Scream for Summer

Top - Target, Shorts - Old Navy

It's Friday, so I'm going to publicly confess that my girls' night out this week very unabashedly involved delicious Thai food and some delicious Channing Tatum. That's right, ladies. I saw Magic Mike. And before you judge me...It. Was. Awesome. And by awesome, I mean terrible, but so terrible it was good. Let's just say that a movie where Channing Tatum dances with his shirt off for two hours would have been a GREAT movie in my book. As it turns out, a movie where Channing Tatum dances with his shirt off for only 30 minutes total was just an okay movie. There was just too much plot, too much dialogue. Less talking, more Channing dancing. I'm going to write Steven Soderbergh a letter.

Anyway, before you leave the blog in total contempt of me, a bit about my outfit. I was inspired by this PIN to try pairing a soft grey with mustard yellow, and I was really happy with the results. There's just something about brightly colored shorts that screams summer, and now that it's already almost August (*gulp*), I need all the screaming about summer I can get. If you've been a follower for a while, you all know how much I dread, hate, whine about, protest, lament the end of summer. I'm going to ride out this season for as long as I can.

One of my summer traditions is driving to the California State Fair, which I will be doing this weekend. I plan on ingesting a disgusting amount of deep fried food (deep fried Twinkie? Tried it. Deep fried Oreo? Tried it. Deep fried BUTTER? Didn't have the guts to try it, but saw someone do it and almost retched.) and walking around all the vendors, looking for needless gadgets that I simply must have. Have a great weekend!

Anything But Uniform

Jacket - Gap, Dress - F21, Bracelet - Vintage

I have developed a bit of a uniform this summer. It's no-muss, no-fuss, totally comfortable, and yet makes it easy to look put-together for day or night. It's the Maxi Dress-Jean Jacket-Wedges Combo. Or the MDJJWC for...er...short. There's something so easy about a maxi dress, especially when it's got a cute and simple print or an asymmetrical hemline like this one. You can easily rock it during the day, but its length makes it so easy to transition into night. It's perfect for shopping with your girlfriends, a backyard barbecue, or for grabbing brunch with your mans. Just throw on a cuff or some bangles and you are good to go. As an added bonus, notice how ones with an empire waist like this one give your dress ample roominess in the tummy so that you can hide that food baby after a good meal. Can you say Bone. NUSS? See how I've rocked my uniform in the past HERE and HERE.

Electric Shot

Top - F21, Bralette - Gifted, Pants - Urban Outfitters

There's something I just love about throwing a subtle hint of neon into an otherwise neutral outfit. It's unexpected and fun and gives your outfit an electric shot of color. For those of you who have been hesitant to try the neon trend, an easy way to ease into it is to pair a neon camisole or bralette with a crocheted, lace, or sheer top. (See another way I wore neon with this top HERE). And with crocheted and lace tops being so in right now, it's so easy to find a way to rock this fun trend. At least, I hope you think it's fun because I've got like four more neon tops I plan on wearing before summer's end. And if you don't think it's fun...you have been warned.

Sorry for the quick post, but I've got a doozy of a day...and an even doozier of a weekend. Hope you all have a great and relaxing weekend!

Main Accessory

Dress - Maggie London via Marshalls, Shoes - F21, Bracelet - Target 

I was asked to sing at a friend's wedding last weekend, and I couldn't have felt more honored to be a part of the happy couple's special day. I also freaked out, got hit with a torpedo of nerves and nearly swallowed my tongue about 10 minutes before I had to go on, but it actually all went well. I think. When I can work up the courage, I'll watch the video of it that the Boyfriend took and let you know for sure.

I wanted to wear something a little special for the event since I'd be standing in front of 200 people, but I also wanted it to be demure and church-appropriate and COMFORTABLE since I needed to breathe deeply to sing. I looked everywhere for a dress but had no luck. Everything was strapless or backless or tight and binding. Everything else was too casual, too bright, too thin, too short, or too low-cut. I finally found this delightful dress at my local Marshalls about three days before the wedding. I love the deep violet color, the Marilyn Monroe-esque pleated skirt, and the dramatic high-low hem. You can't tell from the pictures, but the dress had great movement when I walked, which was perfect for the stage. I went simple with gold jewelry and nude shoes...and chose to make my main accessory the Boyfriend (see photo below).

What do you guys think of coordinating your date's outfit to your own for a special event (we always do!), yay or nay?
 

I like to coordinate the Boyfriend's formal wear with my formal wear when we go to weddings (thus the purple-hued tie). He was looking so dapper here, and he's so good about taking my outfit photos that I thought I'd turn the camera on him for a change. 

Watercolor Surprise

Dress - H&M, Jacket - Lulu Luxe, Necklace - DIY

Lately, I have been seeing watercolor prints popping up all over the place (see examples HERE and HERE), and I have to admit, I LOVE it. There's just something so appealing to me about the splashes of bright colors against a solid-colored canvas. So I can't tell you how thrilled I was when I found this gorgeous black, flouncy chiffon watercolor dress in the back of my closet with the tags still on. I bought this dress a year ago on clearance for $20 with the thought that I could always use a little floral dress and then promptly forgot about it. (I know, I know, I'm bad). But I love that I bought something on trend before the trend was even a trend. I'm just so fashion forward, right? Yeah, no. I'm just a shopping addict who likes anything pretty whether it's on trend or not. But.... potato, potahto, right?

The point of this story is...I love this dress! I love all the neon colors...and I can see myself remixing this dress in a lot of different ways. That's what's nice about a colorful dress...there are so many options for remixing depending on which colors you want to play up. I went sort of simple and classic with this look because I wore this to a wedding rehearsal dinner (isn't the church behind me gorgeous?), but next time, I think I'm going to rock it more casually with maybe a neon belt and flat sandals.

Do you guys ever find a happy surprise in your closet of an item you forgot about?

A Little Girly

There is just something so feminine and flirty about wearing blush with lace. I was inspired to pair the colors based on this pin and this pin. Sometimes I don't know how I survived without Pinterest. Back in the day, if I was feeling uninspired, I would pout a little (i.e. throw everything in my closet on the floor, whine about how I had nothing to wear, and then proclaim I was staying home). Now, I just jump on my Pin boards and look for something to get my fashion juices flowing again. Enter this girly get-up. I liked the idea of throwing on some pearls to complete the girly look but then balanced it out with some chunky wedges and a giant rose gold men's watch to keep me from looking too much like a 10-year-old. I love how the look turned out. Thank you, Pinterest, for saving me once again from a temper tantrum. Wait, maybe I am a 10-year-old.

This weekend, I'm heading down to the Central Coast for a little birthday getaway (yes, my birthday lasts ALL month), and I can't wait! I love picking up beach foods (like fried calamari, clam chowder, fish & chips) and picnicking right on the water with a good book and great friends. I'm also super excited to stop in at my favorite vintage spots to see what if I can score something as cute as this wrap from last time. Hope you guys stay cool this weekend...it's been scorching up here!

Belated Ta-DA!

Top - Marshall's, Skirt - Local boutique, Belt - Vintage, Heels - Zara, Clutch - Vintage LV (gifted)

So I realized that I totally forgot in my last post to make a big deal about the fact that I am debuting my new shorter do! So here is a very belated...TaDAAAA! Me with a haircut. I totally did it on a whim, and at first I panicked at the thought of not having long hair to hide behind. But now I totally love having the shorter curls. I feel like my outfits look cuter and more chic (since they're not hidden behind a long curtain of thick hair), my step is a little bouncier, and I even look a teeny weeny little bit taller with the shorter coif. (That last one may not be true, but please don't burst my bubble).

Rocked this ensemble to another birthday dinner with friends the other night. I had a hard time finding the perfect top to complete this outfit. The problem is that when I wear high-low skirts, I like to keep the rest of the outfit as simple as  possible but not boring. (See here and here and here). So I searched and searched until I finally found this gem at Marshall's. Mucho thanks to Miss K for giving me the idea of rocking violet and orange together, and I love how the subtle cut outs in the shoulders makes the whole outfit sort of fun and edgy without overpowering the dramatic hemline of the skirt. 


It's amazing what I can accomplish when I'm on a mission, isn't it? If only I could apply this type of shopping determination to other parts of my life. Like cleaning the house or balancing my checkbook or finding the strength to resist finishing the jar of Trader Joe's Cookie Butter. Sigh. Where's that Cookie Butter?

Birthday Love

Dress - GAP, Shoes - JustFab

For eons and eons now, I have been on the hunt for a white crochet dress that wasn't too clingy, too grandma-ey, too matronly, too bridely, or too see throughy. When I saw this little number, I knew that my search was over. The dress is comfortable, but feminine and chic...not too tight or revealing, but still fun and sexy. I broke out this dress and my new nude SKY high mary janes for my special birthday dinner with Boyfriend, and I was complimented on the dress about four times before we sat down. Granted, I was pretty dressed up for a Thursday night in my small town, and people probably complimented me just because they felt bad that I was teetering around in heels while they rocked flip flops and shorts...but it's a pretty dress, so I'll take the compliments.

Sorry for the bad blogging last week, but the mid-week Fourth of July + my birthday really threw me off schedule. I had the most phenomenal birthday this year. We spent the day with friends at a swanky hotel about 45 minutes away, just lounging at a cabana by the pool, drinking fruity drinks and working on our tans. It was heaven! Then on my actual birthday, Boyfriend took me to a hip (DELICIOUS) new restaurant in town, where I stuffed myself, and then presented me with my birthday present: the rose gold Michael Kors watch that I've been hinting at not-so-subtly for WEEKS. Glad he picked up my hard-to-read clues like, "I really really REALLY want this." He's a keeper!

And the food porn, of COURSE....

Lobster, heirloom tomato, and burrata salad that was seriously fresh and delicious.

Fried chicken with jalapeno and salted watermelon that was the perfect melding of sweet and savory.

Fried prawns with grilled pork belly and warm peaches that was AMAZEBALLS. 

My Crazy iPhone Life

Hello, my lovelies! I am so so sorry that I have been a terrible blogger this week. Having a holiday in the middle of the week really threw me off , and then I was so busy celebrating MY BIRTHDAY yesterday, that I totally lost track of what day it was. Since Wednesday felt like a Saturday to me, working yesterday felt like working on a Sunday ...and so today is really Monday in my head. No wonder I'm so grumpy!

Anyway, we will be back to regularly scheduled programming next week. I've got some super cute birthday outfits to post (that's right, multiple celebrations means multiple reasons to dress up!), so stay tuned. I also need to debut my new shorter do! In the meantime, I wanted to share with you my crazy iPhone life. I take an insane amount of pictures everyday (Boyfriend HAAATES it), but here's just a few to give you a peek into what I've been up to. If you want more peeks into my life, follow me on Instagram. If you don't want peeks into my life, I'm really sorry about this post!

Heading to San Francisco this weekend to sing at my dear, dear friend's wedding ceremony. Pray that I don't flub the words or miss the notes. Wish me luck! Have a great weekend, loves!