Birthday Thursday

If you tuned in for the Thrifty Thursday post of the week, you'll have to wait another 7 days - sorry folks but it's my party and I'll post a ridiculously expensive outfit if I want to!  Yep - it is my 24th birthday today.  I cooked up the most beautiful/(personally) unattainable outfit that I would wear tonight if I had a money-tree in my backyard; however, since I live in an apartment building with an asphalt backyard, I'll just have to longingly stare at said beautiful outfit on my computer and settle for the Banana Republic Wrapdress I bought on sale last week as my dinner attire this evening.  Without further ado - here is my dream birthday outfit!

Items in this set:

Tibi Long Sleeved Dress, Style #:TIBII20222, $345, Shopbop.com

Juicy Couture Faux-Fur Cropped Coat , SALE FOR $139, Neimanmarcus.com

Christian Louboutin Hidden-Platform Pump in Bone, $795, Bergdorfgoodman.com

Gorjana Willow Bangles, $84, Shopbop.com

Possibilities Citrine Post Earrings, $78, satyajewelry.com

Cream Ostrich Embossed Lotte clutch, $250, laurenmerkin.com

London Bridge is Falling Down

Next on the Euro trail is London!  There are two things I know for certain about London:  it rains a lot, and Burberry is headquartered there.  That being said, it is only fitting that my London outfit contain an umbrella and a burberry accessory!  My quintessential London outfit is preppy casual - created around the beautiful red trench coat that I found on Modclotch.com (what a deal at only $75!).  The jeans are Hudson brand and they feature Hudson's trademark flap-buttoned back pockets (they also feature a tiny British flag on the back pocket... coincidence, or did I pick the jeans for this post because of that?  you will never know!)  I chose a simple white tunic from Old Navy to pair with the dark jeans and delicious brown leather Frye Riding boots.  This is an outfit that I could wear all the time - simple, but timelessly chic.  The gold knotted strand necklace adds a little glam to the outfit, and the two-tone Burberry watch is a sophisticated purchase that will last you through the years.  I picked a tortoise shell headband to continue the classically themed outfit and a navy leather Dooney & Bourke bag that you can either wear across your body or on your shoulder/arm; the bag is a great size/style for a day of sightseeing.... which leads me to my final part of the outfit: the umbrella.  I picked a clear umbrella because if it happens to be raining on your one day visiting London, you bet your butt you want to see EVERYTHING and your umbrella better not get in the way!  With your clear umbrella you'll be able still be able to see Big Ben without getting your hair wet :)

Items in this set:
Tie-Belt Tunics in Bright White, $27, Oldnavy.com
Wear in the World Jacket, $75, Modcloth.com
Check-Engraved Bracelet Watch, Two-Tone , $475, Neimanmarcus.com
Short Knotted Chain Necklace, $28, Urbanoutfitters.com
Karina French Couture Headband Tortoise, $7.50, Ulta.com
Maxine Campus Frye Boots, $298 , Zappos.com
Dooney & Bourke Dillen Satchel, $235, Zappos.com
Collin Skinny Jeans with Flap Pockets - Hudson, $200, shopbop.com
Rainkist Clear Bubble Umbrella, $17, Amazon.com

French Vineyard

The next stop on my Europe destinations list is France - specifically a vineyard in France.  This suits me much better than yesterday's trip to Greece, as I am very good at drinking wine (much better than my tanning skills).  The dress is beautiful and has every color of nature in it - even the purple of the grape trees.  The gold cardigan would be a good replacement for a jacket because it is heavy (read: warm) but still complements the dress in a feminine way. If you wanted to, you could cinch the waist with a belt. I considered this, but I think that the waist of the dress is defined enough that it can stand on its own.  As far as accessories are concerned, I love the green ring because it brings out the color from the dress in a subtle way.  The ruffle shoe is called Cognac, which is coincidentally a region of France where that specific type of Brandy is made (you didn't bargain for a geography lesson today from moi, did you?  especially given my track record).   Put all the pieces together and you have a beautiful, romantic, nature-inspired outfit for the french countryside.

Items in this set:
Silence and Noise Marled Cocoon Cardigan in Old Gold/Birch, $48, Urbanoutfitters.com
Kimchi Blue Print Chiffon Sahara Dress in Birch Speckle Dye, $58, Urbanoutfitters.com
Mossimo Cognac Valda Ruffle Flat, $24.99, Target.com
Minckler bag in Taupe, $42, Aldoshoes.com
Lucky horseshoe ring, $35, Bananarepublic.com
Floral Locket Necklace, $4.80, Forever21.com

Greece

I have a confession to make.  I am seriously geographically challenged.  Due to this fact,  I have been having visions of grandeur - such as me sitting on a hotel room patio overlooking the blue Mediterranean in my bikini sipping a cocktail some weekend in March... HELLOOOOO, earth to Lauren, a lot of Greece is the same latitude as like... North Carolina.  And news flash - it is NOT really warm there in March.... oops!


Anyway, I can still pretend I will be taking a Grecian vacation sometime while I am in Europe (maybe I will just push it out a few months), and if I were to do this, I would wear the outfit below.  It is relaxed, flowy, it is just perfect for Greece.  The pale pink dress gives a relaxed vibe because the color isn't shockingly bright, and the outfit is dressed up a bit with the gold sandals and gold/multi colored stone necklace.  The off-white tote could fit my massive D-SLR camera and enough guide books to keep me busy - perfect for vacation.  The sunglasses are a bit large but so glamorous - perfect for pretending you're a celebrity in Greece.  This outfit would look probably look best on a tan complexion, or you might run the risk of washing yourself out with the pale pink (so for those of you who know me/have seen me are probably saying 'keep on dreaming sister' because I am the palest of the pale, but if I can dream up my Grecian outfit, I can also dream up my tan bod!). 

Items in this set:
Jersey promenade gown in sheer lilac, $118, Jcrew.com
Merona® Erina Thong Sandals in Gold Patent, $15, Target.com
MICHAEL Michael Kors Leather Tote, Vanilla White, $198, Michaelkors.com
Marc by Marc Jacobs Tonal Sunglasses, $85, Shopbop.com
Johara Necklace, $48, anthropologie.com
Wendy Culpepper - Fiore Gold Ring, $64, zappos.com
Popover Posts in Purple, $28, anthropologie.com