My Not-So Nautical Life

Meredith Nelson Photography

Shorts J.Crew (old) * Shoes J.Crew (old) * Bracelet DIY project (I will feature it soon!)

I grew up in a breathtaking and picturesque boating town....sans boat. Well, I'm back and still no boat. And I'm really fine with that for a couple of reasons. Don't get me wrong, I love a beautiful sunset booze cruise (when land can be seen) and there really is nothing better than a catamaran snorkeling trip in tropical ocean waters (when land can be seen). So why will you never see me with my boater's license? For one, I am incredibly prone to sea sickness. I recently visited the Frying Pan in New York with my husband and friends and had drinks at the bar next to the ship. Within about a half hour I started to feel queasy and asked if anyone else felt the bar rocking. Unbeknownst to me, the bar was not on land but on a barge. Keep in mind this is a fairly sizable barge and is anchored in the Hudson River, not the Atlantic. I quickly forced everyone to abandon ship....that's right, I bring the fun. Reason number two, the movie Open Water has had a profound and chilling effect on me. I really don't want to tread water for days while sharks encircle me and I battle severe dehydration. And finally, I can barely keep my house clean, I can't imagine the upkeep of a boat.

This outfit is my way to live the nautical life while my feet stay firmly planted on land. This is a great outfit to take from day to night....flip-flops for the pool (or boat if you're so daring), heels for the bar. Add some jewels, paired with the natural glow from a day outside and some tousled beach hair....gorgeous!

Florals

Meredith Nelson Photography
Shirt Gap * Skirt J.Crew * Necklace Kate Spade

I have never been big into florals when it comes to clothing. I have always resisted the "daintiness" associated with them since I'm not exactly the most dainty person around. Take one look at my childhood dance recital videos or my ejection from the Senior Powder Puff football game and you will agree. What I love about this skirt is that it has a floral pattern with an edge. It's name says it all....Punk Floral. I love the fullness of the skirt and the pockets....big into pockets right now. And something else that I am loving is that the shirt knot is back! Yes, I do feel like I am back in 8th grade, and yes, I do need to make sure my stomach (which does NOT look like it did in 8th grade) is covered. Usually a tank top underneath does the trick. For this outfit the skirt sits high enough on my waist that I am protected or, should I say, anyone who sees me is protected from my post-child belly. I have been using the knot a lot lately. I can't seem to pull off the half tuck and sometimes fully tucked just doesn't work. The knot is a good alternative.

Funny story, I wore this outfit on Father's Day and my son ended up getting stung by a bee...in the mouth...and threw up all over me and my skirt. The good news....he was totally fine other than his Exorcist moment (I have never seen anything like it before) and my skirt washed well even though it is Dry Clean. It is pretty much as good as new. Got to roll with the punches!

Red, White and Blue

 

Meredith Nelson Photography

 

Happy 4th of July!! Have fun wearing your red, white and blue!

 

Black and White

Meredith Nelson Photography

Blazer J.Crew (sold out but love this one) * Tank Old Navy * Shorts Vince Camuto * Shoes Ivanka Trump 

I have a whole new respect for professional models. There is definitely an art to posing so that clothes lay just right, without twisting, drooping, riding up, or bunching in a way that makes me look 

like I have an additional "appendage". I definitely don't have the modeling gene. My husband confirmed it this morning when he told me, "You excel at certain things, modeling is not one of them." Hence the reason for my headless shot...both J and my father-in-law told me to work on my smile. If anyone has any tips, I'm listening. Please!

I have a lot of fun wearing colors. Bright, pastel, neon, primary....I love how an outfit with colors can instantly lift your spirits on a gloomy day. Specific colors and color trends come and go. Black and white, however, are classic and timeless. They are sophisticated and polished yet easy to wear (well, black is at least!) I love this outfit for a few reasons. One, I love how white helps to "summer-ize" black. Two, I am a big fan of the blazer and shorts combo. It is a nice change from a skirt or dress for evening. And finally, this is an easy outfit to transition from day to night. Tank top, shorts and sandals during the day, add blazer, jewelry and heels at night. Just work on your smile and don't stand around with your hand on your hip and you should be all good!

On Trend: Neon

Meredith Nelson Photography

Blazer Forever 21 * Top Banana Republic * Pants J.Crew * Scarf J.Crew

Let's hear it for Summer and the start of camp! I had big ambitions to spend some quality time with K since he finished school last week however I quickly realized that he wanted to be in camp as much as I wanted him to be in camp so I signed him up to start a week early. I don't think he could get there fast enough this morning. And now I have some time to sit down and work on Feathers, Leather & Sequins!

I am loving the neon trend right now. It brings me right back to my Madonna days when I would blare Like a Virgin from my Boombox (having absolutely no idea what the song was actually about) while stacking my wrists with neon slinky and rubber bracelets. Neon is bold and fun, an instant eye-catcher. I love to wear neon as an accent piece, balanced out with neutral pieces. Please do me a favor and pretend that the scarf does not exist in the full body shot. One day I'll figure out how to Photoshop out my style gaffes. For the time being, I'll leave it there as a style DON'T. I threw the scarf on last minute thinking that since there is a bit of the same neon green color from the pants in the floral pattern of the scarf, it would be a great addition to the outfit. Had I looked in the mirror, I hopefully would have noticed that the two greens do not pair well, okay, outright clash. Clearly I could have used a little reminder from Coco Chanel, "When accessorizing, always take off the last thing you put on." It is a great reminder that less is more, especially when it comes to neon.

These earrings (here and here) are a great way to work a little neon into your wardrobe along with this clutch, this top, these pants (here and here) and these shoes (pricey but fun!)

My New Skirt

Meredith Nelson Photography

Skirt J.Crew (old...formerly pants) * Top J.Crew (25% off right now!) * Shoes Toms

I'm back! Didn't mean to take such a long break but life got in the way....end of school activities, husband took four day golf trip, had slight panic attack over condition of skin (turning 36 has brought on a whole new set of wrinkles), and went through bit of styling slump. But I'm back...and I used my scissors again. The skirt above used to be a pair of beautiful yet unflattering pants. I bought them last year from J.Crew after falling in love with them and waiting (patiently, I might add) for them to go on sale. When they arrived, the fabric, a gorgeous coral, gold and white floral jacquard, did not disappoint. The fit, however, left much to be desired. Because it is a thick fabric and I tend to be a little thick in the saddlebag area, the pants just did not work with my legs. Since they were final sale and could not be returned (and I am not patient enough to be an Ebay seller), they were mine for the keeping so I was determined to figure out how to make them work. I tried pairing the pants with sweaters, t-shirts, sweatshirts; coral, white, chambray; tucking in, tying, layering. Nothing worked, at least not enough to make me smile, and therefore I never felt totally comfortable wearing them. I finally decided to take them to a tailor to see about having them turned into a skirt. I was promptly laughed at and told it couldn't be done by two different tailors. As a little side-note, if you ever want to get me to do something just tell me it can't be done. And I wonder where my kids get their defiant attitudes from...nah, I'll still blame J. I came home that night, took out my pair of scissors and did something that I have never done with scissors before....I actually thought very carefully through how I was going to cut rather than holding my breath and cutting with fingers crossed. I carefully removed stitches rather than ripping seams apart. Once the cuts were made, I sewed the hems by hand (sewing machines intimidate me) and added a little triangular patch to the front to join the two seams. Another scissor success! I put on the skirt and smiled! I think I might be paying the two tailors a visit very soon.

I Do....Again!

Poolside Paillette ~ Dress Calypso * Shoes Tory Burch
VaVa Vegas ~ Dress Parker * Shoes Sergio Rossi (Very, very expensive but couldn't resist adding them for fun!)
Courthouse Chic ~ Dress Shoshanna * Shoes J.Crew * Earrings BaubleBar
Beach Beauty ~ Dress Calypso * Bracelet JewelMint

It is officially wedding season and therefore anniversary season for many of us. This post is dedicated to and inspired by my college roommate who got married last weekend....congratulations C and A! And since I just celebrated 10 years of marriage to J, I think it's a good time to start planning my outfit for if/when we renew our vows. I love that all of these dresses can be worn again...unlike my wedding dress that is boxed up in the back of my parent's closet. I'm leaning towards Poolside Paillette...the sequins make my heart flutter! But those VaVa Vegas shoes...I'm in love!