Spring Color + Summer Whites

I mentioned recently on my Instagram that last spring, I was just starting to seek out color in parts of my wardrobe that I may not have before. I've always been primarily a neutrals person; never a total stranger to color or a good pattern, but it did take some trial and error to make color as easy for me. These days, I notice myself reaching for colorful items first, especially bags and tops. In that post I was even wearing a robin's egg blue blazer set sent to me by New York & Company, which goes to show just how comfortable I am on that spectrum now.

This look doesn't go quite that far, but I was so pleased with how color fit into it. I found this bright, sporty baguette at Target completely on a whim. I was only taking a minute to scan through their apparent sea of handbags, but there was no hesitation when this one caught my eye. I loved it even more next to my seafoam green, abstract lines manicure -- my nails are another area where I've been diving into color. From there, it was easy to add a sporty sandal like this pair inspired by Bottega Veneta, and a bit of early 'summer whites' action to bring it all together.

What I'm Wearing

Missguided beige blazer / white racerback tank, white high waist jeans: Old Navy / Target nylon baguette bag (sold out, similar here) / lock and key necklace, mesh stretch sandals: Shein

St Croix Photo Diary III • 03/21-03/27 2021

Good morning, friends! If you're an o.g. follower of Couturing: first of all, I truly appreciate you. Secondly, you're probably familiar, at this point, with the photo-style travel diaries I share of my visits to beautiful St. Croix, USVI. However, if you're not an o.g., and this is news to you, then I definitely recommend checking out the first two installments of my travel diaries; I've linked them here and here.

This trip was markedly different from the others, as it was my first (and hopefully only) to occur during a pandemic. All things considered, I had no intentions of traveling during this time. However, life in this moment has hit everyone differently and even at different times. So to be short, when the state of the world hit me a certain way, I knew I needed a break and to go see my family.

💜

I've been looking forward to sharing my experience with you for a few weeks now, so I hope you enjoy!

lunch at The Fred

downtown Christiansted + St George Village Botanical Gardens

Point Udall (the eastern-most point of the US) + lunch at Rise Caribbean

Sandy Point + farmer's market

What I'm Wearing This Spring + Summer

Happy Wednesday, friends, and happy belated spring. As the weather turns, I’ve been finding it harder to moderate my excitement for warm weather activities. Highest on my list has to be bike riding. I can’t believe I only got around to it just once last year, but this year I’m trying to take as much advantage as I can. Just remind me to actually get a bike rack for my car (I know, haha). Another of my favorite outdoor activities I look forward to this season is picnicking. Just being outdoors, somewhere spacious and green is a simple pleasure, but there’s nothing like adding some bread and marinated mozzarella...maybe a little rosé to the mix, right?

Beyond my little spring daydreams, I’ve had ideas floating around in my head about what my wardrobe will look like for these sunny activities. Here are my top three, so far:

1. Puff Sleeve Tops

If you can’t tell by this post (or some of my favorite prior Femme Luxe looks, like this or this), tasteful puff sleeve tops have become a total go-to in my wardrobe. It’s a criminally easy way to make any outfit more feminine; plus there are truly so many ways to do this style—long or short-sleeved, sheer or solid, cropped or full length—and none get too hot in warm weather. I speak from experience, in fact, since these photos were taken in St Croix, USVI a couple of weeks ago.

2. Corset Tops

I probably did enough waxing poetic in my last post about how much I’m loving the current spate of the corset tops trend. Buuut in case you were wondering, they do pair just as well with items other than joggers. I think I’d love to wear them next with a fun plaid shacket and a pair of shredded denim shorts, like these:

Isabella Oversized Plaid Shacket             Jovita Distressed High Waisted Shorts

3. Athleisure/Loungewear Sets

I can’t tell what it says about me that loungewear has landed in the top three for my spring wardrobe, but hear me out. My most important reason is that I will still be staying home more often than not this spring. While I am vaccinated, and I hope you are or will also be, dear reader, I understand that there’s a ways to go before it's safe to be frequently out around others. So what does that mean for my wardrobe? Well...I will definitely still be wearing sweats most of the time. Like I’ve been practically living in these grey loungewear sets, easily pairing them with a couple gold necklaces and a colorful bag when I do have to go out. So I've learned about myself, during this lockdown, that if I'm going to be home all the time, I want to like what I'm wearing. I still want to feel cute. And since I’ve been feeling that way in my loungewear from Femme Luxe, I had to include them.

What I'm Wearing

puff sleeve top c/o Femme Luxe / H&M palm leaf print pants (sold out, similar here) / lace-up sandals: Etsy / Shein croc mini satchel / cat eye sunglasses c/o Mulberry and Grand

This post is sponsored by Femme Luxe.

Spring 2021 Athleisure feat. Femme Luxe

I have to say, I love that in 2021, athleisure is still going hard. It's fitting, of course, seeing as we (in the United States) have spent the last year in various lockdowns. But I mean it; I've spent more time in the past year discovering just how many ways you can style a pair of joggers than I think I ever have. Thus far I've paired them with blazers, bodysuits, and crop tops, but this corset look takes the cake as my favorite. I love that it gives some structure and pumps up the sportiness in an otherwise very relaxed look. That's the kind of energy I want to bring into Spring 2021, which begins in just a few weeks.

Another of my favorite sporty pairings is this ice blue mini bag with my Fenty x Puma Mid Geo trainers. Mini handbags have been on trend for a while now (shoutout to Jacquemus), but as the seasons change I find myself glomming on to more colorful ones like this to add some life to my outfits. Aaand...it helps that the bag matches the blue 'Puma' detail on my sneakers.

Aside from this spring's trends, I've been thinking about how the tides of everyday fashion have turned over the past year. I think I speak for everyone when I say that proper loungewear has become a total mainstay in my life, and I'm not complaining. Spending so much more time at home, including socializing and working for many of us, has emphasized the need for "at home" clothes to feel a bit more real and a bit less like "my oversized t-shirt from the past two nights".

This time last year, as we entered into spring and into the pandemic, I wrote about how continuing to get dressed at home can help create a sense of normalcy in utterly abnormal times (click through to read).

I'm glad that I can still stand by those feelings, and only hope now that the reminder will be a bit less relevant this time next year.

What I'm Wearing

hook and eye corset crop top, cuffed joggers c/o Femme Luxe / carabiner chunky chain necklace: Calico / Fenty Puma Mid Geo trainers / ice blue mini bag: Shein

This post is sponsored by Femme Luxe.

Lazy Sunday feat. Mulberry & Grand

How is your fall, so far? I think the part I've been enjoying the most this week is messing around in my closet, coming up with transitional summer-to-fall looks. I don't know if it's the love I have for clothes or just spending more time indoors, but I feel like I have at least five outfits ready to go for each item I own. This look is actually one of my go-tos this season. This blazer goes with literally eeeverything, and the tonal jewelry from Mulberry & Grand pulls the outfit together so perfectly.

The inspiration from this look is truly any man in the late 80s or early 90s, but more directly from some real throwback television I was watching recently, Degrassi High. (Any other Degrassi fans reading?) One of the show's characters, Alex, had a look which probably falls under "90s dad fashion" today: a leisure blazer over a pair of denim cutoffs or jeans. I gave it a little modernizing, and a little more of a feminine touch, but consider the cap-and-blazer look to be a true ode to that inspiration.

Are you following me on Instagram?

Follow me at @couturing_ for more transitional outfit ideas!

What I'm Wearing

tortoise and gold bangle, gold hammered ring c/o Mulberry and Grand / Missguided oversized blazer (avail. in petite and tall; similar here) / New Look straight leg jeans (sold out, similar here): ASOS / PrettyLittleThing basic strappy mules / Aerie Lazy Sunday cap

photos: Jose Flores