Floral Frock? I can do that!

I am doing my very best to avoid spending dinero on frivolous purchases. GOOBER! I've been down this road before, but now I'm an adult (pff!) and have serious financial commitments (ugh!).

Well, naturally, I have fallen in madly in love with this look...

(photo via francescascollections.com)

Before becoming impulsive and busting out my debit (no, not credit!) card, I took a step back. I "ooh-ed" and "aaaahh-ed!!!" over this lovely ensemble, but then reminded myself, I can pull this off with whatever I have in my closet already! 

Mission Accomplished! Slightly different colors, and I added a cardi because I'm a sweater kind of gal... However, I love the idea of adding leggings and boots for the transition into fall. This can be an all year type of look! :) YES! The dress was on sale from Francesca's (natch), 24.99; the cardi is from Target 14.99; the belt is from Old Navy, 4.99; the shoes are the priciest item on my bod, as they are Lucky Brand from Macy's. But, they too were on sale, 44.99. 

Oh yes, I still gaze upon the floral frock at Francesca's with the double loop belt and think, "I could pull that off so well!" But then I realize I am just as satisfied with my creation. Happy Monday!

Attention Dancing Queens!

By Dr. Scholl's...

It's Boot Season!!!

YES, YES, Y-E-S! It's officially boot season, and I'm oh-so freakin' excited!!

Check out the lovely little items that will make my wish-list this fall.

:)

(photo via francescascollections.com)

(photo via target.com)

And naturally, to supplement my boots, I'd like... 

(photo via anthropologie.com)

I'm 25 now...

Therefore get an excellent discount on car insurance. Welcome to adulthood, Lauren.

Flower headband

I'm obsessed. It's very... Princess Cleopatra, isn't it? And really - isn't Miss Kate just adorbs?

Love Wardrobe

Bless Megan's heart. She's got me on a shopping frenzy, now!

My dear friend Megan is visiting Las Vegas with her beau this weekend. While perusing through Forever 21 on the strip, she came across this sweet little top. She sent me a photo, knowing I would simply love it!

(all photos via forever21.com)

Oooh, and I do!! Per my dear friend Hayley's suggestion (Hayley and Megan are sisters, btw!), I got online immeds to order it. Yeah, I fell in love with a few others... 

This one... 

And this one... 

And this one... 

Yes, this one, too... 

Indeed, my shopping cart filled up pretty quickly. So what's the story, Lauren?? Why on Earth are you recently soo smitten with graphic tees encouraging the historical craft of affection? To tell you the truth, I'm unsure where all this giddy glee has originated from. I've been feeling very romantic lately. Odd. ;)

Happy Monday! 

Tandem

I've sort of been obsessing over the idea of owning a tandem bike with my sweetie... Sweetie not included, obvi...

(photo via lillywarner.com)

I might then buy this shirt... 

(photo via joannagoddard.blogspot.com)

But until then, I think this yellow beach cruiser will fill the void in my heart... 

(photo via thesartorialist.blogspot.com)

P.S. Are you getting her red pixie haircut? How fantastic is she?? And those aviators. Killer. 

Photo Sesh

Jeff Ambrose is so stinkin' talented! Check out the photos from my graduation photo session... Thanks, Jeff! :)

See more of his work, and more of me (duh!), at jsambrose.com. 

Sperries

Dear me. I've had my peepers open for a cute pair of Sperry Top Siders for MONTHS now. Really. As a struggling graduate student, I wasn't feeling so comfortable with the idea of dropping a hundred bones on a pair.

Welp, I think the shopping gods were looking out for me. Late last week, I made a visit to Last Chance with my dear aunts from Seattle. It's an off-shoot of Nordstrom, selling their designer products at a "last chance" price. They're brand new, and they set me back $28.00. Amazing!

Gosh! Don't they just scream oceanside/seaside/poolside/boatside/happyside??

Mary Poppins!

(photo via wunderbloc.com)

AmyJane and I saw Mary Poppins on Broadway last week. Two major thumbs up for student rush tickets!! It was sort of a Sunday afternoon impulse, but it worked out so splendidly! The show was down-right magical. It reminded me how smitten I am with being a child at heart. At the end of the show, I thought to myself, "I could reallyyyy go for a Mary Poppins carpet bag!" A few days later, I stumbled across this little photograph online. My inner fashionista is screaminggg!

Window Shopping

(photo via wikimedia.com)

Spring cleaning is wretched. Indeed, it feels oh-so good to see the progress, but the whole dust-bunny thing kind of kills me. However, this time around, I had a different agenda. Due to my upcoming migration west, I decided it would be wise to clean out my closet. You may recall me talking about Housing Works a few posts back... Welp, I decided to donate some used clothes to them. Their store is pretty baller. The window motifs are fun and frisky. Although it's a thrift store, I'm pretty sure its operated by some fresh fashionistas.

So, to my story... I donated a few bags of clothes last week. As I was walking by the store today, one of my donated purses hung on the wrist of the window mannequin. Ahh! Cool, eh? I thought to myself, "Wow, I really like that bag!"

Flower Clips for Baby Kate

Bless my dear Sister's heart! For the longest time she tried so hard to keep Baby Kate from touching the flower clips in her hair. My Sister would put it in. Baby Kate would pull it out, then insist my Sister put it back in. My Sister would put it back in, Baby Kate would pull it out, then insist she put it back in. They would go round and round all day... Until now. Looky, looky... I do believe she's over her silly little game.

Graduation Day Attire

I must share some love for my graduation day attire. (I certainly wish I could have been more creative with my hair. Mortar boards are so unflattering.) I was soo smitten with my dress! Many thanks to my dear friend Andrea for funding it. And to my delightful surprise, I received a lovely little package in the mail on Tuesday, two days before the big day. I opened up the package to find a fancy pair of Guess floral platforms from my dear friends Hayley, Joan, and Kristin. Ahhh! I love them all so much for thinking of me, making my day very special! xoxo

I want her hair. Really bad.

(photo via ffffound.com) 

How lovely would it be to have long hair and pull off something like this? I feel like it would be appropriate for a day in the park if you paired it with a pair of shorts and a tank, or even for a night on the town with a sexy mini skirt and a satin blouse. I've got a longer version of Victoria Beckham's haircut right now (in desperate need of a haircut to return me to my legit Lady Beckham days!), but this makes me wanna grow my hair out and create something magical! Which do you prefer? Short and chic or long and lavish? Both are oh-so tempting!

Lovely in Floral?

I hope to be lovely in floral... I purchased a graduation dress this afternoon from Francesca's Collections. I'm thinking they should start high-fiving me for all the purchases I have made with them. Depending on the weather, I may pair this with leggings & wedges... Thoughts? Thank you, Andrea, for such a lovely treat! :)

(photo via francescascollections.com) 

Graduation Dress

I do believe I've decided on a few possible graduation get-ups. (9 weeks, my friends!!) Of course, it's from Francesca's. I was recently furnished with a lovely little Francesca's gift card from a wonderful lady friend named Andrea, so I was all too happy to peruse through the Spring lineup and select a dress that would scream personality - but maintain my mature and professional image. ;)

We have...

The Housewife Dress

(I have a special crush on this dress. I'm thinking I'd pair it with a bright red cropped cardigan and some cute red shoes!)

Enchanting Dulcet

Feedback is certainly welcomed. It will be May in New York - cool during the day and night. 

Buttons

(photo via ffffound.com) 

I need some help. Over the last several years, I've developed a really crazy button collection. This collection was not created on purpose, however. I have simply hung onto all the extra buttons I've gained from my clothing purchases. I want to do something creative and spicy. I've been pondering for quite some time and can't come up with something that's not corny. All the buttons are different - sizes/colors/shapes. Suggestions? I know bloggers are seething with creativity! It certainly does not have to relate to clothing at all, maybe home decor, or a DIY project? I'll take e-mail suggestions as well - LaurenNMeyer@gmail.com.

Feeling French

(photo via mademoisellerobot.com)

For whatever reason, I've been feeling very French the past few weeks. My friend Sarah just spent a week over there, returned spouting out all of this lovely French banter! And I suppose it doesn't help that Alix showed me a couple of videos highlighting the work of JR, a French artist, or even the recent postings of a lovely newly-wedder who spent some time in Paris for her honeymoon... I've been thinking to myself, I really wouldn't mind a little black beret paired with skinny jeans and red lipstick! Anyhoo, maybe this book will help placate me until I can afford to make another trip across the Atlantic...

(photo via borders.com) 

Feeling Spicy

I've been feeling very spicy today. And it's only Monday! Work went well, got lots accomplished, feeling motivated to get a lot done this week before I head out of town for Betsy and Micah's wedding on Saturday (crazyyy!!) We all know I'm anti-shopping, but this dress simply screams spice. No, I didn't buy it. But, I want somebody else to so I can "oooh" and "aaaahhh" over it!

(photo via francescascollections.com) 

Happy Monday! 

Austerity Update

Oh my! It's time for an update on my Austerity Program.

So I had a gift card... And got a cardigan. I've decided this doesn't count. Plain and simple, as I did not spend any money out of my own pocket. And, I did purchase a few storage boxes. However, I have also decided this, too, doesn't count, as it was not a frivolous purchase and absolutely necessary for my move in just a few months. I know what you're thinking... "Excuses, excuses!!" The idea behind my austerity program was to keep from spending money on things I don't need. Storage boxes I need. And, the cardigan, well... I had a gift card. :)

So, Lauren: 1, Shopping Impulse: 0

However, it is taking all my might not to pick up these little numbers. Somebody send me a gift card to Francesca's ASAP!!

(photos via francescascollections.com)