Barefoot Wanderer

by Brooke Kittrell August 06, 2019

Boho Fashion Bikini

Transient Top $10.00 // Transient Bottom $10.00

I'm sitting here, writing this post, barefoot in a bikini on the boat that I live on listening to the rain trickle down over the windows. My hair has (what my boyfriend affectionately refers to as) "boat dreads"; my nails are chipped and I haven't worn makeup for days. The boat is anchored out at Wade Shores, one of my favorite places in the world. I sit here sipping my coffee, trying to fight back (happy) tears of thoughts about where my life has led to... if you would have told me even 5 years ago this is what I'd be doing I would have called you crazy...

See, 5 years ago I was living in a city, trying to make a marriage work that I never truly wanted in the first place, raising my sweet baby boy and taking on the "mom" identity where you completely loose sight of the person you were, or in my case the person I wanted to be. I spent all the money I could get my hands on buying designer goods and flooding the house with clothes and bags and shoes and jewelry that I definitely didn't need because I barely even left the house. I tried to fill so many voids with clothes that I didn't even know what had become of me. August of 2014 I left my marriage, took my baby boy, packed up the car with as many clothes and toys as I could fit and headed to the beach...I had no idea what would happen or how I would support myself (I had been a stay at home mom for 3 years at that point) but I knew the smell of salt air would comfort me.

First, I sold my Louis Vuitton Neverfull to literally pay for food and gas the first few months after I left....then...one by one I started selling my prized possessions on eBay...but honestly...I felt like I was releasing parts of myself that were never truly me to begin with. Don't get me wrong, I've always had an OBSESSION with clothes starting at the age of 3 drawing dresses on the corners of napkins and newspapers...but those days it was never about filling a void...

Skip ahead to August of 2019...here I am...living on a boat...I don't even have my own closet and I spend more time barefoot than anything else. I do now own my own clothing company...but it was born from living on a boat and the whole free spirited lifestyle that entails. I wanted easy, affordable pieces I could toss over a bikini and head to dinner in...pieces that make women feel effortlessly sexy and bohemian styles that aren't trying to keep up with "trends." A few months ago I finally parted with my Valentino Rockstuds...that's not to say I don't still have a few pieces like a vintage Gucci belt I wear with EVERYTHING and an old beat up Chanel backpack I like to travel with; but those pieces don't define me. These days you'll normally find me in a Lotus y la Luna crop top and wrap skirt (when not in a bikini) barefoot with tons of my favorite turquoise jewelry I've collected over the years...because that's how I'm happiest...a barefoot wanderer trying to change the world one piece of clothing at a time 🌎

boho Fashion Midi skirt