a lovely living

One of the biggest challenges I find as a blogger/influencer is the constant need to be sharing new styles. I do love seeking out new pieces and shopping has always been a favorite past-time of mine, but I also enjoy wearing things that have been in my closet for a while. The down-side of that is that I’m not always able to share exact pieces for you to be able to shop. My goal when I do that however, is to 1) help you to consider digging into your own closet so see what may be in there and 2) find similar items for you to shop, should you have the need or desire. I’m coming to really appreciate stores that continue to sell the same timeless pieces season after season. Places like Everlane, JCrew and Madewell to name a few are known to carry the same popular items, making it easy for me to style and re-style items that you’d also be able to purchase at any time. Also, chances are that if you’ve been following me for some time, you may actually have a closet that resembles mine and be able to pull together most of my looks!

To create this look, I pulled out my JCrew overalls that fall in between overalls and a jumpsuit. I’ve gathered a number of options below that would allow you to pull something similar together for yourself. The ruffled blouse is an old one from Loft, but luckily an almost identical version is available in the prettiest lavender! I threw on my Everlane flats which are a dream shoe for Spring weather, as well as my JCrew sunglasses which are proving to be universally flattering. This outfit is one I would have worn years ago and hopefully years ahead without battling any trends.

Details: Overalls (old, see below for options) / Shirt (similar) / Coat (see options below) / Sunglasses / Shoes

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With all of the illness going around, I’m sure happy to see that Friday is here! The kids’ school was actually closed for a couple of days this week due to the excessive amount of kids and staff that were absent. I’m hoping everyone is rounding a corner soon!!

Yesterday I had a return to make at Aerie, and since we had time to spare I quickly tried on a few things that were catching my eye. Yes, I had all three kids along with me, but they fortunately found ways to entertain themselves. Mainly with sunglasses ;) You can scroll below for some of that hilariousness!

This beautiful, striped sweater was the first thing that I saw when I walked into the store. Cropped, bright and screaming to be paired with white denim! I’m wearing a small here, it runs TTS.

Jack wanted to try his hand at photography ;)

Oh, this shirt! When a great tunic shirt comes around (which is rare) I don’t hesitate. I found a blue striped shirt dress, similar to this at the beach last year and absolutely love it. This one comes in two striped options, white and a chambray. I bought this striped option but feel like I may need more! Belt it, layer it or wear it as a swim cover up. So many options with this one! I’m wearing the xs here.

Here it is in white. It’s 100% cotton which gives it a nice structure and weight to it.

If you don’t have one (or half a dozen) Aerie sweatshirts, you might be missing out. The quarter zip style seems to be my favorite and when I saw it in lilac, I knew it was meant for me. I’m wearing a size small.

Here’s another similar sweatshirt with a little color blocking, by AE.

And because it’s hard to pass up animal print, I had to try this one. This particular sweatshirt runs larger than the other on me. I have on a small, but would have preferred the xs.

I loved the fit of these chambray pants which would be so cute for summer! I only wish they weren’t distressed as it didn’t feel necessary to me. Wearing the small and I’d say they run TTS.

Apparently we still have a few years until we share clothes, lol!

Never dull.

Gosh I love them.

Although the person who got stuck re-organizing the sunglasses rack most likely doesn’t!

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I don’t know about you guys, but as March approaches, I always get the itch to play around with Spring jackets. Our weather here is rarely ready for Spring until April, but I’m personally ready to break free of the wool and puffer coats. Similar to the way I’ll layer on sweaters when it’s 60 degrees in September! Since I’ve been throwing some lighter-weight jackets in my carts here and there, I figured you may be doing the same (and if not, just humor me). The nice thing about many of these is that they allow you to layer under them as needed. I’ll be honest with you, the more I dug around the more I found that I loved! I suppose that’s a good problem to have ;)

Hope you all had a great weekend! The kids are off school today, my 10 yo is in bed with a fever and my girls are doing their best to stay occupied. It’s one of those, play, play, play, argue, play, play, play argue deals ;) Then there’s me trying to sanitize, wash sheets and squeeze in a little work. We did have a great weekend however, which I’m thankful for!

It’s a little premature to be wearing white loafers, but I was all too excited to break them in. I’ve been growing in my love for loafers lately because I love how simple, chic and classy they are. Totally brings out the preppy in me. I’m planning in my head all the ways that I can pair them with white blouses which is pretty much fail-proof. I grabbed this eyelet shirt yesterday and although this particular one is almost sold out, any white eyelet top would do (don’t worry, I gathered some for you below). It also wasn’t warm enough to go with a blazer alone (which by the way is awesome and marked down), which is why I layered my coat overtop. Soon enough ;)

Details: Coat / Blazer / Shirt / Denim (see similar below) / Loafers / Sunglasses / Earrings (similar)

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Happy Valentine’s Day, friends! We are typically a low key Valentine’s household. I have baskets of little treats for the kids, we started the morning with donuts and Jack and I are planning on a brunch while the kids are in school. Chances are very good that we’ll be cuddled up with a movie come 8pm and that sounds like a dream <3

In true Loft style, they’re celebrating today with 40% off most full-price styles with code LOVEU. I got sucked in by all the pastels last weekend which is no surprise for me! I’ll do my best to note sizing for reference. I fall between a xs/s in tops and 0/2 in bottoms at Loft and am 5′ 7″. Here’s a look at everything I tried…

These pants were something my mom definitely had in her closet, and I loved them. Practical for work or play they could be a pretty versatile piece. In most Loft pants I size down one (to a 0), which was the case here.

I adored both the color and ruffle details on this lovely top. It has a cropped fit so it looked cute un-tucked or with the slightest front-tuck into high-waisted pants. I’m in the xs.

The ruffles don’t stop there. This coral top was so comfy and cute at the same time. I had on a S here.

I also tried it on in this blue stripe in a size xs to compare and I think I prefer the looser fit of the S.

Yep, more ruffles! I couldn’t pass this light mint top up! Light-weight and slightly sheer, but I didn’t have any problem with a nude bra. Wearing the xs.

I really liked this henly top. It’s bit of a thicker material and a nice basic to have on hand. It’s the type of top you like to have in your closet to wear under all your cute, light-weight jackets. I’m wearing the S.

Such a sweet top! What’s better than peplum and polka dots?! Wearing the xs.

I really wanted to love these skinny utility pants and if you have a good fit in Loft pants typically, then you’ll love these! The problem I often have with their pants…

…is that they gap in the rear. I was in the 2 and if I sized down the legs would have been way too tight. Such a bummer, because they are such a good pant otherwise!

Super cute anorak with a flattering shape to it and a drawstring waist. Wearing the xs.

If you want a great spring top that you’ll be able to wear with just about anything (but it’s nowhere near your boring old basic top), this is it! Beautiful details and a snap closure to hold things in place.

They didn’t have an xs for me to compare, but I think the s was a great fit here.

More mint and a duster that I couldn’t pass up. So perfect for spring as a comfy yet cute layer to throw on. Again, they didn’t have an xs, but I liked the fit of the s.

The best fitting room attendant <3

Many of you know my love for my Everlane. It was just about a year ago that I first began purchasing from them and the handful of items I now own have become staples in my closet. If you aren’t familiar with Everlane, they focus on making ethically made clothing with exceptional quality at fair prices. They do their best to create classic pieces that will remain in your closet for years to come and won’t get overlooked as the next trend rolls around. Although I do play around with certain trends (because it’s sort of my job), I’d say that my style is for the most part, classic. And I’ve found that the pieces I’ve ordered from Everlane last year, work just as well this year and will continue to be pieces I reach for, for years to come.

Today I wanted to share my Top 5 Everlane favorites with you and let you know why I love them so much.

1. Wide Leg Cropped Pants

These pants were one of the first things that I ordered from Everlane and darned if they aren’t the most worn. I cannot speak highly enough of these wide leg cropped pants. They are flattering on all shapes and sizes and although they have a decent weight to them, they have that broken in feel right out of the package. They come in short and regular lengths and half a dozen colors to choose from.

I’ve shared them numerous times here on the blog through just about every season, but they shine during Spring and Fall. Overall they do run TTS, but they have some give allowing you to size down if you waver between sizes.

2. The Modern Babo

The more I wear this shoe, the more I love it. This flat is so classic, versatile and chic at the same time. They come in black or this ‘blush’ which reads more of a nude than pink and works with so much of my wardrobe. The quality is outstanding, made of Italian leather and I love that they can be worn as a loafer or as a slide thanks to the collapsable heel. I would say these do run TTS although slightly narrow which works well if you have narrow feet as I do. Otherwise, I’d probably recommend that you size up.

3. Authentic Stretch High-Rise Skinny

These jeans were also a part of my very first order and my gosh, do I love them. They are so comfortable with the perfect amount of stretch. I didn’t realize how much I’d appreciate the ‘washed black’ but it works so well with so much of my wardrobe and I reach for them over my solid black jeans more often than not. They run TTS for me, I’m in the size 26.

4. ReNew Channeled Liner

I ordered this jacket this past fall and quickly ran out of time to wear it as the temperatures rapidly dropped. It’s light-weight and perfect for fall and spring here in PA and I can’t wait to dig it out again. The collarless style is so chic but also makes it easy to layer under another heavy weight coat. It comes in a bunch of beautiful color options (I was considering the ‘bone’ as well), but it does run large. I’m typically an xs/s and went with the xxs as was recommended to me by someone else, and I’m glad I did.

5. Straight Leg Crop

These pants are basically the same pant as the wide leg crop, except they have a straight leg. I love having them as another option, but in all honesty, I end up reaching for the wide legs because they’re just more fun! But if you want something a little more simple, then these are your pants! The same great quality and even more color options, there’s a reason they have nearly 5 stars and over 3,000 reviews!

I always have a running Everlane wishlist in my mind and I love hearing what you’re loving as well, so be sure to share! I love the classic look of their anorak, I just can’t narrow down a color! I’m planning to try their new leggings soon, so I’ll keep you posted on those. And have you seen their 40-hour flats? Now that would be a test I’m not willing to take ;)

Hi guys! For those of you that follow along on Instagram, chances are you’ve seen me sharing this leopard sweatshirt, because I’ve been wearing it a whole lot. It’s one of those pieces you’re so happy to reach for because it’ll go from dress up to dress down and add a punch to any outfit! I grabbed the size small which is the perfect fit for me.

My other new favorite go-to? This MZ Wallace bag. Oh my goodness guys. I was back and forth as to what I was really looking for (an everyday bag that could be tossed around in my car, err van rather, and would hold my basics of wallet, keys, phone etc). I’ve been drawn to the MZ Wallace bags for a while, but I couldn’t figure out if I wanted a tote or this cute Sutton style. Ultimately I ended up going with the Sutton as I really liked the shape and overall look. I think the hooks give it a classy edge that allows me to pair it with outfits like I am here as opposed to a tote which leans a little more casual. The part I hadn’t paid much attention to but have been loving, is the fact that it has a strap which allows it to be converted into a crossbody bag. Then there was the issue of what color to I narrow it down to?! If you start to browse, so you’ll find endless options, but I landed on a neutral gray that will work with most all of my day to day outfits. This bag was a splurge for me, but this is a place I’m willing to invest a little more. I don’t buy bags frequently, and when I do, it’s one I’ve thought out and know I’m going to use for years to come. I’m thrilled with my bag so far and know there will likely be another MZ Wallace purchase somewhere down the road! As a side note, their site does offer 15% off your first order, so keep that in mind ;)

Details: Coat (see similar below) / Sweatshirt / Pants (similar) / Bag / Sunglasses / Bootie (similar)

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Am I the only one feeling like this is the third Monday in a row this week?! Maybe I’ll actually get caught up on life today. Maybe. I think our weather is just as confused as I am lately. We’ve been bouncing between 30 and 50 degree weather, keeping us all on our toes with how we dress. I recently grabbed this quilted puffer when it got marked down and realized that this is really the best time to grab pieces like this. Despite the fact that we only have a month or two left of relatively cold weather, a good coat is one you’ll be glad you have in your closet for years to come. Although this one is sold out at the moment, it’s been restocked a few times, so you can check back. However, I also spent some time digging and found a handful of other options (most all of which are marked down) that I love just as much. You can check them out here:

Details: Coat (see similar below) / Sweater (similar here) / Jeans (similar) / Boots (similar) / Sunglasses

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Hey guys! I hope you all had a great weekend! Ours was packed with birthday parties, kids sports and Super Bowl festivities. We hosted some friends for the game, had a great time and kept our kids up way past bedtime…my apologies to their teachers! I had other plans in mind on here today, but being that I ran out of time and the fact that JCrew has been offering some great sales lately, I wanted to share with you some of my current picks. I included a few things from the kids department as well which is all a part of their 40% off tops, shirts and sweaters promo. You’ve seen me sharing this sweatshirt on Instagram which I adore and highly recommend and will certainly be styling for you on here sometime soon!