Friday Five

1. I am literally obsessed, crazy, head over heels in love with Miley Cyrus' new song "We Can't Stop."

2. Also obsessed with these printed chino shorts from J.Crew!

The print totally reminds me of The Great Gatsby poster.

3. I saw The Purge the other night. The concept of a night where all crime is legal keeping society in check intrigued me in a somewhat weird, twisted way, so I got my boyfriend to take me. I do not do scary movies. I'm awful at them. I'm a baby. But this wasn't that bad, even though it was a bit cheesy and did creep me out.

4. The night after The Purge, I saw The Internship, which I really enjoyed! The storyline was so adorable, I was laughing out loud the whole time, and Owen Wilson is such a charmer.

5. I just finished my second book of the summer, Bossypants by Tina Fey.

She is truly hilarious and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one.

XO

Friday Five

1. I'm officially a senior!!! It's crazy insane, but it feels so good!

2. We had perfect weather today, so of course I took at advantage of it and laid out for a solid three hours. Can you say addicted to sun?

3. How perfect is this watch from Kate Spade? I think I just need it.

4. J.Crew is having a fantastic sale–25% off everything! Use the code SUMMER. How I wish I hadn't just gone shopping!

5. And speaking of J.Crew, how fun are these shorts? This print is all over their latest collection and just screams summer.

XO

Lilly Pulitzer Spring 2012

I'd been anticipating the arrival of the Lilly Pulitzer Spring 2012 collection since Resort 2012 was launched. Finally, the wait is over!!

This season's dresses–especially the shifts!–are my absolute favorite part of the collection. The Ricci Shift (above) is probably my favorite, but it's really so hard to choose!

But then again, there's also the Adelson Shift...in two gorgeous prints!

I love, love, love the vintage feel the pieces have. It's classic Lilly at her finest.

The Mariana Dress is a bit dressier, but still retains the classic Lilly Shift vibe.

The Whinnie Dress would be perfect for a dressy spring or summer party!

It's definitely a contender for my Sweet Sixteen!

And don't even get me started on the Lottie Dress! This one is the perfect winter-to-spring transition piece. I could totally wear this for the Turnabout dance in early spring.

The Roslyn and Tate skirts are simply precious! 

I'm sure y'all can tell at this point that the Lilly's State of Mind Patch print is my favorite of the season!

As the weather heats up, these Callahan Shorts need to find their way into my closet, ASAP.

For cooler spring days, the Patricia Sweater is perfect with shorts or a skirt.

Pink and green argyle = any prepster's dream combo!

How darling are the flowers and ruffles on the Allison Top?

Of course, spring isn't complete without a great tunic!

On a totally unrelated side-note, there are only three days until I leave with Poms for the UDA National Dance Team Championship! I'm so excited!!

What are your favorites from Lilly?

XO

North Shore Prep

Short Story

I love menswear inspired pieces. Blazers, oxfords (shirts and shoes!), and fedoras have always been favorites of mine. I actually feel more feminine in menswear inspired pieces. I know it's weird, but I guess it's kind of like reverse psychology. I love knowing I still look and feel like a girl, even when I'm dressed like a guy.

Lately when I've gone shopping, I've seen shorts everywhere I turn. And not just your run-of-the-mill chino or denim shorts. There's something about these shorts that are distinctly masculine, yet still very feminine. It's quite the paradox, but I love them.

J.Crew Tweed Walkway Short

I really love these shorts. The tweed is perfect for cooler weather, and the cut is exactly what I've been trying to explain...but can't.

In a similar vein, these shorts from Madewell have the same menswear trouser-y feel.

I saw this pair at Nordstrom in a navy and green plaid and really liked them. The black is a nice basic too.

This is how I'd wear shorts like these for fall. I love the black tights under with booties or flats.

Post Birthday Shopping Spree

As a gift for my birthday, my parents very generously gave me a (read, much-needed) gift card to  J.Crew. Shopping time!!

I love these shorts! I already own them in khaki, navy, and that fantastic honey tangerine color, so I figured it was time for some more...playful colors. I chose African Violet...

...and laquer yellow. It's like sunshine on a short!

This dress should be a staple in every closet. So versatile!

Same goes for this sweater. It's light enough that you wont boil in the summer heat, but it'll still keep you warm when the sun goes down--and keep your arms safe from mosquito bites!

I'm really into this sweater with those yellow shorts, wedges, and a braided brown leather belt.

What do you like to spend your birthday money on? And what are your summer must-haves?

XO

North Shore Prep

It so does not feel like summer on the North Shore

Even though I've been out of school for four and a half days, I'm still not feeling too summery. Maybe I just haven't fallen into the swing of things yet (I'm still waking up automatically at six--YIKES) or that it. Is. Not. Warm.

Yes, you read that correctly. As I write, it is 74 degrees and partly cloudy outside my window. And while I should be craving a raspberry iced tea with a splash of Perrier, I'm more in the mood for a hot chocolate. Or, better yet, a White Chocolate Peppermint Mocha from Starbucks. Venti, please. I'm freezing. Okay, that's an exaggeration, but you get my point.

Welcome, friends, to the absolutely unpredictable weather of the North Shore, where you can expect sunshine and temperatures in the mid-80's and be rewarded with low-70's and clouds. I don't know if I can deal with this anymore.

Anyway, to get myself in a more summery mood, I did what any smart girl would do. I went shopping.

Before you guys get your hope up though, this was not one of those hijack-Daddy's-credit-card-and-go-absolutely-crazy-and-spend-five-thousand-dollars-in-one-store type things. Because as much as I love those, I do like to practice a little bit of self control every once in a while. This was definitely one of those times. I got what I absolutely needed: shorts.

And where else would a preppy girl like myself go for shorts? Yes, J. Crew, I'm talking to you. (Besides Lilly Pulitzer, where I still MUST go. Hello, Walsh Shorts with, my goodness, are those sailboats? http://www.lillypulitzer.com/view-all/walsh-short/invt/13201/&bklist=icat,4,shop,sportswear,womenspants) I honestly couldn't decide between about 15 pairs of chino shorts in assorted colors, and have you seen the ones with the rhinestone minnows? OBSESSED. But the minnows will wait until the next time I babysit. Instead I grabbed a pair in khaki (classic), navy (also classic), and this adorable pair in honey tangerine, which I'm currently wearing.

(J. Crew 3" Chino Short in Honey Tangerine, $42.50)

And there were tank tops on sale---2 for $20, it's almost like stealing!---so I picked up some of those too.

Oh, look! That's a $15 Von Maur gift card from my birthday, last July! I can hear headbands calling my name.

XO

North Shore Prep