rolling stone.

     moving stinks.  mostly when you've accidentally packed away your camera cords and don't remember which box they are in.  so this week you'll all have to bear with me while i dig through boxes, pack boxes, unpack boxes, and lug boxes from point a to point b.  tomorrow i'll have a new 'wily wiley reads,' but beyond that i can't make any promises until we are in our new place on thursday. 

 wishing all my fellow moving bostonians the best this week!

{image via here.}

style scout: labor day party.

1. blousy striped top, thick belt and loosefitting trouser jeans

2. gingham button-up, red mini, khaki vest and oxfords

3. soft striped tee, a-line skirt, canvas tote and wedges

4. gingham button-up, khaki skirt and leopard accessories

5. funky striped tank, highwaisted red trousers and sunnies

     

      since labor day is right around the corner i thought what better time to do a new 'style scout' with some inspiration for celebration.  i love patriotic holidays like labor day, the fourth of july and memorial day.  any chance to wear my red, white and blue, and i am a very happy girl.  what better way to celebrate an all-american holiday than by wearing some of the most timeless and 'patriotic' looks above.

     beyond a patriotic color palette, try incorporating stripes or gingham into your labor day attire.  i also love classic fabrics like denim and linen for weekend festivities.  i hope the above looks give you a few ideas.  and ladies, labor day is a perfect time to experiment with a little pattern mixing.  (i love the combination of leopard and gingham in #4.)

how will you be celebrating labor day?

and what will you be wearing?

the final piece.

wiley wears:

vest: old navy

maxi dress: f21

necklace: f21

gladiators: jeffrey campbell

     i have seen vests like this everywhere and i finally found one i loved when i was home and shopping with my mom.  she didn't quite understand how much i had been longing for this piece.  it's the final* piece i will need to create my complete fall wardrobe.  i love the way it perfectly layers over my summer maxi dresses and i have so many ideas for the fall.  

what's that 'final' piece you need for your fall wardrobe?

*there will probably be a new final piece needed about a week down the road

wily wiley reads.

                                       
    i've decided to do a 'wily wiley reads' post once a week and focus on two books, rather than four.  i think this will give me an opportunity to do what i love a little more often.  i always look forward to all of the recommendations you all give me, so i think getting those more often will be excellent as well.

the disappeared by kim echlin ::: i think this is one of the best love stories i have read in a long time.  also one of the saddest and most difficult to read.  set during the cambodian genocide, echlin tells the story of a young canadian girl and a cambodian musician.  when the cambodian border opens up again serey decides to return and find out what has become of his family.  anne stays behind and for eleven years hears nothing from the man she loves.  eventually anne realizes that she cannot live without serey and travels to cambodia to search for him and reclaim the love she has lost.  this novel was incredibly moving and it made we want to do some further reading on what happened in cambodia in the 1970s.  highly recommend.

my name is memory by ann brashares ::: another love story of sorts.  this one is a bit confusing, and it took me a little while to wrap my head around the plot.  in my name is memory, the concept is that every person has lived multiple lives.  the catch; only a few remember these past lives.  daniel remembers his past lives and in each one he has been in love with sophia.  set in modern day, sophia is now a teenage girl named lucy.  daniel's goal is to remind lucy of her past lives and make her fall in love with him again.  the story travels through the many lives of daniel and lucy and i really enjoyed the constant changes of scenery.  this is apparently the first novel in a trilogy and i will definitely be reading the second and thrid novel.

now it's your turn.  what have you read lately?

fiesta dress.

wiley wears:

dress: thrifted

belt: uo

gladiators: jeffrey campbell

      i had been pining over an embroidered dress from anthropologie for the last few weeks, that even on sale was beyond my budget.  yesterday we headed to our favorite thrift shop and i came across this amazing embroidered dress.  i imagine a wealthy tourist somewhere in south america purchasing this hand-embroidered dress, and cannot help to think that i just hit the jackpot.  i plan on chopping off the bottom of the dress right below the last piece of embroidery.  what are your thoughts?  do you like the current midi length, or will it look better as a mini?

style scout: fall weekends.

1. pleated skirt, blazer, slouchy blue button-down, boots and  turban

2. sheer black top, denim bell bottoms and an oversized leather tote

3. oversized button-down, lace mini, envelope clutch and gold jewelry

4. olive cargo vest, boyfriend jeans, heather gray top and nude shoes

5. leather bomber, skinny jeans, striped top and brown lace-up boots

6. striped pencil skirt, gray sweatshirt, camel leather belt and gold cuff

     i wanted to compile a few of my favorite looks for fall into a new series called 'style scout'.  i have been missing a weekly feature and all the fabulous inspiration it brings.  after all the time i've spent sending inspiration to friends and family for different occasions, i thought i would bring some of that fun to my blog.  each week i will pick an event or trip and focus on a few pieces of inspiration to show you the things that i would wear.  i'd love to hear if you have any sartorial conundrums.
    above are six looks that incorporate pieces that are easy to come by, many that i already own, and a few new pieces that need to make their way into my wardrobe a.s.a.p! (i'm talking about those gorgeous bell bottoms!)  i picked looks that would be perfect for those upcoming autumn weekends spent in the city.  if you've been struggling to find transitional pieces for fall, follow the lists above and you'll be outfitted like a pro in no time.

summer breeze.

wiley wears:

dress: old navy

sandals: madewell

     wow,  this post made me realize that i am partly sad for the summer to come to an end.  it has become so easy to throw on a pretty floral dress and sandals with a bright coral lipstick and be done with it.  once fall comes, although i'm very excited for it, i am sad to let go of the easy days of summer where two pieces make an outfit.  for today i decided on this ruffled navy floral dress and my beloved saltwater sandals.  a few weeks left of the breezy days of summer and i'm very much looking forward to planning my fall wardrobe.  until then, i will go with the simplicity of the warm summer air.

nostalgia.

     i realized i hadn't shared any photos from our trip to new hampshire.  i gathered a few of my favorites to try and highlight some of the very best moments.  hard to choose when every day was wonderful.  each morning i wake up i wish i was back there waking up to the gorgeous mountains or the tranquil lake.  new hampshire is such a special place to jeb and i and we love spending every second we can in the mountains, on the coast, and especially at lake winnipesaukee. 

photos: by the dock/view from our b&b of the white mountains/cloudy visit to the top of mount cannon/best vanity plate ever/sunset over the green mountains/sunset on the lake/jumping off the party boat

do you have a special vacation spot?

before the fall.

wiley wears:

tee: michael stars

cardigan : f21

maxi skirt: old navy 

sandals: madewell

necklaces: borrowed from caroline

    back home last week i did a bit of shopping with my mom.  we found this great heathered olive maxi skirt and i knew it would be perfect for the fall.  i think it's definitely more of a fall piece, but i love it too much to wait until october.  i thought pairing it with a thin white tee would keep the outfit cool for summer.  it turned out to be the perfect way to keep warm on this cold and rainy day. 

wily wiley reads.

the book of joe by jonathan tropper ::: joe is a writer.  joe writes a bestseller about his small hometown and then tries to avoid said hometown for life.  unfortunately for joe, his father gets sick and he has to return to a town who's secrets he turned into millions.  jonathan tropper is quickly becoming my favorite author.  this was the second book of his that i have gotten the chance to read and i cannot say enough good things about his writing style, humor and character development.  this book made me laugh out loud and cry even more loudly.  please go read this.  i'm already waiting for another of his books to arrive in the mail this week.

drowning ruth by christina schwarz ::: if you like stories of messy family tragedies with a bit of a pyschological thriller thrown in, then this book may be for you.  schwarz does a wonderful job of creating characters who, while often mysterious, are also likable.  the novel describes the mystery behind the death of amanda's younger sister, mathilde.  with twists and turns i promise you won't figure out what is going to happen next.

the happiness project by gretchen rubin ::: wow, i loved this book.  beyond just reading rubin's own story on her year working towards personal happiness, i found so my great bits of information and happiness-inducing ideas.  her own journey made me recognize some of the traits i see in myself, that might be changed for a more peaceful existence.  reading this book made me want to be a better daughter, friend, partner and sister.  if you're having a week where you're feeling down, pick this up.

the tipping point by malcolm gladwell ::: here's another that's been on the shelves and bestseller lists for years.  i, of course, only got to read it last week.  i had a lot of ideas about what this book would look like and i had heard a lot of things, both good and bad.  gladwell's book is built around case studies.  from airwalks, to hushpuppies, or teenage suicide in micronesia to teenage cigarette smoking in the u.s.  gladwell offers a great deal of information on all these topics and describes the exact moment when something becomes a trend or fad as "the tipping point."  for those of you interested in psychology, i think you'll find gladwell's theories fascinating.

    i thought i'd start the week out with some book reviews and do an outfit post tomorrow.  hopefully that rain will stop long enough for me to get in a few good shots.  i also have two more wily wiley reads posts coming up, but i think i'll stick to just one a week.  i'd love to hear your thoughts on what you like best of the blog.  i am going to be changing content just a bit, and would love your input.

swift river.

wiley wears:

tee: michael stars

vest: uo

shorts: f21

necklace: anthropologie

sandals: madewell

     jeb and i took a lovely trip down the kancamagus highway and we stopped to wade around in the swift river.  of course i fell in.  it was pretty hysterical considering there were dozens of people around and i, of course, was wearing the thinnest tee i own.  for a day of dropping by scenic outlooks and checking out franconia notch, a white tee and jean shorts with a flowy vest and sparkly necklace were the absolute perfect choice.  oh yeah, and these sandals from madewell...they rock.

return.

just a little taste of what my last week and a half have looked like.

we had an incredible vacation and i think ten days away from the internet is absolutely what the doctor ordered.  i'll be back tomorrow with a new outfit post and have quite a few book reviews to start writing up.

wishing you all a lovely week.