White Out

One of my favorite trends this summer is white on white. Nothing is more refreshing than a good summer white combo. It's easy-breezy and as long as you pack a Tide pen in your purse—if you're anything like me, white is a magnet for stains—you will be looking fresh all the way to happy hour.

Love this mixed lace sheath dress with its simple yet elegant shape. A white dress is the perfect base for a pop of color, so pair with a bold chunky necklace (this coral one would look great) to brighten up a white number. 

Sheath Dress: Adrianna Papell via Nordstrom // Similar Pumps: J.Crew

I absolutely adore this white on white suit combo. Plus, the scalloped shorts and textured jacket are added details that keep the look fresh and modern. And you can't beat a red lip for a nice pop.

Blazer: Topshop via Nordstrom // Tank: Topshop via Nordstrom // Shorts: Topshop via Nordstrom // Similar Sandals: French Connection // Similar Bag: Topshop via Nordstrom

These organza pants are to-die! The black piping detail is so elegant but the white color keeps it a little bit more fun. I'd pair them with this cotton tee to create a high-low vibe with dressy slacks and a casual top. And these metallic pumps will quickly be the talk of the office—in the best way possible!

Organza Capri: J.Crew // Cotton Tee: LOFT // Metallic Pumps: J.Crew (plus, they're on sale!)

This breezy dress would be great for weekends spent browsing the farmers market or reading in the park. With flat sandals and sunnies, you will be comfortable but crisp. Summer must-haves!

Dress: Madewell // Flat Sandals: Madewell // Sunglasses: Madewell

How are you wearing white this season?

Birthday Girl

I had a great day last Saturday when I (finally) turned 21! I had a very classy evening in the city with my parents. We had a delicious dinner at Frontera Grill—we split a lot of little plates, including guacamole, enchiladas with mole, sopes rancheros, ceviche, and chipotle-glazed ribs. The dinner was complete with a fantastic chocolate pecan pie and a mini tres leches cake for my birthday. Yum-o! And of course, the mojito I had with dinner wasn't bad either.

After dinner, we had drinks on the terrace of the Trump Tower. I got a Sidecar. Not sure what's in it, but the glass was rimmed in sugar, so I was sold!

It was refreshing to have a very fancy affair on my birthday—something I'd never be able to afford on my own! Another favorite part of the day? The dress I wore in the city. I love the bold stripes and bright colors. I paired it with a tough faux-leather jacket as a nice contradiction to the lady-like skirt.

My mom and me on the water taxi to Michigan Avenue. Thanks for a great day, Mom!

Tres leches cake. Delish!

So cute!

Beautiful Sidecar cocktail at Trump Tower.

Cheers to 21 years!

Can't believe I work in this city!

Tribune Tower from the terrace.

Beautiful Chicago River.

Thanks for all the birthday wishes!

While I've Been Gone...

I hope everyone is having a great summer! Mine has been fun but exceptionally busy. Being a real person really is tough. Except when you see your bank account after getting paid. That feeling, my friend, will never get old!

I apologize for being so MIA lately. It's been hard to balance blogging at night after working a full day in the city. Vegging on the couch and watching Mad Men has trumped blogging lately.

So much happened since I last posted! I traveled to Scottsdale for PRSSA Leadership Rally a couple of weeks ago. It was a blast! It was basically a gathering of PRSSA Presidents from across the country to share best practices, learn about leading, and enjoy some fun in the sun! For a full recap of what we learned, check out this blog post from my roommate, Nicole Spears. I had such a blast meeting amazing friends and left energized for another great year with the Beth Wood Chapter.

Below are some Instagram (and regular) pictures from the weekend.

My amazing roomies (from left): Nicole, me, Hillary, and Jacki. Loved getting to know these girls!

Delicious authentic Mexican dinner. Guacamole and al pastor tacos. Yum!

Beautiful Scottsdale sunset complete with palm trees and mountains.

Crazy golf cart ride with our friend, Ron. 

Last day with these ladies. The weekend flew by so quickly!

So stunned by the beauty of all the mountains in Arizona. This Illinois girl is used to ground that is flat, flat, flat.

Bye, Phoenix airport! It was a great weekend!

The weekend after I got back from Scottsdale, I turned 21. Finally! Pictures from the day will be posted tomorrow!

What have you been up to lately?

Thoughts?

So I need your opinion. I got an iPad mini for my birthday (can't open it yet though, still 10 days til the big 21!) but now I need a cute case to put it in. Obviously it needs to be both functional and pretty. I found some options on Amazon, but I'm just not sure which one I like best. There seems to be so many options for the regular iPad, but not so many for the mini. Argh!

Here are some options I came up with. What do you think?

Leopard print // Love me some leopard, but I also have a leopard iPhone case. Is that too matchy-matchy?

London // I mean obviously I have a special place in my heart for London. But do I want it on my iPad? Just can't decide.

Floral // This is a pretty floral but don't know if it's too old lady.

Chevron // This multi-colored chevron is adorable, but it's a little pricey. And I think I want a full-coverage case to keep it safe in my bag.

Hot pink // Neon pink leather is always a good option. But too bright?

Any other suggestions? What do you think?

Catching Up

I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend. Thank you to all those veterans that have served and are serving our country! Yesterday was a great day to remember their accomplishments. And in case you love a good Navy-Dad-surprises-his-kids video as much as I do, check out this one. Just warms my heart!

I had a very busy weekend! Friday night I hung out with some friends from high school and struggled to stay awake with them. It was only midnight. I really am an old lady. On Saturday night, my parents and I met up with some family friends in Greek Town. It was so much fun and the food was delicious! I spent Sunday in South Bend at my cousin's soccer tournament. Jen did a great job and it was fun to spend the day with family! Memorial Day was spent with more family grilling burgers. Yum!

Monday night I tried to catch up on applying to PRSSA scholarships and awards. In case you haven't already, don't forget to apply for Teahan Awards for your Chapter. There are tons of individual scholarships for you to apply to as well. The deadline for most of them is June 7, so you still have some time!

I haven't had more time to blog this weekend, but I will leave you with these pictures as inspiration for an upcoming post. Can you guess what color trend I'm loving right now (and apparently you have to pose with your left hand up to pull it off?!)?

Photo from: Kendi Everyday

Photo from: Cupcakes and Cashmere

How was your weekend?

Good Day

Yesterday was a day that goes down in the books as one of the best days as a PR intern. I was pretty busy, and that's what made it so much fun!

While I had to wake up at 4:30 yesterday morning (which to me is practically night), it was well worth it to see the taping of the Today Show in Millennium Park. They were planning on filming the whole show in the Chi, but after the Oklahoma tornado (my thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved!), they decided to just film the third hour here. You know what that means? I got to see my favorite, Willie Geist! Natalie Morales was there as well, and she was wearing the cutest trimmed trench coat. It's going on my must-have list!

So the reason we spent the morning at the Today Show was to promote a client campaign. I helped make some signs on Monday and then held them up with some co-workers during the show to get national coverage for the campaign.

It was raining basically the whole time, but it was ok because I got to see Bill Rancic in person. And trust me, he is just as tall in real life, and has the whitest teeth. Am I right?!

Here's Natalie, Willie, and Bill near the Bean. Bill was kind of like the Chicago local telling the hosts all about the city.

Stefan Holt made it out too. He's the morning anchor of NBC 5 News (and also the son of Lester Holt!).

My dad taped the show and here are some shots of the TV. That pale blue umbrella a little right of Willie's shoulder in the back is my friend, Jessica.

And you can just barely see the top of my head in the back here. Plus, I made the signs right above me!

And, we are famous! Our sign, and my co-workers, were featured in a picture from the Today Show's Instagram. In the upper right square is Steven and Meg with the signs we made. I wrote the #ILmagstuff one!

All in all, a great day! Loving my internship.

Tell me about one of your awesome internship days!

Roaring Twenties

It was inevitable. I've caught The Great Gatsby fever, just like most of America. I saw the movie last weekend and it was to die! With all the hype, I wasn't sure how it would shape up, but it did not disappoint.

I read the book junior year of high school but didn't remember most of it. I tried to re-read it on the train last week but got about half way through it and then quit. So when I saw the ending of the movie, I was completely surprised. Such a good plot!

What was better than the plot? You guessed it! The fashion. Unbelievable! Let's start with this look from Daisy.

How can you not love this outfit? I think the reason I adore the twenties so much is that they over-accessorized. Everything was sparkle-y and big and beautiful. The pearls, the diamonds, the fur. Put it all together and I'm in heaven.

This dress is my favorite of Daisy's from the movie. All that sparkle plus the headpiece. I wish I had a Gatsby-esque party to go to so that I could wear this dress. It needs the proper occasion, no? I also love that the dress is a little bit longer. So much more elegant than some of the mini-dress numbers you see today.

Tiffany's has a Gatsby inspired collection that I am just swooning over. While just about everything in the collection is out of my price range (darn!) a girl can look, right? If I had a Gatsby budget, these are the pieces I would splurge on.

This headpiece is just like Daisy's and would be perfect for a special occasion. With a champagne-colored sparkley, flapper-esque number, this piece would be divine! Layer with a strand of pearls, and get ready to do the Charleston. 

OMG this yellow diamond ring?! Yes, please! Stacked with other diamond stunners or on its own, this ring speaks for itself. Majorly lusting for this right now!

After ogling Gatsby's pinky ring in the movie, I think this onyx piece would be just fabulous for your man. So classic and timeless, I'm hoping that men embrace the ring trend (and I'm talking more than just wedding bands!). Jewelry isn't just for women anymore!

What were your favorite looks from the movie?