Football Ready

In honor of the start of September and UConn's season opener football game tomorrow (humor me and pretend like UConn football is good), I thought it would be fun to put together a game day look. No, I am not a huge football fan, but yes, I love tailgating and live sporting events, even if I have no idea what is going on. I will honestly miss going to UConn tailgates so much this fall. But, I can only assume that football season in the south will not disappoint; I'm actually going to my first Titans game tomorrow night! In reality, I'm lucky I even know what the team is here in Tennessee.... 

Outfit Details: Hat | Shirt | Jeans (old, similar) | Sandals | Bag (old, similar) | Watch (50% off!) | Necklace (similar) | Sunglasses

While I do love sporting a branded t-shirt with the team/school name or logo, I love having the logo on the hat and just wearing a plain loose tee to be comfortable. Luckily UConn's colors are navy blue and white, so that's pretty easy to accommodate for! But it's super easy to recreate for any color combo. And let's be honest, I will definitely trade in these jeans for some jean shorts in the 90+ degree weather. And, full disclosure, the zipper was down on my jeans this entire shoot, haha! :) 

Also, I know I need a haircut more than anything, but I am so afraid to go to a new place and coming out with a mullet (not only because I'm in the south, but because that has actually happened to me before!!) So, if anyone has some good hair stylist suggestions in the Nashville area, let a girl know! 

Are you excited for football/tailgating season?! Thanks for reading! 

Ropes & Plaid

Happy Tuesday! Only 2 days til the weekend (today doesn't count and Friday doesn't count - logical math)! 
This weekend I had my first Dave & Busters experience, and let me tell you, it is nothing like Laguna Beach made it seem like. You know the episode, where Kristin and Jessica make Alex H. get a random balding guys number and they look totally cool just having a casual girls night at 17 years old. Well, in reality, it's mostly screaming children. It was still fun, and I am the reigning basketball shootout champion, so all is well in the world. 
If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen a little preview of this outfit. I was getting ready one morning last week, throwing clothes all around my room, happy with absolutely nothing in my closet. Until I threw this Banana Republic sweater and plaid button down next to each other and I had my morning epiphany - the two obviously needed to be worn together. I used to LOVE the sweater layer trend. In high school, this was my go to outfit - a cable knit sweater (probably from the Gap), usually paired with two polos and... I'm seriously cringing as I write this... two intentionally popped collars. (Ouch. That was rough.) Anyway, put on some booties and voila! I threw on my utility jacket and was off to work. 
P.S. My hair had started out straight the morning these pictures were taken... 

And just for good measure.... 

Outfit Details | Sweater: Banana Republic (old), loving this | Plaid Shirt: T.J. Maxx, similar here and love this | Jeans: Joe's, T.J. Maxx, similar | Booties: Lauren Conrad (on sale!) | Jacket: T.J. Maxx, similar here 

Do you like to layer sweaters? 

Friday Five

Happy Friday, loves! This week has flown by and I can't believe we're half way through October already! It sure looks like fall here in Connecticut, but we've had a freakishly warm (and humid!) week. My wardrobe has been very confused, but I'll take any last bit of summer I can get! 
Here's what I'm loving this week:
#PimpinJoy. This may sound funny to a lot of you, but if you're a listener of the Bobby Bones Show, you know what I'm talking about. A little background for those of you a little confused about who's pimpin' what: Amy's (one of the show's hosts) mom, Judy, was diagnosed with cancer and decided to not let it get her spirits down and instead would choose joy. Judy then made a twitter account under the name of JudyBePimpinJoy, and the rest is history. She used something bad to encourage everyone to do something nice for someone and to always choose joy. We recently found out on the show that Amy's mom has received all the treatment she can get, and is living out the last few months with her family (I would be lying to say I didn't cry listening to this segment). As the Bobby Bones Show always encourages, I also encourage each of you to "pimp joy" this weekend, in honor of Judy. I was lucky enough to sit in on the show a couple of years ago and Amy and the rest of the team could not be any sweeter. 

Cowlneck Sweatshirt. I've been eyeing this sweatshirt for weeks now, but can never justify $50 for a sweatshirt. Yesterday, as I was just about to leave Kohl's (empty-handed, might I add), I spotted this and immediately thought of the Mindy Mae's one, and for only $20, I couldn't pass it up. I know I will live in it once it really starts to cool down. 

NYX Primer. I heard about this on another morning show I listen to (I have a long commute....), the Elvis Duran Show, during their "What's Trending" segment. I used to use a primer in my daily makeup routine and eventually ran out and never replenished my stock. Well, this is it ladies. I'm obsessed with this primer and forgot how much better your makeup goes on with it. And, it's super affordable. I got mine at Ulta (they always have coupons - use them!!), but other makeup stores will carry it as well. 

The Courtney Bib. We all know my love for Baublebar by now, and I look at this necklace seriously every time I'm on the site (just to give you an idea, it's frequent). I probably should have just gone ahead and bought it during their friends and family sale this week, but I didn't. So, Santa, if you're reading this... hint hint. 

Bria Skirt. This past week I wore a skirt from Club Monaco and decided to browse their website to see what needs to be added to my wishlist. Well, it didn't take long to spot this and drool over it. I'm imagining it on NYE with a great pair of statement heels. The Club Monaco outlet by me is absolutely killer, so I'm hoping this skirt may end up there. Until then, I will just sit and admire it. 

Hope you all have a great weekend! Are you doing anything fun? And, as always, thanks for reading!

Pleather Skirt

Well, I knew it would be sooner rather than later that I dedicated a post to some faux leather that lives in my closet. I'm not going to lie, I was inspired by one of my favorite bloggers, Sydney, over at Summer Wind, who posted this outfit a few weeks ago. I wear my (p)leather skirt all the time once the colder weather rolls around, so when I saw this outfit inspo and realized I had everything in my closet already, I tried it practically the next day. Cashmere and leather? Sold. 
This is a great outfit to wear flats with at work and then throw on some heels for happy hour (I'll pretend like that's what I did, but really I took my shoes off and bummed a homemade meal off my parents after work...)
The wind was out of control while I was taking these photos, so I apologize for the lack of flattering shots. There's a high possibility someone got a little show during this photoshoot, if you know what I mean. I'm also so mad I forgot to take my hair band off my wrist for these, so please disregard :) 

Outfit Details | Sweater: Ann Taylor Factory Store (old), similar here | Skirt: T.J. Maxx, loving this | Necklace: Macy's (old), loving this | Watch & Bracelet: Kate Spade | Flats: Express (old) | Heels: Target, similar here
In other news, I spent the weekend relaxing, spending time with friends and watching my friend kick butt in her first marathon, but missed all the Columbus Day sales! My bank account thanks me, but I'm going to have to take advantage of some of these "extended sales". Did anyone find anything good?! 

Shirt Dress

Happy hump day! Wednesday also means the day after one of my favorite shows airs, Chicago Fire (hello Jesse Spencer and Taylor Kinney). To avoid any spoiler alerts, all I will say is oh.my.god. Those writers sure know how to get a girl's heart race up at 11 pm.
This shirt dress (is that even the real name?) was part of my mini T.J. Maxx shopping spree last week. I've been looking for one since the summer but they always seem to be see-through. When I saw this Cloth & Stone (this brand can be found at Anthropologie) shirt dress at TJ's last week, it was love at first sight. It is so comfortable but still makes you pulled together. It was perfect for running errands around town on the weekend. And a special shoutout to the lovely ladies of Ulta who made me feel like a supermodel giving me so many compliments on this look. 
I love wearing dresses and hate tights, posing quite a little problem for the colder weather that's quickly approaching. I loved that this dress was a dark neutral for fall, but I can still wear it without tights. I added in a little pop of color with my earrings because I'm just not ready to give up neon season. Also, the gold necklace I'm wearing was my bonus necklace Baublebar sent me I talked about last week! 

And a squinty-eyed and coffee shot for good measure

Outfit details | Dress: T.J. Maxx (not online) | Earrings: J.Crew (old) | Booties: LC Lauren Conrad | Bag: ASOS (old), loving this and this | Watch: Kate Spade | Bracelets: Francesca's (not online) & Kate Spade (similar) | Necklace: Baublebar (similar) | Sunglasses: Icing 

Have you given the shirt dress trend a try?