June 13, 2016
by Julia DiNardo
Man, do I love a white summer dress. Be it crisp white, cream, eggshell, ivory, or light beige, guaranteed, I’m into it. I purchased this one in February in anticipation of warmer weather ahead, and although I wore it during a trip to Florida during that month, I couldn’t wait to truly christen it in NYC when the weather consistently reached above 80 degrees. And here we are! To make it extra special, I paired the trio of bracelets that I wore on my wedding day with it, and decked out with bright red lips, toes, and hair… I could surely be in the right color scheme for the 4th of July.
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June 6, 2016
by Julia DiNardo
As the title suggests, here’s three things I bet you didn’t know about me:
- I always swap out my winter clothes for the summer attire the 1st weekend in June, every June.
- June is also my favorite month (and my birthday month!), as fickle as it can be, with the occasional summer rain downpour.
- Peonies are my favorite flower (pictured in this look), which, sadly, have a short blooming season, ending in early June.
This look is fully ready for the June rain, which consistently comes down on my birthday, every other year, without fail. With a 50% chance of it happening, I really don’t want it to “rain on my parade,” but just in case it does…I’m equipped for it! My pants wick away moisture, the sandals are tasked with navigating city sidewalks without a single “hydroplaning” incident,while my tote bag will repel the rain and conceal my umbrella, just like the champ that it is. June, you are great, I clearly love you, but when you’re fickle…I will be prepared!
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October 19, 2015
by Julia DiNardo
I always want to put forth my best self, be it mentally, physically, or sartorially. No matter the activity or challenge, I want to be well-prepared and dressed for the occasion, which may involve a shoe switch or two. Pictured above is how I dressed for my trip to the Adirondacks; I was decked out in Columbia gear that was prepared to repel any kind of wetness the weather threw at me, but depending on where we were, in a town or hiking trails, all I had to do was swap out my shoes in order to blend in. It was such an easy switch to make, and although I saw many-a-folk hiking in inappropriate footwear, like flip flips, before, the last thing I knew I wanted to worry about or be distracted by on this trip was my feet.
Now, back to the city: casual but still pulled together, a bit of a chunky heel, with a hiking-style boot resting on top is what I will wear the most, since this is my usual “natural habitat.” What I love about these shoes is that they have that hiking boot vibe, with my city-centric needs met via a stable, sturdy heel being, not too high or spindly, and great with boyfriend jeans or skinny pants. I’m working on merging my country and city style sensibilities, but for now, we will have to keep plenty of great footwear options within reach.
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August 3, 2015
by Julia DiNardo
[Photos by Giafrese]
This past weekend, I was reading a fascinating article in The Wall Street Journal about time capsules; it addressed the fact that it’s human nature to want to to preserve artifacts from our culture, and revel in the wonder of what the future may bring. The focus of the feature was that time capsules are oftentimes forgotten, or lost, due to poor record keeping and no maps created in order to find them in the future. Coincidentally, I ended up being at Flushing Meadows Park this weekend (in 1938 a time capsule was buried for the 1939 New York World’s Fair), which was part of the fairgrounds for the 1964 World’s Fair. My mom, who attended, said that everything was cool and just so incredible, remembering it all so vividly over fifty years later, and remarking that she had the memory of the desire to “live in the future.”
I got to thinking about time and style, and as much as we want to be forward-thinking and embracing of new exciting technologies, we constantly look to the past for reference and inspiration. Fashion is such a huge example of this, as what comes around, goes around, and styles from the past are constantly revived and updating. Just the act of fashion blogging itself merges the concept of a time capsule into a digital version; looking back at my personal style pieces helps me to very clearly catalog what I was wearing from years prior. This form of “style time capsule” is so fascinating, and I look forward to seeing how it evolves as the technology that we use to record it changes; chances are, in some shape or form, what we where and how we wear it will always be a subject of curiosity.
In this look, I’m wearing a mix of pieces that involve both the past and present, at once sentimental and utilitarian. It’s easy to look at the “ghosts of your wardrobe’s past,” and find plenty of nostalgia rife with conversation starters!
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