(Pre-Holidays) Printed Prabal

Couldn't resist the tongue-twister to headline today's post, which is—shocker—full of shades of blue, this time a bright turquoise. If you're looking (not too) closely, you'll also notice a bright streak through my hair, which some of you may have noticed if you're following me on Instagram. It's since much faded—I shot these photos right before my trip home—since it has to be out in time for a shoot next week. Next time around, don't be surprised if you catch a little lavender in the tips!

Plenty by Tracy Reese Coat (last season) || Autumn Cashmere Cardigan || Prabal Gurung T-Shirt

Acne Studios Jeans || Schutz Shoes Boots || Muz Designs Pendant

NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Yu || Manic Panic in Atomic Turquoise

Sweetly Striped

I know we're in the midst of NYFW, but I'm taking it back a few weeks with this look. One of my guilty pleasures when home includes shopping at Von Maur, but every now and then my mom will surprise me with a package-or in the case of this dress, bring it along for my birthday when she visited this past May! It's been perfect for summer, with just the right amount of playfulness and a breezy texture for hot days. The muted coloring will help it transition perfectly to fall with a pair of tights & a blazer.

P.S.-can we take a minute to admire the gorgeous Coach wedges I scored at 80% off last month? Definitely one of my better sale finds, and they were practically made for this dress.

Dress, Von Maur || Shoes, Coach || Necklace, Sequin Jewelry

Lipstick, Revlon Strawberry Suede (discontinued, similar) || Nails, Butter London/All Hail the Queen

Photos: Jessica Sturdy

Weekend Casual + Inside My Bag

The weather in NYC has been beyond perfect over the last week or so, with warm, breezy temps during the day-but you can feel that touch of coolness on the underside of the air, whispering that fall is coming. While I'm admittedly not the biggest fan of fall (not helped by the fact that winter follows), I do love the crisp feeling in the air slowly ushered in by the change of season. Since we're still a bit off from sweater weather, though, I took full advantage of the weekend weather with a brunch date and a day in Central Park basking in the warm afternoon sunshine-and playing around with my film camera, which is making a reappearance in my life.

The people at Hobo International were kind enough to send over this Mariella bag, which is the perfect size to carry all my essentials for a day in the city. I'm also linking up with four other bloggers-Jessica, Laura, Lydia and Fran-to show you what those essentials are! Scroll down for a peek inside my bag.

Tee, Joana Avillez for Refinery29 || Pants, H&M (thanks, Jessica!) || Bag, Hobo Bags c/o

Sunglasses, Ray-Ban || Sandals, Kelsi Dagger (on sale!)

The great thing about the Mariella is it helps me to be a little bit more organized-if I'm carrying a tote, I just toss everything in, which can leave me digging for my keys in the dark (story of my life most nights!). I never leave home without my wallet, keys & phone, and during the day I usually toss in my planner (I know, I'm a nerd for still carrying one!), a notebook (Muji's are cheap and easy to carry) to jot down blog ideas and keep track of finances and other essentials, and a good book to read for the subway ride home. The Mariella fits my style perfectly, with a shoulder strap to keep me hands free when I'm lugging bags through the city and plenty of storage for the rest of my essentials.

I'm all over the place when it comes to beauty products, but I have a handful of essentials I can't leave home without. I've been carrying C. O. Bigelow's Rose Salve daily for almost ten years (!) and have been known to leave tins all over the place, from work to home to my parents' house, in case I need a quick fix-I kept so many at my college boyfriend's that he started buying them for me. I'm pretty minimal in my daily makeup routine, but I'm a huge fan of lip color and a little flush to the cheeks, so I keep a few options on hand for touch-ups. Having long hair requires some type of hair management on hand at all times, and a nail file is a must (these ones are $1 for a pack of three-I keep one tucked in my wallet and at my desk at work, too). All the little things tuck up nicely into a leather pouch so I'm not scrambling for them when I really need them!

Hobo Mariella Bag || Ray-Ban Sunglasses || Marc Jacobs Wallet || Quo Vadis Planner

Muji Notebook, Pen || Bill Bryson Book || C.O. Bigelow Rose Salve || Choward Mints

YSL Lip Color || Urban Decay Blush || NARS Multiple in Orgasm || Ms. Manicure Nail File

Goody Spin Pins || L'Occitane Hand Cream || Blotting Tissues

Casual Colors

Before summer slips away and my wardrobe gets a little more neutral, I'm making sure to have some fun with a few of the more colorful pieces in my wardrobe. I've worn variations of this look over the last few weeks both at work and on the weekend-a great statement necklace (I bought this one immediately after seeing it on Jessica) helps dress up the simple denim & tee combo!

Tee, Pickwick & Weller || Dress (worn as skirt), BCBGeneration || Necklace, Baublebar

Shoes, Rocketdog || Bag, Zara (new fall version!) || Bangle, Sequin

Toenail Polish, OPI Teal the Cows Come Home

Photos: Jessica Sturdy

Floral Leopard

And I'm back! The *unintentional* brief hiatus of the past week came about after a cancelled flight, followed by half a day in airports and a very busy weekend at home (including some of my favorite things like the Farmer's Market and the State Fair) where I barely touched my computer. To top it off, I somehow forgot my battery charger and my camera, naturally, died about 10 photos into the weekend.

Since I've been on a mixing prints kick lately and have drawn some inspiration from floral & leopard looks, I decided to pair the two together. I snapped up this LOFT blouse on serious sale after spying it on Hallie earlier this summer and I'm going to get as much wear from it as I can before fall kicks in (and even then, too!).

Top, LOFT | Necklace, Sequin Jewelry | Pants, Zara (similar, on sale) | Shoes, Target (old, similar)

Photos: Jessica Sturdy

Office Chic

This outfit encompasses all my favorite things in an office appropriate look-a structured white top, a great statement necklace, shades of blue, a fun skirt with metallic threads and these incredible Vince Camuto heels (also in nude here). It's market at my office this week, which means I'll be dressing up more than usual and these shoes are definitely going to get some good wear before it gets too cold and they have to go into hibernation for the winter.

 

Top, Zara (similar) || Skirt, The Limited || Necklace, Baublebar || Bracelets, Earrings, Sequin Jewelry

Skeleton Key Ring, AN Original Jewelry || Shoes, Vince Camuto

Prints on Prints

Oh, Monday. I never really look forward to its arrival, but even less so today after such a great weekend. The Legends of the Summer tour on Friday night was the perfect way to kick off my weekend, especially when they brought out Alicia Keys to perform on Empire State of Mind. Saturday was spent showing some friends around Manhattan and ducking into a small West Village bar to get out of the heat that was supposedly frequented by JFK, Jr., topped off with a play my roommate directed & a late night diner with friends. I spent Sunday with visiting family until heading to Spin for a Cure at night with Hallie & Jessica. Why can't weekdays be that fun, too?

Mixing prints has been my specialty lately, so I was more than thrilled to pick up these separates from Parker on sale! I love the cool tones and abstract patterns, which called for simple shoes and a touch of silver to pull it all together. While both are made from silk and easy to wear in the summer, the pants have been put in the bottom of my wardrobe until NYC decides to cool down to a bearable temperature regularly.

Top, Pants, Parker || Cuff, Ring, Sequin Jewelry || Shoes, Zara

Nails in Fairy Cake, Pedicure in Slapper, Butter London

Photos: Jessica Sturdy

Floral Midi Skirt

This look is a serious throwback-I paired this floral midi skirt with one of my favorite Pickwick & Weller tees for drinks with Jessica after work at the end of May, but unfortunately didn't feel well enough to stick around for photos that night. Luckily, I pulled it all back together (plus a new accessory-a liquid gold cuff!) for another workday and snapped these photos. 

Tee, Pickwick and Weller || Skirt, Zara (similar, on sale!)

Necklace, Cuff, Sequin Jewelry || Shoes, Kelsi Dagger

Photos: Jessica Sturdy

Hothouse Florals

After the long four-day weekend, it really feels like my trip to Mexico was forever ago! It's only been about two weeks, but I'd trade a lot to be back on those gorgeous, cerulean beaches right now (especially after swimming in the cool, salty, dark green waters lining the coast of NYC over the fourth). I picked up this tropical print Zara dress one of my very first times in the store after I moved here, but had yet to find a good reason to wear it. As much as I love a good reason like a wedding to shop for something new, I knew I already had the perfect dress in my wardrobe. It was way too hot, windy and sticky to wear my hair down, so I did my best impersonation of Blake Lively hair.

Dress, Zara (similar, similar) || Clutch, Gap || Shoes, Rachel Zoe || Earrings, Bracelet, Sequin

...and, because my cousin made such a beautiful bride (& said I could share with you all!), a few photos of the wedding. I was particularly joyed to be there since I met her groom a few weeks into their relationship over four years ago. He is a wonderful, honest guy and I'm glad he's officially part of our family.