Problematic Summer Wardrobe

Dress: Betsey Johnson, Zulily

Pancakes should always be served with whipped cream.

Bag: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Bow: Art Class, Target

Bag: Francesca's

Sweatshirt: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Skirt: On 34th, Macy's

Dress: ModCloth

Bag: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Shoes: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Oversized Anchor Necklace

Sweet suburban skyline sans storefronts.

Bag: Isaac Mizrahi, Marshalls

Headband: INC, Macy's

You know that I dread the end of summer and refuse to acknowledge it until October.  Well, samesies this year.  So until then, I'm going to keep on trucking sailing with my unseasonal summer ensembles.  And I'm going to keep reading beach books, too.  Like Ali Hazelwood's Problematic Summer Romance.  

This one is about a twenty-three-year-old, award-winning physicist named Maya and her "inappropriate" crush on her brother's thirty-eight-year-old, biotech billionaire bestie, Conor.  Maya may be a genius, but, like Halsey, she's "bad at love."  Yet (also like Halsey), you can't blame her for trying -- especially during her brother's wedding week in lemon-scented Sicily.  Less STEM, ahem, coded than Hazelwood's previous romcoms, Problematic Summer Romance is more easy breezy.  Because even eggheads sometimes leave the lab to play the field -- and the fool -- like the rest of us.  Smart and snappy, it's rife with pop culture references, all of which enhance Maya's journey.  So, just what you want from a summer romance -- and a book about one.   

That said, my own (sartorial, not relationship) problems have only begun.  

By which I mean brights, bare legs, and produce prints in the face of flannel and pumpkin spice. 

Also, white shoes after Labor Day.  

A Gamble on Glam and a Line in the Sand: Painting the Desert Pink

Blouse: Amazon

Flirt on My Boots Necklace

Bag: Amazon

Headband: Macy's

Shoes: First Love by Penny Loves Kenny, JCPenney

Jacket: bebe, Macy's Backstage

Bag: Nine West, Kohl's

Hair clip: Wild Fable, Target

Poker chips: Michaels

Big necklace: H&M; Other necklace: Nine West, Kohl's

Top: Kingston Grey, Macy's; Ace of hearts pillow: Michaels

Saguaro Squared Necklace

Sweater: Mudd, Kohl's

Quartz of the Cactus Necklace

Skirt: Candie's, Kohl's

Bow: Art Class, Target

Bags: First two: Arizona Jeans, JCPenney; Last one: T-Shirt & Jeans, Kohl's

Winsome Dove Necklace

Just kidding.  Glam is never a gamble, and I'll never draw a line in the sand when it comes to a desert motif.

So in the tradition of the laconic cowboy (and Forrest Gump), that's all I have to say about that.

Candy Crush Rush: Convo Inspo

Skirt: Decree, JCPenney; Tights: Amazon

Sweater: BCX, Macy's

Shoes: Mix No. 6, DSW

Necklace: Simply Vera, Kohl's

Bag: Betsey Johnson, Amazon

Headband: Amazon; Sunglasses: Wild Fable, Target

Ring: Gifted

Skirt: Decree, JCPenney

Lots to Love Bug Necklace

Bag: Art Class, Target

Bow: Macy's

Boots: Impo, DSW; Tights: Betsey Johnson, Gifted

Sweater: Madden Girl, Kohl's

Skirt: Tinseltown, Kohl's

Shoes: Katy Perry, Zulily

Bag: Betsey Johnson, Gifted

Grand Romantic Vesture Necklace

Sweater: Forever and Ever, Kohl's

Bow: Kohl's

Conversation hearts are to Valentine's Day as candy canes are to Christmas.  Sugary sweet and a labor to eat, but it's not a holiday without them.  I love their rainbow pastels and their weird, chalky taste and their cheesy messages, right down to U R CUTE and TEXT ME.  So of course my closet includes shoes, bags, and bows emblazoned with these loquacious confections.    

It also includes a lot of red and pink, something I noticed when I started this valentine adventure.  At first I thought, how will I wear it all?  But then I reminded myself that it isn't a race and that there's always next year.  

All of those clothes will still be as fresh.

As will those leftover conversation hearts.