Own: Summer Whites You Can Destroy

I love the trend of wearing lots of white in the summer, but there are SO many ways to get completely dirty in NYC that I had avoided wearing white for so long.  From the random mystery drops of water in the subway to the dirty hands of strangers that you might come in contact with, just the idea of wearing white gave me anxiety.

The solution for me was to find cheap, white clothes!  That way, my heart would be broken when I inevitably discovered an unremovable stain in the back of my perfectly white blouse.

Here's my round up of wonderful whites that are definitely affordable and totally okay to destroy.

These two are from the Gap and I totally love them.  So affordable and simple.  You could wear them pretty much anywhere and because they're cotton, there's also no need to dry clean.

GAP Bib Tunic

GAP Seersucker Sleeveless Top

Here's a cute and simple top from H&M

H&M Crepe Camisole Top

Lastly, my picks from Zara.  So many things are on sale right now and there are so many more cute white items, but I thought it would be overwhelming to post them all.  I love a good pair of white fitted pants and the ones from Zara are only $40!

Zara Cut Work Top

Zara White Zip trousers

Own: Dresses...lately.

So, I guess I spoke too soon.  Either that or Mother Nature heard all my whining and decided to dump the hot, hot summer on me.  However the heat came to be in NYC, I am thankful!

The city lights up when the sun is running through the streets.  People awaken from hibernation, whether the winter was cold or not.  You can see people rubbing their eyes in disbelief as they emerge on the weekends to find friends day drinking on rooftops in Williamsburg and lounging around Sheep's Meadow in Central Park until dusk.  Ayyyy, it's just a lovely time.  LOVELY!

It's also incredibly inspirational for fashionites near and far.  The sun gives you an excuse to bear that extra bit of skin you were hiding when the weather was only 75 degrees or put on that skirt that you bought back in December.  People leave behind their dumpy cardigans (forgive me, I have yet to meet a cardigan that I didn't think was dumpy) and break out the tanks and the mini skirts and the wedges.  I love it!

I shed my cardigans recently and rocked a couple simpler and less skin bearing dresses to work (SURPRISE!).  As much as I love to show that leg, but sometimes it's ok to keep it under wraps.

Dress #1, a gift from my mom.

This isn't a dress I would usually wear.  When my mom first pulled it out, I could only think to myself...."she wants me to be a Stepford wife....today.  UGH."  But you know what?  I wore it to work the other day and people loved it!  I kept thinking to myself when I walked out of my apartment, "this dress is SO not me" but it turns out that sometimes that doesn't matter.  It's really just about how you rock it.  It was so dainty and ladylike.

Dress #2, desperate buy.

I was going to be spending the night at my boyfriend's house and I had nothing to wear.  Out of desperation, I dragged myself into the Gap and was pleasantly surprised by this extremely comfortable maxi dress that will get lots of wear this summer.  Paired with a pair of my mom's old school hoop earrings, it was perfect.

The summer is young.  Get out there and try on a little something new.  Wear something comfortable instead of that next big thing (are bodycon dresses still in?  They are terrible in this weather- read: sweat stains galore).  Enjoy! :)

Ogle, Obsess and Own: Dreamy Knits

Now that the cold has officially arrived in NYC, I've really been excited for sweater weather.  You know, that slightly breezy, 60-degree, almost sun-less glaze that comes over the City in October and November?  Yeah, you know that one. I say that I love this weather now, but I'm sure I'll regret it later when I can't fall asleep because my heater is clanking and I have to start lugging a jacket around.  Before the regret sets in, I was going through some blogs and was heavily inspired by this photo from TurquoiseDove:

I want to be all angsty in my neon bra, too!  Angsty or not, she does look warm with that nice sun in the background and I do love her bra.  Anyway, I took to the internets and discovered that the range of prices for sweaters is quite vast.  I've categorized my picks here into the Ogle, Obsess and Own categories.

Ogle Sweaters which require a little more fashion finesse and a larger wallet to afford...

Check out this whimsically nubby YMC Sweater on Farfetch.com!  I would order this a size up and pair it with a pair of tight, black leather pants.

 This Avelon sweater has already got the whole over-sized thing down pat (available at Opening Ceremony).  I love it.  I have a sweater similar to this from Alexander Wang last fall and I love to pair it with a small black mini and thigh high boots.

 This is such a sweet Theory sweater.  The material looks so comfy and squishy.  

Obsess Sweaters are affordable with a normal wallet, but they might not be sweaters that you would feel like wearing just with a pair of jeans on a regular day.

I love this hip sweater by J. Crew.  It's got a unique pattern and it's something that could be dressed up with a chambray button down underneath or dressed down with a pair of skinny black jeans and oxfords

 This MinkPink sweater is like a mini version of the YMC sweater above.  It's cropped and will look cute over that summer maxi dress that you thought you might not wear for another 8 months.

Own sweaters are ones that you should just buy now because they'll probably become sweaters that you'll want to wear every day this fall and winter

This sweater is from the Gap and is very affordable. Get it today and get an extra 30% off with the code 48HOURS

Anthropologie is taking an extra 25% off this sweater making it less than $40.  Totally worth it.  Just buy it.  Do it now.

Comfy knits or not, this is a great selection of sweaters available now to keep you warm for the cold days to come.  I'm really digging the nubby sweaters!  That MinkPink cropped sweater might be leasing a space in my closet soon!