April Showers Bring May Flowers

You know that old adage, “April Showers Bring May Flowers”?  Well May begins tomorrow and it’s time for some flora and fauna!  Now I am no gardener, so I am interpreting that by breaking out the floral motifs in my wardrobe.

I recently went through my favorite clothing lines (I have around 30 bookmarked) searching for my favorite floral pieces.  Alas, I am sharing those that I found.

1.  JARLO Selena Floral Dress found at revolveclothing.com: This mini-dress is a perfectly flattering A-line cut with a bold floral pattern.  If you follow the link, you’ll see that the back cuts down into a nice deep V.  Made of 94% cotton and priced at $99, this will be the perfect addition to your summer wardrobe.

2.  Bronze Pod Ring made by Odette New York: I love that Odette deviates from traditional jewelry styles and creates fairly unique pieces.  The one below is modeled after eucalyptus pods! $160

3.  Signature Merino Cardigan by Garnet Hill: I don’t think it is common knowledge yet that Garnet Hill makes some fantastic basics.  This cardigan, though, caught my eye and is anything but basic! $88

4.  Liberty Scalloped String Bikini in Phoebe Floral from J. Crew: J. Crew’s Spring and Summer Collections include many floral motifs from a British print house known Liberty.  I personally love the navy Phoebe Floral.  And check out those scallops! $56 and $54

5.  Floral Print Skinny Jeans from Forever 21: Finally, these pants were my cheapest find.  Personally, I really dislike Forever 21; however, when I was in Shanghai, I wandered into their impeccably well-kept store and fell in love with these floral pants.  They seem to be made pretty well (I wear them once a week) and are an emblem of comfort.  $24.80

A Disposable Life

Without fail, the morning after any important social gathering, I receive an e-mail from that desperate sorority sister who left her life (also known as her Barbour jacket, camera, left shoe, spare Septa tokens AND her dignity) at whichever club, concert venue, or bar we frequented the night before.

Now I can’t keep anyone from losing their dignity, but I can keep people from losing their expensive cameras.  My favorite solution for raucous nights out costs about 10 dollars a pop.  Buy a disposable camera!  Sure your Nikon SD 8000 or your Canon XX 550 takes awesome pictures AND you can hide behind it if things get awkward with your date, but you’d also be devastated if it was lost, stolen, or broken.

A disposable camera has many advantages.

1. You can only store roughly 30 pictures, which means you won’t become the designated event photographer and miss out on all the fun.
2. Friends tend to act goofier when they see a film camera because they think they will never see the pictures developed… or on Facebook.  That means you’ll get more spontaneous and amusing photos.
3. Finally, if you lose the disposable camera… it probably just means you had too much fun and perhaps you don’t really want to see the developed products.

I recently took a trip to Shanghai, a city with an incredible nightlife.  By day, I toted around my standard Canon Powershot, by night, my Kodak disposable camera.  Here are some of the great moments I captured.

Everyone’s having a blast

See…pretty spontaneous

My favorite. A windy night on the Bund with a faint sign in the distance providing context for my location.

Easter Fashion

I’ve always seen Easter Sunday as the weekend when it finally becomes acceptable to pull out those bright sundresses that were stashed for the long, cold winter.  Now as a child, Easter Sunday meant putting on that favorite Lilly dress (even if the temperature never rose above 50 degrees).  Luckily though, the last few Easters I can remember we have had spectacular weather.  In fact, last year I played 18 holes of golf with my father and my best friend after Easter brunch!

At the ripe old age of 19, I have decided to opt for slightly more sophisticated Easter-wear.  This is in part because Easter falls somewhat early this year.  Now I am truly not one to follow the whole “no white before Memorial day rule,” yet I feel silly wearing white while its still March [and since we had a snowday Monday].  So with that, here are my picks for Easter 2013.

J Crew Arabelle Dress in Ditsy flower (found here):  This silk chiffon dress comes from the J Crew bridesmaid collection in the wedding section.  Although a bit pricey, the dress fits wonderfully with its A-line cut and fitted bodice with boning.  I’ve had a similar J Crew dress in a different print for years which I continue to dress up with heels and curled hair or dress down with flats and a loose cotton navy sweater.  It will last you a long time!

J Crew Navy Summer Straw Hat (found here): Less and less people choose to wear Easter hats these days, but they can contribute significantly to the festivity [is that a word?] of an outfit.  Once Easter is over, you can recycle this simple J Crew hat at spring horse races, outdoor graduation ceremonies in early June, and even at the beach to protect yourself from the sun!

Nine West Martina Pumps in Beach Sand Leather (found here): Everyone needs a pair of nude leather or patent leather heels!  The Shanghai nightlife destroyed my shoes (long story) earlier this month, but they are easily and inexpensively replaceable if you live near a DSW or Nine West store.

Jess LC Navy Clutch (clutch and other products found here): I am a big fan of small businesses and try to buy from them when possible.  This store, unfortunately, has recently closed, but a quick “navy clutch” search at etsy.com renders plenty of alternatives.

Jack Rogers Napa Valley Navajo Sandals (found here): I added two pairs of shoes because Easter can often be a long day.  Heels are great at the beginning, but flats are essential so you don’t sink into the grass while helping the youngins with their Easter egg hunt.  One of most memorable Easters the cherry blossoms were blooming throughout NW DC so my parents, siblings, and I spent that warm, late-afternoon walking along the Tidal Basin.  I definitely needed flats for that!  These Jack Rogers Navajos are a prep staple, but the cork detailing and gold leather whipstitching takes a much needed respectable deviation from the standard pink, green, white, and metallic collections.