Spring Oldies

Sweater (similar) - LOFT / Skirt (similar) - Banana Republic / Jacket (similar) - J.Crew Factory / Sandals (similar) - Sole Society / Bag (similar) - Ann Taylor / Necklace (similar) - Madewell / Bracelet - Michael Kors 

This is another outfit pulled from things I basically forgot I had. I said last week that I'm always rooting around my closet in spring searching for pastels in the spring, and this is a perfect example. This skirt was purchased several years ago as a winter white piece, so in my mind it was only for fall and winter. I actually really wanted to buy this skirt but realized that I already had something almost identical and probably didn't need two flippy white minis. And then this sweater has been around for a long time - I actually wore it for our engagement photos! See guys - don't just throw out your clothes if you haven't worn them in a while!

What are you guys up to this week? We planned a little deck party on our roof deck for this upcoming weekend so I'm in party planning mode. When I was little I used to make fun of my mom for these insane party notebooks she took, where she kept notes about what they made, whether there was enough food or not, who came to the party, etc. etc. That level of organization always seemed crazy to me when I was younger, but now I wish I could keep up like that! We've thrown parties before but I still never know how much food to make. Wish me luck!

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Previously on KDTI - lavender sweater:

 

Linking up with Mix It Monday, Friday Fab Favorites, Flashback Friday, Summer Style.

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Navy Eyelet

Do I have a thing for eyelet? Umm apparently yes, yes I do ;) Eyelet is such a pretty choice for spring and summer that I just have a hard time resisting. Paired with some pretty ankle tie espadrilles and a fun straw bag and you're good to go for all of your warm weather activities, whether it's a backyard barbecue, brunch with your girlfriends, or a day out shopping. Toss on a denim jacket in chilly air conditioning or when the sun goes down.

dress / necklace / bag / nail polish / jacket / espadrilles

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Tassels for the Beach

Beach dress - c/o SheIn / Bag - Hayden Reis / Sandals - Old Navy

So I fell in love with all of the fun tasseled cover-ups that hit the internet last summer, but at over a hundy stick a pop they were not something that would ever enter my closet. Between how few days I spend at the beach or a pool every year and my limited clothing budget, dropping that much money on a coverup wasn't quite in the cards for me. That didn't stop me from drooling though ;) So when SheIn offered me this cute but much cheaper option I had to say yes! I can't wait to give it a spin - hopefully soon at the beach in Chicago, or definitely out in Las Vegas in a few weeks! Our rental Tahoe doesn't start until Sunday afternoon, so we decided to tag on two nights in Vegas to the start of the trip. And, because my husband is the most amazing human being ever, we decided as an anniversary present to each other to get tickets to see Britney Spears! Life goal (almost) accomplished. I'm not a huge Britney fan, but all of her music is so fun (plus it's Vegas) that I know it's going to be amazing.

But anyway, back to the coverup! Aren't the tassels fun? The original version was super over-sized, but I love that the sizing on this is a little more fitted - I'm not so into over-sized on me. I also love that it has longer sleeves. I'm super pale (in case you couldn't tell) so at the beach I'm always ducking to find cover under an umbrella - with these sleeves I can stay in the sun longer.

Oh and I have to throw in a note about my beach bag - it actually was from a blog giveaway way back in the day! I had just started reading blogs and thought why not enter, and lo and behold I won. I love this bag, partially because it's made of sailcloth so it can get wet but the inside stays dry, and partially because there are tons of pockets lining the inside of the bag - perfect for keeping all of your beach stuff organized. The bag is from Hayden Reis, and while they no longer have my bag in stock there are a ton of cute options, including this striped flamingo number.

I'll see you at the beach!

Linking up with The Pleated Poppy, Style Me Wednesday, Confident Twosday, Style Sessions.

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This Weekend...

This weekend I...

...Went to Hampton Social for a little brunch date with Jeff, and oh my gee. I'd seen some pics on Instagram, but had no idea just how adorable this place is. It's like they made the whole restaurant with Instagram in mind. The food was pretty good too - I especially liked the burrata appetizer. I mean, really they won me with brunch appetizers ;)
...Met up with some friends to watch their softball game, and then went with the team to Ranallis for some snacks out on the patio and weirdly a complementary bottle of Fireball for the table - it's how they support their sports teams ;)
...Took Jeff out to Cescas after he got back from taking level three of the CFA exam - apparently margaritas are how he likes to recover after an overload of multiple choice.
...Went down to the Mag Mile to hit Nike Town for some new shoes for our trip to Lake Tahoe in a couple of weeks! Jeff's family is a bit more active on trips than I'm used to, so I thought some new kicks for all of the hiking were in order. To make up for making Jeff go shopping on a Sunday with all of the tourists, I took him down to City Winery on the Riverwalk - a glass or two of wine seemed like a good reward ;)
...Spent a whole lot of time lounging on our deck! We finally got some furniture last week and had great weather all weekend, so a lot of deck hangouts were definitely in order. It's crazy how quiet and peaceful it gets up there - doesn't even feel like you're in the city anymore!

I hope you had a good one!

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Friday Finds

Happy Friday! Are you doing anything fun this weekend? Jeff is taking level three of the CFA exam (I always thought it was Certified Financial Analyst, but turns out it's Chartered - who knew?) tomorrow, so we're keeping things pretty quiet around these parts - since I'm still recovering from being sick and traveling I'm pretty pleased about spending a night on the couch!

So I found a lot of good things this week, but oh. my. gee. that pineapple necklace. Dying. I'm not really a Lilly girl, but this necklace makes me feel like buying some fun printed sun dresses and hitting the town. And maybe for the full effect some Jacks to go along with it.

one / two / three / four / five

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A Little Minty

Sweater (similar) and Jeans - Old Navy / Tee (similar) - Target / Shoes (similar) - Sole Society / Bag (similar) - Coach Factory / Necklace (similar) - J. Crew Factory / Watch - Wristology

Every spring I find myself rooting through my closet, trying to find something pastel. I'm always looking for something pretty to pair with my white jeans and skirts and for some reason I always figure I'll find something hanging out in the depths of my closet. It turns out I don't own a lot of pastels, but I did manage to find this mint sweater from several years ago. I definitely haven't worn this in over a year but I'm so glad I found it - the color is just so pretty! I know a lot of people subscribe to rules about when to get rid of clothing, like if they haven't worn it in two seasons or four seasons. I try to avoid those, because it means I would have gotten rid of this sweater and a lot of other things I've rediscovered. Sure, you have to purge every now and then so that your closet doesn't literally explode, but hard and fast rules don't necessarily work. If you could still see yourself wearing an item in the future, I say keep it!

These jeans have been a new favorite - I love that the distressing desweetens and dresses them down. The only thing is, they stretch so much by the end of the day. I haven't purchased jeans from Old Navy in a long time, and I definitely should have gone a size down! I keep trying to shrink them, but no luck so far - fingers crossed they show up in stock in my size again!

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Previously on KDTI - more mint:

 

Linking up with Mix It Monday, Flashback Friday, Friday Fab Favorites, Summer Style.

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May Budget

Every month I post about my clothing budget. My budget per month is $300, which to some may seem like a lot and to others a little, but feels just right for me. You can read my thoughts on my 2015 budget here. 

It's the beginning of the month and it's time for another budget post. And this time (dun dun duuuuuun) I went over. Le sigh. I knew it was going to happen, but I just couldn't help myself. I knew I had been under every other month this year so I kind of felt like I could spend more, and probably didn't return some things I should have - like, the pink tote is cute, but did I really need another tote bag? And then, like I said yesterday, I had this crazy allergic reaction while I was traveling that left marks all over my arms for a couple of days which made me so self conscious (especially because I was about to meet a bunch of new people), so I made an emergency stop at an outlet mall to pick up some long sleeves.

Anyway, onto the good - I got some great items this month that filled some holes in my closet, including a new work bag and nude flats, and the prettiest bright summery dress. Win win win. I also love the summery top I snagged (and I got so many compliments when I rocked it last week) and these tassel sandals are so fun - perfect for the warm weather we finally have here in Chicago.

So anyway, enough talk. Here's what I got this month:

Banana Republic Laser Cut Tank - originally $68, on sale $20.60.
J. Crew Eyelet Dress - originally $138, on sale $103.50.
Rebecca Minkoff Medium M.A.B. Tote - originally $295, on sale $205.99, used gift cards & cash back $0.
Sole Society Tassel Sandals - $74.95.
J. Crew Factory Scalloped Linen Top - originally $75, on sale $44.50.
Ivanka Trump Bow d'Orsay Flat - originally $99.95, on sale $69.97.
Gap Tote - originally $54.95, on sale $22.97.
Old Navy Striped Tank - originally $14, on sale $7.

Not pictured
Ann Taylor Factory Cardigan - $45.50.
LOFT Factory Tunic - $20.50. (seen here)

Total spent: $409.49
Total saved: $181.36

So, you know, whoops :) I promise I'll at least try to do better next month. I don't have any specific needs at the moment, but I love summer clothes the most so you can bet I'll be adding some pretty summer dresses and skirts and tanks to my shopping cart this month.

Did you budget in May? How did you do?

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