Tank: Everlane Ryan (old version) | Belt: Madewell (Braided, kind of similar) | Skirt: Zara (Similar) | Shoes: Nine West (similar) | Bag: Mulberry (similar) | Sunglasses: Ray Ban

My aunt and uncle took myself, Lauren, and her bf to the North Fork on Saturday for lunch and wine tasting, and it was a beautiful, perfect day! We had such good food and visited three wineries, my favorite of which is Sparkling Pointe, where these photos were taken. They specialize in sparking wines and I'd never done a wine tasting just on sparkling wines before. I think the most interesting wine was the sparking red - Carnaval Rouge - and that's the one our group purchased two bottles of. Yum!

Anyway, about the outfit: this is an example of what happens when I shop my closet! I had no idea what to wear and then remembered this skirt, which I've worn like once since I bought it maybe two years ago. I never particularly liked the waistband of it (ruched elastic), and then a lightbulb went off and I remembered this belt from Madewell that I've also had for a few years. Perfect! 

I'm particularly partial to navy these days - it's just such a gorgeous color and the perfect transition to fall, so I paired my navy tank with the gray to make the outfit slightly more interesting than just black or white and gray. 

Photos by Lauren

Peplum top: J. Crew | Shorts: J. Crew | Clutch: H&M | Shoes: J. Crew (now at J. Crew Factory) | Necklace: Chanel

Sometimes there's no shame in dressing almost head-to-toe in the same brand/designer...like with this outfit, where everything except my clutch and necklace are from J. Crew! And, tempting as it was to pair this pair of shorts with its matching top (such a huge trend this summer!) I opted to go more classic with an ivory peplum top. I love this top, because the material is stiff enough to hold its shape, which is so essential in a peplum! It's so sad seeing drooping peplums made out of some really soft cotton/jersey material - when I wear something with a deliberate shape to it, I want it to retain its shape!

Anyway, these are the last of the photos taken by Crys, sadly! Luckily she's coming to visit me in a couple weeks (her first time visiting since I moved here 5 years ago!!) and I can't wait! 

Photos by Crystal Marie Photography

Cousins!

Candid shot - think I'm pouring some sangria for people just arriving while Chats (Mike, Lauren's boyfriend) looks on in the back and Ruby is watching me. haha

Me laughing while everyone's singing happy birthday to me!

Dress: Foley & Corinna | Necklace: My Monogram Necklace (c/o)

Although today is my "actual" birthday, I celebrated on Saturday with almost all my NYC nearest and dearest! We kicked off the night with sangria on the roof (which I made - spent about an hour chopping fruit! Who knew nectarines were so hard to slice? haha), then dinner at Zutto and a bar after that.

This year I am feeling especially grateful for my friends and the little bit of family I have in NYC - getting older really isn't so bad when you realize what awesome people you have in your life, and some of these people I only met this year, or became good friends with this year. All I know is, I'm grateful for each and every one of them. Thank you everyone who came to celebrate with me! I'm a lucky girl. :)

xoxo

Dress: Alice & Olivia | Shoes: J. Crew | Bag: Louis Vuitton

America's Best Racing reached out to me a little while ago, inviting me to a day at the Saratoga Springs race track. I hadn't been to the horse races in years, and never in the US, so I thought it'd be a fun day out - and I was right! Despite the fact that Saratoga Springs is a 4 hour train ride from NYC, the weather was beautiful on Saturday and I really couldn't have asked for a more perfect day! We got to check out the paddock (hence the sticker on my dress in a couple pics), bet on a few races (won a tiny bit of money - just for fun!), and enjoyed the weather. Saratoga is also celebrating 150 years this year, so it was a great time to be there for the first time! 

The grounds were almost like picnic grounds - there were tons of people out, and it looked more like they were picnicking and hanging out than really there for the races. If I ever lived in Saratoga, I'd probably do the same thing every weekend because the atmosphere is fun and it's a great way to relax and be social. I think Saratoga would be a great weekend getaway as well - far enough from NYC to make it really feel like a getaway, and with plenty to do - I wish I'd had an opportunity to check out the town as well. Maybe next time!

Thanks to America's Best Racing for such a fun day! 

Now on to the dress - I got this dress a while ago but didn't wear it much until recently - I love the cutout back and the leather waist, and of course purple is my favorite color! I couldn't resist pairing it with some leopard print (of course). The dress will be great in the fall/cooler months too, with some tights and boots.

All photos by Lauren