Farmers' Market Skirt

 

One of my favorite things to do in the summer is visit various farmers' markets in the area. In Los Angeles, just about every city and town has one on different days of the week. A few weeks ago we visited one such farmer's market and I wore this adorable skirt from Lesley Evers in a fun retro print called "Farmers' Market" so it was definitely the perfect item to wear for the occasion! (There is also a dress version in the same print!) Lately, I have become a big fan of Lesley Evers and all the whimsical 70s inspired prints she creates! This particular Farmers' Market print is perfect for summer but can also transition to fall due to the colors.

 

Unfortunately, on my multiple trips to the various farmers' markets this season, I was unlucky in locating one of my favorite things to buy there: squash blossoms. I love to cook with squash blossoms, but they are not available in most grocery stores. You do sometimes find them being sold by local farmers at farmers' markets, but no luck this year. One farmer at one market said he had some squash blossoms but a chef purchased them all first thing in the morning. (I guess the early bird gets the worm!) The farmer then told me that he would have them the next week, so I woke up early to get there a few minutes before the market opened and the farmer didn't bring any that day! Well, maybe I will be more successful next year, but at least I have a cute skirt!

 

Skirt: Lesley Evers here

Top: J. Crew similar white ruffle top

Shoes: J. Crew Factory here

Bag: Mansur Gavriel similar round pink bag here

 

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Flower Power Pattern Mix

 

I love to pattern mix! So, when I find pieces that I think will be fun and easy to mix and match with other patterns already in my wardrobe, I'm always quick to snatch them up! This is especially true if I can find these pieces for a great price! This pink gingham tie wrap skirt definitely fits the bill, which is why I purchased it off of the clearance rack from Ann Taylor last month. The pink and white print is small enough that it can easily be worn with other patterns, like this fun flower tee from Zara, or matched with solids. Even better, this skirt is now majorly discounted on the Ann Taylor website! When I saw the epic sale they were having this morning, I purchased the matching top in the same print so that I can wear the separates together!

 

 

Unfortunately, my flower tee is no longer available unless you can find it at your local Zara during their sale.  (I linked to some other flower tees below that would look cute with the skirt.) I've been shopping quite a bit at Zara lately and, although I love it when they have their summer sale, I always find going into their stores to be a bit chaotic during this time. When their summer sale is going on, the store looks like a garage sale or, if it's been a particularly busy day, like a clothes-bomb went off with clothing everywhere! I love a good sale, but I'm quite happy just shopping online from the comfort of home!

 

Skirt: Ann Taylor here

Tee: Zara similar tee here

Shoes: J. Crew similar green pumps here

Bag: Louis Vuitton

Glasses: Celine similar white sunglasses here

 

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Tropical Tie Skirt

 

It's been just a week of summer vacation and I must admit that I'm definitely in full vacation mode now! Sleeping in a little, relaxing and having time to catch up on projects has been nice. Now, I just need to kick back on the beach with a Mai Tai and I'll be fully relaxed! Summer is wonderful, not only because of vacation time but also because of all of the fun, tropical prints that come out this time of year! J. Crew Factory has released some amazing and colorful items lately, such as this tropical print tie waist skirt! It's definitely giving me major summer vacation vibes!

 

While this skirt could be paired with a millions things, I thought it would look casual and cool with a simple tee shirt, which I also picked up from J. Crew Factory. They also make a matching top in the same tropical print that I might consider getting to make the skirt look like a dress. Speaking of dresses, it also comes in a maxi dress as well. So many options! Whenever I like a print, I'm known to get it in everything it comes in, but I think I might just settle and get the top so that I can mix and match both it and the skirt all summer long! Since summer is such a relaxing time of the year, it's nice to have a wardrobe that is equally easy and stress free!

 

 

Skirt: J. Crew Factory here

Tee: J. Crew Factory here

Shoes: c/o Draper James here

Bag: Louis Vuitton

Sunglasses: Celine similar white sunglasses here

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Multi-Color Stripe Shirtdress

 

It's been a while since I've been really excited about a piece from either J. Crew or J. Crew factory but, when I saw this colorful striped shirtdress, I knew it had my name written all over it! I love shirtdresses, stripes, but most of all, I love color! The colorful stripes featured on this dress are so perfect for summer! I also love the length and style of this dress, which makes it something that I can wear all summer long, but also something I can wear to work when I go back in a couple of months. (I am officially out on summer break!)

 

The colors in this dress also make it fun to accessorize! I went through my drawer of earrings and found these colorful raffia and tassel earrings that matched the colors in my dress perfectly! I also added some more pops of color (you can never have too many pops of color!) with my turquoise bag and green pom pom sandals. This is definitely a colorful look that has helped me to kick off my summer vacation in style!

 

 

Dress: J. Crew Factory here

Sandals: Old Navy similar green sandals here and here

Bag: Louis Vuitton similar turquoise bag here

Earrings: Bauble Bar similar here

 

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Lobster Love!

I love lobsters but not to eat, only to wear! You see, I've always been a picky eater, although, since meeting my husband, I've broaden my culinary horizons. Even though I am now more adventurous with what I eat, the one thing I still don't usually touch is seafood. I don't know what it is about seafood but I can't stand it, especially shellfish like lobster! Sometimes I will eat lobster if you sneak it into some mac and cheese but you won't find me cracking into the shell of a lobster anytime soon! So, while I don't usually eat lobsters, I do love a good lobster print, which is why I am crazy about this lobster print pencil skirt from J. Crew! In a previous post, I mentioned that I haven't been wearing pencil skirts very often (or any article of clothing that's too restrictive during the quarantine, to be perfectly honest!) but some of the prints featured on pencil skirts from J. Crew are just too cute to pass up!

I wore this outfit for our anniversary last week and, luckily, we didn't go out to eat lobster! We did get a nice takeout meal at one of our favorite restaurants for lunch and then in the evening we went to a drive-in movie theater. (Don't worry, I wore something much less dressy and more more comfy to the drive-in!) Hopefully next year we can resume dining indoors at restaurants, which is what we usually do to celebrate our anniversary. To be honest, however, I love that the pandemic is forcing people to get creative with how they spend special occasions! This was definitely a pandemic anniversary to remember!

Skirt: J. Crew here
Top: H&M similar color tee here
Shoes: Old Navy similar green sandals here
Bag: Zara similar bag here
Sunglasses: Celine

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My Palm Springs' Dress

When I saw this maxi tunic dress, it simply screamed "Palm Springs!" to me. Between the kaftan stye and the modern print, this dress would definitely feel right at home in Palm Springs. I even had images of wearing it poolside by a mid-century modern house with the desert in the background! While I love going to Palm Springs because it makes for a short day trip from Los Angeles and there's so much to see, it's just too hot this time of the year to go. This is especially true this summer because, due to the pandemic, most activities have to be done outdoors, thus forcing you to be out in the unbearable heat. The idea of hiking around sightseeing or even eating outdoors in 110+ degree heat just didn't sound very appealing, so I found another place to wear this dress. Although, to be honest, this gorgeous wall of bougainvillea looks like it could be right out of Palm Springs!

Once the temperatures cool down a bit in Palm Springs this fall, I will probably venture back for a short trip. It's good to know that this dress will be ready when that time comes! Even though we have visited Palm Springs a number of times, I still have a small list of places that I would like to visit in the area on my next trip there. So, between the promise of checking those things off of my list and taking an epic Palm Springs photo shoot of me wearing this dress around town, I have lots of reasons to get back there...hopefully sooner than later!

Dress: J. Crew here
Shoes: Kate Spade similar pom pom sandals here
Bag: Zara similar here
Sunglasses: Celine similar white sunglasses here

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Lavender Fields Forever

My mission each week this summer is to find at least one new place to visit so that I don't go crazy being stuck at home! This is challenging because most places have been shut down again here in California so most of the adventures I plan have to be outdoors and summers are pretty hot here. Luckily, Southern California has no shortage of amazing outdoor places to visit. For example, last week we visited the lavender fields in Cherry Valley. The fields are located at 123 Farm where they usually have a lavender festival this time of year. Although the pandemic prevented the festival from taking place, they still offered visitors the opportunity to wander around the fields and take pictures. In addition, they also sell many lavender themed items and foods. My husband sang a rendition of the Beatles' "Strawberry Fields Forever" and changed it to "Lavender Fields Forever", which was quite amusing. I wore this new striped dress that I thought would be the perfect complement for these gorgeous fields of purple!

While in many ways this was the perfect pandemic field trip, in other ways it was less than ideal. For one thing, there were a lot more people than I had anticipated in the lavender field, despite the fact that it was a weekday. The other thing that put a damper on the experience was a gigantic snake that slithered across the pathway into the lavender fields pictured below! I actually am not that afraid of snakes but this one was huge and I wasn't sure if it was poisonous or not. (After doing some research on snakes, I found out it probably was not.) It made me seriously question my choice of wearing sandals and going too far into the fields! Well, I must say that the snake, although frightening, did make for an interesting story and a memorable experience, which definitely beats sitting at home!

Dress: Boden here
Hat: H&M similar straw hat here
Sandals: similar gold sandals here
Bag: c/o Red Dress Boutique similar bamboo bag here
Earrings: c/o Zenzii here  (Save 25% off with code KATIE25)

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