college educated, she graduated

This weekend I traveled to Minnesota to watch my youngest sister graduate from college! She has worked incredibly hard, and graduated summa cum laude with a degree in marketing. Basically she's a genius, and we are so proud of her. 

It's been so long since I last posted an outfit picture! The scrub life definitely severely limits buying and wearing clothes, so I rarely do now a days! I did recently buy this amazing Old Navy dress though and I'm obsessed...so much that I also bought it in black! It fits true to size - I tried on both a tall large and a large, and found the regular length to hit me right above the knee rather than below. The fabric is a thick ponte fabric, so I find it to be a bit more flattering than a thinner cotton material. Overall, probably one of my favorite dresses that I currently own! It also comes in a really cute grey/white strip combo that I'm eyeing...

Dress // Old Navy [exact]

Shoes // Jack Rogers [exact]

Jacket // Paige [very similar]

Purse // Coach via eBay

so good

Hello!

It feels like it's been forever since I actually wrote a post - the last couple of weeks have been so busy! Between finishing peds and taking the shelf exam, my family visiting, moving six hours from home for the month, and starting my new ObGyn rotation, it's been a bit crazy! I am so excited about this rotation though, which is why you may not hear from me as much this month. It's my first time working with ob residents, and working in a big hospital means we get to see the most acute of the acute cases. Not only has it been nice to learn a lot about the management of these acute situations, but it's been so helpful to be around residents who were in my shoes just a few years ago. I was on night float the past two nights, so while it's slightly draining to switch between day and night, while living in a dorm room, it's been so good. 

And speaking of so good....this J.Crew Factory dress. Unfortunately it looks like the polka dot version is currently not in stock, but definitely worth checking out in stores if you are near an outlet. I wore it a few weeks ago when CR and I went out to brunch and it was perfect for the occasion (back when it felt like spring, and not this weird cold stuff we have right now!). Like I mentioned in my review post, it is on the short side, so definitely a weekend-only dress for me, but it could be a fun work dress for the petite ladies out there. Wouldn't it look great with a tan blazer (the regent is still my number one wishlist blazer right now!).

Dress: J.Crew Factory [exact]

Jacket: Paige [similar]

Purse: Michael Kors c/o Shopbop [similar]

Shoes: Banana Republic [similar]

Watch: c/o Larsson & Jennings [exact]

J.Crew Factory has everything up to 60% off (+ 20% off if you buy 3 items). I'm ordering the white popover top (perfect for the summer with distressed jeans) and debating on that sweatshirt just because I think it's so darn cute. 

sweatshirt | shell top | popover

gingham shell | midi skirt | striped wedges

sassafras

Apparently, I was feeling extra sassy this day (you should see the outtakes - the eyebrows were out.of.control)!

I think I was probably slightly compensating for that grow out - yikes! I haven't been to the hair dresser in almost six months (partially to grow my hair out after it accidentally got chopped off last summer), and I finally go in next week! While I'm a blondie, it has slowly become a dark dirty blond over the years, so girlfriend needs her highlights. For me, I've run the gauntlet with hair - I've had red hair, black hair, long hair, short hair, bangs, a perm...but I always go back to medium length blond with side swept bangs. It's that safe hairstyle that I think looks best on me...but then I get an itch to do something new. Any suggestions for this time around? Or just pretty highlights and a trim, as always? Because to be honest, this is basically what I wish my hair looked like all the time. 

Tee: Gap [exact]

Jeans: Paige [exact]

Jacket: Paige [save | splurge]

Shoes: Tory Burch [exact]

Watch: Michael Kors [save | exact on sale]

Necklace: Charlene K

Today is the second to last day of the Shopbop sale - save 25% off your entire order using the code INTHEFAM. This is one of the best sales out there, and even though Shopbop does have many expensive items, they also have some great more reasonably priced items as well. Below are my picks for shoes, jeans, and clutches at three different price points. Have you picked anything up during the sale? 

under $50: Soludos espadrilles, Free People flares, Hershel clutch

under $100: KAANAS flats, Blank denim, Splendid clutch

under $150: Sam Edelman flats, James jeans, Oliveve clutch

95% love, 5% DIY

I'm in the process of writing a few posts on how to build a cohesive wardrobe (I'm hoping to have the first post done by the end of the week!) so I've been thinking a lot about what I've learned over the past few years, from the beginning of doing a closet clean out to buying those finishing pieces. One of my biggest rules over the years has been to only buy items you 100% love - or else, why spend money on it? 

A few weeks ago, I feel in love with this top from Anthropologie. On the model it looks light and airy, but on me, I felt it was too airy. The shirt sleeves actually don't really close all the way around the arms - they are open down half way the sides. I felt it made me look wider than I am because there was no waist definition, as you can see on the picture below. Besides that though, I really really liked it. The more I looked at the top, I wondered if there wasn't a way to fix it - the fabric lines up perfectly enough to sew shut along the sides. So the night after my board exam, I spent an hour sewing the sides closed and now it's so much better on me. It's still light and airy and perfect for summer, but now it's perfect for me too.

Listen learned? Sometimes a little DIY turns a no into a hell yes.

Blouse: Anthropologie [exact]

Denim Jacket: Paige c/o Nordstrom [very similar]

Jeans: Paige c/o Zappos [exact]

Bag: Madewell [save | exact]

Shoes: Banana Republic [exact]

Lipstick: Nars [exact]

400

Today our school had us take two practice exams in a row, to simulate the actual test day. Since our exam is exactly two weeks from today (eek!), it was good to get the experience of doing 400 questions in one day, but it was soooo tiring. All I wanted to do afterwards was sleep (...and drink). Instead we went and played at the dog park (it was so beautiful out!), got iced coffees, and then CR and I went out for a quick dinner...before sitting back at our desks to look over all the things we didn't know earlier today.

I stopped by Kohl's the other day to return a few items that didn't work out for me (this maxi was too short on me, unfortunately), when I saw a few pieces of the Milly collection left on the racks, so of course I had to get that striped dress I mentioned. I just think it's so cute! It's a nice and light weight, which makes it perfect both for quick nights out or as a cover up later this summer. It does run on the shorter end of what I prefer for dresses, but sometimes you need just to show a little thigh ;)

Dress: c/o Kohls [exact]

Jacket: Paige c/o Nordstrom [similar]

Bag: Madewell [save | exact]

Shoes: Banana Republic [exact]

Belt: Gap [very similar]

Watch: Michael Kors [exact]

Ring: Kendra Scott c/o Nordstrom [exact]

diamonds are forever

In a break from the snow (YES SNOW..okay fine, just a few flakes), we had one really nice day this week - it may have only been 50 degrees, but that is nice enough weather in my books to break out the sandals. 

If I had a choice in life, it would be to never have to wear shoes. Since that is not socially acceptable, I do the next best thing and wear as little shoe as possible. Many people seem to be concerned about my feet in the winter because of hussyankles the fact that I wear non-boots for most of the winter. My general winter rule is that if it's not actually snowing, then the ground will be clear enough to wear flats. My summer shoe rule is that the shoes need to be cute, go with a ton of different things (because I generally only own a few pairs of sandals), and they need to be something I can walk in longer-ish distances. 

So that rules out gladiator sandals for me....

But luckily there are so many cute summer shoes currently out that fulfill that criteria! When I was approached to pick out a pair from Nordstrom for the spring, I immediately picked out these half sandal half espadrilles from Louse et Cie. I loved the pattern, that they were a bit unique, and that I could see it going with a bunch of things in my closet. Unfortunately the fit was a no go as I couldn't tighten the ankle enough - luckily, Nordstrom offers free return shipping, which makes online shoe shopping so.much.easier. The second pair I picked out was this sparkly pair from Sole Society and they more than fulfill the summer shoe criteria. The red color is exaclty what I've been looking for, the crystals make them a bit special, and they are very comfortable. I find that they run very true to size, if not a tiny bit small - I'm between a 9 and a 9.5, and ordered it in a 9.5. They also come in black and gold if red isn't your favorite color (and if it isn't your favorite color, I'm afraid we can't be friends).

Dress: Old Navy [exact]

Denim Jacket: Paige c/o Nordstrom [exact sold out | similar for $75]

Sandals: Sole Society c/o Nordstrom [exact]

Bag: Madewell [save | exact]

Watch: Michael Kors [exact 25% off]

Here are a few more options that also fit those same requirements, all under $100. If you're looking for sandals you can walk long distances in, these Clarks are probably your best bet. These rose gold slides are sitting in my cart though - thoughts? 

one | two | three | four

five | six | seven | eight

nine | ten | eleven | twelve

Disclosure: thank you to ShopStyle for sponsoring this post!