One In Every Color: Equipment Blouses

I absolutely love a nice, tailored silk blouse for any and every occasion but when the summer weather hits, these sleeveless options from Equipment are so breezy and cool that it leaves me craving one in every color available! I especially love them knotted at the waist! There are many less expensive versions of the sleeveless blouse available (there are some good options on Forever 21) but I think that it is such a staple that will never go out of style that its worth the extra money for a well made real silk one!

Super Lemon / Candied Apricot / Rosewood / Emerald / Nature White / Orange Peel / Turquoise / Nature White With Print

I also am LOVING these other styles from Equipment like this romper and shirt dress!

Floral Print Sleeveless Earl Romper / Cheetah Print Sleeveless Lucida Shirt Dress

Friday Faves 4/27/12

Happy weekend!!

1. French Sole Clearly Soft Gold Flats / 2. Zig Zag Crochet Knit Headband / 3. Banana Bunch Romper / 4. Josie Maran Bohemian Waves Argan Hair Mist Texture Volume and Moisture / 5. Jonathan Adler Universal Smart Phone Dock / 6. CC Skye Whitney Pave Line Ring / 7. Juicy Couture Wavy Stripe Scarf / 8. Danielle Nicole Mia Shoulder Handbag / 9. Funktional Picnic Dress / 10. Voluspa Makassar Ebony and Peach Candle

Lust vs Must: Diane Von Furstenberg Adele Croc Clutch

Must

Lust

Rachel Zoe Handbags

Remember here where I said that I had a hard time finding quality handbags that I loved right now? Well, I take that back because I am IN LOVE with Rachel Zoe's line of handbags! I knew that she had great taste, but these bags truly are perfection! At such a high price point, I think there a little trendy for me to invest in at the moment, but a girl can still dream!

Kate Middleton Dress

Like most women, Kate Middleton can really do no wrong in my eyes! Every time I see a new press photo of her at a charity event or on a red carpet, I literally get giddy with excitement to see what she is wearing!  I love that she keeps her looks so polished, classic, and sophisticated while still being on trend, thats very difficult to accomplish now-a-days! Today I saw a photo of her and her gorgeous prince attending the movie premiere of African Cats and two things instantly popped in my head; first, I LOVE that dress, and second, I've definitely seen a very similar dress before! This dress from ASOS has been on my radar for MONTHS (I was even considering the cream version for graduation but decided It would be way too hot for May in Alabama!) and I was so excited when I saw that Kate picked something so similar! Her version is gray and has a wonderful peplum waist, but these navy and cream versions are only $136 and equally as stunning and classic! (It also comes in a dusty pink color!)

More on Kate and William attending the African Cats premiere in London

Warehouse Jewel Neck Shift Dress

Graduation Gift Guide

I absolutely love jewelry of all shapes and sizes! Despite this love affair, I have very little expensive jewelry, but the few pieces I do have, feel so much more special because they have some meaning behind them (my favorite is a diamond solitaire necklace that used to be my mom's). Graduation is the perfect time to give expensive jewelry like this because you can always look back and remember that day! Like with any investment piece though, you want to make sure that the item is classic and great quality! All these pieces are ones that you could wear every single day without feeling like your all "blinged out"!

Diamond Earrings / Tiffany and Co Somerset Knot Earrings in 18K Gold / Meira T Diamond and Morganite Ring / Janna Conner Starburst Ring / David Yurman Freshwater Pearl Bracelet

Another great investment piece item that makes a great gift is purses and wallets! My favorite brand for this kind of stuff is Tory Burch, I think she makes some really classic pieces that you will have forever! I would have included more on my list above, but I really could not find a ton of options that I was obsessed with (except for these three!).

Tory Burch East to West Tote Bag / Michael Kors Hamilton Large Tote / Tory Burch Amanda Clutch

I love a great watch! I have one Michael Kors chunky gold watch that I got a few years ago and I literally wear it all the time! I could see myself getting a lot of use out of either of these options as well! 

Kate Spade Cooper Bracelet / Michael Kors Tortoise Jet Set Watch / Marc By Marc Jacobs Amy Multicolored Glitz Watch / Michael Kors Bradley Watch

And of COURSE anything monogramed I love! These pieces are quite a bit more affordable (but actually some of my favorites from this whole gift guide!) which would make them great gifts for friends! And if you want to bump up the wow factor, you can combine the gifts! For example, the monogram wine glass; why not give a set of three along with a fabulous bottle of wine! For the monogramed wallet; why not tuck in a gift card to the recipients favorite store (see below)! For the monogramed jewelry box; why not throw that monogramed ring or necklace in there as well!

Dabney Lee Memo Notes / Monogram Zip Wallet / Cathy's Concepts Travel Personalized Jewelry Case / Monogramed White Wine Glass / Jennifer Zeuner Monogramed Ring / Gigi New York Refillable Journal / Gigi New York All In One Bag / West Avenue Jewelry ID Necklace

Other great gift items include anything having to do with the school that the recipient is graduating from, gift cards, or something more homemade like a scrapbook with pictures from all throughout college! 

Now back to gift cards.... I know some people find them impersonal, but if your like me, shopping myself is half the fun! So when I get a gift card, most of the time, its my absolute favorite gift because that means that I get EXACTLY what I want and I get to enjoy a fun day of shopping! If you want to make it seem a little more thought through though, make sure the card is for the recipients favorite store, or even to some place like a winery or spa!

Friday Faves April 20, 2012

Have a fabulous weekend!

1. Top Shop Mint Textured Peplum Skirt / 2. Madewell Belle by Sigerson Morrison Verena Snake Flats / 3. Dolce Vita Ikat Shorts / 4. Schutz Women's Demi T-Strap Sandal / 5. Monogramed Straight Up Sunglasses / 6. Benefit Cha Cha Tint / 7. Pierre Hardy Cube Print Large Pouch / 8. Athena Swimsuit Shirt Dress Coverup / 9. Kate Spade Nail Polish / 10. J Crew Classic Half Pave Necklace

Stripes Inspiration

I was scrolling through my fashion board on Pinterest this morning and realized that probably 80% of the photos that I pin have some sort of striped shirt element! A striped shirt is probably my absolute favorite clothing item. Short sleeve, long sleeve, chiffon, or cotton, doesn't matter, I love them ALL! I am constantly on the lookout for the PERFECT stripped shirt and over the years have accumulated quite a few! My favorite way to wear these shirts right now is either paired with some sort of floral element (like the photo with the floral vest) or with brightly colored shorts/pants!

All images from my Pinterest

Altuzarra for JCrew

When I was in high school, I dressed VERY preppy! I probably had enough Polo shirts and button downs to wear a different one every day for three months... no joke. Since then, I have expanded to a lot of different styles and feel less limited because of it, but I will always have a soft spot in my heart for the preppy style! That is one reason why I love JCrew so much! Especially their new collaboration with Altuzarra that launches TOMORROW! The seven piece collection was inspired by Brigitte Bardot in Saint Tropez and the "French preppy style". In my opinion, you can never go wrong with stripes and gingham! Im especially in love with the gingham dresses that are surprisingly sexy!

For more information on the collaboration, go here!

Graduation Dress Options

My college graduation is only three weeks away and I am so excited! Since the local shopping in Auburn is pretty scarce, I tend to buy most of my clothing off line. This means that I will need to order a dress for graduation VERY SOON so that it comes on time and I have time to think of a different option if I end up not liking it in person! For my high school graduation, we were required to wear white (the girls) because our gowns were white and were slightly see through. Also, white tends to be the traditional graduation color even though at Auburn our gowns are black so you could really wear whatever color you want underneath. I just love a beautiful white dress against a nice tan for the summer anyways though! My goal is to find a dress that is not too dressy since it will be morning, but also something not too casual since there will be lots of pictures! Also, I don't want anything too trendy that I will look back on in 20 years and be embarrassed about! I know Lilly Pulitzer dresses are the go-to for these kinds of situations but I just feel like EVERY girl will have on Lilly! Here are my top choices as of now (Im still on the look out...), let me know what you think!

Option 1 / Option 2 / Option 3 / Option 4 

Friday Faves April 13, 2012

Sorry my posting has been a little sporadic lately, the internet at my apartment has been iffy at best! Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

1. Juicy Couture Gem Geo Print Silk Halter Dress

2. H2Pro Mini Pink Straightner

3. Sir Alistair Rai Ikat Wrap Scarf

4. Miss Selfridge Neon Floral Short

5. CC Skye Victoria Wristlet

6. Nom De Plume By Yaya Nikita Tunic (Im IN LOVE with this dress!)

7. Steve Madden Realove Pink Neon Sandal

8. Trina Turk Mirage Ice Bucket

Bookshelf Styling

All images via my Pinterest

Lust Vs Must: Chunky Gold And Brown Sandals

Lust: Elizabeth and James Sam T Strap High Heels

Must: Steve Madden Persee

Lately in Photos

Im OBSESSED with this French Connection dress and Loren Hope tortoise shell bracelet that my wonderful mom gave me when she came to visit this past weekend!

I couldn't resist a buy one get the second 50% off sale for Essie and Revlon at Walgreens today! I already had the Revlon Lip Butters in Strawberry Shortcake and Peach Parfait and added the Red Velvet and Creamsicle colors to my collection! The Red Velvet is the PERFECT shade of red thats just the right combination of moisturizing stain and creamy lipstick. The Creamsicle color is a very flattering nude color thats a little peachy! I also got two new Essie shades in A Crewed Interest and Lovie Dovie.

The last couple weeks while I was working on my project I ate pretty terribly! I was too busy to worry about eating healthy so my diet consisted of mostly Red Bull, Chick-Fil-A, and pasta. Now that Im all done, Im trying to eat healthier and get ready for many afternoons at the pool! This morning breakfast consisted of a glass of strawberry Kefir (a drinkable yogurt that is amazinggg for you! Seriously, Google it!), lots of fresh berries and whole wheat cinnamon toast!

I am naturally very fair skin and freckle very easily! Im ashamed to say that for most of college I went to the tanning bed quite regularly but last year I decided that I would NEVER set foot in a tanning bed ever again OR get a natural tan outside! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE being tan! Especially because I am so fair and have very dark brown hair, I just feel like I always look better with a little color! Here are my top picks for staying tan and safe during the summer! I have tried soooo many tanning products and this is my fave! Its a spray instead of a cream or gel which works much better for me! Even when I wash my hands with creams, I ALWAYS end up with terrible tan marks in between my fingers or around my wrists! I even use this on my face! The color is completely believable, and trust me, I PILE the stuff on and it still looks like my natural tan color! During the summer, I like to use this one type of moisturizer that has a mattifying quality to it but it doesn't have any SPF in it so I like to add a few drops of sunblock to it. This spray sunblock is super refreshing when you've been sitting out by the pool all day and stays put!

I know this is not a popular thing to say, but I HATE Twilight! And because of my hatred for all things Twilight, I resisted reading the Hunger Games series for a long time. But while I was home for Spring break, one of my best friends convinced me to start reading it and I am SOOO glad I did! I read the first book in two days and am already half way through the second! I seriously cannot stop reading when I start!

Turquoise Jewelry

Im back! Sorry about the lack of posts lately, I just presented my Senior project yesterday so the past week I have been running on very little sleep, way too much Red Bull, and an enormous amount of stress... but now Im DONE and it couldn't feel better!! My Senior project was the only class I was taking this semester so now I have absolutely NOTHING to do (besides apply for jobs, eek!) until I graduate in early May!

Now back to the post! One of my absolute favorite looks for summer is a white sundress and a pop of turquoise in your jewelry or accessories! Something about the look is just so fresh and airy! Plus, this look will never go out of style! Also, as a brunette, I feel like this color combination is especially flattering! Here is a collection of my favorite turquoise finds at the moment!

1. Ranna Gill Baripada Necklace / 2. Lisa Stewart Modern Myth Small Cuff / 3. Rachel Leigh Jewelry Estates Soiree Necklace / 4. Turquoise Magnolia Cocktail Ring / 5. Ivanka Trump Valerie Sandal / 6. House of Harlow Cushion Cocktail Ring / 7. Amrita Singh Resin Teardrops Bangle Bracelet Set / 8. K Amato Layered Turquoise Necklace / 9. Kenneth Jay Lane Cluster Turquoise Clip Earrings