Wish List: Patriotic

For the Fourth of July this coming weekend, I'm traveling to visit a friend in Boston. I love dressing up for holidays, but try to stop short of overtly themed outfits. I'm also attempting to avoid checking a bag, so I'll need to economize clothing and space. For me, this basically means a carry-on full of sundresses and cardigans. It's supposed to be in the eighties, but cooler at night, so I need pieces that can layer but still be festive and fun for our cookout and fireworks. Here are my picks for red, white, and blue (packable!) pieces:

Bella Tu's Sleeveless Aztec Dress, available at Tuckernuck. Red, white, and blue with hand embroidery. 

Annie Griffin Collection's Hilary Maxi Dress. For your dressier holiday plans, this floral print maxi is a far cry from denim cutoffs and American flag tees.

Ann Taylor Geo Print Halter Top. Red, white, and blue print. The spaghetti straps are perfect for the hot afternoon, but easily pair with a cardigan for cooler evenings.

Love, Lilly's Nautical Ropes Meredith Top. An adorable, easy-to-wear tank with an on-point nautical theme.

BucketFeet's Nautical Sneaker at NeimanMarcus.  For bonfires and cookouts when you want your toes protected, but still want to look cute.

Ann Taylor Loft's Cotton Eyelet Pocket Dress. Fun, flirty and bright red. With pockets. What else could you need for the Fourth?

Tory Burch's Calita Dress. Easy breezy chambray. It's no secret that I love chambray dresses and I particularly love the pretty embroidery on this shift. I'd pair it with a red cardigan to top off my weekend look.

What patriotic ensemble are you planning on wearing this holiday weekend?

Go For It!

One of the things that I've been trying to work on lately is taking advantage of every opportunity that comes my way. I often find myself being too analytic and putting too much stock in weighing out every minute pro and con of a situation. Life isn't always easy, it's not always fun, and it's often very stressful. Some things in my life recently have reminded me that it's important not to impose too many restraints on yourself, especially artificial ones like being too scared to take a risk or make a choice. So for the rest of the summer, my mantra is going to be to just go for it.

I've been promising to visit a friend of mine for five years. She moved to Boston for college, and because she always came home in the summers, I never traveled up there. Now she's got a good job and an apartment and doesn't get to come home like she used to. I miss seeing her so much, but there's always been something in the way. Whether it was school, family, money, stress, whatever I never got it together to go visit. Those were all completely valid reasons at the time, but I let five years go past.

I've had a rough few weeks and she called to suggest I take a long weekend to come visit her and just get out of town. At first, I was hesitant. It was a spur of the moment decision (the trip is just over a week away!), but I suddenly realized that it was something I needed to do. I'm not in school right now, the flight times don't overlap with my work schedule, she has a free ticket voucher from frequent flier miles. Everything fell into place. Even with all those factors, I was still ready to say I couldn't go. But with her not-so-subtle suggestion, I realized that I was the one holding myself back. With all those factors coming together, I really had no excuse; at twenty-two there is absolutely no reason for me not to go. My own super-analytical tendencies were holding me back from having a great weekend with my friend. So I said yes. Let's go for it. It's a weird, new feeling for me-- but I think I like it.

There will always be a reason 'why not,' but things on paper don't always take into account how things make you feel or what you need in your life. My decision to go to Boston wasn't one that I would have made on paper. There's always been a reason to keep me from going in the past. But it's one that I am so glad I made and something that I need in my life right now. I can't wait to get off the plane and see her, to spend the weekend eating cookies while we marathon Gilmore Girls and recite every line, and to get to see her city and embrace new places, restaurants and experiences.  I'm so grateful to have a friend that reminds me to take time for myself, to take advantage of the opportunities that present themselves (like airline vouchers!) and to recognize that life is about saying YES, let's go for it.

Wish List Wednesday: LWD

As essential as an LBD is to your closet, warmer weather necessitates another wardrobe staple: the LWD. One of my favorite parts of warm weather is the anticipation of being able to break out all my little white sundresses that I keep at the back of my closet the remainder of the year. There are only a few months of the year that the LWD is appropriate and I plan on taking full advantage of all of them!

Lilly Pulitzer Delia Scalloped Hem Shift Dress. Lilly has made it easy to shop for the perfect LWD with their white dress shop. Choose from cute classic shifts like this one or go long in a beautiful maxi dress!

ZigZag Jacquard Bubble Dress from Karen Miller. This classic fit-and-flare silhouette is kept modern by the cutout at the neckline and the subtle jacquard tone-on-tone pattern.

Tory Burch's Margaux Dress. Classic shift shape with straps wide enough to hide bra straps! The circle flower lace adds a pretty surprise when you get close enough.

J.Crew's Pintuck sundress would be perfect for those times when I want something easy and breezy to throw on but still look nice. I'd wear it with my Jack Rogers and a cardigan for picnicking or a casual dinner out.

I love this gorgeous lace Rose Dress from Shoshanna. I have a weakness for lace dresses and white dresses just feel like summer.

Any of these gorgeous white dresses going to be a part of your summer plans?

Don't Let Anyone Ever Dull Your Sparkle

            A problem I’ve been struggling with recently is negativity and negative people. I had a few tough days before running across this quote. I realized that I was internalizing negative thoughts and comments -- and it had started to impact my overall happiness. From disappointment over a lower than expected grade, a job rejection, and relationship drama, it seems like things go badly all at once and the little things really start to add up. The reminder from this quote helped me recognize that I have the power to refuse to let things bother me; In not standing up for myself and not actively working to stay positive, I had let other people dull my sparkle. 

     As important as it is in friendships and relationships to get along with others and understand that so many things are not worth fighting or fussing over, it’s also important to know where your limits are. Don’t settle for anything less that what you deserve. Whether it’s self-imposed bad feelings over school and work, or a negative conversation with a friend or significant other, know where you draw the line. It’s so easy to have negative thoughts about yourself and let little setbacks weight on you, there is absolutely no reason to let other people be negative towards you. Life isn’t always perfect and there are undoubtedly things that you can’t control. That just makes it so much more important to take care of the things you can control. Assess your relationships, really think about the way others talk to you, and consider how it makes you feel. And don't ever let anyone dull your sparkle.

Wish List Wednesday: Maxi Dresses

From the beach to weddings, maxi dresses are a summer wardrobe's one-piece wonder. I'm a huge fan of being able to just pull on a dress, a pair of strappy sandals, jewelry and go. While most of the time that means an easy shirtdress or knit tee-shirt dress, some occasions call for a little more. Maxi dresses offer a dressier, glam option for those times when you want something a little more special. If you're short like I am, pay attention to the length of the dress (generally listed in the 'product details' section) and make sure that it is either short enough or has an alterable hemline (high-low dresses are more difficult to hem). Apart from that, there are a ton of styles available- sleeveless, wrap, tee-shirt types and  glammed up lace for extra special occasions. Here's a variety of my favorites out this summer:

Badgley Mischka Belle sleeveless cross-back maxi dress, available at Dillards.  I love the emerald green color and the criss-cross straps on the back.

T Bags Cutout Medallion Print Maxi dress boasts a summery fun pattern and playful cutouts on each side.

Rhode Resort's Lenny wrap dress, available at Tuckernuck. This one comes in two gorgeously rich colors and the wrap makes it easy to adjust to fit perfectly.

Gap's stripe cami maxi dress- The perfect casual maxi dress to throw on with sandals and a denim jacket.

Ann Taylor's polka dot maxi dress (online exclusive). Polka dots are a classic pattern that will never go out of style. Wear this black and white dress with bright colored jewelry.

Annie Griffin Collection's Natalie Sea Breeze Lace Dress. This beautiful lace dress would be my pick for a classmate's wedding I'm attending in August. The Tiffany blue is my absolute favorite color- and so summery!

Sail to Sable's The Rope Eyelet Sleeveless Maxi. Because how can you go wrong with a navy, eyelet maxi?

Lilly Pulitzer's Gloria Empire Waist Maxi Dress. Lilly has always made great knit dresses. I love that this maxi has a figure-flattering empire waist.

Any of these gorgeous dresses headed to your closet? I think I need them all!