Shuttered Doors

At the start of the pandemic and our "two week" lock down, which morphed into a three month lock down, I was worried about the small local businesses. Who would be able to weather the storm? I saw so many getting creative, hosting Instagram live shopping sessions, building web shops, offering curbside pick up and private by appointment in store browsing.

As much as it would pain me to see the Targets of the world replace our small businesses, there is another group, that has been struggling for sometime, the larger brands like Gap, J.Crew, and Ann Taylor. I was devastated when my town closed its Gap location, but I remember they gave fair warning; there was time to appreciate those final days and purchases. (Silly as it may seem, I was hesitant to purge my closet of the very last piece I'd purchased at that Gap, a strange sentiment, but visits to that store were a big part of my middle school and high school years.)

Since then, I've noticed closures come with less and less warning. Stores are open one day and closed the next, often with as much surprise to the employees as to the patrons. When Ann Taylor sent out their email about filing for Chapter 11 a few days ago they were full of assurances, promising a brighter future. So when I showed up at their New Haven store today, I was a bit surprised to find a tiny sign on the door stating that they were closed, and as I peered through the now empty windows I could see the last bits of the shop being dismantled. Just yesterday I was on their website checking to see if the piece I wanted would be at that store, today it's gone. Had I known my previous visit was going to be my last, maybe I would have put more than 15 minutes in my parking meter and taken the time to browse rather than making a quick exchange and heading out.

Not much of an exit for the very first Ann Taylor store which has been in New Haven since 1954. No announcement, no goodbye, just a quite disappearance.

      

The Rundown
Leopard Dress Ann Taylor Factory
White Slides Ferragamo similar
Micro Perry Satchel Rebecca Minkoff c/o Shopbop
Aries Pendant Necklace Mejuri
Midi Stackable Diamond Ring c/o AUrate New York

Necklace S.V. Decker

Gold Croissant Ring Etsy

Thin Gold Ring Etsy
Sunglasses Ray-Ban via TJMaxx

Unautumnal

I was about to throw on my red Ferragamos when my sister informed me that I was veering far too patriotic for anything post Labor Day. True, I could have taken a different approach to styling the navy sweatshirt, but I felt like I'd been waiting all summer for the humidity to die down enough that I could finally wear it, and I wasn't about to bend on the white denim.

As much as I want the weather to bend to my sartorial whims, it's often a suffering I choose for myself, when I wear suede sandals in a downpour, cropped pants and flats with no socks while temps hover around freezing, or skinny jeans on a blazing hot summer day.

Fortunately when I arrived in the small town center of Niantic, CT I found that I coordinated just perfectly with their autumnal displays.

        

The Rundown

New York Sweatshirt J.Crew

White Jeans Gap

Brown Loafers Ferragamo similar

Navy Bucket Bag Tommy Hilfiger similar
Gold Bracelet The Cavernous Jewelry Box

Thin Gold Ring Etsy via Ellyn Blue Jewelry
Signet Ring Sashi
Sunglasses "Meteor" Ray-Ban c/o TJMaxx

 

Little Black Linen Dress

It might be the first day of fall, but I'm still sharing this linen dress. The last weekend of summer was beautiful and warm, and very much linen dress weather - which was good as I hadn't worn this yet. I've clearly been buying more things than I have occasions to wear them; a sad reality in my closet. One I should probably take heed to, but you know I've been saying that for months and it would be perfectly appropriate for you to roll your eyes right now.

As I stared at this dress in my closet I started to regret buying it. The return window had since closed along with my fantasies about it. Do you see a piece and imagine where you'd like to wear it and how you'd style it? I always do. I call it my pretend life; where this dress went to Martha's Vineyard and was worn with a straw hat and there was an outdoor patio overlooking the water and a cocktail in my hand.

The reality was that I went to support a local blogger's pop-up shop, sipped champagne out of a plastic cup, and then when I got home, dragged my mom to the yacht club to snap photos before the sun went down.

Looking at these photos, I don't regret buying the dress, just that always let my fantasies slip away.

       

The Rundown
Linen Button Front Dress Banana Republic
White Slides Ferragamo via Coco's on the Green
Micro Perry Satchel Rebecca Minkoff c/o Shopbop
Pearl Hoop Earrings Thrifted similar
Gold Chain Thrifted
Gold Rectangle Chain Necklace Etsy
Rhombus Charm Necklace c/o Happiness Boutique
Midi Stackable Diamond Ring c/o AUrate New York
Thin Gold Ring Etsy via Ellyn Blue Jewelry

Layering Gold Necklaces

In their heyday, I was a statement necklace fiend. I latched on to all the trendy styles and for nearly half a decade my jewelry box overflowed with my expansive collection of bold and colorful baubles. But trends shifted, perhaps our necks had grown tired with all the excess weight, and understated gold necklaces, ideally layered in pairs of two or three, became the new statement.

Delicate pieces that once belonged to my Grandma became my new go-tos, and I realized the value of owning a timeless piece of jewelry made from materials meant to stand the test of time and not just until the next trend.

It will be a slow process, but a beautiful one, of acquiring jewelry I want to invest in, and once again, I must make mention of AUrate - priced without jaw dropping markups and made from high quality 14 and 18 karat gold, AUrate allows my desire to own 'forever jewelry' to become a little more attainable. The pieces are handcrafted in New York with only ethically sourced materials, and come with an amazing lifetime guarantee - that includes breaks, re-plating of vermeil pieces, and polishing scratches.

Statement necklaces may become trendy again, but I doubt I will regret the ones I've since donated to the thrift store, new designs will have replaced them. Delicate gold pieces, however, will always be in style. No matter how old, they are simply classic. This pearl necklace would have been a piece my Grandma could have worn just as easily as I wear it now. Granted, she probably wouldn't have layered it with another chain, but that is just a little way to take a timeless piece and style it on trend. Now I just need to get a nifty necklace layering clasp like this one to keep the chains from twisting together as I let my gold layers shine.

      

The Rundown
Gingham Wrap Dress J.Crew
White Slides Ferragamo via Coco's on the Green
Round Rattan Bag Etsy
Gold Ball Earrings Kohl's
Simple Pearl Necklace c/o AUrate
Gold Chain Thrifted
Thin Gold Ring Etsy via Ellyn Blue Jewelry
Signet Ring Sashi

Cat Eye Sunglasses H&M
Nail Color "Bed Rock & Roll" Essie

Thanks to Nakturnal for partnering with me on this post!

Waiting for an Occassion

Whenever an item makes its way into my closet that I deem 'special' I often wait a terribly long time for an occasion to arise. When I finally acquired this Kate Spade dress last summer, after years of searching, I envisioned its first outing to be on a boat. There was nothing rational about this desire, and no reason I shouldn't have thrown on this dress the day it arrived at my doorstep. But I waited all the same, and when I had an opportunity to attend an event supporting small businesses in New London this weekend, I decided that boat adjacent would have to be good enough - this dress could not miss another summer.

While the forecast had called for cloudiness with a small chance of rain, it could not have been more wrong. Torrential downpours dashed my hopes of lunch al fresco, which was a shame, as the restaurants in New London along Bank Street all have fantastic water views. The rain didn't mange to stop me from shopping however, and I enjoyed patronizing all the small businesses in New London's historic downtown. When the sun finally broke through I thought it would be the perfect time to get ice cream; naturally the moment my sundae was in my hands the rain started up again! Despite dodging the rain drops, it was still a lovely way to spend a Saturday afternoon and I hope to plan another visit soon.

      

The Rundown
Dress Florence Broadhurst for Kate Spade via eBay
White Slides Ferragamo via Coco's on the Green
Black Straw Bag Zara similar
Earrings Vintage similar
Pearl Anchor Necklace Handmade similar
Gold Bracelet The Cavernous Jewelry Box
Midi Stackable Diamond Ring c/o AUrate New York
Thin Gold Ring Etsy via Ellyn Blue Jewelry
Cat Eye Sunglasses H&M
Nail Color "Caviar Bar" Essie

Evening in the Rose Garden

The Rose Garden at Elizabeth Park in Hartford has been around since 1904, and yet last week was the first time I ever visited. The stunning grounds, perfectly and symmetrically manicured are accentuated by eight paths lined with rose covered arches leading to a vine covered gazebo in the center. The park is free to visit, free to park at, and there is even a cute cafe called the Pond House you can visit. (Incidentally a few years ago I attended a baby shower at the Pond House and had no idea the rose garden was just beyond it!)

While the roses are said to peak in late June, even by mid July they were still just as beautiful, and as I saw photos cropping up on my Instagram feed, I knew I did not want to miss out visiting the garden this year. I decided to reach out to Courtney and we settled on a weeknight in the hopes that the park might be less crowded. Of course it was still bustling with photographers; engagement shoots, maternity shoots, senior portraits - everyone was taking advantage of the gorgeous evening light.

When Courtney arrived I was excited to see her husband Matthew had come with his drone and we got some really fun aerial photos as well! I love that while no discussion of what we'd be wearing had been had, Courtney and I both showed up in our sundresses with straw hats.

I'm so delighted with how these photos came out, and if you are in the area, a trip to the rose garden is well worth it, even simply to take in the beauty of it.

            

The Rundown
Polka Dot Dress J.Crew
White Slides Ferragamo via Coco's similar
Vintage Japanese Bamboo Bag via eBay similar vintage
Straw Hat Kate Spade similar
Pearl Earrings Maris Pearl Co. 
Pearl Anchor Bracelet Made by Me similar
Midi Stackable Diamond Ring c/o AUrate New York
Thin Gold Ring Etsy via Ellyn Blue Jewelry
Chevron Ring Etsy via Silver Canyon Jewelry
Nail Color "Canyon" Ten Over Ten

Photos by Live Lovely Photography