Outfit-Clubbing by the River

Mint skater by artaslife featuring an a-line skirt

This is what I wore to an outdoor club by the waterfront.  I decided to skip the sexy club wear and go for a sweet and summery look.

New In: Sunglasses

All of my favorite fashion bloggers have had round sunglasses for ages now, but I'm just getting around to buying some for the first time.  

I got these at Joyce Leslie.  They were 2 pairs for $10!  When it comes to sunglasses, I never buy high end because I have been known to lose them, scratch them, sit on them, or find other creative ways to destroy them. 

I really love the size, shape, and style of both pairs! They go with everything.  I thought round styles weren't going to suit my round face, but they actually fit my face really well. 

So, what is your favorite sunglass trend this year?  Are you a high end girl? Or do you go for the cheap ones?  

Outfit: Fireworks by the Water Front

Romantic afternoon by artaslife featuring saddle bags

I wore this outfit to watch fireworks over the waterfront.  Afterwards we stopped for a couple of drinks at a sidewalk cafe.

My favorite part of this outfit is my grandmother's gold baby locket.  My grandma turned 99 years old in May, so this locket is from 1914!  What I love most about the locket is that you can see dents from where she used to bite it when she was teething, which makes it even more precious in my eyes!  

  

Outfit: July 4th Cookout

July 4th outfit by artaslife featuring embellished tops

Hope all my American friends had fun on their holiday.  This is the look I wore to a July 4th BBQ at my friend's house.

Bargain Brag: Urban Outfitters.com Sale Haul

I recently placed my first-ever order on UrbanOutfitters.com.  I used to find great deals at Urban Outfitters in Boston and San Francisco, but here in Philly, it is very rare for me to shop there, although I do browse online once in awhile.  

Generally I prefer to buy clothes in-store rather than online, in order to check out the fit/quality and avoid paying shipping charges.  I only order online if I can get free shipping (or if shipping is very low).

While shopping the Memorial Day sales online, I happened to find quite a few things on Urban Outfitters that I liked (enough that I qualified for free shipping).  However, I decided that I should save my money, and I ended up walking away from my cart.

When I checked back a few days later, the prices had dropped down even lower after the holiday!  I decided to go ahead and grab these deals before they were gone. 

Skater Skirt with Faux Leather Trim

$19.99

This pretty white skater dress features a textured fabric and mesh panels in the back. 

$14.99

Mint Green scuba drop waist skirt

$6.99

This black scuba skirt is the same as the mint. I got two since this was a super deal.

$6.99

Acid Wash mini with slight high-low hem. 

$9.99

So, how do you feel about online shopping? Love it or hate it? What good online sales have you spotted lately?

Swim Obsession

Lately, I have been obsessed with finding the perfect swimsuit.  I haven't bought a new bathing suit in a few years.  At that time, I was living near the beach in Northern Florida.  I wore bathing suits fairly often so I had quite a few.  (There were a couple of awesome outlet malls near my house.)  However, since I left Florida, I've only found myself needing a bathing suit a few times per summer, so I didn't seen any reason to go out and buy a new suit.  Now, its been at least three years that I have been wearing the same old bathing suits!!! (My basic go-to suit from Victoria's Secret is even older that that!)  Even though I will probably still wear some of my old suits, I want to get a new one this summer.  I have been on a mission to track down the cutest and trendiest one out there!

These are a couple of my old bathing suits that I'd like to replace.  (The pics are from Google, and not mine, but these are my exact suits)

I have been shopping extensively, and it has been so hard to figure out what I want, because there are just so many cute styles out there.  I have narrowed my choices down by focusing on a few of the trends that I like the most.  I also made polyvore sets that showcase a few of the styles that stand out for me.

  

Fringe

Fringe bikinis by artaslife featuring a strapless swimwear



Tribal

tribal by artaslife featuring asos



Geometric, Chevron, and Stripes

geometric by artaslife featuring a halter top swimwear


Bustier Styles

bustier bikini by artaslife featuring hurley bikini

I also thought I'd share with you a few of the stores that I think have a good selection of swimwear.  

Asos has a really large selection, and tons of things are on sale.  Especially, if you have a larger bust, right now they have a bunch of larger-cup sizes that are adorable and on SUPER clearance.  (Great, yet another reason for me to want bigger boobs!) But they have so much variety on there, you are almost guaranteed to find something great in your size and price range.  Another great thing about Asos is that shipping is free!

Topshop has some really nice suits, although they are a little pricey by my cheapo standards.  Still, a quality suit is a good investment.  They have some really trendy and cool stuff.  I really like their caged suits and high-waist retro styles, but don't know that they would flatter me.

The 15dollarstore is a fun little online shop that offers some department store brand items for only $15.  Their swimwear is not the trendiest, but they carry some nice styles from designer and department store brands at $15 for a whole suit! Currently they have a lot of Kenneth Cole and Hobie suits that retail for waaay more than $15! The shipping cost isn't outrageous either, even if you factor it into the price, the suits end up being about $20.  If you like something on there act fast, though, all the suits I was watching are gone now and its only been about a week. 

Zumiez is the store I have been shopping most, and quite a few of the styles from my polyvore sets can be found on that site.  I never shopped Zumiez much in the past.  I was reminded of the store while randomly searching for certain styles of bathing suit.  They sell outdoorsy, surfer girl brands, which I feel are a good choice as far as quality and fit. They are having a Memorial day sale, a lot of swimwear is on sale, and a lot of it is even buy one get one 50% off!  Even better, they currently have an offer of free shipping on everything!!! I have a feeling I will be buying from them this weekend.  They also had a few really sweet surfer-chic sundresses on clearance that were running $15-$20. 

Other stores worth mentioning are Forever21, Delias, Alloy, and American Eagle.

So, what is your must-have swim trend for 2013?  Are there any stores you especially like for swimwear?