Lake Days

I've been MIA from the blog for the past week or so, but with good reason! I took a little vacation up to the Adirondacks to visit my family for a few days and relax by the lake catching some sun. I also romped around in this pretty striped dress for a bit!

I love the contrast of a pretty dress with a pair of sneakers. These pale suede Keds are the perfect match for a cute dress since they are simple, sleek and girly. Not to mention comfortable! They dress down the look enough that the preppy pinstripe dress doesn't feel out of place at the lake. The look is rounded out with a pastel pink bag that pops against the blue - on - blue of the dress by the water. 

Dress: Lilly Pulitzer. Bag: French Connection. Shoes: Keds. Sunglasses: Urban Outfitters. 

Dress options-- similar shape 1/2/3/4 (has a bow detail!), strapless striped, similar print 1/2.

xoxo, CC

All American

Happy Fourth of July weekend!

What's more American than cutoff shorts, stripes, and sneakers? Not much. Add a red, white and blue color scheme and you have an outfit just screaming to be worn on the Fourth of July. This tee and jean shorts combo is casual enough for a backyard BBQ but also stylish enough for an afternoon outing. The long sleeves will keep you warm during the fireworks too. Anyone else as big a fan of 4th fireworks as I am?? I am always begging my family to go with me to see them!

I felt a little like Taylor Swift with the red lipgloss and Keds combo going on here. It's funny, people always tell me I look like her, but I don't really think so! However this outfit made me feel like her twin for sure. She really has an All American vibe to her style, complete with abundant stripes and classic styles that are the perfect inspiration for Independence Day outfits. Do you plan your holiday outfits ahead of time like me, or just go with the flow? I like to get festive and really dress for the theme of each holiday, it's just so much more fun that way! 

Top: Express (old). Shorts: Blank NYC. Shoes: Keds. Belt: J. Crew. Bracelet: kate spade. Sunglasses: AJ Morgan.

xoxo, CC

Mix and Match

5 Items, 4 Outfits, Under $100.

I love a good mix and match--and the other day I found a perfect set of 5 pieces from H&M that mix to create four totally different looks. As I've mentioned before, I don't like to wear an exact outfit more than once, instead trying new ways to match things. So I love that all of these pieces can mix and match with each other as well as everything else in my closet. The sweater, skirt, and bag combo goes so perfectly together it's like it was meant to be. The off white shade ties them all together seamlessly. I was amazed how much I actually loved the floral on floral look of the skirt and tank together once I tried it on. Since the prints are different sizes and they are both in a similar color scheme the look is not too crazy for me and I actually like how girly and bold it is. 

Once we start to get into a little warmer spring weather I can't wait to wear the shorts-and-sweater combo. I've always loved the way a slouchy sweater pairs with shorts or a skirt in transitional weather. And for another print mixing look the floral tank and striped shorts make a great summery match. I love that these pieces give me options to wear from now through summer! The two tone bag (a Gucci look-alike) is fun because it goes perfectly with whites without blending in entirely, and the neutral tone is totally multi-seasonal.

It's rare, especially at a store like H&M, for everything I took in the fitting room to work out, so it seemed like a sign to me that these items were a perfect set to purchase. Plus, this whole haul was under $100.00! The shorts I snagged on sale for $7, the sweater was on sale for $9.99 and the bag at full price is only $19.99 so I felt like I was getting a pretty good deal for four outfit options. Which look is your favorite? 

Ok, the sad news is I literally can't find any of these clothing pieces on HM.com, so I am linking to similar options (the bag is available online!). Check in store though, I find that their website often is not aligned with what they have in store.
Sweater, Skirt/option, Tank/option, Shorts, Bag from H&M. Boots: Sam Edelman (old). Sneakers: Keds. Necklace: Kate Spade.

xoxo, CC

Monochromatic Pink

One of the recent projects for my certificate course was to create an editorial-style photoshoot using an iPhone to experiment with different filters and techniques. Starting with some inspiration searching and creating a mood board I came up with the idea of a monochromatic look with a bold and playful vibe. Being both the photographer and model can be super tricky so I decided to shoot the photos in my apartment using my pink couch as the color inspiration. The arch lamp and brick background make this an interesting dynamic space for a photoshoot.

I found some deep pink pieces in my closet to go with the couch and create a monochromatic look. I wanted a playful vibe so I put my hair up in a high bun and added layers of jewelry and a bold pink lipstick. Then I experimented with using different filters in my iPhone camera and trying different poses. While the photo quality is nothing close to usable for an actual editorial, I had fun with the project and learned about the camera settings on my iPhone camera. For this shoot I ended up liking the "Fade" and "Chrome" filters best because of how they played with the colors and saturation.

These are a few of my favorites photos from the project!

Top: Old Navy. Jeans: BDG at Urban Outfitters (similar). Sneakers: Keds. Earrings: Banana Republic. Lip: BareMinerals "Risk It All"

These are a few of the images that inspired my project.
(images from pinterest)

xoxo CC

Feelin' 25

I celebrated turning 25 over the weekend! For festivities I had some friends over to my apartment for a little party and I treated myself to a little shopping too. I don't know how this always happens, but somehow I didn't end up taking any pictures with my friends that night! So I snapped a few later to recap this quarter-century celebration. 

For my party I cooked up some delicious snacks including guacamole, bacon-fat popcorn, and cupcakes with chocolate ganache frosting. I wore a pretty blue cutout dress that has been in my closet for quite a while waiting for an occasion to call its name. I complimented it with gold eyeshadow to match my gold nails, pink lips, and a wristful of armcandy. 

On my actual birthday I took myself on a little shopping trip to H&M and to Kate Spade to get these super fun glitter Keds. How cute are these, though? After trying several brands of cute little sneakers such as Superga and Gola, I've concluded that Keds are by far the most comfortable for my feet. So, when they make a Kate Spade glitter version, how could I not get them? And then, my lovely roommate got me a pair of Kate Spade earrings too! All in all it was a good birthday, and I am excited for this next year! 

Dress: Isle of You boutique (similar, similar). Glitter sneakers: Keds for Kate Spade. Earrings: Kate Spade (similar). 

Gold eyeshadow: Bare Minerals "true gold." Blush: Bare Minerals "charm." Lipstick: NYC "Blossom."

"I don't know about you but I'm feelin' twenty(five)"

-T Swift (and me)

xoxo, CC

Skyline

This weekend I got to explore more of the city with some friends, and we ventured down to Brooklyn for the weekly Smorgasburg food fest. There is an incredible selection of delicious food available there, not to mention the stellar view of the New York skyline, which seemed like a great spot to take some pictures! I sampled a strawberry champagne flavored macaron, had a chicken burger for my main meal, and topped it all off with an amazing ice cream sandwich. Yum yum! And we made it back to the subway just before the downpour! (you can see the angry sky in a few of these shots).

For this casual weekend outing with a lot of walking involved I slipped on this easy printed dress and some bright pink sneakers. Sneakers and skirts is a combination I am just getting used to, but I think it'll be an essential one for walking in the city without sacrificing style. I love the way these sneakers bring out the pink in the feather print on the dress while also making the outfit undeniably comfy-casual.

Stay tuned for more of my adventures in the city, and the outfits that take me there! 

Dress: Target (similar, feather print). Sneakers: Keds. Bag: TJ Maxx. Earrings: Gorjana. Bracelet: Zulu Grass.

xoxo, CC