This is all from my second day in Chicago. I went down to visit my friend Ben, a close friend from college - we were in the marching band together and have stayed close since he moved down to Chicago three years ago. He is one of the most talented people I know, and we always have so much fun together. We spent the second day having breakfast at Milk & Honey (we both had the lemon almond pancakes), walking around Wicker Park, looking through vintage shops in Andersonville, and finally ended up down by the water, which also happens to be a dog park. All around, it really was the perfect day (until I had to drive through 62 miles of construction to get home).
As far as what I wore....I thought I packed my new Gap shorts but accidentally packed my old ones, so they are getting one last hurrah until they are put away for "only in the house" wear. The shirt is a sleeveless shirt that I picked up from the Banana Republic Factory store. I wanted something I could wear when it gets hot out, but wasn't thin strapped. This shirt is great because I can wear it without needing to wear a tank underneath it because once it gets to be 85+, I want as little stuck to me as possible. It wasn't quite that hot this day, and I even wore my cardigan most of the time, but I'm glad I have the option of not wearing it. In the past, I haven't really been into gold jewelry that much but something about wannabe tan skin makes me want to wear more of it. Apple of My Eye Jewelry provided me with this bracelet recently and I really haven't stopped wearing and playing with it. They also gave me this necklace and luckily, one of you will get the chance to win the same two pieces below!
As far as my shoes goes, thank you to all of your help on instagram about whether or not to keep them. I picked them up a few weeks ago, but hadn't worn them yet because I wanted to keep my options open. I had some Everlane credits, so I ordered their new sandals to test out. I wish I could combine the two shoes. As far as the Everlane ones go, I like the top straps, but I was not a fan of the strap by the toes - I wish it was thicker. The sole is also pretty hard and I feel it would hurt to walk on. Of course I liked that they were genuine leather and made in the US, but you know that I would never pay $110 out of pocket so I just could not justify keeping them because they aren't exactly what I want. I really like the style of the Target ones - they are pretty minimal, the sole had some padding so they don't hurt to walk around on, and of course the price doesn't hurt. I really do try to avoid Target shoes because they usually have that plastic-y sole which means instant foot sweat, but these have more of a faux leather sole and so they weren't uncomfortably hot. I did experience some rubbing around the ankle as I'm not used to having a strap there, but that stopped bothering me after about an hour. Overall, I'm happy with them and am excited to wear them this summer.
Shirt: Banana Republic Factory
Cardigan: Old Navy
Shorts: older than old
Purse: Coach [current version]
Watch: Target [similar]
Bracelet: c/o Apple of My Eye Jewelry [exact]
Ring: Jewelmint [exact]
Shoes: Target [exact]
