Inspiration: Casual Night Out

Today's photo via Refinery29. They did a piece on Kate Foley -  a buyer for Opening Ceremony. I loved the first look in the story: 

Photo via Refinery29

It made me think immediately of my favoriate ripped up boyfriend jeans that are light weight for the summer. While I love them, I've often struggled with how to dress them up. Thanks to Kate Foley - now I'm going to look for an embellished top out of my closet, pull out my favorite pink heels and I'll be good to go!

So what if I wasn't going to go out tonight... there's no better excuse than a great outfit, right?

Summer in the City Dressing (via the Outnet)

Oh The Outnet - how I love your fantastic deals! And today I'm super inspired by the look included in their weekly e-mail. This week's trend: "Summer in the City" 

I love the perfect loop on the belt, the rose color, sleek pony tail, sunglasses, nude heels... ok the whole thing! Even love that she went for the peek of lingerie which has been so big. While I don't think I'll be able to quite show off part of my bra at work - I'll definitely want to try an iteration of this during the summer months!

The full e-mail: 

So take a piece of inspiration from their book. Or go ahead and snag one of their great deals!

I have been doing some shopping lately...

I've been in a shopping mood (which is dangerous).... and have made a few recent purchases. Look for some upcoming posts on my new finds! 

To provide you with a  preview, all of the buys are:

- Accessories (shoes count, right?)

- Purchased via sample sale / membership website (aka good deals!)

But no one's more excited than me... can't wait for these to arrive in the mail!

Must Buy: Bright Skirt

With all of the spring trends out there (70's, romantic, neons, you get the drill), its hard sometimes to narrow down the focus as to what to update in my closet for spring. As I've noted before, I work with a meager budget, so my purchases are few and far between - and more likely have to do with something I can't stop thinking about more than anything else... with that thought in mind, introducing: must buy. 

While I have a few items on the brain - the first I'd like to dive into is the bright skirt. Neons (or hyper color if you're talking to style.com) have been a big trend, and what better way to get started than to pair a simple bright skirt with my usual basics (Ralph Lauren oxford, anyone?)

So for some inspiration... 

Via my model style post

Great color with some (albeit shiny/textured) basics. 

Photo via Jak and Jil at Paris Fashion Week

 And again with the black... see why this is a great trend for me? I already own all the black... 

How about the runways then?

Loewe Spring 2011 - Photo via Style.com

Aquilano.Rimondi Spring 2011 - Photo Style.com

Sex appeal and bright crayola colors... what's not to like?

And no color conversation can happen this season without the glory that was Jil Sander's Spring 2011 collection: 

Photo via Style.com

Bubble gum pink with a white t? Thank you Yes.

Unfortunately I have not yet found my hyper-color mate yet in stores. Any thoughts on where I might have some luck in my search in Chi-town? (Online shopping suggestions are also welcome!)

Inspiration: Jade Williams

So I've kind of always prided myself in my boy meets girl style (I have more blazers than I can count)... but a big thank you goes out to WhoWhatWear with their post today on Girl of the Month: Jade Williams. I love her quirky and very UK sense of style - with a lot of high street fashion and of course an awesome boy meets girl sensibility.

I mean, how cool is she?  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As my hair is getting longer - definitely need to work on rocking wavy hair a bit more often. And some sweet hats.

WhoWhatWear's post sent me on an image search to find more photos of her - resulting in me making a collage of sorts (to gush about all of her looks):

Hope you find just as much inspiration in her looks as well - and have a fabulous weekend!

(First photo from biggerthanbeyonce.com)

Sunday at the Art Museum

Had a great Easter weekend with the family, and Sunday got to go to the Milwaukee Art Museum to see the Frank Lloyd Wright exhibit - spending some time at the Calatrava on the lakefront. 

the best accessory? my MAM sticker

Mom and Dad walking the hall

What I wore: Elizabeth & James blazer, Genetic denim jeans, Frye boots, Marc by Marc Jacobs bag

Model Style

3 things I love - Street style shots, Paris and Model style - all came together in today's WhoWhatWear story. 

As these shots were taken during the S/S '11 shows, it gives some nice inspiration for transitional dressing in Chicago - especially with that dusting of snow we woke up to this morning.

Photo by Vanessa Jackman via WhoWhatWear

I like that Sara incorporated some spring neutrals with black and all in a unique way. Definitely want to try this type of layering - buttoned up top with sweater, a long blazer, and short skirt or pair of shorts. 

Photo by Vanessa Jackman via WhoWhatWear

Anouk and Karolina bring forward some more fashion-forward takes on preppy style (note the chambray and striped sailor sweater). Both looks manage to be both casual and put together. I'm not sure how brave I am to break the rules and wear my white jeans yet... so I may wait to bring out Karolina's look for a little while. As for Anouk's look - I'll be pairing my awesome jacket (from an earlier post) with a pencil skirt, button down, and riding boots. 

Photo by Vanessa Jackman via WhoWhatWear

Can we say pop of color!! I love Tati's look - probably because she looks like a total badass while wearing duck boots - why don't I look that cool in my pair? That's right... not a model. But I digress. Taking from this look I'll be pairing my beloved leather jacket with a bright skirt, crisp white button down and keeping everything else simple in black. I'll substitute her boots for my ankle booties or my Frye's. 

See this awkward in between weather isn't so bad after all. Now all I need is to find some Parisian model style in a thunder storm so I can prep for all the rain that's ahead....