Summer Splurge.

Usually a summer splurge takes form of a pair of shoes (nay, wedges), a new bathing suit, or even some flowers and potted plants. This year I used a Lowe's gift card on plants (yippeeee!!!) and re-used the dirt and pots from last summer (old dirt really is better). This year I bought a bathing suit at Old Navy (gasp!) instead of Boden USA or JCrew. This year I bought wedges at the end of Winter so that doesn't count as Summer spending.....right?

So, what I really want in my back patio (my roommate and I will surely fight over this while turning the chicken on the grill, Tecate or two in hand) is this. Judge away if you wish, it's pure heaven in a hammock.

Only Anthropologie can sell a Tranquil Paradise for under $100...

If only we had a pool too...

image via Apartment #34.

V V Brown - Shark In The Water

Good summer song...

Favorite Chair

Do you have a favorite chair? Oh well you should. This has been my favorite chair for a while and I'd love to have a dining room table full of them.

yesterday MadeByGirl notified me that Modani carries them for less than ever!! I have never seen these available for under $200...Sigh....I need to save my money for a chandelier first. Patience, patience has never been my strong point.

The Rules are Not Black and White.

I had a question yesterday on how much white is permissible for a wedding/wedding shower/etc when you are not the bride.

Rules have changed. People are wearing white whether it's pre or post Labor day if they want to or not. But what happened to placing the bride above yourself?

I think another valid question is how much black is permissible as well! When I was growing up, my mom never allowed us to wear black to a wedding. Now people are doing it all the time.. I think it is important to break it up with some color so that you don't look like you're attending a funeral.

Here the girls from SATC are attending a funeral...so their black frocks are valid.

I wanted to post this for fun...Scarlet O'Hara wore black when she was in mourning for her husband while attending a party. She was dressed appropriately, yes, but she earned the evil stares for dancing while she was supposed to be in mourning.

Here is an inspiration board mixing black, white, and green...completely acceptable choices of wedding attire. Mixing patterns and prints with black/white will not earn you blaming looks.

Peggy Post of the Emily Post institute says you can wear white, as long as it doesn't look remotely bridal. Wearing something with white in it is also fine, and it should never compete with the bride's white. I am siding with some of the more traditional writers here...don't wear white, ivory, or other very pale colors. Another color to avoid? Red! Red is not remotely a bridal/wedding color and is a major attention grabber. Keep the attention on the bride and off your dance moves.

Yes, Audrey, you are most often the epitome of style and grace, but please do not attend a wedding inspired by this outfit...Or with "tada!!!" arms while coming down the stairs...the bride may ninja kick you out.

To sum it up? Let's be honest, brides are fragile creatures. Best not to mess with her emotions and wear all black or all white. Even to showers I feel awkward if I wear all white...I've worn a white cotton dress but kept my yellow cardigan on the entire time. Some brides like to wear all white to each party/event pertaining to the big day.

How Tuesday: Wedding Season Part I: Wedding Shower

Wedding Season begins! Don't panic. This doesn't have to cost you an arm and a leg. That part is very important to me since I'm attending 9 weddings this season (I'm in one, in town).

How to dress for and attend a wedding shower:
1. Note the theme of the shower-indoor, outdoor, picnic, luncheon, couples, or just ladies.

2. Bring a gift, and a date when invited to do so.

3. Wear a dress you already have, if possible.

4. Don't look better than the bride.

5. Don't outshine the bride at the shower.

6. Wear something classy-and cover up. No need to look like you're going clubbing.

7. Socialize with the guests and make sure the bride knows you're there for her.

The Gift:

1. If you are close to the bride and know her style, you can buy something personal and off-registry (I do this a lot).

2. If you are in doubt, buy off the registry. You can buy one gift for the whole wedding-or several small ones (shower, party, wedding day).

3. If you are invited to an out of town shower, order a gift online ahead of time and have it shipped.

4. Make sure the gift is wrapped with a gift receipt.

5. Include a card with a personal message to the bride (and groom).

Dress ideas:

(all under $50!!)

paired with....

paired with...

paired with...

paired with...

Modcloth is so adorable! I think I'm going to place an order...I'll let you know how it all fits, since I've ALWAYS been curious about this online shop!!

To romp or not to romp?

That is the question. I'm hesitant, to say the least. Corinne found a low cost option to test the trend.

But seriously, what is a romper?

I looked it up.

A romper suit is a one-piece garment worn by children and sometimes women. Somewhat similar to a coverall, it is loose fitting and usually has shorter legs that may be gathered at the end. Puffed pants are particularly associated with rompers. Rompers usually are meant as a combination of shorts and a shirt, though the term can include jumpers, one-piece bathing suits, and clubwear fashions to name a few.

To me it looks like an easy Saturday "throw on", but will my long torso make this uncomfortable? I can picture this with a long navy cardigan and gold gladiator sandals...or with a short sleeve tee underneath and Converse shoes. It's hard to try a trend when your wallet is at stake, but for $20, I'll attempt any fashion risk.

Rompers on celebs:

Rompers on the Runway:

If Karl Lagerfeld likes them, should I? Leave me a comment and let me know what you think...