Red, Yellow, and Blue: These Fits are for You

Top and skirt: LC Lauren Conrad

Shoes: Penny Loves Kenny, DSW

Bag: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl’s 

Necklaces and bangles: PlastiqueHommage 

Striped bangle: Amrita Singh, Zulily

Top: Candie’s, Kohl’s; Skirt: Rewind, Kohl’s 

Deep Blue Twee Necklace

Top: Elizabeth and James, Kohl’s; Skirt: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl’s 

Bag: Kate Spade New York for Target

Sparkly Sailboat Necklace

Bow: A New Day, Target

Skirt: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl’s 

Boats, boats, boats.

Sunglasses: A New Day, Target; Clip: Piper K, Marshall’s

Big Minnie and Little Minnie.

Cardigan: LOFT

Bag: Marshalls

Nautical nonsense.

I love primary colors.  Sometimes I reach for them without even thinking, the fiery reds, cheerful yellows, and serene blues bewitching me with their bold balance. That, or I have McDonald’s and blue Icees on the brain.  Either way, I unearthed some of my nautical necklaces to accent these crayon box classics. Because summer is about old traditions and new adventures.

And enjoying DayGlo beverages.

So Long, Summer: Sunset Season

Well, it's happening.  We're in the last hours of summer.  For me, the most bittersweet way to say goodbye is with Elin Hilderbrand's final Nantucket novel, the aptly entitled Swan Song.

Nantucket police chief Ed Kapenash is finally retiring.  Featured in many a Hilderbrand tale, Ed has served as the moral compass of the island for decades.  Still, he can't sail off into the sunset until he solves one last case.  And it centers around glamorous newcomers Bull and Leslee Richardson.  Nantucket doesn't know what to think when the unknown couple buys a mansion on doomed property.  Spectacularly wealthy and gregarious, the Richardsons quickly become the It Couple, throwing one Bacchanalian bash after another.  Still, there's something not-quite-right about them, something their live-in personal concierge, Coco, knows all too well.

Dazzling and seductive, haunting and poignant, Swan Song is Hilderbrand at her best.  She delivers a riveting plot, poetic descriptions, and characters that we care about despite their many transgressions.  But most of all, she reminds us that we're on a journey.  

And that sometimes the sweetest season of life is the one that comes at the end.

When Life Gives You Lemons: Squeezing a Little More Out of Summer

Shoes: Jessica Simpson, DSW

Lemon Ice Nice Necklace

Dress: Nine West, Kohl's

Flower barrette: Capelli, ULTA

Bag: The Shoppes at the Asbury

Bag: Violet Ray, Kohl's

Guitar Shero Necklace

Pink top: Arizona Jeans, JCPenney; Orange top: Pink Rose, Kohl's

Sunglasses: Rampage, Boscov's

Shoes: Madden Girl, Kohl's

Bag: Mix No. 6, DSW

Kimono: Nine West, Kohl's

Scrunchies: Goody, Amazon

Happy Face Place Necklace

Dress: Lily Rose, Kohl's

Bag: Betsey Johnson, Amazon; Charm: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Skirt: Marshalls

Pink and Purple Rainbow Necklace 

Sunglasses: Wild Fable, Target

Shoes: Lucky Brand, Zulily; Bag: Skinnydip London, Macy's

Fifth Sun, JCPenney

You know the deal,

You've all heard my spiel.

When fall comes to call,

I just want to stall.

To bask in the sun,

And soak up the fun,

To borrow, no, steal

Summer's easy appeal.

But time must march on

Like the faded green lawn.

So I'll make the most

Of the pumpkins and ghosts

Before winter comes

And I'm really bummed.

My poem may not be Shakespeare, but it describes how I feel every fall.  Which is why I like to help obliterate the blues with a bold crop of tropical brights. 

Next stop October when I work through my fear of fright night with girly-ghoulish garb. 

Last Call 'Til Fall? Do Me a Favor and Spare Me the Labor

Dress: Lily Rose; Skirt and bag: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Primarily Prismatic Necklace

Hair clips and sunglasses: Wild Fable, Target

Top: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's; Skirt: Candie's, Kohl's

Bag: SHEIN; Sunglasses: Wild Fable, Target

Top: Molly Bracken, Modcloth; Skirt: Dollhouse, Macy's

Flip flops: Katy Perry Collection, Nordstrom Rack; Necklace: I'm Your Present, Etsy; Bag: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

That's right.  I said what I said.  But you should know me well enough by now to get that it's the unofficial end of summer I'm spurning and not the celebration of America's workforce.  Labor Day is the New Year's Eve of summer.  A little over-hyped and a lot melancholy, it marks a seasonal transition no one wants to make.  And that's why, in my own quirky way, I make the most of it with fashion photography.

These fits are from the long weekend, which included my parents' BBQ, a trip to the bank, and hanging around the house.  Which is not at all like "sitting around the house" from Better Than Ezra's "Good," and not just because that song references the Fourth of July instead of Labor Day, but because with  Charlotte, there's not much sitting.

That said, this last pic was, appropriately, taken today on the actual holiday.  After a day out, it was time to stay in, and I spent most of it, not in this nautical-slash-ice-cream-themed getup, but in my nightgown.

It's what the laborers would've wanted.