Splash of Color

Dress: Loft; Belt: Ann Taylor; Shoes: Sam Edelman;

Bangles/Earrings: Silpada; Ring: Tiffany;

Sunnies: DG

 Day three of swimming lessons and I'm back with a dress. I found that Tuesday's outfit was just too much to deal with post lesson. A dress goes on over the head, add the belt and I was done! Oh, and the whole flip flops versus heels by the pool is working out really well.

I wore this dress at the beginning of summer last year. What a great dress! First off, its 100% cotton which equals comfort and cool. Its pretty lifeless without the belt, but if it makes the cut throughout summer, I might try it loose. The shoes are new and a perfect mix with the colors in the dress. Look closely and you can see that splash of coral in a couple of places in the design. I wanted to pick up on that and the shoes were a perfect fit!

How I wore the dress before:

Spots of Neon

Top: Ralph Lauren; Jeans: Loft;

Shoes: Pour La Victoire via Rue La La;

Belt: Target; Necklace: Ann Taylor; Earrings: Made by Me

Sunnies: Marc by Marc Jacobs via Rue La La 

I can't tell you how many times I've worn these jeans and how many times a photo wasn't captured. Let's see...every single time until yesterday! I wore them twice in Chicago, once running errands around town and most recently on a family outing to see Thomas the Train with our son. (I can share with you a photo of the family when I wore these last, sorry its not a real blogging photo, but at least you can show I've worn them before.) 

I felt like a disheveled mom yesterday! McKinley is taking parent/tot swimming lessons this summer and I am using my lunch hour for the next two weeks to attend with him. This is so important to me and I am not going to miss out on things just because I work full time outside the home. With that being said, I am challenging myself with what to wear to work that can transition easily to the pool and then back to work. Monday was our first day and I learned my lesson! No more wearing Jimmy Choo pumps poolside, unless I'm by the pool at the Beverly Hills Hotel sipping Chandon. There's a time a place, right?

 

How I've worn the denim button down before:

 

 

 

In Full Bloom

 

Dress: Milly via Gilt; Shoes: Jimmy Choo (gift);

Sunnies: DG; Necklace: Lord & Taylor (gift);

Earrings: gift (super old - like 80s old)

I love this dress. I feel very Charlotte York Goldenblatt or that I'm dressed for a 1970s garden party! Either way, this dress is timeless. I love the large floral print, the ease of the design, the fact that it has pockets and the cut is as interesting in the front as it is in the back! I love structural designs like this! So unique but not overwhelming. And, it can be worn for so many different occasions. A must have dress for every girls closet!

One thing I might do differently next time is add a belt. I feel that even though the dress is fitted, I can still cinch the waist a bit. And, I think it would be super cute with flat sandals to dress it down.

 

Heartbreak

If this seems a little out of place, it's understandable. I managed two blogs, Style My Way and And McKinley Makes Three. Since changing my POV with this blog, making it a little more lifestyle in feel, I added all And McKinley Makes Three posts to this one. It has been quite some time since I blogged about our son. Here are some things happening in our world.

My mother always told me that whenever I was heartbroken, she was too. If I experienced major disappointment, she felt it as well. Now that I'm a mother, I know exactly what she means. McKinley may only fourteen months old, but he's experiencing heartbreak and I am along for the ride. 

For instance, we went to a "Ride Along with Thomas" event about a month ago. We weren't really sure how McKinley would react to this outing or even if he would understand what was going on around him. Well the latter couldn't be further from the truth. The minute he saw Thomas all he could do was point and utter "ooohhhh" in his general direction. As we stood in line to have our photo taken with Thomas, McKinley could hardly contain himself. He squirmed in the direction of the large train engine, pointing constantly, and cried to be closer. Upon our photo being taken, Thomas peeped his horn and started to roll away from the station. It was then that McKinley expressed heartbreak. As the large, blue engined rolled along the tracks, my son cried as if his heart was breaking. Thomas was leaving and McKinley was sure he wasn't coming back. It was the saddest thing to watch. He was over it within seconds, but that moment was so tender. So honest. And I wanted to cry for him!

"See Thomas? He's over there!"

"I said over there!"

The most recent heartbreak came just the other night. McKinley thinks that he can get places faster by crawling, so instead of walking alone, he chooses to crawl. And he is fast! Like crazy fast! A couple of weeks ago, he was going so fast that his little arms and legs got out of sync and he ended up face first on my parents hardwood floor. Poor little thing bummed his lip, which bled, and caused a small, "fat" lip on his upper lip. Well, Sunday night he was crawling around our bedroom while Joel and I put up blinds. McKinley, one to squeeze through any space because he lacks the patience to wait, decided he needed past me and the closet door because I wasn't responding fast enough to his needs. He raced through only to "trip" over my foot and land face down on that same lip. Screams of pain, face as red as a beet, breath held until I blew and a small amount of blood on his little hand that was being pulled from his mouth cause me to instantly crumble. It was all I could do to not cry myself. The look on his face just broke my heart. (He did the same thing within 15 minutes of the first fall when trying to crawl over daddy's feet.) The same expression yielded a cry for a Ni-Ni (bottle) so the two of us made our way to the kitchen. 

I held him as he took his bottle, caressed his little head and watched him fall asleep in my arms. I probably held him for over an hour as he slept. I figured, even if he didn't say it, he needed his Mama as much as I needed to try and console him. I know there are going to be worse moments, I'm hopeful I'm wrong, and far more bumps and bruises to come. I think the thing that so hard for me now is that he can't tell me when he hurts so his little face carries all the pain and all I can do is soothe. Mending one broken heart at a time.

How could anyone or anything break this precious boys heart?

19 Pieces That Equal 45 Looks???

In this months issue of Lucky Magazine, the article "19 Affordable Piece for Your Ultimate Closet" is pretty amazing. First off, the 19 pieces they have chosen are darling. Secondly, they are all crazy affordable. And thirdly, they create 45 different looks! That's right! Forty-five different looks! Its true! I read the article. And now I'm passing it along to you. Check it out here.

As for the 45 looks, I have picked my favorites that I hope to replicate out of my own closet.

 

 

Can you see a pattern? I think I like the striped tee, the military jacket, the chambray shirt and colored shorts. All of which exist in my closet today. What I think I need to add is the darling polka dot dress and accordion pleat skirt. I just wish I could be this creative on my own! These looks are all right there in front of me and I didn't think to put them together on my own!

Thanks Lucky Magazine!

All photos courtesy of Lucky Magazine.

My Week in Shoes

This week has been a mix of heel heights! I love that I'm challenging myself every week to wear a different pair of shoes each day. Normally, I sport almost the same pairs and never really wear ALL of the shoes I own. I couldn't possibly tell you how many pairs I own, nor would I if I knew. As they say, a lady never tells....

 

 

Shoes:

Top Left: Marc by Marc Jacobs (gift); Top Right: Tory Burch (gift)

Middle: Pour La Victoire (Rue La La)

Bottom Left: Anne Klein (gift); StyleMint

Rainbow of Colors

Jacket: Levi's (similar); Top: Black House White Market;

 Pants: Ann Taylor (similar);Shoes: Anne Klein (gift); 

Scarf: Piperlime; Bangles: Silpada;

Bird Cuff: Madewell; Sunnies: DG

I have loved this scarf since Piperlime sent out a flyer back in early spring and now it is finally mine! The colors are so rich and vibrant; truly a rainbow of colors. And it can transition easily throughout every season of the year. I am so thankful for the cooler temps yesterday so I could pair it the two most beloved pieces in my closet right now; these red pants and denim jacket!

I have honestly lived in these red pants since spring and you can see how I've paired them here, here and here. Below is how I've paired them with the denim jacket. Don't you love it when you have to pieces that can be worn with so many things, yet you don't feel like you're truly repeating a look? I call those items your work horse!

 

How I've paired the pants and jacket before:

How darling is that little bird cuff? I got it at Madewell a couple of weeks ago and I know it will go with so many other piece this summer!

 

"Do You Know Jacqueline Smith"

 

One of my favorite movies is "Sweet Home Alabama", and when I purchased this Jacqueline Smith dress, all I could think about was the line...."Do you know Jacqueline Smith?" And I should use the term purchase loosely as this is one of the pieces I "purchased" with the gift card won from Kmart back in February.

This dress is timeless! The black and white stripes, the self-tie belt, the fact that its a maxi all make for a recipe that I will try again and again! In fact, this is the second wearing of the dress styled exactly like this. I wore it see Next to Normal at the Kaufman Center a couple of weekends ago and it was perfect for a matinee and dinner after. The only difference was that I paired it with a black shrug. 

What you don't see in this pic is the denim jacket I used at work. I swear, it is 90+ outside but Arctic in the building! I couldn't fathom wearing the jacket for photos. Stifling is what I would have been! What you can see is the jacket and how I've worn it here, here and here!

 

 

 

 

 

Sweet and Sour

Dress: Target; Belt: Ann Taylor; Shoes: Marc by Marc Jacobs (gift); 

 Sunnies: Marc by Marc Jacobs via Rue La La; 

Necklace: Banana Republic; Earrings: Silpada; 

Rings: House of Harlow

There is something a little sweet and a little sour with this look. I love the sweet pin tucked sleeves. And the dress is sweet in that it can be worn on multiple occasions depending on you style it.

The sour comes with the lime green/neon yellowish stripe! The tough chain necklace! And the asymmetrical hemline against the Chevron stripe! And, the whole look contrasts with the top knot as its too hot to wear my hair down today. (And I am in desperate need of a cut and color!)

What I don't like about this....the imperfect way my belt is hanging! I know can't walk around perfectly quaffed all day, but I could have checked the belt. BOO!