wearing white before memorial day #2 / look for less

although the dress was WAY. TOO. SHORT., i loved the way kelly bensimon looked in her white lace dress during a recent episode of real housewives of new york city. i scoured the interwebs to find who the designer - to no avail - so i decided to find a version for regular girls like us.

you can totally rock a white dress any time of the year as long as it's accessorized properly. just pair with some dark colored heels and bag and you're good to go!

below: mango crochet linen dress, $201, asos.com

below: laundry by shelli segal bell sleeve eyelet shift dress, $195, nordstrom.com. i actually tried it on this past weekend and it's SO. CUTE. the elasticized cuffs are a nice touch.

wearing white before memorial day #1 / outfit in action

aaaaand kicking off my new year's resolution with a bang, here's what i'm wearing today. i kinda feel like i should be lunching on a yacht with ramona from the new york housewives. forgive the amateur-take-photo-of-self-in-mirror photo. maybe i should ebay a tripod.

ny&co plaid shirt ($5.99), ny&co gramercy shorts ($17.50), j.crew gold belt ($10), steve madden kobraa flats ($60), danielle stevens monogram necklace ($78), marc jacobs bucket tote ($500 on super sale about six years ago)

wearing white before memorial day #1 / white jeans

i've unfortunately grown out of my favorite white jeans and shorts from last summer (thankyouverymuch, tex-mex and bbq) so was keeping an eye out for those two items in particular during a trip to the mall on saturday. new york and co was having a massive sale (as usual) and everything was an additional 15% off. i hit the jackpot and walked out with two pairs of white shorts and a pair of white jeans for about $50. unfortunately the pricing on the website isn't reflective of the in-store sales so i reco popping in.

i'm all about wearing white before and after the "allowed summer months." i simply avoid wearing them with beachy or summery pairings or accessories. it's all about dark blues, purples, browns and black.

i forgot to take a photo, but i rocked the white jeans saturday night for a date with my hubs. they were super comf and looked awesome with a fuschia club monaco silk racerback tunic tank and brown vintage (ha, four years old) michael kors newton wedges. note to self...start taking photos of outfits. it'll be my late new year's resolution.

above: skinny ankle jean, optic white wash, $36.50 (i got them on sale for $19.99 plus an additional 15% off)

above: metallic brocade gramercy short, $34.95 (i got them on sale for $19.95 plus an additional 15% off). they remind me of a much more expensive pair i ogled over in j.crew last summer.

above: fine stripe gramercy shorts in white, $34.95 (i got them on sale for $19.95 plus an additional 15% off)

replacing my favorite summer shoes

i have a really hard time at the start of every summer for only one reason - i pull out my favorite pair of shoes from the summer before and weep with sadness at how beat up they are. this time around it's the dolce vita able's i invested in last year. good news is they're still available in select sizes and colors from a few different retailers around the world wide web ($40 - $110). i'll be going for the white/gold pair this go around!

grilled cheeser

i think you're probably supposed to use this to make grilled cheese but i'd personally use it to make the biggest s'more ever. may be time to book a camping trip...available from rei for $16.95.

out of print clothing

i came across these out of print t-shirts in the latest issue of real simple magazine and i think it is such a great idea. my hubs is a huge book nerd so it instantly made me think of him. my usual rule with nick's t-shirts is one in, two out - meaning for every t-shirt he brings home, two have to go into the pile of cleaning rags...but one of these for $28 could be a fun surprise. about out of print clothing:

"Out of Print celebrates the world’s great stories through fashion. Our shirts feature iconic and often out of print book covers. Some are classics, some are just curious enough to make great t-shirts, but all are striking works of art. We work closely with artists, authors and publishers to license the content that ends up in our collections. Each shirt is treated to feel soft and worn like a well-read book."

ruffle and eyelet bathing suit

i love target. i mean...who doesn't? i ran in on saturday for a few cleaning supplies and came out with this eyelet trim bathing suit - i love the girly details of the eyelet and the ruffles. and hello...$14.99 for each piece. way easier to swallow than that $220 one i posted about last week (although this one is not as awesome, i'll admit, it definitely does the job).