Spring-spiration

Spring is officially 1 week away and with the time change over the weekend, I'm so ready for it!  Delicate floral prints, whimsical pastels, flowing fabrics.  Here's some inspiration for you...Spring style:

you can find all these images, with source,

on my Spring! pinterest board

Weekend Wear

Acne jeans - FC ($45)
F21 top - FC ($6)
New York & Co cardigan - FC ($8)
Me too heels - FC ($14)
Vintage purse - FC ($10)
Vintage necklace - Xmas gift, Camber; belt - Xmas gift, Mom

Please excuse Buck, he was playing outside and snuck in again!

About my outfit:  I see bloggers here and there posting "weekend looks" and I just love the idea of showcasing a more relaxed, casual version of your everyday style.  However, I work all weekend.  Luckily, working at a consignment store, we don't have much of a "work uniform" so I can be as casual or as dressy as I like, provided I look relatively fashionable...or at least put-together!  For my version of "weekend wear" I wanted to be comfortable in jeans and a tribal crop-top.  I dressed it up a little with neutral sandal-heels and brought out the orange with my vintage purse.  The necklace was a Christmas gift from Camber via etsy (thanks, Cam!).  It's comprised of vintage pieces, featuring a watch front and see-through back.  Check out a better photo:



What's your weekend wear?

All-Black Base



Divided skirt - FC@MJ ($7.50)
F21 tee - FC ($6)
We Who See booties - FC ($16)
Vintage Ann Taylor purse - FC ($12)
Old Navy scarf (old) - gifted
Vintage earrings - FC ($6)

About my outfit:  I think a fun way to showcase a certain piece in your outfit is to pair it with all black.  An all-black base seems to really make a print or color pop!  The floral zippered skirt takes center stage in this look since I paired it with a black tee, tights and my favorite chunky wedge booties.  Finished it off with a gray scarf tied 'round my neck.  The scarf subtly combines gray with yellow in a plaid print which helps to tie in the gold accessories in my earrings and chain-strap.

I know Gracey sports an all-black base,

do you??

Technicolor: AZ Look #3

Coincidence & Chance skirt - FC ($13)
Gap tee - FC ($6)
J. Crew belt - gift from Mom during AZ trip!
Vintage Dex boots - FC ($24)
Vintage Bags by Supreme clutch - FC ($10)



About my outfit:  This is similar to my Arizona Day 4 outfit (polyvore), although I had to make some minor adjustments because I gave the top I actually wore to my Mom while we were in Arizona!  Instead, I continued the blue with a turquoise tee and then accentuated my waist with my new mustard belt.  Finished everything off with my statement bib necklace, which combines colors beautifully through bead work and ties with a ribbon behind your neck.  Of course the colors are continued within the skirt's stripes and vintage boots!

Hope you enjoyed my AZ Looks!

(in case you missed it: Look #1; Look #2)

The Sweater-Vest: AZ Look #2

Delias jeans - gift from Mom, Uptown Cheapskate
J. Crew seersucker button-down - FC ($8)
Charlotte Eskildsen sweater-vest - gift fr Mom, consignment boutique, SC
Vintage Dex boots - FC ($24)
Anthropologie purse (old) - xmas gift, Mom
Picasso scarf - gift from Mom, Italy



About my outfit:  This is my Arizona Day 2 outfit (polyvore), which was determined by another day of shopping and general errand-running.  Again, I typically go for skinny jeans as a base when trying on clothes.  My button-down is easy to take on and off and the sweater-vest allows for a little extra warmth during the morning and night-time hours.  My red boots finished off this earth-toned look and my silk Picasso scarf tied it all together.

Do you wear sweater-vests?

1 more look to go - stay tuned!!



A Pop of Neon: AZ Look #1

I finally got around to snapping some pictures of what I wore during my trip to Arizona.  For the next few days, I'll be sharing them with you:

Delia's jeans - gift from Mom via Uptown Cheapskate
Rue 21 button-down - FC ($6)
J. Jill sweater - thrifted w/Mom
Boots - xmas gift from BF
Vintage Dooney & Bourke purse - FC ($40)

Buck snuck into this last one -
isn't he getting big??



About my outfit:  This is my Arizona Day 1 outfit (polyvore).  I wanted to be comfy for a day of shopping, so I wore my skinny jeans (which I love as a base to try on clothes with) and my flat boots.  I layered my peachy oversized sweater over my neon plaid button-down for a pop of bright color - I think it corresponds nicely with the embroidery on my boots!  I only brought 2 purses, so I carried my tan D&B across my shoulder (to keep hands free!)

Stay tuned for more travel-worthy, layered looks!

Must Love: Darby

Menswear is a trend that's been around for a little while now, and I don't see it going anywhere anytime soon. I think it's fun to add a pop of this trend through footwear - and what I'm currently digging is the Darby slip-on loafer.  J. Crew said "inspired by a gentleman's formal dress slipper" it's part smoking-slipper, part loafer, and a whole-lotta cute!

J. Crew had a wide variety (for a pretty penny) that included fun prints and patterns like glitter, or animal-print in real calf-hair.  However, now I only see the leopard-print Darby calf-hair loafers on the website.

Anthropologie recently introduced an eclectic collection.  Though hard to choose, these are my favorite:

Tasia from Ruffles & Sequins shows 8 fun, funky styles from different designers.  Click here to see her post with corresponding designer and price info!

I've been seeing them for a while around the blog-o-sphere and on pinterest.  I think they are a fun alternative to ballet flats, a nice way to experiment with the menswear trend, and a perfect footwear option for Spring!  Here are just a few of my favorites:

via Late Afternoon

via pinterest

via Atlantic-Pacific

via pinterest

via The Blonde Salad

What got me started on this?  These just in at our Monkey Junction location (size 9, $14):

I would so wear these.

What do you think about this trend?

Would you wear the Darby slip-on loafer??

Running Errands

When I don't have time to think about what to wear...

Bullhead jeans - Marshalls ($10)
F21 black tee - FC ($6)
(old) Express sheer button-down - FC ($7)
Boots - xmas gift from BF
Vintage Dooney & Bourke purse - FC ($40)
Scarf - gifted (old); World Market earrings - gifted

About my outfit:  For running errands a couple days ago, I didn't have the time to put a lot of thought into my outfit, and I wanted to be comfortable.  So, I went with an all-black base, used (my favorite) tan shade of brown as accents, and then punched it up with some funky, colorful accessories like this multicolor scarf and these fun, bold earrings.  I didn't need much else to complicate my look so, with that, I was out the door!

What do you wear while running errands?

How I Packed for Arizona

A while ago I asked you guys to Help me Pack.  I received a lot of great feedback like "roll your clothes instead of folding" and to "think layers" or "utilize accessories to dress up basic outfits" and ended up bringing some great layered-up looks.  I used polyvore to help me visualize each outfit.


I also jotted down notes for myself, which greatly reduced my packing time!  (highly recommend this)

So...what did I end up with??

Travel Days - I wore my (first and only) leggings on the plane with an oversized sweater, my denim shirt which I sometimes wear as a jacket and my heaviest (Dex) boots.  On the way back I layered a button-down under my sweater but pretty much followed the same formula.

Day 1 - We did a fair amount of shopping the first the day, so I knew I wanted to be comfortable and have a good base to try clothes on.  I went with my polyvore Day 2 look which consisted of my comfy skinny jeans, plaid button down, and peach sweater layered over.  I originally planned on wearing my new statement bib-necklace, but decided against as I didn't want to pull it on and off every time I tried on something.  This went nicely with my embroidered (and comfortable) flat boots.

Day 2 - More shopping and errands warranted the same skinny jeans, another button-down and this time, a sweater-vest.  I wore my red Dex boots with this look since I knew I'd be on my feet less. (see polyvore Day 4)

Day 3 - Saturday, party day, I put off showering until closer to the party.  We went to this amazing art festival and the weather was absolutely amazing.  I threw on my alternate - gray stripe dress, cropped Free People sweater and comfortable flat boots (see here) for walking, then added a scarf, just in case it got cool.  For the party that night I went with my mesh material White House Black Market dress (a traveler's dream - it doesn't wrinkle when you pack it!) and kept it simple with black tights and booties, my diamond necklace (Xmas gift from BF) and added a pop of color with a funky scarf.

Day 4 - We went and had lunch with Mom's dad on the last full day of the trip.  For this outing I went with polyvore Day 3 - my Coincidence & Chance sweater-skirt, blue elegantees bow-tie blouse, and, of course, my red Dex boots.  Afterwards I gave my mom the elegantees shirt because I thought it fit her better, and let's face it - she gifts me things all the time!

In the end, I had packed just a few unnecessary items (but I'd rather have the option than not!).  For the most part, I got a lot of wear out of what I packed, and utilized layering as it was cooler in the mornings and warmed up during the day.  I'll try to snap some pictures soon of exactly what I wore so you can really visualize it!  ...Stay tuned...

How do you pack for a trip?
Do you tend to pack too much or too little??

Arizona Photo Diary (Long Overdue)

So, here are some quick pics from my recent Arizona trip.  I had so much fun visiting with my Grandma, celebrating my Great Aunt's 90th birthday party, shopping, walking, eating authentic Mexican food, and just soaking in all the wonderful weather and beautiful surroundings!

Mom, me, Grandma
(wearing F21 dress, Free People cropped sweater, gifted boots & scarf)

adobe-style houses

not a very fancy outfit
(walking clothes - comfy pants, Mellow Mushroom tee, Free People hoodie)

jumping cactus

Grandma, Mom, me

me & Grandma

"Twiggy" - the saguaro cactus skeleton

a very tall (and strange) cactus

I took a lot of scenery pictures to show the BF (he's never been to AZ) but included mostly pictures with people in them - those are always more fun, right?  Unfortunately I didn't really get any outfit pictures, but in the next day or so I'll show you what I packed (thanks to your advice!) and what little treasures I got while I was out there : ).

Where have you traveled recently??