Superhero

Happy Friday! Or, as I'm starting to call it, the start of the weekend where I try not to lose my mind. Just over a week from now, I'll be hopping on a plane home for 12 days—which sounds relaxing, but the reality is there's a lot I have to accomplish before I go (the least of which are laundry, packing, and cleaning up my apartment!), a bridal shower and bachelorette party that I'm hosting 12 hours after I land, and the start of NYFW 36 hours after I get back to NYC. Which is why I'm all about moments when I get to step back and relax for a minute...

I took my last summer Friday of the year last week (which makes it feel even more like fall in my head than this cooler weather we're having right now) and headed for the UES to grab lunch with Ashley. We headed to a quiet restaurant with tables lined up in the shade outdoors and spent some time just catching up, de-stressing from the week, and walking over to get some fro-yo after and meander to the park, where we nabbed a bench in the sunshine and gabbed a while longer. And, yes, I'm wholly aware I just used the words "meander" and "gabbed" in the same sentence…my brain must already be on Iowa-mode, ha!

Funny little story about this dress…I saw it at the beginning of the season when I was browsing new arrivals, but it faded from memory til last month when it popped back up on MAJOR sale on most sites. I kept debating whether I wanted to pull the trigger since it was still a tad pricey, but got an email one afternoon from the only site that still had my size in stock saying their sale section was ending that night. I got home shortly after midnight and hopped on my computer 20 minutes later…but the sale section was gone! So, naturally, at one a.m. I was writing emails to their customer service and even called when I discovered they had a 24-hour customer service line, but there was nothing they could do. A deeper Google search finally lead me to the last site to have just ONE in stock, in my size. Fate, right? Especially when it was $20 cheaper than everywhere else I'd seen it!

My co-workers have taken to calling it my "superhero dress" thanks to the cape-like overlay on the back. I personally love it for the simple fact it's a little unique and incredibly flattering. I've dressed it up with a chunky heel, and wore it like you see here to work last week with an edgier ankle boot.

J. Brand Lonsdale Dress || Schutz Ankle Boots (old) || Botkier Legacy Satchel (small version)

Italia Independent Sunglasses || Sequin Jewelry Necklace || Michael Kors Watch

Photos: Ashley Manfred

Beach Day

It seems like a cruel twist that as I write this, the skies outside my window are dark and the air is cool, but just two days ago it was what I think is universally referred to as "the perfect day"—85, light humidity, a breeze in the air and hardly a cloud in the sky. Which meant the only logical thing to do was load up a friend's car and head out to Jones Beach.

Getting there was an ordeal…we'd originally been planning on the weekend before, but bad weather ruined that one for us and we were dying to get out in the ocean one last time before summer ends. Thankfully, postponing a week brought us three straight days of heavenly weather and the chance to use my friend's car instead of a rented Zipcar. A godsend, if you will, because about 10 minutes out from the beach as we cruised along at about 10 miles an hour, we got rear-ended! I'll spare you the long story except to say that no one was seriously injured (I've been nursing a headache for a couple days and a touch of soreness in my neck; my other friends in the backseat also hit their heads) and the car suffered minimal damage; the worst parts were the occupants of the other car trying to make small-talk with us and getting to the beach an hour and a half later than we'd planned. All worth it once we arrived, though!

We try to pack beach days in to as many weekends as possible, but somehow much of this summer escaped before any truly solid days could be had—until Sunday, that is. The Rockaways are a great option if you don't have a car  available, but they can get crowded and the water's a touch dirtier than you'd probably want to admit while there; the nearly 2-hour subway ride in your swimsuit is considerably less fun than a quick 45-minute car ride to the cleaner beaches of Long Island, too. The sparkling blue hues struck us as soon as we crossed the sand, and I think my friend & I made it all of 15 minutes before we were in the water. The beach towel above wins for my new favorite beach accessory, though—huge, soft, and a giant whale of an image of a presumed old New Yorker cover! It took me an embarrassingly long time to get a beach towel (ahem, this is my first) out here and stop taking my bath towels with me...especially considering this one's super affordable ;)

Getting knocked on my ass by a HUGE wave…still not sure if I should be thankful my friend was there to capture the aftermath!

And, of course, what good is a beach day if you don't say a little thanks to the sun and sea gods after a long soak in the ocean? There are no more beach trips on my calendar in what's left of summer, but I'm hopeful we get a beautiful season next year.

Roxy Romper c/o Zappos || Victoria's Secret Swimsuit || Italia Independent Sunglasses c/o Zappos

Goorin Brothers Hat || Steve Madden Backpack c/o Zappos

J. Crew Maren Sandals || Home Source Beach Towel c/o Zappos

Summer Rain

A few weeks ago, my friends and I hatched a plan to drive out to Jones Beach for an entire day, which you may remember is on my summer to-do list…car was booked, work was requested off, sunscreen was stocked up and beach essentials were purchased. Mother Nature, that fickle creature, had other plans for that day. 

I got a text last Tuesday asking if I'd looked at the forecast…so I wincingly checked it to see a high of 75. And rain. Lots of rain from Friday til Sunday, so we cancelled the car and rescheduled everything for this coming weekend, and then guess what? It barely rained! Sure, the sun didn't come out much, but I don't mind when I'm dozing on the beach to the sound of gently crashing waves and chatter of happy people (this weekend: high of 85 and NO CLOUDS). Bring it, weekend. 

Since I had to figure out what the heck I was going to do with my weekend, I opted for the next most logical decision to beach: brunch (part of the three B's, the third of which is booze…a little different than the ones my sorority banned during initiation week: boys, booze and bars. I'm clearly a sucker for alliteration). I visited an old favorite in my neighborhood and a new place I'd been wanting to check out for ages in Manhattan—all accompanied by my new favorite summer accessory, the backpack (the fourth B in this equation). Can someone explain why it took so long for me to jump on this trend? I sure can't. 

Inside my bag for the weekend: camera (obvi), my latest summer book, a few magazines I haven't gotten around to, my external mophie charger, makeup bag, sunglasses, actual glasses, an apple and Organic Avenue grapefruit juice. Not only does the bag hide the exorbitant amount of sh*t I find myself carrying around on any given day, the straps equally distribute the weight and I barely notice I'm carrying 15 extra lbs around with me, which is usually split between an overstuffed bag on each shoulder. I'm thinking a classic leather one is next!

Zara Linen Top and Classic Pants || J. Crew Maren Sandals || Steve Madden Backpack c/o Zappos

Italia Independent sunglasses c/o Zappos || Michael Kors Watch

C. Wonder Chain Bracelet || Essie in Play Date