Cream of the Crop

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/1u/rainday-5_zps597dde72.jpg" /><br />I have a couple of cropped sweaters I like wearing over dressed in fall and winter and now I'm slowly adding some cropped tops to my collection. I was quite resistant to the crop top at first since I hate crunches and nearly every article that mentions crop tops also goes into some body-shaming of suggesting we all amp up our spring exercises in order to look "appropriate" in these shorter tops, but after trying one on it a store with a high waist skirt I was won over (they're quite demure on petite a petite person, no?). Moreover, one of my favorite summer lines is something along the lines of "want a bikini body? have a body, put bikini on body, enjoy the summer." Too often the magazines and articles that are telling us about the latest trend are also telling us who can and can't wear it--when ultimately everyone is allowed to wear the clothes they want. Admittedly I'm still not completely comfortable in a bikini, but I'm one step closer to caring about all that nonsense less. I want to wear fun clothes, but ultimately I want to forget about what I'm wearing once it is one--the fun is in picking out the closet then going forth and being so comfortable in your clothes you can focus on the rest of your life.<br /><div></div><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/1u/rainday-14_zps881c0102.jpg" /><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/1u/rainday-10_zpsd80dea6d.jpg" /><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/1u/rainday_zps68bc98ba.jpg" /><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/1u/rainday-4_zpsde1c2f4c.jpg" /><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/1u/rainday-8_zps0b719f4a.jpg" /><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/1u/rainday-12_zps84911e29.jpg" /><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/1u/rainday-7_zps58ebd89d.jpg" /><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/1u/rainday-16_zps57b412d1.jpg" /><br /><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: right;">Outfit details:</div><div style="text-align: right;"><a href="http://helloholiday.com/" target="_blank">Hello Holiday necklace</a> (old)</div><div style="text-align: right;">H&M crop top (<a href="http://rstyle.me/n/jmn8ahu7e" target="_blank">similar</a>)</div><div style="text-align: right;"><a href="http://www.sheinside.com/Orange-High-Waist-Floral-Flare-Skirt-p-167293-cat-1732.html?url_from=theclothes" target="_blank">skirt ℅ Sheinside</a></div><div style="text-align: right;">old flats (<a href="http://www.jdoqocy.com/click-5617630-10968135?url=http%3A%2F%2Fshopruche.com%2Felodie-d-orsay-flats.html%3Futm_source%3DCJ%26utm_content%3Dproductfeed%26utm_campaign%3DCJ_Products&cjsku=28773" target="_blank">similar</a>)</div><div style="text-align: right;">Zara purse</div><div style="text-align: right;">Modcloth umbrella (old, <a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?u=761928&b=417942&m=43745&afftrack=&urllink=www%2Emodcloth%2Ecom%2Fshop%2Fumbrellas%2Fun%2Dteal%2Dthe%2Dclouds%2Dclear%2Dumbrella%2Din%2Dfuchsia%3Fnew%5Fpdp%5Flayout%3Dtrue" target="_blank">similar</a>)<br /><a href="http://toujours-toi-family-affairs.com/index.php?id=735" target="_blank">temporary tattoo on my foot by Family Affairs</a><br /><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/15904/the-clothes-horse" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">Bloglovin</a><span style="text-align: center;"> | </span><a href="http://twitter.com/aclotheshorse" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">Twitter</a><span style="text-align: center;"> | </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/aclotheshorse?v=wall" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">Facebook</a><span style="text-align: center;"> | </span><a href="http://theclotheshorse.tumblr.com/" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">Tumblr</a><span style="text-align: center;"> | </span><a href="http://instagram.com/aclotheshorse" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">Instagram</a></div></div>

Cream of the Crop

I have a couple of cropped sweaters I like wearing over dressed in fall and winter and now I'm slowly adding some cropped tops to my col...

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Laying The Scene

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/1u/ap8_zps5f54860c.jpg" /><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/1u/ap7_zpsc9cd87ff.jpg" /><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/1u/ap6_zps180b864d.jpg" /><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/1u/ap3_zps3f618834.jpg" /><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/1u/ap4_zps40181990.jpg" /><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/1u/ap11_zps05be0bea.jpg" /><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/1u/ap1_zps45c7c995.jpg" /><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/1u/ap10_zpsce9369a2.jpg" /><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/1u/ap9_zpsf68a8694.jpg" /><br />Too often I take for granted the wealth of information that is only a fingertip away--the amount of books available online for free, the archives available to browse, and yet I usually waste my time looking at the same old sites and reading about who wore what to blank event. I definitely feel sucked into a culture of useless information sometimes and have to fight to correct my habits. Anyway, recently I stumbled upon the <a href="http://images.library.amnh.org/digital/exhibits" target="_blank">American Museum of Natural History's digital exhibits</a> and have since spent countless hours enjoying their website. The featured exhibit right now is on <a href="http://images.library.amnh.org/digital/exhibits/show/naturalhistories" target="_blank">rare illustrated books of natural history</a>--stunning and interesting. Visually I got the biggest kick out of their surreal <a href="http://images.library.amnh.org/photos/ptm/browse/4?ipp=25&p=1&view=grid" target="_blank">exhibit preparation pages</a> where giant centipedes and miniature buffalos take center stage. Very fun. Overall visiting the site was a good reminder to utilize the resources available to anyone with a computer and access to the internet. </div>

Laying The Scene

Too often I take for granted the wealth of information that is only a fingertip away--the amount of books available online for free, the arc...

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Grease Lightning

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/1v/1v040/may-7_zps89446ebe.jpg" /><br />I've worn a variation of this outfit several times since getting back to the States and people keep telling me I look like a character out of <i>Grease</i>. It wasn't my intention, but I can see it. Anyway, it's both weird and good to be back--I find myself having to remember that <i>this</i> is home. I only moved to Pennsylvania a couple of years ago, so now spending several months away and then coming back is disconcerting. I still get lost sometimes when I'm driving and the city can feel as unfamiliar as Ireland was. I catch up with friends and work, but I spend a lot of time feeling as if I'm only half here. Visiting my family when they're scattered around the States means I've probably spent more time this year away from my apartment than at it. It's hard enough knowing where home is when you grew up moving every few years, it's getting even more confusing living out of a suitcase several months of the year...<br /><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/1v/1v040/may-9_zpsf9b0d984.jpg" /><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/1v/1v040/may-4_zpsaa69439f.jpg" /><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/1v/1v040/may-10_zpsdc822dae.jpg" /><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/1v/1v040/may-13_zps973d666e.jpg" /><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/1v/1v040/may-14_zps61414646.jpg" /><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/1v/1v040/may-8_zpsa734ffbe.jpg" /><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/1v/1v040/may-6_zps1433cf98.jpg" /><img border="0" src="http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z301/theclotheshorse/1v/1v040/may-11_zps39b34b9d.jpg" /><br /><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: right;">Outfit details:</div><div style="text-align: right;"><a href="http://reif-haus.myshopify.com/collections/ss14-turbans/products/turban-headband-black" target="_blank">Reif headband</a></div><div style="text-align: right;">Crew Cuts jacket (old, <a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?u=761928&b=417942&m=43745&afftrack=&urllink=www%2Emodcloth%2Ecom%2Fshop%2Fjackets%2Frapid%2Dcity%2Dblues%2Djacket" target="_blank">similar</a>)<br /><a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/120985666/cupids-arrow-brooch-red-embroidered?ref=listing-2" target="_blank">Les Mirettes brooch</a></div><div style="text-align: right;"><a href="http://rstyle.me/n/i7ienhu7e" target="_blank">ASOS top</a><br /><a href="http://store.janebasch.com/sideways-single-block-initial/" target="_blank">Jane Basch necklace</a></div><div style="text-align: right;"><a href="http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?u=761928&b=417942&m=43745&afftrack=&urllink=www%2Emodcloth%2Ecom%2Fshop%2Fskirts%2Fessential%2Delegance%2Dskirt%2Din%2Dblack" target="_blank">Modcloth skirt</a></div><div style="text-align: right;"><a href="http://rstyle.me/~21jug" target="_blank">Seychelles heels</a></div><div style="text-align: right;"><a href="http://winkandwinn.com/" target="_blank">Wink & Winn purse</a></div><div style="text-align: right;">*pictures by Thomas<br /><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/15904/the-clothes-horse" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">Bloglovin</a><span style="text-align: center;"> | </span><a href="http://twitter.com/aclotheshorse" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">Twitter</a><span style="text-align: center;"> | </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/aclotheshorse?v=wall" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">Facebook</a><span style="text-align: center;"> | </span><a href="http://theclotheshorse.tumblr.com/" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">Tumblr</a><span style="text-align: center;"> | </span><a href="http://instagram.com/aclotheshorse" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">Instagram</a></div></div>

Grease Lightning

I've worn a variation of this outfit several times since getting back to the States and people keep telling me I look like a character o...

Read more »