Cherry Cola Desert

Roaming around an american suburban town with one set of traffic lights feels like a tumblr moodboard. Add in an old Pentax Optio point + shoot digital camera from 2006 and the fuzzy nostalgia compounds significantly. Cherry Cola Desert is a return to my outfit blog posts of the past:

– The unoptimized title that captures the mood rather than the possible seo traffic.

– An outfit that is comprised of items that cannot be easily bought since they’re thrifted or pieces I’ve held onto for decades.

– Writing that doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with the title.

Whenever I find myself in Arizona I inevitably revert back to feeling like a teenager. Perhaps it’s a result of staying with my parents while there. Or maybe because I am childfree so my trips are fairly responsibility free.

Though it’s probably a combination of both with an added layer of hanging out with my sister while there too.

The two of us will go on nightly walks around the sad man-made lake, an oasis to the random birds (snowbird and otherwise), while the sun sets and the streets are pitch black.

Who needs street lights in the desert, right?

This time warp feeling of being a teenager without the constraints that daily life as an adult brings reaches its zenith point the second I have a cherry coke in hand.

Sure, I could drink cherry coke in Canada, but I assure you it does not taste the same.

I cannot, with confidence, say that the ingredients are any different (though I suspect they are) but the true teenage experience for me is the acquisition of said cola while in the states.

When I was younger, I would brings cases back whenever I went on a road trip because it was simply NOT available in Canada. This was before the rebrand to Coca-Cola Cherry. Pfffht. 

My preferred version was the edgy 90s Cherry Coke can. I truly wish they would bring that packaging back, it would certainly match my outfit better.

Did I plan this out? Nope. Well the outfit yes, but the inspiration being my beloved 90s can of cherry coke? No. 

This is dawning on me while I’m putting this post together. Sometimes things just work out the way they need to.

CLOTHING

JACKET – vintage floral denim jacket – thrifted
TOP – random $5 top from Ross Dress For Less
PANTS – Levi’s denim jeans – thrifted

ACCESSORIES

SUNGLASSES – Bailey Nelson Keats sunglasses – c/o
BELT – Club Monaco belt from early 2000s – my old closet
BAG – ecli.pse polka dot bag from early 2000s – my old closet
SHOES – Prada platform wedge sandals from early 2000s – my old closet

JEWELRY

NECKLACE – amber charm choker from Tucson Gem Show
RINGS – The Witchery amber + silver rings – c/o

This polka dot bag / floral denim jacket combo was my summer go-to for most occasions and I truly wish I had an old cherry coke to go with it.

In that linked reddit article with the old can someone mentioned putting grenadine in a fountain coke which I may have to try.