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.

dreamy living - packing for vacation

i'm so excited! i feel like jessie spano when she discovered the magic of caffeine pills. why's that, you ask? well, because i'm going on vacation! i'm heading to asheville, nc to visit my beautiful best friend, marissa. it's been a whopping 3 years since i visited her down there (don't worry, she's made trips up here since then) and i am so excited to be going back. asheville is a really beautiful place!

as a person who doesn't do much vacationing (i need to work on this big time), i'm not the most seasoned suitcase-packer out there. the last time i visited i opted not to pay the extra $50 or $75 or whatever to check a bag and instead took just a carry-on, which was the worst idea ever. this time i'm flying jetblue, so my first checked bag is free! yay, more room to pack things! yay, more room to bring things back with me! yay, yay, yay! and to top it off, i found the most adorable yellow hard-case vintage american tourister suitcase at the thrift store for $5. happy traveler, right here!

let's see... sunscreen, three pairs of shoes (four including the pair i'll be wearing tomorrow!), a pair of shorts, a bathing suit, makeup, hair straightener, hairbrush, toothbrush, unmentionables, plenty of t-shirts, a maxi dress, a little dress to wear if we go out dancing, a belt, tank tops, an extra pair of sunglasses... what am i forgetting? if only jessie spano were here to freak out at me...