Imps in Eager Caucus*

There is a little mound in my front yard where some of the neighborhood boys like to play daredevil and try to skateboard, snowboard, and engage in other impish tomfoolery.  However, they were nowhere to be seen when I went outside to take outfit photos yesterday.  So I engaged in some tomfoolery myself:

This¹ is what I wore yesterday to do a bit of work and to run a few errands, get a bang trim, and meet a former student of mine, who is now in graduate school in a much warmer state, for a cup of coffee and a chat. We talked about all sorts of things - research projects, how different grad student life is once coursework is over, whether or not we ever want to have kids, relationships with academic advisers and mentors, and the perils of being a fashionable academic -- in other words being taken seriously as a scholar and still doing things like painting one's nails, wearing fantastic boots, and statement necklaces.

1. Dress - Nine West (remixed)

Shirt dress - Target (remixed)

Shirt - H&M (remixed)

Tights - Target (remixed)

Boots - John Fluevog (remixed)

Beads - Thrifted (remixed)

I have a bit of a moral dilemma right now.  I won a $20 Maurice's gift card from Clare of Between Laundry Days and got it in the mail yesterday.  (Thanks, Clare!)  I'm not sure how I feel about spending it during the shopping ban, though....  Any thoughts on this?

*Emily Dickinson, "Soul, wilt thou toss again?"