under 50

welp, we did not make it to the hudson valley, we made it halfway! we decided that it would be foolish to head 2 1/2 hours outside the city to spend the majority of that day watching the US (sadly) lose to Ghana. while disappointed, we've more than made up for it with a whole weekend trip planned for this 4th of july!

so of course now i've been struggling with what to pack. we'll be doing some antiquing and heading out to the stormville flea market on sunday, but we also want to go hiking and take a trip across this bridge. so you can see my dilemma. outdoorsy activities & shopping excursions do not equal planning my outfits around a pair or two shoes as i like to normally attempt for weekend trips. but you'll see my packing plan later.

have you checked out the UO sale? they have a ton of cute summer dresses on sale, most for under $50. these were a couple pieces i might have to head to my local shop to scope out.

white hot

His v-neck t, $49
Old Navy Womens Plus Embellished Cut-Off Denim Shorts (5), $15
Klub Nico Women's Gracelyn Sandal, $155
Bodhi Pebble Cross-Body, $274
Endless Summer Multirow Beaded Necklace - Multiview
Red Silk Chiffon Scarf, $251
Bedstu - Steinway (Brown) - Accessories, $58

happy friday! i had a summer friday today and enjoyed lunch & a mani/pedi on the UES with my sister this afternoon. whoever invented summer fridays needs a big hug from me... and a cocktail!

i will most likely be wearing some variation of this outfit above - i scored a major deal at H&M with a great pair of white denim boyfriend shorts. $9.95!! and they're not see through. i may go buy another pair for the inevitable if&when mine hit the hay.

jon and i are heading up to the hudson valley this weekend to scour some antique shops and flea markets in hopes to curb my redecorating bug. and of course hopping into a local watering hole to catch the USA v. Ghana game! what are you up to my dears? have a great weekend!

spotted

today is always a fun day for me. june 24th is the day i met my husband, jon. it's funny to look back on this day now given that we're a year into marriage and reminisce about our first meeting, the crazy antics of his friends and how all of our ducks managed to waddle their way into a line. and here we are.

i know it's cliche, but when you meet the one you want to spend the rest of your life with and take some time to reflect back on the series of events that got you there, it all seems to make sense. you see why previous relationships failed, how moments shaped your course. i suppose you can apply that to most anything in life, but it's especially evident in relationships.

so yes, another simple outfit. but it was 90+ degrees in nyc yesterday so anything too contrived would have spelled disaster (aka a sweaty mess.) i adore this dress, it's colorful and the tiered skirt keeps it interesting. worn with a belt one could easily think it was a separate top and skirt.

dress: anthropologie
belt: thrifted
shoes: jeffrey campbell
necklace: lia sophia
cuff: from a little shop in rome, italy

summer rain on my parade

today went from humid and sunny to humid and stormy. but sometimes i like me a good storm. as i type this i can see the streets starting to flood - funny how summer storms comes so quick and powerful, rarely a day of soaking rain like nyc often sees in the fall and spring. but days like this certainly leave you standing in front of a stuffed closet wondering, what do i wear. you have to consider appropriate footwear, pant/skirt length, see-throughness, hairdo! or wait, is that just me?

so all that to lead us to this, my confession. this is NOT what i wore today. all of that hemming & hawing and i did not pick the right outfit -  a long maxi dress and curly hair lacking any sort of product to control the frizz. so you get these photos i took last week. still not loving, but better than nothing. plus, someone remind me next time, wearing a navy blue tee in front of a navy blue wall, not the smartest.

skirt: anthropologie
tee: H&M
necklace: thrifted
shoes: none, sometimes barefoot is cool?

lazy susan (er, christine)

as much as i always seem to plan for mondays - make my lunch & lay clothes out the night before, i still feel like mondays whirl me into a tailspin. ready, set, and we're off - i'm still at the starting line indulging in the glory of the weekend.

so i set out this particular monday with a strong to-do list for the week and i'm determined to stick to it. first up, daily posting. while yes work is crazy, that is not my only excuse. the REAL excuse, i'm lazy. i take pictures of my outfits, upload them, edit them, then don't write the post. days pass and there they sit. so you may have some old outfits in with the new ones this week, but it's all the same, as you're most likely not view to hear me rant about my day.

i'm in major redecorate mode with our apartment, it's in dire need of a little "spruce." so on tap for this weekend (i told you, the to-do list is extensive!) is some resourceful furniture thrifting. can anyone recommend some great little affordable stops in the upstate ny/nyc/northern nj areas? yes there are plenty of spots here in the city, but most are out of my price range. i'm looking for undiscovered bargain treasures here!

my outfit... i've had this dress for months now and tried it on once. it has sat in the bag with the tags on because everytime i thought about it i had a different image of what i was expecting it to look like. well a short return policy and the aforementioned laziness meant it wasn't going anywhere. and to my surprise, when i pulled it out last night - i kind of love it. it's a great fabric, the ruffle is fun and a bit of a throwback, and the cutout in the back keeps it edgy  -- with some cutout wedges and a drapey gold necklace, i think it works.

dress: forever 21
necklace: thrifted
wedges: kelsi daggar
(whew, only three pieces!)

fashion dilemma

my first (and only!) wedding of this summer is for my cousins this labor day. normally, i find myself scrounging for something the week before and coming up empty. it's a syndrome i know everyone faces, which is why i thought i'd actually plan in advance - you always find great things when you're not looking.

now i've got two options, both from modcloth. i adore this site (and how far they've come!), but they are evil to my wallet with the daily stock updates. i received this dress already, which is very cute, if this is the one i keep i am going to add a ruffle to the black sleeve.

beautiful mind dress

THEN i saw this dress. give me an a-line and an oversized flower and i'm a goner. i purchased both on impulse since things are out of stock in no time and modcloth has a great return policy for the overzealous like myself!

flower and the city dress

while i only physically have one of the options at the moment, i turn to you. what do you think? i'll try to post some photos of both when i have the second.

a fashionable safari

does this dress look like a safari to you? or maybe a watercolor canvas? there's no rhyme or reason as to why i feel that way when i wear this dress, except for maybe the large leafy prints and greige hue of the fabric. paired with a cream & leather belt - yup the whole thing conjures up images of walking through a jungle. i know what you're thinking, but i can't help it.

that being said, it is quickly becoming one of my most favorite pieces this summer. it's easy, and there is nothing i appreciate more on a hot summer day than the ease of dressing in something not too contrived, but still making me feel confident. i did switch out the sandals for the office to a pair of brown leather peep toe pumps, but since the majority of my shoes now reside under my desk in my office, i have no picture for you!

dress: h&m
belt: thrifted
sandals: dolce vita
necklace: my grandmother's 

summer styles

Strapless Dress, $68; Striped Chain Tank, $57; Nude Tank Top; Striped Boatneck, $34 ; Floral Tank, $50; Tribal Skirt , $13; Floral Romper, $15; Pleat Shorts, $60; Ikat Dress, $79; Yellow Skirt, $40; Jean Cutoffs, $12; Wedges, $89; Ruffles Sandals, $85; Beaded Sandals, $69; Flap Hand Bag, $88; Leather Chain Bag, $93; Beaded Statement Necklace, $48; Wooden and Enamel Bangles, $25; Boulder Ring in Gold, $65; Straw Womens Fedora, $13; Sunglasses, $85

with the offical start of summer less than a week away I thought I'd pull together some of my favorite summer trends I will certainly be sporting through the long and steamy days, all for under $100! florals have taken over my summer wardrobe in all forms - I even found myself buying a pair of floral shorts! i'll hopefully have those to show you in a later outfit post. 

summer seens to bring out the patterns - i've noticed myself leaning towards polka dots, ikat, tribal prints, and stripes! yes, worn all together may be a bit much, but there's certainly room for all this summer. 

what are your favorite summer must haves?

bits of my weekend: a naked dinner

ah, malatesta trattoria. by far my favorite spot in the city for italian. unpretentious, unbelievable quaint and cozy - truly the quintessential nyc restaurant for sipping wine, indulging good conversation, and enjoying summer in the city. 

jon's dish of choose, spinach gnocchi with gorgonzola sauce. a true favorite!

my selection, ravioli al formaggio. the pink sauce, divine.
fresh, simple cuisine, hard to choose my favorite. try, you won't be disappointed!


so while enjoying our fare al fresco, we happened upon (well actually they happened upon us) the world naked bike ride. cover your eyes if you're not prepared to see a little flesh (mild i promise!)

utterly hilarious, you have to give those people some serious credit for stripping down and ridding around this populated city - stopping traffic and all! all for a good cause of course, nyc's ride was dedicated to protesting BP and the state of the gulf oil spill. good for them, and while most of the fellow diners laughed, took pictures, and clapped in support..we were in the west village..i would have loved to see the faces of passer-bys on the upper east side!

green with envy

this post was supposed to go up yesterday, but i'm fooling myself thinking i have time even after work these days. i have a big event on thursday which is consuming the majority of my waking hours. hashing out logistics and sourcing things you would find rather amusing!

on to the weekend. i spent my saturday morning running a random 5K, which I signed up for about 5 minutes before it started. talk about adrenaline, i ran the thing in 25 minutes (i'm used to a good 9 1/2 minute mile!) but as a result, my body temperature was through the roof the rest of the day. combine that with near 90 degree temps and i was a puddle of useless.

we did make it down to the hoboken waterfront to indulge in some of our favorites from the taco truck. really if you're in the nyc area you must try their offerings, every thing i have is better than the last. my current fav, the fish tacos. they'll be opening up a brick and mortar location in hoboken soon, but for now, follow them on facebook to find out where they are each day.

ignore the slight unwilling participant in the foreground, that baby in the back is the delish taco truck! 

i'm telling you, SO good! 

bottled Mexican coke is the best, don't you agree? 

this outfit ended up being a little too matchy for me with the blues in the belt and stripe on the hat, not my intention, as i threw it on as i ran out the door. but here's a tip for dressing for the heat, don't wear solid color cotton items and certainly don't secure them with a belt. talk about sweaty. i'll spare you the aftermath photos, but it wasn't pretty!

skirt (worn as a dress): american apparel
belt: thrifted
sandals: dolce vita
hat: eugenia kim for target