Juned

 This month was full of mostly ups (trips to Traverse City & Columbus, Book of Mormon, my mom's Masters graduation, along with wedding and birthday celebrations), which made it easy to put any downs in perspective. 

All outfit details here.

The New Sporty Spice

I'm guessing that every single one of you, especially if you graduated high school in the late 90s or early 2000s, loved the Spice Girls. How could you not? It was incredibly easy to identify with one of them since they appealed to five very different personality and style types. Personally, I liked Baby Spice - probably because she was a blonde and I was too; however, if you asked me now, I'd be 75% Posh Spice and 25% Sporty Spice. So how would that combination of spiciness dress, you ask? Your answer is in these sporty chic street style photos.

You need the following five items that will combine easily with items already in your closet.
1. Athletic shirt - Casually half tuck it into skinny jeans, jogging shorts, or track pants
2. Baseball cap - Bend the rim and leave your hair over your ears
3. Ankle strap heels - This is the only shoe acceptable with these ensembles
4. Jogging shorts - Loose fit and elastic waistbands are a must, then top it off with an athletic/graphic/striped tee or even a silk/chambray button down
5. Track pants - Apply the same rules as the shorts
Also, don't forget some gems in the form of statement earrings or necklace with your boyfriend watch!

All athletic tees found at ASOS

All baseball caps found at Lids and ASOS

All ankle strap sandals found at Zappos

All shorts found at Forever XXI

All trousers from Piperlime

Tomboy Style

When Lucky Magazine asked for the Lucky Community members to show off their tomboy style, I jumped at the chance! Even though this baseball cap gets plenty of wear on the weekends (over my mohawk bed head), it's only been featured once on the blog. So here it is again, in an ensemble that doesn't include spandex and a sports bra - you're welcome. Like the tomboy look? Come on back to the blog tomorrow when I will be discussing the "sporty chic" trend and teach you how to rock it and where to shop it!

Recreate my look:
Gap jeans, Target denim shirt (similar), XXI denim vest, American Apparel tee, Gap clutch (similar), Goorin Brothers baseball cap (similar), Steve Madden high tops, XXI earrings (similar)

Nothing Like The Lion King

If you live in or around Chicago and haven't seen "The Book of Mormon," please, please, please do so. It's incredibly heart warming and not at all anti-religion. Don't believe me? Read this review.

Recreate my look:
Worthington skirt, top via Crossroads (similar here and here and here), Target belt and shoes (similar),
J.Crew tote (similar here and here), Old Navy cuffs (similar), Stella & Dot earrings, OPI Samoan Sand

Crush of the Month - Late Afternoon

While I know how much I am inspired by the many, many fashion bloggers who I visit every day, you might not. So, I've decided to showcase one stylish fashionista per month to broaden your scope of inspiration and increase their influence, because they deserve it! My next installment of this series (see the others here, here, and here), in giving credit where credit is due, is about Liz Cherkasova of Late Afternoon.

Liz previously did styling at Chictopia, shopruche.com, and Nastygal and is currently merchandising with Supermuse (an online retailer); therefore, she can put together quite the ensemble. Through her creations, because she is making something out of nothing, I have realized there are many patterns, textures, and colors that go together that I never thought of! She seamlessly transitions between girlie, glam, and rocker chic. Also, there is nary a simple pump or flat in her shoe closet and the incorporation of unexpected and edgy booties or strappy sandals is what makes her looks unique. This girl is the epitome of what I would consider southern California style.

To you, Liz!

All images from Late Afternoon

Crisp

Nothin' more crisp, clean, and fresh than bright white. Here's to summer!

Recreate my look:
Worthington blazer, Rachel by Rachel Roy blouse, NY & Co jeans (similar), Bacio 61 sandals (similar), Max Mara purse via Crossroads (similar), Francesca's scarf, silver cuff

To The Brim

Recreate my look:
XXI pants (similar here and here) and sweater (similar), vest from Crossroads (similar), Gap wide brim hat (similar), Stella & Dot necklace (on sale!) and earrings, Steve Madden booties (similar), Longchamp tote

The Opposite Of

I went through a few different titles for this blog post, all of which were words I have never used to describe myself - unfussy, low maintenance, simple, etc. I know that for some of you a silk blouse, four inch heels, statement earrings, tuxedo blazer, and a beaded purse are the opposite of the words mentioned; however, this outfit is plain in comparison to the multiple accessories & layers, at least one pattern, red lipstick, or a belt around the waist that's part of my everyday. Ya gotta step outside the comfort zone every once in a while - maybe I'll even wear a plain tee in the next post! 

Jennifer Lopez for Kohl's tuxedo blazer (similar), Equipment blouse (similar), Gap jeans (similar), Calvin Klein sandals, XXI earrings (similar) and purse (similar)

Insane

A seemingly insane mix of prints outside a previous "insane asylum" before eating an insanely good meal.

Note: I only used the words "insane asylum" to describe a psychiatric hospital to stick with the theme. This term is not appropriate nor encouraged to discuss individuals with mental illnesses or their treatment. Additionally, psychiatric hospitals in this form do not exist anymore for many reasons. Educate yourself. 

Prabal Gurung x Target skirt and blouse, NY & Co jacket, Calvin Klein sandals, Nars Heat Wave lipstick

Pure Michigan

Over Memorial Day weekend, Dan and I took a road trip up to Traverse City for a change of pace from the city life. We went to five vineyards, one cidery, one brewery, had meals on the 45th parallel and in an old psychiatric hospital, brought home 12 bottles of alcohol, and relaxed our asses off. We didn't make it to Sleeping Bear Dunes because it was over an hour from downtown, but the rest of our plans came together swimmingly. 

Remember, our plans?

After leaving downtown Chicago at 2:30pm and stopping at a Chili's (our second favorite suburban chain) as well as losing an hour, we arrived at our destination - the AmericInn (how patriotic) at 10pm. While we had initial goals of hitting up a bar on Front St., we passed out within an hour. The next morning, we were ready to start our day up the east arm of Traverse Bay. First, we needed breakfast at a French cafe where we filled our bellies with strong coffee, eggs, and beignets.

We were very excited to hit up our first drinking spot, obviously. Black Star Farms - Old Mission is the smaller of two tasting rooms for this winery. While the seven red & whites we tasted were all good, we were surprised by how much we (chardonnay non-enthusiasts) enjoyed the Barrel Aged Chardonnay, so we took one home!

Do you know what this is called? A bunghole, and it's how wine is removed from the barrel. I already despised Beavis & Butthead, but now knowing that they disgraced the vessel for my favorite beverage? I hate 'em.

The second winery we came upon was 2 Lads - the most contemporarily designed of all of them. We tasted each varietal and ended up with a wicked awesome sparkling Pinot Grigio and our first full view of the bay.

Anthropologie jacket, similar dress, denim shirt, similar booties, Stella & Dot purse, Tory Burch sunglasses

Chauteau Chantal is the biggest winery we visited. It's a restaurant, tasting room, and bed & breakfast and boasts the best views of Traverse City. While the view was breathtaking, most of the wines left something to be desired, but that doesn't mean we didn't enjoy a glass on the rooftop terrace.

 

The final winery of the day and where we spent the most time was Bowers Harbor Vineyard. It was our favorite for many reasons:

1. They played music. What is with TC and no music in social settings?

2. They name their wines after their house dogs and the most recent, a Bernese Mountain Dog named Brix, is adorable, playful, and very outgoing.

3. They served their tastings in towers.

4. They had the most complex red we drank all day - the Cabernet Franc, which isn't available on their website, so I'm happy we purchased it!

Next up? We indulged Dan's taste buds at Right Brain Brewery with heavy tasting pours of some local brews, which included an asparagus ale and a wheat beer named "Rumple Smooth Skin," which played to the part of me that loves 90s rap. This put us in the downtown area and therefore, we were able to hit up a local bar for burritos and to watch the Blackhawks beat the Red Wings - hence the not-so-nice note my fiancé left on our receipt...

On to day two of our shenanigans...

We headed up the west arm of the bay aka Leelanau Penninsula, which included twenty miles of this view. Not bad, eh? Our first stop was at the 45th Parallel Cafe in Suttons Bay. There is no photographic evidence of our skillets, cherry pancakes, or biscuits & gravy because we were too hungry and it tasted too good!

After we over indulged at brunch (typical), we went to Tandem Ciders and immediately found our favorite - Early Day. It's dry and bubbly and oh so refreshing. We walked around the grounds with a bottle in hand avoiding bees and enjoying the sunshine.

The last vineyard on our list was Forty-Five North. Even though there were quite a few sweet wines during the tasting (no, thank you), we walked out with the best rose I've ever tasted.

With still full bellies and slight fuzzy heads, we returned to our hotel and relaxed the late hours of the afternoon away before getting ready for a night on the town. After opening a bottle of Bowers Harbor Red, an easy drinking blend, we were ready for dinner at one of Mario Batali's favorite restaurants...

Trattoria Stella was everything we expected and more. Most notably, it's located in the basement of a regional psychiatric institution that was open from 1885-1989. As a mental health counselor, I was incredibly interested in the history and the host provided us with a few books with pictures and the greenskeeper's autobiography. 

For dinner, we had a robust, tannic cabernet sauvignon (much needed after lighter blends all weekend), a cheese board with homemade crackers & jam, and a Kobe beef entree. Our choices were recommended by our waiter who was incredibly knowledgeable and we trusted his opinions immediately.

Our night on the town turned out to be one bar and one drink post dinner before returning to the hotel, our pajamas, and the rest of our wine. Like I said, the theme of the weekend was comfort, calm, and quiet. 

I hope you enjoyed our adventure as I certainly enjoyed reliving it and sharing it with you!