Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links to products that I recommend. When you click on an affiliate link to a product on an external website, I will receive compensation if you buy something. Thank you for your support.
I’ve been a HUGE fan of the Indiana Jones movies since I was a teenager. I’ve seen all the movies several times & even read the spin-off books, comics, & movie novelizations. BIG FAN. So, this year, I decided I was actually going to dress up as Indiana Jones for Halloween this year. Also, it was an easy costume for me to make – I already had all of these Indiana Jones-themed clothes, with the exception of the hat, which had been on my fashion wishlist for a long time.
Cue the Indiana Jones theme song!
Here are some photos of my beloved Owl Pumpkin, #becauseOwls.
Also, here is a video of my dog wearing his Yoda Halloween costume.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links to products that I recommend. When you click on an affiliate link to a product on an external website, I will receive compensation if you buy something. Thank you for your support.
Bob Dylan, 1963
When I was sixteen years old, I discovered folk music, & more specifically, Bob Dylan. I was a somewhat angry, emotional teen at the time, & felt outraged by all the wrongs in the world. I was also trying to find my creative groove, because I was learning to play guitar & I wanted to write songs, ones that weren’t cheesy sounding. I also wanted to try my hand at poetry, because I was working on being an author. I had just transitioned from being in my Beatles phase, where I obsessed over The Beatles & early 60’s pop, but had been finding happy-go-lucky melodies about holding people’s hands & other love-related themes a little too bland for my current emotions.
When I heard Blowing in the Wind, I finally found something which resonated with me. Hurt & angry & disappointed, but also strangely hopeful at the same time. Then I heard the songs Forever Young & Like a Rolling Stone. I was hooked. I knew I’d found something great, something that really spoke to me. Something angry, something passionate, something emotional that really shook me to my core & made me question who I was & how I felt about the world. I was enamored by the creativity & poetry of his lyrics, & the folksy non-conformity of Dylan as a person. I was also inspired by his style : rugged, windblown, honest, earthy; & then in his electric phase, sophisticated & sleek, & incredibly cool, in a rebellious, honest sort of way. Now, I could give a big rant about how awesome Bob Dylan’s music is, & how his work has influenced mine, but that will have to be a different post.
This article will be about how to work Bob Dylan’s signature style into your daily outfits. This is Part I, which will be about his folk phase. Part II will be about his style during his electric phase.
From the time Dylan began playing in coffee houses, until approximately the Newport Folk Festival in 1965, when he “went electric”, his clothing style was simple, humble, working man’s attire. In this phase, Dylan was emulating his hero, Woody Guthrie, & therefore wanted a look which evoked the appearance of traveling hobos, migrant workers during the Great Depression, and a simple & less refined rugged honesty, qualities which were also present in his music at the time.
ITEMS FOR THIS LOOK
1. Plaid shirts. Plaid shirts in all colors will work great. Personally, I think red, blue, or gray plaid shirts capture the essence of Dylan best because they look the most rugged & add a nice masculine touch to the outfit.
2. Canvas / collared button down shirts. Earthy colors like beige or white are simple & best follow this look, but don’t be afraid to go for other colors as well. Remember, you’re doing your own take on his style, so adding your own touches, like a shirt in your favorite color, will make it even more authentic to what YOUR style is. As long as you add the unpolished, Woody Guthrie-inspired accessories like work pants and rugged boots, you will capture the vibe that you’re trying for. Although Dylan more commonly wore long sleeved button down shirts, if it’s warm out, you can always wear a short-sleeved version, or just roll the sleeves up. Personally, I love the look of rolled up sleeves. Masculine + rugged yet casual & pared-down.
3. Work Pants or Jeans. Black work pants are going to look the most like Dylan in his folk phase. I am personally a big fan of Dickies pants because they’re sturdy, quality pants, at a reasonable price. Because Dickies are actually work pants, they also add to the authenticity of the outfit. If you want to have the retro-esque “hard working” look of Dylan in this phase, wearing clothes that you could actually do labor in. Black jeans would also work, as would black shorts, especially black shorts which resemble work pants.
4. Work Boots. A good pair of work boots is a great thing to have in your clothing arsenal & can easily make any outfit a little more rough & tumble by wearing them. You could also wear another type of lace up boot if that’s more your style, or if you’re going for a very feminine take on the whole thing.
5. Brown Leather Jacket or Brown Fleece-Lined Jacket. Dylan wears a fleece-lined jacket, like the one on the right (in beige though), on the cover of his 1962 debut album, Bob Dylan. He wears a different brown jacket on the cover of his 1963 album The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, but any brown jacket will work.
6. Newsboy Cap / Conductor Cap / Military Cap. Dylan wears a cap like this not only on the cover of his debut album, but also in many other photos from this era. The cap adds a nice little touch to the outfit, especially when paired with the style of turtleneck featured below. Very train conductor-ish.
7. Fisherman’s Turtleneck Sweater. Dylan is seen wearing this sweater in a lot of the same photos that he wears the conductor’s cap, & the combination looks very nice & cozy. I love turtlenecks in oatmeal / beige tones because they look simple, polished, & homey simultaneously, & very on-vibe with the worker aesthetic.
8. Duffel Bag Purse. A rugged looking purse, something along the lines of this, is a great purse to carry with any combination of the above outfits while still keeping with the feel of the outfit. I personally love the way the purse pictured looks because it appears sturdy, unpolished, & practical, & the combination of leather + buckles + canvas is a nice masculine touch.
If you were going to make this into a costume (or if you just want to add some real Dylan-esque vibes), add a harmonica + an harmonica holder, & an acoustic guitar. Or add those anyway, if you’re really feeling like a folksinger.
For more inspiration on this look, here is a video of Bob Dylan in 1963 playing Blowin’ in the Wind live on television.
And, a video of him playing A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall in 1963. This video has a nice slideshow of photos from this era.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links to products that I recommend. When you click on an affiliate link to a product on an external website, I will receive compensation if you buy something. Thank you for your support.
LISTEN
★ Walk On – U2. I love this song for so many reasons, but probably my favorite line in the song? “What you got, they can’t steal it. No they can’t even feel it.” They can’t take anything away from you. They cannot confine you. You can leave them behind. You are not trapped.
★ Sweet Thing – Van Morrison. A beautiful epiphany in a song. The multi-layered instrumentation is phenomenal & magical & perfect. Soaring flutes. The tender melody & lyrics. Ebullient guitar. One of my all time favorite songs.
★ You Still Believe In Me – The Beach Boys. The comforting knowledge that even after everything that has happened or will happen, that there is a constant person who has your back & will believe in you, no matter what.
★ Crowded House. I started listening to more Crowded House recently. The song that made me start loving their music was Archer’s Arrows (which is a phenomenal & fantastic song). Then I heard Don’t Dream It’s Over (see below), & fell in love with that too. I haven’t heard that many songs of theirs yet, but I’ve liked what I’ve heard so far. Their songs are very aesthetically pleasing, & very atmospheric. They’re the kind of songs I would like to work into a variety of playlists.
★ Vanilla Talenti Gelato. Seriously. Try this with rainbow sprinkles. It’s seriously THE BEST. Rainbow sprinkles make good things even better. Gelato somehow always manages to taste elegant & make you feel elegant while you’re eating it. I also love Talenti, because they keep their ingredients simple & to the point, & produce an awesome product. Fun fact : my father usually refers to my Gelato as “ice cream”, a term which I don’t think encompasses the awesomeness & quality of Gelato.
★ Ducktrap Smoked Salmon & Ducktrap Smoked Trout. I am a huge fan of smoked fish. A huge fan. Their smoked salmon with dill is AMAZING, & I am so in love right now with their smoked trout, which I just recently tried. The smoked trout tastes like a combination between fresh smoked herring fillets and smoked salmon. One thing I love about both the smoked trout & the smoked salmon is that the fillets of them are nice, thick, & wholesome, which is even better than the thin fillets more commonly found. Also, I want to put dill on everything now. I recently made homemade guacamole with dill in it, & it was great.
★ 10 Really Easy Ways to Love Yourself More Today. As always, Gala Darling has a lovely, illuminating, magical list. I especially like Point #8, about liking what you like & not liking things just because they’re popular.
★ Jamming Baby Owls. BABY OWLS DANCING. Owls are the best thing ever.
★ John Owen-Jones Singing “Who Am I?” From Les Miserables. I love this song with a passion, & John Owen-Jones is the very best at singing it. He fills it with an emotion & evocative vulnerability that I haven’t heard in other renditions of the song. It is the most real, honest version, & because of this, a favorite.
WEAR
★ Colorful socks inside my awesome sparkly jelly shoes. Right now, I am especially loving my photo print strawberry socks, but since I bought the jelly shoes, I have bought a lot of cute, colorful novelty socks, just for wearing inside my jelly shoes.
★ My canvas medic bag. I wear this bag in a lot of the fashion photos I take, & it’s my go-to bag for everyday usage. Ever since my Indiana Jones phase as a teen, I wanted a bag like this. I finally found one which appropriately matches the one in the films. I love it because it is sturdy, holds a lot of stuff, is comfortable & easy to wear, & just looks cool. Looking cool is the primary reason. It adds a ruggedness & uniqueness to any outfit I add it to.
★ Knee Socks with Jelly Shoes or Combat Boots. I will be posting photos of this combination soon, but it looks tough but feminine at the same time, & also allows me to include the edginess of combat boots while still showing off all my cool, patterned knee socks.
TO DO
★ Laying on the floor with my dog & playing fetch with him when I get home from work. He looks forward to this, & would seriously play for hours on end if I didn’t get tired of throwing his toys for him.
★ Learning how to drive. I didn’t learn when I was younger because I had no need to, but I’m learning now, & it’s going great!
★ Earning my GED & passing all the subjects the first time around. I got honors on Reasoning Through Language Arts and in Social Studies, & was one point away from honors in Science. This was something I’d wanted to do for a long time, & I’m so proud of myself for accomplishing this goal.
THINGS
★ “When nothing is sure, everything is possible.” ― Margaret Drabble. Embrace the confusion. Now that you have nothing to lose & maybe nothing to prove, you can do anything. Now that you’re confused & uncertain & scared of the changes going on around you, you can turn this into anything. You have a blank canvas from which you can paint & create & shape into whatever feels best for you.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links to products that I recommend. When you click on an affiliate link to a product on an external website, I will receive compensation if you buy something. Thank you for your support.
Mime
Red collared blouse / combat boots / striped tights from Amazon.com / “Happy” earrings / diamond earrings / bright pink lipstick / gold glitter winged eyeliner / black shorts from T. J. Maxx / ponytail
What I liked about this outfit was the contrast between the bright, bold red of the shirt & the black & white stripes on the leggings. I am trying to find things other than plain white shirts to wear with each pair of patterned leggings that I have, & I think I hit the nail on the head with this one. There’s just something about red, black, & white stripes that just looks bold. Also, I really liked how the bright pink lipstick looked on me, as well as the idea of winged glitter eyeliner. My sister said I looked like a mime.
Leaf Scarf
Minimal makeup / white t-shirt / hair down / black & white leaf patterned scarf from Bon Worth / canvas Indiana Jones bag
Pretty sure that I wore this with the black shorts from T. J. Maxx that I’m wearing in the above photos, & my Converse-style tennis shoes. It was an outfit for a quick jaunt out, so I didn’t bother to add too much to the outfit. I liked how the scarf looked, especially with the windblown hair & the canvas medic bag – it made me look like a traveler. Unfortunately, the way I wore the scarf caused it to slide around on my neck, requiring frequent adjustment. Oh well. This was my very first time wearing a scarf, so I guess I just need a little more practice to discover what works best!
Pink Polka Dots
Converse tennis shoes / black shorts from T. J. Maxx / pink & white polka dot shirt from thrift store / ponytail / pink sparkly heart-shaped hair clip / plastic rose earrings / pink eyeliner from Claire’s
This outfit was a transition from the outfit I wore earlier in the day out shopping, to the outfit I wore for spending some time outdoors. It was a rather simple outfit, but it was warm outside & the no sleeves were very suitable to the Florida weather! I love these rose earrings. The color on them is so pretty!
Red & Blue
Red & blue striped blouse from Bon Worth / black shorts from T. J. Maxx / silver & black zigzag earrings from Walmart / single hair braid / combat boots
I liked the single braid in my hair, as well as the combination of the stripes on my shirt + the zigzag stripes on my earrings.
Red & Blue, Again
Side ponytail / red & blue blouse from Bon Worth / canvas Indiana Jones bag / pink sparkly heart hair clip / black shorts from T. J. Maxx / pink eyeliner / gold facial glitter / strawberry photo print socks / clear sparkly jelly shoes / a variety of bracelets / pink glitter lip gloss
I really loved the way this outfit looked. This shirt from Bon Worth is so, so comfortable! I try working it into many different outfits of mine. Let me note how much I adore my strawberry photo print socks, my jelly shoes, & the combination between great socks & clear jelly shoes. Since I bought the jelly shoes, I’ve been buying all sorts of great, whimsical socks to show off in the jelly shoes.
Many of the bracelets I’m wearing here are ones that I’ve made – I’ve beaded & strung them myself. Some of them, like the red one I’m wearing here, I made when I was as young as 13, & I still wear them now. I also got a few of the bracelets here from my cousin.
I made all the bracelets on this wrist except for the blue rubber one. I love the round blue beads on the first bracelet. The purple bracelet is made of Mardi Gras beads. I learned the technique of making bracelets out of Mardi Gras beads when I was a kid – a friend of mine taught me, & I’ve loved the look & simplicity of these bracelets ever since then.
I wanted dip-dyed hair for a long time. Here’s how I did it at home.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links to products that I recommend. When you click on an affiliate link to a product on an external website, I will receive compensation if you buy something. Thank you for your support.
For a long time, I was super-inspired by photos & people I saw throughout the day who had ombre hair. I absolutely loved the way it looked & knew that I wanted my hair to look that way.
A few months ago, I tried doing this look with a light reddish brown color, but as the dye I used wasn’t a high-lift variety & the color was somewhat similar to my natural color, the color didn’t show up very well unless I was in bright sunlight. I was disappointed by the results, but decided to give my hair a break for about six weeks before dying it again so I didn’t dry it out too much. I decided to learn more about the process of dying hair ombre & which dyes would give me the results I wanted. Additionally, I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to have the ombre effect done with red or blonde dye.
I eventually settled on red, & I’m so glad I did! After selecting a high-lift dye that I ended up being pretty satisfied with (Garnier Ultra-Color Nourishing Color Creme, Ultra Color R3 – Light Intense Auburn
), I followed the directions on the box & let the dye sit in my hair for about 30 minutes or so, if I’m remembering correctly. I applied the dye using the applicator in the box. I tried to concentrate most of the dye on the very tips of my hair, then blended it upwards both by using my fingers, & twisting the strands of hair to force the dye upwards in a blended manner so there wasn’t a harsh line between where I dyed it & my normal hair color. If you want to learn more about how I did it, read this article that I found incredibly helpful.
At first, when I was rinsing my hair afterwards, I didn’t see that much of a difference, as my hair looked darker when it was wet & the contrast wasn’t so great. When my hair dried, I was very impressed by the boldness of the color. It actually was a lot more red than it is in these pictures, which I took probably four or five days after I colored my hair.
Unfortunately, the color started fading pretty much immediately after I dyed it. Every time I washed my hair, despite rinsing it thoroughly after I washed it, dye still rinsed out, & when my hair was wet, it actually made light orange stains on my bedding & several shirts of mine (thankfully all the stains washed out after I treated them with stain remover). The color also faded quite fast, which was kind of a bummer.
After having this happen, I read online about dyed red hair & learned that it is notoriously challenging to maintain, & that it is completely normal for it to fade quickly, even if you get it professionally done at a salon. I read that this is because the molecules of red pigment in the dye are larger than other colors of dye & therefore, the pigments can’t penetrate the center of the hair, so it kind of just clings to the outside. Learning this made me feel better about what my hair was doing because I knew the fading had nothing to do with the dye I used, the method I used to dye it, or my hair being abnormally resistant to dye. Now I know this isn’t the case. I also found some really great products that preserve red hair color. I’ve started using the John Frieda Radiant Red Color Protecting Shampoo (& I’m going to buy the matching conditioner soon; the store I went to unfortunately was out so I have to go back & buy some next time I have a chance) & it seems to be bringing out the red highlights in my natural hair color already!
My hair dye has since faded away almost completely, & I really, really miss it, because I loved how it looked SO MUCH & I realized that red hair looks good on me. So, I decided that I want to dye it again. I want to try using red Manic Panic dye, because it’s vegetable based, contains no harmful chemicals, & because of this, I’ll be able to use it much more often than regular dye without damaging my hair. I prefer natural products when a natural, cost-effective alternative which works well is available, so Manic Panic being vegan, not tested on animals, & relatively natural is a big plus for me. Another big plus for me is the fact that as opposed to regular hair dye, which has one application which you mix in a bottle & then apply, Manic Panic comes in a tub & therefore it can be used for more than one application, or can even be diluted by conditioner for touch-ups or to adjust how bold the color is. I’ll post photos on here once I use it & explain my methods!
Zebra print high-tops by Op // black tights // black skater skirt // floral button up from thrift store // red sparkly headband // pink studded bow // rubber band as hair scrunchie // pink giraffe earrings from dollar store // diamond earrings // royal blue eyeliner + gold eyeliner from Claire’s // sparkly pink lip gloss from Wet ‘n Wild // purple eye shadow by Wet ‘n Wild
golden ring thrifted // white diamond owl ring // bracelets made by me
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links to products that I recommend. When you click on an affiliate link to a product on an external website, I will receive compensation if you buy something. Thank you for your support.
Dress from Amazon.com // owl socks from Amazon.com // combat boots by Faded Glory // white & teal bracelets from Wal-Mart // pink bracelet from thrift shop // guitar necklace from eBay.com // pink hair bow by Just Be… // rose earrings from Claire’s // cubic zircona earrings // eye shadow a combination of teal Wet ‘n Wild + light beige L.A. Colors eye shadows // emerald green eyeliner by Wet ‘n Wild // facial glitter by Wet ‘n Wild
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links to products that I recommend. When you click on an affiliate link to a product on an external website, I will receive compensation if you buy something. Thank you for your support.
you stood with your back to the wind & the rain
& lied to the clouds about where you thought you belonged
in a cage, you said
but I knew you were wrong
& that your only true home could be the wind & the sky & the wild nature outside the door
that no cage could ever contain you
Yellow sleeveless shirt by Just Be… // skirt brand unknown // tights by No Boundaries // combat boots by Faded Glory // gel nail polish by L. A. Colors in Rockin’ It // sparkly hair bow from a dollar store // t-rex earrings from eBay // gold facial glitter on cheeks by Wet ‘N Wild // yellow eye shadow by Modeso
& the sky is still waiting to hear the sound
of the bird who is finally learning to fly
Pineapple shirt by No Boundaries // shorts by Gap // Op high top shoes // pink bow on shirt from Claire’s // pineapple earrings from Claire’s // bracelet from Wal-Mart // L. A. Colors eye shadow // lipstick L. A. Colors in Coral Sheen // glitter lip gloss by L. A. Colors in Fuschia // Claire’s pink eyeliner brushed onto ends of lashes // brows colored with e.l.f. cosmetics coffee eyeliner pencil
. I love this song for so many reasons, but probably my favorite line in the song? “What you got, they can’t steal it. No they can’t even feel it.” They can’t take anything away from you. They cannot confine you. You can leave them behind. You are not trapped.
. A beautiful epiphany in a song. The multi-layered instrumentation is phenomenal & magical & perfect. Soaring flutes. The tender melody & lyrics. Ebullient guitar. One of my all time favorite songs.
. The comforting knowledge that even after everything that has happened or will happen, that there is a constant person who has your back & will believe in you, no matter what.
. I like this song because it’s evocative in a somewhat melancholy way, & John Coltrane expresses this mood perfectly.
. This was a nice, heartwarming YA romance story. It made me feel all warm & fuzzy inside, & it’s just a sweet book in general.
/ “Happy” earrings / diamond earrings / bright pink lipstick / gold glitter winged eyeliner / black shorts from T. J. Maxx / ponytail
/ a variety of bracelets / pink glitter lip gloss
// combat boots by Faded Glory // white & teal bracelets from Wal-Mart // pink bracelet from thrift shop // guitar necklace from eBay.com // pink hair bow by Just Be… // rose earrings from Claire’s // cubic zircona earrings // eye shadow a combination of teal Wet ‘n Wild + light beige L.A. Colors eye shadows // emerald green eyeliner by Wet ‘n Wild // facial glitter by Wet ‘n Wild
// shorts from T. J. Maxx // star earrings from Claire’s // purple earrings from Wal-Mart // Just Be… High Top Tennis Shoes // eye shadow from L. A. Colors // purple eyeliner from Claire’s // white rubber watch from Wal-Mart // gold bangle bracelets from Wal-Mart // 
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