{weekend essentials} the jersey shore...

Don't get too excited, I'm not off to Seaside to join the cast of a certain MTV reality TV show. Aren't those fools off to Italy this summer, anyway?

Actually, about 10 of us (roommates, friends, neighbors, et al) are off to Ocean City, New Jersey for the weekend. It's the same house, and nearly the exact same weekend I went last year, when I had only been in New York about five days. This year proves to be quite a different story, with many more friends and (insert immature excitement here) no parents.

I plan to adhere to a strict selection of activities while in Ocean City, which should help keep my packing list rather short:

1. Frolicking in the ocean
2. Laying around on the beach
3. Eating hoagie sandwiches and popsicles, exclusively
4. Drinking spiked Arnold Palmers
5. Playing lawn games

So what does one pack for such an occasion? Here's the gist of what I'm planning to tote with me on the Greyhound...

ocean city
I'll let you know right now that I am one of those unreasonable people who packs more pairs of sunglasses than days in the vacation. So clearly, each scenario I may find myself in will require a different pair. Aside from that, I think a couple of swim suits, a pair of jean shorts, a shirt dress and a romper are just about all I will need. Pepper those basics with a wide-brim sun hat, rubber flip flops, leather sandals and a beach bag and I'll still have room for my SPF 30.

tgif: happy holiday weekend

I'm off to warmer, beachy-er, more southern latitudes for the long weekend.

I hope you all have a fun and festive and safe holiday, I'll see you back here on Wednesday.

{outfit post} white hot...

You know how everyone always says that New Yorkers are really busy? Or, you know people who live here who just seem to have a never ending parade of plans? It's all dinner dates and re-scheduling coffee, and friends visiting from wherever and brunch with so-and-so followed by a quick trip to East Hampton and then there's this fashion party in Soho and a roof party after that...

I've become one of those people. At least, that's what it feels like lately! Over the past few weeks I've had lots of really fun and fabulous plans, and I've gotta say, I like it. As much as I love my downtime, it's summer, and I didn't move to The Big City to stay home every night watching The Bachelorette. 

Anyway, as you can tell from my outfit post patterns, Meghan is my mover-and-shaker / gal-about-town who kindly and often brings me to really great events as her plus one. One such event was last Thursday evening, at the Nanette Lapore store on Broome Street. Miss Lapore herself was in attendance for the party, Revlon was there doing make up, and the champagne was flowing. Never-mind that it was approximately 5000 degrees out, we still donned summer dresses and mingled among the bloggers, photographers and handsome cater-waiters.

Zara dress; Ray Ban sunglasses; American Apparel carry all; thrifted necklace; Star Ling shoes; Michael Kors watch.

This dress from Zara is one of my absolute favorite things that I own. I don't wear it often, and it could definitely use a little more time out on the town. The fit is just right, and it's rather uncharacteristically girly for me, don't you think? Tully remarked when I wore it on the Fourth of July, "You look - so - feminine!" I guess she's right, for whatever reason, I don't own nearly as many dresses as I do separates, especially ones with cascading ruffles. 

There's that bird necklace again... I get so many compliments on this crazy thing, it just goes to show you what quirky and inexpensive treats you can find at NYC thrift stores.

{summer staple} navy, white & neutral

Untitled

Some of you are probably reading this post going, "Duh, Taylor, duh," because navy is such an eternally good move. It will always be such. Perhaps it's so obvious you barely notice the choice anymore. I'll admit though, it took me a while to come around to this dark blue hue, because I most often default to black. The kicker is that navy is just as easy, simple and chic, but has even more versatility. Navy can be tailored, structured and professional, but it can also be sun-bleached, worn-in and soft. No matter what you might be purchasing - pants, a sweater, a dress a necklace - you cannot, I repeat cannot go wrong with navy. This summer, I'm feeling a pretty nautical-meets-collegiate-meets-I-think-I'm-getting-the-hang-of-this-East-Coast-thing color palette. Navy, white and neutrals; with pops of bright, fresh hues like coral and minty green.

Alright, that concludes this post from Captain Obvious. Hopefully I haven't lost you over this one, next time I'll try and spice it up a bit. A post devoted to versatility of the little black dress, perhaps?

*Also, if you ever want to shop out one of my Polyvore collages, clicking on the little title below, in this case "untitled" will take you to a link.

fragments from the shore...

Toasting to the weekend with tequila in a limo as the sun sets, on our way to the house.

Cocktails, cards and cheeseburgers on the grill at 10 pm.

Barefoot, making breakfast in our swimsuits, drinking coffee & recapping the night.

Popping over the rise of a grassy sand dune and laying eyes on the beach.

Rolling around in the sand, reading gossip magazines and getting sunscreen on everything.

Swimming, frolicking, diving and tripping over waves.

So many trips to the WaWa for hoagies and iced tea.

Walking for miles as the shallow saltwater pulls sand around our toes and the sun freckles our shoulders.

Playing touch football in the backyard (in a floorlength dress).

Adirondack chairs on the porch. 

Homemade tacos & Mexican Greyhounds (tequila & grapefruit juice).

Turning the DIY bracelet project into a group initiation ritual.

Dancing after dark in the grass to Earth Wind & Fire.

Crowding onto a blanket under the stars, telling stories and laughing hysterically.

Night swimming.

The Rolling Stones and the smell brewing coffee.

Hoagies for breakfast on the beach at 1 pm.

Just - playing. At the house, on the beach, in the grocery store, on the lawn.

A long, breezy afternoon bike ride to the far end of the beach.

Not looking at a computer screen for over 72 hours.

Thinking about nothing beyond myself and my friends for an entire long weekend (except calling my dad on Father's Day).

{getaway girl} kiawah for the 4th...

It was a vacation in the truest sense of the word - a complete escape that was equally as calm and refreshing as it was raucous and playful. (I returned home content and rested, but covered in scrapes and bruises.)

Before this weekend, I had never been south of Washington D.C. The combination of visiting a completely new and unfamiliar place with the sheer distance from Manhattan gave the trip an extra element of exotic adventure (if you can call the South exotic, which I sort of do).

Tully and I packed up our weekenders and took off for Charleston on Friday. By late that evening, all nine of us were together on Kiawah Island, cheers-ing to what would end up being (at least for me) a weekend that felt like something out of a dream.

Some of us rose early the next morning to fish, golf and just laze around the pool, but 11 a.m. everyone was awake, and what followed was one of the loveliest and longest days I've ever experienced. With the backdrop of a phenomenal soundtrack provided by our host, we swam, kayaked, fished, rode bikes, read, relaxed and drank PBR from a keg long into the evening.

The rest of the days followed a pretty similar trajectory, with only ever more enjoyable variations like an oyster roast, an alligator sighting, crabbing, house parties, tree-climbing, star-gazing, night-swimming, pool games, wiffle ball, barbequing and fireworks.

Gator. In someone's backyard. Weekend = made.

 The way the sunsets on Kiawah played against the water reminded me of a Monet painting...

All the boys (madras pants included) before the oyster bake...

 I think I ate at least 16 oysters... 

I thought the sunset feast was the perfect occasion to bust out my new white maxi skirt from Gap...

However, enough wine, oysters and pulled pork led to a wild dance party in the dirt, and subsequently it's due for a visit to the tailor and the dry cleaner. 

Tully, Lauren & me on the beach... (My H&M mens button down made the perfect cover up)

We figured it was only appropriate to hoist up our host for a group shot...

All-in-all, a rather perfect weekend.

Hope you guys had a wonderful and patriotic holiday as well.

{summer style tip} shorts x Old Navy...

Sometimes I fear that my blog sends very mixed messages when it comes to fashion budgeting. Sometimes I'm all, "I really need these $420 sunglasses," and sometimes it's more like, "Hey, these $28 shoes are amazing." I think that's just the nature of everyone's personal style, though. It's up to you to decide when to splurge and when to cap yourself at $50 for a cotton shirt.

One thing I know for sure though, is summer is a season I rarely, rarely splurge on. I find that the pieces I wear most during these hot and humid months are ones that I don't want to send out to the dry cleaner after each wearing. H&M and Forever 21 have us covered for the trend-of-the-month items, but my other dirty little summer budgeting secret is none other than Old Navy. You guys, they have the best shorts. The sizing is spot on, they're never too short, and you can stock up on an array of colors and fabrics to get you through every occasion of the season.

Old Navy

Here are my favorite styles at the moment. Classic, cuffed washed out navy shorts for $17? Please! A pair of belted olive shorts to wear with a tucked in silk blouse and espadrille wedges? White shorts and a gingham button down? Do you see where I'm going with this? It's all about the mix. Shorts are meant for running around; for wear and tear, and not to be fretted over. You can build an incredibly chic outfit to fit any style profile around a wildly basic and seriously inexpensive pair of shorts from this oft overlooked mass retailer. (Each of these pairs is $25 or under.)

I'll be trotting over to the Old Navy on 6th Avenue this weekend to pick up a few pairs, and perhaps some fill-in-the-gaps extras like a new bandeau top, a bright tee or some kick-around sandals.

As painful and tear-your-eyeballs-out awful as their television commercials are (remember the 'town gown!?'), I dare you to take a deep breath, bolster yourself with an iced coffee, and consider the delight you'll feel when fall rolls around and you didn't spend $155 on denim shorts you can't wear again for nine months.

{outfit post} barefoot in the park...

As you have probably noticed by now, I love brunch. It's my new favorite meal, and it's one that this city holds sacred. It's even been described as a sport by some New Yorkers I know.

I brunch on the regular with my roommates and friends, but I especially love brunching with my blogger babe peers. These get-togethers allow for open and honest, judgement-free conversation about just how much time we spend surfing the internets and reading other blogs, and always provide a mutually beneficial opportunity for outfit photos.

On Saturday morning, one of my most favorite bloggers (and just all around fabulous friends), Meghan of Wit & Whimsy and I combined our blogger brunch tradition with one of my other favorite summer activities: a picnic! We met at the 72nd Street entrance to Central Park, and with mimosa makings and pastries in hand, we searched for the perfect spot to lay out our spread. We settled on top of a hill overlooking the pond where everyone rows those boats, with a view of that fairytale white bridge. (What these things are actually called, I am still not sure.)

We popped the champagne, snapped photos and got right down to business, catching up on everything from jobs to boys to traveling and our latest style obsessions. (And yes, Meghan brought real, glass champagne flutes to the park.)

Unknown blouse purchased in Tucson, AZ; Forever 21 shorts; vintage belt; Ray Ban sunglasses; Michael Michael Kors watch (similar version here); Kenneth Jay Lane, Tiffany, F21, homemade and vintage bracelets; J. Crew neon watch band; Tiffany and vintage rings.

 I am totally obsessed with these little Forever 21 shorts (pretty similar to these), and I think I bought them about a month ago. Believe it or not, this was the first time I'd worn them! This blouse is one of the most random things in my closet, an emergency purchase made during a trip to Tucson for an Arizona homecoming weekend. It was something like $10, it's a little too big, and I could do without the ruffles on the sleeve. However, I find myself wearing again and again because it tucks in so well, and adds an ultra-girly element my outfits often lack.

So here we go again with the usual bangles. My right wrist is weighed down with the omni-present MK watch and mix of vintage, fancy and inexpensive baubles. Additionally, I'm working on starting a trend, where I wear a watch band with no watch face attached, just because I like the color.

My left wrist is being built up with friendship bracelets I made myself (and one from H&M), a summer tradition for me that dates back to the '90s. I'm going to have wicked tan lines by the time I cut them off (not until after Labor Day if I can help it), but it's totally worth it.

There's that bangs french braid again! It's so easy to do you guys, and I highly recommend it for these humid dog days of summer. Also, those are my beat-to-death Steve Madden t-strap sandals, which I desperately need to replace. I took them off immediately upon setting up our feast, hence the title of this post. If you ask me, it's crucial to be barefoot as often as possible in the summer.

(All photos by Meghan!)

mid-week music moment...

Sometimes when it's 91 degrees in the beginning of June in New York City, you just need a really good Kanye West remix to get you through the day.

I love this, and it's going right into my summer 2011 playlist. Hope you enjoy it, too.

Try and keep cool out there,

xoxo

(This week the MWMM is early, because it was so late last week. You're welcome.)

where's your head today?

 Mine is already half-way to the beach... And it's only Wednesday.

(image via Chance lookbook)

{outfit post} june gloom...

This week has really been the definition of June gloom here in New York. It's been muggy, dark and rainy. Coming off of a very sunny and summer-y weekend on the ocean, it was enough to drive a girl to drink. Luckily, Sonia was on the same page, so we met for a Thursday afternoon happy hour at one of my favorite little spots in the neighborhood, Corner Bistro. We commiserated over $2.75 mugs of McSorley's beer then skipped down West 4th Street to snap a few pictures.

It was a particularly wet and gloomy day, which influenced my outfit in a couple of ways. On days like this I always want to ere on the side of casual and comfortable, but also infuse a little color into the greyness of the weather. Factor in a dash of humidity, and here's what I ended up with:

Army surplus jacket; American Apparel deep V; vintage Missoni skirt (last worn as a dress here); Steve Madden flats; Prada bag; vintage & Fireworks necklaces; F21 ring; Michael Kors watch; Ray Ban sunglasses.

This skirt is a really strange length, but lucky for us, strange lengths are in these days. It's almost a maxi, not quite a midi, and hangs in this brilliantly swing-y but not too voluminous way. Pairing it with my completely worn in, should-probably-be-replaced white tee made for the perfect "cozy chic" happy hour ensemble. The jacket is one I picked up at the army surplus store on West 8th Street last fall. I haggled with the darling sales guy so he gave me a deal on two of them, the second of which I promptly sent home to my mom. She's obsessed, too. It's lightweight and really easy to play around with because the hood can be zipped in, the sleeves are perfect to scrunch and roll and the drawstring waist lets you totally feminize the shape.

(I feel like I should note that I am smiling in every picture in this post.)

 Yeah, I'm pretty much obsessed with these stripes.

I've started to wear my hair with this front french braid almost everyday. I decided to just let my bangs grow over the summer, since I almost always wear them pinned back this time of year anyway. Let's just say that my bangs and humidity are pretty much sworn enemies. The braid keeps them out of my face and adds a bit of a romantic touch, don't you think?

Now, okay. I realize the following is a bit silly, however I couldn't resist. When you spend as much time browsing both amateur and established fashion blogs as I do, you start to notice, er, similarities. There are a few things that have become completely ubiquitous to personal style blogs, and I noticed that yesterday, I was wearing a lot of them. Behold:

I really, really, like this look, so, what does that say about me? Am I trendy or just totally affected? If I know I'm doing it, is it ok?

If I were carrying a Cambridge Satchel Company bag and wearing a YSL arty ring, oh and perhaps looking a bit more pouty and cool on some traintracks, maybe I could rename my blog something like,

Cupcakes & Atlantic Sea of a Man Reppeller's Late Afternoon Fashion Toast.

No?

I'm sort of curious to know what you guys think. Are all the style bloggers looking the same these days? Do I need to shake it up? How do we stand out if we're all dressed the same? Will someone buy me that arty ring anyway?

mid-week music moment...

I arrived back from our weekend at the shore late Monday night, feeling exhausted, salty, and longing to rewind and do it all again. Between all our ipods/phones/pads we had a great soundtrack going all weekend. Upon returning home after not checking my email (or Twitter or Facebook for that matter) for more than 72 hours, I saw that my friend Megan had emailed me a link to this song and video. Though we weren't on a lake or playing pink guitars on the beach, I feel like this song definitely captures the vibe of the whole vacation.

Thao with the Get Down Stay Down - "When We Swam"

{outfit post} what i wore + DKNY party...

On a rather sweltering Thursday evening a couple weeks ago, Meghan and I met up in Soho to check out the launch party for What I Wore blogger Jessica Quirk's first book, also titled What I Wore, hosted at the DKNY Soho store. As per the usual with our fashion party adventures, we sipped champagne, admired some really gorgeous clothes and mingled with the other guests.

When I think of DKNY, I think chic, and I think black and white. So I kept things pretty simple, and wore my most basic black mini and a white button down, with some vintage chains and jazzy blue flats.

H&M (men's) button down; Express skirt; Steve Madden flats; Ba&sh clutch; vintage chains; Michael Kors watch; Tiffany bracelet; Persol sunglasses.

In my opinion, there are few sexier articles of clothing than a button down shirt, for a man or a woman. I love to get mine from the men's department of places like J. Crew, Gap and H&M because the fit is slim, but more relaxed than a woman's cut. They tend to be a bit longer as well, making them wildly versatile for tucking, untucking, half-tucking and tying. This look is a pretty standard combination for me, I can't seem to get enough of a good button down these days; especially pairing one with a saucy little skirt for a night out. For me, it strikes the perfect balance of masculine and feminine influences, and with a few vintage chains and flats, you basically have my uniform.

I feel like Meghan had a bit of a Jak & Jil moment with this photo, no?

(Thanks again for snapping the pics, Meghan!)