Berry Maxi

For over a year, I've been fully embracing the maxi trend when it comes to dresses, but till now I had shied away from maxi skirts. I imagined they would be overpowering and difficult to style: I didn't really want to look like I had just stepped out of the '70s, but it can be hard to update 'retro' trends that are back in fashion.

I bought this skirt on a whim when it went on sale at Motel, not sure if it would suit me or if I had anything to wear with it. It can be really difficult to pull together outfits when you're travelling and carrying less than 10% of your wardrobe, but I ended up reaching for this waistcoat c/o Dorothy Perkins which I found from my Take 10 days (seen here) that I thought I would never wear again! I think it went well with the boho vibe, don't you agree? I tried it both tucked into my skirt as well as tucked out; I think I prefer the latter.

{ tucked in }

Maxi skirts are also great for transitional weather. I wore this out on a day which started off cold, became hot and sunny, and then cooled down again - and I was perfectly comfortable all the way through! It's so nice when unexpected purchases turn out to be well-loved items.

{ tucked out }

I think shorter girls are under the misconception that they can't wear maxis - well, I think in some cases, the opposite is true! Maxi skirts can make you look tall - as though your legs go on forever - especially if they're high-waisted. I'm barely 5'5" and I wear maxis all the time!

I found shoes that matched the color scheme perfectly!

This is unrelated and will probably make me very unpopular, but I'm with Vivienne Westwood on this one. While it seems as though much of the female population has gone gaga for Kate Middleton's style, I've always thought it rather ordinary (granted, she can't be too 'out there' due to her position, but then there's no need to deem her a style icon when her style is very plain. Elegant, polished, and refined, yes, but fashionable... no). I feel the same way about Michelle Obama - I don't think she's very stylish (quite the opposite, actually!) - but she really doesn't have to try to be a style maven given all the other, more wonderful qualities she has (intellect, power, and being an all-around great role model for young women). To be honest, I'd rather have those qualities than be a fashion icon! I'm not trying to be rude or nasty; I'm just saying that it really stumps me when ladies with rather boring style (which is perfectly fitting for their lifestyles) are regarded as fashion icons, when instead we should just be honest about who they are and celebrate their fantastic qualities. (I'm going to be extremely unpopular after this paragraph and my proclamation about Mary Kate and Ashley!)

P.S. It's my birthday on Friday! I'm turning 23. I've never really made a huge deal about my birthday - I normally have a family dinner and a small get-together with my close friends - but this year it seems like it'll be quite an eventful one. One of my friends was born only two days after me, so we're thinking about having a 'birthday weekend' and packing in lots of fun activities, so that should be great! Oh, and I've finally decided to buy myself a decent dSLR camera as a birthday present... I've been putting it off because I thought it would be hard work to learn how to use one and they're heavy and I thought it would be annoying to carry one around, but I think it's time to bite the bullet and take the plunge! (Advice & recommendations are welcome!)