Pretty, Polished, Perfect.

Ruffles, Rhinestones, J. Crew Tilda and Elle

What do those four things have in common? A whole heckuva lot. That's what.

I was shopping last month (sorry, I know - I'm only about 30 days behind schedule here,) when I happened upon this great find. When I was working at J.Crew, customers loved the Tilda Rhinestone top - we could barely keep it in the store!

Elle has upped the ante (yay sleeves!) by providing its' consumers with an almost exact duplicate of the Tilda Rhinestone Top (yay price!)

or on a real live human being (me! and a darling Lauren Conrad polka dot dress for $12):

While the quality difference is there (but not by much,) the style is the same minus four things:

1. sleeves (I am a huge fan of sleeves, for modesty and because darnit, aging has not been kind to my upper arms!)

2. the rhinestones do not wrap completely around the collar. If you wear your hair up, people may notice this.

3. I can easily fit into a size 4 at J.Crew, but I'm squeezing into a size 8 from Elle (but my pride can handle it for this price difference!)

4. It's less than 1/3rd the price!

Kohls also offers it in a classic oxford stripe (but I don't really like it.)

Labels: Elle, J Crew, Kohls, Look for less, Tilda Rhinestone

Mellow Yellow

Bright lemon-neon-yellow shorts are basically awesome, right?

Shirt: Madewell

Necklace: c/o The Mr

Belt: Forever21 (similar here)

Bracelets: Thrifted, Banana Republic Factory

Shorts: Candies

Shoes: Forever21 (similar here)

In all seriousness though, I read some news the other day that brought back a memory from when I was a young girl. The memory's stage is set at the park behind our family home, where a small creek runs through and ends at a grove of ancient trees. Standing near this creek, about to cross, I look up at her and though my memory is not exact, the impression I have is that she is beautiful, kind and totally cool. Maybe she was walking me home from piano lessons, maybe she was babysitting me, or maybe our paths just happened to cross that day. I will never forget adoring her in that moment, for whatever she had just said or done.

That teenage girl that I looked up to lost her husband unexpectedly this past weekend. I don't even think she's 40 yet. She has several younger children. My memory of that awesome teenager (whom I would have gladly traded any of my older sisters for) leaves my heart aching for her.

I held The Mr a little bit tighter this weekend. I will always hope that I still have a good sixty years left with him - the last ten might be a bit full of dentures, walkers and endless disagreements - but I could never imagine losing him.

Labels: Candies, Forever21, Kohls, Madew, Neon

The 5 Foot Beach, revisited.

It's the return of the 5 foot beach.

Top: Old Navy (similar here)

Necklace: H&M (similar here and here)

Pin: gift from Aunt Winnie

Bracelets: Target (similar here, here and here)

Skirt: c/o Fresh Produce

Shoes: Kohls (similar here)

Looking for casual clothing that's Triple P approved (haha!)? I love this skirt. If you look really closely, the back of the skirt has this cool seam detail, and the fabric is soft and cool. The skirt is a bit see through (like most white fabrics) so I wore a slip underneath. This will be my new travel skirt for vacation destinations with a beach (I also wear it around the house - the next best thing to yoga pants, haha!)

Labels: 5 foot beach, Casual Clothing, Enamel Bracelets, Fresh Produce, HandM, Kohls, Old Navy, Orange, Pineapple, Review, Summer Fashions, Target, Travel Skirt, White Maxi Skirt

Pastel + Peplum

Why is it that when you try on an article of clothing/accessory/shoe in a store, you fall in love with it and think it looks great? Then you get home, put it on and notice all of its' flaws and unflattering ways?

Is the high of a new purchase (or the excitement of a possible new purchase) akin to the beer goggle effect when drinking alcohol??

(you know it's bad when this was the best picture.....)

Jacket, Kohls. Denim, Kohls. Shoes, Old Navy.

I am not even kidding when I say that I nearly giggled when I tried this jacket on in the store. I thought it was perfect. I loved it. I loved peplum. I loved......the magical endorphins that must have been coursing through my veins as I looked into that store mirror.

Mirrors lie. Apparently my own eyes prefer to decieve me. But photographs; not only can they speak a thousand words, they never lie (unless, you know, altered by Photoshop.)

The Instagram (@_TripleP) version of this outfit:

(not any better, huh.)

And before I forget, this post is brought to you in part by:

Labels: beer goggles, Everybody Everywear, Kohls, Mint, Navy, Old Navy, peplum, Stripes

That Time I Forgot To Title My Post...

What do H&M, Panache Chocolatier & The Mr have in common? The Country Club Plaza.

It's become a custom for The Mr and I to get together for lunch whenever I shop on the Plaza. It's a date we share with our youngest:

The sweetest (and extremely spoiled) little man: