Always Overdressed

Somehow it’s already September, my kids are back in school, and it’s currently drizzling. The PNW can really be rude sometimes. But I know it’s still balmy for many of you, so the August issue of Outfits in the Wild, my monthly series for paid subscribers, should be packed with inspo for the -ish season. Speaking of paid subs, THANK YOU to everyone who participated in my summer sale during the month of August, I am so so grateful and very happy you’re here.

I’m still out here thinking about how to wear our summer and fall clothing now and later, getting the most out of all of our pieces during the -ish seasons. I actually had another post in mind for today, but was inspired by the response to one specific outfit in last week’s post, and felt that a pivot was in order. So please forgive any typos as I threw this together in a couple of days.

I know many of you are battling heatwaves at the moment, but as I mentioned last week, I’m battling 20 degree temp swings and End-of-Summer Burnout with the help of easy outfits and as much pool time as possible. Summer is very much my favorite season, I love the previously mentioned pool time, the sun, spritzes, strawberry and tomato season, and even if I complain about it, the abundance of time with my family.

I’m back, as promised last week, with Part 2 of my July Outfits in the Wild. It was a busy month with multiple costume changes, hence the double issue. If you haven’t read part one, take a peek here before picking up where I left off. I hope it’s still sunny where you are, it’s been pretty cool and cloudy in Portland till this week, so that you can use the outfits below for some late summer style inspo. I’m offering a 20% lifetime discount on all new paid subscriptions through the month of August.

I’ve been on a bit of a tangent over on the other app, espousing the benefits of truly simple outfits. These posts are as much reminders for myself as they are for my audience, clients, and friends. I’d like to say that as a stylist I don’t think about what I wear, that I have my uniform locked in, but that isn’t true.

It’s time for another issue of OIW, where I share my IRL outfits that didn’t make it into a newsletter. We’re looking back at the first half of July, a month that was both super busy and flew by but also felt leisurely and one million days long. Not sure how that’s possible, but summer has always had a way of messing with my sense of time, a feeling that goes all the way back to elementary school.

I meant to publish this on Sunday morning, but I’d gotten a late start on taking photos and pushed it to Sunday afternoon, and now here we are on Tuesday morning. As I mentioned in the notes, I summered to hard last week, with three friend dates (am I doing this right Elin Strong?), a last minute double date, two parties, one of which I catered, a swim carnival, and client appointments. It’s the most socializing I’ve done all summer, on top of my regular obligations, packed into one week.

I first discovered Louisa Hatt via her newsletter Slob, where she writes thoughtfully about style, family heritage, shopping, dressing for her corporate job while still feeling like herself, and shoes. Our girl has a shoe collection - heavy on loafers and slim sneakers - that dreams are made of. She has preppy-ish style that’s both polished and totally relaxed, mixes high/low like a champ, and plays with color in a way that’s both chic and exciting.

Reader be warned, this is both a very niche and very exciting post1. I’ve received quite a few requests to write about shopping for teens and tweens and could never quite figure out when to dive into the subject, but as summer begins to wind down (don’t worry, I’m not diving into fall styling content just yet) and back to school campaigns run rampant, I thought there’s no time like the present.

When my family and I moved last year, after a three year construction project, I famously packed the house in three days. Having experienced multiple delays, I was not about to live out of boxes longer than we needed to. I managed to sort and purge the children’s clothes, toy, and belongings, but - understandably - ran out of steam when it came to my stuff. I ended up bringing most of my things to the new house with plans for a big sort at a later date.