I used to have the coolest black hat. It was from Modcloth ages and ages ago; a sort of classic boater hat with a wide brim but in black instead of the typical tan straw. While I've gotten rid of a lot of things through the years for lack of necessity, I've also had the misfortune of losing a number of things. Funny how moving from one side of the States to the other and then back again and then up the coast and then across the ocean in the space of half a dozen years might cause you to lose a few things. Some I'm sure slipped away quietly in the night, unnoticed and mostly unremembered, but other pieces were (are) bitterly missed. My favorite pair of vintage brown loafers disappeared somewhere between Virginia and Washington State. My gorgeous black hat was lost between Virginia and Pennsylvania. There's a lovely little tan handbag that dematerialized between Pennsylvania and Northern Ireland...but today my thoughts are on that hat and my futile efforts to replace it. On a budget anyway; I've found similar hats online but outside my price point and recently settled on this hat. A similar style but a bit floppy--handy for the careless hat-wearer (which I am) since it's already a bit soft you can mash it into your bag or generally be a bit reckless with it since it won't wreck the shape. It's a hat that gets the job done, but I'm still dreaming of that hat I had once and how I would wear it now...
These polka dot shorts are an article of clothing that suffered the opposite problem to my departed hat (and various other garments). They're a pair of shorts I got and then decided I wasn't sure if I liked them and shoved them into some dark drawer. Instead of disappearing they lingered on, taunting me every summer with their polka dot quirkiness; demanding to know if I was ever going to finally wear them anywhere or let them linger on in back-of-the-drawer purgatory. They're the sort of piece that could evaporate and I would hardly notice or care, but on this sunny day I did finally release them from their prison and unleashed them on the world (or at least the beach). I can't handle the cold water here, so even on the warmest days, a good day at the beach for me is lounging in the sun with a picnic and a book. Polka dot shorts, a comfy tee, and sunscreen make the perfect beach-wear for my Irish summer.
P.S. Anyone else catch the Freaks and Geeks reference in my tee? Discos and Dragons, man.
CONVERSATION