a favorite, and a few things going back

top // madewell

jeans // articles of society [distressed version on sale]

sandals // steve madden [very similar]

Wanting to get back into blogging for me means it may be more about sharing (wrinkly) mirror pics once in a while rather than never sharing photo shoots with my good camera, so here we are ;)

Last night, CR and I joined my co-resident and his girlfriend for a night in Cleveland. We went to my favorite taco place (Barrio for all of you 'landers, but you already knew that) for make-your-own tacos and margs, and then went to the zoo to see the Asian light festival. So thankful we have such fun people in our lives and interesting things to eat and see! Also thankful to wear real clothes once in a while. I bought this Madewell tunic a few months ago and you guys...I am obsessed with it. Remember last year when I really wanted to try that Madewell central shirt but was all "I don't know if it's flattering, oh god, what a crisis" and then I bought the shirt and the world didn't burn down, and I ended up wearing it all summer? Well, it's that same style shirt, but as a tunic, which I just looooove. I'm wearing a size medium here. I've worn it with shorts, and black jeans, but this time paired it with an old pair of white jeans and cognac accessories. Easy breezy for a fun night out!

I had mentioned in my Nordstrom review post that I was going to try the Spanx faux leather leggings after that other pair was atrocious. I ordered them in a large as I was told they fit true to size. First things first, these definitely don't look like leather at all. They are more of a textured pair of leggings, which I'm down for, but I definitely wouldn't say "faux leather" for the finish on these. Second, they are made by Spanx, so obviously they do an amazing job sucking everything in. My hips looked smoother and my butt was lifted, but along with that, I feel it does restrict your motion a little bit, especially if you feel like you're putting on yoga pants but then you can't move as well in them. I still really looked the look of them, and was about ready to keep them, but then I sat down in a chair to respond to an email, and the waist rolled down. They almost go too high, so they roll down to your actual waist when moving. All in all, these were nice, but I knew that I just wouldn't reach for them often enough to make it worth it, even with the great Anniversary sale price.

Today is the last day of the Anniversary sale. I ended up keeping three items from the sale, and all are still available. These olive jeans are amazing, and I've worn them three separate times already. They fit true to size, and are perfect for adding a bit of interest while remaining in the neutral territory that my closet is in. The polka dot dress of my dreams has popped back in a few sizes - I'm wearing it to the all the weddings I'm going to this fall ;) And of course, the cami I've been raving about also has a few colors/sizes back. Mine is a medium!

...sweater weather?

My gosh you guys, it has been so hot lately! Do I need to say again how much I dislike summer? I do though. But with all the talks of fall clothing (thanks to the #NSale, mostly), I was excited to wear pants again so I tried to wear a couple of my transitional pieces a few weekends ago, when it was just really warm instead of unbearably hot. White jeans are a summer closet staple for many, which is why I was thrilled when I finally found a pair I liked last spring after years of looking. Mine are from Articles of Society, and are actually currently 40% off the original price! I find they run true to size, and haven't had a problem with them stretching out through the day. I paired them with my new "tunic tee" from Loft - it's a super light weight sweater that I've actually worn several times now. It's one of those baggy oversized sweaters that lets some air in, is comfy, and can be worn every season. It does have those dreaded drop shoulders, but I find them to not be that noticeable in the black. Looking at this pictures, I feel like I look really covered up, but the thin layers were actually quite comfortable! Until I got back home, where we don't have AC... ;)

Sweater: Loft [exact]

Jeans: Articles of Society [exact on sale!]

Shoes: Jack Rogers [exact]

Bag: c/o Torregrossa [exact - use code FRANISH20 for 20% off!]

Ring: Catbird [similar at Shopbop]

And I can't really talk about fall clothing without mentioning the current Nordstrom Anniversary sale. This is the first year I've had a Nordstrom card, so it's my first time shopping early access (the sale is open to the public tomorrow, so hopefully they will have a lot of it restocked). I think the sale is really wonderful for certain reasons - you can get the upcoming trends early and at reduced prices, and you can get brand name items at prices you really can't otherwise. I think there's a lot of "extra" stuff in the sale that tends to make it kind of a hassle to pick through everything, so that's a downside, so some things aren't as great of a deal as the internet may make it seem. 

What I ended up doing is focusing on trying to get a few things that I've wanted for a while, now at a discounted price. So for me, that was a pair of black distressed jeans, a pair of blue jean distressed jeans (both are waiting at home for me to try on, and I'll only be keeping at most one of them), and black riding boots from Tory Burch that I've been obsessed with for years, as they are marked down $200 from their regular price. So those are all designer pieces I typically wouldn't purchase at full price, especially when it's 90 degrees outside, but the deals are really too good to pass up if you've had your eye on anything. Below are a few of what I think are the best deals during the sale. Quality denim, cashmere sweaters, real leather products. Since I haven't actually tried on anything from the sale, I'd love to hear about your experiences with any times you've tried (any must haves?).

one | two | three [the non distressed version that I ordered]

one [reviewed by Krista here] | two [I ordered the tan] | three [really want the light grey version!]

one | two | three

spring ahead (+ a shoe giveaway!)

Oh hey, is it snowing where you are too? Same here.

But let's all remind ourselves of the beautiful weekend we had last week - when it was 65 and sunny and the perfect dog walking weather. While fall is my favorite season, spring is a close second - everyone is just excited to finally not wear a jacket and to pull out those lighter layers. 

When Laura asked me to participate in her weekly link-up with the theme being spring fashion, I knew I wanted to wear my white jeans. Unlike Hallie, I'm a bit nervous about wearing white jeans during the winter, so now that it's just a tad warmer out, it's time to break them out! Today I'm wearing them with my new blouse from Loft, but I plan on pairing them with just about everything else in my closet - white tees and a cardigan? chambray tops (blazer?!), striped tees? 

All of the above.

Blouse: Loft [exact]

Pants: Articles of Society [exact]

Shoes: Ferragamo c/o Shopbop [save | exact]

Watch: Michael Kors [exact 25% off]

Lips: Clinique [exact in fab pop]

summer simple

While I don't consider myself a minimalist in the least, I absolutely love the look of simpler outfits, clean lines, and outfits that just look like they came together naturally. I've been working on having a cohesive closet for years now. I used to just own a bunch of clothes that didn't really go together, and over the years I've figured out what works for me and my closet, and how I can mix and match the pieces with each other. It's definitely a longer process (something I'm hoping to write about within the next month! yay free time :D), but one of the biggest things for me so far has been keeping a wish list.

One of the things I do to stay on track with my purchases and making sure I don't just spend money on a bunch of things that don't work with my closet is keeping a list of items I'd like to add. It used to be much longer, but over the past several years I've checked things off the list - items like the perfect white t-shirt, a classic wrap dress, Hunter boots that fit my calves, and a jean jacket. One of those items has been a pair of white jeans. I had a pair I bought a few summers ago, but they are now too big on me so I sold them. When given the chance to try out a few pairs from Nordstrom, it really was perfect timing. I LOVE how white jeans look on others, but wasn't so sure how my thighs would look in them. I tried on several pairs in a bunch of different price ranges and styles - from legging styles to almost $200 styles. This pair from Articles of Society was by far my favorite and the best part was that they cost under $55 - goes to show you that the most expensive isn't always the best. They fit true to size, aren't see through (with the proper undergarments of course), and have a long enough inseam. I'm so excited to wear these this summer!

Jeans: Articles of Society c/o Nordstrom [exact]

Blouse: Loft [similar]

Belt: Gap [similar]

Tote: Madewell [save | exact]

Shoes: Madewell [save | exact]

Watch: Michael Kors [save | exact]

Below are a few more easy summer pieces that can easily be mix and matched. My absolute favorite is the olive shirt dress that mayyyyyyy be sitting in my cart...

one | two | three [on sale] | four

five | six | seven [LOVE] | eight

nine | ten | eleven | twelve [a little pricy but sooo pretty]

This is the last post I'll have for the week - my board exam is Thursday and then there are several days of celebrating and weddings - follow along on instagram and snapchat (fhasselhof)! See you next week!

Disclosure: thank you to Shopstyle for sponsoring this post!