Daily Look 1.15.19

Shirt: J.Crew // Sweater: Madewell // Jeans: Madewell // Coat: ASOS // Shoes: J.Crew // Earrings: J.Crew Factory

You know you've found a staple outfit when you've worn the exact same look three times in a week!

I've been reading the book "Lessons from Madame Chic: 20 Stylish Secrets I Learned While Living in Paris" by Jennifer L. Scott, where the author talks about her host family living with a 10-piece wardrobe. She also goes on to talk about creating this kind of capsule wardrobe by defining your true style to help guide you with what you should keep, add, and remove from your closet. 

Taking her advice of giving your style a fun label rather than something generic like bohemian or preppy, I settled on my current style being labeled as casual chic. While I love attending events where I get to dress up in really feminine dresses and skirts, that isn't the norm for me. As a person who works from home, I've found my daily outfits are more simple with classic silhouettes paired with accessories to add a bit of flair. 

Having a label for my style also helps me when shopping for new items: does this shirt fit within my casual chic style, or is it a cute, eccentric top I like but will not actually wear? While this is still new to me, I feel like it will really help me make thoughtful purchases and may actually help keep my spending down!

Shop this look by coffee budget:

-Tall-

Shirt // Sweater // Jeans // Coat // Shoes // Earrings

-Grande-

Shirt // Sweater // Jeans // Coat // Shoes // Earrings

-Venti-

Shirt // Sweater // Jeans // Coat // Shoes // Earrings

 

Leave a comment with the label you would use to define your style!

-Meagan-  

Summer Reading x Weekend Comfort

(image source)

My family and I are planning our first trip Up North to our cottage this weekend and I am so unbelievably excited to be back in my favorite place in the world! Sadly, I looked at the weather forecast for the days we will be there and it is looking cold and rainy. 

On the bright side, my cottage is also one of my favorite places to curl up, get cozy, and read a good book. Below I've listed out some of the books I've read this spring and plan on reading throughout the summer season. I also couldn't resist compiling a cozy lounge look that would be perfect for a day of curling up with a good story :)

• Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard - I read this book in a day and a half and even that wasn't fast enough. I gobbled up this story and am now anxiously waiting for the sequel to be released (have to wait until 2016, boo!). If you like Dystopia fiction and Fantasy, this is a cool fusion of the two genres.

• The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson - I've heard so many good things about this non-fiction book, I'm surprised it's taken me this long to purchase. The fact it is a true story about a serial killer using the Chicago World Fair to lure in his victims makes it all the more spooky and enticing!

• All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr - If you're a sucker for World War II fiction novels, this book comes highly recommended.

• The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay - My favorite standalone book (Harry Potter is my favorite series, of course :) ). Girl haunted by a traumatic event in her past moves to a new town and crosses paths with a boy who seems cursed by death surrounding him. I can't do this book justice in just a few sentences - please, please, please check it out!

• Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty - I always love mystery books when laying out on the beach. This book presents itself as a fast-paced, easy read that leaves you wanting to know whodunnit?
 

Pants | Shirt | Bralet | Glasses | Slippers | Pillow | Mug

Happy Reading!

-Meagan-

I'd love to hear your book recommendations in the comments below!

Wishlist Wednesday

Sweater - Madewell // Shirt - Sincerely Jules // iPhone Case - Marc by Marc Jacobs // Purse // Rag & Bone // Watch - Marc by Marc Jacobs // Heels - Saint Laurent // Pants - Adriano Goldschmied

Work has been extremely crazy as of late. We went from having absolutely no overtime to "try and work 11-12 hrs/day if possible. Oh you aren't doing anything this weekend? You should come in and work on some files!" Talk about your polar opposites!

It's probably not healthy for my wallet, but I always imagine all of these OT hours as a form of currency...1 hr equals a nice meal, while 5 hours equals that dress I've been keeping my eye on. These are the items currently sitting in my imaginary shopping cart. A girl can dream, right? :)

Happy last day of winter! We made it!

-Meagan-

One Piece, Two Ways: Mint Green Jacket

Jacket - Joie

Outfit on Left: Dress - Madewell // Wallet - Rebecca Minkoff // Bracelet - Michael Kors // Shoes - L.A.M.B.

Outfit on Right: Peplum - DKNY // Jeans - Current/Elliott // Purse - Rebecca Minkoff // Ankle booties - Sam Edelman // Necklace - Baublebar (sold out, similar here)

In light of the spring season and recent monochromatic trend, I put together these two outfits to show how you can incorporate the trend in a more conservative manner.

The Joie jacket pictured above and that I'm currently obsessing over makes for a great day-to-night transitional piece due to its silk material, being light enough for the day but enough at night when the air gets a little chilly. Plus that mint green color is to die for!

What do you think of the monochromatic trend?

 Are you all for it and rocking the trend in full out one color all over, or are you more subdued and using it more as an accent to your look?

-Meagan

She's Always Buzzing Just Like Neon

Dress - J.Crew (old, crave-worthy dress here) // Shoes - Madewell (similar) // Clutch - J.Crew Factory // Hat - J.Crew (25% off sale going on now!) // Jewelry - J.Crew, H&M, Urban Outfitters // Shades - Ray-Ban // Nails - Essie "avenue maintain"

Wearing and accessorizing with bright, neon colors is an easy way to add a little happiness to your day. Bold and bright colors are a favorite of mine come spring and don't leave my wardrobe rotation until it snows (and maybe then some).

 It's funny to think that when I was little my favorite color was black! It was all I wanted to wear and the only marker I would use for drawing pictures. Dark colors and black are still a favorite of mine, but luckily I've opened up to other hues outside of the grayscale ;)

-Meagan :)

Pattern Play

 Jacket - Mango // Sweater - H&M // Shirt - Tahari // Cords - American Eagle (similar here) // Sunglasses - UO // Bag - Dooney & Bourke (want this bag!) // Flats - Madewell (on sale!)

With our family reunited this week, we thought it would be a great idea to go to our favorite Italian restaurant to celebrate us all being together again for more than just 5 hours. We met up with another family that we are good friends with and enjoyed each other's company and good food! :)

Work has been pretty stress-free the past few days, but taking time to go out and have fun mid-week always makes the rest of the week easier to get through. Maybe if I had strawberry coconut gelato every day I wouldn't have so many worries ;)

-Meagan

Spring Awakening

Monty Python??

Coat - J.Crew (great alternative here) // Sweater - GAP (similar) // Pants - J Brand // Sunglasses - Urban Outfitters (similar) // Shoes - Madewell // Purse - Dooney & Bourke (dream bag here)

It's days like today where I can feel spring is around the corner: the sun was shining, the wind was still and the snow melting, and there were even BIRDS chirping! I cannot wait for weather where I can go for a run in just a t-shirt and shorts instead of layers upon layers. People that know me well also know I'm weirdly obsessed with the couple weeks tree leaves bud and appear. Ahh, spring get here soon! Please :)

-Meagan

Red

 Outfit details: Coat - J.Crew // Vest - J.Crew // Turtleneck - J.Crew (on sale!)  // Shirt - J.Crew Factory // Pants - Ralph Lauren // Shoes - Madewell // Sunglasses - Gap // Purse - Coach

Today we made the drive across the state to visit my sisters and watch some track races (of course). While it wasn't anything different than we have been doing the last few weekends, it is always just nice to be with my family. It also didn't hurt that we brought home some Tom's Mom's cookies that were delivered to my sister's apartment! Mmm :) the best cookies money can buy.

You may have also noticed that I updated the layout and design of my blog. I am not the most tech savvy person and am not quite sure if everything looks correctly when I switched over, so please if you see anything weird let me know! :)

(Photos taken by my lovely sister, Eileen)

The Neutral Zone

From left to right:

Jackets: 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5

Shirts/Cardigans: 1 // 2 // 3 (need this t-shirt!) // 4 // 5

Jeans: J Brand

Shoes: 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5

From left to right: As soon as I purchased my plane ticket to Europe, I immediately began searching on Pinterest to see what sort of fashion and clothing Europeans wear. I'm one of those people who does not want to stick out like a sore thumb in places unfamiliar to me, so serious the clothes I pack for my trip. 

The first thing I noticed right away was the color choices in clothing, or lack thereof is more like it. Nearly every picture I found featured a tall, leggy girl dressed in layers of neutral colors and a scarf or statement necklace to complete their look. If they were wearing a more playful color it usually was used as an accent, like with the scarf or their shoes or purse.

I've always been more drawn to wearing brights (which is probably why I'm drawn to J.Crew...I'm like a moth attracted to the light in that sense), but there is something about wearing all neutrals that feels cool, edgy, classy, and glamorous all at once. After looking through those pictures, I felt inspired to come up with my own ideas on how to pull together a neutral ensemble. *p.s. Can you tell I'm obsessed with moto jackets as of late? ;)*

Comfort and Sparkle this Holiday Season

This time of year as the weather turns all I want to wear is big, comfy sweaters and leggings. However, with the holidays there are always events and parties to attend where I still want to look put together but maintain my comfort (and warmth) while looking respectable. The holiday season also makes me want to add a little pizazz into my outfits to keep my spirits bright to match the festivities. Throwing some glitter and sparkle into an ensemble, whether it be something bold like a dress or shorts or subtle like a bracelet or nail polish, always seems to do the trick for me. Here are some of the things I'm liking as of late that would be nice for these upcoming months of cold weather, holiday parties, and a plate with a frenchie to make me smile when I'm missing the warm weather :)

1. J.Crew 2. Madewell 3. GAP 4. Mango 5. C.Wonder 6. C.Wonder 7. Tory Burch 8. J.Crew 9. Coach