At the beginning of every season, I always add some key pieces to my closet. Pieces that I know are going to be staples all season long and that I will grab for again and again to complete all sorts of different outfits. Some I carry over from year to year and still wear the heck out of, but I also add new pieces each year to freshen things up.
So, let’s first review items that I’ve been singing the praises of for at least 2 years (and some as long as 4 years)! Notice that two of the items are shoes. I think shoes are the absolute hardest things to transition between seasons, and the flats and the converse below really hit the mark for being perfect transitional shoes. My faves list is below. I would like to suggest that you don’t just skim over these. Really read the list, and if you have a question about anything, just ask!
- the MUST HAVE denim jacket (I sized up to a medium for a little bit of wiggle room. Wear with white jeans, colored jeans, maxi dresses, t-shirt dresses, etc….)
- my favorite tees (I size up to a medium for a slouchy fit, and I have stripes and solids.)
- the best nude flats (true to size, mine are “classic nude leather”)
- shoreline converse (true to size)
- white jeans that aren’t see thru (true to size, I wear a 27 – if between sizes, I suggest sizing down)
- my $14 sunglasses
- turquoise pendant necklace and wood bead rainbow tassel necklace (this one is a 2 week pre-order for STMT readers!)
- tan towels
- shimmer brick (gives a warm glow – I use the pink quartz)
- the best strapless bra in the history of the world
- Haviana crystal flip flops
- Supergoop products
Here are some thumbnails that you can click on. Again, these are TRIED AND TRUE favorites of mine:
Items I’ve added this year include:
- camo wedge sneakers (size down 1/2 a size, also come in solid colors)
- neutral wedges (true to size, comes in grey also)
- several pairs of statement earrings: ombre tassel earrings, navy fringe earrings, bead drop earrings
- non-distressed denim shorts (consider sizing up if you don’t want them fitted)
Here are all the new items, click on what you are interested in:
So during the past couple of weeks we’ve been talking about my newly added items (seen directly above), and we are going to continue the conversation today. With Spring just around the corner, I wanted to add an easy casual dress to my closet as well as some classic brown sandals. So…I set out on the hunt for both.
Last year I got and wore the heck out of this striped t -shirt dress. I thought it had come back this year and I was so excited for y’all, but I realized that there were very limited sizes available.
Luckily, I found a replacement, and I actually like this one even more! Last year’s version was too long for me in the regular size, and it was a bit short in the petite size. Well, this one is a more appropriate length, and it comes in a navy stripe or a camo option. You can’t tell in these next two pics, but the dress also has these cute little drawstring sleeves. For size reference, the small is perfect on me.
Now, this is an expensive t- shirt dress (and totally won’t be for everybody)….but I realized with my t-shirt dress from last year that my cost per wear on this is going to be minimal, so I didn’t mind splurging! A t-shirt dress gets a lot of wear for me, but if it doesn’t for you, it’s obviously not worth the money!
Pair it with my must have jacket and my new wedges, and you’ve got yourself a great little outfit! If you want it a bit more casual, switch out the wedges for flat sandals or converse.
UPDATE: The t-shirt dresses are SOLD OUT in most sizes at Nordstrom, but a reader found another source! Click HERE for the camo version and click HERE for the striped!
camo dress / must have jacket / wedges / earrings / arrow necklace / similar cross body bag
Get The Look For Yourself Here:
And if you’re not a camo girl, there’s a striped version as well! I’m keeping the camo myself and returning this striped version (since my t-shirt dress from last year is stripes). I used the turquoise necklace here (that I mentioned above in my tried and true favorites list) to brighten things up a bit!
UPDATE: The t-shirt dresses are SOLD OUT in most sizes at Nordstrom, but a reader found another source! Click HERE for the camo version and click HERE for the striped!
striped dress / must have jacket / wedges / earrings / turquoise necklace / similar cross body bag
Get The Look For Yourself Here:
I did find a less expensive t- shirt dress option from LOFT. It’s about $30 less, and looks really cute as well! And there is also a Signature Soft dress from Lou and Grey.
Another dress I have from years past can be found HERE. It’s an awesome staple and looks great with the must have denim jacket with either converse, flat sandals, or wedges! I’ve worn this dress to do errands, to brunch, out to dinner with the girls, to a baby shower, and to church.
So now that we’ve handled options for summer dresses, let’s tackle finding a great sandal! A cognac sandal is ALWAYS a must for my Spring and Summer wardrobe. When I started looking for a pair this year, I started with Sam Edelman, who is pretty much always my GO TO for a flat sandal. I found 3 online that I ordered, and then I saw 1 in store on Friday. My plan was to order several, photograph them side by side, choose 1 for myself, and hopefully make it easy for you ladies to choose a cognac sandal as well.
I will say, if you already have a great cognac sandal, they all come in additional colors as well.
Here were the 4 that I concentrated on. Do you immediately have a favorite?
OH! I almost forgot to report on comfort! All 4 of them are comfortable. #iwontwearashoeifitsnot
- two strap slide sandal (comes in 10 colors!)/ 2. strappy sandal (comes in black too!)/ 3. slide sandal (comes in 9 colors!) 4. cross strap slide sandal (comes in 5 colors, including a cool silver!)
And here I am wearing them all side by side. Is your favorite still the same? I will say, all 4 are awesome, and you really can’t go wrong with any of them.
I prefer a richer cognac, so my favorites were automatically #2 and #4, just based on color alone. And as luck would have it, those styles were my favorites too! Now, I just have to decide which one I like more!
SIZING TIP: I ordered and am wearing a 6 1/2 (my regular size) in 1, 3, and 4. However, they all seemed a little short, like my toes or my heels could hang off at any moment. I got #2 in store on Friday at Northpark, and when the salesman brought them to me, he brought the 6 1/2 (that I had requested) AND the 7. The 7s were the winners for me, even though I’m always a solid 6 1/2. The salesman explained that all of the Sam Edelman sandals with this foot bed tend to run a bit on the small side. So, I would suggest sizing up a 1/2 size in all of them.
- two strap slide sandal (comes in 10 colors!)/ 2. strappy sandal (comes in black too!)/ 3. slide sandal (comes in 9 colors!) 4. cross strap slide sandal (comes in 5 colors, including a cool silver!)
Here are all the sandals. Click on the one(s) you are interested in:
And I thought you might enjoy seeing a little behind the scenes action when I was taking the pic of all the sandals in the circle. The pups were very involved. 😉
These from Steve Madden also caught my eye. I thought they looked fun!
embellished flat sandal / embellished slide with 2 straps / embellished slide
Now before you go, I also wanted to show you a couple of things that are either in my cart right now or already on their way to me.
This pair of blush pink jeans is in my cart. They are Carly jeans from Articles of Society, which many of us already ADORE. I have them in a light denim, in white, and I’m thinking these pale blush will most likely be in my closet by week’s end. I’ve tried to buy two different pairs of pink jeans in previous years, and they were both the wrong shade of pink. These seem to be a very pale blush, so I’m hopeful! (Also, I know I mentioned Shoreline Converse earlier, and there’s a new pale pink version. Just FYI.)
I actually picked up this lace top at Northpark on Friday. I have a couple of events coming up that are casual, but I still want to look super cute (so I knew I might be paying a little more money than normal), and I thought this top would be perfect to pair with white jeans, cognac wedges, and some statement earrings! It could also be dressed up with a pair of slim black ankle pants ($25 OFF right now with fantastic reviews) and pumps!
Every season I always buy at least 1 pair of new shorts from LOFT. I typically like the 4 inch Riviera shorts, but they have a 6 inch option as well! Later in the season they usually add more colors and patterns, but they already have the basics now.
And I know I showed y’all my new gingham one piece on Friday (also at J Crew), but this one is in my cart as well from Boden! I used to dress Carter in Boden when he was little, but I’ve never owned a Boden piece myself. Well, I got a catalog in the mail last week, and I was blown away by all of the precious swimsuits! They have 1 pieces, tankinis, and bikinis in a lot of gorgeous prints, and they are all mix and match! So much fun! This style of suit is definitely the most flattering on me, and I love the colors. (I also love Target for tankinis. Strangely enough, their one pieces are a little too crazy for my taste, but they always seem to have a good tankini selection.)
Click HERE for the suits below.
Sizing tips for all Boden pieces: The sizes are European sizing, so you will want to size up!
That’s it for today y’all! Leave your comments below with which sandal is your favorite! Also, if YOU have a spring favorite that you think we need to know about, please leave that in the comments as well!
And if you have a spare moment, please be thinking of me today. We’ve got 3 hours of The Bachelor tonight, and I’m not sure I can handle the drama that’s about to take place. Because Y’ALL. I HEAR THERE’S DRAMA. (Click HERE if you want to catch up on all of the previous Bachelor recaps. You need to figure out what the heck is going on so you can watch tonight too. IT SOUNDS AS IF IT WILL TRULY BE EPIC.)
Thanks, girls!
