(Wearing: Barbour Trevose Rain Coat c/o, also available here, and here in navy. And check out the great selection of Barbour that’s part of Tuckernuck’s Memorial Day Flash Sale!)
Nicole, Maya, Jess and I spent this past Wednesday in Geneva, Illinois, and had such a blast. I’m going to recap the whole trip on the blog in the next couple of days, but how cute is the above photo?! Thanks for a great time, bb Interiors!
My future sister-in-law, Kim, was accepted to PA school! I am so, so proud of her. When the word came through, the both families were in tears. I’m actually tearing up right now as I write this, haha. SUCH a huge accomplishment, and Kim deserves it more than anyone. Congratulations, Future Sis!
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- They planned this. ;)
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- Cheers!
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- S + B take Chicago.
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- #edsftg
Jess and I–along with Whitney Reynolds, James Goeke and Marcus Riley–hosted the Vineyard Vines “Coast to Coast” Kentucky Derby Viewing Party at Del Frisco’s in downtown Chicago, and it was SO. MUCH. FUN. (Also, please note that Mitch and Neal did not plan their outfits. But I told everyone they did, hehe.)
Let the countdown to New York City begin. I’m going home for Patrick and Kim’s wedding in early June, and I fully intend on spending a few days in Manhattan the following week. I’m so excited. I’m essentially obsessed with Chicago right now, but going home and spending quality time with friends and family is always wonderful. (The above photo was taken by my amazingly talented cousin and Maid of Honor. Love you, Annie!)
One of my favorite parts of freelancing is that I get to have impromptu cocktail parties with my blogger girlfriends during the week. Seriously, it’s the best. Don’t think we do it all the time; we’re definitely behind computer screens 99 percent of the time. But it’s really nice that we have flexible schedules. As long as we make our deadlines, it doesn’t matter whether we work early mornings, late nights, weekends or weekdays. It just needs to get done. Anyway, check out Blair’s most recent cocktail post. So fun!
This past Thursday, I headed out to Skokie for the Westfield Fash Bash–a cocktail party and Q & A session with Louise Roe and The EveryGirl. Mitch and Jimmy were pretty bummed that Doug didn’t come, so they kidnapped his wife for a photo. ;)
My parents throw some really great backyard patio parties in the summer. It was so fun to attend one last weekend! :) I wore this dress c/o, which I recently featured here. (And how cute is the current VV selection at Nordstrom?!)
Oh my goodness, right? Mitch walks home from work on Fridays, and I meet him halfway. Way to Pattern Mix, Mitch. Love it.
It’s official. I own a pair of Birkenstocks. (Flashback to middle school!) I got mine from Nordstrom Rack c/o because they were only $49 compared to $134, and I loved the white buckles. I’m also in love with this navy pair, this white pair, and this silver pair.
Warby Parker‘s Chicago location invited Jess and me to tour the new store, so on Thursday, we got our first pairs of WP specs! I have a very high prescription, and have always needed high-index lenses… making for $750+ bills every time I went in for new glasses. (Which is why I still have the same pair I’ve had since college.) But my WP glasses were only $125. GOODNESS! I also couldn’t get over how beautiful the store was, and how friendly and helpful the employees were, and how easy the whole process was. Stay tuned for a full feature! (I went with the Durand in “Woodland Tortoise,” btw.)
Isn’t Bucks County darling? I love visiting my parents, and admiring all the adorable houses along the canal and river in their town. Not sure I’d be down for the flooding, but I sure do like the charm!
Kate Spade sent me their new perfume–Walk on Air–and I’ve been wearing it every day! A new scent kind of gives me the same feeling that rearranging my furniture does. ;)
Noodle’s favorite food right now? Flowers. You should see our backyard. It was once so pretty…
A few girlfriends and I went to Henry’s Swing Club for a ladies’ night out, and had the best time! The next time you’re in Chicago, you have to go. I mean, s’mores for dessert?! Yes, please. (And how cute is Lauren?!)
My brother-in-law, Charlie, started a chicken farm! It’s called Above Normal Eggs, and he’s doing an AMAZING job with it. He and Mitch manned an egg booth at the Farmer’s Market in Bloomington, IL a couple of weekends ago, and they sold out almost immediately. Way to go, Char!
Mom and I visited the Lilly Pulitzer store in King of Prussia last week to see the new arrivals. We both fell in love with this dress, and I’m so happy the “Tusk in Sun” print is back!
Noodle in the laundry. Too cute not to share.
Noodle working hard or hardly working? Slacker. ;)
Mitch and I have been furiously making Freezer Meters. Oh, production days! If you haven’t heard of Freezer Meter, it’s a product that Mitch invented that notifies you if the food in your freezer becomes unsafe to eat. It’s doing really well, and I’m so proud of him! (He also created the Couch Clamp!)
Spring, I’m so glad you’ve finally arrived. :) Such a pretty scene from my parents’ driveway!
Anyway… happy Saturday, Everyone! And a very happy birthday to Blair. Can’t wait to celebrate!
I’ve never been to an Lilly store before… there’s none in Cali :-( It looks amazing, though!
Julia // Little Miss Haute Couture
Awwww! Yeah, there isn’t a store in Chicago, either. It’s rough. Easier on the bank account, though! ;)
xx
Loving these snaps! You guys lead such an interesting life and the Freezer Meter is genius!
Wishes & Reality
Heidi,
THANK YOU! Mitch is going to be so excited when he sees this, hehe. :) xoxo!
A few comments 1) if you are bike riding you should really be wearing helmets. It is a safety thing. You don’t need to be going fast or to be riding dangerously to get seriously hurt. In fact you can just fall over a no spead and crack you head open. 2) its really easy to say oh look at my shoes that I got for a really good price when you were gifted them. I commend you for writing c/o but don’t claim you got them because they were ONLY $49 dollars.
Hi there,
Thanks for checking in! I have a bike in Chicago, and I never ride it unless I’m wearing my helmet. The bikes in the above photo were a surprise (as you can see, I’m wearing heels, haha–not the best shoe choice for bike riding), but had we known, we certainly would have brought helmets. I agree, though!
I definitely understand what you’re saying about the Birkenstocks. To explain, I was paid for a project with Nordstrom in credit. When I feature these products on the blog, I sometimes don’t know how to convey that information. I feel it’s important to indicate that I didn’t pay for them–so as not to promote materialism, or encourage spending a ton of money on one’s wardrobe. (There are certainly more important things in life than shoes!) But my choices are also affected by how much the products cost when I use store credit. I certainly should have been clearer!
Anyway, thanks for your feedback. :)
I think Store Credit is a totally different ball game than the C/O and I appreciate the clarification. With store credit you are making a choice to spend your money on something. However, I have to take exception to your new comment that you don’t want to promote materialism (so on). I mean isn’t that what a fashion blog does? I’m sorry, but you linked to a $298 dress. I’m not judging, you make money on people clicking on links. (Probably a % of the price of the product – right?) That’s cool, most blogs do it, but don’t claim you are not promoting people “spending tons of money” on their wardrobe.
No problem!
I view it a bit differently. Kelly in the City is meant to inspire, not to promote shopping problems. I try to make it very clear that if it weren’t for the blog, I wouldn’t own what I own.
For me, it’s kind of like going to Atlantic-Pacific. I realize that she wouldn’t have what she has were it not for her blog, and I’m okay with it. I simply admire her style, and draw a lot of inspiration from it. Am I going to go out and buy the products she features? Probably not. But I’m a firm believer in the idea that most looks can be recreated with pieces you already own. That’s true style.
In regard to the commissions, I do make a small portion of my income from them. I’m open about it, and don’t condone frivolous spending. I re-wear items that I’ve personally purchased again and again, and I encourage my readers to wait for sales.
That said, I know the commission thing irks a lot of people. Which I totally get! It can definitely come off as a bit skeezy. Personally, I’m fine with it. (Obviously, haha.) It allows me to pay the rent, blog on a more full-time basis, and create new content every day. Likewise, I’m glad my fellow bloggers are able to profit from their hard work. I feel like we’d all burn out if we didn’t see some sort of a return–like any employee at any company would. (Everyone needs to pay the bills somehow!)
In terms of the $298 Lilly dress, it’s a beautiful dress! If that’s the one piece you’re buying this season (perhaps for a special occasion), I think it’s fine. If you’re purchasing investment pieces on a more regular basis, then you might have a problem. Again, I don’t feature new investment pieces I’ve purchased with my own money regularly. I also explained in the post that I simply loved the Lilly dress; not that I purchased it.
In short, I suppose we just disagree about fashion blogs. (Which is more than okay!) I see them as sources of inspiration, and fun, easy reads that allow me to unwind at the end of the day. :)
I also hope I’m not coming across as being snarky. I think discussion about this topic is a GOOD thing, as style blogging has so many grey areas. I truly appreciate you voicing your opinions! (Really.)