Friday's Fancies: Summer Nights

The time has come, the teacher said, to talk of many things:

Of sun and sand and beach and pool, and other summer-y things.

That's right, kids, summer is officially well underway, and we have got to adjust our wardrobes accordingly. As an avid layer-er, summer gets tough for me, so I like to keep it fun with bold prints, accompanied by lightweight neutrals and bright accessories!

{pants / tank / necklace / heels}

I might secretly be planning to live in Birkenstocks this summer (don't judge!), but pretending I'm going to pump up the volume with a sassy nude heel isn't so wrong, is it? ;)

What outfit are you living in during these hot summer nights?

(California) Winter Woes

{jacket: j. crew | shirt: nordstrom (similar) | jeans: seven for all mankind (similar) | flats: justfab (sold out in brown - available in black)}

I'm sure you've all heard of the polar vortex plaguing the nation. Well... Southern California was hit by our own version of the polar vortex recently... 4 straight days of pouring rain. I know, I know - terrifying. I'm kidding, of course, but seriously, this outfit only lasted so long, until on the way out of my door, I stepped ankle-high into a deceptively deep puddle, and had to return home to temporarily change into rain boots simply to get to my car. Like I said... terrifying. Nevermind my brand-new umbrella blowing backwards and upside down into the wind and having to reshape its wires back to normal on my way home. Terrifying.

Black & White & Ikat All Over

{dress: forever 21 | loafers: love culture (similar)}

First, let me say, no, these photos were not taken in the middle of the night, but actually prior to sunrise, at the crack of dawn when I am forced to wake up for work. ;)

Moving on...

I really love this dress. What's cool about it is that it has 2 "waist" styles - it's a drop-waist (there's a seam towards the bottom that gives it that precious ruffle), but it also cinches at the natural waist, which is perfect for my body type! It's the best of both worlds, baby!

I got this dress at the massive Forever 21 in Las Vegas using a gift card I'd hoarded for almost 6 months. I don't usually go for black & white, but I also had to talk myself out of getting this other black & white dress, and though I'm still in love with this cute little flirty black & white number (did you notice that pop of neon pink at the neckline?), I am totally kicking myself for not getting the 2nd option, too!

Floral & Ikat

{beanie: urban outfitters | shirt: nordstrom | jeans: seven for all mankind | flats: old navy}

I'm a little bit in love with this beanie, and as you know, I'm a lot o'bit in love with pattern mixing. By keeping the pants neutral, and picking up a pop of color in my shoes that match the flowers on my hat, these patterns work just swimmingly together!

The Jeans!

{top, bracelet, gold ring: nordstrom | pants: seven for all mankind | jacket: j. crew | boots: sam edelman | watch: marc by marc jacobs}

Oh, here they are: the jeans! Scroll up, check out the illustration in my header - look familiar?! These are the jeans I went ga-ga over last year, waited months to purchase to see if the love would fade, but then finally bit the bullet and splurged! (And what happened a week later? They went on sale, and I returned to the lovely store for a price adjustment.)

Anywayyyy...

I still love them. Though I have a hard time figuring out what to wear them with a lot of the time, they make me so happy whenever I look at them! Plus, paired with this blouse in a most heavenly (and my favorite!) mint/seafoam green shade plus my glorious Petty boots, they are just perfect!

Ikat!

{Shirt: Target | Jeans: Seven For All Mankind | Sandals: Old Navy | Bubble Necklace: ILY Couture | Monogram Necklace: BaubleBar | Watch: Nordstrom}

I lusted after these jeans for months. I had a severe internal debate between buying these and the Citizens floral jeans. I finally decided on these pretties during an unplanned, after work shopping trip and just dove right in! I thought they were more versatile during the floral pair. [Note the patterned jean fabulosity of my blog header, please.] They also ended up going on sale about 3 days after I bought them, and the most fabulous of all stores, Nordstrom, gave me a price adjustment! Anyway, turns out, I've only worn them 3 times in 6 months... Perhaps they aren't as versatile as I thought?! Do you have any ideas on how to style these bad boys?

Palm Springs Day 2!

{Dress: Modcloth | Sandals: Rainbow | Watch: Boutique in Baton Rouge | Ring: Vintage (Aunt's)}

Hands down, this is my favorite photo shoot location ever. This walkway of gorgeous cacti with beautiful palms and mountains in the background is perfection!

After cooking ourselves from the inside out at the pool, my mom and I escaped the heat by going to the movies, then we had a super yummy dinner at Hamburger Mary's, followed by strolling the Thursday night Palm Springs street fair.

What a lovely and relaxing getaway we had! :)

Lana Del Crayyyy

{Blazer, Wedges, & Purse: Forever 21 | Top: Nordstrom | Jeans: Seven For All Mankind | Scarf: Random LA boutique | Watch: Shock Boutique | Bracelets: StyleLoveLiving | Ring: Vintage (Aunt's) | Sunglasses: Juicy Couture}

Tuesday night, Holly and I went to see Lana Del Rey at the El Rey in LA. While we failed to make flower crowns (we'll save that for Coachella), I still wanted to take my look up a notch, pile on the layers, and put a little skip in my step! Little did I know, I'd be surrounded by the weirdest people wearing the weirdest outfits of all time listening to more weird people perform. Oops.

I obsessed over these printed ikat jeans for months before I finally cashed in all of my hoarded Nordstrom gift cards and splurged! A week later, they went on sale, by almost 50%, but luckily, Nordstrom gave me a price adjustment! Phew! Thank goodness, too, because I'm basically obsessed with them! (Feel free to give me tips on more ways to style them!)

StyleMint. Take 1.

{T-shirt: StyleMint | Skirt: Forever 21 | Belt: Kohl's | Sandals: O'Neill via Huntington Surf & Sport | Watch: Nordstrom | Bracelet: Juicy Couture}

Ok, people. Who out there has given StyleMint a go yet? To summarize: this is a website/clothing company that is along the lines of JustFab/ShoeDazzle/JewelMint, a t-shirt-of-the-month club, if you will. This particular company is repped/designed/backed by Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen. As a lifetime fan of the Olsen twins and their style, I was incredibly excited for this launch. I must admit, however, that when the site went live on July 1, and I took my "style quiz," and saw my selections... I was, to put it lightly, underwhelmed. They showed me 4 t-shirts: A short-sleeve striped dolman, a tri-blend graphic tee (with a bizarre sentence on it), a henley that had an odd neck, and a plain crewneck tee. (See above.) I understand the purpose of basics, but I was unsure as to why a tee needed to be $30 when it seemed to be nothing special. I'm also pretty sure that everyone received the same results and the same 4 shirts, making the style quiz obsolete, which confused me a little bit.

After a few weeks of contemplation, and reading Sorren's post about the importance of the perfect white tee, I went ahead and just gave it a go. I'll now admit, I haven't been 100% converted to StyleMint obsession, but actually feeling the lovely, soft, (almost too) thin material (50%  supima cotton, 50% micromodal) did have a positive effect on my happy place. I think the fit is pretty nice, too. StyleMint, you get another chance come August 1. Mary-Kate & Ashley, I have faith in you. Give me something I love next month, ok? In the wise words of Uncle Jesse & Michelle Tanner, "Capeesh?" "Capeesh."