Just a few pretty little shoes for your weekend. I’ll take the Sam Edelman’s first, please, and then we can go from there

all shoes courtesy of lori’s shoes

blouse - victoria's secret/skirt - vintage from etsy/belt - urban outfitters/moccasins - matisse/bag - mulberry alexa

this outfit was an attempt to achieve a fall feel while still remaining comfortable in the heat. the leaf prints, satchel and moccasins felt very back-to-school to me, so i went with it. i was also going for a sort of miu miu s/s10 vibe here, only without the maryjanes (sad face). although, i have ordered the forever 21 knockoffs! so let’s hope they aren’t totally uncomfortable because i’ve already started planning outfits with them in my head. the belt clasp is two lion heads–kind of hard to see in the pictures. and i am looooving my alexa bag. it has been on heavy rotation along with the nightingale this summer, but this is its first time on chicfaced.

till next time,

laura

jacket - j.crew/tank - gap/shorts - marshall's/shoes - pour la victoire/sequin flower headband - target

i took austin for his first road trip home to visit my parents last weekend, and to introduce him to the rest of the family. i think he loved being a country dog for a few days. he almost ran away once, and wasn’t sure what to think of the cats, but by the second day, caught on pretty quick to the overall vibe and chilled out considerably.

i spent most of my time in nothing fancy, but did break out my favorite little polka dot jacket on this day. like megan, i am determined to make the most out of the rest of the summer, and am doing my best to overcome the boredom i am feeling with 90% of my wardrobe.

till next time,

laura

all Target, all the time over here folks. I didn’t do this on purpose, I promise, but I am wearing a Zac Posen for Target dress, Cynthia Vincent for Target wedges and a Target necklace.

Even better than Zac Posen at a Target price is Zac Posen at a Goodwill price. I found this sucker at a Goodwill in Richmond — not sure if it’s the same around the country but the Targets in VA give their leftovers to the nearby Goodwills. I really try not to keep any of the vintage I find while thrifting but coming across something like this? Don’t mind if I do.

The cut, color and material of the dress is much more luxurious than anything you’d usually find at Targ (the neckline is sehr Zac), the necklace has much more weight and interesting detail than the usual Merona necklace and the wedges? Well, we all know about the wedges (since I think 80% of us own a pair of the CV wedges).

I know we’re all wishing for Fall, but as I sit here eating some homemade gazpacho (thanks, Wade!) with the door to my shop open and margaritas on tap for tonight….I gotta say I’m gonna relish the summa time we’ve got left. On that note, please excuse me while I get back to my search for the perfect over-the-knee boot. (I’m leaning toward the Topshop Britany.)

kind of obsessed with the free people fall lookbook right now and will attempt to recreate all of these outfits in some form or fashion come fall. i am especially in love with the grey knee socks, the cream jersey and orange plaid dresses, and that black plaid skirt! that skirt will be mine.

xoxo, laura

going to new york for the weekend to do it up for anna’s last hurrah as a bachelorette. this is the controlled chaos that is my room right now. vintage, florals, some requisite j.crew, flats, heels, sparkly clutch, multiple pairs of sunnies, and plenty of black. it’s good to have options.

have a great weekend! till next time,

laura

I got this dress in NYC last summer; it’s one of my favorite vintage dresses but I don’t wear it that often. Two reasons for this 1) I have a weird association with strapless things (shirts and dresses) equaling dressing up. Even though this particular dress is 100% cotton and totally casual 2) I treat my favorite pieces like sacred artifacts that can only be worn very rarely for fear of….not sure – what, exactly? light damage? what am I, an art gallery? Does anyone else do this? It doesn’t make any damn sense.

1. ASOS Hooded Military Cape

2. Knitted Short Cable Jumper

3. ASOS Wide Brim Fedora

4. High Waist Pleated Leather Shorts

5. Leopard Box Tassel Bag

6. Harris Tweed Blazer

7. Swag Buckle Slouch Boot

8. Floaty Wide Leg Trousers

9. Sparkle & Fade Leather Short

10. Boucle Dress with Contrasting Trim

but i know i can’t be the only one. it is just about the time in the collective blogger conscious when we all start looking ahead. and the magazines and catalogs aren’t helping. now that we are in the doldrums of summer, it is tempting to think of cooler temps and all the layering possibilities. i am starting to miss my leather, tweed and faux fur, but these things are still just a mere twinkle in my eye–putting on anything more than a cotton dress at this point in the middle of august makes me break out in a sweat just thinking about it. nothing wrong with being prepared though, right?

This past Saturday was Anna’s bridal shower, which I hosted (with the help of Laura and LT) in my backyard.

My very talented husband designed the invites. If it’s not clear from the invite, it was an Alice in Wonderland/Mad Hatter Tea Party theme. It was such a fun party to plan and even more fun to see come together and have Anna enjoy. It was (for the most part) a surprise — Anna caught a glimpse of the invite on a friend’s fridge but didn’t know any other details, like the decor or the fact that her soon-to-be-husband was going to be dressing up like the Mad Hatter to escort her to the shower.

I got a phone call from Anna’s fiance approximately 20 minutes before the shower started.
“Megan. You know I was the Mad Hatter in my high school production of Alice in Wonderland, right?”
“No…”
“You know I still have the hat, right?”
“No..”
“I’ll be right over.”

She makes a gorgeous Alice, too, don’t you think?

The table decorations were all Goodwill finds and fabric, table clothes, plates and knick knacks from our collective homes.

lotsa pretty friends to celebrate — it looks cloudy out, I know, but trust it did NOT rain!

We played the wedding dress toilet paper game. You team up into teams of 2 with one roll of toilet paper and 5 minutes to create a look for the bride to judge and declare a winner. Watching the process was hilarious and hearing the descriptions was even better. Naturally, I liked Laura’s creation the best. It ended up being very Givenchy but as those things go, her couture vision lost out to a more ready-to-wear, Very Wang creation.

I wore my very favorite party dress — I bought it for a friend’s wedding a couple years ago and wear it every chance I get (my shower, weddings, etc.). It’s just so pretty and girly and has a built in crinoline and I’m a sucker for any dress w/a little pouf and a layered skirt. I was barefoot for the shower but I slipped into some super high black platforms for going out that night.

It was such a fun day — awesome weather, good friends, sparkly wine and pretty dresses — can’t get much better in my book. Congratulations, Anna, and I can’t wait to keep on celebrating (up next? NYC!)

xoox

shirt - j.crew/skirt - anthropologie/shoes - vicini

this was an outfit from a couple days ago. the weather finally gave us a break and cooled off a little, which was nice. the skirt and shoes are some of the oldest pieces in my wardrobe, both dating back to at least five years ago (that’s practically forever in fashion years). the skirt was a birthday present from mike and every summer i look forward to breaking it out. back then, i was stumped about what besides black to pair it with (though it does look good with just a black top), but then over time realized that a number of things work, from magenta to red to navy, and even full-on patterns like florals, stripes and plaid. the flats have appeared on the blog countless times, and they really are so versatile, i don’t know what i would do without them. when i bought them i remember they were more expensive than what i was used to and i debated for a long time, but eventually bit the bullet and don’t regret it for a second. my closet is always in a state of flux, new things coming in and old things (or unused things) going out, but some things are here to stay because they’ve proven their worth time and time again. what are some of the workhorses in your closets? what have you had forever that you could never part with, or what have you recently acquired that you know will be with you for the long haul?