What I Bought This Month: July Haul

Curse you J.Crew super sale for making me place two online orders this month! (Okay, okay, I fully realize I was the one who decided to place the orders...) I got some great deals on some casual pieces, plus my desire to always wear a new dress to every wedding I attend had me picking up a few more items. So fail on the "no shopping" goal, but I came out okay and didn't go crazy.

Here are the details:

1. Tulip Hem Dress (Gap, sold out)- scored this dress for under $10 on sale! Its incredibly comfortable and was perfect for an outdoor Texas summer wedding.

2. Baseball Tee (J.Crew)- Despite the fact that I am not into sports, I really love that sporty inspired pieces are in style.

3. Stripe Sleeve Tee (J.Crew)- What can I say, J.Crew just makes the best t-shirts!

4. Floral Swim Top (J.Crew, sold out)- I love buying new swim tops to go with my black bottoms that I love so much. The shape of this top is a little retro and so fun!

5. Dotted Swim Top (J.Crew)- Another fun top to match my black bikini bottoms.

6. White Boyfriend Jeans (Old Navy)- Love my denim boyfriend jeans so much that I really wanted a white pair. Picked these up for under $15 on sale and I love them!

7. Straw Clutch (Gap)- I have a lot of crossbody bags and practically no clutches. This has been perfect to go with all my casual summer dresses.

8. Leaf Print Clutch (Gap)- I've seen so much palm tree leaf print going around that I grabbed this clutch as well.

9. Floral Print Dress (Old Navy)- I've been wanted to build my collection of white summer dresses and wanted one with a fun print. Love the palm leaves on this one.

10. Gray Espadrille Sandal (J.Crew)- These are a little fancier than most of my other sandals and I love the baby espadrille wedge.

11. Pink Shorts (J.Crew)- I love J.Crew chino shorts, and I love pink. On sale for $15? Practically a no-brainer.

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#AERONOW

Shirt- c/o Aeropostale, Shorts- c/o Aeropostale, Booties- Justfab, Clutch- Gap, Sunglasses- c/o Aeropostale

This outfit is full of all the things I love about dressing for the summer heat- all white, cutoff shorts, and a fun clutch. Its such a simple outfit to put together, and I love the impact all white makes. I got most of the pieces I'm wearing here from Aeropostale. I've been looking for white cutoff shorts all summer, and these are the perfect pair! I stuck to my rule of sizing up and they fit great. I originally bought these booties thinking they would be perfect for the summer to fall transition, but I actually really love how they look with shorts and skirts. And the belt? I actually had to borrow it from my boyfriend since my outfit looked a little plain without it. I haven't worn a belt this thick in years, and I may need to go out and look for my own since I liked how this one looked with my shorts.

Aeropostale's done a lot of work in the past year to rebrand and put out better merchandise. They definitely have more of a selection for the young twenty-something than they have in the past. I've raved about their denim multiple times (see here and here), and I love these shorts just as much as the other jeans and shorts I've gotten from them.

Aeropostale's latest collection hits stores today at 4 PM. Visit your store today from 4-6 for the launch party. Check out the invitation below for more details.

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Floral Shorts

Tee- Target, Shorts- Nordstrom (similar here, here), Sandals- Lulu's (same here on sale $13!), Bag- Kate Spade, Bracelet- Gigglosophy, Sunglasses- Target

Especially in the summer, I realize just how much I love printed bottoms. I love a good printed top, but there is something about wearing prints on skirts, pants and shorts that I love even more. These shorts are super girly and easy to dress up or down since they almost look like a skirt.

As you can tell, I recently took the plunge with a pretty drastic haircut. It was one of those where you go in thinking you'll cut off about four inches and seven come off instead. I've been itching to go back to ombre, so I figured why not do that too?! So far its been a bit of an adjustment since it takes a bit longer to style at this length, but it's growing on me. It's definitely been nice to have shorter hair now that the weather has gotten so hot.

What's the most drastic change you've made with your hair?

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A Date Night Look

Top- Zara, Skirt- Sosie, Shoes- JustFab, Clutch- Target

Every now and then, I wear something that is way too fancy for the occasion, just because I feel like it. On the evening I wore this outfit, my boyfriend and I decided to try out a show at the Dallas Comedy House in Deep Ellum. Those of you who are familiar with Deep Ellum know that these shoes (well, really the entire outfit) are SO not Deep Ellum. But I didn't care. They were new and I wanted to wear them despite our plans. It was also very windy, which made my freshly curled hair go flat, and also made for some fun moments trying to keep my top and skirt from flying around all crazy, but I also didn't care about that. Sometimes you just gotta wear what you want.

In case you are interested, this skirt is still in stock at Sosie, and it is $7.75. Yes, you read that right! Now, I'll be honest- the thing is sheer. Since it flares out at the bottom, that part is fine. I did feel the need to cover the top half of it to be more comfortable. I rigged it up with a slip underneath, and my top was long enough to cover anything embarrassing so I felt fine in it. So yeah. If you like to wear fussy skirts that require long tops and slips and all that, this one's for you. (I really sold that, didn't I? Now we all know why it's on sale for $7.75. But I'm still going to wear it.)

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Summer Uniform

Shirt- Gap, Shorts- Old Navy, Sandals- Lulu's (same here, on sale $16), Bag- Lori's Shoes, Sunglasses- Forever 21

I took a little blogging break last week since I had a couple of days off work. I wanted to maximize my relaxation time without having to worry about getting my two typical posts up. I was able to shoot some outfits I have a few new posts coming your way soon!

I can't remember the last time I actually wanted to wear shorts. After years of feeling uncomfortable in shorts that were "my size," I finally realized the secret to good shorts- SIZE UP. Seriously, it is so much more comfortable to wear shorts that are a little roomier than what your standard pant size would be. I got these Old Navy distressed shorts two sizes up to accommodate for the short inseam (its only 2"), and so they would be looser on my thighs. I love them! I've been wearing them every weekend with anything from t-shirts to button ups. Basically any top I can do a half-tuck with is perfect to create that unfussy "I got dressed in 30 seconds" look.

Being as heel-obsessed as I am, I really love these sandals with their baby one and half inch heel. They are still super comfortable but give me just a little more height. I can wear them with distressed shorts, or make a sundress a little more dressy than if I paired it with flat sandals.

Dainty jewelry has been another favorite of mine recently. I'm still breaking out the statment pieces for work and dressier occasions, but with a casual look like this one, smaller jewelry is the way to go.

What's your summer uniform?

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