Thomas's good friend from France was visiting a couple of weeks ago and while it was a really nice visit, now that he's gone I can wear my new semi-embarrassing French slogan tees and sweater from Joanie. I mean, there's nothing really wrong with these tops, but it is a bit difficult to wear them with a cliche beret while having to look an actual French person in the face who knows full well you can't even pronounce the most basic French words properly! In my defense my studies of German and Japanese did not prepare me for the popularity of French words on clothes, but how can any bread lover not enjoy baguette pun tee? Of course, because I'm a shorty most of the pun is hidden in my skirt! Still cute though. This outfit also worked well with my Bonjour sweater, but it hasn't been cool enough to wear--which is something I almost never get to say since I moved to Ireland!
P.S. You can get 20% off this awesome circle bag by Bell&Fox with code "clotheshorse20" or use it on another lovely purse in their shop! The circle purse comes in a variety of colors and they also have a fox crossbody!

Clothes definitely add a certain "mood" to my day. Put me in a trench coat and beret and I'll be feeling mysterious like a spy for most of the day. Try on a tulle skirt and flats and I'll probably be reliving my childhood ballet fantasies. Given the opportunity I will dress for the occasion; nautical clothes to go by the seaside, dramatic long dresses when exploring ancient stone circles, etc. A woman in the right clothes is prepared for anything. This however was not the case when Thomas and I went to the movies last night (half price Tuesdays woo-hoo!) and on the way he decided to stop and get a milkshake from his favorite shop. Since movie theaters usually frown on you bringing your own food inside he asked me to smuggle his milkshake inside in my purse...My new, perfectly round circle purse from Bell&Fox. This is not the purse you carry when you plan on smuggling a milkshake into a movie theater! My novelty popcorn purse would have been perfect--on theme for the location and a flat bottom and firm sides that would prevent any milkshake spilling. But a circle purse? Totally impractical for a milkshake and not within theme at all. Still, I reluctantly agreed to attempt to carry the contraband, using the contents of my purse to try to build a base around the milkshake and worrying the whole time we stood in line that my purse was being ruined and a tell-tale leak of strawberry milkshake would soon betray us. We did manage to pull of the con, purse and milkshake unscathed!
P.S. Get 20% off any Bell&Fox purse that catches your fancy with code "aclotheshorse20" milkshakes, thankfully, not included.

I might run a fashion blog and be rather familiar with regular picture-taking, but I still find myself quite intimidated by the odd garment or two. You see, I'm quite the opposite of everything I picture a model to be and at 5'1" I think many styles are beyond my scope. Some of those dramatic bell sleeves that are popular right now? I think they dwarf my frame. Ditto on so-called mom jeans or really most of the recent denim trends--although I did give Thomas laugh when I tried on a regrettable pair of "girlfriend fit" Levis. So when this dress arrived in the mail with tier upon tier of bright yellow gingham ruffles I wasn't sure I was ever going to wear it out of the house! In some ways it's a combination of a lot of things I can't get enough of--yellow! gingham! romantic ruffles! But maybe too much of a good thing, like trying to eat three desserts at once. But I persevered to at least give it a solid go. Nothing like some can-do spirit in the wardrobe department. I cinched on my thickest belt, threw on my beaten-up flats and headed out into the sunshine. As I was setting up my tripod to snap these pictures the loveliest older lady walked by and complimented me on my outfit. She said I looked so lovely someone, "should be taking pictures of you!" I didn't tell her I was about to take pictures of myself, since that's a bit difficult to explain to the non-blog indoctrinated, but it was just the compliment I needed to slip into my faux-modeling mindset and start snapping away. I think I will be wearing this dress out of the house again...

Did I ever mention how summer clothes are my favorite? I don't really look forward to throwing on a swimsuit, but simple little dresses in happy colors? Those are my jam! I think it's freeing to dress so simple as well, lets you focus on other things. So I basically ironed this buttercup dress from Margu the second it arrived in the mail and threw it on to go enjoy our oft-fleeting sunshine. I love the classic design of this dress and the fit is a dream--I want one in every color (and it does come in two other colors) and it feels good to be wearing something handmade with sustainable materials. Margu is feminine, slight retro, with an emphasis on ethical production from organic cotton to thoughtfully sourced notions. To me it's the sort of dress that becomes a vintage dress one day; it's how I imagine a lot of my favorite vintage dresses began. Well made and classic in design it seems like something that would last generations and make me merely the first wearer of this dress on its journey. It's so interesting when you go vintage shopping and you wonder who owned something before you and where they wore it; I love shops that actually know the stories of their garments and pin little pictures and stories to their tags. It would be wonderful if a modern dress like this can become part of that legacy; it probably won't happen with most high-street pieces you purchased, but an independently designed dress might just be something that can be passed through generations and worn for years and years to come.
P.S. The buttercup version of this dress is sold out, but you can still get this classic dress in cream or navy check.

I've been working on a little freelance project on the side that has me thinking of the colors and mood of each month. In my mind May is a softer green with loads of pink highlights (think apple blossoms) and bright glowing evenings. It's easing us into summer when the sun doesn't set until 10PM and you want every meal to be a picnic.