Now: let's get back to our regularly scheduled programing and talk flowy outfits and a day when I felt really, truly great. Maybe it was the ocean breeze that cleared my head; maybe it was getting a chance to step away from my responsibilities for a moment; maybe it was just that I felt prettier in the dress that I wore to Saturday night's wedding than almost anything I've ever worn. For a minute there I just felt like me: nothing more, nothing less.
Well...me plus a little neon.
Eight hours or so after Kendrick took this pre-ceremony photo, just so you're aware, I strongly resembled a sweaty, be-flip-flopped cavewoman, thanks to the ocean air and my penchant for bounce-dancing to Carly Rae Jepsen songs.
But at the moment you see pictured here, I felt perfectly calm. Happy. Breezy, even.
Here's the truth: lately, I've been having a little trouble getting my emotions under control. I feel silly for even saying that, considering all of the things that should make me feel not just happy, but great (family, job, home, pretty weather, caprese pasta in my refrigerator right this very moment). But even so: I can't shake the anxiety that is still - still - keeping me up at night. All night, sometimes. Even in the daytime, one second I'll be happy and rushing and doing...and then the next second it feels like there's something impossibly large sitting on my chest, making it difficult to even breathe.
Why? Maybe the answer is as simple as the fact that things are just very busy right now, and busy is both something I love to be and something that sticks in my head, taking up all the room that I might want to use for small things like "sleep" or the ability to chill out for long enough to have a non goal-oriented conversation with the man I married. I'm also scared that all that busy will go away, and then I'll be back where I used to be: adrift and not knowing what's next or how I'll get there. Rational? Maybe not. But real.
On the way back to our hotel to get ready, I passed a small church with a little sign that said "Thrift Store" with an arrow pointing towards the parking lot in the back. Now, my policy is that when you see signs like these, you follow them.
Ten minutes and two dollars later, this necklace came home with me.
(I also found a five dollar L.L.Bean woodsman-style jacket for Kendrick that he was pretty excited about.)
You might have noticed that I wear a lot of pieces that are so breezy they verge on (or actually kind of are) see-through. What can I say? Bulky fabrics make me crazy; especially in the summer, it's the lighter the better.
When it comes to the undergarments I like to pair with these sheer pieces, I'm extremely picky, and of two minds: I think they should either be really, really obvious and make it crystal-clear that you meant for them to be seen (like this)...or disappear seamlessly under your clothing, leaving no hint of their existence.
For the former look, I go for bright colors, pretty straps, and contrasting patterns, but it's the latter that's a little tricky: you want a bra that's next-to-invisible against your skin, and is smooth enough to be undetectable under even the flowiest fabrics.
See that?
That is a happy and relaxed person, right there.
I've never been to Cape Cod before in my life (we stayed in Chatham, where our friends Colin and Leslie's wedding was held) but by Sunday morning I was sort of casually browsing the real estate section and fantasizing about living in a weathered shingle house with a big, white Nora Ephron movie-esque porch, spending my afternoons drinking Arnold Palmers and eating steamed clams.
Or something.
Road trip! (Weekend wedding in Cape Cod w/ @stephenhaskell.) Wearing: Ann Taylor sweater, Crocs sandals.
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My collaboration with DKNY is now live on Bloomingdale's.com!
Click over to check out six looks I styled for summer events ranging from a picnic in the park to a weekend trip to a Summer Friday (plus videos, recipes, packing suggestions, and more).
(And click here for behind-the-scenes photos from the shoot.)
Not a huge fan of the expression "killing it"...but really, that's the only way to describe what's going on at BCBG right now.
Killing it.
I bought the neon pink dress pictured above to wear to Miami...and then loved it so much that I ended up buying it in neon yellow as well (to wear to our friend's wedding this weekend). About thirty seconds before it went on sale.
Still one of my favorite styles.
And your curls will last all night long - promise.
Denim and neon (Forever 21 vest; BCBG dress, Alexandra Satine purse, sunglasses via T.J.Maxx) for a lunch at Bryant Park Grill with the @Dove team (we're kicking off Year #2 of my ambassadorship and should have a fun giveaway coming up shortly!).
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