Glitz and Glamour

What better way to celebrate the holidays than with a family Christmas party and lots of sequins?

Leather and Lace

Today I paired a feminine lace top with my favorite Vince leather jacket for a girlie-glam look while strolling outside of Boston. A good leather jacket is such a great closet staple!

Pink Pony

Thanks to Blair's amazing fashion sense, I now have an updated way to style my (very old) pink pony tee.

Gossip Catch-Up

I'm the first to admit that I was late to hop on the Gossip Girl train, but now I'm completely hooked. I'm about halfway through with season three, and I have to say, the college years have been great so far (unlike the major Saved by the Bell letdown)! Plus, the fashion keeps getting better. I'm hoping to catch up by the end of the current season. Is it worth continuing? Chuck Bass is my favorite character (and Georgina my least fav)!

My Kind of Equipment

I debuted my very first Equipment blouse out to dinner tonight! Now I really feel like a grown up. I can't wait to collect more colors (like poppy). They are such a splurge, but definitely luxurious and a great investment piece.

Fall Lineup

Fall lacquers are my favorite.

Missoni Mayhem

I, like so many other women, ventured out to my local Target bright and early this morning to claim some of the highly anticipated Missoni pieces. I have to say, I was surprised that there weren't more people lined up. It seems like everyone just counted on being able to buy online, which resulted in the website crashing for most of the day (and even now as I type this). My sister went out to our Target in Northern Viginia, and the shelves were bare only a few minuted after the doors opened. I think a lot of people just grabbed handfuls of things to resell on eBay.

I wasn't overly impressed with many of the items in person, but did snag a cute fall sweater in their signature print and some bobby pins and notecards. I would have liked to have gotten one of the throws, but I didn't see any. They didn't have any bikes (that I know of) at my location, either. Part of the fun is getting out early and having the thrilling experience, though, right?! Did you shop the Missoni collection? What were you able to get your hands on?

Pre-Fall Shopping

With temps steadily in the hundreds this past week, it's pretty tough to think about the boots, sweaters, and layering that come with fall fashion, but Nordstrom eases the transition with its annual Anniversary Sale. It's always one of my favorite parts of July because the fall merchandise goes on pre-sale and you can get a sense of what's going to be hot for the upcoming season. I managed to snatch up a pair of boots and a cognac-colored pair of wedges that I can start wearing now. I'm hoping to go back once more before the sale ends next Sunday! Are you looking forward to wearing any fashion trends come fall?

Deep Freeze

My new Karen Walker sunnies arrived from Shopbop today. The best word I can think of to desribe them is 'architectural' because they're very angular and flat. I love the tortoiseshell frames, but I'm not sure if the harsh angles work with my face. I'm going to have to think about these for a couple of days. They look so good on other people (as evidenced by this and this)!

Bangle, Bangle, Bangle

I made it out of clay!

As soon as I saw this post, I knew I was going to have to make some bangles of my own. I love stacks of bracelets (more=better), and these neon babies are a great addition to my collection. The process was so easy and much cheaper than shelling out dough for similar bracelets at J. Crew.

Scope out the full tutorial here.

Wedding Woes

My cousin Emma is getting married in two weeks and between a hectic work schedule and all the excitement surrounding my Chicago trip, I may have totally put off looking for a dress. Ooops! It's a late afternoon wedding and semi-formal, so I've narrowed it down to a few favorites. Ideally, I'd like to have a dress that I'll wear again for other nice occasions (or even a fun date night).


This Alice + Olivia number is my first choice. I actually bought it earlier today to ensure my size didn't sell out. I think this would be really versatile and I'd absolutely get multiple uses out of it. The only downside is that it's really plain (even for me). I'd pair it with some neon accessories and a bright mani to jazz it up a little (neons and neutrals are a great look right now).

I think these shoes would be a really fun pop of color:

Jessica Simpson Landy

And I could use a little help from Tom Binns in the accessories department, starting with these:


The other option would be wearing a bright, punchy dress with nude sandals or heels. These two strapless styles are my favorite (so far). I really wish I could find a pretty sea foam green dress, but apparently that's a tall order this season. Bold colors are much more prevalent.


J. Crew Alannah dress


Donna Morgan belted chiffon dress

What would you do (other than not procrastinate like I did)?
Any help is great!

It's Here!

I have to say that after a hellish three days, I was beyond thrilled to find that my Curly in the City clutch had arrived. Let me say it was totally worth the wait. Taylor did such a great job on this that I know I'll be ordering another one (and you should too). Check out her Etsy shop here and scoop one of these babies up before they're all gone! Thanks again to Danielle for having such a great giveaway. I cannot wait to take it with me to Chicago when I visit next week!

A Wild Discovery

I kind of love that I finally stumbled upon these special edition Barnum's animal crackers today while on a run for groceries. The box is so colorful that it really stood out on the shelf and I couldn't resist buying a couple packages. I can't believe it took me a whole year to find them!

Sew Psyched

I'm beyond that my mom dusted off her sewing machine to make me an American Apparel-inspired clutch. I know I'm going to be carrying it all summer long! Seriously, is there anything this woman can't do (besides spell)?

Love you, Mom!

Clutch and Go

By now you've probably all seen the American Apparel leather carry-all pouch on at least one of your favorite blogs. The first time I saw Bee from Atlantic-Pacific photographed with hers, I was smitten. Its simple, versatile shape and bold colors are the perfect complement to so many outfits (and the $50 price tag is completely justifiable). I love carrying a clutch when I go out on the weekends because it forces me to whittle my typically overstuffed bag down to the bare essentials.

Taylor from Curly in the City has a great DIY for the clutch, but since I don't have a sewing machine, I've been pleading my mom to make one for me (and waiting patiently for Taylor to open her Etsy shop, whichever comes first!). I just saw on Twitter that American Apparel has finally restocked the bags with a slew of fun new colors for summer. I'm thinking of snatching one up in buttercup (a bright yellow) and maybe even stone (a pale grey). In the meantime, check out some of my favorite bloggers and how they've styled the carry-all.

Carolina at Fashion Squad




Bee at Atlantic-Pacific (especially love the tied-on ribbon in the first photo!)


Taylor from Sterling Style


Kelly from the Glamourai

Do you love the clutch as much as I do?

Just For Fun

Inspired by an article in this month's In Style magazine (the color issue), I opted for a non-traditional manicure to start off my weekend. I used Chanel's Riva (one of my favorites) on all of my nails, except for my ring finger, where I used Essie's Chinchilly. The verdict: I really like the look! I think it would be fun to choose colors in the same family, like hot pink with a pale pink accent finger. It was fun to change it up a little and I definitely got some compliments while out running errands. In other news, I am totally obsessed with the new way they brew chai tea at Seven Stars. It's spicy and frothy and it's making not having my morning coffee pretty bearable.

What do you think, would you experiment with this trend?

What a Difference a Day Makes

These beauties were waiting on my doorstep when I got home today, which made today a million times better than yesterday! I love their worn-in look and rich color. I can't wait to take them out for a spin!

Belle of the Ball

Like so many of my girlfriends, I tuned in to watch the Academy Awards last night. For the most part, I thought the show was boring and dragged on a lot longer than necessary. The best part for me was watching the red carpet arrivals and picking apart all of the outfits. There were some highlights, like Mila Kunis, who looked romantic and glamorous in Elie Saab. I thought her whole look was flawless. I'd die to own a dress like that. There were far too many low points to mention (Nicole Kidman's atrocious kimono getup, Gwyneth Paltrow's sub-par musical performance, and whatever was going on with James Franco). Other notables: lots of big, colorful jewels, Justin Timberlake in Tom Ford, Anne Hathaway's custom Louboutins, and the performance by the PS22 chorus. Amazing!

What did you enjoy most/least about the show?

Outfit Envy

I've been a busy cleaning bee all morning, but had to take a quick break and share this lovely outfit (and blog) with you! The styling is complete perfection and her blog, Atlantic-Pacific, is fabulous as well. Thanks to my little sister for pointing me in the right direction on this one. It was a nice reprieve from all the sorting and folding of this monstrosity.

Does anyone know if Louis Vuitton still makes a bag/cosmetic case/dopp kit in that style? I have a major crush on it and want to make it mine.

In Heavy Rotation

this bracelet is still one of my absolute favorites