#palazzo

Welcome back to Style Sunday, blog fam!  Today I am going to share with you three #OOTDs [outfit of the day(s)] that I have worn on my road trip thus far.

For those of you unaware, a few days ago Spirit guided me to get back on the road to clear up some unfinished business.  When I left Maine in December of 2018, I had put most of my items into storage and packed what I anticipated needing for this open-ended road trip into my trunk.  Now that I have claimed home in Tucson, Arizona, I have been guided to go collect the rest of my things.  There is an even bigger picture to this road trip as I have been able to establish a sense of safety for myself knowing I have a place to live in a more permanent scale.  This has really allowed me to become more comfortable in my finances on this road trip and live with more curiosity and freedom than ever before.

So, knowing that this road trip was safe for me to stay present and enjoy myself to the fullest, I made a promise to myself that I would stop and see or do things that truly piqued my interest or were waiting to be checked off my bucket list.

The first stop that piqued my interest was 65 miles outside of my starting point of Tucson, Arizona.  It was a small town of Dragoon that had been advertising its peculiar attraction of “The Thing” for 40+ miles leading up to its exit off the highway.  Feeling funky and in touch with my inner child, especially with my recent rediscovery of my curiosity in Bigfoot, I had to find out what The Thing was that was worth 40+ miles of highway billboard advertising.

Well…

After meandering around the store, I still wasn’t certain what The Thing was… was it the alien holding the sign?  Was it the vast array of animal heads hanging on the wall?  I didn’t know, but the energy inside of that building was intense and pulled me in immediately.  I knew it had a lot of culture and history to it and I got lost in the atmosphere.

After I had decided to leave the building and get back into my car, I realized I had missed out on an opportune moment of taking a photo inside of that chaotic and energy-filled space.  The print of my pants was reminiscent of the Native American trinkets and décor that lined the tables and shelves.  I meandered back into the store, dodged an interesting glance from one of the workers who had seen me come back into the store a couple of times at that point, and I found a place to prop up my camera for a quick auto-timer photoshoot.

What I love about these pants is that they are extremely comfortable and road-trip approved.  They are not tight like jeans, so they sit comfortable around the waist which is ideal for road-trips considering the amount of sitting that is required (lol).

This white tank top was a clutch $3 purchase from Walmart.  To make it my own style I like to tie it in a knot.   Lately, instead of my go-to of tying the knot in the front, I have begun tying the knot in the back of the shirt, making the top looked like a fitted crop.

The cowboy hat was staring me in the face so… I just had to grab it from the bin and incorporate it into the shoot…

These pants are from the store Lovesick which was a sister store to Torrid and no longer exists.  However, I have seen this print in multiple other stores with similar pant styles such as Forever21’s plus size section.  This style and print is very similar: https://shopstyle.it/l/4Wuh

Other options include:

https://shopstyle.it/l/4Wr5

And…take note that these only go up to size XL and I have no reference for how they fit because I’ve never tried this brand.

After The Thing, I continued my journey which brought me through Texas.  After meandering through Austin, I stayed in an Air BnB for the night in Houston and then found my way toward New Orleans the next day for my first ever NOLA experience.  Sitting in an air-conditioned car for 5 hours leading up to my arrival in New Orleans prepared me to…suffer the extremely humid climate that suffocated me as soon as I innocently opened my door with excitement and stepped outside upon arriving.  My hair instantly started to frizz up which had me yearning for the frizz taming spray by Living Proof created for shielding hair in humid climates.  What’s funny about wishing I had this product with me, which I left back in Tucson, was that it was a product I’d been carrying around with me for years that I always forgot I had until I stumbled across it within my hair products.  It was almost empty, but I refused to get rid of it because I knew that I would need it… one day.  Well, that one day came and guess what?  I didn’t have it.  But if you want to make sure you have it on your trip, I can vouch for this product.

I assembled my hair into a couple of different hairstyles and changed my outfit a few times in anticipation for walking around in what felt like… Hell (lol).  At first, I put on a pair of jeans that did not sit comfortably from the sweat that was quickly accumulating from existing in that geographical location.  Sitting in my car after mangling myself and a couple of my brittle nails (trying to strengthen them after weeks of wearing tips and dip nail polish) trying to pull my jeans onto my already-damp body made me feel like a frustrated, stiff marshmallow.  I couldn’t breathe.  So, I pulled the jeans off and switched to something that was much more friendly around my waist and thighs: my galaxy yoga pants from Torrid.  At least I would be a lot more comfortable walking around because these pants would bend with me more easily than my just-washed jeans that were just-washed-tight (which I usually look forward to).

I sat there in my car, huffing and puffing from the gymnastics I had to do to change privately in my car and found the defeat pouring in.  I recognized that my mood was not where I desired it to be considering I was on vacation and chose to enjoy myself and my adventure instead of forcing myself to do that which would bring me agony.

What I’ve learned to do in times where I feel my plans are not working smoothly is surrender to what the Universe is trying to create for me.  I now have grasped the idea to not try to force things to make them happen in any regard and I’ve become respectful of my own energetic needs.  As soon as I had stepped out into that humidity, I became annoyed.  I didn’t want to walk around in that kind of weather.

So, instead of following the plan I had which included walking around Louis Armstrong Park and eating at Café du Monde, I found a place to eat where there was accessible parking right out front of the building.  On my navigation to Parkway Bakery and Tavern, I noticed a small pond area that was hosting a beautiful view of the sunset.  My mood changed as I decided I would grab my dinner to-go and walk down the block to sit by the water and relax into the sunset’s painted sky while I ate.  However, before I got out of my car to get food, I took an honest inventory of myself.  The outfit I had on was the galactic yoga pants and my Love tee with sneakers.  This wasn’t an outfit that was empowering me to feel like myself in this moment.  Maybe if I was going to workout I would have felt differently, but I knew that I needed to feel like me to really enjoy the experience.

So…I changed back into those jeans realizing that the humidity was decreasing now that the sun was going down and I wasn’t going to be doing too much walking.  In total, including the clothes I have in storage back in Maine, I only have two pairs of denim jeans.  The pair that I brought on my road trip are my absolute favorite pair of jeans I’ve had since my last pair of jeans that I loved so much they exploded in the thigh area from my constant wearing them.  I’m very peculiar about my jeans because I’m short at a height of almost 5’3 and my legs are definitely shorter than my torso.  To find a pair of jeans that I love is truly nothing short of a miracle.  I am coming to terms that the thighs of these jeans are wearing down to a dangerously thin level and I will need to retire them soon enough knowing that my next new favorite pair are making their way into my life.

You may recognize this Love tee from my last Style Sunday regarding Releasing Goal-Weight Clothing From Your Closet.  It is a tee that I was beginning to not enjoy and then knew I would love it more if I took some scissors to the length and made it into a crop top.  This is my favorite way to custom-create tops and has opened the door to buy tops from anywhere including thrift shops, knowing I can tailor them to my own crop-top style.

I propped up my camera against my delicious PoorBoy-sandwich gigantic shopping bag that they put my order-to-go into and had a photoshoot by the water.

I noticed how many people were wearing shorts in New Orleans which was completely understandable considering how hot it was.  However, if you have thick thighs and/or experience chub rub, I recommend wearing pants because although it may be unbearably hot, it will at least minimize the issue of developing a painful or itchy red rash between your thighs.  If you’re looking for a great chub-rub defying product, Body Glide has always been a wonderful option for me that I’ve used a lot when I lived in California and loved wearing short-shorts.  Check it out here and beware of the pink tax bullshit they try to put on the “women’s” body glide product.  The regular Body Glide works just fine.

I wished I had my favorite pair of wedges with me to complete this look because of how much I was craving physically embodying my femininity. But they got left behind in Tucson for the road trip.  So, it was between my sneakers and my bright yellow flip flops that I purchased from Walmart with intention to wear in any public showers such as at the gym or rec center.  Since my newest pair of slides I received recently burst apart to no return, these flip flops were my only option outside of sneakers when I was packing.  I really need to upgrade my footwear game… anyway…

I brought my food to eat by the pond, I enjoyed the colors of the sky as the sun sunk lower, and I felt empowered by my outfit knowing it was the best representation of how I felt in that moment.  My trip to New Orleans and my mood regarding it was quickly turning around.

Since this is a fashion-focused post, I will go into depth about my trip to New Orleans for a Travel Tuesday very soon, as the night that unfolded after eating that sandwich by the pond was truly spiritually guided and miraculous…

The reason I got the opportunity to check out New Orleans was because I was heading toward visiting my friend who lives in Mobile, Alabama (which is two hours east of NOLA).  However, before our paths could cross, the Universe guided me to Pensacola, Florida where there was an available Air BnB.  I hadn’t rested well the night before between New Orleans and arriving in Mobile, so I needed rest, repair, and relaxation to finish this blog post for you guys!  Plus, some much needed beach therapy was in the works for this Pisces Spirit.

I am trying to, of course, balance my finances on this trip.  Luckily, I have the option to drive for Lyft almost anywhere I go.  I picked up some rides this morning which came with ease in Mobile, Alabama and found myself effortlessly able to book the Pensacola Air Bnb for the amount of money I had made.  This empowered me because that would mean my budget would break-even.  Woo!  I drove the hour trip from Mobile to Pensacola and got some groceries to kill time before I could check into the space.  I thought I would get to the Air BnB, rest, and then go to the beach.  The Universe decided otherwise.  My room wasn’t quite ready when I arrived and I realized that the Universe thought it would be best for me to get some much-needed beach time first, and then be able to come back and relax for the rest of my evening.  So… to the beach I went!

This bikini top is from Torrid and has stretched out over the years… especially from my wild antics of dodging waves and jumping into pools from high-diving boards 9 feet above the water… (lol yes I did this recently and lost my breath mid air/free-fall).  I unhooked the straps from the back of the bikini top and tied them into a knot around my neck for stability, since my breasts were toppling out otherwise.  This worked and kept me decent on the beach without exposing myself.  However, I am in the market for a new supportive bikini top.  Recommendations?

These bottoms are my favorite bikini bottoms I’ve ever had… they’re from last year’s Target selection and they’re my favorite because of the way they cut across my booty.  They, too, have become stretched out and are ready to be recycled from my wardrobe unfortunately.  However, this didn’t stop me from propping up my phone against my semi-sandy backpack and having my own photoshoot on the beach.  It also didn’t stop me from spending most of my time in the water… and the waves were pretty wild and fun!  I definitely thought I touched something sea-creaturey though while navigating into the water and I gasped a bit… but I probably just brushed a rock … heh… right?  -_-

I hope this fashion post inspired you and got you excited to express your style effortlessly and fearlessly along your own adventures through life!

I’ll see you soon,
BodyLoveBritt

Fashion-Focused Fun (3 Travel #OOTDs) Welcome back to Style Sunday, blog fam!  Today I am going to share with you three #OOTDs that I have worn on my road trip thus far.