Vibrant Color

Ahh, colorful street art! Every time I see the mural on the Bowery Wall, my mood is instantly lifted. My company has a store around the corner and when I first spotted the change in mural (I'm not sure how well-known this is, but they commission artists to change the mural on the wall every few months. The last one featured a lot of portraits if I remember correctly!) I knew I had to get in front of it for some photos at some point. Sadly, this was not the day I was dressed like a human highlighter, but maybe it's a good thing I was a little more neutral for a change. 

I wore this to a (seriously yummy) brunch with Emily at Balthazar a few weeks ago when the sun finally decided to come out and warm up the city for a day. About halfway through our photo taking session it felt like my jacket was adhering to my skin...not a pleasant feeling, but a welcome change from constantly shivering.

Another quick tidbit about the mural—the artist's name is Maya Hayuk and she's done some amazing work around the world. You can check a full list of all the walls she's painted here; I highly recommend checking one out if it's in your area!

I've also been on a street-art spotting and 'gramming kick, and this is another favorite of mine recently spotted in SoHo. Don't be surprised if you see it pop up in the background of some photos soon!

Leather Jacket (similar) || Steve Madden Fringe Bag (this season's version) || Forever 21 Top || Boyfriend Jeans

Zara Boots || Ray-Ban Sunglasses || Michael Kors Watch || YSL Lipstick in Rose Culté

Museum Snow Days

 Last Saturday, I kicked off my morning afternoon with my weekly brunch date down at Cafe Orlin in the East Village (we don't go to the same spot every week, but it is the same people every week), and by the time we left—surprise!—it had dropped five degrees and started snowing. A friend and I figured that would be the perfect opportunity for us to hop on the subway out to Brooklyn and check out the John Paul Gaultier exhibit while it's in its last few weeks there, and it was oh so worth the ride. If you have a chance to visit the museum before the exhibit closes on the 23rd, I highly recommend it!

Zara Coat || Forever 21 Cardigan || Otte New York Pullover

Zara Scarf || Sole Society Tote || 7 For All Mankind Jeans || Loeffler Randall Boots

P.S.—how amazing is JP's work? The models even have moving faces, and some sing along with music or talk with a track—it was a little freaky at first, but pretty cool once you keep making your way through!

Teenage Throwback

How is it already December? I planned to get a lot of work done this weekend, but by the time it rolled around I decided it was time to (mostly) disconnect from technology and enjoy some friend (& Soulcycle) time instead! Of course, that meant coming back to 450+ emails by Sunday afternoon...oops. Worth it, though!

 I hate to disappoint, but these pictures aren't actually from my teenage years—instead, it's a bit of an homage to my formative years, when I opted to dress in screen tees, plaid and flannel button downs and jeans that more often than not had holes worn through the knees. As you can see, I've changed it up a little bit here, but the influence is there—and all that's really missing are my Chuck Taylors and rainbow colored hair (don't worry, I'll try to dig up a photo for you all when I'm home for the holidays). In case you haven't guessed yet, I was pretty heavily influenced by Nirvana and the era of early pop-punk. Hello, Warped Tour! 

Zara Coat || Forever 21 Button-Down || Coney Island Tank || Joe's Jeans

Jeffrey Campbell DOA Booties || Ray-Ban Sunglasses || Sequin NYC Custom Zodiac Necklaces c/o

Stila Eyeliner || YSL Rouge Volupté in Forbidden Burgundy

Get the Look

Photos: Jessica Sturdy

Stars & Stripes Style

Is it really (almost) the Fourth of July already? It feels like just yesterday my mom was here over Memorial Day weekend, and somehow we're halfway through the summer! Luckily, I have a Betsey Johnson knit dress already prepped for the holiday complete with a solid blue skirt and red & white striped top, but I was feeling the need to bring some new red, white & blue into my holiday this year. How incredible are those flag print shoes? I already own this white dress from Express (and wear it frequently, sans belt-it's lined and both flattering & comfortable!), but I'm crushing hard on this star print bib necklace (bonus: it's on sale). Usually, my Fourth of July holidays in Iowa were spent at the pool during the day & shooting off fireworks (acquired from a 1.5 hour drive down to Missouri) at night, but this year I'm looking forward to a quiet four days off in the city while most of my friends work or travel. I haven't decided whether I'm going to hit the beach tomorrow, or attempt a few things around the city I don't normally have time to make it to (like the rain room at MoMA). Follow me on instagram to see what I decide!

P.S. if those mirrored Ray-Bans look familiar, that's because you've seen them here, here, here & here!

Clockwise starting from left: J. Crew Linen Peasant Top || Dolce Vita Sandal (on sale!) || Forever 21 Rhinestone Flag iPhone Case || David Aubrey Cobalt Bib Necklace || Express Sleeveless Shirtdress || C. Wonder Keepsake Box || Ray-Ban Aviator Sunglasses || Alexander Wang Emelie Bag (on sale!) || Jeffrey Campbell El Carmen Platform || Sophia 203 Star Necklace (on sale!) || Grand Bazaar Canvas Bag (on sale!) || BDG Americana Short (on sale!) || Zara Nautical Stripe Canvas Slipper

*image via

Neutrals & Tulips

Going colorless is rarely my thing, but when I do a neutral I like them to be light & evoke a relaxing feel! Anything black or brown is too dark & just asking for some pops of color. I was also lucky enough to be surrounded by some beautiful tulips in Bryant Park with Jessica when we took these pics on a beautiful spring day (also, Bryant Park is usually filled with cute business men at lunchtime when it's nice out, mentally noted). It's still cool enough in NYC to call for a light layer, but I've been able to leave without any sort of jacket several times the last few weeks and it feels strange-but oh so good!

Cardigan, Joe Fresh (similar) | Tee, Threads for Thought | Skirt, Zara | Shoes, Sam Edelman

Gold bangle (top), Sequin | Brass/colorful bangles, Charlotte Russe (similar)
Pendant, Forever 21 (only $1.80!) | Sunglasses, Ray-Ban

Thanks for taking my pictures, Jessica!

Corals

I got this incredible, silky-lined blazer at Forever 21 when I went to return another item earlier this spring-and I've rocked it at least a dozen times since. The color is freaking fantastic (hello, brights!) & the cut goes well over just about everything from t-shirts to blouses to dresses.

Jessica pointed out I went a little Corals and Cognacs with my look when she took my pictures-unintentional, but such a great color combo (looking at you, Hallie!).

Blazer, Forever 21 (similar) | T-Shirt, Victoria's Secret Pink | Jacket, Zara (old, similar)

Jeans, Joe's Jeans | Bag, Marc by Marc Jacobs | Nails, OPI in Tasmanian Devil Made Me Do It

Happy Friday! Looking forward to a warmer weekend full of sunshine & friends, hopefully getting some work done around my apartment for once, too. 

90's Throwback

Little-known fun fact: I was a huge grunge kid growing up. We're talking a solid three years of my life that were dedicated to plaid flannel shirts, wallet chains (yes, this really happened), ripped jeans, Kool-Aid dyed hair (also really happened, and it would make my hair smell like cotton candy) & lots of Nirvana and various other Sub Pop records artists. Naturally, my inner 13-year-old was ecstatic when I saw this tee at Forever 21 and I'm pretty sure I wore it for almost a week straight (in true grunge kid style). At least I wore lipstick & some shiny rose gold jewelry this time, right?

Coat, Zara | Tee, Forever 21 | Necklace, Forever 21 | Jeans, Hudson

Bracelets, Sequin | Shoes, Steve Madden | Lipstick, NARS in Funny Face

*I am aware that for some reason, I look slightly pregnant in these photos and I would like to point out that I am absolutely not. It was frigid when we took these photos so I had a tank under my tee for extra warmth and the layers stuck together, which I would NOT normally do. 

Thanks for taking my pictures, Jessica!

xx

Lust vs Must(s): Holographic Pumps

Bergdorf Goodman was kind enough to send me an email this week featuring these stunning Manolo Blahnik pumps and I immediately fell head-over-heels in lust with them. I've reworked my budget at least a dozen times, but dropping nearly a grand on a pair of shoes doesn't quite fit in with my plan to knock out my credit card debt this year (although I'm still hoping they somehow show up in my wardrobe). 

Instead, I found some good alternatives, including kicks with an edge and another pair with a punch of color, which as you know by now is one of my favorite things.

Lust

Must(s) from L to R: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Pretty good timing for shoes to be on my radar, as I'm hitting up the FIT Shoe Obsession Exhibit this weekend.

Happy Friday!

xx

Party Animal

OK, so I'm not really a party animal, but I picked up this shirt several years ago & have to bust it out from time to time! 

Three reasons it is awesome: A) it is a balloon animal B) it is super cute (& comfy) C) it is a bright neon pink. And we all know how much I love bright colors.

Blazer, Charlotte Russe | T-Shirt, old/Von Maur | Jeans, Hudson | Boots, Fossil

Necklace, Forever 21 | Cuff, Sequin

And, of course, wearing Nars matte lipstick in Carthage. Nails are OPI Lincoln Park At Midnight (my favorite F/W hue). Happy Friday!

Thanks for taking my pictures, Jessica :)

P.S. If I disappear off and on for the next few weeks, fear not. I will be back-my work is going into our  "busy time" with market & NYFW! (This also means I am essentially spending all my waking hours at work except for hours like now when I'm watch Ghost Hunters on TiVo.)

xx

Mustard & Mint

Hmm, now that would make for an interesting food combination! In this case, though, I'm talking about clothing colors, which are really more of a mustard & sea foam but that just didn't sound as awesome.

On Monday, Tracy of The Right Shoes & I grabbed lunch, since we work in the same building (at least part of the week). It's the first time in nine months that I officially ate lunch outside of the office, and then we stopped by Bryant Park to snap some quick photos.

Jacket, Zara (similar) | Scarf, Target (similar) | Dress & Hue tights, Von Maur

Sweater, Forever 21 (last year, similar) | Boots, Chinese Laundry (old, similar)

Earrings, Brooklyn Flea Find (they're real leaves, dipped in metal!)

Rings, all gifts from family | Nails, OPI Manicurist of Seville | Bracelets, all Sequin