I was not intending on taking outfit photos the day I wore this. Christian and I had a bunch of errands to run in the morning and after having an overindulgent lunch at Chili's (to use my free birthday dessert!) we decided to take a long walk in the park. It was too pretty to not snap a few photos so you get to see a super simple outfit and no makeup. Jeans, tee, cardigan - done!
It was a PERFECT Fall day so we ended up staying over an hour just walking around and chatting. Simple pleasures. A nice change from sitting on the couch on my computer all day. We were also having a nice laugh watching the park rangers go around the parking lot giving people tickets if they didn't have a park sticker. We don't live in town anymore so we actually bought a non-resident sticker so we could continue to come to this park.
Tee: A New Day via Target
Purple Cardigan: Max Studio
Jeans: Current/Elliott skinny jean in Love Destroyed
Bag: Purple Prada Cahier in Viola (Rebag via Vestiaire Collective)
Sandals: Ancient Greek Sandals 'Apteros' in Crosta Wine (bought in Athens)
The past two weekends I've had some good quality time with Layla! 2 weekends ago a friend came over and wanted to see her so I stole her from my cousin for a sleepover. Then this past weekend my cousin was going to a wedding so I took her overnight again. She also got to hang out at my parents' house for a bit. All the field trips!
She always enjoys coming down the road to our house because she can run around our backyard smelling all the new smells. On the way to my parents' house for a labor day get together we made a pit stop for outfit photos and a quick sniff for Layla. She was dragging me all over the place hunting for who knows what. Dogs are so funny.
I rarely wear this kimono for outfit photos because it just doesn't photograph that well, but I think these came out pretty good. Whenever I wear this, which sadly isn't very often, I'm reminded of the infamous Extreme Cheapskates episode I filmed with Lydia in 2014. It still amazes me how people think shows like that are real. Spoiler: they are not. 90% is fabricated. They approached Lydia to highlight her "thriftiness" and then made up pretty much every segment of the show to make her look like a crazy person.
Kimono: Sonnetts Design - Rhode Island (Goodwill Outlet)
Bodysuit: Who What Wear x Target
Jeans: Current/Elliott skinny jean in Love Destroyed
Espadrilles: Sam Edelman 'Lars' (Net-a-Porter)
Sunglasses: Chanel
Well, I did it. I got my Prada Cahier bag! Well....almost. Read the story here! Since the bag money came out of a savings account I've been adding to for a few years I'm not counting it in my main 2021 spending total, but I did add a line at the bottom of the post including it in my yearly spending.
I also finally got Teva sandals after spending a couple months mulling it over. I went with a crazy printed pair since they'll be more fun for beach trips, camping and rainy Disney days! I also bought a new bathing suit from Target for a beach trip (that ended up being canceled.)
THE (modified) RULES
- Be mindful of purchases
- Quality over quantity
- Basics are best
MY PROGRESS
Clothes:
- mīere the label Women’s Cotton Knit Sweater in Terracotta ($68.87 including shipping)
Basics:
- FRAME Denim Le Skinny de Jeanne Crop in Sunnyside ($30 via Poshmark, retail $189, $18.67 after ad money)
Shoes:
- Splendid Harvest Mules in Tiger/Cheetah Print - also here ($25.80 via eBay, retail $118, used ad money)
- *NEW!* Teva Original Universal Sandals in Boomerang Pink Lemonade ($42.50 via Shopbop, used partnership money)
Handbags:
- *NEW!* Prada Cahier in 'Viola' purple via Vestiaire Collective ($1488, used bag savings account)
- None yet
Activewear/Swimwear:
Gifted from Brands:
- Vintage Emerald Cut Ring - London Blue Topaz c/o Aurate ($50 after gifted amount)
Spent in June: $34.99
Spent in 2021: $209.66
Spent in 2021 Counting Prada bag: $1,697.66
A couple weekends ago Christian and I went out to eat for the first time since February 2020 and boy was it weird! It was so nice to have hot food delivered to you at a table rather than opening up slightly cooled takeout (which is still delicious.)
I won a gift card to Sherkaan in New Haven back in April and was super excited because I was always jealous of my food blogger friends enjoying their tasty food and never made it there before the pandemic! The gift card was pretty big so I invited my brother and sister-in-law because they've wanted to try it out too! We got a bunch of different dishes to share. It was so nice to be out somewhere.
Dress: Who What Wear x Target floral dress
Sandals: Ancient Greek Sandals 'Clara' Sandal c/o Shopbop
Sunglasses: Gucci Aviators (bought in Italy)
Bag: 3.1 Phillip Lim Pashli Medium in Nile Shark Embossed Leather (Bag, Borrow or Steal)
Necklace: Olive Branch Pearl Necklace, bought in Santorini
Photos of everything we tried!
*This post was made in partnership with Responsival. Thank you for supporting brands I feature*
Name a better gift for Mom than beautiful gold personalized necklaces! They can be made special in so many ways with initials, birthstones and zodiac signs. You can personalize them for your Mother's birthday or even with your/all her children's birthdays. AU-Rate has plenty of options to choose from! If you're not a birthstone or initial fan you can just choose any of their pieces and select your Mom's preferred color - gold, white or rose! It's impossible to not be able to find the perfect piece of jewelry.
Aurate also released a new collaboration with Kerry Washington last week called The Birth of Mother featuring beautiful organic pearls and seashell motifs. Order by May 5th for regular shipping and May 7th for overnight to get your gift in time (in stock items only, not made to order.)
If your Mom isn't a jewelry lover there are plenty of other options to make her smile! Mine will never say no to a beautiful candle, my favorite brand to splurge on the past number of years has been Voluspa, but I also discovered L’or de Seraphine last year! Both are a bit on the pricier side, but when it comes to gifting - go for the high end!
For the Mom with a sweet tooth you could bake her something yourself (check out my baking posts to see what I've made lately) or order her a fancy dessert she wouldn't buy for herself! Maybe some Ladurée macarons or Dō cookie dough! You could even find a local donut shop that makes over the top donuts! Around here we have Donut Crazy!
Side-note: How beautiful is this london blue topaz and diamond ring from Aurate? I had to buy it when I saw it matched one of my favorite necklaces that my Grandmother handed down to me.
Double V-Neck Cashmere Sweater: Calypso St. Barth 'Gylden' (Gilt)
Floral Jeans Target Flipside Denim
Sandals: Zigi Soho Velvet Floral Embroidered Open Toe Mules (TJ Maxx)
Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs 'Natural Selection Mini Messenger Bag' (Saks Fifth Avenue)
Sunglasses: Gucci Aviators (bought in Italy)
Blue Topaz & Diamond Necklace: hand-me-down from Grandma
Ring: Vintage Emerald Cut Ring with London Blue Topaz c/o Aurate
It's one of the perfect travel dresses, easy to throw on and super comfortable. Everyone should have a printed shirt-dress in their wardrobe!
Floral Shirt Dress: Who What Wear x Target (shop floral dresses), Sandals: Ancient Greek Sandals 'Alethea' (shop Ancient Greek Sandals), Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs 'Natural Selection Mini Messenger Bag', Sunglasses: Chanel (shop oversized sunglasses), Simple Pearl Necklace c/o AUrate
Floral Shirt Dress: Who What Wear x Target, Suede Mules: BCBGeneration 'Beverly' c/o Clinton Crossing, Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs 'Natural Selection Mini Messenger Bag' (Saks Fifth Avenue), Sunglasses: Gucci
