Style – Page 59

Tropical Vibes

August 22, 2016 by jessica 13 Comments

I can’t believe it’s Monday already! We had an extended weekend that began on Thursday with a trip to visit my parents in northern Wisconsin. We didn’t do much other than swing by the Tall Ships Festival in Duluth, Minn., which was awful. As an event manager, I can be unfairly critical of other events, but this so poorly run that it made for a sour experience. Oh well. Not all weekend outings can be stellar, right? At least it was a beautiful day!

In other news, I finally ponied up the cash to purchase Adobe Lightroom. Game. Changer. Photo editing is a breeze and images look so much better edited in Lightroom versus Photoshop where I’m far too likely to screw up the color. (I’m really tan this year compared to my normal ultra-pale skin tone. It throws me off and I find myself removing orange hues from photos!) I also scooped up this summer dress from Target (available online in black). I’m not ready to start dressing for fall just yet, especially when tropical prints look so good with this necklace from Lisi Lerch. Lisi is basically the queen of tassel jewelry and I’m thrilled to share a “Behind the Baubles” interview with her later this week! (One quick note about the necklace: the tassel was askew after its trip through the mail, but a quick clamp in a hair straightener fixed it.)

Dress: Target (in black; love this version for pre-fall)
Necklace: c/o Lisi Lerch
Ring: c/o Julie Vos
Bracelet: House of Harlow (similar)
Sandals: Steve Madden (old, love these)
Bag: Cult Gaia
Sunglasses: Karen Walker c/o Shopbop

Back to Nature

August 18, 2016 by jessica 3 Comments

A few weeks ago, JORD reached out to me with the offer to try out one of their wood watches. I’m not opposed to wooden accessories. In fact, few things are more perfect for summer than a stack of wooded bangle bracelets or a necklace of wooden beads. But a wood watch? I was skeptical at first, but curiosity got the better of me and I picked out the Cora style with a rose gold face and koa wood. It turned out to be a versatile statement piece for summer, especially with a neutral outfit.

When placing an order, you’ll be asked to supply your wrist measurements in centimeters to ensure a comfortable fit. Despite this, my watch was a link too large when it arrived a few days later and off to the jeweler I went to have it resized. A few minutes later, the watch was ready for its debut. I was initially struck by how lightweight the watch is. The barely-there weight isn’t terribly surprising given that koa wood is known for its buoyancy. (In fact, ancient Hawaiians used to craft canoes and surfboards out of the material). Beyond that, it’s just an aesthetically beautiful timepiece with thoughtful details. I love that you can see the self-winding movement of the watch through the clear circle on the face and also through the transparent back of the watch. The face is dotted with Swarovski crystal markers and covered with strong, scratch-resistant sapphire crystal glass. Even the packaging is a showstopper with a tweed pillow nestled in a substantial wood box (containing extra links, of course) making it perfect for gift giving — even if it’s just for yourself! (No judgement here!)

Sweater: J.Crew
Shorts: Lou & Grey (go up a size; a bit sheer if they’re snug)
Watch: c/o JORD
Bag: Banana Republic (smaller similar style)
Sandals: Birkenstock
Sunglasses: Karen Walker c/o Shopbop
Bracelet: Hermes
Rings: c/o Julie Vos, Monica Vinader

Wooden Watch Review

Thanks to JORD for partnering on this post!

The Coveted

August 16, 2016 by jessica 6 Comments

There’s more to love:

Falling for Floral

August 8, 2016 by jessica 10 Comments

I spotted this shirt dress Thursday morning and hesitated to purchase the online-only item. I wasn’t sure what size I’d need and I didn’t have enough “ride-along items” to qualify for free shipping. As luck would have it, my final meeting of the day on Thursday was next to the local LOFT store where I spotted this piece hanging by its lonesome. It was a size small, which I would never had started with in the fitting room had a full size run been available, but it miraculously fit. It was obviously meant to be. 😉 I love the three-quarter length sleeves and the muted color palette, which make the dress a perfect summer-to-fall transitional piece.

And then, since I was on a sartorial lucky streak, I noticed that this Cynthia Rowley dress that I purchased last week is now available at an even steeper discount and headed to the store for a price adjustment. I haven’t featured the Cynthia Rowley dress on the blog yet. If you decide to order it, choose a size to fit your bust. The body of the dress is a wide, swing shape, so that’s not much of a concern for fit. (I ended up choosing a size 6.) The dress is absolutely gorgeous and well made.

Dress: LOFT (go down a size)
Bag: Tory Burch (similar here and here)
Sandals: Ann Taylor (true to size)
Necklace: c/o Julie Vos
Rings: c/o Julie Vos (exact and love this one), Lulu Frost
Sunglasses: Karen Walker c/o Shopbop

Feeling Sporty

August 1, 2016 by jessica 11 Comments

We had planned to go to Milwaukee on Saturday to visit West Elm and try out a Casper mattress before ordering one in the coming weeks. (We’re finally upgrading from our old, uncomfortable queen to a king-size bed!) On a whim, we checked Priceline right before we left and found a room at the historic Pfister hotel for a fraction of the price. We couldn’t pass it up and decided to spend the night in the city, giving us plenty of time to explore antique stores, go to German Fest, and take a boat tour of the city’s rivers and Lake Michigan.

I’ve gotten pretty good at packing for a last-minute excursion, but this dress from Bailey Blue has made it so much easier. It’s an incredibly soft jersey material that feels like a well-loved vintage t-shirt. It was the perfect thing to wear to beat the summer heat while staying comfortable, especially when paired with my new Stan Smith sneakers. (Street style stardom, here I come!) If you haven’t yet heard of Bailey Blue, it’s definitely worth checking out for its selection of breezy summer dresses and rompers at reasonable prices. They also have a selection of plus-size styles. Everything is in junior’s sizing, so be sure to size up.

Dress: c/o Bailey Blue
Bag: Banana Republic (also love this bucket bag and this with a similar O-ring detail)
Shoes: Adidas (heed the sizing advice on Nordstrom)
Lace front wigs: addwigs
Bracelet: Hermes
Rings: Monica Vinader, c/o Julie Vos, Lulu Frost
Sunglasses: Karen Walker c/o Shopbop