FEELS LIKE ENDLESS SUMMER

{perfect by gold motel}

H&M camel hi-lo dress, thrifted black studded belt, h&m leather jacket, 

thrifted leopard bag, Nine West ankle buckle wedges

A while back, I attended the F3 Cotton Mill event with Kathleen, Sherrie and Cindy. Not only is this event fashion related but it encompasses aspects of music and art in it as well, which makes it a very diverse and eclectic mix of, well, everything! It truly is something else. From the food trucks in the back lot to the pop up shops in the artists' studios to the catwalk that extended from one nook of the fourth floor to the other cranny across the floor, it was quite the experience. The best part is that you can experience it for yourself! This event takes place every 3rd Friday in January, April, July and October from 6-10 PM at the Oakland Cotton Mill.

My favorite part of the event was the fact that it all took place inside a studio complex; these artists wholeheartedly opened up the doors to their gorgeously decorated studios and welcomed strangers in, complete with yummy finger foods and a delicious fruity punch (with a rummy kick). The generosity was amazing. Being the little cynic that I am, I sometimes forget how kind and genuine people can be and this definitely restored some of that for me. It really is the small things that make all the difference.

It was a fun-filled night of mingling, getting photography advice from this silly little man, spilling punch smack dab in the middle of the runway (only I could do something like this), impromptu photoshoots outside, getting "are you guys bloggers or something" every 3 minutes or so, laughing WAY too much, taking photos with strange men with wine, getting lost, standing in the cold, drudging along in our heels after our feet gave up (ahem, Kathleen...), and more mischief that seem to be a packaged deal with these hilarious girls. But who's to complain, mischief is something I love, can never ever get enough of, and would never dare to get rid of.

Shout outs to my girlies for having my back when my Nikon didn't. I would be the one honking around my huge Nikon D5000 only to remember that I left my SD card at home...in Concord...somewhere in that mess of a hole I call a room. Oops! Thus all of these pictures were jacked from my lovely blogmates Kathleen, Sherrie and Cindy.