15 Outfits for August 2018

Dear Reader, I hope you can't tell how absolutely over it I was when I took this batch of photos. It was "the hottest day in August," as the song goes, and between posing, changing, and running back and forth between my tripod, it's a wonder the main feature of this spread wasn't my shiny, sweaty brow! I got so lazy by the end, I phoned it in on two work staples and used previously shot images. To be fair, I've photographed these particular items about five times now and am running out of innovative ways to style them. Without further adieu, here is my sampler wardrobe for the month of August, which up until this mini heatwave has been practically perfect in every way.

As predicted in my last post, the work portion of my wardrobe stayed the same as it has since summer started. I'm happy to report that rather than getting bored with my pieces, the constancy has blessed me with much peace of mind. My getting-ready process is essentially figuring out which top I wore least recently, rotating my bottom pieces the same way, and accessorizing as the mood strikes me. I'll be happy to see my cooler weather pieces again, but in truth I could probably wear these for the rest of the year and be pretty satisfied. Conclusion: A rotating capsule wardrobe is ideal for the day job portion of my life.

Meanwhile, over in the creative sector, I've been incorporating two lovely new pieces, both of which were generously handed down to me from two stylish ladies in my life. One, the white sweater (pictured here with white denim shorts), is made from the floatiest, loveliest material -- cool enough to be worn on an 80-degree day -- and has cheeky little buttons down the back. Two people (men, naturally) have already speculated I have it on backwards, which elevates it to "statement piece" status as far as I'm concerned. The other piece is this dreamy pale blue tulle skirt, something I never would have thought to purchase for myself but immediately fell in love with as soon as I put it on. It's got me feeling like Ballerina-Cinderella, which is really my main goal in life. 

Constructing my wardrobe this month was pretty straightforward; I stuck with the exact same number and mostly same ratio of items. The summer work trouser I was seeking seduced me into H&M for the first time in ages, but I couldn't justify the purchase value-wise*, particularly outside of their conscious collection. So I'll just have to hope I come across them in a thrift shop one day.

While September will no doubt remain very warm, I'm thrilled to be inching closer to long sleeves and cozy knits again. Scrolling through Instagram, I envy my PNW friends, who are already donning beanies and jeans while I cower beneath the sweaty arm of a fellow train passenger and pray the AC doesn't break down mid-commute. Sigh. At least I look like Cinderella. Maybe I can befriend some of New York's finest subway rats...

'Til fall! 

*Value-wise meaning captial-V values, not cost-value. H&M is of course quite affordable.