Sporty Sunday: Pool-Proof Hair

I love to swim, but the chlorine doesn’t love me back. Because my hair is fragile, color-treated, and long, I do everything I can to protect it from the ravages of an indoor pool.



3 ingredients for Pool-Proof hair: Tap water, conditioner, and a (latex) swim cap.

Step 1: Turn swim cap inside out and keep it handy
Step 2: Wet hair with tap water (or Evian, if you’ve got it!)
Step 3: Coat hair with conditioner
Step 4: Pull hair into knot. (When my hair was short, I just pushed it all towards a spot near the back of my head. The water and conditioner help it stay in place until you get to the next step.)
Step 5: Put on swim cap (Again, when my hair was short, I adjusted my technique a little. I didn’t turn the cap inside out and I just pulled it on, from the back of my head, like a knit cap.)

Sporty Sunday is a recurring feature in which I share my fitness routine and offer and solicit advice. While this content might seem a little out of place in an outfit diary, a healthy, strong body is the foundation of my wardrobe. I hope to inspire my readers to be fit as well as stylish!

Starts With A "K"

The first letter of one’s name is the most important.

When I’m introduced to someone, I’ll most likely forget their name within 30 seconds, but I’ll remember what letter it started with. For example, the man I met in the YWCA sauna today was either Bob or Bill, but it definitely was a “B” name. (The terrible part about this story is that this guy is my neighbor and I’ve met him before. I have a special name amnesia.)

There is power in that first letter. Today, I’m delighted to share my first letter with Katniss, from the Hunger Games. And I dressed in a Katniss-inspired manner.


Jacket, H&M (thrifted). Tee, Jones New York (thrifted). Jeans, Vanilla Star. Bag, Mossimo. Boots, Vince Camuto. Necklace, Urban Outfitters.

I had to keep a little of my own “K” in the mix, so I opted for a printed top and bottom.


Katniss’ braid is the inside-out variety, but I’m not very practiced at that variation. Switching hands half-way around my head was enough challenge for me.



If you like the Hunger Games trilogy, check out these series:

- The Uglies, by Scott Westerfield
- Maze Runner, by James Dashner
- Birthmarked, by Caragh M. O’Brien
- Matched, by Ally Condie and Allyson Braithwaite Condie

And if you like some zombies with your teen dystopian fiction:

- Rot & Ruin, by Jonathan Maberry

Spring Showers

March showers bring April flowers. Well, that’s the way it seems to be going this year. In fact, we’re so ahead of schedule that I’ve already seen May flowers. I spotted a lilac in bloom on Calhoun.


Hat, Charlotte Russe. Shirt, Old Navy. Jeans, Gap. Belt, thrifted. Shoes, Charles David. Umbrella, gift. Earrings, vintage. Bracelets, Target and Claire’s. Watch, Vivani (gift). Bag, Xhilaration.


Photos by Beefy Muchacho with a Nikon DX AF-S Nikkor 35 mm 1:1.8G lens

Elegant Millionaire

I felt like a million bucks in this outfit, even though the shirt, dress, and belt cost a total of four bits.


Dress, swap. Shirt (cut from a dress), INC (swap). Belt, Mimi di N (thrifted). Bag, Nicole Lee. Shoes, Colin Stuart. Sunglasses, Xhilaration. Cuff, Target. Bracelets, Epcot Morocco.

The shirt and dress came from last year’s Spring Swap Hop. The “shirt” was a sheath dress, but it was too tight in the hips (and silk does NOT stretch), so I lopped off the bottom. I didn’t finish the hem (the side zipper makes it sort of awkward), so I use it as a layering piece. I don’t mind hacking up free* clothes!

The belt, though, is the real steal. A similar Mimi di N belt retails for $65. I got mine for 50 cents.



As usual, the shoes are the most expensive part of the outfit. I think I paid around $70 for them. But they’ve lasted 8 years and I’ve gotten at 45+ wearings out of them.


If I really were a millionaire, I think I'd continue to buy second-hand clothes for pennies and spend my bucks on footwear.


*I consider clothing from a swap as “free.” I did donate clothing to participate, but I would have sent the lot to the thrift store if the swap event hadn’t been scheduled. The donated items had no value for me.

Photos by Beefy Muchacho with a Nikon DX AF-S Nikkor 35 mm 1:1.8G lens

Walk the Rainbow

These rainbow steps lead up the hill, behind the Krohn Conservatory. They almost make climbing a steep grade in 5 inch heels fun.


Jacket and blouse, Forever 21. Skirt, Talbot’s (thrifted). Shoes, Mossimo. Bag, D&G knockoff (thriftred). Sunglasses, Xhilaration. Earrings, H&M (via swap).

They definitely make pictures fun. So fun, that I had a hard time choosing which photos to use. Thus, the following picture overload.





Photos by Beefy Muchacho with a Nikon DX AF-S Nikkor 35 mm 1:1.8G lens

Experiment No. 596

It’s been a year since my last Red Hat Society experiment. It’s about time I made my eleventh try for early entry.


Shirt, FY2 (thrifted). Dress, I Heart Ronson. Shoes, BCBGeneration. Bag, thrifted. Earrings, swap. Necklace, Buffalo Exchange.

I have learned that ladies under 50 years of age may join the society as a Pink Hatter, but I want red and purple, not pink and lavender.



My ten previous red and purple experiments (I think No. 594, the red skirt and purple jacket, was my favorite):


I’m quite the mad style scientist! Just imagine how crazy I’ll be in 14 years.

Obnoxious

I’d die if someone thought my personality were obnoxious. But I don’t mind dressing obnoxiously. Does that mean I’m obnoxious, after all?


Jacket, H&M (thrifted). Tunic, Wet Seal. Belt, Deena & Ozzy. Leggings, We Love Colors. Boots, Dan Post. Bag, Mondani. Sunglasses, Xhilaration. Necklace, The Bead Factory.




Photos by Beefy Muchacho with a Nikon DX AF-S Nikkor 35 mm 1:1.8G lens