Friday Favorites #40

I'm itching for spring to arrive, and although it's been in the single digits this past week, the light in the early evenings and the sound of birds chirping in the morning makes me believe that it's on its way!  Plus, there's another important sign: new spring arrivals!  As (almost) always, this week's Friday Favorites selections include oodles of kitsch and a plethora of pastels.

a // b // c // d // e // f // g

All of these dresses are from Nasty Gal, and they are seriously killing it with their new pretty pastel offerings.  I especially love the last dress ("g") , since it's actually a birthday balloon print (if you look closely)!  But they're all really romantic -- if not a little bare.  :)

I think it's also plain to see that I am especially smitten with anything pink lately...

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5

These two blush pink dresses are so breathtaking!

(one)

(two)

These picture frames are so delicate and lovely!  I don't have any framed photos in my room anymore (a breakup casualty), but these make me want to change that!

1 // 2 // 3

These minty, heart-heeled shoes are so sweet!

Talking about things I "heart"... I absolutely freaked out when I saw these new Betsey Johnson novelty purses.  The ice cream cones are divine (though completely impractical), and I need the vinyl record one!  Someone even pointed out that there are little gold music notes on the shoulder strap!  I think that as the daughter of former rock stars (kind of), if anyone should own that bag, it is I.

a // b

More novelty purses!  Kate Spade always has amazing ones, and these new ones are so summery!

a // b // c

Wouldn't the lemon bag go perfectly with this darling citrus print dress?

I'm always a sucker for food-themed clothing and accessories, and if I still had pierced ears, I'd definitely want these cherry earrings!

This lunch bag reminds me of The Very Hungry Caterpillar!

These sunglasses are incredible.  I could never justify spending that much on sunglasses, but they have little mini cakes and petit fours and goodies all along the rims!!!  Ahhh!!

Speaking of goodies, I love both of these baked-good-shaped housewares!  The cupcake is a cookie jar, and the tower of donuts can be either a stool or a table!

a // b

Charlotte Olympia makes lots of shoes and accessories that look good enough to eat, but I'm actually really enamored with the new sewing-themed collection:

A // B // C // D

They make me think of this great Bernie Dexter dress, which has old dress patterns as the print:

I also adore these other comically-good items from Charlotte Olympia:

e // f // g // h

These heels have Betty on one side and Veronica on the other!

And of course, these two clutches are on my in-my-dreams-wish-list:

one // two

Finally... I am absolutely OBSESSED with this Rachel Antonoff sweatshirt from Emerging Thoughts.  I never thought I'd consider buying a sweatshirt for $80, but IT HAS A BRILLIANT GAME OF MASH ON IT.  Plus, it's pink and would go perfectly with my Rachel Antonoff oxfords (they're pink and mint with yearbook signatures on them).  It makes references to Jonathan Taylor Thomas and The Babysitters Club.  What more could you possibly want in a top?! 

Also, Walt Jr. (I mean, Flynn) is now modeling for The Gap.

(via)

Have a fantastic Friday!

xox Sammi

Candy is dandy

Outfit Details:

Yes You Candy Dress: ModCloth (other styles thru Poppy England)

Sweet Spectator Heel in Glossy Bubblegum: ModCloth

Yellow sweater: Forever 21 (similar here)

Cupcake ring: Claytime Designs UK

White belt: eBay

This is another dress that has been sitting in my closet for quite some time.  I really loved the kooky candy jar print when I bought this dress (on final sale, eek), but when I put it on, the effect was a little *too* much (and when I feel that way, that's saying something!).  Plus, the shape of this dress, while not completely unflattering, isn't my favorite shape on me; I wish the skirt was a little fuller.  When I started to experiment with layering sweaters over dresses, I looked at this one and thought it might work really well for remixing.  I am in the process of sorting through a lot of my clothes, and I found this yellow sweater from last year, which happens to match the yellow in the pattern almost perfectly!  I couldn't believe my luck when I tried both on together and I actually liked the effect.  I decided to wear my newer pair of spectators from BAIT, since it was simply too cold to venture outside (and I didn't have to worry about ruining my lovely shoes!).  I'm so sick and tired of wearing boots all the time!

This dress would work well as a top, too -- with a longer, full skirt on the bottom.  I was really nervous when I ordered this, because I have another dress by Poppy England (see how I wore it here), and while it's the same size as this one, it's way too tight in the bust.  Luckily, this one buttons with no problem -- and somehow manages to not be too big everywhere else!  Poppy has some really adorable new pieces for spring, and I love how all of their dresses come with little accompanying storybooks to match the whimsical prints!  Both of my Poppy dresses came with correlating stories, and sadly couldn't find the (presumably) candy-themed one that came with this dress, but I know it's around somewhere.  They're really charming and sweet little stories.  Touches like that are one of the many reasons I love smaller, quirkier brands, and I will always be willing to pay more for something that's truly special.

Apologies for the rampant subpar photo quality in this post.  I couldn't see how blurry these were until it was too late!!  I still have a lot (read: everything) to learn about my DSLR... one of these days...

Have a great Wednesday!

xox Sammi

It's a jungle out there

Outfit Details:

Dress: eBay (originally from ModCloth)

Chinese take-out purse: Animal Kingdom

Red belt: from another dress

Heart necklace: ASOS (old)

White flats: Yeswalker (old)

The last of the Florida photos (sob)!  I wore this outfit on our last night in Disney World, when we went to Epcot for hibachi and fireworks.  This dress actually blends in pretty well with the surroundings of our hotel (we stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, though we actually didn't spend very much time there at all).  I treasure this dress because it's an older ModCloth design that I completely missed out on, and I had tried to win it via an eBay option once before and lost out at the last second.  I was really bummed about it, and intermittently checked eBay for a while afterwards to see if another would show up.  Luckily, one did, and I didn't have to win an auction to buy it!  It's a super-flattering dress, and I love that it has a layer of turquoise tulle underneath to give it some extra fluff.  Plus, I love the off-the-shoulder detailing, and I think the print is such a unique floral!  I nearly froze, even with my winter coat(!), but sacrifices must be made in the name of fashion!  ;)

I saw this adorable take-out container purse when we were at Animal Kingdom, and I simply couldn't pass it up!  It was $20 and not something I could find just anywhere, so I knew it needed to come home with me (though finding a spot in my suitcase did prove to be a bit of a challenge).  We also lucked out and saw tons of animals on the safari ride while we were there:

I'm just glad that I was able to "reclaim" Disney World for myself, and that it's no longer colored by my previous relationship -- or at least, not so much so that it would keep me from going or enjoying myself.  My trip with my mom was a whirlwind, and we both felt like we weren't able to just relax while there... but there's always next time!  I'd also love to stay at the Boardwalk resort, since that was definitely my favorite of the ones we visited; it's so retro and has great restaurants, and it's within walking distance to Epcot, which would be great.  I also feel like there wouldn't be as much pressure to see everything next time I go, but that's also because I hope there won't be as much time between visits!  It's just soo expensive... I don't know how people can afford to go there so often!

Have a magical Monday!

xox Sammi

Snow queen

Outfit Details:

Dress: ModCloth (similar)
Faux fur cape: Target (old)
Silver crown: Urban Outfitters
White tights: Target
White boots: eBay
Bracelet: old

I actually intended to use these photos for my 1-year blogiversary post in the middle of February, but I was really on the fence about them after taking them.  I wanted an excuse to wear this silly, cheap crown (and I thought a blogiversary would be the perfect occasion), but I just wasn't happy with the resulting photos.  I ended up liking them well enough though, so I decided to upload them in the midst of this arctic-like chill we're currently experiencing.  I had been hopeful that spring was just around the corner, but that was just wishful thinking.

I bought this dress during one of ModCloth's crazy 70% off sales (where nothing is refundable), which was a bit of a risk, but this dress was so pretty (and so cheap) that I couldn't resist.  The other dress I bought was kind of a bust (in an additional punny way, since the bodice is too small for my chest!), and I was afraid this one was going to meet a similar fate, but it's actually really pretty.  I'd like to be able to wear it for a holiday occasion next year, since it seems pretty appropriate for that.

Have a swell Saturday!

xox Sammi