An Apple a Day: Summer Favorites

First of all, I think an apology is in order. I am so sorry for dropping the ball during my summer vacation. I should have had more time for updating the blog and instead I blew it. Now that, that's out of the way...I have had a crazy busy, fun, exciting summer. I didn't do anything big, but I was on the move! I started the summer out with a short trip to Lake Havasu, followed by a week and a half in Palm Springs. The next few weeks were filled with taking Abby to dog beach, the dog park, and hiking in the canyon. I attended BBQs, went to lunch with friends, visited the comedy club, viewed a few outdoor movies, and even went on a few dates. I tried out a bunch of new recipes, organized every cabinet, closet, and drawer in my little 500 square foot apartment, and read eight different novels. Then I traveled back to Lake Havasu for my mom's big party. Upon returning home, the end of summer seemed to loom in front of me so I kicked it into high gear planning the first few weeks of school, revising my welcome packet, shopping for school supplies, and creating materials to use with my class. Recently, I decided to take one last impromptu trip to visit my parents in Lake Havasu before the end of the summer. I now have just over one week left of my summer vacation and I thought that this might be a good time to reflect on some of my favorite outfits from this summer and share a few photos.

Since I can't possibly post two months worth of outfits on one post, I've decided to boil it all down to a list of the top ten fashion trends I wore a lot this summer. I also took photos of some of my favorite outfits from the summer, to show how I wore these trends.

1. Neon! I have been in love with all things neon this summer. Neon seemed summery to me so I rocked the trend from my nail polish color, to my workout gear, and even several tops I wore. What about you? Would you wear neon colors in the summer? How would you extend the trend to wear it in autumn?

Doing Stuff Around the House

Top: Target $5

Tank: Target $7

Shorts: Old Navy $15

Necklace: TJ Maxx $12.99

Watch: Fossil $60

Earrings: Ross $5.99

2. Dresses. I have been borderline obsessed with dresses this summer. I wore dresses more than I wore shorts this summer. From jersey knit to cotton, short and flirty to maxi...dresses were my thing this summer. I think the main reason for this is that they are so easy. A dress is like a ready made outfit, just add accessories. Also, dresses are nice and cool during the summer months, and help you look put together with minimum effort. What do you think about dresses? Are they a staple during the summer months?

Visiting my parents in Lake Havasu

Dress: Santiki (bought at the OC Fair) $24.99

Earrings: Ross $5.99

Watch: Fossil $60

Flip Flops: Flojos via Ross $7.99

Dinner out in Palm Springs

Dress: Old Navy $15

Watch: Michael Kors (gift)

Earrings: Groopdealz $2.99

Necklace: Groopdealz $6.99

Wedges: Steve Madden $89

3. Rose Gold Accessories Early in the summer I purchased the Rose Gold Stella watch from the Fossil outlet (with the help of my cousin who works for the company). This watch sparked a slight obsession with rose gold jewelry. I have been picking up pieces here and there, and have loved pairing it with all sorts of different trends. I've especially liked it with the neon colors I've been wearing so much of. The following is a group of photos featuring some of the rose gold accessories I've been wearing a lot of lately. Which ones are your favorite?

1. Watch: Fossil $60

2. Necklace: TJ Maxx $12.99

3. Necklace: Groopdealz $14.99

4. Ring: OC Fair $10 (approximate...part of a group of rings)

5. Earrings: Ross $3.99

6. Earrings: Ross $5.99

7. Bracelet: Very Jane $6.99

8. Bracelet: Very Jane $5.99

4. Black and White This summer I found myself going with classic black and white a lot, especially when I was traveling. Black and white is so easy to mix and match, and looks great with any color accessories. It was easy to pack for a trip because I knew I could change it up if I felt like it. Do you like to wear black and white when traveling?

Running Errands

Top: New York and Company $20

Shorts: Old Navy $19

Flip Flops: Flojos via Ross $7.99

Necklace: Cookie Lee (old)

Watch: Anne Klein via Nordstrom Rack $35

Earrings: Ross $2.99

5. Orange I found myself wearing orange quite often this summer. From deep burnt orange to neon orange, it was a color I just couldn't seem to get enough of. I used to have dark red hair about a year ago and rarely wore the color because I didn't like how it looked with the darker hair, but now I that I have gone back to my natural (kind of) blonde, I have rediscovered my love for the color. What do you think about orange? Is it your color?

Left: Lake Havasu Chic

Tank: Old Navy $7

Shorts: JC Penney $15

Flip Flops: Rainbows $25

Right: Summer Fun

Tank: Emie via Marshalls $12.99

Camisole: Target $7

Shorts: LC by Lauren Conrad via Khols $20

Flip Flops: Rainbows $25

*Both outfits were worn with rose gold accessories as seen above.

6. Polka Dots My fixation with polka dots has continued into the summer. I purchased a pair of polka dot jeans, and a pair of polka dot shorts with a gift card I had early in the summer and they were in constant rotation. Add this to several polka dot dresses and tops that I already owned, and polka dot mania was on. I love polka dots because they make me feel girly. Do you have a particular print that makes you feel girly?

Another Palm Springs Outfit

Top: Old Navy (gift)

Tank: BP via Nordstrom (hand me down)

Shorts: Target $17.99

Flip Flops: Flojos via Ross $7.99

Earrings: Ross $2.99

Watch: Anne Klein via Nordstrom Rack $35

Necklace: Tiffanys (gift)

7. Prints I have been very into interesting prints this summer. I have worn animal prints, polka dots, stripes, and all sorts of other prints that I found interesting and appealing this summer. I have read that prints are something to stay away from because they are sometimes difficult to style and they can go out of style easily, thus you don't get as much wear out of a print. However, I find that if a print really speaks to you, you will wear it again and again. What do you think about prints? Are they hard to style? Do you have any printed pieces that you love?

Lunch with My Bestie

Dress: Khols $17.99

Earrings: Tommy Hilfiger via Nordstrom Rack $10

Belt: came with dress

Shoes: Madden Girl via Ross $12.99

Left: Hanging Out in El Segundo

Tank: Ana via JC Penney (old)

Skirt: Marshalls (old)

Flip Flops: Rainbows $25

Right: Last Day in Havasu

Dress: Marshalls $19.99

Flip Flops: Flojos $7.99

8. Wedges This summer I rediscovered wedges as well. I used to wear them all the time, and then made the switch to heels. But recently I've been wearing wedges more and more. I attribute this to two things...#1 they tend to be more comfortable for longer and #2 my best friend is obsessed with them and I think she is rubbing off on me. What do you think about wedges? Are they the perfect summer shoe?

The Improv

Top: 14th and Union via Nordstrom Rack $14.99

Jeans: Target $13.98

Watch: Fossil $60

Necklace: TJ Maxx $12.99

Earrings: Ross $5.99

Wedges: Qupid $24.99

9. Flip Flops Flip flops were my go to shoe all summer long. I wore a combination of my Rainbows and Flojos, with a few pairs of fancier flip flops thrown in almost every day this summer. Flip flops are great for running around town, doing stuff around the house. They really are an all purpose shoe. I tend to go for leather flip flops over rubber ones in general. What do you think about flip flops? Do you like to wear leather or rubber flip flops?

Left: Driving to Lake Havasu

Top: LC by Lauren Conrad via Khols $15.99

Tank: Target $7

Cropped Jeans: Lucky via Marshalls $20

Flip Flops: Rainbow $25

Right: Puppy Training Classes

Sweater: Liz Claiborne via JC Penney $2 (gotta love clearance)

Tank: Target $8

Jeans: LC by Lauren Conrad via Khols $10.99

Flip Flops: Rainbow $25

10. Cuffed Skinny Jeans I found this summer that I could wear a lot of the jeans I had been wearing all winter by cuffing them at the bottom. The cuff made them more summer appropriate and changed the look of some of my favorite jeans. What do you think about cuffing skinny jeans? Would you cuff your jeans for summer?

Movie Monday