Smooth Sailing

UPDATE!  Special GIVEAWAY!  I just discovered last week that one of my lovely readers has designed a line of oh-so-pretty, be-flowered belts and bridal accessories under the label LuxeLucy, and that she is willing to give one away to one of you lucky readers!  All you need to do is leave a comment telling me which style (the Aphrodite, the Mariah, the Kitty, or the Rose) is your favorite by this Thursday, 4/28!  They would be a gorgeous way of individualizing a bridesmaid dress…or a welcome Mother’s Day gift…or a happy addition to your own little magpie closet.

Side note: Carolyn, the brainchild behind the line, worked as a portfolio accountant for a hedge fund before she bravely left the banking world to pursue her own creative aspirations.  Love that story!  Show your support by liking her line on Facebook!  And if any of you have other cool projects and lines you’re proud of, I’d love to hear about them!

A) Did anyone else love David Gray in high school?  I was a big fan and now grimace at the thought of myself trucking around NW D.C. in the fam SUV thinking that I was super introspective and in tune with my emotions.  Anyway.  Came across his “Sail Away” song the other day and it totally took me to another era, and also — oddly — made me think about sailing on a warm summer day, as Mr. Magpie and I have done a number of times over the past few years (in Annapolis, a convenient 45-60 min drive away from home).

B)  This thought process also brought me to remember that my bestie’s boyf just bought a sailboat, and that it is currently harbored on the Waterfront, just waiting for the first signs of spring/summer to be taken out for a spin.  Woohoo for friends with boats!

C) I have a serrrrious girl crush (grush?) on Penelope Cruz, and I happened to come across this nautical-styled snaperoo while wasting hours of my life on Tumblr the other day:

UMMM instantly want my hair to grow another 6″ and am loving the Bardot vibe here.

D)  Also grushing on the styling in this shot (also discovered on Tumblr; no idea where it’s originally from — the J. Crizzle Dizzle?  Nah, those tootsies are a serious business, and I don’t think Jenna Lyons is edgy enough to go ultra-platform on us):

In short, 4,389 signs are telling me its time to tune into nautical styling.  (Would not call it a trend — the preppy boat-loving look has been around for-ev-ah.)  I hesitated on this one since…well, the nautical theme can be sooo overdone and lame.  Like these shorts — ummm, a little much, thankyouverymuch.  Maybe without the “hammer me over the head” gold buttons or maybe with the gold buttons but without the stripes/all in navy…Also: in my opinion, you shouldn’t wear more than one or two “boaty” elements per day/look, or you’ll look like you’re dressing up as a Olive Oil / a sailor’s wife.  I don’t like anything that looks too “costume” or too “matchy-mcmatcherson.”  So let’s see.  What do I like?  First: stripes of all…er, stripes.  Love a lived-in striped shirt, and have been especially digging the way that a blue/gray stripe (like the distressed top below — sorry, Mama Magpie, I know you’re hating on the raggedy look — Adam, $185, Net-A-Porter) looks against an olive color ($59, H&M).  Would wear this in a flash this summer:

I’d finish with some cherry patent flats ($119, PrettyBallerinas) and this OMG-I-die-over-it Alexander Wang bag (could never get behind the nubby-bottomed ones that have been all the rage for the past year or so, even though my sissie, who worked for the young designer, owns one and rocks it like it’s nobody’s business…I’m much more into this style; $895, EditNY):

If I’m going for the striped dress, I like something a little loose and drapey, preferably with a defined waist — a la this number ($169, Built By Wendy), which I’d pair with this wood bead necklace ($178, AmandaPearl):

I’d wear this in the rainy interim spring-to-summer months with some classed-up rainboots ($195, Loeffler Randall) and a durable tote (Furla, $545, Nordstrom):

And even though it doesn’t have my “preferred” waist definition, this Marc by Marc Jacobs is just.perfect for the season (man, ol’ Marc-y boy was on point this season, eh?  I’ve featured a number of his pieces in my recent posts — $498, Shopbop):

I’d wear with super-high wedges (Pour La Victoire, $270, Shopbop) and a brown leather clutch (Rochas, $985, Barney’s):

I’ve also been gleefully pairing navy with kelly green these days, all atwitter with the boldness of the fresh combo.  I might pair an easy-on little day dress ($94, Petit Bateau) with some aviators and a long, monogrammed disc necklace ($239, SarahChloe):

And then finish with a bold green bag ($395, Foley & Corinna) and some of these funky little flats (I saw Rachel Bilson sporting a similar style and thought she looked darling — $90, Seychelles):

I’m also loving the idea of striped, demi-cropped top ($135, ShopBird) with a bold necklace ($40, BaubleBar) and a crisp navy skirt (Rachel Comey, on sale for $89, ShopBird):

I’d finish with those ba.na.nas wedges I was obsessing over that Carolina Engman owns ($89, Zara) and a slouchy leather bag ($575, Orla Kiely):

I’m also into the subtly nautical — a breezy white dress ($70, Aritizia) “sailorized” by a red bauble necklace ($98, Oliphant) and a pair of red canvas espadrilles —

Are the wedges below ($278, MyMu) not BEYOND?!  LOVE.  OMG.  Would look phenom with this little gold pouchette ($1,295, Barney’s):

Happy Thursday!  As an aside, I’ve been getting lots of comments about the Napa wedding I featured in the {magpie covets} section yesterday.  If you missed it, check.it.out.  It’s seriously one of the most gorgeous weddings I’ve ever seen photographed.