Birthday Weekend Wear

This past Saturday night I celebrated my entree to my late twenties :( with a small gathering of close friends at The Southern in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood. The bar is perfect for a group of friends with its large outdoor patio and abundance of indoor/outdoor space. Beforehand, some of us grabbed some tacos at Big Star and headed back to my friend's new home in the neighborhood to feast. These photos were taken from her beautiful  rooftop! We ended the night with one of my favorite activities - karaoke - at a nearby bar where we "performed" Total Eclipse of the Heart {and probably not very well}. Needless to say, it was an unforgettable night!

But now onto the outfit...I sported this black maxi skirt with a simple cami and brought along a jacket since it's starting to get a bit chilly at night. Coincidentally, Em and I both wore a bubble necklace - I am sure you have seen them everywhere {and if not, check out Em's post here.}  So, apparently, we are more in sync than we think!

Advance apologies for the lack of full length photos and detail shots. This night was about the celebration!

Love,

caitlin

Emily - shirt: Urban Outfitters {old}; necklace: boutique in Charleston.

My beautiful friends!

The hubs and I.
Jacket: TopShop; Cami: J.Crew; Skirt: Finders Keepers {purchased at Sarca}; Shoes: Tory Burch {old}; Necklace: J.Crew Factory

Soon-to-be birthday girl, hair looking as gorgeous as ever.

Birthday & Fall Wishlist

Since our birthdays {Caitlin - August 12th and Emily - September 10th} and Fall right are around the corner, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to share what's on our birthday/Fall wishlists. With our diverse tastes, there's bound to be a little something for everyone here. Read on and let us know what you think!

Love,

c&e

EMILY

My birthday is still a month off, but you can never start planning too early, right? I always use my birthday as the perfect opportunity to amp up my autumn wardrobe since it falls at transition of seasons. This year, while it appears I'm after lots of black {my wardrobe tends to get less colorful during cooler weather}, I'm also gravitating towards shine, sequins and studs. No surprise there. I consider myself pretty easy to shop for since I {in my opinion} have a very distinct style. You can be sure that if you get me something with studs or intricate detailing, it'll almost always be a home run in my book. If any of you are reading this and might be buying me a gift within the next month {ahem, mom & dad}, well, I just made your task even easier. If not, I hope you simply enjoy my selections and who knows, maybe you'll find something to add to your own wish list!

~~

CAITLIN

I, like Emily, love that my birthday falls right before the change of seasons, which allows for a great excuse to add a little oomph to my wardrobe in anticipation of the change in weather. Now, my birthday may only be a couple days away, but I have been curating this list for a while now. Since my husband and I made a bet that I would refrain from shopping for the greater part of the summer {no small feat, let me tell you}, I have had to settle for voyeuristic online "window shopping," if you will. Not nearly as fun as the real thing, but definitely easier on the bank account. My picks are mostly classic with a little bit of edge. Note the beautiful navy wool coat from Zara with subtle studs on the sleeves, or the preppy yet edgy leather mini skirt. The studded leopard Valentino flats? Definitely a "wish" but aren't they gorgeous!? Hope you got some new ideas for yourself on how to spice up your fall wardrobe!

Weekend Wear - New Buffalo Grad Party

Weekends up at our family lake house up in New Buffalo, Michigan are always the perfect ending to a long week. With a beautiful spot on Lake Michigan and the charm of a small town, New Buffalo is the ultimate summer destination. Last weekend we attended a graduation party for Emily's friend, Alexis, which conveniently was held in New Buff {our abbrev-ed version}, where her family has a home as well. While we were both looking forward to a memorable night with friends and family, true to our normal fashion {pun intended?}, we couldn't have dressed more differently - although we both incorporated a dominant pattern! Oh, and we both also love having Caitlin's dog, Macy, as a photo shoot companion. That's three alike points - must be a record!

Love, 

c&e

EMILY

You'll notice as you scroll through the pictures that I had a bit of a wardrobe change. I was initially wearing the dress pictured below, but upon arriving at the party I realized it was a bit too windy to be sporting a flow-y dress {...I had a few too many Marilyn moments which was foreshadowed by the fact that I had to hold my dress down in almost every picture}. I quickly drove back home and changed into a pair of new, woven tribal patterned shorts that I picked up during my stay in Charleston. Not only was I relieved of my wardrobe malfunctions, I was comfier in shorts and a tee - my normal summer wear. As always, my outfit was full on color and low on fuss {well, the second one, at least}...just the way I like it. 

Dress: Roxy {old}; Shoes: Enzo Angiolini; Sunglasses: Target. 

CAITLIN

Now, these pants probably look familiar, but I have only worn them once {here} and I was looking for a new way to style them. I got this sheer, beaded top last year from TopShop and it the perfect complement to balance the bold floral print. But, the best part of all was that all of the fabrics were lightweight enough to withstand the intense hot, humid summers so notorious in the midwest.

Top: TopShop {old}; Pants: Zara {no longer available}; Bandeau: American Apparel; Sandals: Rachel Zoe; Sunglasses: Chloe

Our Take On - J.Crew Tweed Skirt

Well, now that Emily has returned from her cross-country {well cross-southeast-country} road trip, we are back to bring you our takes on, what we wore and more! We'll start with this J.Crew multi-colored tweed skirt that be both coincidentally {or not?} own. Enjoy!

Love, 
c&e 

EMILY

If you're a consistent reader, you've seen me sport this skirt before in our 'getting vested' post. Looking just a bit different this time, the skirt was the perfect item for me to wear to the chloe+isabel trunk show benefiting Susan G Komen I'd been planning for months. I had to incorporate pink into my outfit, and rather than pair it with a neutral piece, it seemed only natural {in sticking with my inherently colorful style} to accompany this neon shirt with a rainbow palette. The multi tweed material is subtle enough, however, that the combo wasn't overpowering or over-the-top. It was just the right amount of color {for me, at least} and was the appropriate level of dressy to wear to the fundraiser!

Blouse: Urban Outfitters; Skirt: J.Crew {no longer available}; Shoes: Vince Camuto {similar style here}; Purse: Deux Lux {gifted}. 

Coral Bracelet: chloe+isabel; Pink Bracelet: chloe+isabel; White Bracelet: Kate Spade; Watch: Michael Kors; Blue Bracelet: gifted. 

Necklace: chloe+isabel; Ring: chloe+isabel. 

CAITLIN

Since my work dress code is relaxed, I don't have a whole lot of "business casual" attire. So on occasions when I need to dress up for a meeting or "just because," I tend to repurpose the same few items in new ways. This skirt is one of those things. The best thing about it is that the multi-color tweed allows you to wear a variety of colored {or color-less} tops to bring out particular hues within the skirt. Below I wore the skirt two ways: one with a florescent coral blouse {one of my new favorite colors to wear} and another time with a sweet, ivory peplum shift top. So, consider this a twofer :)

Blouse: J. Crew; Belt: ASOS; Necklace: J. Crew {no longer available}; Bracelets: J. Crew {teal- no longer available}, Stella & Dot {spikes}, Alex & Ani {bangles}; Watch: Swatch; Glasses: Warby Parker "Preston"; Bag: Tory Burch {no longer available- similar here}

Flats: Halogen 

Top: Zara; Belt: J. Crew {old}; Shoes: J. Crew; Necklace: chloe & isabel; Bag: Tory Burch {no longer available- similar here}; 

Bracelets: David Yurman {silver cable}, J. Crew {teal- no longer available}; Banana Republic {flower-old}; Watch: Michele