Getting Ready for the Fourth of July

I know that the poppy mural in back of me might not necessarily scream "the Fourth of July" but the red, white and blue colors it utilizes are somewhat evocative of the holiday. (Just imagine the poppies as fireworks bursting in the sky!) This eyelet navy dress I'm wearing, along with all of the red accents, is definitely very appropriate for Independence Day! I just recently purchased this dress, which was part of my most recent "haul" from the J. Crew Factory, and I thought it would be perfect for the upcoming holiday, plus it was a great deal! I love that it's eyelet and has a cute tie detail as well!

This is definitely a cute dress to wear all summer long but also for a Fourth of July BBQ or get together! I'm actually not yet sure what our plans will be to celebrate Independence Day, but some burgers and corn on the cob will likely be involved! We usually stay in on the night of the Fourth because of our dog, William. He's not really frightened of fireworks (he just goes outside and barks at them!) but we don't want him to develop a phobia of them if we aren't around and he's all alone. So that means I'll probably be dressed much more casually on the evening of the Fourth but this is a great dress to get the party started a little early!

Dress: J. Crew Factory here
Sandals: J. Crew here
Bag: Forever 21 similar red, white and blue camera bag here
Earrings: J. Crew similar red earrings here

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A Kaleidoscope of Prints

Obviously, I love a good, colorful print (my closet is full of them!) and I think no one does these better than J. Crew's line of Ratti prints.  Ratti is a print design house that has been in operation since 1945 and they sure do make some amazing prints! In fact, I've been collecting them since I first started shopping regularly at J. Crew years ago. So, imagine my delight when this "Kaleidoscope" print came out this spring. I knew I had to get one piece with this print but there was a dress, a button-down shirt, ahalter top, shorts and a skirt from which to choose, so it was a difficult decision! Ultimately, I decided on the skirt version in this Kaleidoscope print because it seemed the most practical but now that most of these items are on sale, I'm tempted to get something else!

As I wrote above, the skirt seemed like the best option from all of the pieces available because you can dress it up or down and wear it for work or fun on the weekends. Too often, I think I buy pieces because they look amazing even though they really have no practical purpose in my everyday life, so I'm trying to be better about being more pragmatic with my wardrobe purchases! This skirt is definitely something that I will have and love for a while, so it was a great purchase in my book! Here I am wearing the skirt for a fun lunch out and some shopping in Orange County and, apparently, a game of hopscotch!

Skirt: J. Crew here
Shirt: J. Crew similar here
Shoes: J. Crew similar gold sandals here
Bag: Louis Vuitton
Sunglasses: Gucci

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A Skirt to Make You Feel Up Beat!

Sometimes J. Crew has special items that are available only though Nordstrom, like this tropical print pencil skirt. I honestly don't know how I stumbled across it but I know that it's not something that is offered on J. Crew's regular site (and I have a fairly extensive knowledge of it!) and only seems to be available through Nordstrom. Well, it was love at first sight, plus I had a gift card and I also had $20 in rewards cash from Nordstrom (I actually didn't even know I was enrolled in this program, so it was a pleasant surprise!), so it was a very good deal. All in all, I was definitely pretty up beat over my new skirt purchase!

I wore this outfit last week to a wine dinner and I added a cardigan over this statement tee to make the look a bit more dressy for the occasion; plus, on that particular day, it was actually somewhat cool, both outside and in the restaurant, so my decision to wear the sweater was also driven by practicality. I accessorized the look with these polka dot platform sandals. I must say that even though these aren't high, the platform style does take some getting use to, as I kind of felt like I was rocking back and forth while walking in them! Nevertheless, these sandals are super cute and also got me a lot of compliments as I was walking down the street, which definitely put a spring in my step, even though it's summer!

Skirt: J. Crew here
Tee: J. Crew similar statement tee here
Shoes: Old Navy here
Bag: Red Dress Boutique here
Sunglasses: Celine

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Gingham on Gingham

I decided to go a little preppy with today's outfit by combining my new gingham dress with my favorite pair of gingham espadrilles! (Okay, they're my only pair of gingham espadrilles!) I guess you could say it's a gingham on gingham look! One of the things that has been really nice about summer so far is that the temperatures have been cooler than normal. In fact, the day I wore this outfit, I packed a cardigan in my bag and actually needed to wear it after I took these pictures. The other thing that I am really enjoying about summer is the great summer sales, which are already taking place! This dress from the J. Crew Factory was a steal at only around $25! It's nice to stock up on summer staples before the summer has even really started!

In addition to my gingham espadrilles, I also decided to accessorize my new dress with one of my favorite bags, which is this orange tote. I love that it's big enough to carry all of my essentials and then some, plus it adds a fun pop of color to any look! It also ended up being a perfect match with some of the flowers that are in the backdrop, which was actually a happy accident!

Dress: J. Crew Factory here
Shoes: Old Navy similar gingham sandals here
Bag: Prada similar orange tote here
Sunglasses: Celine

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I Heart this Denim Jacket!

Every once in a while I pop into Forever 21 or peruse their website and I usually find a colorful gem or two that's well worth the time and effort of weeding though their vast stock of clothing and accessories. My latest find is this colorful, embroidered denim jacket!  I will confess to you that I have way too many denim jackets however, I wear them all the time, so that's my justification for adding one more to my collection. Also, this one has colorful embroidery and it was under $40, so those further justify my purchase!

This week has been amazing in terms of weather (and being on summer vacation is pretty nice too!) because of the cooler temperatures and the "June Gloom" that we have in the mornings. Luckily, it was just the right temperature to wear my new find from Forever 21 (at least in the morning) and it wasn't too sunny, which provided the perfect lighting to take these photos by one of my favorite heart walls. I wore my new denim jacket over this yellow eyelet shirt dress, which is now on sale right now for a bargain price at J. Crew Factory. Once the sun came out and the temperatures started to rise, I did take off the jacket but luckily I had this gorgeous dress underneath that was equally stunning!

Jacket: Forever 21 here
Dress: J. Crew Factory here
Shoes: Old Navy here
Sunglasses: Celine

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Whimsical Watermelon Skirt

I've adored the 52 Conversations Collection of clothing from Anthropologie ever since it first came out a year or so ago! For those of you who are not familiar with the line, it's basically Anthropologie's way of bringing back popular and whimsical prints from seasons past and reinventing them. This watermelon print skirt is part of this collection and I love the fun watermelon pattern, which is just perfect for summer! Plus, it's now on sale, which makes it all the more appealing!

I decided to pair this fun skirt with a green and white button down shirt. The green really brings out the rinds in the watermelons and it also dresses up the look a bit. You could, however, go toward a more casual route and pair the skirt with a plain white tee or statement tee for a picnic or casual day out. Either way, this skirt is a winner for summer and, I have a feeling, I will be wearing it all summer long!

Skirt: Anthropologie here
Blouse: Ralph Lauren similar striped blouse here
Shoes: J. Crew similar gold sandals here
Bag: Zara

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Another Day, Another Jumpsuit

This is the jumpsuit from Old Navy that I've written about in two previous posts because I purchased it in three different patterns! (Yes, I like this particular jumpsuit quite a bit!) The jumpsuit that started my obsession was a black polka dot pattern and I followed this with a floral pattern one. Now, here's a yellow gingham version as well! Even though the one I am wearing in this post is the same cut and fit as the previous two, the one thing that makes this one different, aside from the pattern, is that that it's made out of a thick, linen-like material. This material may or may not be a selling point depending on how you look at it. On the one hand, it's more substantial and feels more expensive than the other two. On the other hand, it's a heavier fabric and is therefore not as ideal for warmer summer months. Overall, though, I'm quite happy with my purchase...all three of them!

This jumpsuit is definitely a barrel of fun due to the cheery yellow color. I tried to build up the playful aspect of the look by pairing it with some bright and colorful accessories. Also, the barrels in the background, which have been recently painted a fun array of colors. are the perfect complement for all of the colors in the look.

Jumpsuit: Old Navy here
Shoes: Kate Spade similar pom pom sandals
Bag: Louis Vuitton
Earrings: J. Crew similar pink earrings
Sunglasses: Celine

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