Iowa City

You may have noticed from my lack of posts last week, but ever since returning to Illinois, things got busy real fast. Between classes, work, and hanging out with friends (those Firefly and Futurama episodes can't rewatch themselves), there hasn't been much time to take outfit photos. Fortunately, I not only got to get some outfit shots yesterday, but I did so while having a pretty fantastic weekend. 

On Saturday, Mary and I made the two-hour drive to visit Jenn in Iowa. She lives right outside Iowa City, so we spent the weekend walking around downtown, visiting shops, trying new restaurants, and drinking plenty of coffee. I would've had a great time with Jenn and Mary no matter where we were, but I found myself falling in love with Iowa City, which I never would have expected. I had heard that it was a great city, but I had no idea just how, well, hip it would be. I've always made it clear how much I love supporting small business, so I couldn't get enough of the local boutiques, vintage stores, and shops stocked with items made in Iowa. Iowa items were abundant everywhere we went, but it came across as pride rather than a way to trick tourists into spending money (like I don't know, say, California). Plus, we found a coffee and wine bar that just opened about a month ago. Need I say more?

This dress was only $5 at Forever 21, and it's one of the most comfortable dresses I own. I really loved pairing it with a semi-tough black jacket and boots because it reminded me of Jessica and Jenna (the queens of pairing sweet dresses with badass jackets). I like to think I'm one step closer to being cool, but who can really tell?

Dress: Forever 21

Jacket: Dry Goods

Boots: Cathy Jean

Scarf: Orange County Swap Meet

Purse: Vintage