Rate My Look- New BR Skirt

Remember my confession last weekend about the shopping spree I went on? Well, in addition to some Ann Taylor blouses, and a new Coach handbag, I also scored the fabulous skirt in this outfit:

It's a wrap skirt from Banana Republic that I scored for about $15! I wore it to work this week and I was comfortable for a full day of bridal-alterations-mania! I love the print, the length, the pockets- pretty much everything about it. And of course, the price can't be beat. I also got a lovely printed silk blouse at the same outlet, but haven't used it in an outfit yet. I'm sure I will soon, though.

As for this outfit, some of my co-workers commented on the lack of color. Of course, the bag is a nice pop of bright blue, but I didn't exactly carry it around all day at work. Without the bag, it's a very neutral outfit, but  I think it's good to shake things up and do something unexpected every now and then. The shoes pictured are pretty much my favorite work shoes for the summer. The neutral color makes them ideal for just about any outfit and the wedge adds just enough height that I'm not in flats. Have you figured out yet that flats are not my favorite? I've also got a favorite ring- my new seashell ring. It is certainly eye-catching and a great conversation piece. I think I've worn it nearly every day since I bought it. 

What's your favorite new summer piece that you simply can't stop wearing? Obviously, for me it's the seashell ring, but I want to hear what you're wearing this summer! Leave a comment and tell me all about it! 

Shopping on Nantucket

I must admit, while visiting the island of Nantucket last week, I was a bit disappointed in the shopping available. I found the downtown area to be full of shops attempting to appeal to one of two major demographics on the island. The first was the high-end preppy attire that included the likes of Lily Pulitzer and Nantucket Reds as well as an assortment of other high-priced accessories and jewelry. The second was the tourist traps- full of "Nantucket" emblazoned hooded sweatshirts, t-shirts and of course countless tchotchkes such as magnets, figurines and "housewares."

My mom and I spent a good part of the afternoon wandering in and out of the many shops that made up the downtown area. I made one purchase- my new shell ring- which by some standards might be placed in the cheesy tchotchke category. (Not my standards, though- I think it's fabulous!)

Aside from a few cute printed dresses and one decent vintage shop, there wasn't a whole lot that appealed to me and even the pieces that did, were so far out of my price range as to be laughable. There was one item I saw, however, that although being too rich for my blood was also too fabulous not to notice- an amazing Leifsdottir sweater: 

At $248, there was not way it could come home with me. But I also feel my body type wouldn't do it justice- it's designed for someone long and lean and although I may admire and appreciate it, I know it's not meant for my wardrobe. I love that it has interesting detail without being over-designed. I love that it's a "summer" sweater- light weight and light in color, ideal as a top layer on the rare chilly summer nights of the shoulder seasons. It's artistic and beautiful and I wouldn't feel right if I hadn't shared it with you. 

In short, visit Nantucket for the scooters, not the sweaters. 

Rate My Look- Shopping in Shorts

Yesterday was spent doing wedding-related things with my BFF Beth. She is getting married in November and we had some things to take care of, like finalizing the centerpiece design, discussing the issue of legally changing ones name (Do you take his name? Do you hyphen-ate? What about creating an entirely new last name for both of you?), and of course shopping for shoes and undergarments for the big day. I'm proud to say that we found both for Beth. Well, we definitely found "the" shoes to go with "the" dress. The undergarments are a little more tricky, but we found options, which is important. My dress (which you will not see on the blog until after the wedding- sorry!) is a lovely scoop-neck and I must admit that I am THRILLED to be able to wear a normal bra with it. I even bought a cute floral one with coordinating (but not matching) lace panties that I am super psyched to wear. Cute underwear makes me happy, but don't worry, I'll never feature it as part of any "Rate My Look" post.

The bottom line is that while shoe and underwear shopping can be some of the most enjoyable shopping that women do, it's very different when a wedding is involved in the equation. Normally, shoe shopping has no rules. Shoe shopping for a wedding? Totally different. And I mean for the bride AND the wedding party. For example, I'm someone who tends to make bold shoe choices on a daily basis. I have no qualms about wearing a pair of sky-high bright purple stilettos to the office or even to a cookout. Inappropriate footwear? I don't understand those terms. If I like them and they are eye-catching, then I want to wear them. But when it comes to being a bridesmaid, I have the opposite approach. I want to look pretty, of course. And since shoes are sort of "my thing," I of course don't want to disappoint in that area. But I also don't want to do anything that would even remotely resemble an attempt to upstage the bride. After all, it's not about me that day- it's about her. (And the groom. But his shoes will be boring, so there's no way I won't upstage them. Sorry, dude.) The good news is that I think I've found a great pair of shoes for myself that strike that happy medium. I'll be sure to check with the bride to make sure she approves. And fortunately, today we found the most fabulous pair of shoes for Beth that are actually way more fabulous than the shoes I am hoping to wear. I figure as long as her shoes are better than mine, then I'm good. Again, you will not see photos of anything for the wedding until after November 12th. But I can promise her shoes are amazing. A-MA-ZING.

But enough about all of that- let's get to the outfit. I wanted to be casual and comfortable and I was not in a mood to put much effort into my outfit. This is what I came up with:

Clearly, I have an obsession with bright citrus colors this summer, since I can't stop putting them together. This clementine- colored shirt and lime green bag work really well together to create a fun, on-trend summer outfit. The shoes, by Sofft, I bought last year and they have proven to be an excellent pair of nude wedges- great for a day spent on my feet. The shorts I purchased at Forever 21 for my day-trip to Nantucket, but I have a feeling I'm going to be getting a lot of wear out of them. They button on either side just like sailor pants, and they are in the impossible-to-find perfect length for my legs. I wish the wash was a smidge darker, but to be fair, they are a better color in real life than they are in this photo. The accessories I chose included a pair of Stella and Dot earrings as well as my new shell ring that I bought in Nantucket. All in all, it was a great outfit for shopping and accomplishing wedding-related tasks. I looked and felt great all day long. 

Please feel free to leave a comment about my outfit, shopping for wedding attire, or anything else you like! Happy Monday, everyone! 

Photos from Nantucket

As you guys know, I went to Nantucket last week. It was an absolute BLAST and I would recommend everyone do it! Whether you rent bicycles to ride around the island, or scooters, like we did, you will have SO much fun. The beaches are beautiful, the landscape is absolutely picturesque and the atmosphere is perfect for a relaxing day with loved ones.

We started off the day on the 6:30 AM ferry from Hyannis to Nantucket. We took the high-speed ferry which got us there in about an hour. We had a light breakfast at the Easy Street Cantina and then went immediately to the Nantucket Bike Shop to pick up the scooters we had reserved. A few minutes later we had learned how to ride them and were off on our way!

Riding the scooter made me realize what people love about motorcycles and mopeds. It's so much fun to ride in the open air like that. And although my scooter's speed topped at about 35 mph, it still felt amazing to ride around on it. I didn't look amazing doing it, though. You can see by my outfit that I dressed for comfort, not style: 

After scooting around the island for a while, we had lunch at Cy's Lobster Pot. We had a craving for a good New England lobster roll and Cy's did not disappoint. The afternoon was spent shopping and visiting the many beaches around the island. I was unimpressed with the shopping on Nantucket, actually. It seemed there was mostly stores selling either super preppy, super expensive clothes or silly souvenirs like "Nantucket" hoodies and keychains. I did manage to purchase one item that didn't fall into either of those categories:

What I love about this cocktail ring is that it is LITERALLY a seashell that has a hole carved out of it for your finger. I'd never seen anything like it and I loved it, so I had to buy it. At $18, plus tax, it actually cost less than my lobster roll at lunch. 

All in all, it was a spectacular day- the weather wasn't amazing, but the company was great (I went with my mom) and we had so much fun with every single thing we did on the island. If you have the opportunity to spend the day on Nantucket, do it. It's not cheap- our ferry ride (round trip) was $77 each, the scooter rental was another $75 each and of course food and drink while you're there. But do yourself a favor and save your pennies so you can enjoy this quintessential New England experience.