OOTDs: Shorts Ahoy.

Hi!  Happy Saturday. 

I figured while I had a moment when

a. the kids are all sleeping;

b. Mr. Dina is here just in case they wake up from their sleep;

and

c. I don't feel like sleeping, either...

then I could get a few outfit of the day(s) posted here.

Today I am compiling all my "shorts" outfits of the last month.  :)

I spent my summer shuttling the kids everywhere, including many Tuesdays spent at dance class, picnic lunches, and bug walks.  This outfit is from one of those days. 

The name of this post is inspired by the crewcuts tee I am wearing above, btw.  Get it?  Portholes are on ships...ships leave port?  Okay, I know I am stretching it.  ;)

I lucked out when I purchased the two girls' porthole tees when I visited the J. Crew with Monica in CA.  They were both on sale for $12 and further reduced by an additional 40%.  CW was thrilled that we have another matching pair of tees. 

I am obviously in a size 14, while CW is in size 5.

I added the seersucker shorts (also purchased for a ridiculously tiny amount in my not so tiny size 10), my Madewell sunglasses, and my Bensimon tennis shoes.  The bracelet is even nautical, every dangling bauble is some fish, sea creature, or oceangoing item.

Close up of the porthole tee.

The next photo shows this better, but I call this look "Hipster Mary Ann."  (As in Mary Ann from Gilligan's Island.)

Was headed to the grocery store (another thrilling journey in my exciting life!) as hipster Mary Ann.

The pieces in this outfit are old, old, old.  I think I bought the button-down from Kohls in 2003, I believe.  The shorts are from 2007.  The shoes and necklace are from 2010.  Only the sunglasses are relatively new (last January).

I almost gave the button-down away, but I am glad I held onto it.  Although I will never wear it the way I wore in 2003 (untucked, and unbuttoned more at the top), it gets a new lease on life with a new, fresher styling.

You saw the bottom bit of this outfit already when I reviewed the shoes for this BWRR post.

We were headed to the city as a family to see the Miro exhibit on the last day it was open.  I knew I would have Angus on me in the bjorn, so comfort was key, but I still like to have a put-together outfit, if possible.

The scarf was a bit unnecessary as it didn't even dip below 80 that day, but I liked how it tied the pieces of the outfit together and added some visual interest to the tank's neckline.

I love Brutalist architecture.  You don't know what Brutalist architecture is?  Well, take a look-see at this wikipedia article on it. 

I will happily pose in front of any building built in this style.  They are definitely unique, most certainly ugly, but so very much evocative of "Federal Government DC circa 1970" that I have a big soft spot for them.

This is a photo in front of the side of the Department of Labor.  Would have been more appropriate, I realize, to pose in front of it either the day I was set to give birth to Angus OR on the actual Labor Day (still can do that, two Mondays from now).

There I am, with Angus in tow, at the entrance to the Miro exhibit.

Was set to do errands in this outfit, but if you have good eyes, you can see that I have a swimsuit under the top.  I was also set to go to the pool, as well.

The hat is J. Crew (love my Lola!).  The top is Kohl's (must find out who made it for my facebook friend who asked about it).  The shorts are maternity (shh, don't tell).  The sandals are Target. 

Okay, that's it.  :)  I will probably make a polyvore of one of these outfits and if I do, I will make sure to include it in this post and then erase this here sentence (or at least cross through it).

Have a great rest of your Saturday!

America's Most Endangered Historic Places...

As many of you who have been following this blog for awhile know, I have a thing for mid-century modern things. I love it all...furniture, clothing, houses, and buildings. Many folks dislike this style because it is a bit "in your face," especially in the case of buildings of this style.

You can ignore someone's choice in furniture or clothing (because this is their own personal choice). To a lesser extent you can ignore mid-century modern homes because they have less of an impact on the public space than buildings (even though there are WAY MORE houses of this style out there than buildings).

You have no choice but to pay attention to a building, because they exist as part of the public footprint on a community. They are often very tall and imposing structures. The 60s was a time of over-the-top creativity, a pushing of boundaries in architecture. It is no surprise that buildings like this (Markel Building, Richmond, VA) were born in this time period.

Sadly, not everyone feels preserving these (admittedly) unique structures. So the National Trust for Historic Preservation has listed (as of yesterday) their take on America's Most Endangered Historic Places, and the list includes two mid-century modern buildings, the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, CA, and the Miami Marine Stadium in Miami, FL. Both built in the 60s and both in great danger of being torn down.

I can do very little on my end, other than inform a couple of you that this is happening. If there was a mid-century modern building in my area about to be torn down or listed as endangered, I would find a way to take action.

Now, I know this is not some of you all's cup of tea, but there are non-mid-century modern buildings and structures on the list as well.

Take a look at the American Historical Association's blog post about this. Good read.

Hope you all have a great (and enlightened) day!

By the way, thanks, Dad, for sending me this info!

Richmond is so lovely...

Now don't laugh. I LOVE RICHMOND. I have been passionately, over-the-top, in love with this capital city since 1996. I admit I have an excessive love for this city.

What makes me love it so? Well, it reminds me of DC and South Arlington (this is where I grew up...I moved a whole three miles away as an adult to Alexandria) of the '80s. Not too crowded, a little gritty, pockets of beauty, culture in the form of many museums, theater, and diversity, friendly folks, and interesting little shops and restaurants wherever you turn. It is a city with a small-town feel.

Well, DC and Arlington grew up and became the uber-mega-city that it is today (although thank the sweet Lord that there are still lovely pockets like Old Town). I get so frustrated to see my hometown of Arlington turned into a hipster's paradise. People act like Arlington still has all those things that I waxed poetically about in the last paragraph, but so much of it has become cleansed and generic. For example, in North Arlington, there is a neighborhood called Clarendon which in the early 2000s reached a height of mass hysteria. Everyone had to move there...such a small town feel in such an urban space...blah, blah, blah. Well, yes, Clarendon did have that...in 1992. Then everyone "discovered" it, small shops, homes, and buildings were all torn down to make way for some sort of "new urbanism" project. What was put up in the place of an actual small town in an urban space? A clean, shiny, developer's wet dream of an urban space...now there are apartments, luxury condos and townhouses...and guess what? You can walk to the Pottery Barn and the Starbucks (I love both by the way...but not when it means tearing down something that isn't broken...) and then head to the metro for a jaunt to another "new urban" project in DC.

I can't speak to what has happened to DC because of the development, but I do know that it is happening. Some of DC may have needed the developer's magic touch. In fact, I am hugely in favor of bringing development and commerce to places that DESPERATELY need it. If a place is quite lovely on its own, why destroy it by making it exactly like the rest of the country? And please spare me the whole "Clarendon is unique thing." It was...now its uniqueness is limited. It still is special, but I bet it could have been even more special if there had been more time and energy spent to retain some of the lovely original features of that neighborhood.

My biggest worry? I grew up in South Arlington, very near Glebe Road and Columbia Pike. This area has GORGEOUS old buildings from the 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s. I am all for maintaining and preserving these examples of the 20th-century, but unfortunately many of them (remember Arlington Hardware?) are being torn down to make way for brand-spanking new buildings made to "look" like the buildings they just tore down. AGH!

Now granted, I am not a bleeding heart liberal who wants to get rid of development. I LOVE most big box stores. I happily head down to Potomac Mills on a regular basis. Heck, I even visit them in outer Richmond. :) Here's the thing...do they really need to be in the inner-city and inner-suburbs? Can we save the small businesses and smaller, more affordable homes or does progress spell something different? I am sure you know how I feel.

So back to my original post topic, why Richmond? I feel that Richmond, because of its neat juxtaposition of history and demographics (it isn't booming the way NOVA is), will be able to maintain and preserve an area of loveliness and culture without having to overdo it the way Arlington has had to...

I am planning on publishing posts from the places I went this weekend. I go there often, so I hope there will be many future posts highlighting some of these places I have come to adore.