ann taylor monica grommet sandals

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

Linen Lady

June 6, 2016 by jessica 15 Comments

J.Crew Factory Striped Linen-Cotton Shirt

I picked up this shirt at J.Crew Factory over the weekend. It’s a linen-cotton blend, making it a comfortable, no-fuss option for breezy summer days. Better yet, it shields my already-burnt skin from the sun! (It runs true to size.)

In other news, we put in an offer on a 1930 colonial-style house filled with charm and creaky wood floorboards the very day it went on the market. Even though we went $5,000 over asking, the seller decided to wait another day before reviewing offers and we were outbid. I’m devastated and have been crying on and off all weekend because of it. We’re now faced with a difficult decision today: renew our lease and stay in our apartment for another year or roll the dice and see if we can find a house in the next three weeks. If the latter doesn’t pan out, we’ll likely have to rent a different apartment and move at the end of July. (I have no doubt that our current place will be swept off the market soon. It’s in a good location and has low rent.) We’ve thought about renewing and subletting, but that seems like such a risky endeavor if the sublessee damages the place or skips town. Ugh. I have no idea what to do and we have 24 hours to decide. Any ideas? Should we just consult the Magic 8 Ball and be done with it?

J.Crew Factory Striped Linen-Cotton Shirt

Shirt: J.Crew Factory
Shorts: J.Crew (old, also love these)
Sandals: Ann Taylor
Necklace: Lee Renee
Bracelet: c/o Julie Vos (old, also love this)
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff c/o Shopbop (on sale for $98 here)
Sunglasses: Dolce & Gabbana c/o SmartBuyGlasses (also available here)
Lips: Stila “Betsey”

Introducing Larimar Jewelry

June 2, 2016 by jessica 9 Comments

If there’s one stone that can capture the ease of summer, it’s larimar with its variations of white, light blue, and blue-green hues that are reminiscent of the ocean. It’s a silicate mineral that can found only in the Dominican Republic and is typically used to create jewelry in the Caribbean. Fortunately, you don’t need to travel that far to add a piece to your own jewelry collection! Larimar Fine Jewelry (http://larimar.com/), a company specializing in the stone, offers a wide variety of pieces handcrafted by artisans in the “cradle of Larimar” in the Dominican Republic. The organization boasts ethical work standards and a fair-wage-policy to ensure the craftsmen are able to provide for their families.

Larimar offered me a first-hand look at one of their pieces: the Gridden Stone Cuff (http://larimar.com/collections/larimar-bracelets/products/larimar-cuff-gridden-stone). The item was posted in Germany and arrived within a week of being shipped. It came in high-quality gift packaging, nestled into a box with a padded pillow. While I’m a sucker for good packaging, the bracelet is the real star of the show. The larimar stone is just as beautiful as it appears online with natural variations in the stone, and the sterling silver cuff is thick. The bracelet was able to bend just enough for me to adjust it to my wrist. The quality of workmanship is impeccable, and it’s clear the artisans Larimar Fine Jewelry parts with are passionate about their work.