playing dress-up.

wiley wears:

top: j.crew

leather shorts: f21

tights: uo

necklace: anthropologie

shoes: jeffrey campbell

purse: f21

     totally outside of the box for me, this outfit was what i wore to the estate for the absolut fashion event.  i knew if there was ever another opportunity to rock my leather shorts it would be for this event.  i wanted to mix something lacy and girly with the more rocker shorts and this ruffled j.crew button up was perfect.  my black floral tights, structured heels and black leather bag made things funky and club-ready.  not a look i will probably repeat, mostly because it just wasn't totally me, but it's always fun to play dress-up for an evening.
     tonight was the boston fashion blogger sip and swap and it was a complete blast!  a post on that coming tomorrow.  stay tuned!

boston fashion week begins.

wiley wears:

top: tjmaxx

blazer: gap

trousers: madewell

t-straps: uo

sunnies: miley cyrus

     boston fashion week has officially begun for me.  today i attended the copley catwalk shows where i saw the fall collections for elie tahari and karen millen.  both collections were incredible; lots of lace, structured jackets, leather and rich colors.  it was an inspiring show and a great start to my week's festivities.  dressing for work and a fashion show was an interesting job.  luckily daytime shows tend to be quite casual, as most of the attendees are coming from work.  i wore this vibrantly patterned tank with an asymmetrical hemline for a little bit of flair and decided i would try a shorter top with my high-waisted madewell trousers.  with a cropped blazer over my tank i think the look really worked.

    in about an hour i head out to the absolut fashion event at the estate.  i am really looking forward to running into some of my favorite bloggers and friends and taking in a really unique fashion.  i have to admit, dressing for this kind of event always stresses me out.  i don't frequent clubs and typically feel comfortable being very much myself, but on nights like tonight i tend to overthink the venue and the crowd until i have completely freaked myself out.  thankfully i have some great friends to keep the fashion emergencies at bay.

american girl.

wiley wears:

top: af

cardigan: f21

belt: vintage

khakis: gap

dexters: vintage

necklace: on loan from poppy and leo

    my typical midweek outfits are made up of combinations of all my favorite pieces.  this outfit is no different.  i knew that i wanted to wear this awesome beaded necklace and though that the pairing of red, white, navy and khaki would be great with some buttery leather accessories.  for my last calm day before my boston week fashion festivities begin i wanted something basic and comfortable.  very excited to break out some of my fashion week outfits i've been planning!

black and blue.

wiley wears:

top: banana republic

blazer: vintage armani

trousers: madewell

t-straps: uo

     today's outfit was inspired by the autumn winter 2010 ruby boutique lookbook.  i love the combination of navy and black for fall and the juxtaposition of poet blouses with structured pieces.  these madewell trousers are proving to be one of the most versatile pieces in my closet and i have yet to find a situation for which they are not completely perfect.  the black and blue look was essential for a dark and rainy day like today.  on the upside, jeb and i were able to get dinner with one of my very favorite couples at one of our very favorite restaurants celebrating their first year as an adorable married couple.  (happy anniversary to noelle and steve!)

boston fashion week.

boston fashion week is upon us and while much smaller and lowkey than its new york counterpart, it offers lots of exciting events for lovers of fashion in our chic new england city.  sadly, the forecast looks like it will be a chilly rainy week, but nothing will keep me from the events i'm really excited to attend.  jeb and i have friends in town early this week, so my fashion week officially starts wednesday.  here are a few of the events i'm attending.  i hope to see you there!

wednesday:

copley catwalk – lunch time fashion show

copley place - center court

100 huntington avenue, boston ma

absolut fashion presented by rue la la and salon marc harris

at  the estate

doors: 9:30  fashion show: 10:30

http://www.theestateboston.com/

thursday:

the swapaholics' boston fashion week sip & swap

http://www.theswapaholics.com/

the arts at the armory

191 highland avenue, somerville, ma

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Swapaholics/301084492011

{image via the sartorialist}

word of the weekend.

   

wiley wears:

tee: american apparel

jeans: f21

scarf: vintage

purse: f21

sunnies: miley cyrus

     speaking of headscarves, this vintage scarf that belonged to by great grandmother was the perfect way to add something to a very basic outfit.  i spent my weekend in new york city and yesterday walked all over the city, lunched at the smith (amazing), checked out eataly (overwhelmingly amazing) and then walked some more.  we had an awesome day, but i wanted to keep my outfit simple and comfortable so i went for the most basic; a white tee and jeans.  i live in these unisex v-necks from american apparel.  so soft, mostly after worn about a hundred times.  i will not be posting pictures of my outfit from our evening at the club.  almost hysterical trying to dress for a club when you never frequent clubs.  the word of the weekend, "trendy."

thanks to all my friends who made this weekend fabulous!

the big apple.

off to nyc for the weekend  to see old friends.

looking forward to cocktails in the afternoon, shopping, and gabbing away about the lives of people i love.  wishing everyone a wonderful weekend and send me a tweet if you'll be in the city too.

head scarves.

the headscarf has easily become my very favorite accessory.  originally i only envisioned summer looks, but am now seeing how easily i can incorporate it into my fall and winter wardrobes.  vintage scarves are so versatile and add great flair to any outfit.  in the coming weeks you will be seeing lots of my experimentation with different ways to work scarves into my hairdos. 

i would love to hear your favorite ways to wear scarves.

{images via weheartit}

no time for talk.

wiley wears:

blazer: hand-me-down from katie

tee: splendid

skirt: j.crew

pumps: natacha - buenos aires

      this bright floral pencil skirt is one of my favorite pieces for fall.  i have found multiple ways to make it work and it is completely perfect for the office.  today, i decided to pair it with a soft white tee and a structured blazer with hook and eye closures.  overall, a put together day at the office.

no time for talk.

happy almost-friday.

castle island.

wiley wears:

romper: target

cardigan: f21

belt: vintage

dexters: vintage

bag: vintage coach

sunnies: f21

     on saturday jeb took paige and i to castle island, a spot in boston his grandparents took him too when he was a little boy.  he hadn't been back in more than fifteen years and i thought it was so sweet that he was willing to share a special place with my sister and i.  we walked around the fort and took in the men fishing, tourists picnicking and bikers, runners and rollerbladers.  it was really peaceful and spending the time with two people i love so dearly made it all the more special.  paige and jeb make a great team...mostly in making fun of me.  jeb cracks a joke about me and paige dies laughing.  pretty much the theme of the weekend, but all in good fun.  little paige just loves seeing someone who knows exactly how to crack a joke at my expense.  

     the weather on saturday was gorgeous, but a bit hard to dress for.  in the sun it felt about 80 and in the shade closer to 60.  i decided shorts and long sleeves were the way to go and chose to wear my teal romper underneath a wrapped and belted cardigan.  i was aiming for the romper to just peek out at the bottom and play the role of a pair of shorts.  after paige and i played around on the beach showing off our most stellar yoga poses my outfit became less put together, but these photos make me so happy because the day was excellent.  after castle island we headed to the south boston street fair and watched jeb take down a ten inch pearl hotdog.  highlight of the weekend.

and don't forget, i would love to hear about more books that you love here.

wily wiley reads.

1.

a man without a country by kurt vonnegut

- lately lin has been letting me scour her bookshelves for things she has loved that i have yet to read.  this amazing vonnegut piece reads like an essay or more truthfully, an old man's rant.  i found it filled with wisdom and thought of so many quotes i wanted to include here, but think it will be better if you all go out and read this.  it is short and filled with vonnegut's hilarious takes on everything from marriage to the state of our environment.  and i have to admit, i will never look at a blue mailbox the same way again.

2.

big fish by daniel wallace

- so i may be the only person alive that has not yet seen the film this book became, but i decided to give the novel a go before watching the movie and i am so glad i did.  the story is beautiful and sad and funny and full of wit.  wallace has a way of writing ridiculous things without even causing you to blink.  like watership down, this is one i can picture reading to my own kids down the road. 

3.

this is where i leave you by jonathan tropper

- i think this may be the best book i have read in quite awhile.  tropper's writing style, at least in this novel, is lewd and hilarious.  it is a story about a very dysfunctional family brought together by a tragedy, but don't let that fool you, there was much more laughter than tears in my reading of this novel.  i am really looking forward to picking up some of his other books and have already passed this one along to my sister for airplane reading.  my advice: read, read, read!

4.

columbine by dave cullen

- i like to mix up my reading with fiction and non-fiction and when my friend callie suggested this book i decided it might be a fascinating read.  the book was sad.  no getting around that.  hearing the first hand accounts of parents, children and friends losing the people they love was particularly hard, but cullen does so with a sensitivity that made the book easier to read.  i enjoyed the way cullen approaches the subject from a psychological standpoint and he really attempts to understand the motives behind what happened from the killers, to the media, to the local police.  overall, i learned a lot from this book and think it helped me see beyond the media hype that came along with the tradgedy at columbine high.

so it's that time again.  i have a few things on my reading pile at the moment, but am always looking for more suggestions.  i have found that my blog is such an excellent way to find out about new books to love.  so please, please, please pass along more of your favorite reads.

new england prep.

wiley wears:

khakis: gap

button-up: gap

cardigan: j.crew

pumps: nine west

      a total divergence from yesterday's laid back style, today i went full prep.  a light blue and white pinstriped button-up layered with a peach cardigan with great silk ruffled detail.  i have found that you can layer one pastel on another pastel nearly all the time and it always solidifies the preppy style i so love.  i love playing with lots of different styles on the day to day and look forward to a totally different look tomorrow.

     on another note, we are off on a week long trip to new orleans in a little over two weeks and beginning to plan our excursions and restaurant outings.  i would love to hear any and all recommendations.  we are hoping to spend one night at a completely fabulous restaurant for one truly incredible meal and i would love to hear if anyone out there has a great idea.

     well, off to our friends' apartment to watch 'gossip girl.'  the best part of every monday night.

rock on.

wiley wears:

tee: f21

tank/dress: american apparel

leggings: american apparel

boots: vintage

sunnies: miley cyrus

bag: vintage coach

     i really adored my outfit today.  so comfortable, painless and badass.  i think recently i have been taking a bit of a walk on the wild side.  paige and i took a trip to forever 21 yesterday and i saw this amazing cropped aerosmith tee and had to own it.   and there was no way to decide against pairing this tee with my favorite black boots...just finalizing my rocker chic look. 

     i have to admit, we just ate an enormous feast and i can barely keep my eyes open.  short post, but back with lots of exciting stuff this week, including a new 'wiley reads' post!

i hope everyone had a fabulous weekend!

hermana.

so as you may have read, my younger sister is flying in today from philadelphia.  i am beyond excited, as i miss my sisters terribly all the time.  it is so nice to have someone here that i don't even need to use words with.  peach just gets what i'm thinking.  it's a twin thing.  an irish twin thing.

weekend festivities, here we come!

(and to jiff, wish you were here too!)

{image via the heart place}

goodbye summer.

as the summer ends i thought it would be nice to share a few photos of a great day in my summer.  so these are some of my bestfriends.  i just love these photos.  mostly the jumping photos which we have been trying to master for a very long time.  these pictures were taken at our semi-annual pigroast in new hampshire.  a glorious day and night of tennis, camping, bonfires, music and friends.  so much fun and something i look forward to twice a year!

tonight i am spending my evening cleaning and prepping for my sister's arrival tomorrow night.  and believe me, today i wore my beloved vintage dvf wrap dress and you can see that here if you've never seen her in all of her glory.

ode to willie.

wiley wears:

top: h&m

bomber: target

jeans: levis

sneakers: keds

scarf: vintage

     so something about this outfit made me think of my nana, willie.  i guess the scarf, cropped jeans and white sneakers remind me of some photos of her from the forties.  and honestly, i know she would have loved this badass bomber jacket.  i feel like a rockstar and amelia earhart all rolled into one.  obviously this is not what i wore to the office, but rather what i wore for an evening spent with jeb's nana. just about as feisty, sweet and hysterical as my own nana.  it always feels great to spend a good night with someone you love and tonight was no exception.  it was great hearing stories about the way boston used to look and just as many amusing stories of jeb as a child.  never gets old. and you know what, bangs were so the right decision.  life feels anew, mostly with the arrival of little peach on friday evening.  i just cannot look forward to this weekend enough!  get here friday!

funny face.

wiley wears:

top: lark & wolff

skirt: target

tights: target

belt: f21

t-straps: uo

sunnies: miley cyrus

     i have to admit that this haircut is giving me a whole new outlook on life.  i feel like i look far more edgy and way more myself.  it is so easy to upkeep and i cannot say enough great things about george at james joseph salon.  he is a miracle worker!  the hair really inspired me to play around with some of the less-worn things in my wardrobe and i have been eyeing this lace overlayed skirt for a few weeks now and knew i could make it work for the office.  i love the combination of an overtly feminine piece with a masculine cut linen button-up.  and tights!  so excited getting to break out my old fall favorites.  this weekend may be time to search through the piles and compile a list of tights i need for the coming months.  (a great pair of navy tights are definitely at the top of my list!)  i wanted to show the photos in high saturation, since i thought it brought out the different patterns and fabrics i worked together in this outfit.  and i really did you all a favor by deleting the nearly twenty photos of me making extremely awkward faces at jeb while he took my pictures.  what a good boyfriend to put up with me!

and...countdown is at three days til' little peachy graces us with her presence in this fine city.

on another note, much love to all my readers.  you all brighten my days with your comments and kind words!  thanks for reading!