Fashion

Bohemian Vintage

There’s something about vintage clothing that gives me the warm and fuzzies; an excitement from putting on a piece of history that I don’t get from slipping on a splurge-of-a-dress or the next great find from TJ Maxx [although don’t get me wrong, I love both of these things]. I get even more excited when the piece of clothing I am putting on belonged to my grandmother, before she graciously donated it to my closet. Mima, my mom’s mom, is still young at heart and is always at the forefront of fashion, so I knew her gorgeous rust colored dress from the 1970’s would be the perfect thing for a bohemian inspired shoot.

My friend Traci spotted a rare patch of undeveloped land on an afternoon drive in Sterling, Virginia and had been itching to do a styled shoot there ever since. It was time for my rust dress to shine! The open plot of land was next to a 4-lane highway, so Traci and I darted across the road with gusto, excited to see what our photography “venue” looked like. The weather was mild that day: cloudy with a few drops of rain here and there, but the overcast skies provided fantastic light that Traci beautifully captured in her photos.

Outfit details:
Vintage dress
Frye boots

Photography by Traci J. Brooks Studios

Mint Condition

Ever just need a day off to clear your head, aimlessly wander, and let the day lead you rather than trying to control the day? I recently needed one of those days and immediately knew I wanted to spend my day off in Annapolis. A motorcycle ride, a whole pint of mint/raspberry chip ice cream, Chesapeake Bay air, and a few oysters later, I felt good as new and ready to take on the rest of the week.

Outfit details:
Gap mint button down
Gap high-waisted jeans
Electric mint sunglasses

Photography by Teddy Wolff

Jackietara

Tried and True Blue

I tell you what. I am LOVING this bright blustery beautiful spring weather [although the wind turns my hair into a stringy tangled mess, c’est la vie] and T and I took full advantage the weekend after last with a visit to the Tidal Basin to see the cherry blossoms. Our “visit” was actually more of a long nightmarish excursion in stop-and-go traffic across town. I guess that’s what we get for venturing out on a gorgeous Saturday amongst tourists galore. Once we finally found a parking spot, T and I eagerly leaped out of the car in our crisp spring outfits ready for our cherry blossom adventure.

We have recently changed our dress code at work to just pure “casual,” meaning I have actually been able to pull out my denim during the week. This has been a completely foreign concept to me these past couple of years, so I feel like I’m going through a reacquaintance phase with my blue jeans. A pair that I have had and loved for years are a light wash pair of Levi’s. They are simple: not too tight around my waist and not too loose in the knees, can be dressed up with cuffs at the bottom and worn with a blouse and heels, or my personal favorite: worn with boots and a snazzy blazer.

I’m pretty sure my standard spring uniform will be comfy jeans paired with a graphic tee and blazer. It’s perfect because you can wear boots with it when it’s a little chilly out, or slap on a pair of leopard flats on a sunnier day! I gravitated toward a more summery look for our cherry blossom adventure because it was so warm out, and nothing screams summer more than white and blue. Teddy even jumped on the blue train with his light blue cotton shirt!

Outfit details:
ModCloth white peplum top similar
Levi’s blue jeans

Photography by Teddy Wolff

Jackietara

Parka Happy

I think I might be in love… with my parka. I went spring shopping with my mom a few weeks ago and felt like a kid in a candy store gawking at all of the new colors, styles, and trends of this season. An item that was on my list before we even set out on our shopping adventure was a green parka jacket. I kept seeing them on Pinterest and around town, and thought it would be the perfect addition to my spring wardrobe. Trench, move over! My parka’s casual trendiness makes me happy, and keeps me dry on rainy days.

The day T and I took these photos was one of those days that was just plain old grey and nasty. Not rainy, but windy and unsettling. We had plans that night to celebrate our friend’s birthday at a “micro grant” dinner called CRAVE in Old Town, Alexandria. The premise of the dinner was amazing: panelists would speak to you about the projects they were working on and how they could use your contribution, then all of the guests would vote on their favorite platform. The winner received all of the proceeds to complete their project, so it was a great feeling to help someone do something great [big or small] in the community.

We took a pit stop at the Bethesda metro station tunnel on the way to dinner so Teddy could take some photos of the art installation, “Tunnel Vision,” for a Washington Post Express article. My favorite was the painting of the red bicycle.

Outfit details:
Zara khaki parka
Gap high-waisted jeans
Zara graphic black & white tee
Audrey Brooke black booties
Madewell gold bangles and knot ring

Photography by Teddy Wolff

Jackietara

Wedding Wear: March

Wedding season. The season of love and romance, old traditions paired with the new, gorgeous color palettes, and of course the best season [and reason] to put on that fabulous dress. A dear colleague of mine is getting married this Saturday in Clifton, Virginia to the love of her life and I can’t wait to witness their “I Do’s” and share in their celebration! What I am not looking forward to so much is the sub 50 degree weather and rain showers that are sure to make an appearance. It’s March for Pete’s sake, isn’t it supposed to be NICE outside?! But the wedding will commence and, hey, at least the rain will hide our tears… of joy of course! I am surely in for a good cry.

With this silly transitional weather ahead, I am going to go with a black and white patterned dress I found on ModCloth. It’s a neutral option that’s not quite “wintery” but not too “springy” either, which is great because I can continue to wear this sleeveless dress into warmer spring days, and maybe even the beginning of summer, too! I do want some pop of color against my black, white, and grey ensemble, so I luckily purchased a little neon number in time from a Banana Republic online sale!

Outfit details: dress: ModCloth // cape: vintage // necklace: Banana Republic similar

Photography by Teddy Wolff

Jackietara

Leopard + Brights

Spring is finally here! Although it may not seem like it quite yet, it’s time to pull all those cute dresses, bright flats, and fun prints out from hiding from under your bed and the dark corners of your closet. I had a taste of spring in Mexico with their delicious 70 degree weather, so I just couldn’t help packing one of my favorite bright and breezy coral blouses and my leopard Steve Madden flats to wear strolling the beautiful streets of Colonia Roma. One of my favorite destinations was a local park with a pond full with ducks, great paths in the shadows of tall trees, and lots of happy dogs of all types: Great Danes, Labs, Terriers, mutts and mixes, and the dog of our dreams-a darling white Bull Terrier.

Outfit details: coral blouse similar // Levi’s light wash jeans similar // leopard flats: Steve Madden similar // black leather crossbody: Coach similar

Photography also by Teddy Wolff

Spring is not only an opportunity to shed some light on our forgotten clothes, but to also dust off our goals, plans, eagerness, and excitement that may have been hibernating during those cold months. Through the winter I thought about my blog and what my goals should be for 2014, the biggest of which was to purchase a domain and get serious. It’s been one year since I started my blog and, even though I had no idea what I was getting into a year ago, I realize now I couldn’t have made a better decision. Having this blog has been such a positive outlet for my creative endeavors, SO, I’m happy to say that I finally “did it”: my url is now officially jackietara.com!

Thank you to Teddy Wolff, my partner in crime, for helping me create photographic content for the past year [and for teaching me how to use a camera along the way!] and to all my readers who make this process even more enjoyable. Keep reading and don’t forget to follow my adventures on Instagram @jackietara, too!

Jackietara

Pyramid of the Sun

After a delicious traditional breakfast [with the most amazing carrot juice ever!] at Don Deme, a local breakfast a short walk away from our apartment in Roma Norte, T and I set out on one of my favorite excursions during our time in Mexico: Teotihuacan, a pre-Columbian Mesoamerican city just a 1.5 hour bus away from Mexico City. Teddy and I got there late in the afternoon, around 4:30pm, which actually ended up being the most perfect time to explore the magical ruins. The crowds were beginning to dissipate and the pyramids looked beautiful in the warm light of the late afternoon sun. There are two main pyramids at Teotihuacan: the Pyramid of the Moon and the Pyramid of the Sun. The Pyramid of the Sun is the larger of the two, so T and I decided to climb that one to get the best view.

And a view is what we got. A long climb up while holding on to ropes was totally worth it for the breathtaking view at the top of the ancient city below. It was an experience unlike any other, which Teddy beautifully captured, along with several other travelers from near and far. The top of the pyramid was cameras galore, but who can resist such a fantastic photo opp?!

Outfit details: printed trousers: Zara similar // white tunic: Old Navy similar // boots: Frye similar

Photography by Teddy Wolff

Jackietara

Straw-Haired Girl

Every adult dreams of being able to dress up like a whimsical character from a great movie, book, or musical, just as we innocently did in our backyards as kids. Well I don’t know if everyone does, but I sure do, and I was able to fulfill my child-like fantasy on a trying-oh-so-hard-to-be sunny day in May. My friend and photographer, Traci Medlock of Traci J. Brooks Photography, had a vision of recreating the Wizard of Oz story with her friends portraying the characters. I was “cast” to be the Scarecrow and couldn’t have been more excited.

The talent of Suzanne Minskey of Faces by SAM completely transformed my everyday look into the face of the Scarecrow. I was literally shocked when I looked in the mirror and it made playing the part all the more fun! This was a “use what you have in your inventory” type of shoot, so I brought my most neutral plaid shirt, conjured my memories of the brave and genuine Scarecrow, and ran with it. With straw in my hair, we spent a magical day recreating the timeless story of friends on a journey together. The sky spit on us all afternoon at Algonkian Regional Park, but Traci was able to take some gorgeous shots before the rain!

Outfit details: plaid button-down: Hollister similar // jean shorts: American Eagle similar // boho floppy hat: Anthropologie similar // cognac short leather boots: Frye similar

Photos by Traci J. Brooks Photography

Jackietara

Nautical Stripes

Nautical Stripes - Jackietara blog

I am a sucker for stripes. Whether it’s summer or winter, the classic stripe is always in-style and [thankfully] a slimming pattern. The main reason it should be part of anyone’s “go-to” wardrobe is it’s versatility: you can pair black and navy stripes with bright colors, florals, leather, fur, and denim for a more relaxed look. Just search “stripes” on Pinterest and you’ll get every combination imaginable!

My nautical stripes were even more fitting on this cold Christmas Day in Annapolis, down by the water. We spent the day with Teddy’s family and family friends eating oysters and crab cakes and drinking home-brewed beer [delicious!].

Outfit details: striped dress [featured in Happy Flowers]: ModCloth // coral sweater [featured in Sunsets and Alleyways]: Madewell // boots: vintage // gold necklace [featured in Aqua + Gold]: ModCloth

Photography by Teddy Wolff

Jackietara

The Red Bag

I have been obsessing over bright red and pink statement bags recently, and my prayers to the bag gods were answered this Christmas with this lovely red gem from Stella & Dot [which I even blogged about back in November!]. Pops of color make me happy, so needless to say this bag brings a smile to my face each time I load it with overnight supplies, work papers and folders, snacks and knick-knacks, and tote it around town. It makes even the dreariest of these post-holiday days merry and bright.

Check out these other bright and happy bags for the winter season:
The Faye bag by Sole Society featured on The Small Things Blog
‘M.A.B. – Mini’ Leather Tote in Scarlet featured on Metropolitan Thread
Firenze red leather clutch [if you’re in Italy anytime soon!] featured on Daisy and the Fox

Outfit details: camel sweater: ModCloth [old] // gold elephant earings: ModCloth // red tote: Stella & Dot

Photography by Teddy Wolff

In addition to my inclination toward red and pink hues in apparel, I have also been loving Revlon’s “Fuchsia Fusion” lipstick. It’s a fun and carefree color, don’t you think?

Jackietara

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