Short sleeve button downs

Lately I've been loving these blousy button down tops with a slim longer sleeve--pairing them with slim cropped pants or shorts for the weekend.   They're easy to wear, fulfill my art teacher chic sensibilities and bonus--are nursing and work/pumping friendly.  I've been hoarding these Ilana Kohn Darryl shirts like they're going out of style.  Simply perfect with the longer hem in the back (and her prints are to die for).

A basic chambray from Steven Alan

And these two are on my Madewell wishlist:  lovely stripes

And silk

What have you been loving this summer?

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

That is--it's Steven Alan sample sale time!  I love this twice yearly sale and was so excited to get early access.  There are ton of awesome deals on Steven Alan and some of my most favorite brands: Ace & Jig and Demylee.

You can purchase a $100 coupon for $70 on Refinery29 and get first dibs on all the sale goodies.  More info here.  And if you've not joined Refinery29 and would like to use my referral link so I can continue my addiction, click here.

Here are some of my favorite buys:

Ace and Jig turnaround top

Demylee Olivia dress

Demylee Hudson striped tee

Steven Alan Nora floral dress

Steven Alan sample sale

These twice yearly sample sales by Steven Alan are my favorite time of the year!  Today's the last day and a few more markdowns and new items have been added, so check it out!  Here are some of the basics I snagged on preview day...

Steven Alan Fall 2012 lookbook

Loving these looks from the Steven Alan Fall 2012 lookbook.  C'mon cooler weather!

Steven Alan fall arrivals

A few new fall arrivals from Steven Alan--I'm slowly getting excited about fall fashion!

What about you?

Steven Alan murphy skirt

The baseball print on this silk skirt by Steven Alan is so awesome.

Outfit details

Tee: Textile for E&J
Skirt: Steven Alan

Shoes: Matt Bernson

Accessories:vintage coral necklace

Steven Alan Danielle dress

Love black/white checked prints and am so happy that Steven Alan has sample sales!

Outfit details

Dress: Steven Alan

Shoes: Camper

Accessories: Jcrew locket

Jenny Bird bangle

Steven Alan sample sale

All week long, I've been impatiently waiting on my order from the Steven Alan sample sale to arrive.  I forked over some money for priority shipping and it was on target to arrive today.  However when I got home, instead of my highly anticipated package, there was the dreaded UPS "sorry we missed you" tag on the door.  DAGNABIT signature confirmation!  DAGNABIT ALL TO HECK!  (lol sorry, pretend cursing is funnier to me than regular cursing)

I'm just consoling myself with these pictures for now...(psst, the sale is on for another 3 hours--go check it out!)

Steven Alan Hannah

I kept kicking myself for missing out on Jcrew's souvenir dress and wasn't willing to pay overinflated ebay prices.  Thankfully, this little Steven Alan number came along via myhabit (a huge addiction of mine--sample sale prices with quick and free shipping and returns? yes please!). The Hannah is made of a lovely silk material and its casual shape is perfect for work and weekend shopping trips.  Take that overpriced Jcrew ebay goods!

Outfit details

Dress: Steven Alan

Shoes: Matt Bernson

Accessories:Jcrew locket

Steven Alan Spring 2012 lookbook

I am loving all the Spring 2012 lookbooks out now, especially this one from Steven Alan.  All the pieces look easy and comfortable to wear and the look is slightly retro but still retains classic lines so that you can wear each piece over and over again and not look dated.  Also--yay for most hemlines to the knee! 

Steven Alan Fairchild dress

My outfit from Saturday night when Sydney and I went to the Austin Fashion Awards, thanks to tickets from Michelle of 81 Poppies.  We got to see new Rory Beca and Wren collections as well as designs from other talented local designers during the fashion show.  It certainly was a glamorous event with a lot of people in cocktail or full evening dress.  I wanted to be comfortable (not have to fidget with my outfit or suck my stomach in the whole time) and my new Steven Alan dress certainly fit the bill. Also I just had to do my clog sandals again because my feet were done being abused.  I used to be in the camp of wearing killer shoes but then realized that they get taken off halfway through the night because of the excruciating pain so you might as well wear something good to your feet in the first place.  What do you think?  Comfort shoes or hot shoes, then barefoot like Britney Spears?

Outfit details

Dress: Steven Alan

Shoes: No. 6

Accessories: Hoss Intropia necklace

Vintage fox bracelet, Jcrew belt