What I Wore: Denim Jacket and Zuri Dress with Converse

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We’re almost finished with our first full week of classes and when I tell y’all that I’ve been busy, I’ve been busy. Mostly dealing with book vouchers and printer/copier issues, and a lot of financial aid questions {that one is new}. Although, we’re not the bookstore, the students automatically come to me with their book questions. It makes sense, so I’ve tried to become a little familiar with the way that it works so I can help them out as much as possible. I’ve also been traveling between our campuses trying to get first week of classes pictures. Unfortunately, I’ve only been able to get to two of our five campuses, so some pictures will be third week of school pics {I’ll be away from campus next week}. If you’d like to see them, click here and here.

WHAT I WORE

Every Zuri dress is given a name based on the print, this one is BUBBLE YUM. I can’t remember how I found out about this company but I’m almost certain that it started with me becoming obsessed with Melissa Murray’s style. Melissa Murray is a legal commentator on MSNBC and is often seen wearing dresses by Zuri {I also enjoy her analysis of all things legal and the way she breaks things down so that even the average person can understand}. Anyway, when I found out about the company, I did a little digging and found out that Zuri is a woman owned company that sells sustainably and ethically made clothing, providing a fair wage for communities in Kenya.

The denim jacket is incredibly old. I think I bought it when my second oldest daughter {who’s turning 30 next week!} was still in junior high. I know for sure that it came from Kmart, so, yeah, it’s that old. I’m actually surprised that it still fits, although the sleeves are a little snug.

Because I carry so much stuff, I’m a big bag girl. During the winter, I carry a leather tote from Portland Leather, but I wanted something lighter and funkier for the summer. This bag happened to be on QVC one morning while I was getting dressed for work and I was like YES!! It’s light, has a vintage feel and also comes from a woman owned company.

The Converse were purchased the day after Joe Biden and Kamala Harris won the election. I’d wanted a pair for a while, but wasn’t sure if I’d really wear them or not. It turns out that these are some of the most flexible shoes in my closet, as I can wear them with dresses, shorts, pants, jumpsuits, e’erything.

WHERE I WORE IT

I had a series of Zoom meetings that day, so I wanted things to be “camera cute” {you know, cute above the waist, where the camera sees}. Funky glasses, vintage cameos, a denim jacket, and a dress by Zuri fit the bill perfectly.

Fun Fact: when I was a teen, I used to collect watches and cameos. At the time, we were living in Italy and I used to take my paycheck and spend it at the markets. The sellers knew me and knew that I had a penchant for cool watches and interesting cameos. I had watches with the song lyrics written across the face {my favorite was a black watch with TIME AFTER TIME by Cyndie Lauper written in white across the face}, Pop Swatches, regular Swatches, dressy watches, and plain old weird watches. And, my brooch collection was probably one of the finest a 14-year-old had ever collected. Sadly, I don’t have any of them left {two international moves, numerous cross country moves, and so many other things have caused me to lose them over the years}. Still, I have a soft spot for pendants and brooches and will pick one up whenever one strikes my fancy. And, obviously, judging by the pictures, I still have a love for that 80’s shoulder flair.

The tote I’m carrying is my summer tote. It’s all neutral beading and sequins with just the slightest hint of color and sparkle. It carries all the things and goes with just about everything in my closet. Hands down, one of my favorite bags.

And this dress? I just love the print. Depending upon how you look at it, it either looks like pretty flowers or a bunch of circles. And the color is the perfect shade of Bubble Yum pink. Not usually in my color pallet, but I was drawn to it for that very reason. In fact, I had that dress in my shopping cart for a full four days before I decided to purchase it. The color is just that different from anything that I normally wear. But, you know what? That’s probably the thing I like most about it. That shade of pink. It’s vintage and mod and contemporary and everything in between.

GET MY LOOK

Earrings: Nickel and Suede | Denim Jacket: Similar | Dress: Zuri | Tote: America & Beyond, Similar | Shoes: Converse

Sizing: I’m 5’4″ and a dress size 12 to 14 {L, XL}. I wear a size 9.5 shoe.

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THANK YOU

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Now go play in your closet,