Updates: 1.5 Years in the Making!

So much has happened in the last 1.5 - 2 years it's crazy! I want to write this update because I want to start blogging again and I think at this point some updates are necessary! Though it may seem like I've forgotten about Broken Clouds it has always been on my mind and I always knew I would come back to this blog someday. I'm working on a new platform and style for my blog (and copying over my old content) so that will debut with my next post. I'm doing things in steps so it may be a month (hopefully not longer) before I have the new site and new content up but I'm pretty excited for all of this!

Now on to the updates: first I moved back to Boston, went back to school, and got a job! The rest I would like to do in pictures (because let's be real that's far more fun and interesting).

So, in the last 1.5 years I...

Met this guy:

This is Doug, he's great :) 

Got a job working for a vintage inspired clothing company: 

See the clothes here

Some pictures of me at the office 

Participated in some photo shoots: 

Styled a lot of outfits:

Some for work

and some for myself

(which I documented through terribly blurry mirror pics)

Worked on some great photo shoots & lookbooks: 

Ate/drank/instagrammed (oh hey follow me! @brokenclouds) things at many great places: 

Styled a lot of clothes & accessories:

Wrote some blog posts:

Read these here, here, & here (there are more that I might share later)

And of course my shopping addiction is still alive and well: 

Many other things have happened but this is a pretty decent update of what my life has been like for the past few years! I look forward to sharing more in future posts.

If you care to please follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, & Chictopia. I am obsessed with Pinterest and I pin and instagram fairly often!

It has been brought to my attention by the above mentioned guy that I look really pissed off/miserable in most of my old blog photos. At first I was like WHAT! NO I DON'T! but after going through all of them for the new site I realized this is true yikes! I think I'm a much happier & more content person now than I was a few years ago so I hope that shows through in my future posts & pictures. 

I hope to have new posts and a new layout to share with you in a few weeks. If anyone has any questions feel free to leave me a comment :)

I'm Back!

Yes, you heard that right! I took a totally unplanned 6 month break and now I'm back. I promise never to do that again and I hope that by stating it here I will stick to it. So readers, feel free to harass me if I start lagging again. This is of course assuming that I still have any readers left, which I'm sure I don't. I would insert the obligatory "only my mom reads my blog" joke here but my mom doesn't know how to use a computer and thus has no idea what a blog is so she doesn't read it either (yes I'm totally serious).

I guess life just got in the way for awhile. I needed to focus on other things and re-prioritize before I could make this blog a priority again. I'm happy to say that I believe I can truly do this now and I am excited to start blogging again. It will take me a little while to get up to speed though so I am going to shoot for 1 post a week and slowly increase from there.

I haven't taken outfit pictures in a long time and I am trying to set up my apt. so that I have some good space to take photos. In the mean time though here are some outfit pictures I took this summer while living in St. Louis (I'm in Boston now) but never posted. More on the outfit after the pictures.

Note to Self: Learn to Look Less Awkward in Pictures

I think I wore this outfit on a date but I also wore it several other times so I'm not sure when I took these. I love this outfit for summer, it's so girly. I have tried to wear it with tights and boots this fall but it just isn't the same (though it's still cute). This dress has little bows on it and I searched high and low for a dress like this. In the summer of 2010 I saw a girl on Newbury St (in Boston) wearing a blue dress with little white bows on it and I wanted it immediately. This past summer I found it at H&M! Given the time-lapse this version must be a knockoff of a more expensive dress but I've never seen it anywhere again.

Well, wasn't that a nice little trip down memory lane to make us all jealous of warm summer weather. I'm glad to be back and you can expect more posts to come. Including more "I Made This Posts" as I get back into making things, and posts like "How to Dress Attractively in Winter (if it's even possible)", plus many other projects etc. Oh and in case anyone doubts my re-devotion to this blog, I actually jumped out of the shower to write down this whole post on paper so I wouldn't forget it (so there).

~ Dress: H&M
~ Lace Slip (underneath): Nordstrom Rack
~ Belt: Vintage
~ Shoes: Born (bought at Macy's)
~ Blue Bracelet on Left Hand: Ettika
~ All Other Bracelets: Made by Me
~ Necklace: Stephanie Wiarda
~ Nail Polish: L'Oreal Paris-Lady Luck (fingers and toes)

Casualties

I run into this issue all the time. If I am wearing a dress people automatically say, "Oh you look dressed up". It seems like our culture has just completely fallen victim to (very) casual dressing and "comfortable" clothing. Personally, I think it is a real shame. I love to get dressed up but I often feel self conscious about being over dressed. I suppose it's something I should get over since I don't plan on going more casual anytime soon. My question is have things gotten so bad that even a simple dress is considered "dressy"? Am I just supposed to wear jeans everyday? Also don't even get me started on men not dressing up anymore. That subject is going to take an entire post for itself. This topic frustrates me more than it probably should. Here is an example of an outfit  I wore recently that I consider casual but that many people (outside of fashion anyway) consider dressier.

Photo taken by my sister

Now I'm not saying that you couldn't sort of dress this dress up but it's pretty casual to me! Anyway, enough ranting, on to the outfit. It's pretty simple, just a dress, I probably should have belted it but it was just too hot out to even wear a leather belt. The funny thing about this dress is that I found it in Portland Oregon but they only had 1 left in a large and I carried it all over the store looking for more. Then when I was in Portland Maine I found it in my size. So, I figured it was meant to be! I only accessorized it with the crossbody bag and some casual bracelets. I love these sandals, they have quickly become one of my favorite pairs because they add color to any outfit. They are not the most comfortable for long distances though. They crack me up because they are from Target's Mossimo line but they are an exact knock off of a Dolce Vita sandal at the same time that Target is doing a collaboration with Dolce Vita. Oh Target, you crafty SOBs. I think I am going to take our societies turn towards casual and comfort as a challenge to dress up more. I'm tackling the big issues here people. Look at me go. Now if only it wasn't so hot out :\

~ Dress: Forever 21
~ Bag: Vintage
~ Blue Bracelet on Left: Ettika
~ All Other Bracelets: Made by Me
~ Sandals: Mossimo for Target
~ Sunglasses: KISS via Buffalo Exchange
~ Nail Polish: Revlon-Plum Seduction (fingers), L'Oreal Paris-Lady Luck (toes)

To Be Mine...

My 25th birthday was a few weeks ago and I fully believe that people should buy themselves birthday presents if they wish. So, for the last few years (as birthdays get less fun) I have tried to buy myself a present for my birthday. This year I knew just what I wanted to get...One of the fluorescent bags from The Cambridge Satchel Company. They supposedly take about 3 weeks to make and deliver (plus I got my initials embossed on it) so I ordered it in advance. However, the fluorescent bags are so popular that they are taking extra long to make so I don't have mine yet :( Apparently they will be in next week so hopefully I will get mine soon after. I could not contain my excitement to receive my bag any longer so I had to share it on the blog now! I chose the fluorescent pink bag in the 11" (the smallest) size since I think a giant pink bag is a little much. Here is what it will look like:

These are the other fluorescent colors that it comes in as well as the pink. The larger sizes have the little name plates on the front but my 11" wont. These bags come in many non fluorescent colors as well. I just couldn't resist the pink though!

Larger version of the pink:

I imagine I will probably want a larger size of these that will fit my computer for the fall but for now this size and color are exactly what I want in a summer bag. As I mentioned before it is nice to carry only the very essentials in the summer and be freed from the burden of a large purse. I can't wait for my satchel to arrive and I will post pictures of it then. Happy Birthday to me!!!

New Places, Faces, and Fashions

This is my first post where the pictures were actually taken in St. Louis. I may have mentioned just once or twice that it has been over 90 degrees almost every day since I got here (shoot me if I mention the weather again haha). Thus, I have found that dresses are the only way to go if you are going to have to go outside for even 10 minutes. I don't love really hot weather (shoot me) so it is a real challenge for me not to look sweaty and gross for most of the day (attractive huh?). This outfit is made of things purchased recently (before I left Portland) and this was my first time wearing them. I am also experimenting with where/how to take pictures here so bear with me. I do not have a tripod at the moment which is why my foot is cut off in one of the pictures. What can I say, I am nothing if not professional.

Photo by me

Photo taken by my sister

 I felt that the blue chambray dress was too revealing for my day so I decided to put this white blouse with lace panels over it. The whole silhouette of the outfit was super billowy though and I like a cinched/emphasized waist so I belted the whole thing. During the day I wore the outfit with flat sandals to brunch with my sister and her family. Then to the mall for a little shopping. In the evening I switched to these gold heels (suuuper comfortable!) to go out to dinner with some friends. It is easy to feel really dressed up in St. Louis because most people do not dress up here. I'm trying not to let that intimidate me out of looking good though. It is also freezing inside malls, movie theaters, and restaurants because of the serious air conditioning. So, I find I have to bring a sweater with me every where to wear inside. This always annoys me but I experienced it when I lived in Houston too so I was prepared. The upside is people don't shop a ton here so all the stores have great stuff that would sell out quickly in other cities. Just what I needed...more excuses to go shopping. I can't wait to find the thrift stores here once I have some time. I'm pretty sure they are going to have great stuff. Over all I am happy with this wardrobe combination that I threw together. I think this white blouse is going to be very versatile this summer in my wardrobe.

~ Blouse: Iris Basics thrifted from Buffalo Exchange
~ Dress: H&M
~ Belt: Nordstrom
~ Bracelets: Made by Me
~ Shoes: Born (via Macy's)

Lift Off

While I was in Maine I planned to take a bunch of outfit pictures but of course I ended up taking none. These pictures weren't meant to be an outfit post but I liked them and you can see what I am wearing so I figured they are better than having nothing to show! Excuse my goofy expressions since I am in motion in the shots. They were taken at a lovely park that overlooks the ocean which is very cool. My inner child loves to swing because it gives me a tiny rush and it was amazing to swing high and see the water. We rode bikes along the water to this park which was also fun, I have missed riding a bike more than I expected. As I said in an earlier post it was still pretty chilly so I had to wear boots and a sweater.

I was inspired to wear black and white by the Chanel contest video that we made the day before this because black and white is one of the things Chanel is known for. I love these leggings with the faux leather panels down the side. I really never want to wear regular leggings again, even to yoga. I may try to invest in a more expensive pair for the fall since these are already starting to wear out (I do wear them a lot!). I was worried that my fringed boots might get caught in the chain of the bike I was riding but I had no problem whatsoever riding in this outfit. The purse I am wearing in these pics is very small but I find that I can actually get used to carrying a small purse for the spring and summer when I don't want to be weighed down by a giant bag. Since my trip to Maine I have been carrying this bag quite a lot so expect to see it more often. The white dress is cute, with it's ruffled front and triple crossed back straps (not pictured). It is originally from Urban Outfitters I think but I found it at a thrift store in perfect condition. It is very sheer though so to wear it in the summer I have to find a full slip to go under it and I cannot find a good one anywhere! I know most women don't wear slips anymore but come on sometimes you have to! Is it too much to ask for a cute one? All they make now are spanx type slips which I don't want and would probably be really uncomfortable in the 90 degree weather I am living in.

Can I mention the weather anymore in all my recent posts? What can I say, it is one of the most important factors for choosing clothing, in my opinion anyway. 

All photos in this post taken by Patrick Russell

~ Sweater: Target
~ Dress: Pins and Needles
~ Leggings: Urban 1972
~ Boots: Chinese Laundry
~ Purse: Vintage

I am finally getting back to regular posting and I hope to keep it up for good!

Paris Fashion Week Favorites

I know I am very delayed in getting this post up but it is better late than never. Plus, since this is about the Fall/Winter 2011 shows I figure it's ok for it to go up late. The Paris shows were by FAR my favorites. Looking back on the pictures now makes me want to wear fall clothing despite it being 90+ degrees here. I will definitely be using these pictures as inspiration for my fall wardrobe. There are also a lot of pictures in this post so instead of making it 2 posts I am going to do a page break so interested people can click through to see the rest of my pictures and reasons for choosing them. I also put some detail shots in for a couple of the shows since accessories are important as well!

Andrew Gn

Azzaro

Cacharel

Chanel

Chanel

Chloe

Dior

Dior

Dior

Dior

Dior

Dior

Dries Van Noten

Dries Van Noten

Alexis Mabille

Elie Saab

 Click through for more