{outfit post} june gloom...

This week has really been the definition of June gloom here in New York. It's been muggy, dark and rainy. Coming off of a very sunny and summer-y weekend on the ocean, it was enough to drive a girl to drink. Luckily, Sonia was on the same page, so we met for a Thursday afternoon happy hour at one of my favorite little spots in the neighborhood, Corner Bistro. We commiserated over $2.75 mugs of McSorley's beer then skipped down West 4th Street to snap a few pictures.

It was a particularly wet and gloomy day, which influenced my outfit in a couple of ways. On days like this I always want to ere on the side of casual and comfortable, but also infuse a little color into the greyness of the weather. Factor in a dash of humidity, and here's what I ended up with:

Army surplus jacket; American Apparel deep V; vintage Missoni skirt (last worn as a dress here); Steve Madden flats; Prada bag; vintage & Fireworks necklaces; F21 ring; Michael Kors watch; Ray Ban sunglasses.

This skirt is a really strange length, but lucky for us, strange lengths are in these days. It's almost a maxi, not quite a midi, and hangs in this brilliantly swing-y but not too voluminous way. Pairing it with my completely worn in, should-probably-be-replaced white tee made for the perfect "cozy chic" happy hour ensemble. The jacket is one I picked up at the army surplus store on West 8th Street last fall. I haggled with the darling sales guy so he gave me a deal on two of them, the second of which I promptly sent home to my mom. She's obsessed, too. It's lightweight and really easy to play around with because the hood can be zipped in, the sleeves are perfect to scrunch and roll and the drawstring waist lets you totally feminize the shape.

(I feel like I should note that I am smiling in every picture in this post.)

 Yeah, I'm pretty much obsessed with these stripes.

I've started to wear my hair with this front french braid almost everyday. I decided to just let my bangs grow over the summer, since I almost always wear them pinned back this time of year anyway. Let's just say that my bangs and humidity are pretty much sworn enemies. The braid keeps them out of my face and adds a bit of a romantic touch, don't you think?

Now, okay. I realize the following is a bit silly, however I couldn't resist. When you spend as much time browsing both amateur and established fashion blogs as I do, you start to notice, er, similarities. There are a few things that have become completely ubiquitous to personal style blogs, and I noticed that yesterday, I was wearing a lot of them. Behold:

I really, really, like this look, so, what does that say about me? Am I trendy or just totally affected? If I know I'm doing it, is it ok?

If I were carrying a Cambridge Satchel Company bag and wearing a YSL arty ring, oh and perhaps looking a bit more pouty and cool on some traintracks, maybe I could rename my blog something like,

Cupcakes & Atlantic Sea of a Man Reppeller's Late Afternoon Fashion Toast.

No?

I'm sort of curious to know what you guys think. Are all the style bloggers looking the same these days? Do I need to shake it up? How do we stand out if we're all dressed the same? Will someone buy me that arty ring anyway?