Nine West shoes make me happy

I always have great luck at Nine West with shoes. Plus, there are two Nine West outlets in relatively close proximity to me, which makes it easy and fun to go shopping for shoes! I recently stopped in on the way back home from a work conference. I found these great pairs, but unfortunately, none of them were in my size. Alas, the trouble with outlets!

I love these natural flats ($78, Zappos), and I don't have any beige shoes... yet! They would be a great color to match with several of my business suits and oh-so-cute with jeans.

I am itching for a red pair, but I have yet to find them. These ($93, Zappos) are sassy and fun!

I also need a more comfortable pair of brown ones, but I can't decide which color brown!

And animal prints are darling. These leopard ones are a little pricy ($111, Zappos.com), but they are a-freaking-adorable!

Happy June Shopping!

Blog of the week

I have decided to start doing a blog of the week. I have already mentioned The Sartorialist, which is amazing. This week, I want to point you to Mahalo Fashion. This fashion blog is fun and the blog author, Jennifer, has a great sense of style! Plus, you have lots of fun pictures to see. From blogging about the Olsen twins' and Keira Knightly's styles to hot fashion trends, this blog is a lot of fun and perfect for perusing during a work break!

Undercover: Swim 2007

I know girls don't like to cover up those way cute tankinis and bikinis but running around in your swimgear is not highly advised. You need not worry because there are so many fun, stylish ways to cover up. I am going the dress route this year with a couple of darling ones I have already shown you in my Year of the Dress post. I also love this brown one ($36.50) from Gap.com. It's so easy to wear and pack in your cute swim bag (Target, $14.99), with the perfect little separate pocket for a wet bikini.

Let me tell you about my favorite cover-up purchase this year. Victoria's Secret had an adorable chemise that is long enough and beautiful enough that I had to snatch it up at 40% off, especially since it is just perfect for a cover-up. When I took it to the counter after trying on two colors, the sales girl took the one I didn't take and saved it for herself, agreeing with me that it would be perfect for out on the lake, or on the town. I could not find a picture of it on the web site so head to the closest Victoria's Secret and get one for yourself before they are gone... Semi-Annual Sale does start on June 19, and I am preparing!

Other options from Victoria's Secret include this cute little skirt ($24), which is made of swimsuit material and can make any rear look good. I also love this top ($29) as a fun little item. It might be a little out-of-place for some locations but perfect for the pool.

Oh, and we mustn't forget a charming floppy big hat to keep that sun off your gorgeous face, plus any gal with one on just looks so chic. The first one is a great price (Style Violet, $26), but the middle one is my favorite (Nordstrom, $96). I have always been partial to the cowgirl hat when I see gals with them on out on the lake. This is extremely pricey at $240, also at Nordstrom. Go keep it undercover, girls!

On the street... FASHION

Check out The Sartorialist, my latest blog crush. A fabulous photographer posts pictures of those with style found just out and about. Lots of people comment on the pictures, and he has been doing it for a while. I stop by everyday. It is amazing! These are a few fantastic pictures he snagged...

Swimsuit lovah

I guess I am not the average girl - I love swimsuits (a swimsuit lovah in Sarah Jessica Parker's Sex-and-the-City terms). Next to my overzealous purchasing of cute underwear, I buy too much swimwear. I hardly even go swimming or sunbathing, so my adoration of swimsuits is a little expensive and slightly pointless. Alas, that will probably soon change once I move into my new apartment with a sweet swimming pool. Good thing they have a fitness room, too, so I can (try to) keep myself all trim for swimsuit season. Although I have this darling striped bikini ($93) featured here, I am really a tankini girl because I can keep all my bits undercover and still sample that delicious BBQ while out on the lake with friends. (Yes, the lake - Missouri is a bit far from the sparkly blue ocean, which is where I would rather be, but hey, no sharks!)

This suit by Nautica ($102, click on all pictures to buy suits - i know, i shouldn't make it so easy to spend money) is adorable, and I wish I could add it to my collection. But I must restrain myself from another impulse online purchase (I am sure you know what I mean!).

I have always been a bit partial to giraffes (they were my fave wild animal growing up as a tall girl) so I love this one ($84 top, $54 bottom) at Nordstrom. It also helps that this color combo is great for my red hair and complexion.
This electric purple one from American Apparel ($45) is hot, as Paris Hilton would say. If I could pull it off, I would, especially since bright colors are so now. Happy Swimsuit Season, my little fishies!

A lovely wedding weekend

From the fragrant pink roses to the beautiful pistachio dresses, the wedding weekend was pretty amazing. A good dose of humidity and rain did not even dampen the fun. All of those in the wedding looked gorgeous, but not as gorgeous as the blushing bride, pictured with me to the right.

I decided to do the mystic tanning thing for the event, keeping it beautiful with application of the gradual self-tanner lotion in between, and no one could tell the difference. Everyone kept complimenting me on my beautiful tan! And no skin cancer. Hooray!

I have some pictures of my hair on that special day! I adored the style so much that I have a big desire to use it every time I am in a wedding, but I, of course, won't, lest I wear out the smashing look that all the other bridesmaids wanted. Everyone said they had hair envy toward me. I might even want to use it for my own wedding, a little higher, with the veil underneath the extravaganza in the back! The back is very similar to the one I posted on May 24!

Fabulous bridesmaid hair

In two days, I will have my hair professionally styled for only the second time in my life. When I was 11, my sweet mom took me with my bouncy red curls and my sister with her straight brown hair to the hair shop, and we got beautified. On Saturday, the bride will be paying for the entire bridal party to get their hair done. It's going to be fun! I never had a stylist do my hair for prom or for being a bridesmaid because I like hair, and I have always been completely content with my own hair designs. If I were the egotistic type, I might even call my styles amazing, but I'm not so I won't. For this professional styling, I have one rule: my hair will not be plastered to my head with enough hair spray to make me faint. That, hair stylists out there, does not look good. It looks like a poor girl has a stiff mop on top of her beautiful face. I am not having it, but here are some options. I am leaning toward a half-up look...

Bridal Tea (Wine) Party

I am so excited for this weekend as I get to participate in a tea party before my best bud's wedding. But this tea party is unlike many you might have heard about. In addition to tea, we are having wine, lots and lots of delicious wine. Plus, we get to get dressed up in party dresses (see post below) and pretend like we are southern belles. The event will be held at a gorgeous plantation - like location called Graceland. The gal who planned it is a superb party planner, and I helped pick out the amazing wine from a great vineyard in Hermann, Mo. My favorite wine of theirs is the Vignoles (pictured here in that darling blue bottle), but I also love the Seyval, the Adam's Choice and the Blush. Missouri has some great wineries! My sister and I often rent a bed & breakfast and have some amazing wine all day long. It is perfect!

Year of the Dress

This is the easily the year of the dress. I have never seen so many people wearing dresses all of the time - not only to church and to weddings, but also out on the weekend, to the winery, to work, to do errands, to go garage sale shopping... I love this trend, and I am fully embracing it. I have been lucky enough to find several cute dresses at darling prices, and I have already taken full advantage of all these easy-to-wear outfits after attending 5 graduations last weekend. I have put together a few pictures of some dresses I own or I am coveting. Enjoy!



This season it's about the bright colors and the patterned dresses, and the gorgeous Grecian dresses, as well as trendy black and white combinations. You can't go wrong with all these possibilities. It's always fun shopping for a classic LBD (little black dress). This year, things get better with the appearance of the LWD (little white dress). Just steer away from wearing those white ones to a wedding. The white is reserved for the bride on her big, beautiful day!



Another trend I have been wanting to try is the maxi dress, but I haven't bit the bullet and bought one yet. Whenever I see people in them, I see them as a bit too prom-like or something...


Finally, here are some of the dresses I have purchased...