navy blue sparkles :) #ootd

J. Crew top | J. Crew skirt (similar here and here) | French Connection bag | DSW heels (similar) | Michael Kors watch

The day before I left for DC, I was going to take photos of this outfit...and then I realized I had left my DSLR camera at a friend's house. I took to the phone camera mirror selfies instead...so here they are! This is a fun way to wear sparkles-on-sparkles at night. For work, I wear the same top-skirt combo but with navy tights and flats instead.

xo-ally

snowflake leggings in the boboli gardens

Red Dress Boutique leggings | Longchamp bag | Corso Como boots | H&M coat | Free People shirt | Chanel sunglasses | J. Crew bracelet (similar)

Living in Italy, it is a little difficult to shop online at my favorite US boutiques due to international shipping. Don't get me wrong, the shopping here is amazing (but can get pretty expensive), though sometimes I enjoy looking at the styles from the stores back home. I got these adorable Christmas leggings from The Red Dress Boutique and shipped them to my parents' house, and then my dad brought them with when he visited for Christmas. I can finally wear them! Yay! I love the variety of snowflake prints and the bright colors. Since they're not in the typical red and green Christmas colors, I will definitely be wearing these throughout the rest of the winter season!

xo-ally

navy & grey

 Ray-Ban sunglasses | J. Crew shirt (similar) | J. Crew skirt (similar from Factory) | Report flats | Nordstrom belt (similar) | Louis Vuitton bag

Loving navy today, as usual, with my striped tee and military-inspired jacket. My hair looks two colors in the top photo haha, got to love taking photos outside. :)

xo-ally

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

whales!

J. Crew sweater (similar sweater, solid) (similar print, tee) | Nordstrom sunglasses | Sanctuary jeans | Tory Burch sandals (similar, great year-round option) | Michael Kors watch | J. Crew yellow bracelet (similar) | Swank silver bracelets | Color Club "Disco Dress" nail polish

How adorable are these little whales?! It was a chilly Seattle morning, so I threw on my new critter sweater I've been wanting to wear :) Pairing it with white skinnies and metallic sandals made it still feel like summer despite the cool breeze. The sweater is a little sheer due to its lightweight feel, so I'd recommend a navy cami (like this one from Nordstrom) if you wouldn't want a different color to show through (I wore a white cami underneath).

To bring this look into fall I'd swap the bright white denim for a pair of off-white cords or tuck the sweater into distressed skinny jeans with a classic, brown leather belt.

xo-ally

why you should shop the sales at j. crew

I mentioned last week that I was going to post about the amazing J. Crew sale happening right now. It was so great that I bought quite a few pieces (more than I normally get at once) and told everyone I knew. It was even so amazing that I had to write about it here!

Basically, J. Crew almost always has some type of sale going on. The best way to know which sale is happening is to get on their email list. The website usually says what sale is going on as well, but by getting emails, you know exactly which sales are happening right away.

The particular sale that occurred last week was 40% off sale items for final sale. So the items are already marked down, and then you get an extra 40% off. I got $500 worth of clothes for only $143! (I tweeted it was $600 worth by accident - I did the math wrong! Haha oops). But still, I saved a pretty decent sized chunk of change, which is why I often wait for the sales to happen and why you should shop the sales too!

The lovely items in my shopping bag:

 I've had my eye on this whale sweater for a while now (at least a month!) but waited until last week to get it. It'll be the perfect transition piece for fall. How cute are the little green whales?

 These pants are perfect for cool, summer days. The whimsical print will transition well into early fall as well.

 I love this striped top and the color blocking of the shades of red.

 So much sparkle. Couldn't resist.

 You can never go wrong with a classic, striped t-shirt.

Such a pretty lace skirt for almost 1/3 of the original price! The lighting makes it look off-white, but it is a true white.

Do you shop the J. Crew sales? Did you get anything recently? Aren't they simply amazing?!

xo-ally

PS - the winner of the project birthday giveaway is Shane! An email will be sent to you with all the info about receiving the gifts. Thank you ALL for participating :) I'm so glad I got to "meet" some lovely new bloggers and readers through the giveaway!

dresses for the fourth of july

I can't get enough of fun, summer dresses and have spotted so many adorable options when perusing shops online. Here are three of my current favorites that would be perfect for the Fourth of July!

dresses: left, middle, right

I also have a really fun giveaway starting tomorrow!! Stay tuned and check back July 1st at midnight PST to enter!

xo-ally

navy blue

 H&M dress (similar) | American Eagle shirt | Nordstrom sunglasses | Forever 21 bangle  (green) similar | Nordstrom bangle (blue chevron) similar | Target earrings

Here is the outfit in a .gif:

I found a random french fry on the ground while taking photos, haha:

Navy stripes, sandals, and sunglasses are classic spring staples and make me happy that spring has officially arrived!

xo-ally

a spring outfit

J. Crew shirt | Swank Boutique pink necklace | Max & Chloe monogram necklace | Sanctuary jeans | Sperry boat shoes (they brought back the original pink!) | Kate Spade bag (similar) | Kate Spade ring | Nordstrom belt (similar) | Nordstrom sunglasses

Today we went out near the small lake on campus to take photos in the grass! I love a good blue sky/bright green grass combo for photos. The geese were there today, and luckily didn't start chasing me (yeah, that happened sophomore year....)

I pulled out my favorite pair of Sperry boat shoes, which I've had since I was 13 years old. They've stood the test of time and are still in fantastic shape! They definitely look "worn." The pink Sperrys match my necklace perfectly, and with the necklace's gold accents, I added some gold jewelry and a bag. It was fun to add pink (my favorite) and gold to the neutral blue and white of the shirt and jeans.

xo-ally

neon and navy

Haha, what am I doing with my wrist?

 Chaser tank (similar) | Vivid Collection jacket | Hudson jeans | Louis Vuitton bag | Chanel sunglasses (similar) | J. Crew bracelets (similar link one) (similar orange one) | Juicy Couture ring | Henri Bendel earrings | Me Too ankle boots (similar pair)

I love the combination of navy and pink. The neon hue of the pink tank adds an extra dose of fun to the outfit, as do the accessories - like the butterfly ring and colorful bracelets. Classic cognac grounds the outfit, as seen with the ankle boots and the vintage Louis Vuitton bag my mom gave to me ages ago.

And I'm still wearing the Bendels earrings! Ahh, I've worn them almost every day. That's when you know you made a good wardrobe investment - when you just want to wear it every day. (And, with jewelry, you usually can.) This pair of skinnies are also another good investment. The style and wash makes the pair so versatile and I wear them all the time.

xo-ally

I've been wearing a lot of navy lately

Scarf H&M Jeans Nordstrom Flats Report (similar) Bracelet J. Crew Necklace H&M (similar) Tank Brandy Melville Firenze Jacket Aritzia

It's rainy and my roomies aren't around to take my photos outside, so....I took my outfit pics on my phone today! I'm realizing that I've been wearing navy a lot lately. My navy parka is a current staple in my winter wardrobe; I wear it almost daily. I love that navy is a neutral that goes with pretty much anything. Last year my "go-to" neutral was olive green. Except, while I love olive as a neutral, I don't think it matches my skin tone that well. Maybe that's why I've been gravitating toward navy this season!

Today I wore a light military jacket over a basic cotton tank with skinny jeans and sparkly bow flats. Today was all about the accessories when I matched my ombre infinity scarf to the jacket, then added a strand of pearls underneath and my J. Crew pink link bracelet. I wore pearl stud earrings too but you can't really see them in the photo.

I've also been experimenting with my hair! While I just left my hair naturally straight today, I've been trying to take just that extra 5-10 minutes to try something out of the ordinary. Whether it's a side pony, topknot, a headband, or a bow, I'm working on branching out more with my hair. This weekend I borrowed my roommate's hot rollers. I love the loose, swoopy curls! I used to rock the hot roller curls look in high school when I borrowed my mom's rollers. I've been dying to do this since I've been at school!

Happy Tuesday!

xo-ally

wardrobe staples: stripes

I have noticed a slight trend in my outfits: stripes. I have a few different striped pieces that I wear often, and try to do different combinations when I can. 

Here are a few striped pieces I have and how I've worn them:

the navy and white striped dress

look 1, look 2

I wore this dress SO much last summer. It is so versatile! Navy is a fun neutral to play with no matter the season. Have fun and lighten up navy stripes with contrasting brights!

the blue and white striped mid-sleeve sweatshirt

this look

Another summer look, this was a comfortable outfit to wear on a brisk, July evening. The pale summer blue stripes complimented the soft shade of red on the hat.

the semi-sheer red striped t-shirt

this look

I wore this t-shirt with leggings, a knit vest, mittens, and rain boots for a cozy look at my friend's cabin this winter. Striped t-shirts are great for layering during the cold months and downplay bagginess or oversized-ness (is that a word? haha) of a vest.

the orange and cream striped tank

look 1, look 2

I've gotten a lot of use out of this tank too. One of my favorite color combos is orange and green, and I've been wanting to try out the color combo since I saw an outfit Blair wore on Gossip Girl season 1. I finally chose orange stripes over pink when I was shopping (one of the reasons I haven't done orange-and-green is because I always choose a different color!) and I'm glad I did. Bright orange stripes add a pop of color to neutral olive, or contrast against a kelly green hue.

the red and navy striped belt

this look

Wearing the red and navy striped belt broke up the solids of the rest of the outfit and complimented the other accessories.

the olive striped t-shirt

look 1, look 2, look 3

It is no mystery that I LOVE this t-shirt. I've had it for a while and wear it all. the. time. You've seen it in a gazillion of my outfit posts and will probably see it in a gazillion more! I chose three of my favorite outfits with this piece. I never thought I'd get so much use out of a striped t-shirt, but because of its neutrality and simple pattern, it goes with pretty much everything and has become a major staple in my wardrobe.

xo-ally