louise et cie joey loafers

The Blues

March 28, 2016 by jessica 19 Comments

My NCAA bracket was a mess after the tournament’s first weekend, but I was somewhat comforted by Wisconsin’s pair of wins that landed them in the Sweet Sixteen. After their frustrating loss on Friday, I threw in the bracket on the rest of the college basketball season and turned my attention to my latest sartorial win: this adorable swing anorak coat from LOFT. As I mentioned earlier, I had been on the lookout for a spring coat that I could bring on our trip. (In ten short days! Holy moly!) I tried couple of trench coats (this and this) and wasn’t keen on either one of them. The fits weren’t great on me and I didn’t love the style enough to keep trying different trench coats, so I switched gears and started looking at anoraks when I came across this swing style from LOFT. It has a sueded finish and is lined with a knit jersey material. I love the youthful swing silhouette that allows for plenty of room at the hips. It doesn’t look sloppy, though, thanks to the cinched back waist that can be adjusted with a drawstring inside.

Jacket: LOFT Swing Anorak
Dress: Dee Elle (old, other dresses by the brand)
Purse: Rebecca Minkoff “Mini Affair”
Shoes: Louise et Cie (also love these loafers and these metallic flats)
Sunglasses: Karen Walker “Number One”
Necklace: Lele Sadoughi “Maraca” Pendant (on sale here and here; full price here)
Rings: Monica Vinader, c/o Julie Vos (I’ve been loving them stacked)
Lips: Stila “Betsey”
Nails: Zoya “Blu”

Madewell Gingham Dress, Redux

March 16, 2016 by jessica 5 Comments

This dress is definitely growing on me. I wore it for the second time last weekend (here’s the first round) for a rainy Sunday of visiting open houses (including the prettiest home from the late 1800s that we would have considered if it wasn’t so far away from Madison). The weather was terrible and only one photo made the cut, but sometimes that’s all you need!

Dress: Madewell “Courier” Buffalo Check Shirtdress (also here and here)
Jacket: Target
Purse: Rebecca Minkoff “Mini Affair” (the blue one is half price)
Shoes: Louise et Cie (similar)
Sunglasses: Karen Walker “Number One”
Rings: Monica Vinader, c/o Julie Vos
Lips: Stila “Betsey”
Nails: YSL “Day Bloomer”

Earning My Stripes

February 8, 2016 by jessica 19 Comments

I’m usually opposed to buying something at full price from LOFT, but I couldn’t help myself when I tried on this tunic tee on Friday. I actually stopped at the store to try on this skirt and pulled the shirt to wear with it, assuming that it was just another striped shirt and I’d go home without. The skirt fell short of expectations. It didn’t have enough of an a-line shape for my hips and the quality seemed a bit shoddy. This shirt, on the other hand, is amazing. It’s the softest long-sleeve tee I’ve ever worn (as I admitted in this weekend’s Instagram). It runs large, likely due to the tunic-inspired loose silhouette. (I’m usually a size 8 and I went with the small.)

And, in other shopping news, I went ahead and purchased the loafers I mentioned a couple of times over the last few weeks. I wanted a pair of shoes to wear on our Europe trip that weren’t ballet flats, wouldn’t get ruined by rain, and would be versatile enough to wear with pants and dresses. The Louise et Cie loafers fit the bill. There’s a lot going on with them: brogues detailing, metallic patent leather, and tassels. I adore them, though, and they’re incredibly comfortable with a decent amount of padding inside. I wore them for a two-mile walk on Saturday and didn’t end up with sore feet or blisters.