Long Hair Throwback: Stripes and Floral

J Crew sweater // Forever 21 shirt // Gap jeans // Dansko shoes // LOFT Sunglasses

Back to School in Black and White

Dolce Vita top // JCrew pants // Akira necklace // Ebay earrings // 

Kenneth Cole sneakers // Forever 21 sunglasses

Travel Under $25

After strategically putting everything for our wedding on our Southwest credit card (and then immediately running home and paying it off!), the hubs earned enough points for a Companion Pass. This means that, for all of 2014, anytime he buys a flight he gets an extra seat for me for free! Between flying to the East Coast to see my niece/nephews, weddings, and our jaunt to Puerto Rico, I have become quite the expert in in-flight comfort and style.

I always like to layer because you never know if your flight will be freezing or not. Thin cotton layers are great because they fold up into nothing. Cardigans are easy to take on/off, and a hood always makes a nap feel cozier. I always bring a scarf to use as another layer, a blanket, or even as something to sit on if the seat skeeves me out!

Black "Magic Pants" (aka 5-pocket ponte skinnies) are as comfortable as leggings, but still give you pockets to stick stuff in. Please do not wear pajamas in public: I promise Magic Pants and a drapey cardigan are equally as comfortable and infinitely more attractive.

I like to wear shoes I can wear with socks, so I don't have to do the gross (and ineffective) tip-toe through security. Slip on sneakers are easy to take off/on, and if they have decent arch support, they are also useful for the rest of the trip.

A good tote makes for an efficient flight experience. I like outside pockets to put my ticket, ID, and phone in a convenient place. Inside pockets and/or small zipper bags help separate my everyday things from the stuff I'll need in-flight. I have a large zippered clutch that I put my tablet, headphones, and charger in (which also doubles as a purse once we get somewhere). I also have a smaller pouch for things like medicine, lip balm, etc.

One last item which is clearly over $25 is the carry-on. I highly recommend a DVF piece. I've had mine for almost 10 years and it's still in beautiful shape. You can usually find them at stores like TJ Maxx for about $70.

Hot Pink Stripes with Aqua Necklace and Yellow Tieks

shirt: J Crew // pants: Mossimo // necklace and earrings: Forever 21 // sunglasses: Gap // shoes: Tieks

Go-to Tuesday: Button Down Shirts at J Crew

I am a (relatively) recent convert to the beautiful versatility of the button down shirt. Previously, any button down I had tried on made me feel butch and/or just not myself. But, for some reason, virtually ANY J Crew button down blouse - any fit, and within a size or two of my usual - feels spectacularly comfortable, chic, and "me". I have a sneaking suspicion, that beyond just fit, the teeny little collar has something to do with making the overall feel more feminine.

Even if you don't think you are a button down person, I urge you to pop in to your local J Crew and give them a whirl. You may surprise yourself!

Houndstooth Sweater with Floral Blouse and Glitter Boots

When you don't know what to wear, just layer a bunch of your favorite stuff together!

sweater and blouse: J Crew

pants: Old Navy

boots: Wanted

earrings: Banana Republic

On My Radar

This is what's on my radar this week: high rise jeans (like, right below the belly button, not up to the bra!), super comfortable summer shoes, and a sophisticated, flattering bathing suit option for those days when a bikini is just not happening.

Style Stalking: Rumpled Plaid with Bows & Sequins

This post, called Fancy Footwear, from Bows & Sequins originally caught my eye because that's the sold out J Crew shirt I spent forever tracking down on eBay last winter! But what seemed interesting to me was that the shirt was clearly not ironed. I thought maybe Jessica was slipping up her game, but then I saw a few other posts with similarly rumpled shirts. The wrinkles are a styling choice for a laid back look!

Low-key Festive

This is what I wore to the last day of school before Winter Break. Thursday was the Holiday Concert, so all the teachers wore their Ugly Sweaters (I wore something very similar to this), so I was a little kitsch-ed out by Friday. I thought this green J. Crew sweater (found in store on sale) and JCP burgundy velvet loafers gave the essence of holiday spirit without being so in-your-face.

Striped Turtleneck, Fall Layers, and New Purse

If you follow me on Instagram, you've already seen this Pour La Victoire bag. I bought it in the middle of the summer, and was dying to bust it out for fall. I'm a sucker for a bag that mixes neutral and brights, and I feel like the only way to go right now is a satchel.

Now I'm ready to move on to a winter bag...

Lavender Party Dress with Crystal Gladiator Sandals

I need to take all my pictures at sunset on the beach! Again, after much debate over numerous options, this is what I settled on for the official Bachelorette Party. I tried this Akira cupcake of a dress on mostly as a joke, but as soon as I put it on, I knew it was coming home with me. It was too big, so I had it taken in at the sides, but my tailor left alllll the poof at the bottom. 

I had planned on toughening up the sugary sweetness of the dress with my old Dior Gladiator knock-offs, but I ended up finding these amazing flats in Pennsylvania. At one point in the evening, while I was decked in a veiled tiara and bachelorette sash, one of the girls asked me if I felt like a bride. I replied, "I feel like Toddlers in Tiaras, but I'm not mad about it!" My other options were a bit more sophisticated, but the deciding factor was that if I didn't wear this silly dress that night, I don't know where on Earth else I could pull it off.

Special shoutouts to Jill for lending me her "Vegas" clutch, and my sister Liz for letting me borrow my favorite J. Crew necklace of hers at the last minute (YES, even my zillions of options needed supplementing)!

similar Dress // similar Necklace // similar Clutch // Shoes (on sale!)

Stick Shift: Black Shift with Mint and Red

As I mentioned before, during the last month of school, I found myself reaching for basic black and/or white pieces. This week's unofficial theme will be these looks.

I bought this dress for our engagement shoot (YES, it's been 6 months since we actually got engaged...), and am fully obsessed. I was looking for a timeless black shift, and I loved how the subtle pattern (and back cutout!) made this one special.

This dress was made for a much taller woman, so for about $15 I had the shoulders taken in. Now the waist hits where it should, and it fits like a glove.

Necklace Forever 21 (similar)

Dress H&M (another special shift)

Shoes J.Crew (similar)

Play Ball

Although I bought this sweater way back in Fall, the baseball hem still keeps it right on trend for Spring! This is a little more matchy-matchy than I usually go for, but I kept the shoes neutral and snuck in the randomness of the yellow hair tie to keep the look from feeling too forced.

Sweater J Crew

Jeans Forever 21 (similar)

Shoes Ugg

Necklace Forever 21

Gingham Bread Cookies

Here's an easy look. I'm really loving the little tie of the shirttails lately. This bow is TEENSY since I buttoned it all the way down. It looks "done" like it's tucked in, but not as fussy (plus, I don't have to wear a belt!).

Jacket Gap

Shirt J Crew (similar, similar for $20!)

Bracelets Urban Outfitters, thrifted, ebay

Earrings Charing Charlie

Jeans Old Navy in Batman

Shoes Blowfish (similar)

Bomb Dude

I'm working a little bit of a 70s vibe here. The weather has been all over the place, so I took the cold front as an opportunity to sneak this plaid shirt in while I still can. I've been OBSESSED with finding this shirt - which I saw on several bloggers, but found J Crew only had 10s left. I saved an ebay search, and at 3am one night, I spotted this one and paid more than I might have at a more reasonable hour! Upon it's arrival, I wasn't sure this was the exact one, but I still adore it. This baby will be in high rotation come Fall.

Jacket Collection B (similar)

Shirt J. Crew (similar)

Belt Michael Kors (similar)

Jeans Gap (similar)

Shoes Dr. Scholl's (similar)

Mr. Green Jeans

Jill picked this shirt up for me at a recent J. Crew Outlet trip. It's not something I would've picked out for myself, but I love it! My instinct was to try to tame it with a black pencil skirt, but then I decided to just go nuts with some other brights. I felt like a little like a frat boy, but the outfit also kind of made me feel like I was on vacation somewhere tropical.

Jacket Gap (similar)

Shirt J. Crew (similar)

Pants Kenneth Cole (similar)

Shoes ? (similar)

Sunnies Gap (similar, similar for $12)

Bracelets thrifted, ebay

Nails Sally Hansen Checkin' It Twice

WHEN SKIES ARE GREY: DAY 2

You can't really tell from the pictures, but this skirt is black with white and brown vertical pinstripes. The hoodie is an ooold J. Crew t shirt, and the blouse is my newest addition to my chambray collection. This one (finally!) doesn't have huge pocket flaps and is light as a feather.

Earrings Charming Charlie (similar)

Hooded Tee J. Crew (similar)

Chambray Forever 21

Skirt Gap (similar)

Shoes Tahari (similar)