August 2025 Month in Review

Grace G.

10 months ago

And just like that, summer is nearly over! All the Instagram girlies are already talking fall and pumpkin spice lattes—and don’t get me wrong, I love fall. But I’m not ready, it’s too soon! At least it’s still hot out… I’m getting a little excited about the idea of breaking out my sweaters and boots, but until then I still have a handful of summery items I need to wear while I still can.

What’s New?

August was a really fun month! I feel like I squeezed in a lot of activities, including my first (and probably only) concert of the year, a cocktail making class, and the creek float in Golden that’s been on my Colorado bucket list for years. I also spent a long weekend back home in Boise, which was SO relaxing and just what I needed.
I got back into sewing this month after a months-long hiatus. My boyfriend goes to a convention every year over Labor Day weekend where everyone dresses up in cosplay (nerdy, yes, but I love having a fun project to work on!). While this wasn’t the first year I helped him make his costume, this was the first year I had my sewing machine to do it—which made everything so much faster and better quality. We thrifted pants that didn’t fit him right, so I learned a lot through the process of altering those. He also bought a trench coat which I converted and altered as necessary and stitched two giant emblems onto the back. It was a time-consuming project but so so fun! I also altered a couple of my own clothing pieces to fit better (and still have more to go). I’m learning that altering is much harder for me than sewing something from scratch…

Today’s Outfit

I can’t remember if I mentioned this on my website but a goal I had for 2025 was photographing everything in my closet that hasn’t been “featured” on the blog before (I consider a feature a full blog post, not OOTD photos). With Labor Day and the unofficial end of summer, I’m realizing I’m definitely not going to reach this goal! Too many summery things that I didn’t have the forethought to photograph the past few months.

Anyway, this purple ensemble is comprised of two items that I’ve had for years but have never featured before. Both pieces are from an Idaho-based company called Club Ride, which specializes in cycling and outdoor clothing that looks cool enough to wear out after your ride. I have padded cycling shorts that fit underneath these navy plaid Bermuda shorts, but I more often wear the set for day-to-day wear. I’ve worn this outfit to work, on hikes, and today—for the first time—golfing. I love how breathable the clothes are and that I can go get dinner or a beer after an outdoor adventure and still feel stylish. I’ve even worn this look three years in a row to a Colorado Rockies game, whose team color is purple (my boyfriend says I look like Barney though, ha).

Top Performing Social Media Posts

Favorite Outfits from August

Y’all have already seen this first outfit in last month’s recap, but I wore this floral dress to a conversational Spanish meetup in the park one Sunday afternoon. Even though the dress is simple, I think it made for a cute outfit when I added gold accessories (especially the hoop earrings!) and my “picnic basket” purse, as I call it.
The second outfit is one that I wasn’t sure I liked at first but that has grown on me a lot. It’s less “perfectly matchy,” which is how I normally plan my outfits, but I’ve been trying to get a little more creative recently and push my comfort zone. The top is actually a skirt (last seen in this post), but of course the boots are the star of the show!

What I Watched

Pig—My dad showed me this movie, which stars Nicolas Cage as a truffle hunter whose truffle pig was kidnapped. It was a little slow at first but ultimately a unique story and artsy in a way I really liked.
The Perfect Couple—I finally got around to watching this show that was all the rage last summer. It was okay. Perfectly entertaining but left a little to be desired in terms of the plot. The Nantucket setting was gorgeous, though.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower—Finally got around to watching this. I see why people talk about it—it’s very artsy and I thought the big reveal at the ending was well-done—but I found it incredibly boring. It was one of those movies that I paused, thinking there was only a half hour left, to discover it was only halfway through.
We Live in Time—Another artsy but boring movie that came out in 2024. It ended and I thought to myself, “That’s it? What was the point?” Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh had great chemistry, though.

What I Read

The Girl with Seven Names by Hyeonseo Lee—This memoir is the story of a young girl who defected from North Korea. It was really interesting (and of course sad) to read, and I learned a lot about North Korea that I didn’t know before. My only wish is that she contextualized her story a little more by providing more “real” history to contrast the propaganda she was taught (as someone who knows nothing about North Korea), but otherwise I thought it was a really good book.

August Spotify Playlist

Got a longer playlist this month! Lots of vibey fall-type songs—Lumineers and Nathaniel Rateliff from the concert I went to the first weekend of August as well as bits from “The Summer I Turned Pretty” soundtrack (even though this season isn’t very good every song of this show is always a bop).

What I’ve Been Loving Lately

Lens Buddy. I talked about this app in one of my other monthly recaps but it has made taking blog photos so much easier! The app auto-takes a bunch of photos at once so you don’t have to walk back and forth a bunch of times to the tripod. Not only does it make the process a lot faster, but I also feel like the photos are a lot more dynamic because I can finally get candid shots and pics with movement—instead of my usual very posed looks. I’m still trying to get used to it so hopefully even more creative photos will be on the horizon!
Braided hairstyles. I used to be really into doing cutesy little braided hairstyles in middle and high school, but the last couple of years I have been so lazy when it comes to my hair. And I’m sick of feeling so “meh” about it. The braided pony has become a big one for me, but the last couple of weeks I’ve also been doing little front Dutch braids and even mini front braids that merge into a full braid with all my hair. They’re time consuming but definitely make me feel better about my hair!

What I’m Looking Forward to in September

I’m going to a conference this month in Keystone, Colorado, which should be interesting. This will be my second time attending this particular conference and my third time attending a conference in Keystone. Even if the conference is meh, I always think it’s fun to get out of the office for work, and I love that cool mountain air—even though I think it will still be too early to see the changing leaves.
My boyfriend and I will be celebrating four years of dating in a couple of weeks, so I’m excited for whatever fun date we end up planning (and of course, the outfit).
The two of us will also be road-tripping to Las Vegas later in the month to spend time with each of our families. I can’t wait to play cards with my grandpa!

This Month on Grace per Wear

Are you ready for fall or still holding onto summer?? I feel like people are very opinionated about this topic so I’d love to hear your thoughts. As always, thanks for stopping by the blog today.

Miles of smiles,
Grace

Top: Club Ride, $80 ($4.44 per wear) | Shorts: Club Ride, $70 ($5.83 per wear) | Sneakers: JustFab, $50 ($4.17 per wear), last worn here | Hat: Borrowed from my boyfriend | Sunglasses: Charming Charlie, $7 ($0.18 per wear), last worn here | Clear Stadium Bag: Gift