Skirt & Sweater Season

My favorite way of transitioning into fall is by pairing my skirts (and even dresses or shorts) with a lightweight sweater. This pale blue skirt is a light summery hue, but when it is worn with a black sweater and ankle boots it becomes perfectly appropriate for a fall day. Matching your pretty pastels with darker fall colors is a great way to keep your outfits colorful and seasonal without having to put all your summer pieces away at the last 80° day. 

This sweater never seems to photograph well, but it is a mesh-type fabric that is great for layering. Tying it up at the waist shows off the silhouette of the skirt and provides definition. Adding a berry hued lip and neutral bag keep the look from getting too dark while still playing with fall colors. I love the way the baby blue and berry pink balance off each other! 

P.S. sorry I've been MIA recently, things have been busy around here! I promise I'm trying to get back on top of my blogging schedule! 

Skirt: LOFT- on sale! Sweater: Soft Joie (last seen here). Bag: Rebecca Minkoff. Necklace: Kate Spade. Bracelet: Goodnight Macaroon. Booties: Steve Madden via TJ Maxx. Lipstick: BareMinerals "Risk It All." 

xoxo CC

Spotlight on J. Crew Jewelry

Have you seen the glitzy line of J. Crew jewelry currently on their website? Their recent collections are stunningly beautiful. Every time I go to their site to find links for my blog posts I am blown away by the vibrant and glittering collection. Full of rich rainbow hues, glittering gems, and statement silhouettes, you can't help but be drawn in by them! I have always loved their jewelry selections, and the vivacity of these pieces is no exception. Any of these would make a great finishing touch to a simple dress with heels, or to dress up a cute blouse and jeans combo.

While I would take any of these gems in a heartbeat, the deep teal hue in the top left pieces is a winner in my book. Blue has always been a favorite color of mine! It matches so easily with most other colors in any season. Which of these pieces would you pick?

J Crew iridescent necklace, $175 / J Crew sequin necklace, $200 / J Crew colorful jewelry, $200 / J Crew crystal statement necklace, $185 / J Crew colorful jewelry, $135 / J Crew cuff bangle / J.Crew crystal stud earrings, $40 / J.Crew earrings, $47

xoxo, CC

Soft Color

Earlier this week my mom came to the city to visit! Amid a plethora of brunches and dinners at various restaurants (yum yum) we made a little stop at H&M. It's always fun to have a mini shopping spree at the start of the season to refresh your wardrobe. I love going to H&M for this because their clothes are cheap enough that I can get several pieces without spending too much! My mom picked out this flowy asymmetrical top in the ever-popular color blush, which I accessorized with more pastels in light pinks and greens. It was such a gorgeous warm day that we took a walk down my favorite block in Harlem, followed by a stroll in the Park.

In other exciting news, I finally found the blush colored faux-leather jacket of my dreams!! It just so happened to match my outfit precisely, so I couldn't resist wearing it out of the store. Light pastel pink is a great color year round (so I can rock this jacket in the Fall too) but I am especially drawn to it in the Spring when warmer temps make softer colors a no-brainer. 

Top: H&M (1/2). Moto jacket: bebe. Jeans: Jbrand. Bracelets: H&M. Ring set: H&M. Necklace: BaubleBar. Earrings: Ruche. Booties: Steve Madden. Bag: Kate Spade.

xoxo, CC

Vacation Dreaming with Warby Parker

(Daisy in Aurelia Tortoise)

Just a few days ago I happened to be thinking about how a cute pair of glasses can add such a smarty chic edge to an outfit, and wouldn't it be fun to have a pair of stylish glasses to wear even though I don't need them? And wouldn't you know, almost as if they were reading my mind, Warby Parker reached out to me and asked if I would help them announce their new Spring Collection. 

One of my best friends introduced me to Warby Parker as a company that really inspired her with their program of helping those in need: for each pair of glasses sold they donate glasses to someone in need through their non-profit partners. Not only are they a socially conscious company, they make some pretty cute styles too! 

(Brooks in Striped Pacific)

The Spring Collection is full of pretty new hues and touches of nautical inspiration. I put together two looks featuring my favorite new Warby Parker frames: a tropical vacation look (because don't we all want to be somewhere warm right about now), and a New York dreamer look, for those of us who are still stuck in the snow only wishing we could be on a beach by the sea.

I keep seeing images of my favorite bloggers and celebs basking in the sun on a tropical vacation, and it has me longing for warm afternoons by the beach. This look would be perfect for a day in the sun, with the flowy dress, sandy brown glasses, and ocean-blue accessories. The Chalmer glasses in Striped Beach pick up on the sandy hues of the mottled beach, and are the perfect pair to pack on vacation. The light brown shade matches with golden hues and looks fabulous accented with tropical blues and greens. Pretty sandals, a carry-all tote and a pretty little camera to capture the view complete the vacation packing list.

For a more practical winter look I combined classic New York black on black with distressed skinny jeans and a cropped knit sweater. To keep warm, and mix up the color tones a bit, I added a long cozy blush-colored coat with a glamorous fur collar. I picked the Daisy frames in Aurelia Tortoise to add a little unexpected color to the cold winter outfits we're forced to wear here in the North. The pretty coral-inspired periwinkle hue is complimented in the matching clutch, which also picks up on the rosy tones in the frames (and I seriously can't get enough of this clutch). Gold jewels and stylish booties complete this look, while the bright touches and nautical accessories keep our minds dreaming of clear water beaches and warmer weather.

Glasses: Warby Parker, Daisy. Coat: Asos. Jeans: A Gold E. Sweater: Azalea (also love this UO). Clutch: Asos. Bracelets: J. Crew, Kate Spade. Ring: Baublebar. Earrings: One King's Lane. Booties: Eric Michael Berlin via Zappos.

(Chalmer in Striped Beach)

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

Chez Moi

I wanted to share with you today some photos of my apartment now that I am settled in. Before I moved in I spent hours looking at apartment decorating ideas online, so I wanted to share my results with you. Most of the furniture and decor that I've used are things that I already owned, but it is always nice to get some inspiration on how to set up a room, balance decor styles, and maximize space in a small apartment. 

For my bedroom I reused some of my pink college dorm pieces (yes, I was that girl who showed up freshman year with all pink everything), such as the bulletin board, bookshelf, and owl paintings. I wanted to balance out all the pink by using white as a unifying background color and mixing in some blue and teal as well. The mirrored nightstand, white rugs, and white polkadot curtains keep the room airy and light, especially since I don't get any natural sunlight in the room. The antiqued mirrors on my dresser add a more mature aspect to the decor, while some white ceramic trays and another mirror contain my jewelry. I made my own wall-hanging necklace holder as a way to organize and display my statement necklaces, and I am so excited by the way it came out and the way it compliments the room. 

To maximize space I use my bookcase, along with the help of pretty boxes and baskets to store my more presentable belongings, such as books, art supplies, and nail polish, and I got a cute blue rolling cart to contain the less-easy-on-the-eyes items. By the way, I love this bookcase because it is super light weight and easy to transport, and it was so easy to assemble since the pieces are adhesive. My decor style is definitely girly and colorful, with plenty of classic white to balance it out, and touches of elegance and whimsy. 

I am still looking for some wall art to fill the blank wall above my bed which is also directly opposite the door when you walk in. I was thinking something in a mostly white color scheme, maybe with pops of color, or maybe with some 3-dimensionality… Any ideas? 

Bookcase: Way Basic (similar, more options). Bed frame and dresser: Ikea Malm collection. Faux sheepskin rug: Ikea. Rolling cart: Ikea. Polkadot baskets: Target (similar). Lamp: Target. Mirrored table: Target (available here for more than I spent). Decorative pillows: Pier 1 Imports (similar, similar). Quilt: The Company Store (love this one). Jewelry dish, bulletin board and storage boxes: TJ Maxx. Curtains: Ikea. 

xoxo, CC