Monday, August 26, 2013

photo diary: bellagio, lake como, italy

Lake Como is beautiful. I hadn't been to Northern Italy yet, and now I know why people love it so much! It was crazy looking at the map on our way up, being so close to the Switzerland border. After less than a week of being in Italy, I still feel pretty drained and don't think I've fully adjusted to the time. Once we came up to the rolling hills, breathtaking views of the water, and the houses built around the lake, my excitement overshadowed my sleepiness. Some photos from the day:
I have a short outfit post from Lake Como on its way, as well as some more photos from Florence! The internet in our apartment has completely stopped working, and we've been trying for days to get it to work again (currently writing this from the hostel). Hopefully it'll be working soon so posting won't be as sporadic. 

Thanks for reading :)

xo-ally

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

first day

hello firenze
gelato (ciccolata e fragola, the usual) 
^I hope I spelled that right
walked past my old pensione from when I studied abroad 
 first trip to the grocery store
 yes. doner kebabs.
so yummy!

xo-ally

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

italy.


I can't believe I am actually writing this from my apartment in Italy. It feels so surreal to be back in Europe in a different country. It is beautiful here - just like I remember it. With such a long day of traveling, major jet lag, and doing some actual work, I am so ready to go to bed! I think it's in the afternoon on the west coast of the US right now, but it's 10pm here. With the time-change and the long flight, I basically pulled an all-nighter and I can feel it - I'm wiped! I will definitely update more and hopefully post some pics as soon as I can :)

xo-ally

Friday, August 16, 2013

friday's fancies - around town

This week's Friday's Fancies theme with Long Distance Loving is around town. Since I tend to get busy, sometimes I'll do my errands around town in whatever I wore that day. When I have a whole day of nothing to do but errands, however, I feel free to get as comfy and casual as I want! Here's an outfit that I actually wore when I was babysitting yesterday.

I just LOVE this Lululemon jacket. It's perfect for bundling up before the gym, running outside, or throwing on over a tank with shorts, leggings, or even jeans for a casual day. It's super comfortable and the deep plum color will work year-round.

xo-ally

Monday, August 12, 2013

new blog header!

On a whim last night I decided to design a new header for my blog. I liked the navy blue, but wanted to add some more color. So, naturally, I chose pink :)

I'm still in the process of doing little tweaks for the rest of the page, so please bear with me as I touching it up! I also noticed that in Internet Explorer the right-hand section of the bar in the header goes doesn't fit and goes below the main header (the screenshot above is how it looks for me on Chrome). I'll work on fixing that in case it looks funky on other browsers!

What do you think?

xo-ally

Sunday, August 11, 2013

farmer's market

Harding Lane hat | J. Crew t-shirt (similar) | Rock & Republic shorts | Sperry boat shoes | Michael Kors watch | Swank bracelets | Nordstrom earrings

I went to the Farmer's Market with my dad yesterday and picked up this lovely bouquet of flowers for only $5! We also got some local veggies and chocolate, so it was a win all around. This casual ensemble was a great, comfortable outfit to wear walking around outside. My happy shark hat - that's what I call it :) - also shaded my eyes so I didn't even need sunglasses.

I also saw We're The Millers, did some work for my new job, and a lot of relaxing these past two days. What did you do this weekend?

xo-ally

Friday, August 9, 2013

friday's fancies - summer treat

This week's Friday's Fancies theme with Long Distance Loving is summer treat. I can't wait to get to Italy in just a little over a week and get some gelato! I can taste the delicious-ness by thinking of it. Here is my outfit inspired by strawberry and raspberry flavored gelato:
photo credits: onetwo

I like how the dress and suede pumps make the outfit dressy, but the moto jacket adds a hint of edge. Since the jacket is white, it makes the outfit summery and works better with the girliness of the rest of the outfit. I adore the cork and gold clutch, which goes well with the gold Juicy watch!

xo-ally

Monday, August 5, 2013

current favorites: printed skirts

I'm loving printed skirts these days, and there are so many on the market to choose from. With either a solid or printed top, there are plenty of mix-and-match options, making multiple outfits out of one skirt. Here are my current favorite printed skirts for both day and night:


My top pick of all of these has to be the red, white, and blue skirt by Milly (top right). I can't resist a red and blue combination!

The tribal printed sequin mini (second from the left, bottom row) was also worn by Desiree on this season of The Bachelorette. When I was watching that episode all I could think of was how cute that skirt was!

Side note -- who can't wait for the season finale of The Bachelorette?!

As for shoe pairings for the skirts, I could see strappy sandals working well for the picks for day. I like this pair and this pair for all three of them. A pair of Jack Rogers sandals would also look lovely with the Milly skirt. For the night skirt picks, this pair of neutral, ankle strap heels would look fabulous.

xo-ally

Sunday, August 4, 2013

subtle floral


J. Crew top | Swank shorts (similar) | Nordstrom sunglasses (similar) | Kate Spade bag (similar) | Michael Kors watch |  Nordstrom orange bangle | Henri Bendel yellow bracelet | Tory Burch sandals (close-toed flats) | Max & Chloe necklace

Today's outfit subtly mixes floral on the lace shorts, gold bag, and bangle. With the similar tones of gold and orange, it all works and makes the different sized florals go together. I love my J. Crew peplum top because it really can pull any outfit together (it is also SO comfortable). And I was excited to add my new neon sailor knot bracelet from Bendels! I got the bracelet at the Bendels summer sale in New York a couple weeks ago. Even though it's both neon and nautical, I have a feeling this bracelet will carry through to fall.

More ways to wear it....
The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale has only a few days left, and there are some great floral pieces on sale to choose from. First, I adore this hot pink floral pencil skirt from Kate Spade. It's $198, a hundred dollars less than the original price, but still a little spendy (for me at least!)
Floral tights add coverage to basic dresses and skirts in the cooler seasons, but still make the outfit interesting. This pair comes in black and a reddish-purple. There is also plus size available as well.
I couldn't resist adding this pair of bright, floral jeans to the list. I know, I know, they're very summer-y (and Kate Spade, again), but...they're wearable into September and you can save them for spring? Think of it as a future investment in next year's spring break wardrobe! :)

xo-ally