Sign of the Times

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You know you need to reconsider the direction of your career when a colleague mentions an objectively impressive achievement and the very thought of doing the same makes your skin crawl.

The next couple months are likely to be a time of transition once more, and it seems as good a time as any to begin to take steps to shift my professional direction, too. Baby steps, to be sure. My husband and I are not prepared yet financially for me to do a complete 180 (student loans, groan). However, groundwork can be laid and I can better use my time to learn some necessary skills to get me where I want to be.

Are you content with your profession? What is keeping you from pursuing your goals wholeheartedly?

Wardrobe Envy: Olivia Pope

Sometimes television character’s wardrobes are entirely unrealistic. Maybe a barista is wearing all designer duds, or a lawyer is wearing essentially a mini-skirt (Ally McBeal, I’m looking at you). Not that I need my tv to overly realistic, but it’s nice to get some practical inspiration from characters who have “professional” careers, i.e. careers in which suits or business casual/formal are de riguer, given that it’s the dress code by which I live.

Kerry Washington’s Olivia Pope on Scandal has a great mix of professional and interesting, with no crazy hems or cleavage, that I can totally get behind. I am mostly envious of her great jackets.

Exhibit 1

S2E5_5

Exhibit 2

S2E10_5

Exhibit 3

S2E15_3

Exhibit 4

S2E16_0744

One of each please and thank you.

You can check out her entire Season 2 wardrobe thanks to a compilation by Vulture/NYMag.

This Or That

With summer nearly upon us, I have been going through my closets and trying to pull together something resembling a warm-weather wardrobe. This is difficult as I have always preferred the layering times of year. I have always bought the cheapest summer clothes so that I can pretty much toss them at the end of the summer, or turn them into pajamas.

I have decided, however, that at the mature age of 30, it might be time to start building something that lasts, and abandon my fast fashion ways when it comes to my summer wardrobe. I like to start with the building blocks of any outfit – shoes. While shopping at Soula-Williamsburg this weekend, I came across some Camper shoes that made me pause and deliberate…

Camper_Allegra_Black

and deliberate some more…

Camper_Allegra_Gray

They are both named Allegra, and I don’t know which I like more, but I know that I like them both a lot. Which would you choose?

Music Moment: The Next Day

Bowie_Cotillard_Oldman

Damn, Bowie! He is back with a vengeance, releasing the music video for another new song “The Next Day” in quick succession to his other new vid “The Stars (Are Out Tonight).”

It’s irreverent and will no doubt have some people pitching a fit about the religious iconography. But the video is super stylish, Cotillard is mesmerizing, Oldman is seductively skeezy, and Bowie is his usual enchanting self.

Image via: DailyMail

Friday Finds: Leapin’ Lilies

Oh, holy wow. You really do learn new things every single day. Like, for example, the fact that Victoria Amazonica water lilies can have a 20 foot circumference and support 300 pounds! Mind blown. Also, people in the 1890s liked to photograph their children (and dogs sitting on chairs??) on these lilies:

Nat_Geo_Lilies

The photo is from the awesome National Geographic “Found” Tumblr that I just stumbled on today. I have bookmarked it and will be visiting often. Such amazing photos.

Spring Transitions

The warmer weather finally seems to be sticking – it’s going to be consistently at least 60 degrees all week! Of course, the week after that it will probably jump straight to being 80 degrees and 100% percent humidity, so I will enjoy this pleasant in-between while it’s here.

This temperature shift made me think 2 things: 1) I want to cut my hair and 2) oh crap my legs are pale and the exact opposite of toned and it will soon be shorts weather, yuck.

Dealing with issue number 2 is a work in progress, starting with lots of leg lifts and some running that, while both slow and of short duration, is making me feel like I am going to vomit then die.

I took care of number 1 today, though. I went from this:

Photo on 4-25-13 at 3.40 PM #2

To this:

Photo on 4-25-13 at 6.26 PM

Not an insane change, but my hair feels lighter and more swingy already. I need the front layers to grow out a bit more so I can do something a little blunt and a-line. But for now, this is just the spring change I needed.

Now to work on these pasty legs of mine…

Going for the Chop

For the past several years, my “hair goal” has simply been to get it as long as possible without it looking ratty.  I wanted to see how low I could go with my super fine (but lots of it) hair type.  A week ago, I cut some off to get rid of the dry ends, but otherwise kept it the same as it’s been for quite a while – long and layered.

But, I feel spring in my bones and it’s ready to worm it’s way into my closet and onto my head.  I feel like chopping off a good chunk and freeing myself a bit.  I have some long bob inspiration photos I have been eyeing: pinning:

 

 

Source: posh24.com via Kate on Pinterest

Source: beautyrsvp.com via Kate on Pinterest

Source: garancedore.fr via Kate on Pinterest

The last one is a street style snap from the blog of Garance Dore and it’s what really set me thinking about taking off my hair.

I need to consider it a bit more, but I am thinking more sleek than choppy, and ever so slightly long in front than in back. It will feel like such a weight off to finally give it a chop!

Aren’t you just dying for spring, too?