peaches & dream

dreamy outfit - kelsey's croatia essentials

good afternoon my darlings! i am so happy that more and more of you have been writing for style advice... and so so so flattered! today's post is for my friend kelsey who is going to croatia for 12 days at the end of the month! so exciting... needless to say i'm totally jealous! here's what she wrote:

"i've been looking online without any luck for a cool retro bikini (high waisted) that would be flattering on me...  i also need inexpensive dress / top options that i can get more than one wear out of. we'll be on a sailboat but stopping in various places to go out. so i need to be boat casual but ready to dress up a bit for dinner and drinks..."

kelsey also told me she has a budget of (around) $250... well my dear, this is what i came up with! i hope it helps...

 

1 whirligig dress by velvet, $69.95 via anthropologie

2 braided chain duster earrings, $4.99 via urban outfitters

3 lace-trimmed chiffon blouse, $19.99 via urban outfitters

4 ruched bikini top & bottom, $48 & $46 respectively via j.crew

5 geo stone ring, $16.99 via urban outfitters

6 ecote gladiator wedge sandal, $14.99 via urban outfitters

7 featherknit asymmetrical tee, $34.99 via j.crew

8 cone post earring, $14 via urban outfitters

9 mixed stones stackable rings, $9.99 via urban outfitters

some important things to note - 1 while the bathing suit is from j.crew and might not be locally available, i find that their suits run a bit small but mostly true to size and their shipping is super quick to new england because they have a shipping warehouse in western mass! 2 i love the velvet dress because their stuff packs & travels so well. the fabrics they use are super lightweight and easy and this design is perfect to dress up or down. 3 overall, i'd say bring things that pack easily and pack tons of accessories - it is the easiest way to dress up any outfit from day to night.

friday faves - maxi dresses

happy friday, friends! a few days ago my dearest alex sent me an email requesting "a post featuring tons of [affordable] maxi dresses in more neutral less crazy patterns." i thought friday faves was the perfect opportunity to showcase my findings - which are all under $100 and lovely. some aren't patterned and are super simple but i think they're lovely just the same... enjoy!

1 chain necklace open-back maxi, $31.03 via asos

2 black crochet tunic maxi, $38 via lucky rabbit

3 warehouse one-shoulder leopard maxi, $43.10 via asos

4 etsuko tiger-pring maxi, $46.99 via ruche

5 cheap monday domino maxi, $58 via nasty gal

6 aryn k dune maxi, $61.60 via nasty gal

7 bleach breton maxi, $72.50 via all saints

8 jungle jane tie-dye maxi, $75 via navajo girl

9 axle maxi dress, $80 via all saints

10 bleach zebra maxi, $99.50 via all saints

dreamy outfit - casey's anthropologie dress

hello, dreamy dreamers! my friend casey recently asked me to help her style an anthropologie dress that she bought to wear to a friend's wedding next month. i love love love the dress and it was so easy to find great pieces to pair it with! i'm not sure if she'll end up taking any or all of my advice, but i had fun doing it just the same. enjoy!

outfit details

1 essie nail color in sweet talker and watermelon, $7.79 via target

2 jenna's cropped cardigan, $54.99 via j.crew

3 love birds necklace, $4.80 via forever 21

4 passport stamping shoe, $44.99 via modcloth

5 sweetheart earrings, $3.80 via forever 21

6 batik shield ring, $3.80 via forever 21

7 wavy cuff, $4.80 via forever 21

i asked casey when & where the wedding is going to be held so i could get an idea of what kinds of accessories would be appropriate. for instance, a daytime wedding that's relatively casual (as she described) calls for totally different accessories than a more formal, evening wedding would. i opted for bright nail colors (always super fun) to pull from the tones of the dress, a cropped cardigan in case the reception gets chilly and left the rest of the accessories neutral and fun. i figure if you're young and adorable you should flaunt it! how would you have accessorised this dress?

thrifty thursday!

hello, lovelies! a couple of days ago lona and i had a ladydate to go hunting for possible bridesmaid dresses for seth & isis' wedding in august. no bridesmaid dresses were purchased but we ended up at the j. crew factory store and i found some really great deals... and then as we were leaving i got an email on my phone from the banana republic factory store and so obviously we had to stop in there, too!

scores! left to right:

j.crew striped tank - originally $29.50, snagged for $9.99

banana republic fringe chain necklace - originally $39.50, snagged for $3.04

banana republic striped open vest - originally $69, snagged for $6.61

banana republic coral dress - originally $110, snagged for $9.67

j.crew yellow enamel hippo necklace - originally $24.50, snagged for $14.70

banana republic silk chiffon blouse - originally $79.50, snagged for $8.66

j.crew army green tank - originally $34.50, snagged for $4.98

j.crew striped tie (for the dream!) - originally $29.50, snagged for $7.48

so many goodies!

thrifty thursday!

yesterday morning i went to the thrift shop to wander around, since i had the day off and the dream had to work. i never have any expectations when i go thrifting... i actually really just like walking around and looking at all of the great stuff! i found an avocado colored sunbeam stand mixer (if i didn't already have a baby pink kitchenaid stand mixer that thing would have surely been mine!), a mustard yellow blender, a bunch of old sewing machines and a gorgeous black coach turnlock briefcase. so many goodies!

what i couldn't resist buying were two lovely porcelain busts i found as i was walking out the door... they're so precious and the "favorites" section of my etsy is filled with similar pairs! i was so happy to have found both of the busts together that i simply couldn't pass them up.

viva deli - asheville, nc

hi, lovelies! i am back from vacation and in the real world (ho, hum!) and already missing my marissa like crazy! friday night we had dinner at this little jewish (non-kosher) deli called viva deli. marissa had the italia sandwich (prosciutto, sweet soprasetta, provolone, marinated artichoke hearts, tomato, & onion on fresh-baked ciabatta) and i had the francaise (oven-baked turkey, melted brie, tomato, red onion and raspberry mayo on foccacia) - so yummy! super cheap and quick, too. i also tried cheerwine for the first time which was created in salisbury, nc and is cherry soda, ALSO SO YUMMY! see here...

thrifty thursday!

i'm in asheville, but last week i had some seriously great luck at the local thrift stores! i found some really lovely stuff for our home. we currently live with roommates in a shared apartment, so the amount of decorating we can do to make the place ours is limited. hopefully by the end of summer(ish) we'll find our own place and i'll be able to make it a home, but until then i'm collecting bits and pieces so that it's not a giant rush when we move to fill an empty space.

i can't believe i found the beautiful mersman table that all of my other finds are resting on for a mere $9.99 - it was an obvious and definite yes. along with it, i found a beatrix potter portrait of jeremy fisher (from the tale of jeremy fisher) in a pale pink frame for $.99, two vintage glass bottles for $2.99 each, a pair of vintage eyeglasses for $.99 (i'm going to have the lenses replaced with pink uv lenses!), a little wooden heart necklace for $.99, a little ceramic fawn book-end for $1.99, a vintage tool box for $2.99 and a needlework panel for $.99. i also found a huge remnant of rust colored microsuede fabric (super super soft) to recover the dining chairs i bought for us at a thrift store a while back (they're currently a dark brown with bright yellow velvet seats, which is nice, but i think painting them cream and reupholstering with this rust fabric will be a fantastic upgrade)! take a peek...

my second thrift shop stop brought me even more success! i found a gorgeous vintage mustard tablecloth with 6 matching napkins - all of which have adorable lace trim. the napkins were $.99 each and the tablecloth was $2.99. along with those, i found a pretty ceramic vase for $4.99, two pink glass teacups for $.99 each and two rose tea saucers for $.99 each... so fun!

i'm excited about the idea of having a crisp white or cream kitchen with mustard, pink and avocado green accents. i can't wait! have any of you found any great thrift finds lately?

everyday dreamy - rainy day maxi dress

hello, sweetie baby darlings! what's that you ask? another new style feature? why yes, yes it is! everyday dreamy is kind of the same as the whole "dreamy outfit" thing, but with a twist - i'm going to compose total dream outfits and then translate them to a reasonable budget, dream-to-reality style. i know, so fun!

the most important thing to keep in mind when composing an outfit based around a budget is that you have to loosen your core concepts of what you're looking for in certain pieces. for instance, when i took beth out for her bridal shower style sesh we had certain pieces that we were looking for to complete her outfit - shoes, a shrug or cardigan and jewelry. she wanted a statement necklace and wedges, and i wanted the color blush tossed in the mix so bad i could taste it! we were originally intending on nude or blush shoes but it didn't work out that way, and because we were flexible we opened ourselves up to so many more options!

like beth's shower outfit, this first from dream to reality outfit is built around a core piece - the maxi dress. it's my perfect piece for cool summer days because the dress aesthetic is still there but the length keeps your stems warm when it gets breezy! i wanted to show you guys that just because you can't afford the exact pieces you're lusting after at barneys or net-a-porter doesn't mean you can't look just as good in comparable, budget-friendly duds. so, here it is!

1. theory tylie stretch-crepe maxi dress - $187.50

2. vince drape front jacket - $709

3. j. crew buckle stretch belt - $36.50

4. pencey alexus open-toe booties - $316

5. juicy couture pave pyramid earring - $37.99

6. 3.1 philip lim conner sunglasses - $138

total: $1,424.99

1. forever 21 racerback tank dress - $13.50

2. faux leather jacket - $64.99

3. forever 21 woven elastic belt - $6.80

4. forever 21 feather necklace - $4.80

5. charlotte russe cat-eye sunglasses - $5.50

6. dolce vita for target wedges - $29.99

total: $125.58

things to keep in mind: when shopping for an outfit, if you have time (and the will to hunt), always check your local thrift stores first. i find most of my best pieces at thrift stores! also, use your own stash. you probably have a statement jewelry piece that could be swapped out with whatever piece you're dreaming of. finally, keep an open mind. if you end up finding a super cute, full-length romper instead of a maxi dress, try it on! but remember to keep your ultimate dreamy outfit aesthetic in mind when buying.