Beachwear Finds

This weekend I plan on spending some time in the coastal town of Rockport, Massachusetts.  It's one of those classic seaside towns where sailboats bob around by the docks, the seafood is fresh, and New England charm abounds.  Here are some beachwear items that I'm currently loving.

 Clockwise from top left: Warby Parker x Karlie Kloss Julia | Anthropologie one-piece | Fossil tote | JCrew Crab Tee | Warby Parker x Karlie Kloss Marple | Anthropologie Dress | Madewell Beach Blanket | SoleSociety sandal

You may have noticed that I included two pairs of Warby Parker sunglasses.  Well that's because I may be a little excited about these limited edition sunnies that they produced in collaboration with supermodel Karlie Kloss.  

Designer shades have long been my go-to splurge item because they get so much wear.  It makes me less guilty if I know they are going to last me for years.  Not only are Warby Parker frames so classic that they could last a lifetime, their "buy a pair, give a pair" mission makes you feel good about your purchase.  The best part about this collab with Karlie?  A portion of each sale will benefit Edible Schoolyard NYC which provides kitchens and gardens to low-income public schools, giving students the tools to develop lifelong healthy habits.  That's a charitable double whammy if you will.  What are your favorites from the collection? 

Long Weekend in the Big Apple

We spent Memorial Day weekend in New York City for a family wedding.  Kevin and I have vowed that we have to make the trip more often.  It's so close and there is still so much we have to see (and eat!), so hopefully there will be many more long weekends taken there in the future.  The wedding itself took place at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens.  It was beautiful, and boy was a good time had by all.  I have never been to a wedding where the dancing started before dinner was served (and between the courses)-- and I wouldn't have expected anything less from the amazing couple.

 {Nha Khanh Hydrangea Dream Sheath Dress via Rent the Runway |  JCrew Factory necklace | Steve Madden shoes | Franchi White Maya Clutch via Rent the Runway}

Besides the delicious food and desserts at the wedding, we pretty much ate our way through this trip, as we do most of our vacations.  

The day after the wedding, we spent some family time in Dumbo (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass).  We rode the carousel, snacked on whoopie pies, then rounded out the day at the New York Transit Museum so our nieces could see the trains.  It was a great family-friendly tour of Brooklyn.  Dumbo is a great little area of parks, food, and some great shopping. 

So long for now, New York.  We'll be back soon!

Where we stayed: 
Sheraton Brooklyn- bonus: our room had a view of the Statue of Liberty!

Where we ate:
Empellon
The Clover Club
Hunter's
Spice Thai
Junior's- famous cheesecake spot just around the corner from our hotel
One Girl Cookies  
Shake Shack

 

Spring Style: Citrus

 Kate Spade scarf | August Salt tee | JCrew jeans | Charles David pumps | Rebecca Minkoff bag

Spring has officially sprung, and although this weekend I'll still be rocking my winter gear on a trip to Vermont, I certainly have spring styles on the brain.  I took inspiration from this silk scarf to build a fun, casual outfit that I'd love to have for spring that includes a trend of the moment: citrus.  And as an added bonus, the scarf would look totally adorable tied as a headscarf with the outfit.  

Have a great weekend everyone!  I'll be posting snippets from our trip to Vermont on Instagram.  And look out for my Weekend Brunch post on Sunday featuring a local chef and her donut pop-up shop!

Snowy Neutrals

This weather is bumming us all out.  It is now blizzarding for the second time this week and to say that I'm over this winter is a huge understatement.  Some people opt for bright spring colors to lift their spirits when it's bone-chilling cold out.  But today I'm wearing some winter neutrals to match the scenery: gray, white, and black.  

 {Loft pants (similar) | Steve Madden shoes (no longer available but loving these booties with the same feel) | J. Crew Tee (on sale!)}

Linking up today with Style Sessions and Trend Spin

Daytime Date

{Sweater: Banana Republic (old) | Vest: Banana Republic | Bottoms: LOFT | Boots: Joe's | Sunglasses: Ralph Lauren}

With all of this snow, it seems like lucky couples everywhere are getting to experience snow days together just like they used to.  Unfortunately, Kevin and I tend to both have to work even in a blizzard, but we did take advantage of the beautiful scenery and the joy of spending a day out together on a lovely day date last Sunday.  We drove outside the city to check out some open houses.  We are not looking to move anytime soon, but we're doing some "research" if you will.  Neither of us are from the Boston area and know that eventually we will need to move to the suburbs, so every now and then we check out different neighborhoods to get a feel for what's out there.  It's a great way to learn about the housing market in your area too which is always smart.  Plus, I have had a love for open houses since I was a little kid.  So whether we're actively looking or not, it's always something I enjoy.

{Loved seeing the trees covered in snow and frozen lakes north of Boston}

Then in true snow day fashion we went out for an indulgent lunch of burgers and fries.

What are you doing on your snow day?

*Linking up with Pleated Poppy and Shanna

One Dress, Two Ways

Well it's December and officially holiday season, so I thought I'd share with you one of my little secrets for looking put together during the holidays: Rent the Runway.  A friend recently introduced me to this amazing company and I am hooked!  If you're not familiar with RTR, please check them out.  The website is super user-friendly, the have an awesome mobile app, and their customer service is fantastic.  Essentially the process is exactly how it sounds.  You rent designer fashion at a discounted price.  The dress choices and the prices are available in a wide range to suit any event or budget.  When the dress arrives, it's guaranteed to be in good condition and they even send you a second size to ensure fit if you'd like!  Check out more on how it works here. 

My first rental was for my high school reunion, where I rented a black Helmut Lang.  I felt so comfortable, and was so impressed with the whole process that I knew I'd be renting again soon.  The opportunity presented itself a couple of weeks ago for a friend's wedding.  I waited until nearly the last minute to decide what I was wearing, but Rent the Runway still had plenty of dresses available in my size so I landed on a purple Jay Godfrey.

Something that should be considered when renting is that you have your dress for two full days (the rental is really 4 days, but one day is lost on each end for shipping essentially).  I love that this leaves you open to use the dress twice if you'd like.  So Friday night you can dress it down for a girl's night.

{Jacket: Forever 21 (similar), Necklace: J Crew Factory (on sale!), Purse: Coach}

Then you can dress it up for date night on Saturday.

    
It's the perfect solution for all of the holiday events you may have coming up this season.  The question of what to wear has been answered!  

I recently purchased a Pro Account with RTR which basically means that you get free shipping and insurance for a year with an annual membership fee.  When you rent twice, it pays for itself.  I plan on sharing all of my rental experiences over this next year, and I'd love to hear about some of your experiences too!  Has anyone rented yet?



*Disclosure: I recently became an affiliate of Rent the Runway because I am huge fan.  I get a small commission on sales; however, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

*Linking up with Because Shanna Said So and The Pleated Poppy

Shopping the Sweatshirt Trend

    When I told Kevin that sweatshirts were back, he was a little skeptical.  And I'll admit, for guys I'm not sure this trend will fly on a large part of the population without them looking like they belong in a dorm room with remnants of dried ramen noodles stuck to the carpet.  You just have to be the right type of guy to pull them off, otherwise they look a little sloppy in my opinion.  Lucky for me, the women's styles are all about glitter and jewels and looking classy (I'm pretty sure I've never used glitter and classy in the same sentence before).  I'm already in love with the idea of being comfy and cozy in a sweatshirt all winter long.  Here are some of my favorites:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Everyone is hopping on board from Old Navy to Lanvin, but I think we all know where most of our bank accounts land on that spectrum.  Check back next week to see how I styled the look for a date night with Kevin.

*Linking up with Style Elixir , Sarah ,  and Lindsey today

Packing for Europe

    We will soon be leaving for our two week vacation in Italy and France, and it's been our mission from the beginning to pack in just one carry-on bag each.  Some European flights really tack on the extra charges for bags, so the challenge was on!  First, I laid out all the clothes that I was considering on the bed.  Then I matched things up to come up with the maximum number of total combinations that I could get out of this assortment.  Without even getting creative, this line-up can yield at least 12 outifts and fits into my bag with ease.  I mean really, I have a TON of extra room in my bag--maybe for some Italian leather shopping? Or some Parisian goodies? 

My bag includes: 

2 maxi dresses

3 basic tees (white, gray, and black)

1 chambray button up shirt

1 pair of distressed boyfriend shorts

1 printed tank

1 printed skirt

1 pair of skinny jeans
1 pair of black leggings

1 fedora

1 faux leather jacket

1 bathing suit

1 scarf 

1 pair of sunglasses

1 pair of sandals

1 pair of tennis shoes

1 pair of black flats

Thank goodness my years of being in a long-distance relationship with Kevin made me sort of a packing expert. I hope to get the feeling of wearing something new every day even though I'm going to be repeating things over and over again. 

As for my travel apparel, I will pretty much be recreating this outfit below exactly.  Comfortable yet chic.  Plus I hear that in Italy leggings seem to be as popular as they are here.

via

Have you ever packed for a trip in just a carry-on?  Any tips on what I absolutely shouldn't leave out of my bag for a successful trip to Europe?  I can't wait to post after the trip to show you how I paired everything up! 

Keep up with our travel adventures. Follow me on Instagram.

Fall Favorites

While I'm not quite ready to leave these warm nights behind, fall is my favorite season.  I can't wait to go apple picking, make pies, and travel the Northeast for the perfect view of the leaves in all their glory.  Here are some of my other favorite things about fall.

WARDROBE
    Fall has got to be the best season for clothes and accessories.  Everything is so wearable and comfortable.  Here are three looks that I might try out this fall.
*Side note: Jessica Alba is a master at wearing a scarf--her collection makes me a very jealous girl.

1 | 2 | 3

DRINKS
    Fall means apple cider and mulling spices.  And it seems every brewery has their own fall blend.

 1 | 2 | 3

FOOD
Fall food is usually heavy but let me tell you that this salad by The Barefoot Contessa is amazing and I don't even really like salad.  I also like the small size of these little apple pie parfaits.  These items are a great balance to heavy chowder and tailgate food!

1 | 2 | 3

Happy Friday everyone!  It's going to be a busy weekend for us as it's my last free weekend before our big Eurotrip!  Any advice for packing/sightseeing is very very welcomed, and make sure you are following along to keep up with all of our adventures overseas!

 Bloglovin' | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

 *Linking up with Friday Favorites and Fan Friday

Leather Skirt Love

    There is something about an outdoor concert that just makes it exponentially more enjoyable.  When I heard that Justin Timberlake and Jay Z would be touring this summer, I knew I wanted to go.  When I heard that it was going to be outdoors at Fenway Park, I knew it would be a once in a lifetime experience.  I already shared some pictures here, but I wanted to provide a few more details about what I wore.

{Tank: Urban Outfitters (similar) | Skirt: H&M | Shoes: Cole Haan (peep-toe version still available) | 

Earrings: Apricot Lane}

Full disclosure, I changed out my heels for some leather T-strap sandals before we left.  I knew we'd be on our feet for the whole show and might possibly walk home so I needed to be reasonable, even though these heels are crazy comfortable.

    I have been looking for the perfect leather skirt for awhile now.  It's one of those items that I'll try on, ponder, then put back on the rack because it's just not exactly right.  It's been that way for awhile now.  With fall coming up, and knowing that leather skirts will be a must-have (in any and every color) I was determined to find one.  Lucky for me it was right in front of me and reasonably priced at H&M.  I have a lot of friends tell me that H&M is kind of a hit or miss place for them to shop, and I agree.  But I do think that H&M Online will change that.  It will make the shopping experience more tailored to what you're looking for rather than just rummaging through racks and racks of clothes.  With that being said, I'm really glad that I tried this skirt on because I had to buy a size up from what I normally wear.  Have you checked out H&M Online yet?  And in case you haven't found a perfect leather skirt yet, below I have rounded up my favorites of the season.  Happy shopping!

 1/2/3/4 

Linking up today with Shanna, Pleated Poppy, Tucker Up, and Style Elixir

It's Almost Over...

    I'm not afraid to admit when I am wrong.  And oh boy, how wrong I was to never visit the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale before!  This was my first year actually checking out the deals and steals of the season and I was thoroughly impressed.  Next year I will be saving up to do a bigger splurge trip but for now I will show you what I picked up, and yes some of it is from the girl's department.

   I picked up two dresses that I love.  They are so cute and most importantly extremely comfortable.

 {Left: Tucker and Tate "Drew" Chambray Dress, Right: Soprano Sleeveless Dress}

    Then I wandered to the shoe department and started lusting over some of the boots.  The ones I was most interested in though were a pair of tan booties.  Alas, they didn't have my size in stock so I went home to ponder the decision.  I was still on the fence about whether to order them online when one of my celeb style crushes, Ashley Madekwe, Instagrammed this:

     Thanks for the advice Ash.  Can I call you Ash?  So then I went ahead and ordered them online.  Can't wait for these beauties to arrive.

 

{Joe's "Saki" Boot}

Happy Friday and Happy Last Minute Shopping!  The sale ends Monday!
Oh and if you're also a fan of Ashley or you don't know who she is, you need to check out her blog now!  Her style is flawless.