practically perfect

when you find a cut, style or fit that's flattering on you, you take it.

of all the sleeve lengths, this one that hits slightly above the elbow (too long to be called short sleeve, not long enough for 3/4 sleeve) is a winner for me. i love the boxy shape of these shirts too. it works well with skinny pants and pencil skirts.

here are a few i have my eye on.

top images: left | right
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

since a lot of these tops are made with thicker fabric, they're great for fall weather. just throw a jacket on top and you'll be comfortable as the temperature swings from 50 to 70 during the day.

i'm having a hard time resisting that grey quilted one. oh boy.

freaking cool

i go through stages with earrings. i used to be all about stud earrings (the bigger the better!) and then some dangly ones caught my eye. 

as i was getting dressed for work the other day, i realized that it might be time to add a few new ones to my collection. a lot of the ones i purchased from j crew have fallen apart (GREAT QUALITY GUYS!) and i've managed to lose a few pairs here and there. 

the earrings i have my eye on these days are the best of both (all?) worlds: large, clustery and a little bit funky. i especially like the ones that sit on the lobe in a different way.

see what you think, below. 

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
5| 6 | 7 | 8

OF COURSE the ones i like the best are the most expensive. 

but any one of these guys would be a welcome addition. 

circle circle dot dot

eyelet is made for spring. breezy, airy and a little flirty--i love it.

it's so versatile, you can make it work for the office, date night, cocktails, errand running.

here's some of my favorite ways to wear it.

pencil skirt | sweatshirt | striped top | dress | shoes | cream blouse | clutch | peplum top | scarf | dress

also, that item in the lower right corner might work better as a tank/tunic even though madewell is cute and calls it a dress. lolz.  

now and later

embellished tee
for now: vest | ponte pants | earrings | boots
for later: ring | ring | shorts | sandals

embellished tee
for work: blazer | shoes | pencil skirt | purse
for weekend: pants | wallet | purse | shoes | hair ties

this shirt* is so versatile and comfortable. i just bought something similar from the crew. it's gonna be perfect for these next few weeks/months when the temps can be anywhere from the upper 30s to the high 60s (maybe even 70s?!)

here's hoping anyways.

_ _ _

*i made this collage about a week ago and never got around to posting it. the exact shirt is sold out, but i've linked to something really similar.

springy

what's worse?

everyone talking about they can't wait for fall? hashtag omg apple picking?

or the winter-weary masses who can't shut up about spring?

i've always found the fall lovers to be the more intense bunch. people are serious about their sweaters.

if you read this blog with any frequency, you know that i get more excited for spring. and since it's just around the corner, here's what i'll be focused on in the upcoming months.

jeans | shoes | dress | sunglasses | top | tote

and even though i said i can't get on board with going full on john lennon with my sunglasses yet, i like these semi-round ones.

i'm also still loving embellished clothes and i'm glad that trend is sticking around a bit longer. 

rhinestones! 

spotted

chic diaper-bag-that's-not-a-diaper-bag alert.

it's $165 at banana republic right now. today they're offering 35% off your purchase, but i bet they do another 40% off promotion soon.

i saw this in person over the weekend and it seems to be a nice quality and has pockets inside as well. 

sale time

shopbop added a bunch of things to their sale today.

if you can ignore the hundred pairs of underwear on there, you can find some pretty good deals on pieces that you can wear right through fall. everything here is less than $50.

jacket | cotton dress | bracelet | sunglasses | long-sleeved tee | faux leather dress | wallet

the faux leather cutout dress is probably the most expensive-looking of the bunch. i also love a striped long sleeved tee for the fall.

get it while it's still in stock. seems to be going pretty quickly.

bundle up

well, if winter has to come again this year, at least we can be chic about it.

here's ten fun coats i like this season. 

under $100: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
under $225: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

how great is that navy blue coat from h&m (#4, under $100)? the pleating and the belt make it so awesome.

in winter's past, i've gone with a cobalt coat and loved it. think i might do the same this year. the little puffed sleeves on that banana republic number (#4, under $225) are calling me.

friday finds x

i don't usually make the friday finds posts themed. i just kept finding a lot of black, white and gold stuff that i liked and that fit the under-fifty bill.

we make pizza at home a few times a month, and having a pizza peel has been a game changer since we use a stone. the crust has never been better. 

here's a few other items i liked this week.

shoes | pizza peel | clutch | dress | cuff | cups

if i wasn't almost 9 months pregnant, that dress would be mine. i love the abstract pattern.

_ _ _

here's to another beautiful september weekend in dc. 70s and no humidity. ahhhh.

happy friday!

faux show

there's a lot of cute, affordable faux leather things out right now.

can you believe that tan dress is from dress barn?

also, sizes seem to be limited, but that white leather cutout number from zara is super chic and marked down to twenty bucks. 

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11

i've never really been a leather kinda girl, but these subtle touches of faux leather have me considering buying a few things for fall.

_ _ _

sidenote: i couldn't get this out of my head when i made the title for this post. 

fall footwear

these are some of my favorite looks for the upcoming season. 

i've had my air conditioning off (!) for the past two days which is the perfect excuse to use that money for shopping. money in my pocket = more shoes to buy.

those riding boots are some of the best pair i've seen in a while. around this time every year, i go on the hunt for The Perfect Riding Boot (low heel, sturdy not slouchy, no obnoxious hardware, rounded toe, interesting detail, not $500). i didn't think it existed until i saw this pair. the price is right, too. 

row 1: nine west

row 2: zara | h&m | forever 21

row 3: zara | zara

row 4: zara | nine west

row 5: zara | h&m

row 6: target

i also did something i (almost) never do. i rounded some of these prices up. so $35 may really be $34.99, but you get the picture, right?

_ _ _

leaf image from this post.

intergalactic

i'm not into sci-fi. i've never seen star wars. that's just never been an area of interest to me. 

so when nanette lepore sent her models down the runway wearing these shiny, metallic, futuristic pieces, i wasn't sure what to think.

to tell you the truth, i'm still not sure what i think. but, clothing and accessory trends have surprised me in the past and i'm always willing to give things a chance. even if they seem a little...out there at first. ha.

dress | ipad case | clutch | watch | pouch | polish | necklace | flats

the easiest way to dive into this style is to pretty up your finger nails with some space-age polish. i think for me, i'd be most likely to wear that watch. and maybe that dress if i had the right occasion.

hey, even zac posen is getting in on this.

i can't decide if this is totally tacky or kinda fun but i like to see new things in the fashion world.

friday finds VI

more cool stuff for less than fifty bucks comin atcha today!

earrings | flats | vase | lights | notebook | purse

those pendant lights are a steal at only $9.99. how cool would they look in your house or apartment?

_ _ _

it's the last weekend in july already. make it a good one!

dressing for the fourth

well, since this was in my head all day yesterday (who knows why), it got me thinking about the fourth of july.

here's a whole mess of red, white and blue items to get in the spirit of things.

and if you're local, these pieces would be pretty cute to wear to nats games.

red: dress | shorts | shoes | clutch | sunglasses | necklace
white: dress | necklace | sandals | earrings | shirt
blue: swimsuit | peplum top | dress | belt | coin purse | earrings

a few things to note: first, when i found those red sunglasses, my eyes just sorta glazed over the $400-plus price tag. don't spend that much. these are cute, too. 

also, that bikini top is cute, but i don't advise wearing that to a nats game. ;)

_ _ _

get your sparklers ready. the summer seems to go by super fast and the fourth will be here before you know it. 

friday finds III

it's payday for me today, and i'm thinking about treating myself to something new.

here's six summery finds for you, all $50 or less. 

blouse | shades | bag | necklace | face wash | belt

any fun plans for the weekend?

i'm planning to go see this and eat here for starters.

i'm also diggin this heat wave. sizzle sizzle.

happy friday!

friday finds II

well, i did this last friday and had fun putting it together, so i thought i'd do another one.

i really wanted to keep it less than $50 because that's just such a nice arbitrary cutoff, but i saw those wedges on sale for $59.99 and had to up this one to less than $60.

still works, right? 

shoes | earrings | dress | watering can | giraffe | framed illustration

and if that isn't the coolest watering can i've ever seen...jeez. puts all other ones to shame.

_ _ _

if you have monday off, enjoy the long weekend!

and if you have netflix, let's all hope it doesn't crash the second arrested development is available to watch.

summer sandals

i have my eye on a few of these sandal options. 

there are some good ones for pretty reasonable prices out there this year.

h&m - $24.95 | zara - $79.90 | asos - $30.55 | asos - $37.33

here are a few more that i really like.

target - $16.99 | sam edelman - $65 | target - $19.99 | madewell - $49.50

a few notes about quality: i've owned zara and sam edelman sandals in the past. the zara ones were holding on for dear life by labor day and the sam edelman pair are still going strong more than a year later.

and the sam edelmans are offered in about a billion colors.

i really do like what zara offers, but i wouldn't buy a pair expecting them to stand the test of time. but i also walk a lot so that probably contributed to their demise.

_ _ _

i love this time of year. the clothes, the heat, the holidays.

bring it on.

friday finds

here's a few things you can pick up this weekend without hurting your wallet too much. everything you see here is less than $50.

traveling and exploring new cities is one of my favorite things to do, so i'm really eyeing that book.

book | ring | necklaces | spatulas | shoe | clutch

i also just bought those shoes. we'll see how they work out, but i think they'll be perfect for work over the summer months.

_ _ _

it's another beautiful day in may.

enjoy your weekend!

loren hope

i've fallen hard for loren hope's really amazing line of jewelry. 

all of the statement necklaces out there were starting to look way too similar (i'm looking at you, j crew bubble necklace and its many many imitators) and i was really craving something fresh, modern and fun.

i think this smart line of accessories really fits that description, and i've selected a few of my favorites below.

1 | 2 | 3

1 (as seen here) | 2 | 3

1 | 2

these pieces are special and they're some of the coolest looking jewelry (for a pretty affordable price) i've seen in quite a while.

three cheers for something new.

rainbow

rounding up some office-appropriate dresses in every color of the rainbow was a post i've planned to do for a while now. i wanted to do it just because i thought it would be pretty.

red | orange | yellow | blue | green | indigo | violet

but today seemed like the perfect day to do it. 

and here's a necklace, some earrings and a cuff that would go well with these looks. but i'd only wear the necklace with the scoop neck dresses (orange, green, indigo).

good for you, delaware.