Night Out Fashion – Blondie Birdie

Good Morning, everyone!

I’m so beyond grateful it’s Friday. It’s been such a busy week- with work, post-office plans nearly every day, trying to find the perfect Mother’s Day gift before this coming Sunday- and squeezing in enough time for the gym and getting enough sleep to function like a relatively normal person. Although tonight is my bi-weekly family dinner with my mom, brothers, sister-in-laws and niece- I have to admit I’m looking forward to just being able to relax and sleep a little late tomorrow morning. I need it!

Earlier this week I had dinner arrangements with friends at The Local in Wellesley (one of my favorite towns in the Greater Boston area!) and thought it was just as good a time as any to break out an oldie but a goody party dress I’ve had since my early-to-mid twenties so that I could match the blossoming trees along Wellesley’s main street/historic district.

This lightweight, cotton dress with detailed embroidery and a floral print is the most beautiful shades of sky blue and pastel pink- and hits a little ways above the knee- making it easy to wear to both my office (with a modest button-up cardigan over it) and out with friends where I can expose some shoulder.

Wearing heels with this dress, however- can make it look entirely too short. Instead, I paired it with my pastel pink flats (which have made an appearance in some past OOTDs!) to stay comfortable and keep from exposing a little too much to those who were enjoying the late Spring afternoon/evening around the town.

And for my makeup- some shimmery pink eye shadow and lip balm was all I needed to keep things in a light, pretty and seasonal state.

I have a similar dress in a different pattern that I feel is more Summery given the colors- so I’m sure that will be making an appearance on the blog at some point after Memorial Day!

But I’m off to finish up some work for the week and get ready to catch up with my family tonight. I’ll be back on Monday- and in the meantime- I hope all the moms out there from all corners of the Earth and all walks of life have a truly beautiful Mother’s Day: filled with your favorite foods, maybe a little wine, some quiet time- and lots of pampering. You earned it!

I’ll be spending Mother’s Day with my own Mama- where we have brunch and some shopping plans in mind- so I’m hoping the nice weather holds up so we can spend more time outdoors.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

– Ashley –

Good Morning and Happy Friday, everyone! I’m still adjusting to being back on the East Coast- but not too much- since I’m leaving for Vegas at the end of next week! I don’t think I even need to fully unpack my suitcase at this point, but we’ll see!

While I was in San Diego a few days ago- I took some time to doll myself up for a planned birthday dinner one of my dearest friends (and numero uno West Coast man-crush) had planned for me prior to his falling ill to some weird stomach bug that was apparently going around the area. I’ve successfully managed to dodge catching it on both coasts now since it was running rampant around here before my departure, as well.

I’m just attributing my seemingly being immune to it on my ability to just sort of fly away from it on a whim. Those airline miles really came in handy for that!

Anyway, I wanted to wear something that could be easily mixed/matched and accessorized with- that had a touch of femininity without being too frilly- and that accentuated my legs since I can’t exactly where high hemlines in Boston this time of year and I really wanted to embrace the SoCal temperatures by showing some skin.

What I found was this adorable black and white number that was fitted just right. It hugged my curves in all the right places.

This ensemble is actually a combination of two pieces: a white cotton crop-top and the black and white, long-sleeved wrap-dress with ruffled detail that tied over everything. Paired with my patent leather black Steve Madden heels- I’d like to think I looked like a combination of “Bad Ass Boss Bitch” and “Sultry Minx”- but that may have been just me who thought so.

What’s great about this outfit is that it can easily be transformed from proper date night wear to professional/business attire with little to no effort at all. Putting on some black tights or trousers instead of going bare-legged makes all the difference- and I feel that I’m bold enough to wear this to my office on any given day and still be taken seriously. It’s all about the details- and I love the ruffles so, so much!

And despite the fact that this outfit saw Downtown San Diego for approximately 15 minutes before things took a turn for the chaotic- I felt super confident (and comfortable!) in it. I gave my eyes a bit of a dramatic pop with some black liner and a couple of layers of black, lengthening mascara- but my lips stayed rose/pink and matte.

As tempting as a bright red gloss sounded- I wanted to keep the dress as the focal point of this outfit- and I felt red would have distracted from it a little too much.

I’m looking forward to cashing in my dinner rain check with this outfit the next time I’m in Southern California. Maybe I’ll wear even higher heels next time, too!

Tonight I’m having a (Belated) Birthday Dinner with my family- and this weekend I’ll be catching up with some friends I haven’t had the time to see since I got back- but next week I’ll be sharing some of my favorite things from this past month, talking about my trip and memorable parts of January overall- and sharing a Super Bowl appropriate recipe right before I make another journey out West and catch the game. Go Pats!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

– Ashley –

Tag: Night Out Fashion

OOTD: In Bloom

OOTD: Birthday (Dress) Suit