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"what i wore"

what I wore : a pop of color

by Kaylah Stroup May 11, 2016
green hair, cleveland, blog, kaylah doolan
green hair, palladium boots, what I wore, outfit post
cleveland blog, fashion blog, what i wore, jean jacket, green hair
cleveland blogger, fashion blog, what i wore, jean jacket, green hair
kaylah doolan, cleveland blogger, fashion blog,
round sunglasses

 

details 
sunglasses – Mariela c/o Moorea Seal
jean jacket – thrifted
back patch – Valley Cruise Press
pins –  skull by Valley Cruise Press, Steve Buscemi via Space Waste, eyeball c/o Moorea Seal
crop top – Wet Seal
skirt – Forever 21
boots – Palladium Boots
Say hello to what is sure to become my most worn outfit this summer!

I know Forever 21 is fast fashion, and that basically everything there is made to fall apart after a few wears. Seeeeriously, it seems like everything gets worse and worse every time I stop in! This skirt though? I’ve been rocking this baby for over four years, sometimes even in outfits very similar to this one. Seen also here, here, and here. I can’t believe it’s lasted so long, and that it ended up being a staple in my closet. I seem to rediscover it each spring and each year I’m just as enamored with it. Nothing better than an outfit that makes ya feel like a million bucks (especially when the main piece was only around $11!)

Speaking of feeling like a million bucks, I know I said I wouldn’t talk about my Fitbit all the time, and I’ve been doing a pretty good job about keeping my mouth shut buuut it really might be one of my best purchases ever. I just want to shout it to the world! I don’t know that I’ve lost any weight or that there are any visible changes but I can’t help but think I look awfully fiiiiine in these photos. I hate that it’s considered narcissistic to admit that think you look good because feeling good about your appearance is so so so very important. I feel so much happier and healthier since I started moving around more.

I’ve never really had a poor body image. Of course there were little things I’d like to change here and there but since getting my Fitbit and making healthy changes in my life, I don’t really dwell on those things anymore. It’s not a magic device that automatically makes you healthy, erases anything you don’t like about yourself, or anything like that but it’s without a doubt made a huge impact on my life. I get so much more exercise now. I walk as much as possible. I’ve gotten back into the habit of stretching daily and I’m committed to working on my flexibility. I even bought a pair of running shoes! Whaaat?

It’s funny because I went from being someone who complained about
walking even short distances to now walking every chance I get and my body still wants more.
Walking isn’t satisfying enough, sometimes I have this urge to just
break into a sprint. I never pictured myself as a runner but something
makes me feel like it’s heading that way. Pretty rad this all started
with a silly little gadget I wear on my wrist…

There will always be room for improvement, and I’m sure my body would benefit from getting even more exercise but I feel really good right now. I’m proud of my body. I want to continue to make it stronger.

xoxo

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what I wore : a new favorite

by Kaylah Stroup April 28, 2016
green hair, black and white striped dress, wiw
Valley Cruise Press, jean jacket, denim jacket
green hair, cleveland blog, cleveland, blogger, fashion blog
fashion blog, cleveland

 

details 
sunglasses – Moorea Seal
jean jacket – thrifted
back patch – Valley Cruise Press
pins – dentures by Caitlin Stout, skull + root beer float by Valley Cruise Press
necklace – Moorea Seal
dress – Bold Habits Dress c/o Modcloth
shoes – Wheel and Zeal Sneaker c/o Modcloth
lipstick – Blush My Lips by Essence

I’ve been trying to stay away from posting outfit photos in this dress since I felt like I’ve shared a lot of outfit posts with a black and white dress, and even a couple paired with my jean jacket. Seriously, this is basically the same outfit only three years ago! I consider this my ultimate outfit. Sure, I’ve styled outfits I really liked possibly more than this (like this!) but a black and white striped dress with a jean jacket is kind of my signature look. I feel most confident in this ensemble.

Anyway, I realized it had been a while since we saw my quintessential Kaylah outfit here on the blog so it seems like it’s finally time to show off  my new favorite black and white striped dress. It’s like the ultimate one. (Over half my dress collection is B+W striped, okay?) It’s long enough to not worry about showing anyone anything they shouldn’t be seeing. It’s lightweight which is perfect for summer. It has two large pockets so you could totally go purse-less if you wanted! It’s basically perfect. One of those things I want to buy multiples of, for sure!

Speaking of confidence, I’m realizing it’s something you need a lot of when you have green hair. I’ve been around the color wheel multiple times. I’ve even had a shade of green extremely similar to this one in the past but this time around, man, it’s been rough! I’ve written lots of posts about dyeing your hair fun colors, and maintaining it but something I’ve been thinking about touching on for a while now is dealing with other people’s reactions to your hair. It seems obvious that with a super vibrant colored hair that people will stare and make comments but I guess outside of your significant other’s opinion and that of your boss, it’s not something that people really consider when taking the leap.

With this green it’s rare that I leave the house and don’t have at least one person say something. Sometimes it’s nice, which I appreciate but the majority of the time it’s someone shouting from the passenger seat about how St. Patrick’s Day is over. “Aw, baaaabyyyy, I love the color green” is something I’ve been hearing a lot lately too. These things wear you down after a while. Being shouted at in public isn’t so great, even if it is a compliment. It can be really embarrassing. It makes me want to hide, to wear a hat, to dress as normally as possible. With friends it’s easier to deal with but alone it makes me feel very anxious.

black and white striped dress with jean jacket, outfit post, fashion blog, Cleveland blogger

I hesitate to even share these thoughts because inevitably someone will say something like “what did you expect?” or “if you don’t want the attention than why did you do it?” No matter what you say you’ll never talk sense into those kind of people. I guess I’m typing this because I just want to share my frustrations. To tell you how even after all these years I’m still not fully equipped to handle it. I have so much I want to say on the subject but sometimes it’s just easier not to talk about and to pretend it’s not an issue.

Anyway, lets end this post on a positive note. This hair color is the bomb dot com. No amount of dumb St Patrick’s Days are going to dull my shine. I looove the way children look at it/me. I feel like a cartoon character, in the best possible way. I could always go back to my natural color (lol, what’s that?) but I feel like myself in colorful hair, like this is the hair I should I have been born with. This whole look is me in full effect, it might generate a few stares and annoying comments, but dang it, I am adorable!
xoxo

.
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what I wore : stripes + polka dots

by Kaylah Stroup March 2, 2016
Cleveland Fashion Blog, polka dot skirt, kaylah doolan
pins, lapel pin
Cleveland Fashion Blog, purple hair, kaylah doolan
Cleveland Fashion Blog, polka dot skirt, kaylah doolan, purple hair

 

details
shirt – TJ Maxx
cardigan – Dream of the Crop Cardigan c/o Modcloth
sunglasses – Carine c/o Moorea Seal
lapel pins – Steve Buscemi via Space Waste, Eye via Coucou Suzette
skirt – Bugle Boogie Skirt c/o Modcloth
camera bag – Jo Totes
shoes – Blowfish Shoes

This is just one of those outfits that makes you feel like a million bucks… even if the wind is working against you. Blowing your hair every which way (bangs + wind = the worst) and giving you silly outtakes like the one seen below. Awkwardly grabbing my own boob in public, or in the process of pulling my sweater back in place? That’s for you to decide.

Sorry, I had to include that. I wasn’t expecting it so when I was scrolling through my photos I nearly had water come out my nose. I always think to myself that I’d like to share outtakes from time to time, but they get buried, and I eventually forget about them. Sometimes I feel like such a dork sharing all these posed photos of myself. I try to be “natural” but of course, in front of the camera, I try to stand a little straighter, make sure my hair is in place, and my clothes are sitting perfectly. I’m a little bit more disheveled than that. We all are. So in the future? More outtakes! I’ll save them up and even put them in a post of their own.

Hope you’re having a lovely Wednesday!
xoxo

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what I wore : a giant tooth

by Kaylah Stroup February 25, 2016
cleveland, blogger, tooth sweater, purple hair
Kaylah Doolan, Cleveland Lifestyle Blog, wiw
kaylah doolan, wiw, ootd

 

details
sweatshirt – tooth crew neck c/o Strange Women Society
button up shirt –  Old Navy
lapel pin – Hand Over Your Fairy Cakes
jeans – High-Rise Rockstar Skinny Jeans via Old Navy
sunglasses – Carine c/o Moorea Seal
shoes – Palladium Boots
I don’t have too much to say about these photos or this outfit except that sunshine, a new pair of jeans that fit well, my new favorite sunglasses, and the most perfect sweatshirt make me a very happy gal. That sunshine especially! *insert seven heart emojis*
xoxo

 

very important detail I couldn’t seem to capture in the sunlight.

 

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what I wore : hello to the perfect coat

by Kaylah Stroup December 9, 2015
Steve Madden Coat, wiw, ootd
palladium boots, what I wore, orange hair
Jo Totes, Kaylah Doolan, What I Wore
The Dainty Squid, Palladium Boots
camera bag

 

details
coat – When in Rome Coat c/o Modcloth
sweatshirt – Hello Apparel
button up shirt – Classic Plaid Poplin Shirt via Old Navy
necklace – All Seeing Eye Pendant c/o Moorea Seal
jeans – TJ Maxx
boots – Palladium Boots
camera bag – Jo Totes
phone decal – Society6
sunglasses – c/o Moorea Seal

This coat is what all my coat dreams are made of. I got it at the beginning of last month but I had chosen the wrong size. I spent SO long standing in the mirror posing, and making sure it really was too big just because I didn’t want to take it off and send it back. I was trying to justify that winter coats should always be a little bit big so that you can layer but there really was no denying it, I was swimming in it. I finally got the size I needed back in the mail a week or so ago aaaand I don’t remember the last time I liked a coat so darn much.

I actually own quite a few coats but no real winter coats that provide warmth. I guess I skated by without a warm coat for years because I never really spent all that much time outside in the winter. It was just quick trips outside or else I was super layered up. Now that I’m spending so much time at the flower shop having something to keep me warm on the walk became a necessity. This baby is the perfect length. Don’t kid yourself, coats that don’t cover the booty are never warm enough! The inside is super soft. It has this puffy collar that keeps the wind out of your hood. My favorite part? The sleeves! They’re sufficiently long enough which is something I’d been having trouble finding, and the ends have a form fitting warm part so that your wrists don’t freeze. Also, the pockets are super deep which is always a plus! I’m in love. Picking things out online is hard sometimes, and when you absolutely nail it it feels so good.

Not to rush the snow, because I know that as soon as it comes I’ll be sick of it, but I’m really excited for it to start falling. I have a Christmas tree up for the first time in a few years but it feels kind of out of place. It doesn’t seem like it’s creeping up so quickly. I mean, I haven’t even started shopping for gifts yet. Snow always makes the holidays feel real and I’m excited to really test out my new coat.

Hope you’re having a lovely week (+that you’ve found your perfect winter coat because that cold weather is coming quick!!)
xoxo 

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what I wore : orange you glad

by Kaylah Stroup November 9, 2015


details
jean jacket – thrifted
lapel pins – tooth by Hooptedoodle, donut by Valley Cruise Press, deviled egg by Seltzer Goods
shirt – Forever 21
necklace – c/o Shlomit Ofir
skirt – Breathtaking Tiger Lilies Skirt c/o Modcloth
belt – Foxy Moxie Belt in Black c/o Modcloth
shoes – Such a Flaunting Task Flat c/o Modcloth
pouch – c/o Seltzer Goods
camera bag – Jo Totes

We had some unseasonably warm weather last week. Mid-seventies in November!? I’m a bit swamped at the moment and had to use my one free day to cram a bunch of work in but since grocery shopping was on the agenda I figured I could slip away to the beach for outfit photos real quick. Technically taking outfit photos does count as work for me but since a lot of the time it feels like play it’s hard to justify it when I have a lot to do. I’m glad I did it though because I totally dig these photos, and time at the beach, no matter how short, is always refreshing. I really don’t think I would fare well not living so close to the beach.

I’m finally getting back into the swing of reading again. It had been a while since I finished a book but I’ve been taking the train a lot lately so I’m able to steal minutes here and there to read. Last week I finally finished The Undertaker’s Daughter, which I had been reading since June. Whoops. I usually keep a pretty large stock of books to read but since I wasn’t reading regularly I hadn’t picked any up in a long time. One thing that was on my shelf was The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. I’d kind of been putting off reading it. I think amazon might have recommended it to me based on the other books I’d purchased. I’m only fifty or so pages in so far but definitely enjoying it. I’m also reading Library of Souls, the third book in the Miss Peregrine series. LOVING IT. I’ve never really been one to read two books at once but I’m actually enjoying it. I might try to do this all the time. Anyway, it feels SO good to be reading again. I missed it.

Hope you’re having a lovely start to your week!
xoxo

 

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what I wore : blending in

by Kaylah Stroup October 27, 2015

 

details
shirt – Hosting for the Weekend Tunic c/o Modcloth
necklace – Crescent Moon Pendant c/o Moorea Seal
jeans – Skinny jeans c/o Macy’s
camera bag – Jo Totes
boots – Palladium Boots

Insert obligatory few sentences about how much I love fall. The colors, you guys, the colorssss! 😛
This is my first year having orange hair in autumn. I usually try to avoid it since strangers inevitably ask dumb questions and make rude comments. Seriously, where do people come from that calling a stranger on the street “pumpkin head” is acceptable?! I wasn’t ready to dye my hair a new color so I just decided to roll with it this year. While the comments are just as annoying as ever I kind of love having a hair color that matches the season so well. Just down the street from me there is a tree that perfectly matches my hair and every time I walk under it I hope anyone who see me is appreciating just how awesome it looked. Hah!
I knew since I blended in so well this year I had to make sure to go find a pretty background to take outfit photos in front of. My obvious first choice was the cemetery! I’m pretty sure there is nothing prettier than a cemetery in fall. I visited Monroe Street Cemetery (which I blogged about last fall) and it did not disappoint. It was a struggle to not pick up every single pretty leaf I found to press. Can this season just last forever!?

 

Hope you’re having an excellent week.
xoxo

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what I wore : I’ll never get out

by Kaylah Stroup October 22, 2015
details
sunglasses – c/o
sweatshirt – Kin Ship Goods
button up shirt – Classic Plaid Poplin Shirt via Old Navy
lapel pin – Explorer’s Press
jeans – TJ Maxx
shoes – c/o Famous Footwear
camera bag – Jo Totes
Fall means I basically just live at the beach. Every year when the weather starts to cool down I just start writing post after post about how great it is (which will totally come back to bite me some day when everyone realizes how magical the beach is in cool weather!) The weather this last week or so is what I live for. It’s not too cold but there is a definitely chill in the air. I don’t know why exactly but I seriously just love it so much. If the weather could just stay like this all year long…

At my favorite beach there are two sections. One is like the main beach and the other is a little area on the other side of some trees that is pretty secluded. I’ve actually never seen anyone else hanging out on that part which makes it feel like it’s my little secret. It’s definitely not but it’s fun to have somewhere in the city that it’s almost a guarantee I can go there and be alone. It’s also an awesome spot to take outfit pictures when the lighting is right. (Here’s another post from the same spot!) The only thing is that for some reason all the trash washes up on this side. I mean, the other side is usually a mess too but this side is even worse. Surprisingly enough on my latest visit to take these photos there wasn’t much trash at all but there was tons of beach glass! I found a few rare colors that I was super excited about and one of the coolest finds of all, a little porcelain doll hand. I can’t decided whether I think it’s the creepiest, or the coolest but you best believe it came home with me. It absolutely had to go in a jar with the rest of my neat-o beach finds.

xoxo

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what I wore : queen of summer

by Kaylah Stroup September 9, 2015

 

 details 
dress – Target (a few years back)
hat – Dicarlo Hat c/o Moorea Seal
necklace – Crescent Moon Pendant c/o Moorea Seal
sunglasses – Lilly c/o Moorea Seal
belt – Foxy Moxie Belt c/o Modcloth
nail stickers – Echo via Incoco

I’ve been trying to find the perfect time to wear this hat but y’all it has been way too hot to even try to look cute. I’ve basically been living in over-sized tshirts and my undies. These last few days I’ve gotten up early, taken my bike ride before even eating breakfast to beat the heat, and then stayed inside all day hibernating. I have three fans set up facing me in my office yet by 3 or 4pm I have to give up and take my laptop into my bedroom where I have a window A/C unit to continue working. I’m struggling through these last few weeks of summer. Being out early to ride has really opened my eyes to how lovely mornings are in the city though so yesterday I woke up super early and headed out to take outfit photos before it got too hot. I can at least pretend to be queen of summer, right?

Despite it still being incredibly hot so early, my morning was wonderful. I got pictures I was happy with and I even saw some deer! I thought I saw something move out of the corner of my eye which I presumed was someone walking their dog and marveling at the girl tromping around in the flowers. When I looked up I saw two deer were watching me through a hole in the fence. It was so lovely, we just started at each other for a while before they were scared away by a train. I really enjoy sharing little moments like that with animals.

Can we talk about something kind of off topic for The Dainty Squid? Errrr, hold up, I never want to feel like something is “off topic”, I’d like this to be a place where I’m able to talk about all of my interests! I’ve mentioned it before but there are definitely topics that I feel maybe a little bit weird talking about and one of those things is makeup!

In the last few years I’ve really started getting into make up. I mean I wore it in high school but really really bad eyeliner and purple eyeshadow don’t count for too much. Hehe! I still have a lot to learn but I love to experiment. Maybe once a month or so I allow myself to purchase one or two new things to test out. The latest thing that I’m interested in is lip color. Not so much lipstick, but basically anything else. I’m not sure what the big deal is with lipstick but I feel uncomfortable in it. I kind of feel like this scene in Bruno (<— that’s NSFW) which is hilarious because lipstick is definitely not going to be what people look at when they stare at me. I think basically what it comes down to is that I like matte finish since I do own a few matte lipsticks that I really love.

Anyway, I’m way into lip stains. I feel fairly comfortable wearing them and I’m always looking for new brands and products to try. A little while back when I was browsing the oh so dangerous make up aisles at Target I spotted Maybelline Color Blur lip colors. I chose My-My Magenta which matches my hair wonderfully. It’s super bright and I am LOVING it. The finish is so nice. It lasts for a long time without any touch ups, and I basically want to buy errrrrry color. It’s fun to branch out, and to still be able to find new things to try. I like pushing myself to do things that make me a bit uncomfortable. Having magenta lips definitely makes me a little bit self conscious but they just look so darn awesome!
xoxo

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About Me

About Me

Hello!

I'm Kaylah! Renovating a 150-year-old home in Northeast Ohio. Likely found in my garden.

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THE DAINTY SQUID
  • blog
    • all the posts!
    • stroup mansion
    • some of my favorite posts
    • plants + gardening
    • beauty, fashion + hair
    • reviews
    • window shopping
    • explore everywhere
  • about me
  • contact
  • shop