THE PUMPKIN PATCH

We're definitely late today because of the crazy storm (read below for how we're doing). But here is the jacket that Melody has been excited to show. It is from H&M, but looks very similar to some of the Burberry fall and resort jackets (we'll show you a look very soon that was directly influenced). The top underneath is from an awesome store popping up in the big city called Joe Fresh. Our sister-in-law introduced us and we are in love. They have a small online collection so make sure and check them out. Belt is thrifted, jeans are Urban and boots are Macys. Little niece here is in Joe's Jeans, and boots are thrifted from Kid to Kid. We made our way through the pumpkin patch and she definitely thought it was like easter egg hunting. We felt bad having to take pumpkins out of the wagon every time she added new ones. I think eventually she started catching on.

By the way, for those wondering... Melody barely escaped from the massive hurricane by getting one of the last rental cars in the city and driving to Chicago through the night, where magically she was able to catch a flight monday morning. Desirae is safe as well (she lives on very high ground in the city). She is currently waiting it all out with her cat (husband is out of town). 

GINGHAM SKIRT

This particular skirt is from Asos, and is a great way to add a bit of summer flair into your fall wardrobe. However if you happen to own some gingham we do think you should hold onto it for Spring. Oscar de la Renta had a HUGE gingham moment on his Resort 2013 runways. And you can see a VERY similar skirt here (in green). You can also see another blogger Liz (from Late Afternoon) sport the same skirt here.

STYLE WITH SHANNON - blog highlight

Meet Shannon. One of us actually really did meet her a couple of weeks ago at the Opera. She looked so cute that we had to nab her to take a photo. But when we nabbed her (which can sometimes prove to be awkward) we realized one more thing about her...she was incredibly sweet and nice. So of course we went home and checked out her blog Style With Shannon. We found these looks on there and decided to feature her. We know we picked all pant looks, but we may just love how she styles them. For instance, going into fall we're realizing how few pant options we have. We may have to take some cues from her. Burgundy and jacquard? Such nice pieces to add to a closet. Oh and the J.Crew shoes she picked for two of the looks are quite fabulous. We say check her out.

MATERNITY COCKTAIL

So, not too many people address what to do when you're pregnant and you need some good evening wear. Let's just say we're lucky we pulled out a stack of dresses in our closet (yes a 'stack'...um, we may stash dresses for emergency stage attire) and this one happened to fit the maternity need. Of course we left it to the last minute (literally hoping that something would fit a half hour before we were to leave for the concert). This Nordstrom dress from a few seasons ago worked well since the ruffles help balance out the baby bump. Although this dress isn't exactly the same, it's another beautiful maternity dress in the cobalt color. You could also go with a good black dress, which will always work in a pinch. Throw on some awesome necklaces and shoes like these (all our accessories are Forever 21) and you'll be stylin. Oh! And by the way, thanks to Asos for having a pretty dang good maternity line! We'll definitely be checking that out from now on.

BURNT RED SKINNIES

OK so there's a story behind this fabulous woman. I spotted her in the indoor reptile exhibit at the zoo and spent many long minutes trying to get up the nerve to ask her if I could take her picture (she probably thought I was stalking her, eh hem...to which I kind of was). But you guys can guess what the lighting was like in the reptile area. Dark with florescents isn't terribly appealing. So I knew I was going to have to drag her outside when she had two little (and might I add, VERY cutely dressed) kids in tow. So I lost the nerve and went to meet up with my family at the giraffes. After a while of fawning over the baby giraffe, we decided to move towards the exit. And right as we were passing back by the reptile exhibit to leave, magically there she was! Burnt red skinny jeans, awesome black camo boots, outdoor vest and all. Definitely loved the look and she totally stood out in the pajama-pant type crowd (ok, ok, so maybe not everyone was wearing pajama pants....)

BURGUNDY AND WHITE COLLAR

Although we like this look better with the jacket, we wanted to show you what was going on underneath. The sweater and blouse combo was very much inspired by the Valentino collars we've been seeing. It's also heavily influenced by the Chanel line that just showed. White collars are all the rage at the moment so we had to get in on the action. The skirt length and cut was inspired by the burberry prorsum skirts and this photo. Burgundy is having quite the moment this fall and you're surely not done seeing us sport it. Our sweater is old from H&M (but we think this one is ultra fab and that you should buy it), white blouse underneath is thrifted (but similar here), blue full skirt is also thrifted (similar here). T-Strap leather sandals are from a store called Strawberry in NYC (no online store) and sadly can't find much similar, so be on the look out!