Summer Sweetness

Smak Parlour Fruit Print Dress
Smak Parlour Fruit Print Dress

Have I sung my praises for Smak Parlour before? Okay, that’s a trick question because a quick search of my own archives tells me, no, I haven’t. It’s time though, so pull up a seat.

For the uninitiated, Smak Parlour is a a boutique in Old City Philadelphia, plus a fashion truck (think food truck, but with clothes not tacos). The store is painted pink, and they sell clothes and accessories that are a mix of retro, kitschy and modern. The founders, Katie and Abby, have their own USA-made label, Smak Parlour Cut & Sew Collection. Oh, and the Smak Parlour Instagram is everything.

Anyway, most of my past purchases from Smak Parlour have been accessories. I’ve wanted one of their dresses for years, but the price tags meant I could only justify it as a special occasion purchase. So I promised myself when I found a new job, I would purchase my first Smak Parlour dress.

As luck would have it, my new job has me working from home most of the time, so I don’t really need new clothes for the office. It felt silly to spend money on a dress just to keep a silly promise to myself.

The weekend before I started my new job, my friend and I were browsing Smak Parlour. It was Memorial Day weekend, so the store was having a sale. This fruit print dress was in my size, marked down to $15(!!) and you know, it fit like a glove. Even better, it was just fun.

Do you know what we call that? Fate.

Smak Parlour Fruit Print Dress
Smak Parlour Fruit Print Dress

The first time my fruit print dress and I went out was for brunch with the PHLbloggers team — Chrystina, Melissa and Priyanka. This dress seemed a little too casual, too American for Parc, so I dressed it up — as much as you can dress up a dress covered in cherries, strawberries and watermelons. Hopefully, sand-colored wedges, pearl studs and subtle makeup did the trick. It doesn’t really matter though, because I was too busy enjoying my mimosas and my new dress.

~ Sarah

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Dress: Smak Parlour | Wedges: Crocs | Sunglasses: Ray-Ban | Bag: Century 21

Shop the fruit trend:

Winter Outfit Ideas

So I don’t know if you’ve heard, but it is COLD in Philly. Ridiculously so, to the point where I’m actually looking forward to 40 degrees and rain. So once more “normal” winter weather returns, I’m looking forward to playing around with more of my wardrobe. As usual, I’m looking to my favorite personal style bloggers for winter outfit ideas.

via Priya the blog

Priya gives me the inspiration I need to wear my flared jeans more often. (And I almost never wear them in the dead of winter!) I also have a near identical gray sweater that I need to wear with something other than skinny jeans and riding boots.

via Rachel Lately

I have a very similar cardigan (seen here), but I haven’t worn it with my chambray yet. A giant scarf in a punchy color would make this outfit even more fun during winter.

via Chelsea at Organized Mess

Admittedly, this is not the warmest outfit, but hey, that’s why we have winter coats! It’s so easy to get in a rut of leggings and sweaters this time of year, but if you layer right, you can still wear a colorful dress. Plus, I really need to remember to wear my gray Heattech tights more often.
You can find my winter outfits and posts here. What are your favorite winter outfits?

~ Sarah

Can’t Remember To Forget You

Boy Bye Hat - Chambray and High Waited Shorts
Boy Bye Hat - Chambray and High Waited Shorts
Boy Bye Hat - Chambray and High Waited Shorts
When I was younger and tried to describe my sense of style, I summed it up as “sporty bohemian.” A little embarrassing now, yes, but today I have a new word I can use: athelesuire. My personal style does not fall 100% into that category, but I still like to borrow certain aspects of it. Case in point: fun baseball caps.

As a sports fan, baseball caps are almost a requirement. I’ve acquired a good amount over the years, from the Panthers (that’s hockey) to the Marlins (I have multiple of these!) to my alma mater. (Honestly, I’m still annoyed I forgot my Yankees cap for the MLB All-Star Game.) My newest addition? This fun “Boy Bye” cap. Talk about capturing my #mood. (Want your own? Use code SHADESSARAH30 for 30% off your own cap at Silver & Goal.)

For a cold day at the shore, I paired my cap with my chambray button-down and my high-waisted shorts. It’s the first time I’ve tried high-rise shorts, and I’ve been living in them this summer. Now I even own high-rise jeans, so I can recreate this outfit if the humidity ever leaves Philadelphia.

~ Sarah

P.S. I’m happy to report that my friends and family in Florida and Georgia came out relatively unscathed after Hurricane Irma’s visit last weekend. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out, Irma.

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Chambray: Old Navy (this year’s version, also seen here)
Shorts: Target
Hat: c/o Silver & Goal (Use code SHADESSARAH30 for 30% off your own cap!)
Shoes: Liz Claiborne