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what i wore

what I wore : cozy at home

by Kaylah Stroup

the dainty squid home, green hair alice & olivia glasses, pink cateye glasses, the dainty squid, kaylah doolan, green hair

details
glasses – Ludlow c/o Alice & Olivia
romper – button-down shirt romper via Urban Outfitters
cardigan – Macy’s
socks – thigh high socks via Amazon
slippers – Marshalls (similar)

I’m not going to lie, this post feels a bit more like a string of selfies than an outfit post. Also, I’ll probably end up doing an actual outfit post in this same thing another day but y’all I’m living for this romper and don’t want to wait. Also, new glasses & the coooooziest blanket ever need shown off too.

The weather has finally cooled down in Ohio. I’ve been nesting like crazy. This is my favorite time of the year. I love a clean house with a fall scented candle burning and cool breeze blowing in. Being under a cozy blanket with a mug of coffee. It’s my ultimate happy place. Each year the same feeling strike. It’s the high before the winter blues inevitably come. I wish autumn could last forever.

the dainty squid, romper, urban outfitters

I prefer to take my outfit photos outside for a multitude of reasons but also always wish I had more photos of me in my home. I’m so proud of this apartment. I really love this place, and I love how I’ve decorated it. Photos of me in my home, in my element, feel so personal. These aren’t the best photos technically. The lighting is driving me bonkers, I’ve edited and re-edited about five times now but I love them so much. My plants, my pets, my collections. These are a few of my favorite things. Also, how could I not post those ridiculous photots of Professor?

Hope you’re having a great day.
xoxo

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bike style

by Kaylah Stroup

Thank you prAna for sponsoring this post.

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Since moving to the city, and making the friends that I did I’ve had to adapt my wardrobe to be a little more…uh, what’s the right way to say this? flexible? real life-able? Does that make sense? I guess what I’m saying is as much as I love photos of fashion bloggers in pretty dresses, and heels with their bikes that just doesn’t suit the way I ride. Every piece of clothing that comes into my wardrobe has to be useful. I like to wear things that look nice, but that I can still stretch and move in. I always mean to share more photos of me on my bike and what real bike style looks like in my world but the truth is it isn’t all that cute most of the time.

I’ve had to be very selective about what I wear on my bike. I ride hard. I ride fast. So my clothing has to be comfortable, breathable, and definitely not have a massive seam down the center. *ahem* If I’m not asking too much, I’d still like to look cute. Enter prAna! When the opportunity to work together presented itself, I jumped at the chance. Their clothes are cute, versatile, and probably best of all, mindfully made in order to support fair trade and sustainable practices. prAna’s one core believe is to give back more than they take from the world. Check out this video they made about sustainabiliy and being a conscious consumer! It’s awesome to find companies that care!

cleveland blog, kaylah doolan, bike style, cleveland, pats in the flats

details
sweater – Rockaway hoodie c/o prAna
shirt – Target
jeans – Kara jeans c/o prAna
boots – Palladium Boots

I chose the Kara jeans specifically because they were made from organic cotton that allows for breathability and movement. Y’all they feel like biking in pajama pants, and I could not be happier! Most importantly, the seam is comfortable to sit on for long periods of time. Wahooo! A nice bonus -they come in eight different colors! That means if you’re on of those folks who likes to stock up on your favorite clothing finds, you can stock up without looking like you only wear one pair of jeans. I wouldn’t know anything about that though…

I’m so happy to have found prAna and this clothing that looks great but is still able to handle all the ways my body moves. I love that I can hop off my bike, walk into a restaurant and not look like I just hopped off my bike based on my outfit choice.
xoxo

PS prAna has also offered The Dainty Squid readers 15% off with code ‘F17CGKD’! It will be active until 10.17.17. 

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
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what I wore : leopard print

by Kaylah Stroup

overalls, the dainty squid, cleveland fashion blog what I wore, fashion blog, kaylah doolan, the dainty squid, cleveland, green hair

details
hat – black hat via Target (currently on clearance!)
glasses – Louise via Warby Parker
sweater – summer robe c/o Moorea Seal
pin – Ace Ventura by Two Ghouls Press
top – Charlotte Russe
overalls – released hem overalls via Charlotte Russe (also on sale!)
shoes – tassel slip ons c/o The Fix

It’s faaaaall! Or at least it feels like it. After a summer of trying to avoid spending any time in my apartment because it was so darn hot in here, this last week and a half have been such a relief. I’ve got a pumpkin scented candle burning, and there’s a cool breeze blowing in. Without a doubt, this is the best time of the year. I could not be any happier.

I’m also super pumped to be able to wear comfortable clothing again! I can’t be the only one who starts to get reeeeal tired of wearing just a tank top and shorts. I truly don’t understand how other girls look so cute in the summer. For two straight months, I’m essentially just a sweaty gremlin. Sooo, I celebrated the new season by picking up two new pairs of overalls. I don’t know how I ended up browsing Charlotte Russe’s site, it’s not in my normal rotation of places to shop for clothing, but I’m sure glad I did. They have so many different pairs of overalls, aaaand they’re way cheaper than the pair of Levi’s I’d been eyeing up. Even though they said they weren’t available in stores I decided to pop in anyway.

I fell madly in love with a pair made from a light colored denim. I was buying those for sure. This black pair though, I wasn’t convinced. They fit really nice but I’m still trying to save all the money I can because roadtrips will always be more important than clothing to me. Buuuut the sale was too good to resist considering I know how often I wear overalls (basically always.) After putting together this outfit I am so so so happy I “splurged”. I foresee wearing this exact outfit basically all fall and winter!

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body talk

by Kaylah Stroup

green hair, braid, the dainty squid, kaylah doolan

Body image is such a strange, strange thing. In my case, it can also be a very fragile thing. This post could go a thousand different ways but let’s start here…

I’d like to think that I know better than to be jealous of something I see on instagram. I know that most people out there aren’t purposely posting their less than flattering moments, that they’re really only posting when they look or feel good and that’s perfectly fine! It’s not that I want to revel in their ugly photos or anything. For me, it’s just so easy to get discouraged when I see beautiful person after beautiful person after beautiful person. Perfect body after perfect body. I know, and have briefly written about how one person’s beauty doesn’t take away from your own but some times it’s hard not to feel crappy. I’ve been struggling with that a little bit lately.

On top of this, Jeff and I went shopping together a week or two ago which should have been a fun thing but I left feeling a little bit blue.  I’ve found that most stores in the mall don’t really carry clothes that I would or can even wear. My local H&M is consistenly sold out of anything that isn’t a size 2 or 4. I rarely fit in Forever 21’s clothing and their plus size section is too big. It’s like there’s a gap of sizes that got left out. If I do magically fit in their clothing it’s obscenely short. Again, making it unwearable. Then when we went to Victoria Secret, where Jeff was so kindly offering to buy me something, they didn’t have my bra size.

In the grand scheme of things, it’s small fries. I don’t regularly shop at the mall nor did I really need anything but it’s hard to not feel discouraged. I felt like a giant. Like I was “too big” to be a woman. This is a super crappy feeling I deal with quite often. I am not a delicate flower. I have never been. In middle school I was proud to be bigger than all the boys. I was strong, and not to be messed with. Somewhere along the line I became self consious of my size. I wanted to be small, delicate, “feminine”, and perhaps most of all, shorter.

This whole flare up of feelings at the mall happened two or three days before I needed to take some photos for an “in kind” campaign I was doing with Athleta. That just means they sent me some clothing in exchange for photos. I had picked out two things I was super excited to wear – a striped sports bra + a cozy sweater. I picked the two of them together with a specific photo in mind that I would take. My deadline was approaching, and despite any negative feelings I was having toward my body, I had to get at least one photo.

I took a handful, not expecting too much. Wouldn’t you know it I LOVED what I was getting. I ran back in front of my camera, posed some more, and got even more photos I loved. Photos that made me feel good about my body. Photos that showed me my own body in a different light. That helped me remember how incredibe my body is. Maybe its not the thinnest, daintiest, petite thing but it’s a damn work of art. This body is strong. It houses all the good things I have inside me. Most importantly, it’s the only one I have.

So what if it will never grace the cover of a magazine? Ahem, I mean, I did that already. So what if it doesn’t garner attention from every dude on the internet? I don’t want that anyway. So what if I can’t buy cheap-o clothes from the mall? I should make smarter purchases, anyway. It’s like I’m intelligent enough to know that the reasons I want my body to look a certain way are stupid but still can’t help but sometimes feel like my body could be ‘better’.  Fitting into clothes from the mall wouldn’t make me happier. Being pestered by more men who only like the way I look certainly wouldn’t make me happier. So why do I feel this way sometimes? It makes no sense.

I guess I just wanted to write this post to 1) celebrate a time when I felt really happy with my body and 2) share that even the people you might look up to still struggle with the same things. It’s only human.

Quick run down of some important things –

  • The beauty of another does not take away from your own!
  • Everyone EVERYONE struggles with their appearance from time to time – even that human who you think is like the ultimate good lookin’ person! Chances are every once in a while they look in the mirror and think “who is that dingus?”
  • Taking selfies isn’t vain, sometimes it can be a really cathartic experience that will help you see things a little bit differently.
  • STOP COMPARING YOUR BODY TO OTHERS. Everyone is built different.
  • Not being petite doesn’t make you any less womanly or worth any less.
Bra + cardigan c/o Athleta.
Leggings by Girlfriend Collective. They are PURE MAGIC. Literal best leggings I have ever owned. They’re made from recycled water bottles. Plus they earn major points for using models with a variety of different body types.
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what I wore : stripes forever

by Kaylah Stroup

cleveland fashion blog, ohio blogger, striped dress, kaylah, the dainty squid

striped dress, black and white, the dainty squid, kaylah doolan, fashion blog, modcloth daisy natives, lapel pinmoorea seal cleveland blog, cleveland fashion blogger, ohio, fashion blog, kaylah doolan, green hair, striped dress

details
sweater – Charter School Cardigan via Modcloth
dress – Modcloth, years ago (similar)
pin – Daisy Natives
tote – block print tote c/o Moorea Seal
glasses – Louise via Warby Parker
belt – vintage
shoes – Barrow flats c/o Moorea Seal

Long time no seeee! I’ve been truly slacking on the outfit posts this month. If I’m being honest, I’ve basically just been living in my favorite outfit – on days the weather isn’t five billion degrees. It’s so easy to fall into a fashion rut. Although, I don’t necessarily consider feeling super cute being in a rut. Just a fashion blogging rut. Being forced to put on something different is actually one of my favorite things about sharing outfit posts. Otherwise I might just wear the same three or four outfits on repeat…

eastern black swallowtail caterpillar

caterpillar

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Same dress, different colorway from around this time last year! Can’t believe how much my hair has grown.

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twenty-seven

by Kaylah Stroup

the dainty squid, birthday, balloons, green hair, colorful

cleveland blogger, ohio blogger, cleveland, green hair

kaylah doolan, ohio blog, fashion blogger

details
hat – Target
sunglasses – Moorea Seal
shirt – 3/4 sleeve top via Target
skirt – denim front button skirt via Target
sandals – pansy via Amazon

TWENTY-SEVEN.

This is officially the “other side” of my twenties. Well, twenty-six was… and twenty-five probably was too but for some reason I tried to hold on the idea that I wasn’t closer to thirty than twenty. No denying it now. Still a little confused how I’m this old but don’t feel any more like an “adult” though.

I’m hoping that by the time this post goes live I’ll already be outside getting some early morning miles on my bike. Ideally I’ll get twenty-seven miles in today but I might poop out early, and that’s fine too. In previous years I’ve written about how I’m going to do something relaxing but if I’ve learned one thing in all my years it’s that I’m happiest and most satisfied when I’m busy. So I’m going to do my best to make it a full day of bikes, beach, coffee, and food!

Sparklers with my dad, then smoke bombs with both parents. This one with my dad looking down is easily the most flattering of the three of us. Later photos would show us choking. Its incredible how smelly those things are. Probably cut at least six months off my life breathing that stuff in. Happy Birthday though, right?

PS. You should check out my instagram stories for a super cute GIF from this shoot that I wasn’t able to include in this post.

Here’s a peek back at previous year’s birthday outfit posts featuring balloons!  2013,  2014, 2015+ 2016! Some things really never seem to change…

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what I wore – feelin’ myself

by Kaylah Stroup

yellow hair, mimi chica, romper, green hair, the dainty squid kaylah doolan, yellow hair, black felt hat, colored hair, fashion blog romper, yellow hair, yellow and green hair, cleveland blogger yellow hair, fashion blog, cleveland blog, outfit post, ootd, the dainty squid cleveland fashion blog, cleveland blog, yellow hair, dainty squid, kaylah doolan

Y’all, this might be my favorite outfit I have ever shared here. Nearly ten years of sharing funky outfits on the internet and one simple romper rules them all.

mirrored sunglasses, fashion blog, kaylah doolan, dianty squid

A few weeks ago Jeff and I were laying in bed when he just randomly spits out “Can I buy you a romper?” It was reeeally stinken cute the way he said it so nervously like he anticipated a “no”. He explained that he’d someone wearing one recently and thought I’d look really cute in one. I told him that with my long torso I wasn’t sure I’d find one that fit comfortably but that I’d be more than willing to go try some on for him. Of course you can take me shopping, duh!

Target didn’t have much of a romper selection but TJ Maxx came through – as always. TJ Maxx is my jam! I quickly found three that I liked enough to try on and the second I tried on this starry one I knew that even if he wasn’t sold, it was coming home with me. Luckily he loved it just as much as I did, if not more. Jeff doesn’t really buy me clothes so this romper feels really special. I love wearing it, and I love wearing it even more when I’m with him.

I can’t believe this whole time I’ve been missing out on rompers. Sure, I tried on more than a few after getting this one that were definitely way too short for my body. Perma-wedgie! But finding the right one is so worth the annoyance of trying a bunch on. It’s SO comfortable and it’s like the easiest possible outfit to wear. Paired with this hat that I now wear constantly, cute sunglasses, and literally any shoes I want – I feel like a million bucks. I can’t believe I’ve survived summer without one before this. On really hot days, it’s so much cooler than wearing anything else! I’m changed woman. The last few times I’ve been to TJ Maxx since I head straight to where I think rompers might be. I need more!

details
hat – Target
sunglasses – TJ Maxx
romper – TJ Maxx
necklace – tooth necklace by Goingsnake Silver
shoes – espadrilles c/o Viscata Barcelona

PS. To my long torso pals, the brand of the romper is Mimi Chica. I obviously can’t speak of how all their rompers fit but if you’ve found it hard to find ones long enough starting with this brand might be a solid idea. They have a few available on their website, at Tillys, at Nordstorm, and Nordstrom Rack!

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what I wore : stripes + overalls

by Kaylah Stroup
This post was sponsored by Reebok as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own. kaylah doolan, fashion blog, cleveland blogger, ohio blog, blue hair
cleveland blog, cleveland, ohio blogger, the dainty squid, kaylah doolan
cleveland fashion blogger, overalls, what I wore
moorea seal, overalls, pizza pin

I feel like my wardrobe is heading toward something Steve Jobs-esque. Not that I’m going to start wearing black turtlenecks and jeans every single day but that I’ve started simplifying it without even meaning to! I really enjoy getting dressed up, and puting together fun outfits but maybe more than that I love anything I can just throw on and know its going to look awesome without having to waste time over-thinking it. Overalls and stripes are basically that to me. Honestly, stripes in general are just my jam. I’m sure you could have gathered that information from looking through my past what I wore posts though, right?

I already had an abundance of black and white striped tops, my collection of overalls is pretty respectable (lol), and I just picked these snazzy white Reebok Classics from DSW! They are so comfortable. Also – maybe sort of getting off topic a bit here – have you guys been in DSW lately? I hadn’t and felt a little bit like a kid in a candy store with the number of shoes I actually liked. I feel like I browse the shoes at all my regular stops but never make it a point to actually go to shoe stores which, surprise surprise, is clearly a mistake! SO many amazing shoes there. I’m honestly surprised I made it out with only one pair.

Back to what I was saying, all together this is such a simple outfit but I feel like it looks like I spent more than three seconds picking it out. Despite the fact that clean white shoes are really hard for me to maintain I still always end up choosing them. For the few times I get to wear them while they’re still their original color I feel so fabulous, and fashionable. I’m excited to pair these ones with some simple dresses this summer before they’re absolutely destroyed.

What’s your favorite quick + easy outfit? I’d be very interested to know because I’m sure overalls wouldn’t be a quick + easy outfit for everyone and I bet a lot of other people’s choices would be something I’d end up overthinking. I guess it’s all about what makes you feel best.
xoxo

One last thing! My hair in these photos is extremely faded green, as you probably noticed. I’d been purposely fading my hair for a while so that I could finally move on from green. I felt a little self consious about it because I knew how faded it really was but looking at these photos I realize it looked dang awesome! Sometimes I wish dyeing hair could be more of a science but the journey really is half the fun and it leads me to colors I probably wouldn’t do otherwise. I definitely rocked this faded hair! Needless to say, if you didn’t catch on by the past tense I spoke in, I’m no longer green. At least, not entirely. Photos to come soon, OBVIOUSLY!

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what I wore : beetle dress

by Kaylah Stroup

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A while back in my Friday Favorites I featured a dress from the brand CowCow and mentioned how I wanted to pick one up eventually. They’re cheap, they have pretty awesome reviews, and the biggest selling point for me is the fact that they offer really unique prints. Basically anything you can think of, they have it on a dress. Mushrooms, sushi, bees, bats, and so on! I was leaning toward bats until I found this beetle dress, and felt compelled to purchase immediately. It comes in a variety of different colors but the ‘beige’ one seemed like it’d be the easiest color to pair with other things. This dress is definitely white, not beige. No idea whats up with that!

A few things to note if you want to purchase one of these dresses – I’m fairly tall so this dress is a bit short on me. Nothing a pair of stretchy shorts underneath or tights in cooler months can’t solve though. I also would recommend possibly sizing up if you have large breasts. Some reviews noted that the pattern stretched out in that area but my issue was actually with the length of the dress. In the front its much shorter because of my boobs. I almost feel dumb mentioning that because… well, duh, it should be obvious that its going to take more fabric to cover them babies. Its just that I don’t really notice it with any of my other clothes but I feel like this dress is significantly shorter in the front because of my boobs.

Those things aside, I feel like this was a solid buy! I only wish I could find more clothes covered in beetles…

details
glasses – Louise via Warby Parker
sweater – Charter School Cardigan via Modcloth
plugs – Omerica Organic
(use rep code “daintysq” for 20% off!)
dress – Beetle Dress via CowCow
shoes – Modcloth

 

check out more of my ‘what I wore’ posts here.

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