feather lite.

on saturday, i went to the grand opening of Patty's Closet's newest location here in hawaii. after months of working with the brand, i finally had the chance to meet Patty. she is down to earth and just as pretty in person as she is in all of her instagram photos. you can check her out here.

the store was filled with lots of cute stuff, but the only things i had on my mine were loose and cool. in this summer heat, the last thing i want to put on is anything heavy and fitted. i loved the bright print and color of this top, and it fit the bill of being cool and breezy. i'm wearing it with parachute pants that are equally cool and loose-fitting. on the weekends, i'll definitely be throwing this top over my denim cut-offs.

how do you stay cool in the summer?

(Patty's Closet top; PacSun pants; Sole Society shoes)

neutral and neon.

what a rainy weekend we had.

the bad? terrible picture weather. in addition to being rainy, it was humid and hot. the good? i saw two musicals which i'll share with you this week.

i loved the feathers and bright neon colors in this top from Persun. it's one of those dressier-than-a-tee shirts that is easy to wear and works well with everything from shorts to denim to pencil skirts. paired it here with a neutral denim which, coincidentally, had neon cuffs.

how's the weather in your neck of the woods?

(top c/o Persun (buy); nine west shoes;

bag and denim c/o JustFab)

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feathers.

rocking feathers in my hair.

a fairly neutral outfit with some splashes of orange-red throughout. this clutch was a gift from my friends over at sisters marie, the creators of Because I Shop Too Much. do check out their amazing site if you are looking to swap or sell your clothes, or if you are interested in some great deals on new and pre-loved items. with summer coming to an end, this is the perfect time to update your closet for fall.

i haven't done a FLIXology in a while,

so scroll down for a must see.

do you swap, sell, or buy second hand clothes?

if so, which app or site do you use?

(gap jacket; f21 denim; enzo angiolini shoes; top via local shop)

you might like these:

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this series follows a seemingly normal, young, white woman imprisoned for a crime she committed over ten years ago. there is so much emotion, comedy, and drama as the story of each inmate unfolds. there are characters you love and ones you love to hate, but they are all an integral part of the story line. my reaction to the season finale? holy, holy $hit! OMFG! the question still unanswered...does prison change a person, or does it make them realize who they really are?

cold shoulders.

i finally had the chance to walk around the mall yesterday and found new inspiration for my summer wardrobe. thin, flowy dresses in soft peaches, lavenders and pinks. in the past i've always had a few dresses that were my weekend staples...minis like these at one time, maxis here last summer...but i just haven't been able to put those on recently. the maxis are too long to wear with summer flats and the minis have become too form-fitting for someone who likes to eat (hard to suck in that gut all day!). these loose dresses come in a variety of lengths, some with hi-low hems perfect for showing off pretty slippers. the hard part will be choosing just one.

what are your summer staples?

a sea of pretty dresses.

yami yogurt in natural...my all time favorite.

chocolate with gummy bears for mini-he.

(sadie striped tee via oomph (buy); denim, f21 (similar); shoes, nine west (similar))

[oomph.] is now on facebook.

experimenting with extremes. stripes 02.

this was me just playing around in my closet, and for some reason mini-she really liked this combination...so she photographed it. while i couldn't actually wear this to work, scroll down for some stripey goodness that i could.

holiday goodies are beginning to trickle into our office. although i've been eating salads for lunch this week, i tend to think that's justification to indulge in other things. i'm feeling sluggish and yucky. looking forward to the weekend for some much needed exercise. oh, and i just remembered that my nephew came home from college for christmas break today!

do your home or office treats taunt you during the holidays?

or do you have the will power to stay away?

holiday goodies at the office.

look how many are gone already! wasn't me.

(dress, local store (similar); top (similar);

prada sunglasses, giveaway win (similar))

experimenting with extremes . stripes.

experimenting with extremes . animal prints.

thakoon striped tank dress

tripp NYC oversized striped sweater

oonagh by nanette lapore eskil dress

vionnet contrast leather pumps

religion stripe one shoulder dress

madeleine thompson cashmere blend maxi dress

experimenting with extremes. stripes deux.

just a quickie as i'm running out the door

to mini-she's volleyball game.

they won their first game last week, so it's getting exciting.

mini-he had a reaction to his flu shot and ended up with a fever this weekend. i was able to have a night out with some friends...first time in a while. overall, it was a good weekend. hope you all enjoyed yours and look forward to catching up on your blogs this week.

(dress, local store (similar); cardi, f21 (similar)(similar); shoes, macy's (similar))

in case you missed it:

experimenting with extremes. stripes

experimenting with extremes . reds

experimenting with extremes . animal prints

have you entered the blogaversary giveaway yet?

click here.

a perfect marriage.

i can't tell you how long i've been lusting over elbow patches.

when i first started blogging last fall, bloggers were

flooding the blogosphere with photos of their

pretty cardigans decorated with elbow patches.

where do you get such an uber cool thing, i asked?

of course...h&m.

land of all pretty things that are not available to me here.

so, imagine my joy when i found this dress on my trip to hilo.

and.

it.

had.

stripes.

double score.

(dress, mink pink; accessories, accessory swap)

ease of wear.

easy does it for summer,

and this entire look is the epitome of ease.

here's the breakdown:

the dress:

i prefer a basic dress in a solid color. this one, by fighting eel, is one of my favorites. it's lightweight, and the off-the-shoulder look transitions perfectly from day to night.

casual with slippers, dressy with summer heels.

a simple tank maxi would work, too.

the hat:

a straw fedora, floppy, or boater...doesn't matter.

any of them will work. its main purpose, for me, is to cover up the wind blown hair after the beach.

the hair:

the best part about the beach is that the salty ocean and wind gives you perfectly tousled hair with a natural

hold. under the hat, these waves look great down and flowing or twisted into a simple bun.

the accessories:

it's a balancing game, but keep it simple.

i chose a big ring, then added a few understated pieces.

the shoes:

slippers for the beach.

summer wedges with a neutral sole like cork,

or anything woven like espadrilles. 

(dress, fighting eel; hat, f21; necklace, sister DIY)

she's still a boy.

a tomboy, that is.

no matter how often i wear florals

no matter how short or long my skirts are

no matter that i sometimes adore pink

no matter how many lipsticks i buy.

i will get dirty

i will play ball with the minis

i will always dream of motorcycles

i will sometimes wear converse

with my skirt.

dark chocolate reese's. heaven in a tiny paper cup.