one iced caramel latte, please.

I'm going to tell you a story. It's about a girl who visited the seaport village of Wilmington, North Carolina.

It's about a hot day, five sisters, their parents, and all the time in the world to romp and do everything.  . .and nothing. Really, when the girl looks back, it was her favorite part of the trip. Close your eyes and imagine, especially lovers of street musicians and cafes on the waterfront. . .imagine brick everything. Streets lined with the quirkiest of restaurants and a renovated cotton mill-(uh, North and South, anyone?)-turned general-store-coffee-house-novelty-shop-phenomenon. The Toffee Boy was there. (don't ask. such jokes and giggles are forever locked in that place known only to sisters.) And there was a cat in a bookshop. And places to buy nothing but chocolate. And this odd little hole that sold gorgeous Tibetan shoes that looked liked Toms, only they were embroidered in vines and flowers. The shopkeeper bobbed and smiled, forced several pairs on my feet, insisted I didn't need to buy now (though she was careful to give me her card and jot down the shoe size,) and put my hair up in this twisty bun that was totally adorable. She was adorable. I need to look her up and hire her as my personal hairdresser.

So I like how this outfit just melds together. I woke up feeling like more than a plain black maxi (the only semi-dressy thing I brought on our trip,) and managed to steal borrow this striped skirt from a sister. The awesome thing about having four younger sisters all around the same size. . .is that we can swap and share nearly everything in our closets. Strangely enough, we are also passionate about our personal possessions, so borrowing, stealing, what have you. . .is rare. But anyway. ;) If you'd gotten a strong suspicion that I love grey. . .you are 100% correct. Grey (an "80's" color, as my mom says,) has a cool, crisp edge on the every day black or white. It looks polished, put together, and is beautiful besides. Big fan here. Mixing different shades of grey is a lot of fun, which is why I popped this skirt on and went for a silver-ish top. Slightly lighter than the stripes, and with that fun ruffle that takes a plain outfit and gives it contrast and interest.

I'm a total believer in combining neutrals, "popping" an outfit, etc, but like I always say--don't overdo the accessories. My brown cami and cross-purse were a surprise pairing, and my gold flip-flops (not shown,) thrifted necklace in gold, rose, and sage, silver bracelet, antique-gold earrings, (hard to see in the photos, but one is a bird, the other a bird cage,) and gold/rose sunglasses bring the entire ensemble together. Perfect for a day on the town. And iced caramel lattes. 

specs

Ruffle tee: Thrifted (J.Crew)

Cami: Target (?)

Maxi Skirt: Borrowed 

Cross-purse: Walmart

Pearl necklace: Thrifted

Earrings: Meyer 

Bracelet: Claires

Sunglasses: Claires

Flip-flops (not shown): Old Navy

How do you like to pair neutrals? Do you go for the classy look, or add bright pops of color?