This past weekend was 4th of July weekend!
It was chock full of wonderful time spent out of doors and out spending time with friends.
While fourth of July usually passes without too much fanfare from me, I had a dose of extra enthusiasm this year for the event and the weekend in general. I owe this all to Jessica at the blog Chronically Vintage for sharing so much of her enthusiasm for this holiday as well as her enthusiasm and love over her native holiday, Canada Day. Hearing her take on the festivities that happen here in the states with our bbqs, fireworks, and parades made me want to make sure I fit at least some (if not all) of these activities into my holiday weekend. Sometimes it just takes a fresh pair of eyes to see something in a new and enthusiastic light.
On Saturday Tim and I spent the morning going out for breakfast and then spent the afternoon exploring around town, going to the mall for a bit, getting ice cream, and seeing what was playing at the movie theater. He had his heart set on watching the new Flula Borg movie Buddymoon but it turns out it is only out in very limited release.
On Sunday we spend the day out at the beach with one of our friends. The early afternoon was spent first getting together equipment for the day then a stop for lunch before the beach. We had the plan to go windsurfing that day. It was going to be my first time trying it, but it turns out the windsurf board we had was way too small for beginners. While the guys had a good time trying it, I got to enjoy a day out on the beach enjoying the good weather.
Monday was an extra special treat. It turns out the friend we saw just the day before helped make a float for the Alameda 4th of July parade for a club he's in and we got invited to sit on it! I've never been in a parade before so this was an extra special treat to not only get to see the parade but also be in one and join in! The Alameda 4th of July parade is herald as being one of the largest and longest 4th of July parades in the country. It makes a 3 mile loop around Alameda and by the time the last of the floats are starting to make their journey out of the starting gate the first floats are making their way back to the start. It was an awesome experience to say the least. After the parade the club for which the float was representing, the Aeolian Yacht club, was having a bbq, which we got to go to as well. It was a great bbq, right on the water with live music! After eating Tim and I went for a walk along one of the shoreline walking paths, and then after, came back to the club to play a couple rounds of horseshoes with our friend. Before heading home we decided to stop by another bbq other friends of ours were hosting ending the night seeing some fireworks going off both near and far.
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| Looking towards Crown Memorial Beach, Alameda, CA |
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| Aeolian 4th of July Parade float 2016 |
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| Getting into position for the parade-- The best seats in the house! |
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| Old fashioned lemonade stand and parade watchers, Alameda, CA |
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| More 4th of July parade watchers, Alameda, CA |
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| Quiet walk along the shoreline, Alameda, CA |
Outfit of the Day (Saturday):
I decided to kick start the 4th of July weekend with my Trashy Diva Trixie dress and bolero in Sci Fi Rockets print. I figured the red white and blue colors would make for a perfect dress this weekend. I paired it with a patent leather-like red belt which came from a Bernie Dexter dress and some comfy blue Rocket Dog flats which I got several years ago, I think from Zappos. For a finishing touch I wore golden stud earrings, which I bought last year from Forever 21, to match the golden yellow of the rockets in the print.
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| Trashy Diva Trixie dress and Bolero in Sci Fi Rockets print- Front View |
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| Trashy Diva Trixie dress and Bolero in Sci Fi Rockets print- Front View |
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| Trashy Diva Trixie dress and Bolero in Sci Fi Rockets print- Side View |
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| Trashy Diva Trixie dress and Bolero in Sci Fi Rockets print- Front View |
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| Trashy Diva Trixie dress and Bolero in Sci Fi Rockets print- Front View |
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| Trashy Diva Trixie dress and Bolero in Sci Fi Rockets print- Side View |
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| Golden studs and Trashy Diva Sci Fi bolero- Close Up |
Outfit of the Day (Sunday):
On Sunday, continuing along with the 4th of July theme, I decided to wear my Trashy Diva Trixie dress in red gingham. I paired this with a red cardigan which I got several years ago from Nordstrom Rack and red Ecco flats which I got from ebay last year. For a finishing touch I paired this with a fun banana themed straw purse which I got also from ebay a couple weeks ago.
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| Trashy Diva Trixie dress in Red Gingham- Front View |
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| Trashy Diva Trixie dress in Red Gingham- Front View |
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| Trashy Diva Trixie dress in Red Gingham- Side View |
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| Trashy Diva Trixie dress in Red Gingham- Front View |
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| Trashy Diva Trixie dress in Red Gingham- Front View |
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| Trashy Diva Trixie dress in Red Gingham- Side View |
Outfit of the Day (Monday, 4th of July):
On 4th of July I had my heart set on wearing my Stop Staring Sailor swing dress (A.K.A. the Luxury Craft dress) which I got from Modcloth a couple years ago. It just so happened to work out perfectly for the float we ended up being on for the 4th of July parade that day! To add extra touches of 4th of July to this outfit I paired it with my red Ecco flats, red floral stud earrings I got from Forever 21 a couple years ago, a red bracelet my step mom gave me a few weeks ago, and a red vintage purse I got from Etsy several years ago.
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| Stop Staring Sailor Swing dress- Front View |
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| Stop Staring Sailor Swing dress- Front View |
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| Stop Staring Sailor Swing dress- Front View |
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| Stop Staring Sailor Swing dress and accessories- Close Up |
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| Stop Staring Sailor Swing dress and Forever 21 earrings- Close Up |
Did you do anything to celebrate 4th of July? Did you end up dressing in theme this year?
Sounds like you had a really great, fun filled weekend! Love all three dresses you chose to wear for your 4th of July Celebrations! xo
ReplyDeleteIt really was! :D Thank you Camilla! <3
DeleteI love all the looks I have that rocket dress in a different cut and I love it. I love your gingham too Im crazy for gingham.
ReplyDeleteretro rover
Thanks Katherine! I love you in your Rockets dress! <3 And yes! I love gingham! It's so great! <3
DeleteSo in love with every single look! What an awesome selection of outfits to wear for a fun holiday like the 4th (adore your Banana purse!).
ReplyDeleteThat is so cool about getting to ride on a float. I've always secretly wanted to do that, too. :)
Big hugs & happy weekend wishes,
♥ Jessica
Thank you Jessica! <3 I hope one day you will make it on a float! It was a lot of fun! :D
DeleteYour float looks awesome and of course you picked the perfect dress, I don't think I've seen this Stop Staring dress before! I love that you picked outfits the same colour as the flag to wear :D
ReplyDelete<3 Thank you Harlow! It's a super comfortable dress too and no wrinkles! :)
DeleteHello there lovely, I'm catching up on my blog reading! I think you picked the perfect dress for the parade, you look very cute sat on the float in it. Very patriotic looking indeed! x
ReplyDeleteHehe! Thank you Porcelina! <3
DeleteHappy belated 4th! I love all of the outfits! And, yay...I love Jessica from Chronically Vintage! That's so fun her post (I read that too) had such a big influence! That's so cool you got to be in a parade too- I was in Gay Pride 4 years ago and I found it to be way more fun than watching a parade ;)
ReplyDeleteThank you Lauren! Happy belated 4th to you too! That is so fun you got to be on a float in a gay pride parade! I agree. It's does seem a lot more fun than just watching the parade. It's definitely a difference experience, that's for sure! And yes, it was a great post from Jessica! <3 I love how her enthusiasm just really comes across in her writing!
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