Hello from Long Beach, California! I just took these photos yesterday afternoon at the pier and will be boarding my first cruise this afternoon (so I’ll be mostly offline for the next several days). July was one of the calmest months of 2024 so far, and it felt so good to have several weekends in a row with no plans at all. As you probably already saw in my last couple of posts, my brother and sister-in-law also moved to town at the end of the month, which has already been so much fun. I’m sure we’ll get into lots of trouble in August…

What’s New?

I feel like I don’t really have anything “new” to share, but I did cut my own bangs the other day for the first time ever. I got my hair cut a few weekends ago, and even though I asked for shorter curtain bangs than the last time I went to the salon, I feel like they came out the exact same length as when I went in. I was too lazy to go back so I decided just to cut them myself (it’s only hair—it’ll grow back!). I used this video for reference and am actually quite pleased with the results. I thought the face-framing pieces were so cute in my Puerto Rico pictures and I wanted to recreate them for the cruise!

Today’s Outfit

I wore this outfit on the plane to Long Beach and then walking around the city (with a denim jacket over top in the plane, of course). I’ve had these shorts for years, and while I haven’t paired them with this specific white top before, I’m pretty sure I’ve showcased a near-identical outfit on the blog at least once. I wish I had more pairs of shorts like these from JCPenney; they’re my favorite length and so comfortable. I find that a lot of other shorts give me wedgies! I completed the look with my raggedy white espadrilles that really need to be replaced and the perfect matching turquoise jewelry. The boat you see in the background, the Queen Mary, is a Titanic-era ship. It’s the same length as the Titanic was but quite a bit shorter. Love being reminded of the Titanic right before a cruise.

Top Performing July Blog Posts

• What to Wear to the Bridgerton Ball
• The Dos and Don’ts of Pattern Mixing
• What I Wore in Puerto Rico

Top Performing Social Media Posts

• Styling Items with High Cost Per Wear
• Red Dress Trend
• My First Yard Sale

Favorite Outfits from July

I wore both of these outfits in the same week, actually. The one on the left is what I wore on a casual Friday and to the hair salon. I tried a couple of different tops on with these denim paperbag waist shorts but then stumbled across this black floral tank. I think the two pair together perfectly since the pattern has little light blue flowers in it. As for the outfit on the right, I wore this look for date night followed by games at a friend’s apartment. I knew I wanted to wear these navy palazzo pants, but all the white tops I usually pair with them were dirty. This peplum ended up being a fun and unexpected pairing. Not my usual style but I think I really like how the outfit turned out!

What I Watched

• 11.22.63—This show is an adaptation of a Stephen King book that my boyfriend recently read. We both agreed that the show started out strong but wasn’t the best by the end. Interesting concept, though—the main character travels back in time to try to prevent the assassination of JFK. My boyfriend said the book was much better.
• The Boys—This show is one of the most crass and gory things I’ve ever seen, but I absolutely love it. It’s basically superhero (and political) satire. I spent a lot of my scrapbooking time in June binging seasons 1-3 so I could watch the newest season with my boyfriend in July.
• Inside Out 2—I saw this in theaters and thought it was entertaining enough! Not as good as the first one obviously, but it didn’t disgrace the original either.
• Ripley and The Talented Mr. Ripley—Per the recommendation of my dad, my boyfriend and I watched the new Netflix miniseries Ripley, and once we finished that, we watched the 1999 movie The Talented Mr. Ripley. Even though they both tell the same story, the show and movie were very different in style and tone. It’s hard to say which one was superior because there were some things that the show did better and some things that the movie did better. Ultimately, though, I think I preferred the show. In some ways it’s very similar to Saltburn—another story about a grifter—and I even heard that the creator of Saltburn got some backlash for it being so similar.
• Baby Reindeer—This Netflix show was so awkward and hard to watch. It’s based on true events about a man who was stalked and assaulted (he plays himself in the show, which adds a level of weirdness). I love dark things, but I think this was too dark even for me… It just left me feeling so icky. I can’t see a reason to recommend it to anyone.

What I Read

• This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone—While I initially hated this science fiction book because I couldn’t understand what the heck was going on, I grew to like it by the end for its poetry and because it is, ultimately, an epic love story. I can’t say I would recommend it to very many people though. Even though it’s very short, the language is super dense so it took me a while to get through.
• The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino—This is the first book I have ever listened to, and while I feel it’s a lot harder to judge the quality of the writing when I only hear it, I really liked the story. The book is translated from Japanese and follows a genius mathematician as he gets caught up in a crime.

July Spotify Playlist

I’ve really been loving this month’s Spotify playlist. It’s not very long, but I discovered a lot of new-to-me music this month (including Chappell Roan) that I’ve been listening to on repeat. Unrelated, I also started listening to the New York Times The Daily podcast, which is only 20-30 minutes of news each day. I think it’s the perfect amount of news to keep me informed without getting sucked into doom scrolling.

What I’m Looking Forward to in August

• My first cruise!! As I mentioned, I leave today and it’s a five-day Mexican Riviera cruise, with a stop in Cabo and a stop in Ensenada. I packed so many fun and colorful outfits, two for each day (I’m usually not the type of person to change throughout the day, but hey, I have so many nice clothes—might as well!). The cruise is with my boyfriend’s family and in Cabo, we’re all doing a snorkeling tour together. I’m so excited!
• This year, I was invited to attend the Denver Brunch Fest, which is put on by the same organizers as the Denver Mini Derby. I’ve never been before but there will be a sampling of brunch items from restaurants all across Denver, complete with bottomless mimosas and Bloody Marys. Should be a good time!

This Month on Graceful Rags

• My First Yard Sale
• Simple Summer Outfits
• Weekly Recap #27, 2024
• June 2024 Month in Review
• Date Night Mini Vlog
• Weekly Recap #28, 2024
• Styling Items with High Cost Per Wear
• OOTDs Week 28
• Red Dress Trend
• Weekly Recap #29, 2024
• OOTDs Week 29
• Recap of the Boulder Airport 1940s Ball
• New Hairdo
• Weekly Recap #30, 2024
• OOTDs Week 30
• Trying Poshmark for the First Time
• Inspired by the 90s

What are you looking forward to in August? Whenever August rolls around, I still feel a little nostalgic about back-to-school season… I used to love going shopping for cute school supplies and preparing my backpack. I can’t say I miss school itself that much, but I do miss the transition from a great summer back into a routine. Now it’s just work work work all the time!

As always, thanks for stopping by the blog today.

 

Miles of smiles,
Grace

 

White Blouse: Thrifted, $12 ($0.92 per wear), last worn here | Printed Shorts: JCPenney, $20 ($0.80 per wear), last worn here | White Espadrilles: DSW, $45 ($0.38 per wear), last worn here | Purse: Shop LC, gifted for collaboration, $24 ($1.04 per wear), last worn here