It seems like the old rule for not wearing whites past Labor Day is pretty much dead, isn’t it? So in honor of that old, dumb rule here’s nearly an all white dress right before Labor Day! I guess technically it is more of a beige but oh well. I have had a bit of a love affair with anything linen this year and this dress from Urban Outfitters is perfect for late Summer days. Summer seems to have gotten a late start this year and has been especially hot and dry the last few weeks of August. I think it’s reached the 90s almost every day this month, ack! This dress is made from such a nice breathable material for hot Summer days and it has helped keep me cool for sure. I paired this dress with a few leather details–including these Royale Flats from Free People and this great saddle bag from Etsy. It has been my go to bag this Summer and holds all my favorite stuff!
summer style
Snake Print Dress
I have no idea how I fell in love with this dress. There are two factors here that would make this so improbable that I can hardly believe it. First off: I HATE snake skin print. To me it’s the heavy hitter of trashiness, second only to leopard print. Hate it. I probably don’t need to explain my reasons, you probably already know and are on the same page. Moving on.
Second: the brand is Abercrombie & Fitch. I actually worked at Abercrombie Kids briefly while I was in high school and let’s just say the brand has come along way since then. They have some awesome, well made clothes for reasonable prices that don’t look like kid-wear. No longer do I see the gaudy “AnF” writing on everything nor do I see the oversized moose insignia stitched on everything. Gotta take my hat off to them for getting me to buy something snake skin, seriously. I mean come on, the pattern is gorgeous though right? Also, another awesome thing with their sizing on this dress: they offer this in tall which they recommend for anyone over 5’8. I’m not over 5’8 but I bought it anyways to get an extra few inches in the length, which paid off. I don’t like mini dresses and having the option to add some inches was great. Another smart touch to this wrap dress was the little snap enclosure. While I love wrap dresses it can be annoying to keep the front always secure so that little snap was a perfect touch. I love all the little details of this dress and it’s great to branch out into something I don’t normally wear!
Next up is a bit of a makeup experiment. I was curious whether my favorite — but pricey — concealer by NARS (the Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly) could be duped by a more affordable brand. It’s hard to find a perfect tone for fair skinned folks so I thought it would be tough to beat since NARS’ offering is a perfect skin tone match. NYX’s HD Studio Concealer in Porcelain (retails $6) gives a pretty good run for its money though and I was overall very happy with it. The coverage is pretty much the same but maybe slightly less creamy. The tone is a very good match but has a bit more of a pinky tone than NARS. For 1/5 of the price, their dupe is a pretty amazing option. I have tried both as an undereye concealer and am happy with both of them. If you’re a pale person like me and have been on the hunt for a perfect fair skin concealer, try both of these out!
Sky Blue Sky
Midi skirts and graphic tees have been my jam like all Summer. I think I’ve come to embrace midi and maxi length skirts more than shorter skirts lately. It could be a product of getting older but I just find longer length skirts to be way more flexible in terms of every day wear. I can wear them to work and then go out later and there’s no self-consciousness about the length. To me it’s all about comfort and not feeling self-conscious wherever I am. Skirts that run a bit too short just make me worried about strong gusts (lol) or whether or not I’m dressed appropriately. And ain’t nobody got time for that!
This skirt from Adored Vintage isn’t a color I would normally wear but I’ve come to love the robin’s egg hue. It just happens to be a perfect match with this awesome NASA Tee from Urban Outfitters! Gotta love the old NASA designs. A cool graphic tee works great with most outfits but I love them when paired with more feminine pieces. They’ve become a Summertime staple for me and below are a few of my favorites. Don’t forget the sneakers too!
Summer Whites & Linen
The Colorado sun is burning hot this time of year and that calls for lightweight skirts, cold drinks and shady porches. This flowing midi skirt from Adored Vintage is a perfect option for hot Summer days. It’s a bit longer than the typical midi skirt and fits more like a 3/4 maxi. It’s lightweight and flowy–the perfect Summer option! Why wear light colored clothing in the Summer? From what I’ve read, they doesn’t absorb the sun’s rays like black or dark colored clothes. Another Summery material I’ve been a big fan of lately has been linen. Linen is a breathable fabric and great for hotter days. This shirt was a lucky find from Etsy and looks great tied in the front.
Speaking of Etsy, this post is going to be pretty much all about the latest Etsy finds (stores linked at the end of this post). Another recent score was this leather cross-body bag. I’ve been on the hunt for a medium size cross-body/saddle bag and this one has everything I was looking for. It’s also affordable and goes with just about everything, so big win there! I recently upgraded my sun hat from the Etsy shop, LaMar Lifestyle, and it’s a great wide brimmed hat that offers a good amount of sun protection. It’s a must have for pale folks when sun screen just won’t cut it alone. This shop also has the best accessories for your day at the beach, including handwoven mules and beach blankets. It’s worth checking out!
Linen & Straw
I’m all about comfortable looks that look put together at the same time. I’ve personally never been a “wear sweatpants to the grocery store” kind of person, but if you are, more power to ya. Stylishness is usually sacrificed for the sake of comfort, but these linen pants are a totally different story.
It’s not too often where I come across an item where I go “hey these could technically be pajama pants!” But these are waay better than PJs; they look really fantastic dressed up with a nice boho style tunic and leather flats. I’ve worn these out on hot days because of how lightweight and breezy they are. Sometimes I’m just not in the mood for heavier material on really hot days. Linen is pretty much the ideal Summer material for clothing in my opinion. They are perfect for a Sunny day at the beach, poolside or a even a midday brunch.
Outfit Set:
Outfit Details: Pants: Caslon, Top: Forever 21, Sandals: Lucky Brand, Bag: eBay
Green Wrap Skirt & Summer to Fall Transition Pieces
It’s unfortunate being so busy that I haven’t been able to post as quickly as I’d like. I feel a bit of a time crunch since August has sped by and Fall is quickly approaching. It’s not a good feeling when you feel like you’re running out of time. It would be nice for everything to slow down so I have more time to post more Summer ideas! In California, this wasn’t really an issue since the temperature swings were so mild in comparison. I could post about Summer stuff all year long, but alas, Colorado has other ideas. At the same time, I’m very excited for Fall to get in full swing so I’m feeling a bit ambivalent!
Here’s one of my late Summer looks featuring this lovely wrap skirt from Zaful. I have been having a love affair with wrap skirts and dresses all Summer it seems like! I am a huge fan of this color and floral pattern. It’s a bit like a modern Ditsy pattern, and there’s so many different outfits you could wear with this one. Since this skirt has a longer length, it could easily be worn as a Summer/Fall transition piece. It would look fab with a suede or denim jacket, or even a chunky knit pullover! Since it’s still in the 80s here, I went with a summery plain white tee and sandals, but as an affordable transition piece it is worth checking out. This boyfriend style tee from Urban Outfitters is such a comfy and soft option for a white t-shirt. I personally am super picky about t-shirts and this one has a nice loose cut and the fabric is very soft. Since the boyfriend style runs looser, I ordered a size smaller and the fit is perfect!
Outfit Set:
Outfit Details: Top: Urban Outfitters, Skirt: Zaful, Shoes: Nature Breeze, Bag: eBay
Summer Stripes
Sometimes when you’re nowhere near the beach, you just gotta recreate it yourself right? That was the goal of this outfit. Since I live in a landlocked state now, I was missing the beach a lot recently and I wanted to create the beachiest Summer outfit possible. Also, it’s back up to mid-90 degree temperatures so that might have had something to do with it! I spied out this vertical stripe 60’s inspired mini dress on Urban Outfitters and had a big time nostalgia flashback–it reminded me so much of my favorite beach towel that I knew I had to snap it up. The stripe pattern was almost exact, I couldn’t believe it! I also love the 60’s inspired silhouette and the light and breezey chiffon fabric. The fabric has a double layer with a black slip underneath which really makes the stripes pop. I love the muted retro colors of this dress and the fact it’s not SUPER bright. I kind of avoid bright stripey patterns and this isn’t like that at all.
I’ve also been kind of obsessed with this woven circle bag. They’ve definitely become more popular lately on social media which means that you can find them for much cheaper on sites like Etsy, Amazon and eBay. This particular one I found off eBay brand new. If you’re looking for a bag like this, I highly recommend going to more affordable sites first before you buy a branded bag for a big markup! That said, you will be seeing a lot of this bag in the future because it goes with so many darn things–I can’t seem to get it out of my outfit ideas! Same goes for these shoes, there are a lot of more expensive choices that are just like these, but I found these on Amazon and so far they have been way worth it. The dress however, was slightly more expensive so sometimes you just have to pick your battles and know when to splurge or save!
Outfit Details: Dress: Urban Outfitters, Bag: Unbranded, Shoes: Nature Breeze
Outfit Set:
Raw Edge Denim
Lately I’ve been having a love affair of sorts with everything Levi’s. I love their high wasted wedgie fits, and lately I’ve been interested in their raw edge offerings. These cropped jeans were pretty much exactly what I had been looking for since they go so well with so many Summer styles! These are the “straight leg raw hem cropped” jeans in the Rough Tide wash. You can wear them with shorter tops, cropped or tied up tees and you won’t be showing a mile of tummy due to the high rise waist. They’re also really comfortable for all denim jeans and have a decent amount of give to them. They’re still a little bit stiff since they’re new, but the great thing about Levi’s is that they will break in and soften over time.
I recently stumbled upon this graphic tee from Urban Outfitters and fell in love with the vintage floral design. I’ve been kind of obsessed with Audobon prints and old botanical designs for years, so this was a perfect addition to my closet. It looks great with so many outfits, especially jeans and skirts! Another recent find was this Fossil bag in a bright mustard yellow–another totally random find. I love the size and color of this bag, and it is been a perfect small crossbody for Summer!
Outfit Details: Tee: Urban Outfitters, Jeans: Levi’s, Shoes: Birkenstock, Bag: Fossil
Outfit Set: