Weekly Window Shopping: Lilly Pulitzer

While I was abroad for 3 1/2 weeks, I didn't have access to the Lilly Pulitzer website, I think it's blocked outside of the U.S., and I missed a lot of great new arrivals. So this week's Weekly Window Shopping will be spotlighting Lilly Pulitzer.

33" Bal Harbour Palazzo Pants in Bright Navy Jungley Stripe Vertical

If I was taller, I would swoop these up so fast. They are great pants for the transition from Summer to Fall. They're breezy and loose while still offering full pants coverage. They look great with sandals or ballet flats. And they can be paired with a simple tank, or layered with a cardigan. The stripes offer so many options for a solid colored top to pair with them. In the Fall, I would wear these with a plain navy tank, a camel cardigan, and nude flats.

Inez Top in Resort White Diamond Geo Lace

White eyelet tops are perfect for almost every season. I love the detailing around the neckline on this one, and the slight ruffle in the sleeves. If you're somewhere that is still hot and summery in September, this would look great with navy shorts, nude or white sandals, and a delicate pendant necklace. If you're somewhere that will start getting cooler in the next couple of weeks, I would wear this with dark wash skinny jeans, nude or brown heeled booties, and bright statement earrings.

Rorey Dress in True Navy 

I'm a sucker for classic Lilly navy dresses. I have over half a dozen in my closet already, and I'm dying to add this one. This dress is such a timeless and flattering style, and as an added bonus, it has pockets! The higher v-neck is feminine, without showing too much, and with the detail around the neckline you have the option of adding a delicate gold or pearl necklace, but it would look just as good with no necklace at all. This would be a great dress for end of summer weddings and brunches.

Taryn Maxi Dress in Melon Fig Ginger Jar

Another piece that makes me with I was taller. The ginger jar print on this dress is to die for. The details in the print are gorgeous, and the melon pink color is unexpected in this print, but it works. Since this pattern in so busy, I would keep my jewelry relatively simple with this dress, maybe a pair of blue or white studs, or a simple gold bangle. I would really let this dress speak for itself.

Leighton Shirt in Bennett Blue Beachy Stripe 

This top really gets back to Lilly's classically preppy roots. You can't go wrong with a blue and white striped button down, it never goes out of style, and the ruffles on the sleeve add that something special to really elevate the shirt. You could get away with wearing this shirt to work in an office environment, I would pair it with either a beige pencil skirt or navy straight leg dress pants, and nude pumps.

Tour of Tangier

I'm finally back home from my big trip to Spain, Morocco, and Portugal, and I've been enjoying just lounging around on the couch doing nothing. This is my last outfit post from the trip, it's from my brief stop in Tangier, Morocco. We only had one full day in Tangier, and two half days, but we made the most of our time. We booked a tour guide to take us around to all the sites outside the city center, and to take us through the various markets in the city. Morocco was very culturally different than Spain and Portugal, and since we were two young women traveling alone, we felt much more comfortable with a tour guide than we did walking through the streets of the Kasbah area by ourselves. We made an effort to be respectful of the Muslim culture, and dressed so that our shoulders and knees were covered each day.

We started our day driving out of the city to the coast. We went to a few gorgeous look out points, including where you can see the Atlantic Ocean meet the Mediterranean Sea. We drove along the beach and stopped to meet some camels. We had the opportunity to ride them, but I was too nervous to do that. I never really liked horses as a child, and a camel is kind of like a weird horse. After watching the camels stand up with people riding them, I was glad that I didn't participate, because they way they stand up is super weird, and everyone looked like they were about to fall off. Then we went to the famous Hercules caves, where Hercules from Ancient Rome is said to have stayed and slept in the caves before completing his 11th of the 12 Labors, getting the golden apples from Hesperides Garden. I minored in Classical Civilizations in college, which was basically just studying Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, so I was very excited to visit the caves. We drove back into town and ended the day with a late lunch at a local family restaurant, and wandering through the various markets.

Outfit planning for Tangier was a little bit tricky because we wanted to make sure our knees and shoulders were covered. I had been wearing a lot of sleeveless and above the knee dresses on the trip, but those weren't an option. I opted to go with my Lilly Pulitzer Travel Pants and a pearl embellished t-shirt. The Travel Pants are incredible, they're basically fancy, more structured leggings. They have an elastic waistband and they're stretchy, but the material is thicker than most leggings and they have a seem up the front of both legs which adds an element of sophistication. They're incredibly comfortable, I wore them on our both of our trans-Atlantic flights, and they were perfect for spending the day touring Tangier. I chose my pearl t-shirt, because it was such an easy way to cover my shoulders without getting too hot. I like to have a couple of cuter t-shirts on hand for things like this. The pearls around the neckline of my t-shirt make it more fun and feminine than just a simple plain white t-shirt. I added the scarf as a fun pop of color against the white t-shirt, and the navy in the scarf went well with my navy pants, it was the perfect accessory to elevate an otherwise simple outfit. I opted for comfort sandals this day, because we spent a lot of time walking around in the sand and dirt, and the ground in the markets was not the cleanest, so I didn't want to ruin a cute pair of sandals. Finding a pair of comfort sandals that are somewhat cute is crucial for any long trip with a lot of walking, they will save your feet.

~ Scarf ~ Top (similar) ~ Pants ~ Bag (similar) ~ Sandals (similar) ~ Sunglasses (similar) ~ Watch ~

Magic In Madrid

Madrid was one of the cities that we spent the most amount of time on this trip. We spent four entire days there, getting in at noon the first day and not leaving until 10PM the fourth day. Madrid was very different from most of the other Spanish cities we had visited so far. It was very urban and more modern than San Sebastian and LaGuardia, it even felt more urban and modern than Barcelona. It was a very convenient city to get around. Almost all of the tourist sites are in the same area of the city. The Royal Palace, the Cathedral, Plaza Mayor, the Prado Museum, and the Mercado de San Miguel are all within an easy walk from each other. Because everything was so close together, we got tourist sites checked off our list pretty quickly, and we had more time to relax and enjoy the culture of the city. We ended up spending a lot of time at the Mercado de San Miguel. It was the perfect place to grab lunch, because we could try small samples from each stall, instead of committing to one cafe or tapas bar. Our favorite stall was a burrata and mozzarella stand. They sold little pieces of bread piled sky high with an extremely pillowy and soft burrata, topped with some delicious flavor of jam or jelly and a bit of meat or nuts. My favorite one was topped with blueberry jam and sliced almonds. The contrast of the sweet jam with the salty burrata was absolutely delicious.

We also enjoyed wandering around the Sabatini Gardens. There has been a bit of a heat wave in Spain this August, and Madrid was very hot in the afternoons, so we woke up early one morning to get to the gardens soon after they opened, so we could enjoy our time there before it got too hot to be comfortable. This white romper came in handy with the heat. I'm usually not a big fan of rompers, they don't always look right on my body type, and I just generally don't feel comfortable in them. I love this style that Lilly Pulitzer has started making. It has an apron skirt in the front and back, to make it feel a bit more like a dress even though it is a romper. The apron skirt makes it more flattering, because it covers up any potential unflattering bunching of the shorts in the front. This romper made me feel like a greek goddess while I was wearing it. The pattern of the white lace is a more fun and summer pattern than a traditional lace pattern, and the gold detail around the neckline and shoulders adds the perfect amount of glamour, but it's still appropriate for daytime. I stuck with gold and white for my jewelry, to have a more cohesive look, and I love how it turned out. The gold bangle plays well off the neckline, and the white beaded earrings match the fun and summery tone of the lace print. I felt very cute and confident as I walked around Madrid that day. If you're someone that's on the fence about rompers, I highly recommend checking out Lilly Pulitzer's Donna Romper. It comes in different patterns and solid colors, so there's something for everyone.

~ Romper ~ Sandals (similar) ~ Earrings ~ Bracelet ~ Sunglasses (similar) ~ Purse (similar) ~

Weekly Window Shopping

Gal Meets Glam Amy Dress

Gal Meets Glam dropped its August collection this week, and it did not disappoint. The collection has major beginning of fall vibes, but there are still a few summer appropriate dresses. I love this vintage inspired polka dot dress. The navy and cream is a great color combination, the polka dots are so fun and flirty, and the waist detail gives the dress great shape.

J. Crew Point Sur Allover Pointelle Crewneck Sweater

Lightweight sweaters are the perfect fall transitional piece. They're great to throw on for a cooler end of summer night, and to pair with jeans and booties at the start of fall. I love the pointelle detail of this sweater, it adds great texture. I would pair this with navy shorts and boat shoes in the coming weeks, and skinny jeans and beige booties once fall weather starts to hit.

Draper James Crewneck Cardigan

A cardigan is such a great versatile wardrobe staple. I throw cardigans on over sundresses, work blouses, and casual tank tops. A navy cardigan is the perfect neutral sweater to throw on over anything. I love how Draper James's signature magnolia print peaks out along the buttons. It adds the perfect something special to an otherwise very basic staple.

Tuckernuck Chet Dress by BA&SH

Gorgeous fall jewel tones are starting to show up everywhere. This dress caught my eye because of the gorgeous rich green color. I love how easy it would be to dress this up or down. For a more casual day I would pair it with nude ballet flats, brown booties, or a cute pair of keds and some simple jewelry. To wear it out at night, or to a fall wedding, I would pair it with metallic booties or pumps, and a pair of statement earrings.

J. Crew Factory Collarless Sweater-Blazer

Burgundy is always one of go to fall colors. It looks great with my brunette hair and brown eyes. I recently bought a sweater blazer from J. Crew to take with me while traveling, and I instantly fell in love.  I now want to buy sweater blazers in a dozen different colors and styles. I would wear this to the office with a pair of black ankle pants and black pumps, or while curled up on the couch at home in a simple pair of leggings.

Introduction to Portuguese Wine

I meant to post this last week, while I was in Porto, Portugal, but my wifi was kind of spotty and when I went to hit the publish button, it couldn't load enough to publish or save it, so the whole post got deleted and I was too tired from traveling all day to rewrite it. Currently I'm in La Linea, Spain and this afternoon I'm catching a ferry to Tangier, Morocco for a few days, but then I'm coming back up to Spain, and ending my trip in Lisbon, Portugal. Of the two Portuguese cities, Porto is more of a wine city because the Douro Valley, Portugal's major wine region, is located right outside Porto, and many Port wineries make some of their Port Wine in the city of Porto. One of the days that I was in Porto, I took a day long tour of the Douro Valley. The views were incredible and we had a chance to visit a Port winery located in the vineyards. The next day, while I was exploring the city of Porto, I stopped in a Port winery in the city, and did a tour of the facilities and a tasting. It was a great experience. There are a whole row of Port wineries along the river that goes through Porto, and I could have easily spent a whole afternoon hopping from one to another, tasting a bunch of different Ports. As an introduction to Portuguese wine, there are three main varietals/styles of wine that are commonly associated with Portugal: Port, Touriga Nacional, and Vinho Verde.



Port Wine

Port wine is a style of wine, not a varietal. It's a wine, most commonly a red wine, that's been fortified with alcohol, usually brandy. The extra alcohol is added during the fermentation process, and it affects the alcohol content and sugar content of the resulting wine. Port wine was first created on accident. In the 1600s, the British really enjoyed Portuguese wine, and they wanted to sent it over to England. However, they found that by the time the wine crossed the ocean, it had gone bad and wasn't suitable to drink. In an attempt to figure out a way around this problem, Portuguese wine makers tried adding brandy to the wine after the fermentation process. The wine survived the trip across the ocean, but the fortification changed the nature of the wine. Even though it was a different style of wine, the British loved the fortified Portuguese wine, and Port wine was born. Portuguese winemakers have since changed the process of making Port slightly, to make the wine better, but the idea of fortified wine is still the same.

The base wine that is used for Port doesn't have to be a particular varietal, it's generally a blend of various red wines. For a wine to be considered a Port wine, it must be fortified, and it must come from the Douro Valley. Any fortified wine that doesn't come from the Douro Valley technically can't be labeled as Port. It's like how any sparkling wine that's not from the Champagne region in France technically can't be called Champagne. There are two main types of red Port wines, Ruby and Tawny. Ruby Ports are the color of normal red wine, they generally have stronger berry and chocolate flavors than Tawny. They are aged in a large oak vat, so that the wine has less actual contact with the oak, which leads to the brighter color and flavor. Tawny Ports, however, are aged in much smaller oak vats, so that the wine has more direct contact with the oak. This results in the wine having more of an amber color, and the flavor tends to have more caramel and toffee notes. Port has a higher alcohol content than normal wine, and it's much sweeter and more viscous. It's generally served after dinner, either with dessert or as the dessert on it's own, and is served in a much smaller glass than a typical wine glass. In Portugal, it's generally saved for special occasions, when friends and family are all together.

Touriga Nacional

Touriga Nacional is a Portuguese grape varietal. It's often considered Portugal's finest varietal. It's a red grape that's often used in blends that become Port wine, but in the past decade or so, it has gained popularity as a grape to be used for making normal wine as well. It's grown mostly in the Dao region and the Douro Valley. It's a low yield grape, meaning that fewer grapes are produced on each vine, but that can actually lead to an increase in the quality of the grape. When there are fewer grapes on a vine, each grape can get more nutrition and resources from the vine, so the grapes can end up more well fed, which leads to better wine. Touriga Nacional is often compared to Cabernet Sauvignon. I find it to be just as bold and juicy as many California Cabs, but smoother and less rough around the edges on the back end.

Vinho Verde

Vinho Verde is another style rather than varietal. It directly translates to "green wine," with green meaning young, so Vinho Verde is young, or early, wine. It's wine that is released 3-6 months after the grapes are harvested, meaning that it hasn't really aged. Vinho Verde can be white, red, or rose, and it's generally effervescent, or just slightly sparkling. White Vinho Verde tastes like a typical crisp and fresh white wine. If you like Sauvignon Blanc you'll probably like white Vinho Verde. Red Vinho Verde can be a little more interesting. It can also have a crispness and a minerality to it, which generally isn't associated with red wine. I bought a bottle of red Vinho Verde a few months ago in Durham, and I paired it with clam linguine. The saltiness and the clam taste that's a bit heavier than typical shellfish, was a good pairing for the bright and minerally red. Like Port, Vinho Verde can only be called Vinho Verde if it's grown in a specific region of Portugal. This region is in the northern part of the country, where the Minho province and its surrounding areas once were.

Wine Glass, Wine Dress

If you follow me on Instagram, you've seen that I've been traveling in Spain and Portugal for the past week and a half. I'm with one of my friends from law school, we both don't start working at our respective law firms until late September, so we figured we'd take a long trip while we have so much free time on our hands. Our first stop was Barcelona, but our flight was cancelled so we had to get rebooked for the next day, so we had to cram a lot of stuff in Barcelona into less days than we anticipated. It was a busy, but incredible few days. We saw all the major monuments and museums: La Segrada Familia, Park Guell, the Picasso Museum, Las Ramblas, and the Gothic Quarter to name a few. We didn't feel like we missed anything, and it was a high energy start to our trip. Our next stop was Rioja, Spanish wine country, and it was an incredible second stop. 

We got into LaGuardia, the small town we stayed at in Rioja, in the afternoon and just spent the evening enjoying tapas and a bottle of wine, while taking in the gorgeous views of wine country. We spent the entire next day wine tasting and touring different wineries. We had a private tour guide pick us up and take us to three very different wineries in the area. She was an incredible guide, and told us to much about the history of Spanish wine and the Rioja region while we drove. The first winery we toured was called Cune, or Cvne, and it was a very traditional winery. It had been around for hundreds of years and some of their highest quality wines are poured at Spanish royal dinners and parties. They had a centuries old wine cellar, and some of the wine in the cellar was over a hundred years old. It was a winery that was full of tradition and history. Our second stop was a much more modern and smaller winery, called Tritium. The owner of the winery thought of himself more as a winegrower than a winemaker. His focus was on growing high quality grapes, because you can't make high quality wine from mediocre grapes. They had us try some wines that were new takes on traditional Spanish wines, and they were our favorite wines that we tasted. The third winery that we visited was a large, corporate winery called Marques de Riscal. The winery was a sprawling complex, with a five-star hotel connected to it, and beautiful grounds. However, the wine itself was pretty average, it was good wine but nothing special. There are hundreds of wineries in Rioja, and spending one day visiting just three made me want to go back and spend more time there.

I packed the perfect dress for a day spent wine tasting. This Gal Meets Glam dress from the July collection is incredibly comfortable, and the color is just like a glass of red wine. It appears to be a somewhat simple dress at first, but the details really make it beautiful. The buttons are a pretty pearly color, and the dress zips up the back so you don't have to actually use the buttons and there's less chance of the buttons gaping at the chest. The fabric has a gorgeous thick texture to it, which makes it fall beautifully and comfortably. An added bonus are that it has pockets! I love a dress with pockets, and I love that more designers are offering dresses with pockets. These pockets are slightly to the front, and the perfect size for holding an iphone or a pair of sunglasses. I paired this dress with a simple pair of nude Tory Burch sandals and pearl and gold earrings. For a date night this dress would also look great with a fun pair of black heels or booties in the fall. I think that I could also get away with wearing this dress to work since it has a high neckline and it's not too short. I would pair it with black pumps and a black blazer. 

~ Dress ~ Sunglasses ~ Purse (similar) ~ Earrings ~ Sandals (similar) ~ Bracelet ~

Weekly Window Shopping

J. McLaughlin Devon Dress in Chalk Plaid

Plaid is always in style, and I love the sunny and fun version of plaid in this dress. It's a playful take on a timeless pattern, and would look great at the office or at brunch. I would wear this dress with a navy blazer and nude pumps to the office, and with nude sandals or wedges to brunch with white statement earrings.

J. Crew Tie-Waist Shirtdress in Cotton Poplin

Shirtdresses are such an easy way to look put together. They're so easy to throw on and immediately look classically chic. The tie waist ensure that this shirtdress is flattering on almost every body type and adds some nice shape to the dress. I like how the bow around the waist has a more modern flair, a great update on a classic dress.

Madewell Ruffle-Hem Wrap Top in Clipdot

The fun dot print on this top immediately caught my eye. The bright colors against the neutral white creates a clean but fun look. I love a good ruffle, so the hem of the shirt is an added bonus for me. This is a great cute but casual top, that would look good blue jeans or simple navy shorts. A pendant necklace would look great with the neckline of this top.

Vineyard Vines Striped Woven Jacket 

This jacket is absolutely gorgeous. I fell in love the second I saw it. I love the well blended stripes of various shades of blue and beige, and the material looks so sturdy but luxurious. This is a great light jacket for fall and spring, or even the winter if you live in a cooler climate. It's appropriate for work or a more casual look, and immediately makes any outfit look a bit more polished.

Kate Spade Mod Plaid Sweater Dress

I love this mod plaid pattern that Kate Spade currently has right now. This dress is my favorite piece from the collection. The fit of this dress is incredibly flattering for those of us with hourglass figures. I love wearing this style of Kate Spade dress to work. It makes me feel very put together, but still fun and flirty as only Kate Spade can. I would wear this with a simple black blazer, pearl stud earrings, and black pumps for a classic and chic office look.

Naval Academy Wedding

I'm currently in Spain, but just over a week ago I kicked off my month of post-bar exam travel with a weekend in Annapolis for a wedding. The bride and groom had met at the Naval Academy, he is a Marine Officer and she is a Navy Officer, so they got married at the Naval Academy chapel. It was a gorgeous space and the ceremony was beautiful. Members of the military were asked to wear their dress uniforms, so Erik looked dashing in his formal Marine attire. Additionally, Erik led the sword arch at the end of the ceremony. For some military weddings, when the newly married couple walks out of the ceremony they have to pass through an archway created by military officers facing each other in two lines and holding up their swords. When the couple gets to each set of two officers, the officers lower their swords to block the couple's path, and the couple has to kiss in order to be let through. At the end of the sword arch, once the couple has fully passed through, one of the last two officers swats the bride on her butt with the sword and shouts "Welcome to the Marines (or Navy)!" It's a fun tradition that's a bit silly but done with military precision, so it's very cool to watch. Erik and I plan on getting married while he's still in the Marines, so we will have a sword arch at our wedding as well.

Since Erik was wearing his navy and white dress uniform to the wedding, I wanted to wear a dress that would look good next to his uniform. A navy dress seemed like the obvious choice, and Gal Meets Glam had some gorgeous navy dresses in the July collection, so I opted to go with one of those. The bow along the neckline and the swishy skirt drew me in to this dress. I adore a good box, and the shape and style of this one felt very sophisticated and appropriate for a wedding. The dress was incredibly flattering and comfortable, and the thick straps and longer length made it appropriate to wear inside the chapel. With the bow along the neckline, I didn't need to wear a necklace, and I decided to opt for classic pearl studs for earrings, to pull off a simple but elegant look. I felt gorgeous and very wedding appropriate in this outfit, and I love how the dress looked against Erik's navy jacket and white hat.

~ Dress ~ Shoes (similar) ~ Earrings (similar) ~ Sunglasses ~ Purse (similar) ~

Weekly Window Shopping

J. Crew Liberty Collared Tippi Sweater

A collar of a button down shirt poking out from a sweater will never go out of style, and this J. Crew sweater makes it even easier to rock that style. With the collar attached to the sweater, there's no risk of awkward lumps or weird lines from layering two shirts. The floral collar is gorgeous and adds the perfect sophisticated touch to an otherwise simple pink sweater.

Brooks Brothers Red Fleece Polka Dot Georgette Bow Collar Shirt

This top is a beautiful feminine take on a classic office appropriate top. The button down and collar make it appropriate for any professional environment, and the polka dots and bow add a touch of fun. I love Brooks Brothers button downs, they always fit so well, and this top would look great with black slim work pants with black pumps, or tucked in to a gray pencil skirt. It's not too stuffy, so it can easily be worn to a happy hour after work.

Tory Burch Print-Block Espadrille 

Espadrilles are a summer staple. They're the perfect way to wear close toed shoes in the summer without getting too hot. I love these as a pair of statement espadrilles. The floral pattern is so playful and bright, but the indigo base for the pattern and the navy toe make it so these shoes can be worn with a variety of outfits. They neutralize the fun print a bit. These would be great vacation shoes if you're going somewhere with lots of walking.

Tuckernuck Cartoon Music Dress by Fifth Label

You can never have too many Little Black Dresses, and I love this more casual version that Tuckernuck has right now. The short sleeves and the flouncy hem make it the perfect dress to wear to the beach or out to a nice wine bar at night. It can be paired with a cute pair of sneaker for a more casual look, or with a fun colored pair of heels and statement earrings for a dressed up date night look. It's such a versatile and classic dress that can be accessorized so many different ways.

Vineyard Vines Color Blocked Chillmark Relaxed Oxford Button Down Shirt

I love a classic oxford shirt in the fall, and this is such a cute update to a timeless piece. Blue and white are my go to oxford colors, so I love this colorblock. The blue pocket really pops against the white top of the shirt. I would wear this to brunch with white pants or dark skinny jeans, or to the office with a khaki pencil skirt. This is the kind of shirt that you can wear for years to come.