Pining for Summer {Retro Swim Edition}

It's March, (almost April) and my crocuses are up! I am beyond excited for spring to kick into full gear. Once spring arrives, that means those long, warm nights of summer are just around the (river) bend.

I'm pining and planning for fabulous summer weekends, with lots of East Coast beaches & deep blue waters! Some places on my hit list:

• The islands of Maine
• Wine tours in the Finger Lakes
• Montauk
• Cape Cod
• Coney Island

So naturally I've been collecting warm-weather inspiration, including these very retro-inspired swim looks. How are you making it through these March snow storms? 

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Egg Decorating!

Last year I got a bunch of friends together to celebrate spring's arrival and get to crafty for Easter. Looking back at photos shows all of the different techniques we used to decorate our fabulous eggs. I'm getting extra excited for this year's Egg Decorating event. The coolest part about an annual egg-decorating tradition? Saving the egg shells year after year and remembering all of the lovable people who stopped by to get crafty and contribute to our massive Easter Egg Tree. 

This first photo shows a marbleized effect made by using nail polish dripped into water like this.

My sister designed this little bunny egg by drawing with wax on a plain white egg, then painted on the various colors of dye.

The navy blue Aztec-inspired design was also done using the wax-resist method. I drew the triangles first with wax(they are white), then dunked the whole egg in yellow dye. Then I used wax to protect a yellow stripe around the middle of the egg. Next I dunked the whole thing in a red/purple dye, and finished up with a dark blue. You always go in order of lightest to darkest when dong wax-resist egg dying. Very official here.

Etsy Picks: Washi Tape

I ordered decorative Washi tape from Etsy last week and it just arrived! I thought that having these cute little patterned tapes would make gift wrapping for birthdays super easy. I keep a huge roll of craft paper in our work room and use that for just about every type of wrapping project I have. The only thing that changes are the ribbons & decorative accents to make whatever package I have season-appropriate. Cue, washi tape for spring/summer!

• Japanese Blue Dot Washi tape (top middle) from Pretty Tape in Dallas, TX - $4
• Navy Baker's Twine from Pretty Tape - $15
• Navy Blue Striped Washi Tape from Pretty Tape - $4
• Gold Dot Washi Tape (bottom right) from Pretty Tape- $4

Ideas for using washi tape:

St. Lucian Adventures

Over two weeks ago eight mid twenty-somethings packed up our bags, our gear, our electronics, our swim suits, and our copies of Hemingway for an epic week-long trip to St. Lucia. We left the cold East Coast winter in the rear view mirror and got lost together in a hilltop villa, surrounded by nothing but palm trees and pitons.

Spending time showing these friends around a place that's special to me, and seeing the island from their fresh perspective, was magical and so much fun. The week away reminded me of the things I value. Good food, shared meals. Dinner as a sacred act. Vodka sodas with lime, extra loud music. Oasis, Wonderwall (sing-alongs). Getting active, trying new things. Harvesting what nature has to offer, innovating with whatever you've got. Community. Shared experiences. Snuggling, sometimes aggressively. Dance parties, serious dance parties. Lots of laughter, epic, abdomen-busting laughter. And above all, getting lost.  

I've always adored this water-color wash print. To me, curiosity is of the utmost importance, no matter your age or place in life. Who are we if we don't ask questions, if we don't push the boundaries of what we know by trying new things, meeting new people, going new places, and getting lost in ourselves?

So, I'll raise a rum-filled-coconut-glass to that. Here's to getting lost, together, wherever the world may take you.

The Blum Store {Vintage Score}

I picked up this vintage coat a few years ago at a local consignment shop and it's become one of my all time favorites. The textured wool, velvet details, funky polka dot pattern, and simple black and white palette make it a go-to winter after winter. 

Lake Placid

Last month we loaded up the station wagon and drove north to Lake Placid, NY. I went with my boyfriend, my brother, and a crew of our mutual friends. 

We found a charming cabin rental right off of main street in Lake Placid (picture above was taken just a block from our house). One of our friends called the Lake Placid, NY Chamber of Commerce to ask about local rental agencies, and we ended up scoring an amazing house just 4 weeks before New Year's Eve! All of the great homes on homeaway.com and vrbo.com that slept 8+ were booked by that time, so we felt super lucky that we found such a great place! Apparently using the old telephone occasionally has it's advantage over the inter web...

Media Monday: Newsroom {newest TV obsession}

I just finished the entire first season of Newsroom and I'm totally in, hook, line, and sinker. If you haven't started watching it, you should. 

As The Office has descended into the "unwatchable" category, and 30 Rock has finished its last season, I'm finding myself needing a TV fix to replace some of my old favorites.

NYFW Day 2 {Chambray & Neon}

waxed coated jeans (Zara), chambray mens button down (old navy),
neon blazer (H&M, old), necklace (Sorrelli), booties (Ann Taylor)

Outfit two, day two of New York Fashion Week! I just want to say that I have discovered the magic of the Men's section, and I'm excited. I might be late to this party (HuffPo was on this back in August), but I bought a chambray short-sleeved men's oxford a few weeks ago on sale at GAP and have been wearing it TO. DEATH. The cut is long, roomy, and the short sleeves don't bulk up under blazers. Genius (if I do say so myself). I highly recommend the linen blend above ($25!!). 

On Thursday (Day 2 for me of NYFW) I spent the day running around like a crazy lady to shows (Kimberly Ovitz & Costello Tagliapietra) as well as a few meetings. Stay tuned for more details on the shows! 

NYFW Day 1 {IFBcon}

Portrait c/o UrbanFieldnotes

I was fortunate to get my photo snapped outside of the IFBCon on my first day of NYFW. I am always running everywhere and never snap real shots of my outfits! BIGGGG thanks to Brent at Urban Fieldnotes for actually sending these over. Business cards do work! People do get in touch! YAY!

Of course I did a characteristically Lily-thing and wore orange socks instead of the requisite black. Whatever. My orange Muji socks rock, and... so there.

Stay tuned for the things I learned at IFB!

Outfit one, day one of New York Fashion Week:

• Sorrelli All Around Style Cuff
• Madewell Bomber Jacket
• Faux Fur Snood
• Sorrelli Life of the Party Earrings
• 3.1 Philip Lim Pashli tote
• Ann Taylor Carter Buckle Wedge Booties (similar here)
• Orange MUJI socks

NYFW {Packing}

It's that time of year again! I'm packing for New York Fashion Week! The shows officially start on Thursday Feb 7th at NYC's Lincoln Center. Stay tuned for lots of Sorrelli Girl coverage of the shows, complete with lots of writing from yours truly! I'll be covering the shows for my dear friend and confidante Julia (of Fashion Pulse Daily). Super psyched to be heading up to the fashion capital of the world this week!! 

#staytuned!