ruche: spring sneak peek!

Happy Friday, friends!

Ruche has provided me with exclusive sneak peek images of their brand new Spring lookbook, which launches this coming Monday! March 9th. Capture the Moment is sure to be as lovely and inspiring as all of their lookbooks, but I'm especially excited for this one because their photo shoot location was Balboa Park in San Diego, CA. Dustin and I had our engagement photos taken there (and at Disneyland), and it will always have a special place in my heart! 

I really love that first photo above, because we have pictures in front of that same little pond. In fact, I set my engagement ring on a lily pad there for a particularly frightening photo op. A gigantic coy fish was definitely approaching to swallow it whole as our photographer was snapping away. I was squealing the whole time I leaned forward over the water to carefully retrieve my treasure. It was a race between the coy fish and I, and luckily I managed not to send my ring to its watery death. It still makes my heart beat frantically just thinking about it. I was glad our photographer was one of our best friends (and incredibly talented - check out Mike Villa Visuals online, he's still based in California!). And that fishy endeavor turned out to be totally worth it.  

And BONUS: Ruche has generously offered my blog followers a special treat in honor of the upcoming lookbook launch! Use the code SPRING15 for 15% off sitewide. Perhaps you can finally buy that novel dress you've been wanting. :)

Enjoy the remaining images and check back with Ruche on Monday to Capture the Moment.

mixing florals

I absolutely love mixing prints, and florals are one of the best prints for mixing and matching. They go perfectly with polka dots and stripes, and sometimes even with other florals. Mixing patterns can be incredibly intimidating for some people, but once you get the hang of it you find the rules that work for you and your style and can mix it up like a pro.

Ruche's print-mixing feature Spring Floral Edit premiered this morning, and it's one of my favorites so far. I love the polka dot top layered over golden floral print. That green daisy print top with the black and white stripes is also fantastic. I just had to share. 

In addition, Ruche is having a Style Steal sale for today and tomorrow only, with many of my Novel Dress feature dresses included in the sale for 50% off! See if you can find the dresses for Wizard of Oz, A Wrinkle in Time, The Lies of Locke Lamora (which I love and am currently wearing), and Anne of Green Gables. My Valentine's Day dress is also included in the sale. 

Happy Friday Eve, friends. The weekend is swiftly approaching!

novel dress: classics

romeo and juliet by william shakespeare // forbidden romance floral dress

I'm not sure how I unlocked this strange fascination, but I cannot get enough of matching dresses and literature (see my first and second novel dress posts!). I tried to keep it classic with these choices, which was a fun challenge. So far I've only included books that I know and love, but this collection includes two stories I haven't actually read yet -- Little Women and The Wizard of Oz. Looking through book lists, especially of classic books, always heavily reminds me of my ever-growing to-read list. I'm sure my life will be spent constantly adding to that list, which is both exciting and depressing considering the time restraints on life. I hope there's a very big library in heaven.

This post is partially inspired by Ruche extending their sitewide Perfect Match Sale for 1 more day! It ends tonight at midnight. Which means that every dress in these posts (including the sale dresses!) is an extra 25% off. Shopping is a great way to fight those midweek blues.

Enjoy!

the adventures of sherlock holmes by sir arthur conan doyle // night at the theatre dress

treasure island by robert louis stevenson // marcelline printed dress

the great gatsby by f. scott fitzgerald // constellation sequins dress

the wizard of oz by l. frank baum // pebble lane colorblock dress

little women by louisa may alcott // trixie polka dot dress

moby dick by herman melville // jemima dress

emma by jane austen // leanne lace dress

a tale of two cities by charles dickens // love in bloom floral dress

the hobbit by j.r.r tolkien // winter solstice dress

friday pick-me-ups

Feeling the weekend calling your name?
Get started a little early with some online shopping! I know it always cheers me up. It's double the fun, because you get to shop and pick things out, and then you get mail! It's a party that lasts for days.

Ruche is hosting a fabulous Style Steal today, featuring 100 dresses on sale for over 50% off!

Here are some of my personal favorites:

I'm such a sucker for florals. 

I'm daydreaming of fall layering, pairing these lovelies with tights and boots and cozy knit sweaters. I'm really liking the way things are coming together in my head. Too bad that crisp fall weather is still quite elusive here! I'd like to break up with 90 degrees, please. 

I'll just have to keep shopping and daydreaming until that weather drops. 

What are your favorites??

tank top style

I am a sucker for gifts. It's true. I've always been this way. I love to give them, and I love to get them. I think surprises (which gifts should always be) are one of the best parts of life. 

The best of all gifts are the ones that are really thoughtfully put together specifically with you in mind -- themed gifts are my true favorite. 

I've put together some doozies in the past, dedicating far too much time and money into putting together the perfect box of Gatsby or 90's or Glitter themed gifts. 

I'm rarely surprised by other people because I'm obnoxious and usually spoil it before they have the chance, but when I am genuinely surprised by someone or something wonderful it nearly brings me to tears. I love it.

Last night my parents came home from a weekend trip, and as they drove in they grabbed a few packages that were waiting at the mailbox. One of them was a box from Ruche, which you most likely know by now is my favorite online boutique. I shop there more than anywhere else -- it's a company I love because their clothes are beautiful and their customer service is fantastic. They've only been around for 6 years, but their store is constantly growing and they do such a great job of keeping their collection fresh and their features inspirational.

My first thought was that my mom or my husband had bought me something from there as a surprise, but both of them were just as baffled as I was. I opened it, and inside was the most wonderful gift box full of goodies from Ruche! Just because. 

I was so shocked and overwhelmed by it. 

I immediately tried on the clothes and Dusty and I had a mini photo shoot to model them. 

1. Bow Tank (shop!)/Necklace: Ruche, 
2. Sailor Tank (shop!)/Skirt (shop!)/Shoes: Ruche, Necklace: LOFT

The best part for you people is that the two tanks and the skirt that I'm wearing in these photos are on mega-sale! So if you feel like shopping, today is the day, because they're having an EXTRA 25% off sale items! (ends 7/22 at midnight.)

I couldn't help but laugh while wearing my new sailboat tank top, posing with horses and basking in the setting desert sun. I couldn't be further from the beach life right now. But I certainly felt summery!

Thanks again to Ruche for such an incredible boost to my week and my wardrobe!

Ruche Sale: for the love of birthdays!

Come one, come all!

Today is the last day to take advantage of the Ruche Birthday Sale!
By now you all know that I love birthdays. 
As one of my all-time favorite online boutiques (I'll be honest, I'm wearing one of their dresses as we speak), Ruche has the unique quality of always surprising and delighting me with their selection and artistic features. Their website is always brimming with beautiful displays and pairings, and their blog is a great go-to for a pick-me-up of fresh inspiration.

Don't hesitate to check out their New Arrivals which are constantly being updated, and go take advantage of that sale!! I'm personally ecstatic to celebrate their birthday, because I'm very very happy that Ruche was born.

xoxo
Cait

winter wishes

Jacket (shop on sale!): Ruche, Top (shop!): LOFT, Dress (shop!): Modcloth, 
Earrings (shop!): Francesca's, Booties (shop!): Urbanog

Winter sales have me dreaming about what I could be wearing on this chilly day.

As I left my apartment this morning, it was 10 degrees. I realized and spoke aloud with foggy breath that it was a terrible choice to wear flats. 

I'm about to run downstairs to get another mug full of coffee, but before I do so, I am sharing my favorite things from Ruche's Winter Sale!

I love the jacket above. It's funky and cool. I love the pairing of navy and black, like it just doesn't care. 

The leather sleeves give it a bit of an edge, and as I was looking at it I realized I'd probably pair it with something a bit more feminine underneath. A pale dress, pink maybe, with an interesting top to layer beneath it, some sparkly earrings, and some tights and booties.

Of course, it would also go great with skinny jeans and boots. It's a do-watcha-want jacket.

Sweater (shop on sale!): Ruche, Dress (shop!): Modcloth

I also adore this bedazzled sweater. It's the perfect bit of sparkle! Just enough to flirt around with the feeling that you're wearing rhinestones (you know the feeling -- it's the same one you got when you bought that bedazzler in middle school and started stapling studs and sparkly things to all of your jeans), but still classic and refined.

But because I love wild prints, I'd definitely pair it with a crazy dress or skirt underneath it. And, of course, because it's 10 degrees and I can't imagine not doing so, I'd add tights (or maybe double tights) and boots.

Just for good measure, here is an ensemble of some more of my favorite Ruche Winter Sale finds!

What are some of yours?

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7

Happy Shopping!

living in sunshine

Top (on ebay): Anthropologie, Skirt (remixed): LOFT, 
Earrings (remixed): Ruche, Booties: Urbanog, Ring (similar): Ebay

It's amazing how working in a space of sunshiney natural light can quite literally illuminate you.
Your soul, your well-being, your general happiness.
It seems like a small thing, but there's a certain power to the sun that gives me a whole new respect for like...coal miners. And Alaskans. And subway workers. And sunshine-less people, like me, up until last month.

My office used to be a windowless closet that sapped me of my energy and it was such a huge surprise to me when I moved into the new building and sat staring out my window for hours, feeling like -- I'm alive. 
I felt a renewed sense of self, like I could do anything, go anywhere. I felt productive and excited.
There's a new heartbeat to this building, and I can feel it!
There are terraces and windows galore, so much light and activity and newness.

It has been really easy for me to get used to, but I will try my best not to take it for granted. 

It makes me realize what a difference joy can make in the midst of the daily grind. Having pride in your work and feeling like you're a part of something special.

Where do you find your joy? 

It's a conscious effort, but it shouldn't be easily shaken. I hope I'm always able to find joy in my work, whatever it may be. Whether it's becoming an author like I sometimes (always) dream about, or working at a cafe. 

All I know right now is that I hope there's sunshine there.