Pop of Yellow

For some reason, last spring the color neon yellow grabbed my attention and affection, and hasn’t let go. I was afraid, when I bought several neon yellow pieces, that it might be just a fad that I would get sick of, but here I am a year later still sporting my neon yellow. Like orange, it is such a happy color and it brightens up your outfit and even your whole day. I am hopeful that if I start wearing some of my favorite brightly colored spring pieces, maybe the weather will start to cooperate…It is now April after all! 

I love this outfit because it is so easy. Something about a chambray dress is practically an outfit all on its own. All it needs are a few colorful accents, and this is a look I will wear to work and then transition easily to drinks with friends in the evening. The heeled booties and the glittery necklace dress it up, while the opaque tights and braided leather belt keep the look grounded. 

Happy April everyone!

Chambray dress: Gap, similar here, here. Necklace: J. Crew, other yellow necklaces at Forever 21 here, here. Belt: Express, similar at Ruche, F21. Clutch: was a gift (see below). Booties: Steve Madden at TJ Maxx, similar. 

Ok, I just spent like an hour looking for clutch bags similar to the one I have pictured here, to no avail, until I ended up on Etsy and discovered several cute styles! None are quite like mine, but I found so many that I like! 

The closest in style to mine: here and here.

Adorable leather fold-over clutches here and here.

Oversized but amazing: here.

Pretty colors and beading: here.

Smaller, cheaper, great pattern: here.

xoxo, C.C.

#SelfieSaturday

Ok, I’ll be honest, I may have taken a lot of selfies on vacation in Florida. (I know, I know, how ridiculous and self-absorbed of me). I didn’t want to be that annoying girl constantly asking my friends to take pictures of me (“can you take a picture of me in front on that tree? Can you take a picture of me in front of that building? And in front of that rock?”), so instead I was that annoying girl who was constantly taking pictures of myself. I just needed to document the trip and my cute outfits, you know? Don't judge, we've all done it. Plus, that new #Selfie song by The Chainsmokers was playing constantly and may have encouraged me… (I'm sorry. Really).

Anyway, I just wanted to share a few more photos from my trip to Florida before we get back to the cold weather and bundled outfits I am forced to post about at home. Since it was in the 70's while I was there with no humidity and lots of wind I wore a lot more long sleeves than I had expected to, but it was sure as heck better than -16 wind chills that I am experiencing now!  I had a really good time in the sun, and I wish I could go back already! 

Classic selfie at the beach (sorry about the thumb in the pic, whoops). You can even see the ocean reflected in my sunglasses! 

T-shirt: Ruche. Sunglasses: Ruche. 

As soon as we landed I changed into shorts and flip flops and we headed for the beach.

Dress: Ya Los Angeles. Denim jacket: Gap, similar. Earrings: JoJo Loves You. 

 We got to ride in a four-seater airplane, a terrifying and exciting experience! 

This is the terrifying moment when I got to steer the plane!! 

T-shirt: J. Crew. Jeans: H&M. Sunglasses: Ruche. 

Just kicking up my feet! Jeans: H&M. Sandals: Splendid.  

Please excuse my tired face, I literally woke up, put a swimsuit on and went to the beach. But I had to take a photo of how curly my hair was!! I went to bed with damp hair and this is how it looked when I woke up. Amazing. 

Top: Angie, similar on F21 here, here, here. Bikini top: Nanette Lepore via ModCloth.

Travel attire for the overnight flights home: Chambray: Rails (similar on Urban Outfitters). Pink jeans: Joe's Jeans. Sneakers: Gola via ModCloth.

Thanks for putting up with me today!

xoxo, C.C.

Over-Packer Extraordinaire!

Fitting my clothes into one little suitcase has always been a struggle for me. To get to Florida I had to take a ton of stuff out of my suitcase just to make it close, and even then the sides were bulging. I was keeping my fingers crossed that they wouldn’t make me measure it at the airport because it was probably a little over the size limit for a carry on! It was tough to eliminate anything from my bag, but there were certain pieces I couldn't wait to wear that took priority, such as this gorgeous blue maxi dress.

Even though I  still managed to wayyyyy over pack and didn’t end up wearing a lot of the things I brought, looking back at the pictures I took it’s a lot easier to see exactly which items came in handy and got a lot of use. Hopefully next time I'll be able to look at this and pack more sensibly! 

Here were my spring break packing essentials: distressed jeans (casual and fashionable, great for the chilly evenings), colored cropped jeans, denim shorts and flip flops to wear to the beach, maxi dress, another cute dress for going out to dinner, denim jacket for the walk home from dinner, light sweater, chambray button down for layering (especially useful on the airplane), stylish sandals, a handful of cute tops, fun sneakers for travelling between climates, a big tote for taking on the plane, a smaller bag for walking around town, and of course snazzy sunglasses!

My favorite warm weather looks to create with this packing list include a simple elegant maxi dress, colored jeans with a flowy top, and classic shorts with a bright tee or tank. I am also excited to try a few crop tops this summer! We'll see how well that goes…I never know quite what to pair them with. What warm weather outfits are you looking forward to wearing? 

Dress: Soft Joie (I got it on sale for less than $40!!) similar on ASOS, Loft, and ModCloth. Sandals: Splendid. Bag: TJ Maxx. Sunglasses: Ruche. Pearl necklace: Dogeared.

-C.C.

A Brief Respite

After a long and especially cold winter, a week in the sun was a much needed break!

Many people may be surprised by the fact that there is still well over a foot of snow where I live, that most days in March don't get over 40 degrees, and that as 'hardy' New Englanders we know not to expect any major changes for the warmer for at least another month! For all of those reasons I needed a change from the cold and snow, so I took a trip to Florida with a good friend to soak up a little sun and warm weather. And boy, was in worth it! It was very windy while we were there, but just being able to walk barefoot on the beach, read by the pool, and wear shorts and dresses that haven't left my closet since September felt so good. I couldn't wait to wear my pink crop jeans and this sassy little daisy print top. I'll admit, I jumped on that trend train for spring, and I even noticed a few other girls in Daytona Beach wearing daisy prints too! 

Traveling between climates always poses a challenge when you are trying to pack light. I opted to wear as many pieces as I could re-wear in Florida, such as light wash jeans, a cute t-shirt, and a chambray button down. I also had to layer on a light jacket, scarf, and sneakers to stay somewhat warm getting to and from the airport. Trying to look fashionable while traveling can be quite a challenge especially when all you want is to be comfortable and warm. Layering basics with cute pops of color or pattern is a good rule to follow, which I tried to do here. This chambray shirt goes with literally everything (I can't believe I've been missing out on this basic for so long!) and I even took the style risk of wearing it with jeans… what do you think, did I pull it off? 

Look #1: Floral print top: Garage. Pink jeans: Joe's Jeans, similar. Denim Jacket: Gap, similar. Sandals: Sam Edelman, Gigi. Bag: TJ Maxx. Sunglasses: Ruche.

Look #2: Chambray shirt: Rails. Scarf: Yarnz, similar here, here. T-shirt: Ruche. Jeans: H&M. Sneakers: Gola via ModCloth, similar. Bag: Ruche. 

Just a casual game of Harry Potter Uno at the hotel after dinner :)

-C.C.

Spring Feeling

Even though there is still snow in the forecast, I cannot help but think ahead to spring. The first official day of spring was yesterday, can you believe it?! In honor of that, and to change up my winter wardrobe,  I am mixing in some brighter and lighter colors with my cozy winter tones. Pastel pink and rich spring-grass green make a nice combination (reminiscent of watermelon!) with this dark grey sweater. Wedge booties keep my toes enclosed but definitely speak to the spring feeling that is in the air. 

Even though I bought these jeans (for $38!!) with summer in mind, I couldn't wait that long to wear them! Pairing them with a drapey grey sweater keeps the look early-spring appropriate. 

Stay tuned for photos from my trip to Florida, which I will post soon!  The sunshine and warm weather was a wonderful break from the snowy March here in New England, that's for sure! 

Sweater: Ruche. Jeans: Joe's Jeans, similar. Bag: TJ Maxx. Booties: DV by Dolce Vita. Earrings: Etsy.

-C.C.