The Perfect Summer Top | J. Jill Linen Button Down

31 weeks down down, 9 weeks to go. Isn't that crazy?! Part of me wonders where all the time has gone and part of me feels like the third trimester may quickly wear out its welcome. I tried on four different outfits before work this morning before I found something that was both comfortable (a main goal of mine) and presentable...AKA my morning routine takes a lot more time than it used to. For most of my pregnancy, I was able to wear some of my regular, looser fitting shirts with maternity jeans. These days, many of them no longer work so I have been spending a lot of time in dresses (this is one of my favorites) but with our recent string of chillier rainy days, I opted for white jeans to keep the Summer vibes alive and this amazing linen button down. You guys, my new favorite shirt!

I was so excited when I put it on because it's a long length, non-maternity (which means it will be perfect post-baby) and since it's linen, it's super lightweight. It has side vents too so I think this will be one of my go-to tops to beat the heat when I'm feeling super preggo towards the end of June ;) Things are getting very real lately, friends...my body has changed a lot and so has our second bedroom, which is now almost fully transformed into the little man's nursery...stay tuned for photos of the progress next week!

SHOP THE LOOK:

Wearing:
Top: c/o J. Jill Jeans: Jessica Simpson (similar) Shoes: c/o Sole Society (similar) Purse: Express Jean Jacket: Forever 21 (similar) Lemon Cup: Kate Spade via Shopbop Sunnies: LOFT Flowers: Mariano's

Ivy Walls & Overalls

These pictures combine two of my favorite things when taking Fall photos: ivy walls and overalls. It really doesn't get more seasonal then this, so when myself and Kaitlyn stumbled upon this location in Geneva, it was blogger love at first site. I actually drove by it five days later and all the leafs had fallen down. Clearly these photos were meant to be! 

I have discussed in the past my overall obsession, and this pair just makes me love them more. I am a huge fan of all black outfit pairings, so when I was gifted this beautiful top from Style & Co, I thought it would be a great addition to break up the all black look I had planned to wear. I love the gray stripes, so I decided to use that color to pull more gray into my outfit by adding these heels. I also used the maroon stripe to inspire my sunglasses pairing. Sometime inspiration comes from one article of clothing and this time around it was all about this top!

Shop the look:

Top: c/o Style & CO // Overalls: AG Jeans // Bag & Heels: JustFab // Sunglasses: Kate Spade // Watch: Fossil // Teal Ring: House of Harlow 1960 // Large Ring: c/o Park Lane Jewelry // Hat: c/o Sole Society

Are you a fan of overalls? What do you think of the ivy wall we found? Swoon worthy, right?

A French Connection

The second I got dressed in this outfit, I felt like I should be walking the streets of Pairs, not the suburbs of Chicago ;) We all know about my love for stripes (seen here, here and here) but what I DIDN'T know is, what actually makes a striped shirt feel so french? 

The striped shirt was originally a naval sailor’s uniform, designed to help distinguish the sailors from the waves so you could find them more easily when they fell overboard. At the time, all the French navy hailed from Brittany, so the shirt was named the “Breton” shirt and displayed 21 stripes – one for each of Napoleon’s victories against the British.

Did you guys know this backstory? I love how the number of stripes represented each success and it's pretty cool how this staple has pretty much remained unchanged over the years...how you wear it is up to you, but this Parisian classic will never go out of style ;)

Speaking of my love for stripes, a quick letter to my sister-in-law...

Dear, Lisa: I have fallen in love with your striped turtleneck so if it doesn't make it back into your swap bag, please understand -- I've decided to keep it until further notice :) No, but seriously...this is one of those pieces that goes with EVERYTHING. The same weekend as these photos were taken, I also wore it with distressed skinnies and coral flats -- dress it up or down, tuck it in or not...either way, it's a must-have. Fine, I get it...you want your shirt back. Makes sense. I never had a sister growing up but I heard trading clothes for keeps is a real thing...Just saying

Okay, I can tell this is going to be harder than I thought so I started searching for a similar piece to add to my closet. 

Here are a few I have my eye on:

Wearing:
Top: Loft (old but very similar here) Jeans: Shopbop - My FAVORITE flares! Hat: Target (I love this similar one for Spring - It's on sale for under $20!) Bag: Kate Spade (Also need this red one in my life) Booties: Just Fab Sunnies: Old Navy Lipstick: Glominerals

The Vest Intentions

I'm not a huge fan of dusting unless it’s in the form of a long vest that almost sweeps the floor. A sheer white blouse and strappy sandals are a classic combination that never goes out of style but add a geometric sleeveless vest and it instantly becomes just a little more chic. 

I feel like the entire outfit changed once I added the vest and that's what I love most...one simple piece can change how you present yourself both in your appearance and confidence. With this piece in tow, I felt a little more put together and ready to go from the office to an event, namely the T+JDesigns Fall look book party, held at the gorgeous home of interior designer, Donna Hall.

Residing in the suburbs, we don't always make it to the city events...working full time followed by sitting in traffic for 2+ hours gets rather tiring (though it slightly improves with the help of Uber!), but when we do make it out, it's always so wonderful to catch up with our fellow blogging ladies. If you haven't checked out T+J in awhile, you don't want to miss their new arrivals...there may or may not be a coat that Lisa and I were actually drooling over (stay tuned!) Lisa also walked out with this 3 piece set...to die.

Vest: Forever 21 (Love this one too!) Blouse: JC Penney Jeans: Old Navy (Similar) Shoes: ASOS Bag: Shoplately (Similar for $30!) Lip color: Kate Spade Watch: c/o Aibi What do you think of the long vest trend? 

All that Glitters

When it came to choosing my dress choice for hosting a very special bridal shower, I put a bow on it. I tried on an endless stream of beautiful dresses at our Rent the Runway appointment and then last minute, I spotted this pretty in pink beauty out of the corner of my eye. We were taking a few more shots of the beautiful store décor when I asked our stylist if I could try on a few more (Yep, just me and Dr. Seuss, here!)

I’m not typically a ultra-feminine, pink-wearing, bow obsessed kind of girl…I usually like a little bit of “edge” whether it’s through menswear, sneakers or jewelry but I couldn’t resist the adorable factor of this dress. Especially after I saw the open back…gets me every single time. 

Oh, and the Kate Spade glitter clutch...I about died and went to heaven when my stylist Asia hung that on my arm. Kudos to her because I've never been sold on anything so fast in my life ;) 

Dress: Rent the Runway |  Clutch: Rent the Runway | Heels: DSW  (love the colored heel!) | Earrings: Forever 21

Bracelet: Francesca's | Rings: Rocksbox (use code sistersmariexoxo to get your first month free!)

Have you rented the runway? How was your experience? 

Taking a Masculine Turn for Spring

One of my favorite pairings is to take a super girly item, like this wrap dress, and style it with more masculine pieces. By adding a faux leather biker jacket and buckle boots it gave the look the perfect amount of edge I was looking for. Women's fashion is really taking a masculine turn for Spring and it's right up my ally. Most of us have been doing this for years, but this year it is super on trend. Which means finding (and shopping) for androgynous types of clothing items is going to be very easy. SCORE! ;)

I decided to continue the gold from my boots by adding two beautiful gold jewelry pieces from my most recent RocksBox shipment. Don't forget by using code "sadbblogxoxo," you can get your first 30 days for free! I finished the look off with my favorite neutral bag and was good to go for a night out with my handsome hubby.

Dress: Urban Outfitters // Jacket: Sheinside // Boots: c/o JustFab // Bag: c/o Sole Society // Necklace & Earrings: RocksBox (use code sadbblogxoxo to get your first month FREE!) // Sunglasses: Prada // Phone Case: Kate Spade 

I love this dress so much! It was perfect for my date night and just love the light gray color.

What do you think of this pairing?
Do you ever mix masculine items with girly ones to get an edgier look?