wearing lately: summer favorites

There's still plenty of summer clothes wearing left to do (despite what retailers and their fall lines might make you think), which is great because my favorite go-to pieces from this summer still have plenty of remixing possibilities left. Here's what I added to my wardrobe that I've been reaching for over and over:

You've probably noticed that I have indeed been wearing these frequently (see them all in action in my summer 2015 style posts), but hopefully rather than being boring it just showcases how worth-it these purchases are - all things that are very versatile, things that I love (and am not sick of yet - that's saying something!), and things that easily jazz up any summer outfit whether separately or all together.

The denim jacket isn't actually recent, but it's made it into practically every style post as of late, so it couldn't go without mention alongside these other pieces. Also can't forget my honorable mentions for the summer, the black jersey dress and the white eyelet tank that appear in the collage too, also (still) getting tons of wear.

If you're in the market for deals on go-to summer items for the rest of August, take a look at the items (or similar) above... These ones will all get great use next summer as well, I'm sure, plus many are on super sale right now, so doubly and triply worth it!

Sharing on Mix It Mondays, Style Sessions, Just Jacq, Summer Style, Hello Monday.

wearing lately: August beach suitcase

We have just been having gorgeous summer weekends around here, and we've been taking advantage of them as often as possible by hopping in the car late Friday afternoon and making the hour-ish trip to my parents' cottage on Lake Michigan. For these short and frequent trips, it's handy to have a go-to mix & match lineup that fits into a weekender bag - gets me out the door and to the beach so much faster!

striped shirt (similar) | jean jacket (similar) | graphic tee (similar) | patterned cami (similar) | white jeans (similar) | romper (similar) | cobalt shorts | beach hat | sunnies | bikini top and bottom | beach bag | flip flops | necklace (similar) | sandals

The July version of my weekender capsule was suitably red white and blue, but for August I decided to go with black & white with some pops of cobalt, inspired by this fun (and totally 30-something appropriate) romper I picked up at Target recently. Plus this palette matches my bikini, a beach weekend must! Here are two ways I wore the romper on our last cottage weekend - for the beach, and then for dinner on the porch.

Once again, I had way more possible outfits here than I needed for one weekend (especially because as usual I put on workout clothes first thing in the morning and then went straight to my bathing suit for the afternoon), so I'll just go ahead and pack this same suitcase for the next trip - speedy AND stylish!

Interested in more mix & match summer packing tips? See the bottom of this post for a run-down of my item choosing process, and this post for a different rendition of a black & white suitcase capsule.

Sharing on Creative Closet romper theme, Style Sessions, Just Jacq, Summer Style, Hello Monday, Mix It Monday.

wearing lately: summer weekend suitcase v. 2

Last weekend we were up at my parents' cottage again, and since my mini summer capsule was so perfect for our 4th of July trip to the beach - not to mention that I hadn't come close to wearing all the outfit combos possible in it - I just decided to pack the same bag again this time around!

lightweight cardigan (similar) | eyelet tank (similar) | chambray shirt | skinny jeans (similar) | striped dress | belt (similar) | sunnies | navy shorts | flat sandals (similar) | beach bag (similar) | necklace | espadrilles

Above is a reminder of what was in it, and below are the outfits I put together on beach weekend #2 (see the first round out outfits here). It was a bit hotter and sunnier this weekend, which was fabulous for lots of reading on the porch (in earshot of a napping toddler) but still cool enough in the mornings/evenings with the lake breeze and a couple of big storms rolling through that I was glad again for my layers.

My book matched so nicely with my Saturday morning going into town for groceries and browsing the local bookstore outfit; by that evening (after spending all afternoon in the sun in my bathing suit during a great Hendrik nap time) I had moved on to a new book with a happy hour and dinner on the porch outfit to match. The last outfit was my reluctant have to come in from the sun and pack up to go home look, complete with Peter's old Cubs hat to mask the lovely (not) cottage day hair.

Now I think we're home for a couple of weekends, but I'm already scheming what my next mini weekend capsule is going to be for August and Labor Day weekend!

Sharing on Hello Monday with Jenna and Carylee, Mix It Mondays, Summer Style, Just Jacq.

wearing lately: summer weekend suitcase

Now that we've moved back to Michigan, my summer travels are only short distances, since it's just a little over an hour to my parents' cottage on Lake Michigan from our new house - but going there on the weekends still means plenty of summer suitcase packing, and as always, it pays to be smart about the mixing & matching so that I have everything I need and still fit it into a weekender bag. Here's what I brought along (aside from the beachwear, of course!) for 4th of July weekend:

lightweight cardigan (similar) | eyelet tank (similar) | chambray shirt | skinny jeans (similar) | striped dress | belt (similar) | sunnies | navy shorts | flat sandals (similar) | beach bag (similar) | necklace | espadrilles

It can often be chilly in the mornings and evenings when we're staying on the lake, so it's always essential to have a good mix of layers. It's pretty casual since we don't tend to leave the cottage much when we get there, aside from going to the beach, but it's always nice to feel a bit pulled together when I come up from the beach and clean up for happy hour/dinner. For the 4th we also had a big extended family get-together to go to, so that was an excuse to dress up even a little more (plus make my family match me, ha!).

And while the color scheme was perfect for the holiday weekend, I think the nautical vibes make it fun all summer long, which is a good thing, because I didn't even come close to wearing all the possible outfit combinations on a 3-day weekend - so I think I'll just pack this same stuff up when we go back next weekend, and I'm good to go. Here are a few outfits I did wear, when I wasn't in my bathing suit (and here are a few outfits I wore from this same capsule on a different weekend):

If you've got some summer packing to do, here are some insights into how I plan my mix & match suitcases. Happy travels!

Sharing on Thursday Favorites, Mix It Mondays, Summer Style, Just Jacq.