Now and Later

I know it's still August but this seems to be around the time when everyone starts thinking about fall. From back to school to a new fall wardrobe, signs of fall are everywhere you look, whether you like it or not. I say this because the temperatures are still hot here (it's almost 100 degrees) and I'm going back to school this week, so thinking about fall is not my favorite thing at the moment. Well, one thing I do like about fall is that J. Crew is already rolling out new arrivals for the upcoming season and they're pretty great! What I specifically like about J. Crew's new arrivals is that they feature pieces that you can wear "now or later", as it says on their website. This gives you the option of buying pieces that are versatile and will work for both summer and fall or, as I like to call them, "transitional pieces". One such item is this stunning tiered dress in Ratti Grandi Fiori print.

Obviously, what I love most about this dress is the print! (By the way, this print also comes in a shirt version!) Yes, this print is another stunner from J. Crew and the colors are colorful enough for summer and yet still very appropriate for fall. I can definitely see how this dress could be worn now or later because you could just roll up the sleeves and pair the dress with a pop of color like my pink patent leather pumps or for fall you could throw on some black tights, boots and a denim jacket. I think the latter sounds pretty cute and I'll have to give it a try at some point once the temperatures cool down but here in Los Angeles that may not be for another few months!

Dress: J.Crew here
Shoes: Christian Louboutin similar pink pumps here
Bag: Clare V. here

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A Tropical Print from H&M

A great print can take something from ordinary to extraordinary. This is the case with several of the pieces that I've purchased recently from H&M, including this pleated skirt. I love the rich tropical print featured on the skirt because, not only does it depict some pretty amazing palms and flowers, it also has butterflies and a parrot! (The vibrant parrot is clearly my favorite thing featured on the skirt and was probably the main thing about the skirt that convinced me to purchase it! Never underestimate the allure of animals!)

To play up the wildness of the flora and fauna featured on my skirt, I took out my trusty leopard clutch to go with the outfit. I also went for just a simple tee and a wide belt. To bring out the orange of the parrot, I styled the skirt with some chunky orange sandals. It turned out to be the perfect look for a casual lunch out in the very hot weather we've had lately! In the upcoming weeks, I'll be featuring some of my other finds from H&M because this isn't the only print that I fell in love with, so stay tuned!

Skirt: H&M here
Sandals: Target similar orange sandals here
Belt: Target similar wide belt here
Clutch: Clare V. here
Sunglasses: Prada

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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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Oh Deer!

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I am still debating what to wear on that day. One option might be this fun blouse with deer and other woodland creatures on it from Anthropologie. (The print is actually called "Oh Deer", hence the title of this post.) There was a funny quote I read on someone's Instagram account that stated something to the effect of: "Thanksgiving is coming soon. Do you know what you'll be wearing to just sit around the living room?" Well, this Thanksgiving I won't be sitting around the living room, as I'll be doing most of the cooking. Therefore, it's important to look nice but also to still be comfortable at the same time!

While I may or may not choose this blouse as part of my "official" Thanksgiving ensemble, if I do, I'd probably pair it with pants or maybe a more neutral skirt. This time around, though, I went bold with a bright No. 2 wool pencil skirt from J. Crew and these fabulous velvet and glitter shoes from Kate Spade. I really wanted to bring out all of the beautiful colors in the blouse and I think certainly the pops of turquoise and pink help to do just that. Speaking of color, how amazing is this mural behind me? I actually didn't originally plan to use it as the backdrop for today's outfit, but the colors matched just perfectly!

Shirt: Anthropologie here
Skirt: J. Crew here
Shoes: Kate Spade similar here and here
Bag: Clare V. here
Sunglasses: Alice and Olivia

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Tooting My Own Horn

I don't want to toot my own horn, but I'm really good at finding the cutest prints lately! Luckily for me, Anthropologie has been instrumental in making it really easy to find great prints, especially with their 52 Conversations Collection. So, at this point, I have seven blouses from this Collection, my seventh being this one that features various brass instruments on it. I gravitated to this particular print mainly because of the contrasting pink and orange colors that make the blouse really pop.  In addition to the color scheme, the instruments are pretty cool too!

I decided to pair my blouse with something simple, like these dark wash denim jeans, because I wanted the blouse to be the star of the ensemble. Sometimes it's nice to just throw on a pair of jeans and a great statement piece like this blouse and not have to worry about anything else. For a little added pop in the color department, I decided to go with my yellow tote because, as you know, you can never have too many colors or cute prints!

Blouse: Anthropologie here
Jeans: Old Navy similar here
Shoes: Banana Republic
Bag: Louis Vuitton
Sunglasses: Prada similar purple shades here

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Critter Skirt

As you know, I love fun and colorful patterns, especially ones that feature animals! If you look closely at my skirt from Anthropologie, you'll see a variety of animals, such as foxes and bunnies. From far away, the skirt might look like it's just an ornate pattern but, upon closer inspection, you'll find all of these critters, which is definitely a fun surprise!

You'll also notice that I have a bunny charm on my bag that echoes the bunnies found on my skirt! I love this charm because it reminds me of the bunny I once had, named Sophie. As you can see, I love bunnies, not just on clothing, but in real life too! Sophie passed away many years ago, before we got our dog William, but whenever I wear this bag charm, it's always a nice little reminder of her memory that I can carry around with me. It's truly wonderful to have clothing and accessories that are not only fun but also ones that have a little bit of sentimentality!

Skirt: Anthropologie here
Tee: Target
Shoes: Forever 21 similar here
Bag and Bag Charm: Prada here

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Pencil Me In!

Anthropologie is doing something that I really love this summer: they are bringing back some of their classic and beloved prints from the past and incorporating them into new styles! This pencil print blouse that has cheerful colored pencils all over it is from this collection. The original version of the print appeared years ago on a pencil skirt (yes, a pencil print on a pencil skirt!), which I actually own, however I couldn't resist getting the blouse version too! The skirt version is really coveted on eBay, so I can just imagine how popular the print will be on a blouse!

This blouse comes in several other classic prints, including a telephone print and a lemon print. I bought both of these in addition to the pencil version because I was so smitten with the prints! Because of all of the vibrant colors, these blouses will go with just about everything in my wardrobe and can be styled in so many creative ways. I can certainly imagine wearing all three blouses all year round. With my pencil blouse, I went for some bold colors in the form of these purple sandals (I also bought these in multiple colors!) and red pants. I look forward to styling this shirt come fall and winter, so stay tuned!

Shirt: Anthropologie "colloquial" blouse here
Pants: Banana Republic here
Sandals: Target here
Bag: Louis Vuitton
Sunglasses: Celine

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