Monthly Archives: June 2016

5 Summer Must Have Items

5 summer must have items - fashion 2016

CUTE TOPS – Off The Shoulder, Embroidered, Lace, or Just a Basic Tee

Whenever my friends and I ask “What are you wearing”, if its not a dress, it is jeans and a cute top!  Whether you want something on trend like off the shoulder or a classic silhouette tank and tee, cute tops are top of my must buy list this summer!

SHORTS – White Denim, Distressed Denim, Linen, and Black Cotton

This summer I 100% plan on buying some white jean shorts.  I wear my white jeans so often that I feel like shorts are the next obvious step.  I also want another distressed pair.  My current pair was on major clearance because they are 4th of July themed aka the pockets that peek out have stars and stripes.  I’d like a regular pair too.  Also, I wear my black cotton shorts tons, so I highly recommend a pair.

ONE PIECE SWIMSUITS – They’re back!  Two straps, one shoulder, or strapless

Move over bikinis, the “it” swimsuit this summer is the one piece!  I just did a quick browse and found dozens I liked. This one is top of my list! I plan on buying two this summer.  I want one that is strapless for the beach because I hate tan lines, and one for my river trip at the end of the summer.  For that one, I want something with straps because I want the added protection from slip-ups on our tubing adventure.  I also don’t want that one to be white because river water is not the cleanest.  I did find that some of the strapless ones did come with a strap to add on, so maybe I can find just one.

FLATS & WEDGES – Go to for adventures and nights out on the town

Of course shoes are on my must have list.  They are on all my must have lists.  For summer, I like to add flats and wedges.  I just purchased these to wear this summer for long-walking days.  I can’t wait to wear them out!!  I also can never have enough wedges! I’m always on the lookout for a cute new pair.

COLORFUL JEWELRY – Fringe, Neon, and Bold Statements

The color of the season is white, so colorful jewelry is a must for summer.  I love how it pops against a white top or dress.  You know I love my color mixing too, so I would definitely pair these pieces with bright tops and dresses too.  If you are wearing a print, I like to match my jewelry to one of the non-dominant colors of the print.  So if it is a pink floral print, but there is the slightest yellow shading on the flower. I will reach for some fun yellow earrings to bring out that yellow.

If I added a sixth it would be casual dresses, I listed a bunch under $50 in my last post.  What items are on your summer must-have list??

Lady in Violet

Casual Summer Dresses Under 50

casual dresses under $50

sleeveless white knit dress

gray tassel necklace and pink sunglasses

summer outfit - sleeveless shift dress and wedges

prada sunglasses and mixing jewelry metals

nude wedges for summer

casual summer dresses under $50

affordable summer dresses under $50

fashion blogger outfit - sleeveless white dress, wedges, and tassel necklace

| DETAILS |
FRANCESCA’S c/o Knit Dress (similar  | similar)  | SEYCHELLES Ramble Wedges **ON SALE | ELAINE TURNER Kassidy Crossbody/old  (clutch version  | similar)  | FRANCESCA’S c/o Tassel Necklace  | KENDRA SCOTT c/o Adair Earrings (similar)  | BAUBLEBAR Ladder Cuff  | HENRI BENDEL  Hinged Cuff  | Lips: MAC Faux  | PRADA (c/o Ditto) Sunglasses  **Rent Designer Shades free for One Month with code LADYINVIOLET

So unfortunately this dress sold out before I could post, but I found a couple similar styles and tons more casual summer dresses under 50.  Casual dresses are one of my go to outfits for summer.  It’s hot and you get sweaty just stepping outside, so a dress is just more comfortable and breaths a little better in the heat. Although I’m not going to lie, I totally still wear my jeans too.  I’m typically shopping for dresses that I can wear on weekends to run errands, meet up with friends, or head to drinks in.  I consider it a major bonus if the dress also works for the office.  I paired this dress with these heels on Monday for a really cute little office outfit.

When I wear shift dresses, I tend to pair with a long pendant necklace.  Shift dresses have zero shape, and I feel like the long necklace helps stretch out the look of the dress a little.  I also pair with wedges, especially nude ones, because they help make your legs look longer.  Both of these little style tricks keep shift dresses from overwhelming your figure.

I found tons of cute casual dresses all under $50 that would be so cute for summer, and some would definitely work in the office too depending on your work dress code.  Mine is pretty business casual, so I can go a little more casual with my dresses.  Check back Friday when I’m sharing some of my summer must-haves and a look at what is on my summer wish list.

CASUAL SUMMER DRESSES UNDER $50

SHOP THE LOOK

Lady in Violet

Search For Sunglasses Pt. 2 – Prada

Spring Outfit idea - blue top and white jeans

Prada sunglasses review

Anthropologie Striped Peplum Top

White Skinny Jeans and nude heels

summer fashion - striped blue top with white skinny jeans

summer outfit idea - blue striped blouse, white jeans, and heels

fashion blogger outfit - peplum top and white jeans

how to wear peplum tops in summer

what to wear with white jeans in summer fashion

| DETAILS |
ANTHROPOLOGIE Peplum Striped Blouse  | PAIGE DENIM Stilt Skinny Jeans  | STEVE MADDEN Proto Heels  | KENDRA SCOTT Skylar Earrings, c/o Rae Necklace (similar),  Grady Bracelet (similar & on sale!)  | GORJANA Mika Necklace  | BAUBLEBAR Ladder Cuff  | CLARE V Foldover Clutch  | Lips: MAC Craving  | PRADA (c/o Ditto) Sunglasses **Rent Designer Shades FREE for one month with code LADYINVIOLET

Okay, so you probably noticed I received my second pair of sunglasses from Ditto a couple weeks ago.  A quick refresher – I lost my favorite everyday pair of shades, so I’m renting sunglasses to try and find a new pair.  As much as I would love to have $400 to spend on sunglasses, I know it’s over my budget.  BUT I really wanted to try out this style to see if I would like it, and why not try out Prada, right?!?!

Overall, I really like these sunglasses. Some of the pros – They provide good sun blocking on both super sunny days and cloudy but still bright days.  The Karen Walker pair didn’t really work well on cloudy days when you only need slight light blocking.  The pink frames were really fun, and I think this particular shade works as a great everyday color.  I don’t think I ever had an outfit that these didn’t work with.  I received TONS of compliments on these sunglasses from both friends and just random people I would pass on the sidewalk.  These sunglasses were comfortable not too heavy and stayed put on my face even with a little sweating.  They also feel really durable too.  The Cons – The price tag on these, but I have seen less expensive pairs.  After a couple weeks, the over-sized cat-eye look did wear on me a bit.  I was ready to trade these in.

I am officially placing these babies in the mail today to go back to Ditto.  My next pair already arrived on Saturday.  Both previous pairs were over-sized, so I decided to go smaller this time.  I tried to find a pair that had the pros from each previous pair.  Want a sneak peek of my next pair??  Check them out HERE.

SHOP THE LOOK

Lady in Violet

Colorful Summer Party Outfit

colorful summer outfit for party

pink halter top with white jeans

turquoise jewelry with hot pink blouse

yellow fringe sandals and white skinny jeans

fun summer party outfit - pink halter top, white jeans and yellow heels

what to wear with white jeans

hot pink halter top and turquoise earrings

summer outfit with white skinny jeans and fringe sandals

houston fashion blogger - summer outfit inspiration

| DETAILS |
FRANCESCA’S c/o Vallie Halter Tank  | PAIGE DENIM Skinny Jeans  | STEVE MADDEN Fringe Heels  | KENDRA SCOTT Alex Earrings,  Andy Bracelet,  c/o Rae Necklace (similar)  | BAUBLEBAR Slim Hinge Bangle  | CLARE V Foldover Clutch  | PRADA (c/o Ditto) Sunglasses  **Try Out FREE for one month with code LADYINVIOLET  | Lips: MAC Faux

It has been some cloudy, gloomy days around here lately. The good news is that my parent’s house still is water-free, although the back of their neighborhood does have a bit of water.  My hometown is still flooding, but the rain is expected to end this weekend with a full week of sunshine ahead! YAY!!  I can’t think of a better gray day to post such a fun and colorful outfit, perfect for summer!!

I LOVE mixing colors in my outfit.  Some people like print mixing, but me I am a color mixer.  I’m obsessed with this pink shade for summer.  It’s a super bright pink, but not real neon in your face.  It also works really well with other colors.  Turquoise and yellow are two of my favorite colors to pair with pink.  They also work really well together, so I decided to go with all three for this look. I like to pair bright colors with white because I think it really helps the colors pop.

 I am such a fan of halter tops for summer!  I love showing off a little shoulder.  This one is lightweight too, so perfect to wear outside.  It’s not too long, so you can also easily pair this with black shorts or white denim shorts.  I also think this top would be so perfect with these shorts and some black wedges!

I am so ready for a fun summer party (hint hint friends), and this is going to be the perfect colorful summer party outfit to wear to an evening party or happy hour.   I hope ya’ll have a really great weekend, and thanks so much for swinging by this week!

SHOP THE LOOK

Lady in Violet