Fashion Blog - Melodic, Thrifty & Chic

Rainbow Dreamsicle (Frock Challenge!) - Part 4/8

8/13/2013

Hey, I said I would wear a dress and I'm wearing a dress. Hehe. Yes, it is a bit covered up here, but I mean, I just couldn't help myself! :F~ Wearing the dress by itself would have been soooo booooring. And, as you can see, I decided to break out my trusty zeroUV sunglasses. I love these babies. :D

My partner and I went out for dinner at a great restaurant we hadn't been to before. The scallops were so good. Omg, you guys. I love seafood something fierce. It's the Jamaican in me, I guess. Haha.

He was kind enough to snap these photos just before we left. I was feeling pretty carefree and whatnot, so I decided to use colors and patterns to show off my good mood. I really enjoyed this mix in prints! :P

Omfg, you guys. I'm looking STRAIGHT into the camera! WHAT?! I don't know what has come over me. This will not happen often, so make sure you do the old right-click-save on that one. Haha. :P

Gosh, I'm an idiot. Anyway, coming up are just some additional shots of my outfit and my awesome satchel and shoes. For these, I parted with my sunglasses and donned my trusty nerd specs. And and and...I'm showing some bare leg, in case you haven't noticed. Hehe. Ooh la la. o_O O_o <3

I've had this polka dot dress for about three years, I think. This is my third time wearing it. I wore it on my birthday in 2010 when I first got it, then again on Valentine's Day in Costa Rica in February 2012 and now. :P It's a great style! It is a vintage inspired design with an A-line cut and cap sleeves.

I'm also sporting my favorite pair of lace brogues from UrbanOG. They're so comfortable and perfect for walking around downtown on a warm evening. I think they rounded off the outfit beautifully. :D

zeroUV - Mirror Lens Retro Aviator Sunglasses in Black Violet
Thrifted - ModCloth Polka Dot Dress (Birthday Gift)
& ModCloth Retro Striped Sweater (Sale)***
c/o Fleet Collection - Sterling Camelot Bracelet
TIL Darling - Braided Wrap Watch in Cream
VJ Style - Yellow Cambridge Satchel
UrbanOG - Black Lace Brogues

*** Because I love myself. ;P Inside joke. Anna knows what I mean. 8/14/13

♫ Thank you so much for your comments! Though I may not respond to each one, I read and appreciate all of them! ♫

36 Comments

Keiti link

8/12/2013 07:32:19 pm

Looking at the cameraaaa!!! Welcome to the club, you're now officially a "fancy poses" blogger :D
Crazy look dear, love the pop of color of the satchel and your rainbow sweater.
I luuuf seafood too, especially clams, mmmmm ^_^

Anna

8/13/2013 02:51:08 am

I wonder if clams are anything like mussels in taste? I've never had clams before. I loooove mussels, though! :DDD <3

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Elena

8/12/2013 08:37:07 pm

Great outfit! Beautiful shoes!

Good luck!
<a href="http://vgolove1.blogspot.ru/"> vgolove1.blogspot.ru </a>

Anna

8/13/2013 05:29:41 am

<3 <3 <3

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mateaTpol link

8/13/2013 01:38:45 am

I just ordered one polka dot dress so I hope that you wouldnt mind if I take your ideas to style it! ;) that so amazing with that sweather, here is just to hot for layering!

Anna

8/13/2013 02:52:03 am

Rad! Yeah, steal away. Hehe. Can't wait to see what you come up with! :D <3

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Emily Price link

8/13/2013 02:10:43 am

I was shopping on ModCloth and I saw you featured! I was so excited! You look super adorable here. Your face in that first picture is awesome. The rainbow stripes are so fun. You used all of the potential for playfulness that little dress had in it.

May the Force be with you.
Emily

Anna

8/13/2013 05:27:34 am

Oh! Rad! Thanks for the heads up! :D That last bit made me laugh. Yes, I did feel as though I had squeezed every possible bit of goodness out of the dress. Haha. <3

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Purple Ivy link

8/13/2013 03:23:29 am

Loving the pops of colours here and how subtle it is.

xoxo
Ivy
http://www.purrpleivy.com/

Anna

8/13/2013 05:29:00 am

Hey! Thanks <3 I think this is the loudest outfit I've worn in a while, colorwise. I hope it's not too subtle, otherwise it would appear that I failed miserably at injecting more color into my outfits. Haha. :P

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Kristian link

8/13/2013 04:46:10 am

I like the look though am wondering how you are not dying of heat stroke. Cute though.

Anna

8/13/2013 05:33:24 am

It was 75 and gorgeous :D Another reason for my happy face Haha! If I lived in Arizona or Texas I might have worn something else. ;D

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Brittney link

8/13/2013 05:12:52 am

Seafood lovers unite! Not loving seafood is a dealbreaker for me in a relationship, actually. I know, I'm so shallow.

I love this outfit---you're selling it beautifully with that gorgeous smile. I can spend days on the UrbanOG website, hunting for shoes. Brogues are also on my fall wishlist!

Brittney

anotherbeautifulthing.blogspot.com

Anna

8/13/2013 09:12:58 am

Yes! I'm the same way! I feel like shoes is really what UrbanOG does best. I check the shoe section pretty much every week. I love all the shoes I've bought from them. The shipping is a bit high and the return shipping costs can be a bit of a pain, though. :P

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Anya

8/13/2013 08:28:59 am

You say the sweater and dress are thrifted, but I found you through ModCloth's website which states that you bought them there. ModCloth isn't a thrift store, so which is it? Or am I misunderstanding something (it's quite possible that's it a reading comprehension fail on my part)?

Anna

8/13/2013 09:09:39 am

Hey, Anya! :D No, you're right. This sweater is sold by ModCloth and I purchased it at a steep discount. I consider anything deeply discounted (or under $25) to be a thrift find, whether it's designer or local fare. :P So, I guess it's more of a semantic issue than anything else.

Oh and I'm also part of a clothing swap group and the ladies in the group LOVE ModCloth. So, I've gotten lots of ModCloth items through that group. I also consider those purchases and trades as "thrift finds." So, it can be a little confusing. Haha. I figured it would be easier just to use one classification for those types of items.

If you ever want to know where I purchased any of the items I'm wearing in any of my posts, feel free to ask! I'm happy to help out! <3

Oh and thank you for visiting my blog! If you have a blog, leave the link and I'll take a look!

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Anya

8/13/2013 11:27:52 pm

Hey, thanks for the thoughtful response! After I commented I was worried I seemed too bitchy, but you were very nice about it.

I have to respectfully disagree with your use of the word "thrift", though, and maybe it just seems so weird to me because I found your site through ModCloth and knew that both the sweater and dress were sold there. Like, they marked on your photo that those were ModCloth items and you attributed them differently, yeah?

In my opinion, listing where you got the item shouldn't just be where you literally got it. At the very least, also mention where we could find it also if you know. I know with thrifted items there isn't always a tag. Like, I could say that the shoes I'm wearing are from my brother's girlfriend, but that's not helpful to anyone else. You can't just pop over to her closet and pick up a pair.

Anya

8/13/2013 11:41:01 pm

Cont.

Lastly, I'm not in the field of fashion, but I thought "thrift" meant, like, Goodwill? If I got something on sale at JCPenney, I wouldn't call it a thrifted item. But, I get that it's semantics, like you said. To me, it's more important to know where other people can find it, too.

Whoowhee. Never in a million years did I think I'd have so much to say about a freaking sweater. Again, thanks for the thoughtful response. I'm not a blogger, so I can't leave a link, but I can say that my name is actually Anna, too! So, from one Anna to another, thanks for letting me ramble (and you look darling, as you know).

Anna

8/14/2013 02:17:37 am

(Part 1)
Right on! No worries! I understand your concern and I take your concerns about this very seriously, because it never occurred to me until yesterday that my consolidation of items purchased as deep discounts and items received from my swap group as thrift items could be problematic. So, I appreciate that you brought this to my attention!

You inspired me to talk to several people about this, yesterday and we all came to the consensus that you and I are both right. Haha.

Basically, you are right that the term thrifting is used in connection with shopping at so-called thrift and/or charity shops. This makes sense, because the term thrift literally means "frugal" or "cheap" so a thrift store is literally a "cheap store." The people that go to these shops are usually those who are looking for steep discounts that they can't find at, say, a department store.

However, you don't have to confine yourself to a charity shop or thrift store to be frugal about your money. There are on-line thrift stores now! I didn't even know that until a couple weeks ago. :P Also, I think you can be frugal about your money and be a good "thrifter" without having to shop at a thrift store. The aim for thrifters is to save money! The literal definition of thrift is: "The quality of using money and other resources carefully and not wastefully." (Merriam Webster's definition). This is what my blog tries to celebrate! I believe that anyone can take an article of clothing and make it look chic, expensive and interesting, regardless of cost. I always say, "cost is tangential, style is essential." :DDD

Anna

8/14/2013 02:18:18 am

(Part 2)

So, in that regard my use of the word thrift in this case also happens to be correct, as I am using it in its most literal sense. By saying I thrifted something, I'm saying that I paid substantially less than I would have paid had I purchased the item at its suggested retail value. In my mind, I can do that at a physical thrift shop or at an on-line shop, or even an JC Penney, as you mentioned.

If the goal of thrifting is to spend your money carefully and wisely so as to avoid wasteful expenditures, then I don't think it matters whether I got the item from a big retailer or an on-line clothing giant like ModCloth. What matters is that I got the item(s) cheaply. Hehe. It takes a lot of effort to watch for on-line sales, too. I scour sites for hours every day to make sure I'm on top of price drops and I keep track of annual sales on my calendar. I'm pretty proud of that, actually. Maybe I'm a little neurotic, also. Haha. It's worth it to save money, IMO.

Anna

8/14/2013 02:19:14 am

(Part 3)

As for revealing the sources of the clothing I’m wearing, I think that is a comparatively more important issue and I agree with you that it is important to let people know where I got these items! After thinking about what you said, I am going to make more of an effort to include where I got the thrifted items rather than just say that I thrifted them. So, for example, I’ll say:
Thrifted – ModCloth Louche Rainbow Sweater (Swap Group)
That way, I give more information, i.e. that I not only got this item at a steep discount, but that I also got the item which happens to be sold at ModCloth from my clothing swap group. Maybe that will help with the transparency problem. Please know, however, that sometimes I just can’t remember where I thrifted something. Haha. I mean, I have a Fresh Prince T-Shirt from almost 10 years ago that I love and that I thrifted at a store, but I have no idea what store that was now. So, if I have parentheticals for some items, but not others, please don’t think that I’m hiding the ball. I’m doing the best I can! It’s very likely that I just can’t remember. However, as I said before, if anyone wants to know where I bought something, all they have to do is ask! I’ll always do my best to point her in the right direction, if I can!

Anna

8/14/2013 02:21:12 am

(Part 4)

And don't feel like a bitch for bringing this up! Haha <3 You did a great thing, because I'm thinking more carefully about the information I provide and how it is conveyed. I really do want to clear up this confusion and if I can do that by adding just a little more context to my posts, then I certainly will do it!

I wish more people would contact me about things like this, because this stuff really is important! I appreciate that you went out of your way to let me know about this, Anna! <3

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Sian DeCiantis

8/13/2013 11:08:27 am

You look amazing in these pics and the colours in the jumper make your eyes pop :)

Anna

8/14/2013 02:50:50 am

I didn't know these black ovules could pop! :DDD Really, I didn't. Haha. My eyes are so boring. The brown is so dark they look black. The only time I can even see my eye color is when the sun is shining into them and I'm looking in a mirror. Haha. I wish my eyes were GREEN! :P

Oh, but where are my manners. Thank you, Sian! Hehe You're so sweet! <3

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effie link

8/13/2013 01:01:30 pm

You look so optimistic :) I love your shoes and your sweater! <3

effiesdress.blogspot.com

Anna

8/14/2013 02:52:33 am

Yes, that is what the prospect of eating scallops does to me. Haha. :D

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A. link

8/13/2013 01:16:16 pm

of course you look adorable. Man, I love you in polka dots. It really brings out the quirky side of you. :) and of course you layering and pattern mixing is impeccable. Of course. <3

love,
a

www.missdecaf.blogspot.com

Anna

8/14/2013 02:53:31 am

Yeah, man. I mean, of course. ;D <3

You're the best! You know that, right?

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Rebecca link

8/13/2013 04:56:22 pm

Cute jumper and OMG you ARE looking at the camera! What is this mysterious seafood thing you speak of? I too am from the midwest and only heard rumors of such swimming sea creatures...

ALSO - OMG CONGRATS, girl, you were featured on the Modcloth blog! I was so excited - I was like squeeeeeee - I know her!!! (well, er, I read her blog so I feel like I know her). Yay for you and your fabulous blog. Well done. :D

Anna

8/14/2013 06:37:36 am

Hahaha, oh Rebecca. You always make me smile. *^_^* The best seafood I ever had was in Jamaica when I was visiting family. Next to that is Costa Rica, then Baltimore. I had some awesome sustainable sushi in Portland once. I forgot the name of the place, but I would love to go back there, again. I must say, though, I love the Friday fish fry tradition in my city. It's always pretty amazing, even though the best fish has to be imported. :D

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Rebecca link

8/14/2013 03:38:16 pm

Yes, upon living in NZ I have become enlightened in terms of our ocean dwelling delicious friends. I found that I actually like fish (when they aren't filled with teensy tiny bones just waiting to become lodged in your esophagus!). However, I still have yet to try a mussel. I'm skeptical. :D

Tara

8/14/2013 10:45:41 am

I love the mix of colours and patterns in this outfit! You look pretty excited about that dinner (scallops have that effect on me haha), hope it was awesome :)

- Tara

SHOPSTYLECONQUER.blogspot.com

Anna

8/15/2013 04:56:28 pm

Oh, it was, bro. It so totally was. :DDD <3

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Lazy Obsession link

8/15/2013 01:29:38 am

woohhooo for bare legs!! love your blog :) found it through chictopia..you always leave a nice comment on my photos so thanks x

jackline link

8/17/2013 12:43:07 am

Hey Anna this is one of my favourite outfits.

C.C. link

8/17/2013 07:21:47 am

I love this outfit. Feels like something I would wear in the fall/winter since Texas is wayyyyyyy too hot to wear layers in spring and summer.

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.

Hi! I'm Anna <3

I'm fond of artistic fashion, esoteric music, retro games (the older the platform, the better), delectable noms, good libations, my Maine Coon, Bonaparte, and my Tabby, Winsome.

Also, I attended university in Hyogo Prefecture and I am proficient in Japanese.

もし、あなたは日本語が話せる、あたしに日本語で話て下さい！練習が必要だ！*^_^*

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