Return of the 80s

Maybe I shouldn’t say “return of the 80s” because the 80s never truly left us. We all continued to awkwardly bob our heads to Prince and Michael Jackson (or…maybe that was just me…) and now the glorious bright colors, football player shoulder pads, and, yes, even frizzy hair are back in our midst. For those of us born in the 80s, it will always have a special place in our hearts. And on our shoulders. And in our frilly scrunchies (ah, those were the days!) I got this bright blazer at the Bargain Barn, my favorite thrift store of all time, and I apparently stumbled upon someone’s entire collection that day: I bought variations on this theme in yellow, red, and orange as well, and I *love* them. When I was teaching Russian, I used to dress them up with skirts and boots, but today I went for jeans and a bit of a layered effect. The (backwards) belt is one of my faves.

I haven’t done a style post in ages, in part because we’ve entered into the darkest time of year, when it’s hard to catch the light. My sweet husband got some awesome photography gear for Christmas, though, so here are our first indoor shots with his new flash and diffusion umbrella! I love it that it’s a joint project:)

These pretty earrings were a gift from my wonderful friend B. She was a bridesmaid in our wedding, and she totally surprised me at our rehearsal by giving me a bubble wrap bouquet studded with all kinds of little gifts! It was so incredibly sweet. The bubble wrap is a reference to all the time we spent together helping wrap our husbands’ scientific equipment for research trips. I so treasure those memories, and those long days in the lab when B became such a dear friend, when we laughed as much as we worked, when we had the chance to be part of something so important to our menfolk. 🙂

These purple suede boots are kind of my pride and joy, and I still can’t believe I found them at the thrift store in my size. That was a red letter day, for sure. 🙂

I am hoping to be a bit more regular with style posts now that all the dissertation deadlines are behind me! I have been having a blast working on all kinds of projects in my free time, and so far, 2012 has been awesome indeed. Hope you are all having a wonderful new year too!