It seems like almost every summer I end up with a new linen dress that I have a very complicated relationship with. On one hand it's adorable and I'm completely obsessed and on the other hand, I'm a wrinkled mess after a couple of hours and I sort of look like I just got out of bed. Yet here I am with this stripe and pom pom combo to show you all. You may be thinking to yourself "Morgan, you're literally crazy this dress looks perfectly pressed to me." But I actually drove to my picture destination and then changed in the back of the car so I could be relatively wrinkle-free (#justbloggerthingslol).
I will say though that this dress stays more wrinkle free than the average linen dress. I think it's because it also has a built-in slip dress which also makes it comfortable. The tie on both of the shoulders come on doing so you can adjust it to be the right length for you. I'm wearing a size XS for reference.
Okay, now it's time to talk about this ADORABLE bag. If you haven't heard of Crab and Cleek yet, I'm about to make you fall in love. Think of all things New England and preppy mixed with a classic canvas bag perfect for everyday use. Crab and Cleek are based out of Alexandria, VA. Along with their adorable canvas totes they also sell some clothing, shoe bags, travel kits, and wristlets. This lobster bag caught my eye right away on the website and I knew I had to have it. You can also get your bag monogrammed on the website!
This was one of the first times I curled my hair since getting it cut and it felt so weird! I used the Bumble sea salt on my hair before curling it (one of my favorite tricks) and it helps the curls stay in for so long.
This post has been sitting in my drafts since I was on vacation so I thought it was about time I posted it. At this time of year, I usually post outfit pictures/posts that were taken ahead of time because not a lot of new warm weather items are coming out yet. Even though I live in Upstate New York even I'm not ready for cold weather outfits. I want to soak up my favorite season for as long as possible! Over the next couple of weeks, you can expect to read a lot of posts about my favorite summer pieces that are going on sale. I love buying things at the end of the season that is on sale to have the next year.
I'm happy to report my gingham skirt is still in stick in ALL sizes for you to shop and it is 50% off right now. I'm wearing a 0 but I think I could of used the 00. It runs a bit big. It's also a tad longer than skirts I traditionally wear (which I like!). It's definitely appropriate for work or your internship. Over the past couple of months, I have acquired a lot more clothing like this for my present and future internships.
I just wore a plain white shirt with the skirt on this night because I wanted to look put together for dinner, but also not too dressy. I think I have about 5 of thsi exact shirt since I always wear them with skirts and shorts like this over the summer. This particualr one I have on is also from J. Crew factory. I find some of my favorite basic tops like this at Marshall's as well. They have Ralph Lauren a decent amount and those are always great quality.
I'm so obsessed with hydrangeas over the summer and these are just SO gorgeous. I always joke that when peony season fades away that hydrangeas become my favorite. I swear the nicest ones are always close to the ocean!
For the accessories, I went with an old pair of Kate Spade studs, J. Crew statement necklace, and my rose gold Fitbit band. My necklace also comes in black which would be great for this fall and winter. On most days I wear very basic jewelry and just some statement earrings but I knew this would be the perfect outfit to incorporate this necklace with.
Hello, and welcome to my new series of blog posts titled "how to wear it 3 ways!" This new KJP anchor polo dress immediately caught my eye when it was released about two weeks ago and I knew it would be the perfect first post for this series. In all honesty, it wasn't an easy task to narrow this down to three looks just because I felt like I had so many great options. I'll be sure to share some more ways I wear this down the road on my Instagram though!
The way I'm able to refrain from repeating outfits too often is by filling my closet with essential/ basic pieces such as this dress and then building off of them to create a bunch of different looks. At first, I was just going to show you 3 ways to style this for summer. After doing some thinking I did away with that idea since I really see myself wearing it this fall as well. So I did one summer look and two transitional looks. If you try any of these outs I'd love to see!
This dress is made of lightweight cotton, comes in 5 different color (navy, white, green, light pink, and light blue), and is under $100! I decided on the green color because I already have so much navy in my closet and it looked so pretty on Instagram. P.S. If you're a sucker for some cute packaging you would love how this dress was packaged up.
The fit: I'm wearing a size XS dress and I am 5' 5" for reference. I generally wear an XS in all dresses so this was very true to size. The length was also perfect for me. I don't like dresses super short or super long so I thought this was a good happy medium.
First up we have an outfit perfectly suited for those hot days where you don't even want to think about putting together an outfit. I always get a lot of compliments when I wear a scarf like this in my hair and then just a super basic dress. It's my favorite way to look really put together even though it took about 30 seconds to put the outfit together.
How gorgeous are these flowers? I love this little stand that's outside a farm not too far from my house! In the fall it is filled with little pumpkins and gourds which is also great for snapping some Instagram pics.
I traded in my Jacks for the day and instead went for my favorite gold flats from Tieks. If you need a comfortable pair of ballet flats (like city walking comfortable!) I highly recommend Tieks. They all have the cutest blue bottom which is their signature.
I should really start switching up these bracelets LOL, but they just go with everything and I don't have to think about it! Both of the bangles are from J. Crew and I wear my Fitbit with my rose gold band that I got from Amazon.
Look #2 woohoo! I wear sweaters over dresses and tops a ton towards the end of summer and fall. It can be pretty warm during the days still but the temperature tends to drop a lot once the sun starts to set. So when it gets cooler I usually put the sweater on normally which also looks really cute because the collar still sticks out.
New purchase alert! Meet my new babies, my Celine sunglasses! I've been wanting a new, nice pair of sunglasses for a while. I wanted to try something other than Ray-Bans and Celine came to mind as the perfect upgrade from that. This pair of sunglasses feels the most grown up to me out of all of mine. I find they really elevate an outfit too that can sometimes be boring without them. I see myself wearing these almost every single day in the city this upcoming year. I'll certainly be getting their money's worth.
Even though I was sweating bullets while I photographed this particular outfit I really wanted to demonstrate how this dress could be perfect for the changing of the seasons, not just the summer. My favorite peep-toe booties and jean jacket paired perfectly with the dress while the pink sunglasses added some more fun color to it.
Up until recently I never popped the color of my jackets. This summer I've started and I really think it adds a fun element to it. The jean jacket is by no means dressing this up, but when the nights start to get cooler it's the perfect thing to throw on.
This outfit actually ended up being my favorite of them all and almost made me wish for some cooler weather. These pink sunglasses have a similar shape to the Celine sunglasses I have. So if you liked the Celine pair but are hoping for something cheaper you should take a look at these! They also come in some other colors.
The Instagram poll has spoken, which ruled that you all would prefer to read my June favorites as a blog post rather than a video. Although it only won by 1% LOL, I, of course, want to give you all that you want! Since the poll was so close I think I'm gonna give a go at the whole video thing for my July favorites and see how you all like that. I'll be home for the entirety of July which will hopefully allow for some pre-planning in terms of the video and editing it. I'm the definition of a newbie when it comes to that. But, you gotta start somewhere!
Better late than never, right?! I've been attempting to get back into a routine after being away on vacation for a week. So please forgive me for my delayed post. June was my first full month back home since wrapping up my freshman year of college. It has also been crazy busy (going on vacation was the only days off I had all month!) hence a wee bit of difficulty getting my feet back under me. As you all know I have my internship and two jobs which keep me quite occupied. Also, within the last two weeks or so I have been getting more news about moving in to FIT this August which is going to call for a great deal of preparation.
Throughout the course of the month, I have had the opportunity to try out a good amount of new products. Since a great deal of them became hits in my book it only felt right to share them all with you. I'd love for you guys to comment what your June favorites are so I have some more new products to try out!
1. The Crown- Per usual, Netflix is killing it with their original series. The Crown follows young Queen Elizabeth through all the challenges she faced as a young woman trying to run a country. Now let me tell you, prior to even watching this show I respected the hell out of Queen Elizabeth. The respect has reached a whole new level now. I have a slight obsession with the royal family and I seriously love learning anything I can about them, so naturally, this show was a perfect fit. Even if that's not the case for you I think this show would appeal to such a wide audience. If you're tired of re-watching One Tree Hill, Gossip Girl, Grey's Anatomy, etc. give this show a go. I don't think you'll be let down.
2. Daniel Wellington Watch- This past month Daniel Wellington has graciously sent me blah watch and the red white and blue watch band. BTW, this is NOT sponsored at all I just really have been loving this. The other one I own is a bit larger and I like the petite look of this one better on my wrist. I have a small wrist which makes it hard to find watches that don't look dumb (for lack of a better word) on my wrist. This has met my criteria perfectly and it's an undeniably classic piece.
3. Pop Chips- Yum yum yum in my tum. I have been reunited with one of my favorite snacks this past month. I'm really not a huge potato chips type of gal. I much prefer pop chips because they don't leave me feeling kind of gross and they taste sooooo good. My favorites are the traditional sea salt and barbeque. We had these all week on vacation and now that we're home, I haven't stopped! We ordered the individual snack bags of them online which has made it a breeze to include them in my lunches almost every day.
4. Watermelon- As I like to say, watermelon is simply the fruit of the summer! Almost every time summer rolls around I become equally obsessed with this amazing fruit. It's just so refreshing and I love bringing it to lifeguarding with me. You should see what I want as my birthday cake this year...
5. Self Tannning Drops- If you follow along with my Instagram stories you probably have already heard me rave about this product. I mix 4 drops of this oil with my moisturizer every night to give my face a little tan. I don't tan the rest of my body during the summer, but for some reason, my face never gets as tan as the rest of my body and it drives me crazy. This product has made me never second guess going makeup-free anymore. I would also like to add I think it is worth every single penny. Since you only use a couple drops every day it will last a lot longer than the rest of your products traditionally do.
6. Brazilian Bumbum Cream- Not a new favorite, but just like the watermelon this is something I always have during the summer months. I use it a decent amount during the winter as well since it is so hydrating. The best way I can describe the way it smells is by saying it reminds me of summer. Not in a sunscreen kind of way though!
7. Dew The Hula- If you haven't heard of Dew The Hula, first of all, you're welcome! Second of all, this is a liquid bronzer that I apply using a Real Techniques buffing brush. I always look forward to the time of year where this product actually matches my skin tone. If you haven't noticed from Instagram, I get super dark over the summer due to my Italian genes. I opt out of foundation 99.9% when this product matches me because it's really all I need in terms of coverage.
8. New camera- WOOT WOOT! My wonderful wonderful parents got me the Canon G7x as a kickstart to creating some video content. I love my Nikon d5500 which is what I use to shoot all my pictures. The only downside is that it doesn't have autofocus in a video which would create a lot of challenges for me while filming. By the end of the summer, I should have my Youtube channel up in running with a couple videos. This has been something I've considered for a while now and the perfect way to show you everything coming up for me this school year.
9. Leave Your Mark- I don't know how to type this and not have it sound weird, so here goes nothing! I have never had a stronger urge to create a book club than when reading this book. Leave Your Mark is written by Aliza who is kind enough to take us through all the lessons she has learned in her career and essentially becoming your mentor in paper form. Aliza was on her way to becoming a surgeon when she realized what she really wanted was a career in the fashion industry. Doing a complete 180 like this is not a small task and she has oodles of stories to teach us all some lessons. I recommend this to literally everyone around my age. Even if you don't want a career in fashion so much of this could still be applied to your career.
10. Drunk Elephant Night Serum- For over a year now I have been using and love the Drunk Elephant vitamin C morning serum so I thought it was about time to invest in the night serum as well. I've been spending a lot more money on skincare rather than makeup lately in hopes this will help my skin not completely freak out on me when I move to New York City this fall. The night serum really has not disappointed. I don't think the texture of my skin has ever been this good because of the combination of products I've been using. I get that this product is really expensive and I'll be honest, you don't need it. It has really changed my skin for the better, but on the other hand, unless you're struggling with your skin lately I'm not sure it is worth the investment.
Arguably one of the best things about every holiday is the sales that take place. My email inbox has been filled to the brim with messages about everyone having sales. To keep it nice and organized for you and myself I decided to make a blog post dedicated to the best sales I could find.
At this point in the season, I'm not in the market for anything in particular, but I can never say no to a good sale. If I do get anything (I'll let you know on my Insta stories!) it will most likely just be clothing. By clothes, I mean non-workout items that I could wear this upcoming year. This past year (my freshman year of college) I wore athleisure practically every single day. It was just what pretty much everyone did and everything was always super casual. This year will certainly be different since I'll be based in New York City.
J. Crew Factory- 50% off everything!
Urban Outfitters- Take 30% off all sale items!
H&M- 4th of July deals starting at $4!
Tuckernuck- 25% off select items with the code "USA25"
Macy's- 20% off Macy's 4th of July Sale with code "FOURTH"
