Spring Blooms

The weather was really lovely for walking around this weekend, which was perfect since we had guests visiting from out of town. We took full advantage of Saturday and spent the entire afternoon walking around the city, stopping only to graze on amazing food along the way (pizza, cupcakes, fried chicken… what didn’t we eat?).

We stopped by the Union Square farmers market, which is one of my favorite places to be during the spring and summer. You can easily make an afternoon out of browsing the amazing offerings from the local farms. There were a few stands selling cherry and plum branches that bloom with tiny pink flowers, and the tulips just screamed “spring”!

I’m keeping fresh flowers in our apartment more frequently now — it just makes our space feel a little more fun when there is something nice to look at when we get home at the end of the day! Ranunculus is one of my favorite flowers, and I’ve had the bunch seen here for over a week already. As long as you change out their water and get rid of dead leaves, the buds will continue to bloom! What are your favorite spring blooms?

Spring Preview

Sometimes when the weather gets just a little too cold and the days a little too dark, I can’t help but daydream about warmer days and shorter hemlines. I’m about at that point where I don’t want to think about another layer or go through the process of bundling and un-bundling as I come and go during the day. Luckily, even though the temperature isn’t quite right for bare legs and sandals yet, there are plenty of spring items sneaking their way into the stores already. I’m already stocking up! Here are a few of my picks for the spring.

{1} Prabal Gurung for Target (available February 10th) | {2} Club Monaco | {3} Tibi

{1} Kate Spade | {2} Deepa Gurnani | {3} Etsy

{1} Rebecca Minkoff | {2} Schutz | {3} Zara

It’s Shocking! Neons for Spring

No matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to pull myself away from ne0n colors. Like a moth attracted to an outrageously obnoxious fluorescent light, I keep coming back to this bright and punchy spring trend while never having the courage to just go on and try it. Although you’ll probably (ok, make that definitely) never see me in the lovely Christopher Kane number pictured above, I’ve been looking for ways to incorporate a little more fluo-fun into my wardrobe for spring.

This pair of heels from Zara marries two partners of one of the best color combinations, in my opinion: nude and fluorescent. The neutral color of the shoe balances out the crazy pop of bright yellow, making it completely wearable.

If you haven’t seen and/or drooled over one of Cambridge Satchel Co.‘s fluorescent satchels yet, I don’t really know where you’ve been. I can imagine that wearing one of these bags with an otherwise simple outfit would just make such a statement. The other awesome thing is that you can opt to have your initials embossed on the front of the bag, which I think is so old-timey and cool.

Would I wear this dress? Maybe if I had a really, really good excuse to look like a paillette-ed Big Bird. I can’t imagine how much this sucker by ASOS BLACK weighs, much less how you’d sit down in it without ruffling your sequins into a terrible state, but sometimes there are more important things in life than answering rational questions.

I really love the beautiful, tailored look of this Nanette Lepore blouse, and it’s made just that much better by being bright, neon orange. This is definitely a more wearable option than the Big Bird dress, but obviously not as risky. And let’s face it… if you don’t take a little risk and look like you’re lost and trying to find your way back to Sesame Street, how much fun are you really having?

Spring Flowers

Now that we might actually be having a little bit of a spring season before we head into the summer, I’ve been eying the flower department at Trader Joe’s every time I pass by. Growing up, my mom always had fresh flower arrangements in our house. Now that I have my own place, I appreciate how much time and effort can go into keeping up with decor like this! Here are a few ideas I’d like to try:

Emily from Cupcakes and Cashmere posted this great DIY project for a floating vase. This idea seems so casual but elegant, and it requires just a few sprigs of flowers instead of an entire bouquet! {Photo Credit: Cupcakes and Cashmere}

During my trip to Europe last week, I flew into Geneva, Switzerland to visit with a friend there for a few hours before heading on to France. I was amazed by how beautiful and green the city was, and even more amazed when I saw that flower beds that lined the sidewalks were planted with vibrant poppies! These flowers are so unique and beautiful that I don’t even think you need to arrange them with other flowers in a bouquet — they definitely stand on their own! {Photo Credit: rebamex on Flickr}

I often go to the Brooklyn Flea on the weekends during the summer to check out all of the fun stuff on sale. I’ve seen Kat Flower there a few times now, and I’m always so tempted to pick up some of the amazing stems they have to choose from! I love checking out their blog, and the idea of a single ranunculus in a simple glass vase seems like a perfect first step for someone with no flower arrangement skills like me! {Photo Credit: Kat Flower}

The Opposite of Winter Blahs

Every morning when I eagerly check the weather report, the temperature seems to slowly creep upwards, only to plummet back down a few days later. Maybe it’s because this winter has been so depressingly long that every store front seems to be filled with color for spring. I love that we’re skipping right over the soft, girly pastels and jumping right into screaming neons and fun brights that are reminiscent of the hot beachy weather we wish we were having (note: this post can not be used against me in July when I’m breaking out in heat rash and complaining about how f%$&*#@ hot NYC is during the summer).

This great asymmetric top from Zara has been calling to me since the first day that I laid eyes on it. The cut is so chic, and it literally provides a blank canvas for anything else you want to layer with it.

Also from Zara, these shockingly bright trousers are tailored enough to wear to work, but fun enough for the weekend too. If this doesn’t scream “sunshine” to you, I’m not sure what will.

I love the punchy color blocking on this Nine West bag. This is a great option if you want a trendy and colorful bag without spending a fortune on a leather one (yes, we all know how I feel about faux-leather, but sometimes you gotta be thrifty!)

What are you adding to your spring wardrobe to shake the winter blahs?

Little White Dress

White has never been my best color. I’ve convinced myself over the years that my skin is just far too pale to carry it off, especially when it comes to dresses. I love the idea of a pretty, flowy, feminine white dress, but I picture myself looking more like Ophelia (you know, after she drowned in the river) than like the free-spirited hippie frolicking in a flowery meadow.

I finally got over my fear and ordered a white dress from ASOS last week, but when it arrived today I was disappointed — the color and style were great, but the dress was cut a little awkwardly and the fabric was so sheer that even wearing a slip underneath revealed more than I was willing to show off in public. So now the good news is that the color (or absence of color) looked good on me. The bad news is that I need to find a dress constructed well enough to conceal what needs to be concealed. Here are a few I’ve got my eye on.

Staring at Stars Gauze Dress at Urban Outfitters — This dress is lovely and simple, and the off-white color of the fabric works a little better on pasty girls like me!

Trina Turk Geralyn Dress at Piperlime — Oh, how I wish I could afford this beauty right now. The cut of this dress is so pretty and flattering, and the lace adds a nice touch of class to it.

Sunburst Maxi Dress at Free People — This is definitely something I’d have to wear a belt with so that it didn’t look huge, but I’m really liking the length of this dress and the pleated detail at the bust. It would look adorable with a brown belt cinched at the waist and a really bright bag to add a little color.

Cherry Macarons

Happy first day of spring! In honor of one of my favorite spring fruits, I whipped up a batch of cherry macarons this weekend, which turned out quite lovely! I just filled a vanilla cookie with a buttercream that I added cherry preserves to. I topped the macarons with diced bits of dried cherries for some decoration as well!

Do You Buy Faux Leather?

Tonight as I was browsing the web for a little Spring inspiration, I stumbled across this bright, fun bag by Melie Bianco. It has a lot of what I’m looking for in a bag — a pop of color, nice structure and large enough to lug around half of my life with me at all times. Everything was looking great to me, until one tiny detail jumped out at me: the bag is “faux leather”, which to me screams “PVC! Plastic! Cheap!” I fully realize that this reaction might make me seem like a snob; I don’t know where my aversion to anything faux leather came from but I just can’t seem to get over it, especially when it comes to handbags. I don’t own many handbags, consequently, but nearly all of mine are real leather. I have theories that they look nicer, last longer and wear better, but that also comes with a hefty price tag!

As I considered this bag further, I realized that it wasn’t “cheap” by any stretch — nearly $100 for a faux leather bag? How could I justify that? This is where I’d love an opinion — would you rather have fewer real leather handbags and instead buy more like this one? Do you feel like these PVC-type bags can look real, or can you always spot them from a mile away?

Spring Trenches

I realized today that I’m slightly obsessed with coats. Back in the fall, I stalked a cape coat at Topshop until they got it in my size, even though I have two other perfectly sufficient cold weather coats. Now I’m lusting after some new trench coats for spring. To be fair, I desperately need to replace my classic khaki trench coat, which is why I have my eye on this funnel-neck play on the classic from Gap.

I’m also craving color after this long and dreary winter. I have a fantastic black satin trench that I picked up last year, but I don’t see why I shouldn’t throw a little something bright into the mix to give myself another option. This pink trench from ASOS would definitely provide a nice pop of color!

 

 

 

Dream Wardrobe: European Vacation

I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I’ll be spending some time this spring in Europe with two friends from college who have relocated there. Airfare is certainly not cheap right now, but I’m watching the deals every day to try to make something work. Even though the cost of the trip will likely take up a good chunk of what I’d usually spend on clothes, here are a few outfits I’d love to have while jetting to Geneva or drinking cafe in Lyon.

River Island Leopard Pleat Skirt — ASOS
Equipment “Signature” Button-Down — Madison LA
70s Floppy Felt Hat — ASOS
Ella Moss Hampstead Cardigan — Piperlime
Ostrich M.A.B. Mini — Rebecca Minkoff
Salvatore Ferragamo Carla Patent Bow Pump — Neiman Marcus

Proenza Schouler Knee-length Skirt, YOOX
Elizabeth and James Striped “James” Blazer, Madison LA
Leather Covered Shapes Short Necklace, ASOS
Boutique 9 Pawla Platform Sandal, Nine West
MAC Clutch, Rebecca Minkoff

Tailored Slim Crop Pant, ASOS
Winter Kate Clementine Cami, Revolve Clothing
Vince Lambskin Leather Jacket, Nordstrom
Amrita Singh Sona Bangles, Pink Mascara
Etienne Aigner Athena Satchel, Macys