Every girl knows their closet is incomplete without the famed Little Black Dress. However, in addition to the LBD, I’m convinced that the same is true for its younger, more limb-inclusive sister, the Little Black Jumpsuit. To be honest, in the last few years, my favorite LBJ (not to be confused with the 36th president, though I feel like he would’ve appreciated a good jumpsuit) has actually been worn more often than any of my LBDs. I know. Shots fired! It’s full-blown WWIII in my closet right now.
Not only are jumpsuits super comfortable, but they actually can be much more versatile than their dress counterparts. An LBJ in particular can look just as dressy as an LBD, but the pants factor allows the jumpsuit to be more easily dressed down. And while both pieces are great seasonless investments, I’d be inclined to say that the little black jumpsuit is the better purchase as we head into fall and winter—because again, you’re getting all of the formality without the excess exposure of your lower extremities as temperatures drop. I can say from experience that the LBJ is a cold-weather godsend.
I wore this black jumpsuit to the rehearsal dinner of one of my best friends this past weekend, and it was super comfortable for a hot summer evening. However, I’m excited to wear it all through the fall and winter with a leather jacket, and not freeze my keister off like I do in little black dresses.
The jumpsuit you see today is new to my closet, but I got this long-sleeved DVF wrap jumpsuit a couple years ago and if you follow me on instagram, you know I have worn it COUNTLESS times since. Easily the MVP of my closet in the past two years.
I’ve included a bunch of my favorite LBJs below, but holy smokes, check out this one and tell me it isn’t the coolest most versatile (literally) thing you’ve ever seen. I’m 100% purchasing it… I’m just torn about what color to choose. I know I’ll get a ton of use out of the black… but that blush?! Sheesh that beauty’s hard to pass up.
Happy Friday! Ahh it’s so great to be back in NYC! I’m here for a couple days of work and then one of my best friend’s weddings this weekend in Connecticut. I wore this suede moto vest and black slip dress yesterday for meetings and appointments around the city, and I’ve gotta say, the slip dress trend is a total godsend in the New York heat and humidity. My suede moto vest is actually quite light, so was the perfect topper for meetings during the day, and once the workday was over, the look seamlessly transitioned to dinner and drinks with friends.
Whether you’re taking a long weekend away with your family or headed on the honeymoon adventure of your dreams, you want to be equipped with the necessary tools to make sure you and your loved one(s) are able to take amazing selfies at every. possible. opportunity. Kidding! (Kind of.) Over the years, Rich and I have gotten really into photography, and now travel with a truckload (not actually, but close) of our favorite cameras, lenses and ancillary equipment. I get asked all the time about what cameras we use, what recommendations we have for travel photography, and what tips we could offer on how to capture amazing moments while on vacation. So after years of learning all kinds of great tips and tricks, here are my top travel photography recommendations for making sure your trip is beautifully preserved for posterity and your instagram/snapchat game doesn’t miss a beat.
1 . DITCH IPHONE PHOTOS & BUY (OR RENT!) ONE OF THESE CAMERAS
Especially for important trips like a honeymoon, you may want to venture beyond iPhone photos and invest in something a little nicer to capture those once-in-a-lifetime moments. As mentioned, we’re really into photography, so we typically bring our Canon 5D Mark III and our GoPro. If you’re not a photography freak, there are tons of great point-and-shoot cameras like this one which has amazing capabilities, is super easy to use, and connects directly to your phone. I’ve also heard great things about this camera and this camera. However, if buying a new camera for the trip isn’t in the cards, look into rental options. We’ve used BorrowLenses.com repeatedly to rent camera equipment for one-off projects or trips, and even rented a few special lenses from them for our honeymoon. You can rent everything from the simplest point-and-shoot cameras to high-end professional photography accessories like tripods, lenses, extra memory cards, and underwater cases.
2. UP YOUR iPHONE CAMERA GAME
If you just can’t bear the thought of abandoning your iPhone (or Droid, etc.) for a nicer camera, or you rely on your phone’s camera for instagram and snapchat (like me!), there are some tricks to making your phone photography the best it possibly can be. Smartphone lens attachments like this one or this one can really enhance the existing photo capabilities of your phone. Also, check out my favorite photo editing apps like Afterlight, VSCO, Snapseed, or if you’re a more advanced photographer, Adobe Lightroom’s app.
3. BRING A SELFIE STICK (SERIOUSLY!)
Believe me, no one enjoys ridiculing selfie sticks more than yours truly. However, I got one in a gift bag at a conference a couple years ago, and after jokingly fooling around with it, I actually realized that there are some merits to the devices. [insert embarrassed emoji here] Especially if you’re off exploring without lots of other people around to help snap photos, there are easy ways to hold the selfie stick from a side angle so that the embarrassing pole isn’t visible in the picture. No one has to know.
4. PURCHASE EXTRA MEMORY CARDS (WITH SPECIAL FEATURES)
Not only do I recommend bringing extra memory cards for your camera and/or GoPro in case you run out of space while you’re out exploring, but I also highly recommend buying one of these amazing EyeFi memory cards that connects wirelessly to your phone so you can take a great photo with your camera or GoPro, and instantly upload it to your phone for viewing and sharing. Some cameras have this phone connection capability built-in, but many do not. With the ability to check out the camera photos instantaneously on your phone, Eyefi memory cards make travel photography so much easier and so much more fun.
5. COME EQUIPPED WITH EXTRA BATTERIES
If you spend all day relaxing on the beach, swimming, hiking and/or exploring, there will be few opportunities to plug in your camera battery. We bought extra batteries for our camera and GoPro so that we always have fully charged backups in our bag. GoPro batteries are especially notorious for dying quickly, so make sure you have a few extras charged if you’re using your GoPro a lot. And, don’t forget to recharge everything each night!
6. INVEST IN AN EXTERNAL CHARGER
In addition to extra batteries, we also always had a portable charger at the ready to refuel our other dying devices (phones and tablets that were used constantly for listening to music, reading on the beach, taking photos, and checking out EyeFi camera photos). I prefer a portable charger because they’re typically much more powerful, but a lot of people love these charging phone cases which offer the extra juice and phone protection all in one unit. I also highly recommend this portable battery pack for a beach or otherwise-adventurous vacation because it’s waterproof and shockproof, so if you slam your backpack during a hike or get a little water splashed in your bag, it will be no problemo.
7. REMEMBER CONVERTERS (AND THE EXTENSION CORD TRICK)
Going out of the country? Don’t forget a converter or adapter to charge everything! I highly recommend this universal travel adapter which I use every time I travel internationally, no matter the destination. However, with lots of cameras, phones and other gadgets that need recharging every night, you either need to bring several adapters for each, OR bring a power strip! In the past, we’ve brought one power strip with a dedicated adapter so you can plug all your US-based gadgets into one station for charging overnight. More recently, we purchased this unit that’s an adapter and power strip all in one. It also has four USB outlets, so your phones and tablets are covered as well. This way, you don’t have to bring a million adapters for every single item that needs charging AND if you’re staying in a room that doesn’t have a ton of outlets, you’re good to go with just one or two.
8. BRING A CAMERA-FRIENDLY BACKPACK
If you’re planning on doing some hiking, a backpack is a great thing to bring so you can comfortably carry cameras, snacks, etc. when you’re out exploring. Since we typically travel with lots of cameras, lenses, and other tech accessories, we always bring our favorite ONA backpack that’s specifically designed to house and protect camera equipment. We’ve brought it everywhere from hikes in the Seychelles, to game drives in South Africa, to daytrips exploring medieval castles in Portugal. Not only does it keep our cameras, lenses and equipment safe and comfortably packed, but it also has great pockets and compartments for other supplies, layers of clothing, you name it. Especially if you’re a photographer or aspiring photographer, I can’t recommend these bags highly enough! As an alternative, I’ve also heard fantastic things about these Copper River bags as well.
9. DON’T USE A WATERPROOF PHONE CASE!
After listing all of the camera accessories that you should bring above, I thought it would be helpful to mention one I would avoid: the soul-crushing “waterproof” phone case. If you’ve used a waterproof phone case that works reliably and didn’t flood your phone, more power to you. However, I know at least a dozen people who have bought various “waterproof” phone cases to use on a beach vacation, just to find out once they’re far away from civilization and any Apple/Verizon/Whatever store that the case is not really fully totally 100% waterproof. After attempting to take some cool underwater shots on day one, they are now cut off from the rest of the universe for the entirety of their trip. The up side of this situation is a nice (forced) vacation from technology, but the downside is that you likely need your phone for traveling, logistics, safety, and providing your paranoid mother with periodic updates that you’re alive. If you’re not Tom Hanks, the whole real-life Cast Away thing where you start growing a beard and losing tons of weight and calling inanimate objects Wilson just isn’t as cute. Don’t risk it, y’all. Better off investing in a GoPro (or renting one) and its iron-clad under water cases, than risking your phone. Remember, there’s really no way to know whether it works or not until you’re underwater. Soooo not worth the risk, in my opinion!
10. ENROLL IN AN INTERNATIONAL DATA PLAN OR RENT A MIFI DEVICE
This one just applies to international vacations: Whether it’s to periodically check your work email, correspond with family and friends, instagram / snapchat like a mad-woman or use in case of emergency, don’t forget to arrange for international data to be enabled on your phone during the trip. If that costs an arm and a leg, look into renting a portable MiFi device. Our phone plans are Verizon which has an amazing new(ish) travel plan called “Travel Pass” which is super affordable, but we’ve also used mi-fi devices from Orange in Spain and most recently MyWebspot in Portugal and Denmark (but it works all over Europe). Aside from social media and work, the biggest thing is making sure you have a connection to back up the photos and videos on your phone to iCloud or whatever storage you use. I had my phone stolen in Paris a couple years ago, and because I didn’t have a MiFi device or international data plan allowing my photos to be backed up, I lost two weeks worth of wonderful photos. You want to make sure you’re able to connect to the internet and back those puppies up as often as possible!
11. USE SNAPCHAT EVERYDAY AND SAVE YOUR STORIES EVERY NIGHT
During our most recent trip to Europe, we used snapchat consistently everyday to document little moments that we experienced throughout the trip. From great meals, to great views, to funny navigational issues we had in the car, to favorite scenes on the streets of quaint little towns, it was a wonderful way to document our trip and remember all of the “little things” that perhaps don’t warrant an actual picture, but are fun to look back on nonetheless. At the end of every day, I saved down my Snapchat story to my iPhone (the Memories feature was actually introduced halfway through our trip!), so I now have a snap story for each day of the trip that can easily be strung together into a longer movie of the trip as a whole. The beauty of snapchat is that it forces moments to be captured in ten seconds or less, so at the end of the trip, you don’t have to go through hours and hours of video footage. We have two to five minutes of snaps from each day, which don’t require editing, and will be so much fun to look back on. So whether you’re dying to share your travels with your millions of snapchat friends, or are completely new to snapchat and don’t have a single follower, the platform is a great tool for preserving all of those special memories.
Any questions or travel photography tips that I missed? Chime in below in the comments!! xx
I wore this outfit last Friday evening for a quick getaway to Napa for the night. This amazing white fringe sweater has been on repeat all summer (you may recognize it from my Portugal posts) and it’s currently on major sale in both white and black!! You can also find the awesome dress version here and many similar sweaters linked below (because I just love the style so flipping much):
My sweater is by a local San Francisco brand, Amour Vert, which I discovered earlier this summer. Their pieces are made from all eco-friendly, sustainable materials and I don’t know how they do it, but the fabrics are hands down the softest things I’ve ever felt. Just wait ’til you touch one of their t-shirts. Absolutely insane. I’m eyeing this adorable striped dress, this tie-front top, and this perfect long-sleeve tee.
I snagged these J. Brand frayed-hem ripped skinny jeans on sale a few weeks ago, and they’ve been on constant rotation ever since. As you may remember, I styled them in this post with a nude leather jacket and lace-up flats. The length of the jeans fit me perfectly without alteration, but over the weekend I had a reader ask advice on how to alter them because they came too long for her. The beauty of unfinished hems is that you can actually just cut them to whatever length you want with a scissors—no tailor required! Trendy and cost-effective for ze win.
Happy Friday! A few shots from last Sunday night when Rich and I celebrated our one year wedding anniversary. I bought this white jumpsuit a year and a half ago for our engagement party, but ended up wearing a different one at the last minute. I’ve always been enamored with the unique chiffon overlay detailing, so it was really fun to finally bust this beauty out of my closet to celebrate our first anniversary. It’s sold out in white now, but is still available in black here which is perfect for occasions any time of year. If you’re a fan of the white like I am, I’ve included lots more favorites below!
For those of you who have asked, you can revisit all of the details on our wedding one year ago via the Wedding section of my site under the top navigation bar’s Lifestyle tab. I posted all of the details on our wedding ceremony, our wedding reception, and also our day-after photo shoot! Ahhh can’t believe it’s already been a year…
Before the week comes to a close, I have to thank you all again for your amazing support of Trove this week! We’re still blown away by the response we’ve received from all of you, and are so indescribably grateful.
While we’re on the subject of Trove, I wanted to mention that if you’re enjoying the closet functionality on the app as much as I am, remember that you can also access your closet on the web from your laptop or desktop by going to mytrove.thetroveapp.com and signing in using the same credentials that you use to sign into the app on your iPhone. We built this web closet for those of you who still don’t love checking out on mobile, and prefer to shop from your computer. So, if you’re adding products to your closet while perusing the app on-the-go, you can easily find and shop them via the MyTrove web closet from your computer later on!
It has been quite the whirlwind week since the public launch of Trove on Monday! We have been absolutely FLOORED by the truly unbelievable response we’ve received in the few short days since the app was made public, and are grateful beyond words for all of your support.
In case you missed the big news, you can read all about the launch of Trove here, and if you’re on your iPhone and would like to download, click here! We were immensely grateful for the wonderful articles written about Trove by Forbes, Women’s Wear Daily and others, so if you’d like to hear about the app from someone other than its enthusiastic co-creator (yours truly) have a read there. Receiving such a warm response from the media, industry insiders, fashion bloggers and users alike has offered the most humbling and gratifying reward for what has been 18+ months of blood, sweat and tears (mostly from Rich… he’s a HUGE cry baby). Of course, this is only the very beginning, but we just can’t thank you all enough.
With lots of work and very little sleep, this week has meant messy buns, flats, and knit sheath dresses (that feel like nightgowns) at the office. This striped sheath dress is an old favorite from Ann Taylor, but I’ve found tons of similar beauties below. As far as I’m concerned, a working girl just can’t have enough knit sheaths in her arsenal. They look super professional without the constriction of less-forgiving fabrics.
And while we’re on the subject of favorite workwear staples, I’d be remiss if I didn’t offer these pointed-toe flats a moment in the spotlight. I’ve been hoarding pointed toe flats ever since I entered the workforce, because they’re just the ultimate silhouette when it comes to footwear versatility. They can go with any kind of casual or business casual look, but are a definitive step up in terms of dressiness from a ballet flat, so can also go beautifully with more formal dresses or suits on days when you just need to give your feet a break from heels. This is why I included them in my list of Working Girl Wardrobe Essentials, because, well they’re essential! I’ve included tons of favorites below, and almost all of them come in multiple colors, so check ’em out:
Hopefully those of you who posed questions in my last post about Trove saw my answers there in the comments, but in case you didn’t, I’ll repeat answers to the most commonly asked questions as follows:
At this time, Trove is a mobile app built for iPhones only. Unfortunately, this means that the app can not be used on iPads or Androids. However, we are currently working on making it iPad compatible, and are also building an Android version as well. If you follow @thetroveapp on social media, you’ll be the first to hear when those versions are ready to go!
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JUMPSUIT: 
DRESS: Ann Taylor (old, similar