labor Day! I hope everyone's having a wonderful day off.

I've gotta say, I'm really getting into the fall fashions right now. I'm going to attempt to brighten and freshen up my clothing offerings, for sure!

I am definitely one who loves layering things. And I love warm, knit scarves and sweaters more than probably anything else! There's just something about bundling up that makes me feel so warm (no pun intended!) and cozy. I'm pretty sure I'll have to move somewhere with a winter after I graduat from college; otherwise I'd never get to wear this stuff!

So, without further ado, here is what is currently on my wishlist right now:

Twisted Ascot Tee, Anthropologie

The lovely sort of ochre color in this top is something that's sadly missing in my wardrobe. I can picture this matching with so many things, and it would be great to layer under cardigans! I hope to snap it up some time soon.

Wide-Wale Roll-Ups, Anthropologie

These shorts are the perfect pair to layer over some tights for those fall days when the temperature has dropped just enough to make bare legs a no-go. The corduroy fabric and great color options (twists on your normal neutrals!) fit the bill for me as well.

Sidebent Tank, Anthropologie

This is a tank I tried on in store when I was home back at the end of July. I loved the fit and the color options, but didn't bit the bullet and buy it. I've been rethinking it ever since, and am especially happy to see my side in this lovely colorway still available online.

Brooch-Topped Skimmers, Anthropologie

I'm in need of some new, good-quality flats to wear around, and this pair is adorable! Although perhaps not the most practical for everyday life's callings, I still wouldn't mind slipping my tootsies into them for the day.

Double-cloth lady day coat with Thinsulate, J. Crew

This coat is most likely going to be at the top of my birthday list (hooray for having a birthday timed so nicely with fall!). I love, love, LOVE the heather majestic purple color offering, a color which seems to be one common to many items in J. Crew's collection. This is probably my favorite purple-y blue color out there, and this coat will be mine. I just need to figure out my size! Sizing at J. Crew always seems to be so strange for me.

And that's it for now! In other news, I have some things coming my way from etsy sellers, so you can be sure I'll post a recap once I've received my purchases!

The Story of Two Egglings.

The Story of Two Egglings: Part One

There once were two Egglings, lovingly purchased by one blog writer, myself. They made their arrival a couple of weeks ago, and boy was I happy to see them! I'd wanted to start a little Eggling garden for a while, and now finally had my chance. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Egglings, they are little egg-shaped ceramic growing containers. They arrive whole (see above), and then you tap the top with a spoon to break it open, where soil and seeds (flowers, herbs, etc.) lie within. Then water, provide sunshine, and wait!

The two Egglings (one basil, one mint) were promptly set up and watered, and then set side-by-side in the windowsill in my kitchen. I started to wait anxiously; I have never been known to have a particularly bright shade of green on either of my thumbs.

Then it came time to wait. The suspense was killing me from the start. Would the little egglings sprout? Would I be soon on my way to having fresh, homegrown basil and mint?

Stay tuned to find out!

Oh hey.

Leave it to fate.

Hey readers! I've got an OotD involving actual pictures of me! These were taken in the fitting room at J. Crew, haha. I wore this outfit this previous Saturday while wandering the farmer's market and downtown.

Dress, belt: UO; sandals: Chelsea Crew; bag: etsy (madebyhank)

 I got both the dress and the belt from UO earlier in the spring, with the distinct idea to wear them together. The dress itself is lightweight and easy to accessorize, and the belt adds the perfect amount of sweetness I think! A simple, airy outfit for a warm, sunny day!

What are your favorite dresses to wear in the summer, readers? Please share in the comments!

--Laura

Weekend Wrap-Up

Hi readers! Here are some highlights from another great weekend:

• Spending an evening eating all-you-can-eat pizza at August 1st Bakery. So delicious! You fill your plate as they bring out freshly made pizzas with toppings like potato, carrots, walnuts, pear, goat cheese, and even chocolate. And the crust is so light and crisp and yet fluffy all at the same time! I can't believe I just discovered this. Best deal out there, I'm pretty sure. Unfortunately, I was so busy eating that I forgot to snap any pictures!
• A bittersweet goodbye to my good friend M, who is moving back home to NJ as her internship and lease here in Vermont have now ended. I already miss her, but know I will see her soon!
• Starting to plan a trip to the city (New York!) for the end of October/beginning of November to meet up with two old friends! I've never actually been to New York City (though I've flown through it probably more times than I can count), so I'm really looking forward to this. Any recommendations, readers?
• Farmer's market again! Although this time I was mainly there to take pictures (and buy a pretty little bouquet of flowers), as I'm getting all of my meals provided for me for the next two weeks.
• TREK training started! Time to re-learn about group dynamics, get to know my co (co-leader) even better, and prepare for a six-day trip working on a Habitat for Humanity house with incoming first-years!

So that was the wrap-up for my weekend. What were all of you lovely readers up to?

--Laura

Of A Revolution

For those of you who do not know me very well, my favorite band is a certain band named O.A.R. (aka Of A Revolution).

My freshman-year roommate introduced me to them soon after we met, and I literally listened to them non-stop for the entire duration of the year. (I tend to do that with new bands I discover that I really like, although I'm fairly certain no one has beaten O.A.R.'s record of consecutive listenings) This band definitely has a giant lead in number of plays if you were to look at my iTunes, and I have no shame about that. They also are the owners of my favorite song of all time (if you wondering, it's "Hey Girl"--see the video at the end of this post).

So, this past Thursday (August 11th), I had the amazing pleasure of getting to see them live. They played the opening night of the Lake Champlain Vermont Maritime Festival, which is located right on the water:

Anyway, this was the best (and granted, the only) concert I've seen in a very long time. I have had the privilege of having seen O.A.R. live four times now, all over the place: twice in Burlington, once in Norfolk, VA, and once in Maryland (where they come from). So let me tell you, previously the best concert of theirs I had seen was the MD one, because it was in their home town! Of course they're going to rock it extra hard. But let me tell you, Thursday's concert was AWESOME. As in, super, super amazing. So good! I cannot gush enough. They played the two songs I'd wanted them to play so desperately, so what more could I ask for? Not much, really.

But honestly, I gotta say, if you ever get the chance to see them, do it! They're really good live, not at all a band that needs all the help a studio can provide to sound good. Their music is so feel-good, so easy to sing to, so amazing. Please check them out if you haven't already!

And I'll leave ya with a video I took of part of "Hey Girl" -- so good!

--Laura

Love at First Sight

Here is the story of love at first sight, of wanting and yearning, and of ultimate satisfaction. Sadly (or perhaps not), this concerns the love of a young woman and the perfect, perfect wallet, not the perfect guy. Read on...

So I've been searching for a replacement wallet for a while now. I prefer checkbook wallets, as in the ones that don't fold, as I find them more practical and think they look nice. After sporting the same Espirit purple leather wallet I've had since I first arrived in Austria (when I literally had to carry twelve cards around with me at all times to make sure I had everything I might need), it started to get a bit ratty from all of the wear and tear. Don't get me wrong, I still love that wallet! It just wasn't appeasing me quite as much for the past while. So off I went, a-browsing my favorite shops to find something that suited my needs and liking.

A couple of weeks ago, I found it. It was love at first sight: 

Kate Spade's Harrison Street Lacey in Salmon. 

Need I say more?

But $195 for a wallet? That's a very, very steep price for me. I just couldn't justify spending that much on a wallet, even though I new it would be of high quality, and if I were to own any sort of designer wallet/bag/accessory of that sort, it would preferably be from Kate Spade.

So, I tried to put it out of my mind. And I did successfully, for about two weeks. Then I just couldn't stifle my interest and went back to the site. Just one thing was wrong: it wasn't where I'd left it! Fear ran over me; had I missed my chance? I nimbly ran over to the Sale section, and it was there that I set eyes once again upon this little lovely, sitting there for a 50.3% discount. Granted, it still cost more than I think I've ever spent on a bag (or definitely a wallet), but I just couldn't hold myself any longer.

And now that I have this wonderful little wallet in my own hands, I couldn't be more pleased! And we shall live happily ever after. Yay!

Now I just have to get over my anxiety for actually using it! My fear of ruining its beauty must be overcome for practicality's sake.

Neutral Take-off

Here's another Outfit of the Day post!

I really like the way this look came together. The neutral color palette suited me well for the day, and I paired my new watch with it! The sash that I actually wore was cloth and from American Apparel, not leather like the one pictures. I  tied it simply once on my left, as opposed to the middle. And those sandals? I got them oh, three years ago I think (maybe two), and love them to death! They are my one pair of gladiator sandals and are super comfy as well as stylish.

How do all of you pair neutrals with neutrals? Is it something you do often? Please share in the comments!

Outfit of the Day!

Here is my first official Outfit of the Day (aka OotD)! I'll be posting these from time to time (hopefully building up to a very regular schedule). They'll help me keep record of what I've worn and how I've worn the things I own. And maybe they will even inspire you to try something out yourself!

I wore this outfit to work in the lab, finishing some testing. I didn't have the chance to take pictures of myself wearing it in good lighting (I need to invest in a floor lamp for my living room), but here is a polyvore set of the items I wore.

It was quite a nice outfit to be wearing in the warm weather, and kept me comfortable all day. I absolutely adore this skirt, and was so glad to pick it up from ModCloth when I did. The sweater is one I own in three colors, and is rotated regularly throughout my wardrobe. It's nice and lightweight, and perfect for layering.

What do all of you think? What do you wear to keep cool in hot weather? Please share in the comments!

Monday Longings

A further new weekly feature for the viewing pleasure of myself, as well as my readers of course!

This feature will be posted every Monday, and will include a list of the few things at the top of my wish list currently. Perhaps it will supply some comfort to me and prevent my wallet from being completely empty as I refrain from purchasing these things!

Here goes...

[1]

1. A colorful pair of pants, like these here! Isn't that rose color a fantastic take as opposed to a neutral? I can picture it going with so many things! Plus Pilcro is probably my current favorite maker of pants. So comfortable, great quality, and for a decent price when it comes to upper-end clothing products!

[2]

[3]

2. A worldly pillow. Clearly my travel bug has translated to how I want to decorate my home. Now I just can't decide, which one do I prefer? Aw heck, I want both!

[4]

3. This jacket. I can see it carrying me perfectly through the fall weather here in Vermont. (Very) early birthday present, perhaps?

[5]

4. And lastly, for my sweet tooth, these delicious-sounding cookies. I love Earl Grey tea, and so I'm so very tempted to fill my desire for an order of these scrumdidlyumptous treats.

So there, some lovely eye-candy to start the week off right! Talk to you soon, readers!

--Laura

Image credit: 

1/ http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/catalog/productdetail.jsp?color=066&navAction=jump&id=22527774 

2/ http://www.etsy.com/listing/77206127/planisphere-pillow 

3/ http://www.etsy.com/listing/79022042/paint-by-number-globe-pillow 

4/ http://www.fossil.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=12052&catalogId=10052&productId=22243771&imagePath=WC5206298 

5/ http://www.etsy.com/listing/62313238/earl-grey-sandwich-cookies

Weekend Wrap-Up

The sun breaking through the clouds
earlier this week. [via iPhone]

Here is a feature that I will be featuring regularly on my blog! The wrap-up of my weekend, including highlights of the things I did (hopefully some things of interest!). Dun dun dun...

• A movie ("Stupid Crazy Love" -- very good! I recommend it) and drinks with my dear friend M, who is leaving me and moving back to New Jersey in a week. (Eep!) But it was a good night full of yummy drinks, great talks, and late-night pizza. What more could a girl ask for?
• A good sleep-in on Saturday morning, something that hasn't happened much recently due to work and having a kitten!
• Hitting up the farmer's market to peruse the yummy local offerings. Love it!
• Snatching up this lovely sweater in maroon and this fantastic coat in black while meandering downtown. I can hardly wait to rock these once it cools down a little! But in the mean time, I'm definitely enjoying the warm weather and cannot say my mouth waters at the thought of another long, cold winter heading my way.
• Getting complimented on the dress I wore on Saturday (three times!). You can buy it here; it just came back in stock! Cannot recommend it enough. And it always makes me feel so good to be complimented on what I'm wearing.
• I got my new watch fitted! It looks freaking great; I'm definitely one who fell for the white watch trend!
• Cleaning up house a little bit, which definitely helps me be more stress-free! Living in a cluttered space always builds at least a little tension for me personally.

So all in all, a well-rounded weekend of accomplishing things of both necessity and fun, which is precisely what I look for when thinking of great weekends. Readers, I hope all of you had fantastic weekends as well! And prepare, I'll be unveiling some other new features this week, so I hope to see you again!

--Laura

Introducing...

Kipper! I told you all you'd meet him soon! Here he is.

Kipper says "hello."

Hello!

Hello! Welcome to Presently Past! My name is Laura, and after many years of reading and following others' blogs as well as having a few of my own, I have finally decided to enter into the world of blogging seriously myself.

Firstly, let me tell you a bit about myself. I'm currently a college student with one year of undergraduate schooling left, after which I will possess a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and a Bachelor of Arts in German. (Ja, das heißt, ich spreche auch Deutsch!) I live in Vermont, originate from California, and have also lived two years of my life abroad in Europe (one in Hungary, and one in Austria). If you were to ask me what I'm itching for the most in my life, career-wise it would be to move to Berlin.

My interests are as follows (among other things):

My adorable kitten named Kipper, whom you will surely be introduced to soon here!

The MLB! I'm an absolute die-hard San Francisco Giants fan, but love the sport as a whole.

Travel. I've caught that bug, and have it bad!

Fashion, which although I claim to be no expert in, I try my best for!

Good food: unfortunately, I am no acclaimed chef, but I'm attempting my best as we speak!

As for this blog, well, I hope to introduce you to parts of my life as well as some of my favorite things. I will try to post at least twice a week to start, perhaps more often as time goes on. I will post about things I stumble upon online as well as with pictures I have taken myself with my little Sony point-and-shoot.

I hope you enjoy! There is much more to come, I promise.

-- Laura