Weekly Recap #24, 2023

It was another week of June Gloom in Denver, but I managed to escape the rain this weekend by visiting one of my best friends (and freshman year roommate) in Grand Junction, where it was sunny and 80 degrees. I visited her in Boston this time last year and saw her in Denver during the holiday season, so we were right on schedule for our six-month get-together. I never really considered how hard it would be to maintain friendships after college once everyone gets jobs and goes their separate ways. I was so grateful we both have Monday off work and that the timing of this trip worked out so well!

Monday, June 12

I mentioned this in my OOTD video on Instagram, but I don’t love how this outfit turned out. It seemed cute in theory (the green leaves in the floral top match the green pants) but I realized while taking my daily outfit pic that it’s not the most flattering combination. Something about the looser top paired with the straight-leg pants just makes me look wider than I really am.

One of my best tips, which I’ve learned through years of blogging, is to take a few photos of yourself in all new clothing items before removing the tags. Sometimes it’s hard to tell if an item is flattering just looking in a mirror, but something about taking a pic makes me see clearer (for example, if it takes several tries/a weird angle to get a flattering photo, it’s probably not the best piece for me). I’ve known this for years, yet sometimes I still wear an outfit to an event without photographing it first and realize after the fact that it was very unflattering! Please don’t make the same mistake as me.

Floral Top: Hand-me-down, last worn here | Olive Green Pants: JCPenney, $35 ($1.40 per wear) | Beige Sparkly Flats: Nordstrom Rack, $40 ($0.78 per wear), last worn here

Tuesday, June 13

This is a very simple outfit but I absolutely love how my red Rothy’s look with the red lips on my sweater. I know Stacy and London always said that matching things perfectly ages your style, but sometimes I just love a good matchy-matchy moment. We had a strategic planning retreat at work today so it was fun to shake things up a bit at the office with catered food, a few team bonding exercises, and everyone in-person for once.

Striped Lips Sweater: Banana Republic, $50 ($3.13 per wear), last worn here | Cropped Flared Jeans: Express, $25 ($0.89 per wear), last worn here | Red Flats: Rothy’s, gift

Wednesday, June 14

This is one of my go-to summer outfits. I scored this Modcloth button-down gingham dress at Alt Rebel, my favorite secondhand store in Las Vegas. I think it shrunk at some point though (or I’m getting bigger, lol) because the buttons across my chest barely stay closed now! One of the buttons kept popping open last time I wore the dress—I was hesitant to wear it to the office today but figured it would be fine underneath my denim jacket.

After work, we did our usual trivia night at Odde’s Music Grill. Tonight was the best we’d ever done—second place at the end of the first half!—but we lost our lead at some point in the later rounds. It was extra fun tonight because I knew so many of the answers.

Gingham Button-Down Dress: Thrifted at Alt Rebel, $20 ($1.82 per wear), last worn here | Denim Jacket: JCPenney, $19 ($0.10 per wear), last worn here | White Espadrilles: DSW, $45 ($0.61 per wear), last worn here

Thursday, June 15

I planned my outfit today around my newest pair of slip-ons from UIN Footwear because I knew I’d be doing a lot of walking. The Nuggets (Denver’s basketball team) just won the NBA championship, and the big celebratory parade was happening downtown today. A few of my coworkers and I wandered over to Civic Center Park to catch the rally. Supposedly there were one million people there! The crowd was making me a little antsy so I didn’t stay long, but it was kind of cool to witness all the excitement.

Checkered Peplum Top: Charming Charlie, $13 ($0.48 per wear), last worn here | Denim Jacket: JCPenney, $19 ($0.10 per wear), last worn here | Black Skinny Jeans: Express, $42 ($0.98 per wear), last worn here | Printed Sneakers: UIN Footwear, gifted by brand, last worn here

Friday, June 16

I took my car in this morning for what should have been a quick oil change before my road trip… annnd I left two hours later with a quote for repairs that cost more than my car is worth, lol. So it looks like I might start doing a little car shopping!

After my unexpectantly long stop at Big O, I hit the road for the roughly four-hour drive over the Rockies to Grand Junction. I wanted to be comfy so I just threw on this flamingo tee (which sometimes makes me feel like a toddler) and jeans. It unfortunately poured the first half of the drive, but I made it to Junction in time to grab dinner with my friend and her mom.

Flamingo Tee: JCrew, $25 ($2.08 per wear), last worn here | Cropped Flared Jeans: Express, $40 ($0.78 per wear), last worn here | White Espadrilles: DSW, $45 ($0.60 per wear), last worn here

Saturday, June 17

We went on a hike this morning at the Colorado National Monument, which has incredible views (I also shared this pic on Instagram). After a slower afternoon, my friend’s family hosted a Father’s Day BBQ in their backyard with volleyball, cornhole, and a firepit for roasting marshmallows. It was so much fun! I never ended up changing out of my hiking clothes since I knew I’d get sweaty playing volleyball.

Sunday, June 18

My friend, her mom, and I made our way to the nearby town of Palisade (famous for their peaches!) to explore their farmer’s market. On the drive back, we spontaneously stopped at Restoration Vineyards for a little tasting, which I’ve only done once before in Walla Walla. My friend doesn’t really like to drink, so I ended up sipping on both of our glasses… pictured above, ha!

After lunch, my friend and I went shopping downtown. Grand Junction reminds me a lot of Boise, but its downtown definitely takes the cake! It’s so cute and has lots of fun stores, like antique shops and clothing boutiques. I’d say Boise has a few places to shop but they’re more spread out and less affordable. I ended up buying a pair of shorts overalls from this cute store called Pollux—when I told my dad about my purchase during our Father’s Day call, he was very skeptical! Overalls are definitely out of my comfort zone, but they were cheap enough that I wanted to give the style a try.

We also grabbed dinner and then binged “The Summer I Turned Pretty”. It was a full day but so much fun, and my thrifted floral romper made for the cutest summer outfit.

Floral Romper: Thrifted from Rags Consignment, $34 ($5.67 per wear), last worn here | White Espadrilles: DSW, $45 ($0.59 per wear), last worn here | Pink Purse: Gift, from Italy, last worn here | Black Sunglasses: Charming Charlie, $7 ($0.23 per wear), last worn here

. . . . .

Which of this week’s outfits is your favorite? Do you also have a long weekend or do you have to work on Monday? Let me know in the comments!

 

Miles of smiles,

Grace