about a boy

I feel I should start off by being completely honest: this is a little boy's t-shirt. No, I didn't beat up some little kid and steal his clothes. Gosh, who do you think I am? I just took a dip into Old Navy's (super affordable) kid section.

Looking at it, I think I got carried away and decided to dress like a little boy with the baseball cap and denim shorts. Give me some credit for the feminine details, though. The cap is eyelet after all. 

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late girl's guide | caprese salad

When it gets as hot as it does in the south, some days a light bite is all you want. I get bored with the classic garden salad, so when I discovered the caprese salad, it became a go-to for me. It's a simple and fast salad that feels very fancy when paired with a good glass of wine. I don't know when I'll get to go to Italy, but until then, this flavorful insalata will have to tie me over.

 

For as much flavor as this packs, it's very easy to make. Chop the beefsteak tomatoes into slices and pick the rinsed basil of its stems. 

Slice your mozzarella (mine was pre-sliced) and then layer the three ingredients so it looks pretty. Yes, food can be pretty. To finish, drizzle balsamic vinaigrette over and eat! 

little white dress

 

So it's the last week of July you guys. It's also the last week of my internship before I school starts up again. Where has summer gone? I haven't had any sort of getaway or summer soiree. Woe is me.

I also almost let wearing the summer LWD pass me by, too. As soon as I knew I'd have a weekend date night I pulled this eyelet number out and stayed away from all saucy foods.

I just hope wearing  it isn't the only thing I get checked off of my summer bucket list 'cause mama wants a vacay.

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rules of rain

If the sun's not out, neither are my legs. It's just a rule of mine. The rainy weather we've been having is so anti-summer that it's made getting dressed a challenge. I've been wearing pants all week (not my M.O. at all), struggling to come up with ways to make them less gloomy.

An easy solution: summer white denim. Then of course some nautical stripes because, by now you should know, stripes are life. For color I broke in the newest addition to my Kate Spade collection, the Wellessley Alessa in Sorbet -- an amazing sale score.

To combat the dreariness of the rain, I did what I do best and over-accessorized with my Love, Poppy Sea Glass & Stone bangles from Pretty Pants Boutique. That's another rule of mine: when all seems gray and bleak, throw on extra jewelry and keep it moving, girlfriend. 

These Love, Poppy Bangles are c/o Pretty Pants Boutique

scissor happy

Cheers to the freakin' weekend y'all -- well, almost. I spend time during the week in more structured clothes, so on the weekend I experiment. This experiment was one in lazy summer comfort.

I took scissors to this heathered jersey maxidress and left it with a raw hem. Can you say extra cool points? I layered it with my comfort blanket, a J. Crew men's denim shirt, and pulled out some jeweled slides. 

A word about slides and the trendy versions that have been floating around: I think Birks can look effortlessly chic, but am I the only one who thinks that trend will come and go, leaving so many girls with them collecting dust in the back of  their closets? Or not. Who knows. 

What I do know is that I am so ready for the weekend. What are your plans? Cutting up dresses perhaps?

 

  

what I bought: j. crew

This weekend I feel like I practically stole from J. Crew. I had some items in my cart online, but I shopped the sale in-store since I was iffy about sizing. The 40% off sale coupled with my 15% off student discount (only available in store) made no item more than $20. 

I am fawning over my "oui mon cheri" sweatshirt -- I am so ready to get into layering when it gets cooler. And as you can tell my love for stripes is still strong. Luckily, the sale is still going on with the coupon code HOTOUT online. More of my sale steals are below if you want to get your hands on 'em.

a dozen roses

When it come to clothes, I'm a fickle lover. I can be enamoured with multiple styles at a time. This skirt is one of my recent loves, but it almost didn't get worn.

My car accident left my leg bruised, so I tried to cover them as much as possible. That meant no shorts or skirts, which meant half of my closet was gone, including this beautiful rosette skirt.

After a boring week of covering up, I told myself "so what, you have some bruises on your legs? That's not terrible. Wear whatever the hell you want!" Listening to that brave voice, I pulled this out of my closet and I felt a million times more like myself. It would've been a travesty if this skirt went unworn. I think my heart just might've broken.

  

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turnaround

I consider myself lucky when I can see the sun set. Now that that happens later and later each day, I can have a date night on the square and share that sky with my boy. I'm doubly lucky. 

Well, triply lucky because this entire outfit is a stroke of luck, I think. I never thought I'd be able to try the low-back trend because hello, I will never not wear a bra. 

Thankfully, this dress ( yes, I layered a skirt over a dress. So what? Sue me!) didn't go so low that I couldn't.

 

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what I bought: kate spade

This past weekend there were a lot of 4th of July sales going on. I was strong, and ignored all of the e-mails in my inbox until Sunday, when I saw the extra 25% off on Kate Spade's website. 

I already have two neutral Kate Spade purses and I figured that I needed a pop of color (since that's what they're known for) to round out my collection. And the "je ne sais quoi" shirt was too much of a steal to pass up. 

In anticipation of their arrival, I've started planning outfits in my head. Below, I've played with a casual and a dressy style. Can you tell I'm a little eager? I'm going to need my postman to hurry it up. 

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