prep school.

capelet: vintage
skirt: urban outfitters
sweater: j. crew
belt: vintage
shoes: steve madden

whew! this past week has been hectic; with the delightful dozen launch, subbing, and interviews you can bet that i'm relieved to have today off. i wanted to thank you all for making the launch of the new delightful dozen website so successful. we're very excited to work on this new project and have tons of new features planned, so be sure to stay tuned!

this cape is another one of my thrifting finds from last week. as much as i love the plaid and the ruffles, i can't really envision any other way to wear it. it's perhaps a bit...loud? and the only way i've thought to wear it is to pair it with very neutral pieces, like this navy blue skirt. if i was a jeans-wearer, i think it could also look nice paired with straight-legged pants and a pair of tall boots. y'all know how i feel about pants, so i'm not sure that this ensemble will actually happen. do you have any other ideas on how to style this capelet?

the clothing swap is tomorrow, which means two things: 1) i'm going to be spending the rest of the day baking about 10 dozen chocolate chip cookies and 2) trying to figure out how the heck i'm going to organize clothes-swapping for 125 people (at least). i had no idea that the swap would grow to such a large size! however, the more the merrier, so if you're in the philadelphia area feel free to stop by. i'll be the one frantically running around and distributing baked goods.

just a little reminder that today is the last day that you'll be able to use the 50% off coupon code CLEANHOUSE in my vintage shop! i'll be selling off the rest of my vintage stock tomorrow at the sale.

ps: the lovely laura of these many years chose me as her blogger of the month for march. be sure to check out the interview!

shots fired.

dress: vintage, estate sale
cape: handmade by my mama
tights: urban outfitters
shoes: anthropologie

valley forge is a gorgeous national park about 20 miles outside of philadelphia. about 225 years ago, george washington and his troops parked there for the winter. during this time, the army was suffering from starvation, disease, exposure, etc. they made thatched huts, which took anywhere from three days to one week to make. the huts that you see in the first picture are reproductions, but one can imagine how cramped and uncomfortable (not to mention unsanitary) the conditions were.

maybe you remember valley forge from the cycling trips i've taken there. the park is huge; there are cycling and roller blading trails, a big stream, lots of open fields, and historic landmarks. there's even a church built in 1903 that (apparently) has a seven year waiting list for getting married there. as bryan and i were driving around the park, we passed an old hotel/restaurant that had been abandoned and i'm dying to go inside.

also - thank you for the incredibly sweet comments and emails about louie. he is now able to take 5-6 steps before sitting down, but is still limping on his right foot. he's eating and drinking, which is also a good sign. we've been spoon feeding him, fluffing his pillows: i even set my alarm for every two hours last night to check on him. by saturday, we'll know whether to go with the surgery or not. but - and i say this hesitantly - it looks like he's improving. all your thoughts and good vibes helped!

across the frozen fields.

one of my favorite pictures from a little shoot today at valley forge national park. more pictures to come later this week!

caped crusader.

cape: handmade by my mama from a 1960's pattern
dress: forever21
cardigan: vintage
earrings: someplace? i forget.
tights: urban outfitters sale
shoes: steve madden
bag: unknown, from loehmann's

i totally forgot about this cape until i read all of the hullabaloo going on about this zara cape. my mom made this cape for me three years ago from a 1960's pattern that i fell in love with. i feel like puss in boots, except a little more like puss in giant-wedges-that-are-not-surprisingly-difficult-to-balance-in. the lining is this gorgeous paisley silk, and the buttons echo the same paisley patten. the coat itself is made of a very lightweight navy wool - perfect for layering. as you know, i'm not a giant fan of pants but i'd love to wear this with a pair of fitted cropped trousers, preferably in a tan or khaki color.

these will do just fine. minus the price tag.