Holiday Gift Guide

I don't think I can avoid it any longer, you guys. The holidays are officially here—I'll be back in (chilly, snowy) Iowa in two short weeks!

Despite how much I complain about winter (I still don't like it) and avoid acknowledging the arrival of the holidays, I'm pleasantly surprised by how far along I am in my gift planning and buying. I usually get ideas around late summer for the bigger gifts—my mom, close friends—so that I can include any bigger purchases in my budgeting for the last few months of the year. I use Google Docs to track holiday gifts, making a list of who I'm buying for this year and what, along with any other notes. It's also super helpful to make sure I don't get someone the same thing or something similar twice (I'm often pretty terrible at remembering what I've gifted after the fact). 

So far this year, I'm just over halfway through my gift buying, and all the bigger ones are out of the way! Since my budget is a little tight this year for friends, I'm doing some DIY gifts like infused simple syrups and homemade sugar scrubs. I stocked up on holiday cards from Rifle Paper Company, and did the rest of my shopping at several of my favorites, from local shops to online, including Zappos, who has a killer selection of gifts for most anyone, and incredible shipping & customer service. Anything major for people at home or that I need to ship, I order online and send to my mom's house—she has a ton of great wrapping paper, and sometimes I can bribe her into wrapping a few for me (she's an expert, seriously…thanks Mom!). 

I've been working with Zappos each month this year, and I have to say they've become one of my favorite sites to shop. If you haven't visited in a while, check 'em out—they have a killer selection of brands on Zappos and Zappos Couture, with incredibly fast shipping times (I usually get my purchases the day after they ship!) and quick, responsive customer service. For December, I was paired up with Lorianne Lacey; we were each given a budget to shop for the other person, and I have to admit, I was a little nervous at first. Gift shopping for friends and family comes easy to me, but I was afraid of picking out something that wouldn't fit Lorianne's style! Thanks to a few helpful hints from the Zappos rep and some serious digging around the site, I was pretty satisfied with the classic heeled boots, sparkly necklace and luggage tag I picked out for her (all pictured above, at top). In return, Lorianne selected a slouchy blue sweater, patterned wristlet and colorful accessories for me (pictured at bottom). I've already been living in the sweater, especially when running around on the weekend, and the pouch has made a few trips to the gym!

top image via; all collage items via Zappos

White After Labor Day

September, man…

Halfway through, and yet it feels like we just got going. What started as an unintentional hiatus here turned intentional after a few days. It was a hard decision to make, consciously letting go of the content I'd been trying to build up and ignore the numbers in favor of focusing on my personal and professional lives outside this space, but it was necessary.

Now that I'm ready to dive back in, I'm also working on creating some new content outside of "hey, here's what I was wearing when I did ________ over the weekend"...as much as I love a pretty outfit picture, I know that I love coming to blogs to discover new and exciting things and I hope to be able to bring more of that to this space! Stay tuned. In the mean time, here's a "hey, here's what I wore to NYFW and my Zappos Recharge event weekend before last" post ;) 

While I've been stepping back from NYFW in recent seasons now that I don't attend quite as much for work, it's still impossible to avoid completely...but this season I think I found the perfect mix of meet-ups, events, shows and downtime (note to self: next time, don't get back from a trip 36 hours before it all starts and it'll go even smoother!). Breaking chronological order here, this look is from Sunday, when I spent the day catching up with a girlfriend over brunch at a new-to-us spot in the West Village, swinging by a presentation downtown and heading up to Lincoln Center to host a style session at the Zappos Recharge booth. If you dropped by to say hello, thank you!! It was a ton of fun, the Zappos team is a blast to hang out with (and I was majorly coveting all the pieces they had on set, natch).

I've already broken the no-white-after-Labor-Day rule multiple times, but I've never been very good at following rules in the first place. On my last night at home, my mom and I were clearing out an old closet (saying goodbye to all my school formal dresses...a little sorry I don't have pics from that for a good laugh, but there is a great one at the bottom of this post!) and we came across a few silk skirt-suits of hers from the 80's. She said she'd never wear them again and they luckily fit me (a little tightly), so I stuffed my suitcase to fit them in! This skirt is from one set, with the jacket, it's a little Victorian/older Chanel looking and I opted to dress it down thanks to the hot temps and my supreme laziness (sorry, mom!). 

And, just for fun…if you've ever wondered what fashion bloggers are like when they're taking pictures of themselves, on, the street, so we can post pictures of ourselves on the Internet…well, I can't answer for everyone else, but I can tell you I get pretty ridiculous. If I haven't seen the person taking my pictures in a while, I use it as an opportunity to play catch-up. Which means about 65% of the photos end up with me looking ridiculous. I'd guess another 15% of the time I'm doing things like the below, which is what happens when I'm tired and…gesturing? Walking like an Egyptian? Auditioning for Wheel of Fortune (Vanna White retired, right)? At this point, even I don't know.

J. Crew Linen T-shirt || Vintage Silk Skirt (similar) || Steve Madden Backpack via Zappos

Converse All-Stars || Michael Kors Watch || Three Jane NY Map Necklace || Illesteva Sunglasses

P.S.—if you want to see more outfit outtakes, let me know in the comments!

Photos by Emily Tozer

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

Link Love

Hello, weekend! Is it just me or did this one creep up faster than usual? I was sitting at the table early Thursday morning, thinking it was Tuesday or Wednesday, until one of my roommates mentioned it being nearly the weekend. Last week flew by, and it wasn't even as jam-packed as the rest of this summer has been! In less than a month I'll be spending some Q.T. back home before my sister's wedding, and because I didn't look at a calendar when I booked my ticket, I'll be getting back about 36 hours before the *official* start of fashion week. Between work and the blog, it's going to be a busy one!

I'll stop getting ahead of myself, though...let's live in the moment as long as we can, especially with the (mostly) beautiful days we've been having. This weekend's fun-time agenda is shortened as I'm spending most of today in studio for work, but I'm looking forward to sunset rooftop drinks and a chill Sunday before I dive back into the week. 

Now, for the fun part…what's been catching my eye! (and sometimes distracting me from work, shh)

The beautiful image at the start of this post is from photographer Kara Rosenlund, whose work I discovered after coming across her home tour on Design Sponge. A few of her amazing prints are available for purchase here.

I'm so not ready for fall, but I am eyeing these Joie boots for when I just can't cut it in sandals any longer.

Hallie nailed it with her summer guide to the city—some of her picks are favorites of mine and some are new to me (hopefully not for long!).

I nearly pre-ordered this Heidi Merrick top, but forgot to do it in time…now it's 50% off!

Victoria's post about the site Medium took me down the rabbit hole—she highlights several of the must-reads here.

Managing my stress levels while learning the benefits of aromatherapy with these roll-ons.

I loved Jessica's look with the Stace Face Alice & Olivia top (cardigan version on sale here!)

Getting into the backpack trend with this leather one from The Sak in ochre.

Making plans to get to the Jazz Age Lawn Party before summer's over! FYI, the second weekend is in August. 

Thinking about stepping up my watch game with this all-black option from Michael Kors (+ it's on sale at Nordstrom for another week!).

ICYMI...

My favorite silk dress & ankle boots

What to wear to a day of museums

My remainder-of-summer to do list

Image via Kara Rosenlund

Downtown Goes Uptown

In the spirit of doing & seeing as much as I can this summer (and sometimes that means spending an entire Sunday laying in the park with a book), a few friends & I decided to go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art a few weeks ago to catch the Charles James exhibit and enjoy the amazing rooftop view (looks a lot like I'm holding green juice, right? Well, let me tell you...there was a hefty dose of gin buried in all that cucumber + kale, too). 

I'm having a bit of a dilemma lately wherein I hate e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g in my closet. My style has evolved + simplified a lot of the last couple years, so a few weeks ago I did a serious purge and dumped 90% of it at Buffalo Exchange & my local thrift shop (you can find the rest here!). Considering I didn't own much in the way of summer clothes until the last few years—because when you're a lifeguard for seven years, you pretty much run around in your swimsuit for 3+ months and throw on cheap, easy sundresses for bar patios at night—it's still a less-than-robust area of my wardrobe. 

SO, when you're going to the Upper East Side—known for its poise and old money—it's time to step it up...right? Wrong. I tried on just about every dress I own, and while the masses of floral-print sundresses I have (thanks, Target!) are great for the beach or the park, I feel like I'm dressing too "young" for who I am today when I wear them out and about. Which is how I settled on a neon mini-skirt and Pink Floyd crop top. Sometimes I'll get dressed, and while I'm not excited by whatever I'm wearing, it gets me through the day. Other times, I feel completely myself despite looking a little out-there, and this was one of those days...even if it meant shocking some UESiders with a flash of belly button here and there ;)

American Eagle Pink Floyd Crop Top c/o || J. Crew Mini Skirt (on sale for $45!) || Lionette Necklace 

Illesteva Sunglasses || Joie Sandals c/o Zappos || Essie Polish in "I'm Addicted"

YSL in Rose Culté || Michael Kors Watch c/o Zappos

Relaxed City Style

Normally by today, I'd be grumbling about how it's only Tuesday and thinking about how to make the weekend get here faster…no rushed thoughts necessary when there's a holiday weekend on the horizon, though! This week is a killer at work (we're having a really huge sale), but I'm like a high schooler anxiously awaiting the last bell of the year on Thursday so I can dive right into a three and a half-day weekend!

I'm not really big on holidays, but the Fourth of July is a little different to me. There's something about it that sweetly and supremely signals summer and it's no secret this season and I have a love affair every year. It's also one of the few holidays and long weekends I get where I'm not traveling (my birthday usually falls around Memorial Day and I'm often traveling to a friend's wedding; Labor Day will again be spent at home for my sister's wedding!) and there are a few added perks tied closely to it: beautiful, warm weather and a nearly-empty city.

I daydream about having a house in the Hamptons to escape to just like any other NY'er (and if you have a friend with one that you want to introduce me to, I wouldn't say no), but there's something magical about exploring the best parts of the city without all the usual people and masses of tourists crowding the sidewalks and museums and restaurants. I've got a little list of places I should hit up going already, but I'd love some additional suggestions! What's your favorite place to go in the city that's usually impossible to get in to?

Equipment Silk Blouse || Joe's Jeans Rolled Shorts c/o Zappos || Zara Tote || Illesteva Sunglasses

Joie Sandals c/o Zappos || Michael Kors Watch c/o Zappos || C. Wonder Leather and Chain Bracelet

Photos: Ashley Manfred

PS—If you're in the market for a hairstylist in NYC, I cannot recommend Hazuki Hair in Midtown East enough! I usually get my hair cut back home, but my travel schedule this year has thrown everything out of whack and I was sporting so many split ends I was starting to cut them off myself. The stylist took her time and I don't think my hair's looked this healthy in a few years!

Summer Wedding Style

Ahh, summer. A time for late nights, early mornings, parks, beaches, patios, anything and everything al fresco…oh, and weddings. I know I'm not alone in the sheer number of them that take place once you hit your mid-twenties (let's not even get started on the babies that follow). This year, I kicked off the unofficial start to summer with a wedding back in Iowa and will be wrapping up the unofficial end (Labor Day) with my younger sister's wedding back home. Scattered through the middle are more ceremonies, showers and celebrations—pass the bubbly, please!

I love a good any reason to shop for something new, but my bank account can't seem to get behind me during wedding season. To compromise, I look for a few new pieces each season that are versatile enough to be worn at least twice. Usually, maxi dresses feel more formal to me and I'm really all about comfort, but this one has a few extra things going for it. The fun, tribal-inspired print leans toward casual and minimizes the need for too many accessories. There's also a slit on one side—perfect for when I'm dancing and don't want to be tripping on extra fabric (I just loosely tie a knot in the side!). And, spoiler alert, I was drawn to the various shades of blue.

My favorite detail, though, has to be the fabric...it's wrinkle-proof! Which is amazing for me since I'm prone to ditching whatever I was wearing on whatever's most convenient when I get home at night (this dress passed the test when I got it in the mail, tried it on, and promptly dropped it in a pile on the bench in my room for three days). Already planning to toss it in my suitcase when I head back for my sister's wedding this August!

Donna Morgan Dress via Zappos || Gap Clutch || Sole Society Heels || Essie Polish in I'm Addicted

Photos by Ashley

Kicking It

It's official—I'm becoming something of a sneakerhead. Back in the day, I was an avid collector of all things Converse (most of which literally fell apart while I was wearing them. #grungekid). The turquoise Supras you see here are my latest acquisition, although not everyone is a convert; my roommate told me they were only okay if I wear them to SoulCycle (hey, I do wear them to Soul...and to meet friends for brunch...and to work when I'm feeling lazy. So sue me).

Also, I might not be wearing any green in these pictures but trust that I'm wearing it in person today; 

my last name is a dead-giveaway for being Irish and I really don't want to be pinched if I can help it! 

Scroll down for details on an amazing gift card giveaway in honor of the holiday, too :)

Zappos is giving away a $317 gift card to one lucky winner today for 3/17! The Zappos Gold Rush Icon will appear on a new item on Zappos ever hour today between 11a-11p EST—simply click the icon to enter! They'll be posting clues on their Facebook page, but I'll give you one clue right now—all 12 items are green (duh). While you're over there, feel free to make a wishlist of what you'd use the $317 on. I'm eyeing these sneakers, this bag or these sunnies in yellow!  

Zara Military Jacket || Leather Jacket || Theory Leather Top || Boyfriend Jeans || Ray-Ban Sunglasses

Supra Sneakers || Zara Tote (Similar) || Catbird and WWAKE rings || Sequin Jewelry Collar

Photos by Emily Tozer