{quick outfit post} shady lady...

Hey friends, did you know that May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month? Well, it is. It's a cause especially close to my heart, so I can't help but take a moment here to give you a stylish little PSA.

Summer is just around the corner (Maybe? Hello, Mother Nature? Can you hear me?) so it's time to pack away your knee-high boots and tights and replacing them with some alternative to the gladiator sandal and absolutely no socks whatsoever. Additionally, it's time to consider some stylish new ways to preserve the youthful, dewy skin on your gorgeous face. 

Now, I'll be the first to admit that I love the look of a good bronze. Sun freckles are sexy and I'm pretty sure there's a saying one of my roommates may like to throw around that goes something like, "If you can't tone it, tan it." However, if I had to choose between spending my youth resembling a rotisserie chicken or cartwheeling into my 90s with lovely if not (slightly) wrinkled skin... You know what I would choose. (Hint: I have really big plans to be a highly glamorous old dame.) So on that note, let me introduce you to my face's new BFF: the wide brimmed floppy straw hat. It was perfect by the pool in Arizona with just a white button down and, seen here, while casually hanging out under a palm tree.

Hat c/o Hat Attack; H&M dress; Ray Ban aviators; vintage necklace; MK watch; Tiffany & Co. bangle; O.P.I. Big Apple Red.

{cameo outfit post} Megan in spring neutrals...

I stayed at my friend Megan's apartment during my Arizona vacation, so naturally we consulted each other while getting dressed each night. I was instantly jealous when she showed me her delicate spring-perfect scalloped shorts from H&M. They are incredibly shear, so anything she tucked in was going to be wildly obvious. Being the caring friend that I am, I suggested she just wear a sheer top as well, then slightly conceal all that sexy with a blazer. After some tucking and untucking, buttoning and unbuttoning, we put together a really lovely all-neutral ensemble, off-set by my vintage black beaded clutch. Behold our tag-team styling:

 H&M blazer, shorts, and necklace; Banana Republic top; vintage clutch, Plenty by Tracy Reese wedges, Banana Republic bracelet.

It's still a bit on the wintery side to pull off a look like this in New York these days, but in Phoenix, land of the eternal summer, it was just right for a warm, breezy night. The contrast between a structured but soft blazer and the super feminine shorts - plus the fact that Megs has legs for days - makes this a look I will be coveting and attempting to copy just as soon as this city will cooperate.

PS: I instructed Megan on the classic style blogger pose (look down, cross legs, pop elbow, show bag), and I think she totally rocked it. What a natural.

snapshots from the desert...

I'm going to keep the Arizona talk to a minimum on the blog, but it was certainly a glorious weekend. I'll give you just this little tidbit and then move right along. The Plumaria was in full bloom, the sunsets were just as gorgeous as I remember, my friends are the f-ing best. Also, there was a giant chocolate chip cookie with sea salt on top from LGO.

playlist: spring break 2011...

That's right, I'm going on Spring Break! Well, sort of. It's a shorter, classier, less Mexico-based vacation than my Spring Breaks gone by, but it is a welcome escape to warmer climes none-the-less.

On Thursday I will be taking off for a long weekend in Phoenix with my closest friends from college. Two of them live there and two were invited to attend a wedding in Scottsdale, so it didn't take much convincing (the power of FOMO: Fear Of Missing Out) to get the last three of us to book tickets.

The last time we were all together was over a year ago, and to say I am excited would be a colossal understatement. Since graduating from college, I have missed the dry desert heat, the shockingly colorful and expansive sunsets and - wait for it - palm trees and cacti. Oh, and being poolside with some of my favorite humans for a few days will be nice too...

In preparation for my exodus from The City, I put together a playlist of old and new songs to get me almost clear across the country and settled happily in a semi-submerged lounger - cocktail in hand - in the middle of a pool; where I will remain for no less than 72 hours. It's mostly upbeat, full of remixes and trendy Hype Machine hits, but sprinkled with some timeless goodies as well.

Miles Fisher - This Must Be The Place

Katy Perry ft. Kanye West - E.T. (Futuristic Lover)

Cults - You Know What I Mean

Joan As Police Woman - Magic

Foster the People - Pumped Up Kicks

Lupe Fiasco - The Show Goes On

Yelle - Qui Est Cette Fille (Robyn cover)

Dragonette - Easy (Fabian Remix)

Angus & Julia Stone - Big Jet Plan (Michael Brun Bootleg)

Empire of the Sun - Standing on the Shore

The xx - Islands 

Notorious B.I.G. - Juicy

G-Eazy - Waspy (Ft. Tennis)

Vampire Weekend - Giving Up The Gun

Peter, Bjorn & John - Second Chance (RAC Remix)

Walk the Moon - Anna Sun

Hercules & The Love Affair - Shelter (the xx cover)

The Bird & The Bee - Maneater (Hall & Oates cover)

Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johannson - Relator

Kanye West - Addiction

JJ - Things Will Never Be The Same Again

Architecture in Helinski - Contact High (Clock Opera Remix)

Lykke Li - Love Out of Lust

La Roux - Saviour

N.E.R.D. - You Know What

SebastiAn - Embody

Neon Indian - Deadbeat Summer

Florence & The Machine - You've Got The Love (the xx remix)

Too $hort - Player's Holiday

***

These songs aren't exclusively Spring Break 2011 - they fit the bill just about anywhere you can put on your shades and dance around barefoot for a bit.

tgif: the beardown edition...

We now interrupt your regularly scheuduled programming to bring you a special announcement:

The Arizona Wildcats have advanced to the Elite 8. I finally have a case of that March Madness that seems to be going around.

Beardown red and blue!

Meow.

That's all, now back to fashion-y things...