Fall Wardrobe Staples

For fall, I know I can always count on certain pieces of clothing to take me right into fall and then right into winter. I call them my fall staples. They are timeless, well made and a must have for all college students, and beyond! Here is a list of what I consider to be my "staples":

• Ralph Lauren Oxford Shirts- I have every color, and also several stirped, and several gingham. I also find that Brooks Brothers does a nice slimfit oxford as well but only have a few of them. These are perfect with denim, colored chinos, corduroys, layered under sweaters, vests, etc. You can dress them up or down. They never go out of style and they wash well. Sometimes I get mine in the boy's section in size 14 because they are cheaper. They are a little boxier, but they give off the boyfriend look which is "in" right now.
• Brooks Brothers Cardigan and Shell- You really cannot go wrong with a sweater set. You can wear them separately or paired together. Black, Navy, and Camel are the best to have because they are neutral and can be paired with anything. If you can, invest in a cashmere sweater set, you will get your money's worth of wear for sure!
• Quilted Jacket- I have 3 (I know, a little excessive). A brown one from Talbots Kids, a Teal one from Vineyard Vines and a black one from Ralph Lauren. The teal was a stretch, but it looks great with dark denim. The brown was purchased because I got a steal of a deal and the black was purchased because it is well made and practical. Burberry and Barbour are the leaders in quilted jackets, however you can get a really nice one from L.L. Bean and Lands End for a lot less and even equal or greater quality.
  
  
  
  

Cable knit crew-neck sweater- I like Ralph Lauren because they seemed to fit the best for me. However, I own two Lilly Pulitzer ones that are nice, but they fit more boxy and large than the RL one's do. I have them in wool, cashmere, and cotton. They are perfect with skirts, pants, and shorts and can be worn over your shoulders, under a down vest or jacket, or over top of something with a collar such as a polo or oxford. I also find that they go well with turtlenecks when it gets really chilly out.

Riding Boots- Black or Brown work. These are great because they can be dressed up or down and can make a "frumpy" outfit look instantly put together. Always wear them with your pants, leggings, or tights tucked into the boot. There are so many brand options, I actually don't even know where mine are from, my mother got them for me for Christmas one year. Again, you can't go wrong with L. L. Bean or Lands End. Even PiperLime has cute boots sometimes and Frye is definitely a good choice.

• L.L. Bean Duck Boots- I hate rain boots so these are a must have for me. I like them in the moc style so I can wear them with most types of pants. Several companies offer this style of shoe and I am usually never too picky about brands, but for this particular item, to me, L.L. Bean is the only way to go. 

All of these along with a good headband, scarf, and pearls are really all you need to get you into fall! What are your wardrobe staples for fall? Have a fabulous day!
Yours,
sCe

Minnie Mortimer

Scheduled Post number 2 (nyc and beach posts coming soon!!) No, no.. not Minnie the mouse.. Minnie Mortimer, the designer! I am just in love with her clothing line. I had actually never heard of it until recently. I was in a South Moon Under store which I am normally never huge on because things tend to be very of-the-moment/trendy, and anyone who reads this blog knows that I have more of a classic, preppy, young style than a trendy one. So anyways, I kept picking out things that I really liked and they all had one thing in common: the brand. Of course the designer is Minnie Mortimer. So I did a little research and she has a website of course which has her somewhat small collection of pieces available. I love her styling. Her clothes are trendy and young but they definitely have a preppy/classic and almost nautical and school girl flair as well. I checked on South Moon Under's website and they only have one striped dress available which I don't really even care for but when I was in the actual store, they had a larger selection of her collection available. Here are the pieces that I am obsessed with, although this is not a very good obsession for me to develop considering all of her pieces are well over $100 if not into the $200 and $300 range (and with my already rampant Lilly obsession, I am bound to be broke before I even graduate college and get a real job!).A lot of her pictures are artsy like this which I dislike because then you cannot get a very good idea of what the clothes look like, but I just love this dress!

Love this blazer. Has an amazing cut, and the inside lining is just too cute. I actually love the gray one but once again there is not a good enough picture to show you!

Love this wrap dress. I love the pale subdued stripes and the sexy top of the dress, but the dress doesn't come off looking like you are one of those girls that look like they belong on a street corner!

Oh MM, how I love your clothes.. can I please have all of them? Have any of you ever seen her clothes at South Moon Under? I don't have a SMU anywhere near me so it's always fun to stop into one when I am vacationing! Have a fabulous day!
Yours,
sCe

Once a prep, always a prep

So in the true preppy fashion, I'd thought I'd post pictures of my family in their preppiest attire...Because we all know: once a preppy, always a preppy.. enjoy!

Like Father, Like son. My grandpa sporting the classic khakis with a pink polo and a blue v-neck Lacoste sweater. My dad with classic boat shoes, khaki shorts, and a tartan RL polo.

Men in polo shirts. My two uncles, and my dad in the pink!

My uncle, dad, and mom in Florida! I wish my mom still had that dress, it would totally be mine now!

This is 3 years ago but my one of my many senior pictures! I am so sad, the bow on this headband came off.. I miss it!

Sister cCm, and dad in D.C.

Me Freshman year of high school. When it was "cool" to wear two polos at once.

cCm and mom outdoor ice skating. cCm was the cutest child ever.

At the country club children's Christmas party...This was before cCm was born!

Mother, aunt, dad, and uncle. Love the polos for golfing! This was most definitely before I was born.

I so wish I could share more with you all, but that's all of the "old" photos we have scanned into our computer. These were of course before we had digital cameras. I encourage you all to do a post of your "old" family photos in your preppy garb!
Have a fabulous day!
Yours,
sCe

Clothes clothes clothes

It has been cool here for the past few days so I decided to finally wear this adorable Ralph Lauren ruffle shirt that I got for Christmas but never got around to wearing. It is long sleeves and actually has kind of a bell shape to the sleeves but they come tight around your wrists because of a cute little pearl button that closes the "bell". I went for the more casual look and rolled the sleeves above my elbows. Once again, the poor quality on my BlackBerry camera took this so you can't tell but the shorts are cuffed seersucker from Banana Republic. I love these shorts. They fit perfectly (size 2.. I'm usually a 4 but I think these run a little large) and they are so comfortable. I added the J.Crew belt (which was actually purchased from the Men's section) to add a pop of color for a casual summer outfit. I just loved it!I tried to get a close up of the ruffles, so this is as good as I could get. Also if any of you have any requests for posts that you would like to see me do, please let me know. I've realized I've never really asked my readers for anything that they would like to see me blog about so just comment on this post and I'll be sure to do a post of your choice! I hope you all have a fabulous day!
Yours,
sCe

I'm back!

If you haven't noticed, I've taken quite the long holiday break. Well no worries, I am back now! Over the weekend I did some fabulous shopping. The absolute best finds were at Marshalls of course! Here is what I found and loved (sorry for the picture quality.. I am still searching for the perfect replacement camera)!Loved this dress! The ruffles are great and I love how it is nipped right in the waist, so it is super flattering. I also love the pink hue, it's just perfect! ($50)I saw this bag last summer on D&B's website and fell in love. I actually considered buying the largest version for a school bag for this past year but instead decided on a LP one. This is just as cute as can be and was only $70.Lilly pajamas! Love this fun, summery print. The tunic top is so flattering and the capris that went with it were nice and breezy. The price point was $25 which is an absolute STEAL!These were a no-brand but they are the cutest pajamas ever!! The picture is terrible (sorry!) but these pajamas were a soft breezy cotton, the top is very loose and flowy with the ruching at the top, and then the elephant design is on the pants and the top. LOVE!
Did you get any great steals this past holiday weekend? Did you enjoy your time at the pool and other fun events? I had the most amazing cheesecake at the cheesecake factory. It was the banana cream pie flavor with hot fudge. YUM! I recommend it to anyone who loves cheesecake! I also scored great deals at Ann Taylor Loft, I will be posting pictures of OOTD soon so you all can see! Have a fabulous day!
Yours,
sCe

Canvas

I just recently ordered a few things from Lands End (I love what I purchased and can't wait to show them off in an outfit of the day post!), and while browsing through the website, I noticed a new tab. It looks like Lands End has a new line called "Canvas". Well I just had to click, and I am so pleased I did! Their new line is fabulous. It's casual and classic staples with a little bit of a modern twist. It reminds me somewhat of J.Crew/Madewell or JC Penney's line American Living. I cannot wait to order some things from this line; hopefully it will not disappoint! Here are a few of my faves:
LOVE this dress. It almost looks like something from J.Crew and for a fraction of the cost!This yellow hue is sure to brighten even the dreariest day! For $79.50 you just can't be that price!

I definitely suggest checking out Canvas. I promise you will not be disappointed! Have a fabulous day!
Yours,
sCe

Eye Candy: Tibi Dresses

By now I'm sure you've realized that I took a week's vacation from blogging. I have been super busy with my sorority duties, and my schoolwork so to keep myself from having a little break down, I decided I would take a "vacation" from blogging! I hope you all didn't miss me too much! I also MUST share with you these fabulous dresses from Tibi.. when I did come across down time this week, I was drooling over all of these fabulous dresses which would be perfect for a Valentines Day dinner!Beaded One-shoulder Dress

Sometimes the one shoulder dress can look tacky or too trendy, but Tibi makes the one shoulder cut look fabulous and classy!

Lace Shift Dress
I love the classic shift cut of this dress, but I also love the not too shiny metallic look. It's often hard to find a metallic dress that is not tacky or too gaudy.
Pleated Scoopneck Dress

I am LOVING this shade of pink. I also love that you can get away wearing this color during the winter because the fabric is appropriate for the season.Ragtime Gem Dress
Love love love this one! I usually don't like orange all by itself but this dress is just fabulous. I am in love with the circle back and the flattering cut of this tunic. This could definitely be dressed up or dressed down for any occassion.

Bora Bora Silk Dress

I love the royal blue detailing on this dress. It adds an almost nautical feel to the dress. Although this is a summertime only dress, I still think it would be a show stopper for any summertime occassion!

I hope you enjoyed the fabulous dresses, and have a great monday!
Yours,
sCe

Some great finds!

Here are just a few pink, green, and preppy finds I came across this weekend!

Love these elie tahari flats for just $40 at TJ Maxx!

Another great pink and green find at TJ Maxx just $7.99!

Lilly PJ bottoms for just $20! They had several other Lilly dresses but none were in my size!

Pink and green shoe ornament (Macy's) for an ornament exchange!

Have you found any great finds recently? I have yet to check out Marshalls to see if they have any great finds as well! Have a wonderful Monday!
Yours,
sCe

I'm off!

I'm off to Maryland this weekend to stay with my "Big Sister". I'm so excited! Here is my packing for the weekend:Left: Black Pants- Anne Taylor, White Top- Anne Taylor, Blue Sweater- Burberry
Right: Skirt-J.Crew, Oxford- Ralph Lauren, Shoes-Talbots, Quilted Vest- Brooks Brothers
Have a great weekend!
Yours,
sCe
** Don't forget to enter my bow tie giveaway which ends this Monday at midnight!!!

An award and College outfits!

First off, I have to tell you ladies I won ANOTHER giveaway! August is my lucky month! The lovely Kristin from Grosgrain Lane picked me as the winner of Olay Definity Face Tint. I am not only thrilled to win, but I am so thrilled to give this to my mother to try because she has been searching high and low for an anti-aging cream (although I certainly don't think she needs one!). I hope she loves this cream and can't wait to surprise her and tell her I won it from a fellow blogger!

I also won ANOTHER award. I know, really I'm cleaning up here on the blog world. So thank you so so much to Southern Champagne Wishes! I won the gem award, and am so pleased to win it from such a wonderful woman!

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I have been getting so many great e-mails and comments in regard to my post The Times Have Changed that I did recently, and in many of the e-mails you have asked me what I usually wear to class or to run errands/meet for lunch. So, I decided I would show you several outfits that I think are great for all of those occassions!This is great for a crisp fall day, where it is still warm enough to wear a skirt without tights.

Also very great for a fall day. Wearing the sweater and wool pants, means you won't have to wear a bulky jacket. Also, those Ugg suede driving mocs are oh so comfortable.Classic, simple, easy.Wear all of the pretty spring/summer colors you can before it's too late! (the skirt is a golf skirt so it is super comfortable to walk to class in)
Sweaters are great because if it's cool in the classroom, you can keep warm, but if it's hot outside, just tie it around your shoulders.
Cute with a skirt, but in no way too overdone to go to class in.Gotta love the Lilly shorts!For a cool September day or maybe you have somewhere to go in the evening and need to stay warm while walking there.
Going out on a weekend (ohh or maybe a Thursday ;)) This is a classy way of achieving the "party look". Don't be trashy and wear cut off shirts, or too-short-shorts or flashy accessories.
If it's raining, don't let that stop you! dress comfortably in jeans, with a plain long sleeve shirt, a cute, light jacket, and your favorite pair of rain boots (or duck boots!)

For all of these outfits, I will normally add a special touch whether it be a matching bag, or a headband, or pearls, or a silk belt. I also wear flip flops and sandals for as long as I can becuase they are just easier and more comfortable for me than any other shoe. I loved creating all of these "looks" and I hope you enjoyed seeing them. Which one is your favorite? What is your favorite outfit for errands or lunch with the girls or going to class? I would love to see or hear all about it.

As a side note, my show off your dorm week will kick off on Monday September 7th and end Friday September 11th. I have gotten a great many girls that are interested, and can't wait to show off all of their pretty rooms! Keep e-mailing me at Summerwind41490@gmail.com if you are interested!
Yours,
sCe