Fashion obsession of the day

One shoulder? Check. Cinched waist? Check. Pockets? Check. All these fantastic features in a romper. Dressed up or down, it's a fabulous (and sexy) summer look. And on another note, happy Friday. Hope you have a wonderful weekend. Mine will be filled with family, food and running.

(Photo from Bloomingdales)

Fashion obsession of the day

I couldn't think of a better description for this dress than the name it's already been given: the Sunday dress. The casual cotton, swing shape and navy and white stripes make this the perfect frock to throw on when only comfy Sunday style will do. I love it with Bensimon sneakers and maybe even a straw hat.

(Photo from Le Train Bleu)

Fashion obsession of the day

Since it's difficult to top the beautiful (and expensive) dress I posted yesterday, I'm sharing a bargain this Wednesday. If you've never visited ShopRuche.com, you're missing out. The site is super affordable and has the cutest spring/summer collection. These striped espadrille flats are summer footwear at its best (and comfiest), and paired with these cuffed cotton pleated shorts, you've got yourself the base for a go-to summer outfit.

(Photos from ShopRuche)

Fashion obsession of the day

Holy gorgeousness. That is all.

(Photo from Shopbop)

Beautiful weekend

Most of my weekend was planned around the fact that I was running a half marathon Sunday morning. Going to bed early, eating the right foods and resting. Friday I did make it out to dinner with a dear friend at an amazing Greek restaurant I'd never been to before. One word: Baklava. Saturday I went to the public market with my dad and splurged on a peanut butter cup cupcake from The Cupcake Dreamery (I knew I'd burn it off the next day) and crashed around 9 p.m. that night to make my 5 a.m. wake up call. I've been training for this run for months now, and I was really nervous considering my lack of running with my Eurotrip in the middle of my training schedule. My goal was to finish in two hours, and I made it in two hours, six minutes. Not bad considering the course was much hillier than I expected, and I have to give credit to my friend Don who really helped push me. But that last half mile I sprinted with a charlie horse in my calf was tough. When I crossed that finish line, tears came down my face and I was so happy I accomplished such a feat. If you asked me a year ago if I could run a half marathon, I'd have thought you were crazy. Now I want to run a full marathon. The idea of going around the course again is daunting, but something I must check off my life list.

*Update: Yes, I'm aware I am pale. But I am owning pasty right now.

Fashion obsession of the day

As I'm writing this, it's 33 degrees outside and there's frost on my tulips. But that doesn't mean my spring fever is any less, well, feverish. This ruffled summer dress makes me crave 80 degree weather that much more. It's the perfect frock to throw on for a morning at the market or those warm night walks.

(Photo from Mod Cloth)

Happy Earth Day

Let's be kind to our creatures today and always.

(Photo via ffffound)

Fashion obsession of the day

How adorable is this voluminous cami? The floaty, hippie style is perfect for summer al fresco lunches and evening strolls with strawberry gelato in hand. Unfortunately I'm not one for spending $240 on a cotton cami. But where there's an expensive piece, there's almost always a cheaper alternative, like this Free People cami.

(Photo from Net-a-Porter)

Fashion obsession of the day

Both of these are by Cynthia Vincent. But one pair is $350 and the other costs $29.99 from everyone's favorite discount store, Target. Can you tell which one is which? What's that, you say? You can't tell? Well, the top pair are the expensive ones and the bottom pair are the bargain. I scored the last pair in my size last night at my weekly Target run. Now I just need to get my spring pedicure.

(Photos from Shopbop and Target)

Happy Monday

This chew toy makes me smile.

(Photo from Mod Cloth)

Fashion obsession of the day

In the summer I live in casual dresses and flat sandals, as I'm sure most of you do, too. Problem is, almost all of the cute dresses are sleeveless, and that doesn't always work. If there's a touch of wind in the air or it's a cool night - hello goosebumpy arms. So I love this solid t-shirt dress from American Apparel. Dress it up or down, wear it day or night.

(Photo from American Apparel)

Fashion obsession of the day

The problem with "just trying things on" is that chances are you'll fall in love with it. We've all done this enough times to know better, but we never learn. Usually the only things holding us back from making the purchase are price and practicality. I tried on this straw hat from J. Crew and fell in love. Half Indiana Jones, half French beach bum, it's the perfect chapeau to wear with cuffed shorts and sandals or to ward off the rays on your face. But this is no $9 hat from Forever 21. I guess I'll just have to wait for it to go on sale.

(Photo from J. Crew)

Fashion obsession of the day

It's time for unaffordable Wednesday! Except today, I'm going to do something a bit different. When I spotted this adorable ruffled Chloe dress, I knew I'd seen it somewhere else. Turns out, I tried on its cheaper, cotton twin at Anthropologie a couple months ago. And hello $1,700 price difference!

(Photos from Net-a-Porter and Anthropologie)

Fashion obsession of the day

One of the trends I spotted while in Paris were combat boots. All the super chic girls wear skirts and tights with military style flat boots. I was surprised to discover very few women wear heels there - so practical. Especially with all the cobblestone streets. These combat boots from Jeffrey Campbell are perfect for my new French inspired wardrobe.

(Photo from Shopbop)

In tribute to the best herb and dog ever ... Basil

Today I lost my family dog. He was the coolest, most neurotic dog I've ever known, and was also possibly gay. But he was my man. He probably loved me solely for the copious amounts of cheddar I fed him, but I never cared. Even as his hearing failed, he could still hear me say "Cheese!" and always kissed my face even after months apart. Basil, I miss you already, buddy.

Fashion obsession of the day

After a week of being home from my Euro trip, my life still hasn't gotten back to normal. Last week I was exhausted (which included falling asleep on the couch even before my 10-year-old self went to bed) and had either the flu or food poisoning since Wednesday. So today's my day to get back on track. And I can't think of a better way to start with a fashion obsession from none other than Marc Jacobs. This little heart print camisole is perfect for the summer or even under a blazer for a flirty work look.

(Photo from Nordstrom)

Beautiful Amsterdam

Although we only spent about 36 hours in Amsterdam, it was plenty of time for me. The city was beautiful, but it was cold, I was exhausted, and it's too tiny to get lost there (you can walk from one end of the city to the other in 30 minutes). The first day we almost got run down by bicyclists, saw the infamous red light district and went in the Anne Frank House. What a somber experience. You walk through the annex, and even see the bookcase that hid the entrance. That night I had the second best meal I had the entire trip. Amsterdam is known for its Indonesian food, which is like a mix of Thai and Indian cuisines - rice, coconut milk, saffron, tahini - it was just amazing. And the meal was topped off with fried bananas (I think I'm going to put my own spin on this with a nutella dipping sauce). The city is also known for their fries smothered in mayo and those were heavenly, too. I'm suspicious this might have something to do with the munchies, which of course, I would know nothing about during my time in Amsterdam (ha).

Beautiful Paris (part deux)

Oh how I miss Paris. So many amazing memories. I have to tell you just how I got to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower. We bought tickets to walk the stairs up two levels, and then once there, you can purchase tickets to take the elevator to the top. Well, on the night we went, they closed the ticket counters. I looked down at my feet and staring back at me was a ticket to the top (le sommet). I know my brother was jealous, but you couldn't deny it was totally meant to be. When I got up there, it was so windy people were stuck to the walls with fear. Everyone was looking at me like I was crazy as I stuck my camera out the gate and trying to get some good photos, but it was just so windy and dark. And a note about the first photo: Right after I took this these guys hit me in the shin with the soccer ball. I gave them a look of death and I never even got an apology. Damn French boys.