Outfits Inspired by France

After a very long plane ride, I'm home! I loved loved loved France (who wouldn't?). It was an amazing trip. My mom, sister, and I got to go to Paris, Avignon, Nimes, and many more. Something that surprised me while visiting all of those cities was how diverse they all were. Even though some were in pretty close proximity to each other, the architecture and feel of the cities were very different. In honor of that, I'm going to share with you guys some outfits inspired by my favorite cities. Enjoy!  

1) Paris

Paris doesn't really need much of an introduction. When I was there, I noticed that most Parisians favor the same type of city-chic that many New Yorkers do. Obvious labels are uncommon, and the goal is to make understated pieces shine with bold accessories. The outfit below is almost an exact replica of one that I wore in Paris.

Outfit information on Polyvore

2) Marseille

Marseille is a beautiful port town in the south of France that also happens to be France's first city. As you can see in the picture, the colors of the architecture, boats, and ocean are all extremely vivid. While I was there, it was fairly hot, so I stuck to wearing a dress. This outfit is inspired by the bright colors of the port. 

Polyvore

3) Monte Carlo

We went to Monaco at the very end of our trip, pretty much just to be able to say we'd been to Monte Carlo. While walking around, I noticed that there were a lot of royal guards (according to Google, they're technically called gendarmes). I made this outfit inspired by their uniforms. PS props to them for being able to wear pants in that sweltering heat. 

  

Polyvore

 As much as I loved France, I'm very happy to be back home. If you want to see more outfits like these, you can follow me on Polyvore under the username: somethingpreppy. 

Sale Alert!

Everyone drop what you're doing and get to your nearest J.Crew! Right now everything in the entire store (including sale items) are 25% off and 30% off if you have a J.Crew card. In addition, everything at J.Crew Factory online is 40% off! This is an great opportunity to pick up some of the things that you've had your eye on! Here are some awesome pieces from the sales:

J.Crew: (coupon code NEWSTYLE)

Tiki short

Chambray popover

Beaded rose necklace

J.Crew Factory (prices as marked)

Printed mini

Ruffle popover

 Braided flip flop

UPDATE: Can't believe I forgot to add this, but today is the first day of summer aka National Wear Your Lilly Day! To celebrate, Lilly Pulitzer is giving everyone GWP! If you shop in a store or online today, you get a keychain with any purchase and an exclusive wristlet with a purchase of $250 or more. Enjoy!

Rain, Rain Go Away

I love New York. I love the history, the architecture, the culture, and the people. I love the sitting on a park bench and looking out at the water while the sun is shining. Which is usually is on a summer NY day. Therefore,  I naively thought that I was leaving rain and clouds behind in South Bend and so I put my rain boots in storage. Big. Mistake.I feel like every day since I started work I've either been walking to or from the office in some kind of downpour.

So, I've been in the market for some cute, rain-proof shoes to wear during my commute. Luckily, jelly flats are becoming more and more popular among my favorite designers. Check out my picks! 

I'm loving these J.Crew Factory rubber flats so much that I bought them for myself. They're fun and stylish, yet still totally practical. The color will definitely cheer me up on a rainy day, and the bow is a cute preppy touch.

Tory Burch

Loeffler Randall

Ted Baker

Kate Spade

Which is your favorite? What shoes do you love for rainy days?



Outfit of the Day

This summer, I'm lucky enough to have an internship in NYC. I've had several internships before, but this is my first "corporate" internship where the dress code has really been strict. Officially, we're supposed to dress business formal, but the ladies I work with tend to fall a little more on the business casual side, so I've been following their lead. I know that a lot of people my age struggle with it, but I love getting dressed for work. A business casual dress code is the perfect opportunity to wear all the super cute clothing that I have but that is a little too formal for everyday life, as well as to showcase some prep :)

There are only two things that trip me up when I'm thinking about what to wear:

1) I commute every day. That means a car to a train to a subway and then a walk, so anything I wear has to be able to withstand all this travel and still look good. It also has to be acceptable to run to catch a subway in (not ashamed to admit I've been that person leaping onto the subway at the last second).

2) My office is predominately male, so most of the people I work with are wearing suits despite the heat and humidity outside. This means that our air conditioning is INTENSE. I'm talking goosebumps and chattering teeth. When I'm getting dressed, I have to remember that even though it is hot during my commute, I'm going to be dealing with near-Artic temperatures for most of the day.

That being said, here's my first OOTD!

 Shirt: J.Crew (similar)

Skirt: Express

Belt: Lilly Pulitzer

Shoes: Corso Como

Earrings: Pink Pineapple Shop

Please feel free to leave me questions or comments! I'm always going to be posting OOTD's on my Instagram (something_preppy) first, then posting in more detail on the blog. I'm also going to try to take these pictures before I leave for work instead of when I get home so that I'm a little less wrinkled. 

Thanks for reading! (Is that a good catchphrase? Seriously, I need feedback!)