imogene + willie

every once in a while something just hits you hard, and you can't stop thinking about it, and you have to find a way to be involved in it in some way, and you want you to tell everyone about it.

that thing for me right this very moment is imogene + willie.

i know, i'm late to the party on this one. someone probably feels smug and cool cause they already knew about this brand and i didn't. i don't even care, y'all.

maybe it's because i am continually on the search for the perfect pair of jeans [most jean shopping trips end in ugly cry face], or maybe it's because harrison and i dream of starting our own business one day and we've been dreaming particularly hard lately...i don't know, but for whatever reason, imogene + willie has resonated with me to a divine degree.

their products are perfection. the above photos are my favorite pairs of jeans from their website. besides several different styles of jeans, they also have a variety of cool button down shirts, jewelry, bags, shoes and other goodies. i'm currently coveting all of their work shirts and that beautiful pair of jeans in the top left [imogene slim black].

a great pair of jeans is nice and all but what about the brand behind them? imogene +willie is a brand to admire. based in nashville, TN, USA. husband and wife team. made in store. rich family history. i just can't think of a better place to buy my jeans. the duo behind the company, carrie and matt eddmenson, are passionate about what they do and have built their company on things that matter. they even named it after carrie's maternal grandparents! if you have an entrepreneurial spirit, or even if you just love a great story, watch the video and read about their history. it brought me to tears. i love the way that their families and values played a part in the creation of the perfect pair of jeans.

i told harrison today that we need to save our money and plan a road trip to nashville this spring, specifically to go to imogene + willie [the store is an old gas station!!!] and get fitted for jeans.

until then i'll probably just be pants-less. cause none of my current wardrobe measures up.


<3 jojy




[all images courtesy of imogene + willie:  imogene slim black // imogene rinsed // willie rigid // hencye]

fashion inspiration

i sometimes get asked where i come up with my outfits. it's kind of a funny thing to think about. i think that a lot of us [myself included] like to think that we are just so fashion forward that we magically dream up our outfits in fabulous ways, but really i think most of us have tons of subconscious images in our heads from magazines, movies, pinterest, etc. i personally gain a lot of inspiration from a lot of different places. usually i see an image or color swatch or real life person and, rather than copying their outfit exactly, i try to figure out what about the outfit i like. is it the texture, color, shape, accents or just simply the emotion that it evokes? [yes, fashion can be emotional in some senses!] what i mean is, all growing up, from childhood on to adulthood, i loved to stand in front of a mirror and put on all sorts of different outfits. i would then pick out what my "story" would be in each one. for example:

i'm wearing a floral, knee-length skirt paired with a short sleeved, white sweater and sandals. it's early spring and i'm having a picnic deep in a field surrounded by unknown woods. i am inexplicably motivated to trudge right into these deep dark woods and end up on some crazy adventure. i am missing for weeks, but when i finally find my way back i am still wearing the outfit, slightly dirtied, and my cheeks are flushed from all the hiking. from that day on, it is my favorite outfit because it reminds me of that wonderful time in the forest. 

that story really is from my childhood imagination. it's something i made up while trying on that outfit in a dressing room when i was probably 8 years old. i still do this today! not quite as involved now. it's usually just a general theme. like a "breezy parisian afternoon" or something like that. you can ask my husband. i usually test my theme on him to see if he can feel it. anyways, i know it sounds funny, but i've just always been this way. i have a vivid imagination. its a blessing and a curse.

whatever method i use for inspiration, i always try to put my own personal spin on the outfit i am wearing. i hate to be just another copycat. when i flip through a j.crew catalogue, i don't go buy the exact pieces in the outfit, i go to my closet and put together my version. and when i have some extra spending money, i may go buy one piece of an outfit i see and pair totally different things with it than they did at j.crew. my versions don't always turn out better necessarily, but they are always me. i think if you're someone who likes to follow the trends, its important to remember to be true to what you actually like and to make each trend your own. otherwise you don't really have personal style, you're kind of just a fashion robot.

so there you have it! these are the things i think about as i get dressed. 

<3 jojy

[all images found on pinterest...not a source in sight. if anyone knows the original sources for these images, please share. i believe in credit where its due.]

what is the big deal about leggings?

[audrey hepburn looking chic as usual in funny face. wearing something remarkably close to leggings as pants]

for whatever reason, leggings as pants have been getting a lot of bad press lately. i'm not sure why...this trend has been around for years now. i can speak for everyone born in the 80s that we lived in leggings as pants 24/7 and so did our moms. leggings with a chambray shirt anyone? that was like my mom's uniform when i was a kid.

here's my quick take:

we are all trying to squeeze into the skinniest skinny jeans we can find anyways, so why not be comfortable while being stylish and just wear leggings? to me, the main difference is just that skinny jeans have pockets and leggings don't so they show just a tad more curvature. i think leggings create an even sleeker look than skinny jeans because they don't bunch up around the knee and you don't have to put them in the dryer before every wear to tighten them up. take the photos of audrey hepburn above. doesn't she look lovely? if you've seen funny face then you know that iconic scene where she is dancing in that outfit and being amazing. i've always loved that outfit. and i think its a good representation of how pretty and chic leggings as pants [WITHOUT wearing a shirt that covers your bum. GASP!] can be.

they can be worn so many ways. dressy, sexy, casual, trendy, sporty. the possibilities are endless, really.

<3 jojy

p.s. awesome leggings that i want: geometric, triangles, galaxy, wet look, star wars

it's a new year.

happy new year, everyone! i hope your new years eve was filled with all of your favorite beverages, people and booty mixes. 

so i need to say a couple of things to you faithful readers...

i'm so sorry for my silence lately! i got a little overwhelmed with the holiday season and just couldn't make the blog a priority during all of it. i received several thoughtful emails, texts and phone calls from many of you, expressing how you missed my presence on the blogosphere. your kind words meant a lot to me! blogging is a weird thing and can be difficult because it creates vulnerability. even if you don't post super personal things, you're still putting yourself out there for the world to judge. and they do. and so to hear that people like what i'm doing and missed me when i wasn't around, truly brightened my days!

the new year always brings a fresh start, so over the next couple of weeks i'll be brainstorming and refocusing my efforts, looking for fun things to blog about. i appreciate positive feedback so if you're really itching to see more of something i've posted about in the past, please let me know! your thoughts will be helpful as i'm finding my niche.

anyways, thank you all for helping to make my transition into blogging a pretty easy one!

<3 jojy

my favorite street art

isn't it beautiful?! the artist is Molly Rose Freeman and this particular piece is called "The Soul's Bright Anchor" which comes from a poem by Natasha Trethewey [2012 U.S. poet laureate and atlanta resident]. 

i was researching this art a few weeks ago and found her website [she also has an etsy shop!] that lists the other cities where she has done street art. it all looks super cool!! 

i would like to commission her to design a tattoo for me. i've been itching for another one and i think it would be the coolest to have something lovely and geometric tattooed on my body. i'm thinking it would start on the back of my neck and move down across my right shoulder and continue down part of my arm. 

these are the things my dreams are made of, y'all.

<3 jojy

[this art is located on the underpass at whitefoord and dekalb. photos are my own.]

land girls

this is a fitting second post for the day since i just posted a few of my thoughts on tomboy style...

while doing some chores around the house today, i started watching a tv series on netflix called Land Girls. i found it by clicking around on things suggested by netflix based on my interest in Downton Abbey. Land Girls isn't nearly as good as DA but i was in the mood for any tv series or movie set in a similar time period and place. and i found one! and the main characters are girls, which is always fun. the series follows 4 main characters around in their adventures in the Women's Land Army during WWII. 

and despite the fact that i've already read that the series has tons of inaccuracies and the writing isn't all that great, i'm really enjoying it!

...all of this is to say that i'm LOVING all of the clothes that the girls wear. from their work clothes to their party dresses. its all lovely, vintage tomboy style goodness. 

i'm inspired. 

<3 jojy

[top photo from tv.com / bottom photo unknown source]