So I'm about two months late but I love this shirt and the boots so much that I still wanted to share. And everything is on sale now! This outfit was made for fall with its olive green and burgundy wine colors. The boots are a lush, crushed velvet and have arch support. I cannot get over this! I tell everyone every chance I get. You can get a pair here, the color is wine. The skirt is faux leather with an unfinished hem. I had some reservations about the hem but it's growing on me as I wear it more. I picked this up from H&M and unfortunately it seems to only be available in stores. I did some digging around and I've been unable to find a comparable option that I would feel confident in recommending. I am, however loving this as an option for a sexier take. The lace up detail is everything! The showstopper of this outfit, for me at least, is the top. I love fall because the colors of the trees compliment my hair perfectly (something I did not emphasize in this shoot but trust me). What color looks great with the oranges and reds of fall and brings out the red in my hair? Olive. The colors of the flowers and foliage on the top also really emphasize this beautiful season. What drew me in the most when I spotted this top at Loft was the dimension the black dots give to the blouse. And of course the best part is the fact that the shirt can be thrown in the dryer!! Okay I lied, the best part is that it is on sale for $12.88. It is final sale, which would usually deter me from making a purchase but I highly recommend this one. It runs true to size, I'm wearing a small, and you can get it here. And now I'm just going to throw every picture I've got at you because let's be honest, I hate letting photos go to waste. Okay this next one isn't the best photo but I can't get over how long my eyelashes look. Also, FYI, my hair has about a pound of hairspray in it...the frizz that morning was too real.
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Fall has arrived to D.C. and I am here for it. Actually, it's probably more accurate to say we skipped fall and Winter is Here (said in Jon Snow's voice). So it's a good thing I've taken steps to update my warm wardrobe. Let's start with my sweater. This thing is everything you could ever want in a chunky, slightly oversized sweater. It is so warm and soft, plus I think I might be able to get away with wearing it sans bra. Life goals. To top it off, this was an H&M find for less than $20. Get yours here. I got mine in powder pink but it comes in black and red too. I paired the sweater with the softest pair of jeans I have ever put on. The Old Navy Rockstar 24/7 Jeans are stretchy and form fitting but so comfortable at the same time. I've been lacking a gray pair of pants for a while now so I went with the steele color, you can find them here. To finish off the look I went with a fall staple, velvet boots. This pair is a blush pink with kind of a gray undertone. They worked so well because they complemented the colors in the rest of the outfit while not being too "matchy-matchy". These boots are the Madden Girl Robiin Bootie which I scored from Nordstrom Rack for less than $45 (get them here while you still can). The heel is a little under 4" but they are incredibly easy to walk in. All of these items are less than $50 so I haven't linked any alternatives but if you would like to see one just let me know! Scroll to the bottom to see the glorious shoot bloopers. Now for Bloopers
I have to confess, I purchased this shirt my senior year of high school. That means, if I am doing math correctly for the first time ever, I purchased this shirt almost eight years ago...and this was my first time wearing it. That is right, I had a T-shirt sitting around for eight years! Let's all take a moment and think about that.
So now that we have all processed the absurdity of this situation, let me explain. When I purchased this shirt I was in love with it: the wink, the flirty placement, the black and white pallet. And even though I loved everything about it, I would always pull it out and decided it wasn't appropriate for the situation. I'm pretty sure if I had worn it to high school they would have forced me to change. Then again, they let people wear shirts advertising beer companies which was strictly against the dress rules, but with me the one time I break a rule I would get caught. Okay so I held onto it for a year and then I went to college, surely I could wear this top in college. Well I didn't. I was pretty careful about the message I sent to my professors, especially those that were teaching small classes. I'm not even sure what impression I would have given them with this top but it never felt right. The other challenge, was that this shirt is long and did not tuck well. Basically it didn't fit functionally but I refused to give it up. Now fast forward to 2017 and I have decided I am officially an adult and I have every right to wear whatever shirt I want to wear. And on top of that, one of my favorite bloggers, Carrie Bradshaw Lied, proved to me that it was not only socially appropriate to knot your t-shit but that it could in fact elevate an outfit. This was one of those moments where you go "wow, I'm adulting" (I know you all know what I am talking about) To pull the look together I paired my knotted wink shirt (similar) with a pleated black midi skirt (on sale for under $35) and my favorite black block heel sandals. Oh and of course my handy dandy Kate Spade cross-body (available at outlet stores). Scroll all the way down for some bloopers. Happy National Mean Girls Day Everyone! Today is the day that it hit me, I've been living in D.C. and going to grad school for a year. How crazy is that?! I find it absolutely hilarious that Mean Girls has infiltrated my life so much that this realization did not come on the first day of class my second year, but instead today. No Joke, I woke up this morning and said to myself "Holy Shit! It's already my second October 3rd!" It's been a crazy year full of many high notes and some devastating low notes but taken as an average I would say this past year (academic year that is) has been pretty incredible. I have absolutely loved exploring this wonderful city and dressing for all that it throws at me. Speaking of which, I finally got down to the Navy Yard for dinner the other night and I broke out one of my all time favorite shirts. Gingham was one of the many patterns of the season for summer and I love how the red color of this top pops. Most importantly is the wrap function, I had one of the largest food babies during this shoot and it was completely concealed. Can you see the four tacos, margarita, and chips & guac that I'm about to birth? I didn't think so. This unique feature makes this top also one of my favorite brunch looks, or ya know, perfect for those Mean Girls cheese fries.
You can get your own food baby concealer here! Did I mention its super light and only $11.00!! Summer in DC is hot and humid but it is unacceptable to stray from the strict religion of brunching. That means looking cute while not dying from the 104 degrees heat index. For my summer flirty fun I turn to none other than the print of the season, palm leaves. This high low tank was perfect for a Saturday spent brunching and running around the city being a tourist. I wouldn't recommend this top for someone who cannot go bra free; it shows a small amount of side boob and a strapless bra would be very obvious. I choose to wear the top with gel petals (a Pam wardrobe staple), alternatively the top could be styled with a black bandeau. NAtional Wear Your Lilly DayToday is the first day of summer and to the fun, bright, and preppy people of this planet that means it is National Wear Your Lilly Day. Lilly Pulitzer is the unofficial clothing company of summer; a philosophy I subscribe to. Dressing for a laboratory setting is hard so instead of wearing a classic shift I opted for this babydoll top. This was one of the very few clothing items I manged to snag from the Lilly Pulitzer x Target collection (or as I like to call it, fiasco). I actually camped out by the dressing room for a sold hour and a half just to get my hands on this shirt. Besides for the occasional moment when this top makes me look pregnant, I guess that's what I get for going babydoll, I am obsessed with it. The fabric is incredibly durable, surprisingly breathable, and safe to throw into the washing machine! When I wear colors as vibrant as this, I feel like every time I walk into a room I am bringing the sun with me!
Obviously this item is no longer for sale, though I bet you could find it on Ebay or Poshmark, so I have dedicated an entire post to my picks from the current Lilly Pulitzer collection. Head over to Summer in Lilly for more! My second day in California was spent exploring Ghirardelli Square, waiting in line to go down Lombard Street, exploring the Muir Woods, and driving down to Monterey Bay (you can find my activity synopsis, including food, here). It was a few degrees cooler than the previous day so in addition to shorts and a tank top I added a lightweight sweater. This is the item I want to talk about. I would describe this white knit sweater as perfect amounts modern and minimalism. The neckline in particular is what really drew me in when I eyed this item at Lou and Grey. It's the Surfcomer Sweater and right now its on sale for $39.99. I personally hate the idea of spending almost $50 on a single casual item but I have worn this sweater so many times already that it ended up being well worth the price.
This sweater is light enough that when the sun was directly on me I wasn't melting and yet warm enough that when we were in the woods I wasn't chilly. For the morning, I paired the outfit with my Old Navy Sandals and changed in to my New Balance Sneakers for the Muir Woods. My cousin's bridal shower was last weekend and since I ate my way through California I was in a bit of an outfit pinch. In addition to having minimal outfit options I also needed something I could run around in. My Mom planned and hosted the event and I was tasked with setup and gift running. Since Memorial Day had just come and gone I decided this would be the perfect opportunity for my new white jeans. These are the Modern Fresh Cut Skinny Jeans from LOFT; I love that this pair has an unfinished hem but still looks appropriate for nicer occasions. If you are borderline on sizing I would size down; these stretch out a fair amount. I was personally debating on sizing up to the 27 but I am so happy I stuck with the 26. These are just under $70, which in my opinion is a little high but LOFT almost always has a discount running. Right now you can get 50% off using the code FLASH. After I established my bottoms, a world of opportunity opened up when it came to tops. I was feeling a little bit dramatic so I was immediately drawn to this one shoulder ruffle top. Let me tell you, these ruffles are voluminous! But it works for the right occasion. This top is super comfortable and the elastic in the arm wasn't too tight. I know that every blogger has posted about this shirt but I'm pretty sure I got it for less than all of them. You can find this shirt for under $20 from Simplee Apparel on Amazon (and is qualifies for Prime free shipping!). This top fits true to size; I'm wearing a small. I accessorized with the Steve Madden Carrson Sandal in black and blue tassel earrings. These earrings are from the BaubleBar x Target collaboration: Sugarfix. This pair is no longer available but I am selling a pair on my Poshmark for $10. To spice things up and add in a color that wasnt blue or white I swiped on some of my handy dandy Marc Jacobs Le Marc Lip Creme in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. This is my go-to shade when I am wearing a more muted color palette. This lipstick is a super saturated pigment, really log lasting, and fades (after like 7-10 hours) to more of a stain instead of just rubbing off. Quite possibly the best part of this lipstick is that the cap seems to be magnetic so there is minimal risk of it opening in your bag! Now here are a few more pictures just in case you wanted to stare at me more.
The first stop of the California Adventure was San Francisco, more specifically Fisherman's Wharf. It was fairly warm the day we arrived so I changed out of my yoga pants and sweatshirt (#planeclothes) and into a pair of jean shorts and a breezy tank from Old Navy. I accessorized with a pair of Kate Spade pink glitter studs, a Kate Spade Black Crossbody Shoulder bag (you can get this in coated canvas for much cheaper at a Factory Store), and my all time favorite Movado Museum watch (this was my undergrad graduation gift- hence the price tag)
It's official, my first year of graduate school is over, well I guess it was official last Tuesday but it feels real now. I'll be spending my summer in the lab conducting my thesis research and trying to have more of a DC social life than I did during the school year. One of my biggest stress reliefs is pulling together looks for myself. So today's look is the inaugural summer #OOTD It's been a bit cooler in DC lately and today was the first day in about two weeks that we were expecting to hit 70° F but of course with a cooler morning. So keeping the temperature and dress rules (for safety reasons) of the lab in mind I choose a light weight pant and...well you can see in the pictures below. The top is a spandex mix so its nice and stretchy. The mesh insert is pretty thick and the beautiful bird pattern does an excellent job at covering up a peaking bra strap. My favorite thing about this shit is that it can go in the washing machine and the dryer! Revolutionary, a shirt that goes in a dryer!! I picked it up from SheIn for $8.00 #steal. Their products are definitely low quality and take forever to arrive but I've found that as long as you take good care of the pieces they will last through many seasons. The mesh bird closeup to is linked. Fun Fact: the shirt comes in many colors and even as a dress; I did the search for you! click me The pants are from GAP and are this cool gray color. The fabric is supper soft and light weight. Unfortunately, these are from a few seasons ago so see below for some linked options that are currently available. I would recommend a dark, cool gray, cropped chino or you could do a nice jogger pant (I would do these with heels). The earring I got a the J. Crew Factory store last summer. I love them because the gray/blue is really subtle but the size and geometric shape of them stands out. It a statement, but not too big of a statement. Here are a few alternative options. I tried to keep the outfit overall muted but still interesting. I've been spying the vampy, dark red lip colors for a while and I needed to test one out. I am a firm believer in only one thing, maybe two in certain situations, should be bold about your whole look. Today I took the plunge and wore NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in shade Copenhagen. I love this product because it last so long and I don't need to worry about leaving it behind on everything my lips touch. I wouldn't recommend it for a night that will end in a make-out session, unless you and your significant other are into looking like you just sucked someone's blood (judgement free zone here, you do you), but it's wonderful otherwise. Let me know what you think!! You can get Copenhagen here As for shoes, today I went with a neutral Sperry.I have to wear closed toed shoes in the lab and I am constantly on my feet; comfort is key. I love the medium brown leather of this pair and they look more like a loafer inspired by a boat shoe rather than a "those are meant for sailing" shoe. Get what I mean? If I was wearing this to brunch or for an evening cocktail I would go for a pair of block, black heals. I am loving the suede trend lately so, weather permitting, I would jump right on that ship. Well let me know what you think! I love compliments and always appreciate constructive criticism. Also feel free to ask questions!
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