day 52 of 57: The Leopard Queen's Tree

    On day 52 of 57 Days of Dresses, Jason and I enjoyed a sunny Saturday afternoon celebrating his last day being 36! There was also an anti-nuclear plant protest going on downtown, followed by an Occupy GA in Pritchard Park, but we didn't stick around for that. Something about the serious and somewhat dreary tone of a protest and assembly that really doesn't encourage birthday celebration feelings.
    We started with lunch at Papas & Beer, a local Mexican restaurant recommended by a fellow vegetarian friend of ours. As we were walking up to the entrance, something along the lines of "You win this time Mexican" was scrawled on the side of the building. Weird.
    The chips and bean dip was tasty, and the self-serve salsa bar--an all-the-rage attraction at the local Mexican restaurants here in Asheville--had a good selection of sauces ranging from a pumpkin dip to a roasted tomatillo salsa verde to a "kids dip." Our meals arrived; Jason got the Baja fish tacos (he eats fish occasionally) with no sour creams or beans and extra rice, and I got the veggie fajitas with corn tortillas and no sour cream--our usual Mexican fixes. Our food came out fast and we got to grubbing. The quality and flavor profiles were typical of "Califorina" style Mexican restaurants: Unauthentic, Americanized and too salty. Oh, how I miss living in Arizona.
    The meal ended abruptly and, well, crappy after finding a piece of meat at the bottom of my fajita sizzle skillet. Touching and mingling and mixing with what was suppose to be a vegetarian meal. I know these things happen every so often, and it's just the risk a vegetarian runs when eating out at establishments where meat is prepared. But, man, when it happens, it really turns your stomach. Needless to say, we're probably not visiting Papas & Beer any time soon.
    After being fed, we headed to the west side of town to bask and gallivant in the sun, and found this quaint community garden. It was eclectically decorated with oddities, old shovels, hula hoops, glass bottles and a bright blue tree. Definitely a place for a photo shoot, and a future picnic!
    This leopard-print maxi dress is a fabulous piece I picked up at the Downtown Market here in Asheville. It has an empire waist, long sleeves and a U-neck. Being 5'9", I'm happy that maxi dresses are never too long for me---this one falls slightly above my ankles. I decided on a casual Saturday, so I'm sporting knee socks and my trusty chucks. Good thing, too, since Jason and I decided to take a few leisure strolls around the west side and downtown. When it comes to jewels, sometimes too much is not enough, and I went for silver-studded bohemian beauty: A ring on each finger, bangles, earrings and necklaces. The finishing touch was one of my handmade feather hair clips featuring Canada goose and bluejay feathers.
    Sometimes my honey-brown complexion doesn't do well with leopard-inspired prints--the pattern just doesn't pop--so I like the way the cooler tone of this dress works better with my natural warmth. It can be hard finding a good animal print, but when I do, I love it!

Day 35 of 57: Hearthrobs and headlights

    Day 35 of 57 Days of Dresses is my official birthday. I spent it as a recovery day from yesterday's birthday fun. I said "It's my birthday, buy me a drink!" to about any and everyone who came within my vicinity if I didn't have a drink in hand. Let's just say it worked - each time. It was a long and confused day, but I finally came back to life around 5 in the afternoon - I just can't throw it down like I used too!
    Anyways, today's theme was "stylishly comfortable," and I had just the dress. This gauzy cotton mini dress is soft and light - and the way it drapes! I got it at my second favorite local boutique, Firefinch. The dress has a dropped waist and the bodice has flowers embroidered on it. The skirt has 3 layers of cotton gauze and crepe, and it has draw-string patchwork pockets with more flower embroidery. The U-neck, the button placket and the waistline is accented with flouncing. This dress is so summery, and I can't wait to wear it again!

day 29 of 57: Native charm

    Today is day 29 of 57 Days of Dresses, and I am past the halfway mark of my dress celebration! It's been a long time coming, and I still have a long way to go. By the time classes start this fall I'll be more than happy to wear my most comfortable pair of pants. Who knows, maybe I'll even start wearing jumpers and rompers, just because I'm so in lust for pants.
    Anyways, On the other side of my apartment building's parking lot there's a gnarly growth of wild sour grapes, wild passion fruit (the inedible variety, unfortunately) and orange trumpet flowers. What a convenient place for some photos?
    This darling dress is a vintage piece I got at Karma Rags in Huntsville, AL. It's a circle dress with a fabulous Native American/ Southwestern-inspired pattern. The dress has bell sleeves with lace trim, a seamed waistline and a back zipper. The U-neck is adorned with pleated ruffles that go around the entire neck. The the circle skirt has a wide hem and a ruffly exposed seam that goes around it. This is a wonderful and comfortable dress that feels great to wear.

Day 27 of 57: I "heart" mini dresses!

    So on day 27 of 57 Days of Dresses, Jason and I went to mÄmbu on Hayes St for an awesome dinner experience. The interior was eclectically gaudy, menu was crafted of fresh local artisan ingredients, the wine list was impressive, and the St. Germaine margarita was bad ass! What was also bad ass was my mini dress that I wore. After dinner, we went for a night time stroll around the block and came across this dirty little alley were we found the beveled glass window I'm posing in front of.
     I found this mini dress at the Salvation Army for -score- 2 bucks! Judging from the style and label, I'd approximate this dress to be from the late '80s to '90s. This A-line shirt dress has a U-neck, short sleeves and front button closure. The dress is a teal and white checker pattern with pink heart "tiles" all over it. What's even better is the buttons are white hearts - it's the little details that count. This dress is amazingly cute!

day 20 of 57: River deep, mountain high and pretty in pink

    So on day 20 of 57 Days of Dresses, we went to our most adventurous, sublime location ever! I was thinking how so many of the photos are taken in these urban sprawl sort of places, why not switch it up and get back to the serene beauty of nature?
   This is a wonderful Free People bodycon dress I got at Pangaea. One photo is how I wore it today with my "AWESOME" t-shirt over it, and the rest of the photos show off the dress as is. As you can see it's a simple U-neck tunic style bodycon -- means "body conscious" -- mini dress. The wonderful thing about this is the asymmetric side ruching that sends waving ripples across the fabric. Did I mention that pink dresses are amazing. Love!

 

 

Day 16 of 57: Striped green with envy (of my dress!)

    Today is day 16 of 57 Days of Dresses! Not even halfway through it all! One thing I've definitely learned to appreciate is pants. I just want to put on some sweats and a t-shirt, and never care again! Oh the hard knocks of accused fashionista.
    After a hard days' work at Hard Rock, Jason and I took a leisurely stroll on 21st Ave. We came by Pangaea -- one of my favorite little shops -- and thought the outside wall would make a great place for a quick shoot!
    This dress is a warm gray and lime green A-line dress I got at Posh. The dress is sleeveless, has a U-neck and the skirt hits about mid-calf (I think that length is called "midi") It's a very simple dress with a natural waist, and it's made of super comfortable cotton/silk blend material. I love how the stripes are varied in thickness, and how on the skirt, the stripes are diagonal, while on the bodice they're horizontal. It just brings a fresh new look to an old style. Enjoy!