Summer 10×10 Remix: Day 10

As part of the Summer 10×10 remix (hosted by UnFancy and Style Bee), I’m attempting to post what I’ve been wearing each day as I live out of my suitcase on back-to-back family reunions. What’s a 10×10 remix? 10 pieces of clothing, 10 outfits, 10 days. What you count as an item is up to you (I’m not counting shoes, workout gear, outerwear) since the point isn’t following strict rules – it’s using limitations to spark creativity.

Day 10: Beach & Home

My in-laws live in coastal New Hampshire so you better believe that when it turned out to be sunny (unlike our weather last week at the lake!), we hit up that beach like nobody’s business. What a way to go out!

Beach uniform:

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Hat: unlabeled – thrifted
Halter top: Ralph Lauren – thrifted
Bottoms: Target, retail

I wore this dress as a coverup – how versatile!

Jumping bracingly cold waves with Mini Me in her Wonder Woman suit (gifted from uncles who spoil her deliciously):

Happy as a clam:

We hit up a seafood joint with the sweetest, most succulent fried scallops, then nipped back to the in-laws’ to shower and pack and drive to Boston to catch our plane.

The travel uniform in a slightly different permutation from yesterday:

Love that salty beach hair that won’t quite stay put…

Top: Gap – thrifted
Shorts: Bebe – thrifted
Crossbody bag: Marco Avané – thrifted
Sandals: Saltwaters by Hoy – retail

Here ends the 10×10 remix for this go-around. Come back tomorrow for a round-up and my thoughts on the whole shebang!

Summer 10×10 Remix: Day 9

Day 9: Goodbye Lake Champlain, Hello New Hampshire

Here was my outfit for driving 4 hours from Vermont to The Granite State, where we stopped over for a night before flying home:

My 5-year-old cousin made that twist braid – didn’t she do a great job? I can never get those to stay.

Shirt: Gap – thrifted
Shorts: Bill Blass – thrifted
Hat: unlabeled – thrifted
Crossbody bag: Marco Avané – thrifted
Cuff bracelet: Monet – thrifted
Sandals: Saltwater by Hoy – retail

I think this can now be called my official travel shirt. I always wear it on airplanes (and apparently in cars) because it’s lightweight yet longish-sleeved, so it does well with shifts in temperature as AC goes on/off, working up a sweat as you run through terminals, etc. Both top and shorts have some give to them which makes sitting for long periods more comfortable.

Details:

Once we got to New Hampshire my spouse and I busted out the workout gear and went for a run in the rolling hills dotted with farms. It was absolutely gorgeous – flowers everywhere, blue sky, cows, lusciously painted old farm houses, fresh air… Since we often visit in the winter, I forget how beautiful New England is in the summer.

What’s your go-to travel wardrobe? Scroll down to share!

Summer 10×10 Remix: Day 8, In Which I Thrift But Wear Nothing Notable

This will go down in the fashion books as another never-change-out-of-your-pjs-and-workout-clothes kind of day. All I can say is that it rained so we mostly stayed inside, and I did laundry so I wore my swimsuit under my pj top and Bill Blass shorts and called it good. This is why you go on vacation, people.

In the absence of anything resembling a bloggable outfit, I’ll share with you the thrifting and antiquing jaunt my aunt and I went on today.

First up, Granny’s Attic in South Hero:

Source.

Housed in the original town hall/Protestant church, Granny’s Attic is operated by volunteers and all proceeds benefit the community. No clothes, sadly, but here are just a few of the treasures I found (my phone ate most of my July pictures, otherwise I’d be showing you many more):

No one in my family wanted this rabbit mask except my 8-year-old cousin, whose dad vetoed it. Can’t imagine why…

The headband really makes the look:

All the vacation homes in the area must have thrown up their puzzle closets here:

If you’re looking for homewares (or puzzles), this place is chock full of ’em. I didn’t buy anything but my aunt nabbed a beautiful metal doorknocker in the shape of a butterfly for a friend’s housewarming present.

Up next, Tinker’s Barn, an antique outpost just down the road:

Full of super-interesting antiques and an incredible vintage hat collection, this place was a treasure to wade through. Well organized with all those what-the-heck-does-this-do antiques labeled, we had a great time perusing everything from linguini makers to antique snowshoes to pudding steamers. Sadly, almost all my shots of delicious hats and sumptuous wool jackets were eaten by the misbehaving phone, so here are a few from the internets to give you an idea of how well-stocked this place is:

Source.

And the two photos that survived off my phone. The first I took for a friend with a dachshund who wanted to know why this treasure wasn’t priced at $148 instead of just $48…

And I took this one because of a family joke involving marble rolling pins:

I desperately wish the hat I fell in love with had made it into pictures, but alas, it did not. It was a beautiful cherry red wool bowler, like this in shape, with very dramatic pheasant feathers:

Source.

Alas.

What are your favorite types of thrift/antique stores to hit up? Anyone been up to the Champlain Islands?

See ya tomorrow for the penultimate outfit!

Summer 10×10 Remix: Day 7 + My Entire Travel Wardrobe

Day 7: Fishing and a Concert

I wore pretty much the exact same outfit as on Day 6, because I’d only worn it for a few hours the night before. Plus, it was cold enough for pants and I only brought one pair.

Look Ma, I caught a fish!

That night we headed to a concert at the Snow Farm Winery in South Hero with cooked-on-site pizza and locally made ice cream. It was cooler with a bit of misty rain so I stuck with the same outfit pictured above.

Here’s the band setting up:

Since there wasn’t much going on clothes-wise today, I figured I’d show you what’s in my bag. As you have probably noticed, I went with a muted red, blue, and white palette to keep everything mix-and-matchable:

Lace yoke top, Old Navy; embroidered 3/4 sleeve top, Lucky Brand; striped tee, Madewell; floral tee, Old Navy; sleep shirt, no label; halter swimsuit top, Ralph Lauren; swimsuit bottoms, Target (retail); striped 3/4 length tee, Gap; red shorts, Bebe; blue shorts, Bill Blass; red pants, Bandolino; striped dress, J. Crew; hat, unlabeled; sunglasses, Ray-Ban (retail); running tank & shorts, Champion; running shoes, Champion (retail); crossbody bag, Marco Avané; sandals, Saltwater (retail). Everything thrifted unless noted otherwise. Not featured: pj shorts (thrifted), windbreaker (gift – pictured in first picture at top).

For those keeping score at home, the pieces for the Remix include: 2 3/4 sleeve tops, 2 tees, 1 sleeveless top, 2 pairs of shorts, 1 pair of pants, and a dress, for a total of 9 items (10 if you count the sandals). PJs, workout gear, and outerwear are not included.

All packed in this:

My trusty Samsonite tote inherited from my grandma. It’s at least 40 years old, maybe more.

So far I’ve been pretty happy with this mix. With laundry in both places we’ve stayed, I could easily have gotten away with less, but it’s been nice to have variety. I haven’t worn the lace yoke top yet; given the chilly temps here in Vermont, I probably should have swapped it for a lightweight sweatshirt. But my windbreaker over my longer-sleeved tees has done just fine in a pinch.

What’s your approach to a travel wardrobe in a small amount of packing space? Scroll down to share!

Summer 10×10 Remix: Day 6

As part of the Summer 10×10 remix (hosted by UnFancy and Style Bee), I’m attempting to post what I’ve been wearing each day as I live out of my suitcase on back-to-back family reunions. What’s a 10×10 remix? 10 pieces of clothing, 10 outfits, 10 days. What you count as an item is up to you (I’m not counting shoes, workout gear, outerwear) since the point isn’t following strict rules – it’s using limitations to spark creativity.

Day 6: Even More Lake

I spent the vast majority of this day in pajamas and workout gear, only getting dressed right before dinner. When there are boats to ride, a lake to swim in, gorgeous country roads to run, and s’mores to roast, why bother?

Shirt: Lucky Brand – thrifted
Red chinos: Bandolino – thrifted
Cuff bracelet: Monet jewelry – thrifted
Belt: no label – thrifted

The gardens at this lake house are quite spectacular:

Wild bachelor’s buttons and the lake on my run:

As you can see it’s been overcast but it hasn’t dampened our enthusiasm.

See ya tomorrow!

Summer 10×10 Remix: Day 5

Day 5: Lake Champlain

Hello from the Green Mountain State! After a hellish travel day involving 5 hours of flight delays and 7 hours in the car (including driving through the night), we’re now hanging out with the other side of the family in Vermont at a beautiful lake house. See the water in the background there?

That glass is full of delicious local cider which we paired with delicious local cheese. I heart you, Vermont.

Shirt: Old Navy – thrifted
Shorts: Bebe – thrifted
Cuff: Monet – thrifted
Sandals: Saltwater – retail
Sunglasses: Ray-Ban – retail

When your spouse tells you to quit posing with his glass because you’re drinking all his cider:

But you don’t listen:

I wrote this while watching my cousin clean a bass he caught on the dock. Now off to go swimming in the chilly water! I’m thinking that horrible travel day was worth it. See ya tomorrow!

Summer 10×10 Remix: Day 4

Day 4: On the Farm

I feel so fancy having a great backdrop and a real camera to capture outfits! Turns out it pays to go on vacation with people who will take outfit photos.

This isn’t our family farm, but this corn crib is similar to one that my uncle & aunt disassembled last year. The 100+ year old aged pine was turned into a beautiful table where lots of us can eat and several other cherished furniture projects.

Dress: J. Crew – thrifted
Hat: unlabeled – thrifted
Cuff bracelet: Monet – thrifted
Sandals: Saltwater (retail)
Sunglasses: Ray-Ban (retail)

This is the most comfortable dress I own – so soft, so practical (I can sit cross-legged, and it has pockets!), and it gives a great silhouette – sort of boxy on top and almost like drawstring shorts on the bottom. Paired with the straw hat and some sandals that got me through fields, barns, and water fights, it just exudes easy, summery chic.

I feel like a legit style blogger over here:

So many good memories from corn cribs like this and farm yards full of grasshoppers and monarch butterflies by day and studded with fireflies by night.

More tomorrow!

Summer 10×10 Remix: Days 2 & 3

Unsurprisingly, vacation has gotten in the way of posting my remix challenges on a daily basis – what a happy problem to have! As part of the Summer 10×10 remix (hosted by UnFancy and Style Bee), I’m attempting to post what I’ve been wearing each day as I live out of my suitcase on back-to-back family reunions.

Day 2: On the Farm

We headed straight over to the family farm and explored all our favorite spots. My preschooler was enthralled with this gravel pile – exciting!

Beautiful prairie and cornfields in the background.

Shirt: Madewell – thrifted
Shorts: Bill Blass – thrifted
Hat: unlabled – thrifted
Sandals: Saltwater – retail
Sunglasses: Ray-Ban – retail

Grain bins make a great background for your striped shirts:

I have great memories of climbing those grain bins to a small platform near the top to watch sunsets. In my biased opinion, Iowa sunsets are the best in the world.

Day 3: Color Run 5K & Family Reunion

I started off the day with a 5K through town – so much fun!

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It was the first color run I’ve done and I got some interesting looks showing up at the town pancake breakfast covered in festive accoutrement:

Tank & shorts: Champion – thrifted
Running shoes: Champion – retail. Running shoes don’t have to be expensive to work well!

After a parade, I went home to shower and then we headed back to the farm for a family reunion. Aren’t my relatives good looking?

I only got family pics, no outfit pics, so pardon the cropping out of family members:

Shirt: Madewell – thrifted
Shorts: Bebe – thrifted
Sandals, cuff, hat, sunglasses (not pictured) – same as above

On the farm no one cares if you wear the same shirt two days in a row, so I happily reused the shirt from Day 2. The beauty of a capsule/travel wardrobe that all works together is that you can swap out one component and end up with an entirely different look. (And it helps that the pheasant hunting lodge where we stayed had laundry!)

See ya tomorrow!

Summer 10×10 Remix: Day 1

Hello Thrifters! Caroline of Un-Fancy and Lee of StyleBee start their 10×10 summer wardrobe remix today, and although I didn’t have time to write up my remix selections beforehand, since I’m already living out of a totebag with 10 items (hello back-to-back family reunions!) I figured I might as well play along. (Click here to see my 10×10 spring wardrobe challenge.)

What’s a 10×10 remix? 10 pieces of clothing, 10 outfits, 10 days. What you count as an item is up to you (I’m not counting shoes, workout gear, outerwear) since the point isn’t following strict rules – it’s using limitations to spark creativity. I’m not sure this edition of the remix, will spark all that much creativity, since I’m using tried and true travel outfits. But I may be surprised…and even if I’m not, I hope you all will enjoy seeing what I wore!

Day 1 – Travel & a Hike

We’re flying from Atlanta to Minneapolis, waiting four hours to pick up my sister and her husband, then driving four hours to a family reunion in Iowa. Temps in Iowa promise to be hot, but later in the week we’re headed to Lake Champlain in Vermont, where evenings can be a bit nippy, so I’ve packed pants and a couple 3/4-length sleeve tops that will pull double-duty on the plane. (My personal thermostat runs cold, so I find airplanes chillllly.)

Ta-da:

Airport bathrooms selfies are the best.

Top: Gap

Red chinos: Bandolino

Cuff bracelet: Monet jewelry

Leather crossbody bag: Marco Avane

Everything thrifted but the Hank from Finding Dory sticker (thank you to my preschooler for color coordinating your sticker choice with my outfit).

Let’s get a proper look at that bag (and the Saltwater sandals I’m wearing all week) since I haven’t yet featured it on the blog:

Through trial and error (aka thrifting bags I never use), I’ve learned that I don’t need two similar bags just to be able to swap colors/fabric with the changing seasons, despite what fashion/the internet says.

But when I saw this bag, it occurred to me that I might find a different size bag useful – for example when I am not with my kid or at work.

It fits my wallet, phone, chapstick, and sunglasses.

This considerably narrows the window of when I might actually use said bag, but I can at least dream of weekly date nights and the occasional girls’ weekend, right?

Turns out it’s come in handy for more than that, though – we are flying with baggage restrictions (one personal item per person, thank you Spirit), and this puppy packs down into my tote bag (pictured on the post linked above).

So far I’ve loved carrying a lighter bag around although the kid stuff (snacks, books, great white shark puppet) has to fit in my tote.

During our wait in Minneapolis we drove over to the Fort Snelling State Park, located about 5 minutes from the airport, and went for a short hike. We spotted turkey vultures, turkeys, goldfinches, cardinals, bluejays, bluebirds, and downy woodpeckers and generally enjoyed being out of confined spaces. For this expedition I changed into running clothes and sneakers so I could sweat in peace.

More to come tomorrow, assuming I have internet access! In the meantime, tell me if you are doing the 10×10 challenge this time and your tips for getting away with a smaller bag.

What I Wore: Floating Crop Top & Saltwater Sandals

If you had asked me whether I would ever wear (let alone title a post with) something that could be called a crop top, I would have laughed – and bet money against you. Although I wore some shortish things in my youth, as an adult I’m just not into exposing my midriff (my mother is sighing with relief – I’m sure from her perspective it was a near thing for awhile there).

Now, though, I guess I owe myself some theoretical money:

What is happening??

Sleeveless top: Dahlia – thrifted
Chrysanthemum skirt: no label – thrifted
Necklace: DIY from thrifted parts
Bracelet: Monet – thrifted
Sandals: Saltwater by Hoy – retail

But actually, theoretical me comes out on top because while this appears to be a crop top…

…it’s actually a faux crop:

Secret under layer!

You may recognize this top in all its glory from my summer wardrobe:

I paired it with a high-waisted skirt and simply tucked in the lower layer et voilà, an apparent crop top that gives me a whole new silhouette whose breezy floatiness pairs perfectly with hot summer weather:

A little DIY necklace action:

That’s a dolphin down there in case you can’t tell.

Cuff closeup:

Closeup on that chrysanthemum pattern:

We’re headed to a lake next week for a family reunion and I own no waterproof shoes. My Clarks sandals were also starting to hurt one foot – they have pretty solid arch support but can’t snug tight enough around my narrow feet to keep the arch in place. (My feet are also slightly different sizes, which means one foot was hurting but not the other. Go figure.)

So I decided to try out Saltwaters, a waterproof sandal that’s also chic enough for work. Check out the lovely caramel color and gold buckle (and ignore my straggly toenail polish):

That chic ankle strap holds things in place enough that my super-narrow feet don’t move around even though the footbed is wider than I need. You will notice a few little spots on them – this is how they look after a trip to the playground unexpectedly turned into some delightfully muddy trail exploring. These babies did really well – a swipe with a damp cloth afterwards and they were like new. I also wore them on the 4th to throw a football in a field in the rain (do we detect a pattern of weather-related adventures?) and then wore them to work the next day without any cleaning. BAM.

They don’t have any arch support but since I’ve been happily wearing sneakers without any arch, I figured maybe having no arch support at all was better than an arch support sticking me in the wrong place. A Google search confirmed I have normal arches and should be able to make no-support work. We’ll see long-term.

I bought mine online and paid about $50 – not unexpected for decent quality sandals. If you buy some, make sure to pay attention to the women’s size, not the kid’s size – mine run true to the women’s size listed. (Apparently ModCloth lists the size differently than the rest of the internet, so shopper beware.) They’re sometimes made in the USA (I can’t tell from website whether my particular style was – I hope it was for labor conditions). Many reviews say to soak them in water first, then mold to your footbed – I haven’t had time to try this out yet.

Have you tried Saltwaters? Would you wear a “crop” top – or an actual crop top? Scroll down to share!

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