Romp, Stomp, Ruffle 'Em Up

Hello lovelies! Finally back with an outfit post. This is a variation on what I wore on my Balboa Park excursions but I changed up the shoes and added more jewelry. My parents located their old tripod for me and this baby is the magical wonder. It can climb up to probably 6 feet tall and twist in any direction and it stays still. Good tripod *gives it a treat* : )

In the last few weeks of summer vacation, I have had pretty busy days. This makes me very happy, starkly contrasting the boring doldrums that was studying all summer. While cleaning out boxes of my old high school things, I stared long and hard at notes in my tiny then-neat handwriting, filling up pages and pages of knowledge. I just simply couldn't remember a lot of the material and was surprised that I had even covered certain topics on the MCAT during my AP classes of college courses. My memory isn't what it used to be it seems. Maybe the human brain just chooses what it wants to remember and what it doesn't. I'd love if it left a memo or at least let me okay what to remember and what not to. That would be awesome. I felt really sad that I had lost all this accumulated knowledge to the open air, and as I tore out all the pages and tossed them in the recycling bin, I felt lighter because the need to remember is gone with the wind.

This outfit was inspired by wanting to play and romp around to the fullest in this intervening time. Moving to a new place with my family (across town, not 3000 miles this time) involved lots of packing, unpacking, reorganizing, and still isn't finished. My plan on going out every day to explore has been diverted to staying in and rediscovering a lot of things about my past and smiling at little treasures I unbox. In the dying light of the summer sun, I step outside to jump as high as I can in heels and to snap shots until they suit my taste. Yes, the new neighbors stared from their windows with even more curiosity than those before.

A strange thing about this romper was that I bought it at the Mega-F21 in Escondido, but its label says "Better B." What company is that and why is Forever 21 selling their clothes inside their stores? Oddity. They ran out of Smalls so I was forced to purchase a Medium and became crestfallen as I pulled it on. It was shapeless, hanging way low on my chest, and too puffy. Then my mom helped me tighten the straps nearly all the way and it fit better. However, the puffiness is still there, especially in the back, but it fits all right. I found myself pulling down a lot because the shorts feel too short. The material is very thin and there is a waist tie string that doesn't do that much. Also, there are 2 handy pockets that held my cell for convenient access the entire time I was exploring. For $17.80, this piece is a keeper despite being so ill-fitting in places. This qualifies for a petite "don't" for sure.

When I went to Balboa Park, I wore white strap sandals. However, they made me look stunted. This is why I don't think petites should wear rompers - the wrong style could shorten the torso even more. However, since the bottom part was so short, I instead paired the romper with pumps to elongate my legs and there is a huge difference made. Petite no-no turned into petite yes!

Last but not least, the ruffle detail on the romper matches my white purse, so I decided to include it in the outfit. It also held all my wonderful goodies at the park but I managed to spill some Starbucks Frappuccino in it D: At last I have my navy blue romper. Such a great stay-cool-in-the-summer-heat piece. I only wish I could have redeemed that Akira Chicago light blue floral one from Chictopia because it was so pretty. I'm still not terribly in love with rompers because I think they do look best on super-tall people and I'd much prefer a nice dress or separates for better fit.

Wearing: 

Navy blue ruffle romper, F21 (Better B.) size M

Hummingbird gold necklace, Chictopia Rewards

White ruffle bag, Claire's

Fioni black cutout pumps, Payless size 5

White and wood bracelets, H&M

Mosaic ring, Claire's

White bow ring, F21

Trying out backgrounds: #1 Garage Door. Too much variability depending on time of day. Creates ugly shadows and shade so this is a no-go.

As the late afternoon progresses, the shadows start to eat me

#2 Street view. Lots of cars, and focus on the sky makes the image dark. Getting there - shade is often the easiest to photograph in and then brighten

Jumping suits me : ) My fave of the bunch

#3 Towards my neighbor's garages. Perfect. Just enough shade to capture the colours correctly and not create ugly shadows. Yay! They're probably intensely creeped out by my taking pictures facing their houses hahaha. I really, really miss those white stairs though from the apartments. Nothing beats a blank clean background.

 

 

Spinning fast in heels for the camera is very difficult

♥ summer

 Nitty gritty details

This necklace is inspired by all the hummingbirds and pretty little animals at Balboa Park. The Mosaic ring above makes me think of museums and stained glass windows.

Size 5 pumps are even a little too big for me grrrr. These Fioni black cutout pumps go with absolutely anything

See how stunted I look without heels? This is why petites should be wary while wearing rompers. I'm dwarfed by the super high ceilings. If I could design like the buildings in Balboa Park, I would die from happiness. Architecture is truly a secret passion of mine.

My new baby

I hope you enjoyed my romp around the block. What are you doing for the rest of your summer? I hope it's plenty of fun in the sun :D I'm looking forward to taking pictures for another outfit tomorrow now that I have a sweet tripod, I don't have to fear the wind blowing over my teetering mini-pod and knocking it into oblivion. However, the lack of a blank background is frustrating. I will go on an adventure and snoop out a new spot. For now I need some beauty sleep after moving so many heavy things and slaving over boxes all day. Enjoy your weekend, loves!