District Damsel

It’s no secret that off-the-shoulder tops and dresses are the trendy item for summer and it’s easy to see why. They’re flattering on every body type, are the perfect cut to show off sun-kissed shoulders, and are the perfect toss-up between flirty and covered up. While this trend is in pretty much every store, finding your perfect fit can be a bit tricky.

When I’m looking for off-the-shoulder pieces, I opt for frocks or tops that have the sleeves sewn on separately from the actual body of the garment – almost like an addition to the shell. Items that are designed this way are way easier to move in and the sleeves won’t constantly ride up on your neckline if you dare to move your arms above shoulder length. I’m particularly fond of the kinds of pieces that have a sweetheart neckline (like my dress) because they usually have a bit of boning built in to help keep the garment’s shape – which also means I get to ditch the bra (a mere torture device in the DC summer heat).

I snagged this dress at a beach boutique in Seaside, Florida, but after some research, found their online shop and they ship anywhere in the U.S. for a flat $5! My wedges are a few years old, but they’ve held up wonderfully (never given me blisters either!) and are under $50. My clutch is no longer available from South Moon Under but I’ve found a similar style on Etsy and linked it below!

Dress | Deja Vu

Wedges | Guess

Clutch | South Moon Under (similar)

Necklace | Forever 21 (similar)

When I was in Europe last year, gladiator sandals were everywhere but I talked myself out of getting a pair, assuming they were just a passing trend. A year later and the Roman style is still going strong, so I finally snagged some.

If you’ve been following my posts, you know I don’t like spending a ton of money on my clothing, especially when It comes to super trendy items. I turned to one of my favorite sites for inexpensive footwear and found these babies for less than $40! The zipper up the back makes taking them off and on a breeze, and they’re actually quite comfortable. They only started hurting after I walked 3 miles in them, but that’s a pretty long distance for a pair of flat sandals! They don’t have a ton of support in the heel, which is to be expected when you’re not paying top dollar.

All in all, I’d definitely recommend this pair if you’re looking to add a bit of edge to your summer wardrobe! My romper is no longer available but I linked to a similar one with a fun back below.

Romper | Urban Outfitters

Sandals | LuLu*s

Satchel | Rebecca Minkoff

The sale rack – a hot mess of unflattering, discarded items no one wants, right? Wrong, so wrong. The sale rack at my neighboring Urban Outfitters (the Chinatown one) is a treasure hunt, but I have certainly struck gold multiple times digging through it. Sure, I bought a pair of jean shorts off that rack that soon became dubbed the denim thong, but I’ve scored $90 rompers for $25, $30 lace bralettes for $5, and this crop top was originally around $45 and I got it for $8. All that being said – don’t discard the sale rack! Sure it might take some time digging around in it to find something worth taking home, but you’ll never know until you try.

Now that my rant about scavenging the sale rack is over, let’s talk about this tropical look.   I just got back from a short but absolutely perfect trip to Water Color, a quaint beach resort neighboring adorable Seaside (it’s the town where The Truman Show was filmed!). Located off the Gulf of Mexico, I fell in love with the southern charm of its quirky homes and girly boutiques.

For our first night out, I opted for floral printed shorts that I often equate to an old man’s Hawaiian shirt, so I try to add a form fitting or flirty top whenever I wear them to avoid feeling like a brightly colored blob. This fun casual combo was the perfect outfit for tacos and sunset drinks. The shorts and top are no longer available, but I found some great options below!

Crop Top | Forever 21

Shorts | H&M

Satchel | Rebecca Minkoff

Sandals | Nordstrom

Denim shorts are a classic summer staple. Nearly every retailer sells their own take on them, so why is a flattering fit so hard to find?! I own countless pairs of denim shorts, but they’re all either too tight, too low-rise, or resemble a denim thong more than denim cut-offs – seriously, my friends made up a hashtag because of this #colliecheeks – so this was the summer I knew I had to graduate to something slightly more appropriate. After quite a few failed attempts , I finally found a pair of Levi’s at Urban Outfitters and I’ll probably wear them to threads this summer. While I highly recommend this pair, every body is different so I’ve put together some things I look for when shopping for shorts so hopefully you can find your own perfect pair!

I once had a friend describe my style as “hippie-come-hither.” I’m not quite sure what that means…but if she meant boho with a flirty twist I’ll take it, and this look is the epitome of that description. I love anything with bell sleeves for some reason, add in a hint of tulle and a fun print and I’m smitten.  I bought this dress with a friend after a birthday brunch under the influence of too many mimosas and was shocked to realize I’d spent $70.00 on a lightweight dress the next day, but it’s now on sale for a reasonable $40.00! (For the record, I’ve worn it 4 times in the two months I’ve had it, so I guess it was $70.00 well spent already.)

I paired this fun frock with my trusty gladiator sandals and fringe clutch for a festival style vibe at a Coachella themed blogger’s brunch. For the real Coachella, I’d probably be wearing cutoff jean shorts and an inappropriately sized crop top or leo, but I did walk down the streets of DC in this look so I kept it a little bit more on the tame side. I would, however, 100% wear this outfit to a beer and wine festival in the district! Shout out to Dani for taking my photos for me and letting me use her camera since I tote mine around without a case and it’s busted. xx.

Dress | Urban Outfitters

Sandals | Forever 21

Clutch | South Moon Under

Ring | Forever 21

Make sure to check out my lovely lady blogger friends’ sites as well for info on their looks! 

Dani – Blonde In The District

Roxanne – Glass of Glam

ViVi – Heart Print And Style

Jia – Le London Chic

I’m a big fan of finding clothes and accessories in unexpected places. There’s less risk of showing up somewhere and twining with a stranger and you can score some pretty good deals by taking the time to dig through overlooked or underrated retailers. While walking through Metro Center the other day, the bright orange “BOGO” signs in the window of a Payless caught my eye. A sucker for a good sale, I figured there was no harm in looking, and ended up walking out with two pairs of inexpensive and chic shoes.

As a former ballerina, I’m instantly drawn to anything that reminds me of dance, so it was only a matter of time before I got my hands on a pair of lace-up flats. I’m hesitant to drop money on flats because almost every pair I’ve purchased has given me some nasty blisters, but I couldn’t pass these up for a mere $15.00.

I have to admit, I was surprised at how comfortable these flats are! I’ve had them less than a week and already worn them three times. Obviously, I paired them with jeans here, but I’ve been wearing them to work with flowy dresses and structured skirts. Word to the wise – double knot those babies in the back or else you’ll be stuck on the metro in rush hour with an extremely long untied shoelace!

Flats | Payless

Top | H&M

Jacket | Forever 21*

Jeans | TopShop

Bag | Rebecca Minkoff

*This jacket is a few years old and not available online anymore. Forever 21 keeps some old inventory around in their stores, so there’s a chance you could find it or something similar in store. I searched high and low online to try and find an equivalent to this, but didn’t have any luck aside from finding it on someone’s PoshMark site. 

Everyone knows bottomless brunch means two things: 1) you’ll probably be worthless for the rest of the day afterwards and 2) you better wear something comfortable to account for all those mimosas and small plates you’re about to consume.

My typical brunch outfit always consists of something looser but still put together in case the day turns into bar hopping till you crash at 5:00 pm (the day drinking struggle is real.) I’m the kind of person who dresses very differently during the day then when I’m going to a bar, so I usually try to pick a brunch look that teeters between dressed up for daytime but slightly underdressed for a night out. Enter the shift dress. I’ve worn this dress to work (with a cami under it) and out to bars just by changing up the accessories and shoes so it makes a perfect brunch dress.

It was an unreasonably warm day in February so I ditched my tights for a statement coat and added OTK boots for a little bit more of an edge. (I don’t know why but for some reason OTK boots seem more dressed up to me with looks like this than riding boots do.)

I had a great time chatting with fellow DC bloggers and we definitely took advantage of the free flowing drinks! If you’re a local blogger and want to come to our next brunch event, shoot me an email and let me know!

Dress (similar) | Urban Outfitters

Jacket | H&M

Boots | DSW

(My face in the salon chair when I realized all my hair was gone.)

There comes a time in every girl’s life that they decide to do something drastic with their hair – usually, this involves chopping it off or dying it the opposite color of what you have and mine was no exception. After months of trying to grow my locks out, and not getting frequent trims due to frugality, I had a hot mess of split ends and knew something had to be done about it.

I’ve had angled layers for as long as I can remember and was getting sick of my hair being so long in the back and not look as long in the front, so I knew I’d have to get a shorter cut if I ever wanted to have the same length all around. On my way home from vacation (as if you couldn’t tell I was away by my Instagram-overload a few weeks ago) I opened up a copy of Women’s Health (of all the magazines to inspire a haircut…) and became obsessed with cutting my hair into a lob. Fast forward 5 days later and I was sitting in the salon chair at BANG (definitely the best bang for your buck for haircuts in DC…see what I did there lolz?) with 10 inches of hair gone. I also got to donate it!

While BANG did a great job with the cut and styling, I instantly regretted it. Alas, it’s just hair and it will grow back, but it’s been a struggle figuring out how on earth to style it. I’ve never used hair products before and often just settled for a twirling my strands around a wand before sprinting out the door, but now that it’s so short I actually have to do something with it. These tutorials have been the most helpful, Refinery 29 and The Beauty Department,  but it will definitely take awhile before I have tresses like Rosie.

While I’m growing my hair out, putting a little bit more effort into my outfits is helping me get over the shock of not recognizing myself in the mirror. Admittedly, this outfit was a little springy for a 45 degree day in February, but putting effort into an outfit helped me feel a million times better than just tossing on leggings and an oversized sweater.

Boyfriend Jeans | GAP

Booties | Target (similar)

Cropped Sweater | Forever21

Lace Top | Aerie (similar)

Blanket scarves have been everywhere this fall and winter, and for good reason. They’re cozy, versatile, and come in a plethora of fun prints and patterns, but there’s one catch; they’re a little tricky to style. I’d held off on picking one up for that sole reason, and then my boyfriend got me one for Christmas. (He takes my blog photos and knows how to pick out a scarf? He’s definitely a keeper.)

I’m not even going to lie, I spent about 30 minutes in the mirror trying to figure out how to put the thing on. They’re huge! I fond that if you fold them into a triangle, they are easier to manage. My favorite look is the traditional scarf drape, but it’s a little hard to do anything except walk down the street with it on because it’s so voluminous.

I love the way the wrap looks, and have seen it styled like this and belted over a dress, which is a great way to add some flair a plain knit dress or just to toss on over your normal outfit in a chilly office.

The easiest way to wear one is by folding it into a long strip and draping it around your neck. This is the least fashion-forward look, but can dress up a plain tee or make an oversize cardigan look more interesting.

Blanket Scarf | Boots and Bourbon

Jeans | Topshop

Sneakers | Converse

Clutch | Forever21