Kicking Off Spring Like

Sunglasses: Kate Spade Dress: Brandy Melville Sweater: Target Shoes: Birkenstock

It’s finally that glorious time of year where we can pack away our winter coats, take out our espadrilles, and say goodbye to winter.

#byeFOREVER. or ya know, until November.

Although I’m currently dividing my time between Boston and Chicago and am still being forced to deal with the harsh realities of March, I was incredibly fortunate to have a little getaway to the Rancho Valencia resort in San Diego, where spring is very much in bloom.

I wanted to do two separate posts and leave my hotel and restaurant reviews as well as an overall recap of my trip for another day.

Today, I want to talk clothes.

Which is a subject that I haven’t really delved into on my blog yet, despite my Instagram account being predominately all about that #ootd life. (If you haven’t checked it out, you can find me at @theblondeinpink)

I will say though that this place is seriously beautiful. Every color is like notched up by 3 saturation on VSCO. We ended up going on a hike at the Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve and between that, the several beach towns we checked out, and our resort itself, we were surrounded by a ton of nature. Palm trees everywhere, the wide variety of flowers, the ocean… I can’t even begin to tell you how refreshing and rejuvenating it was.

I overpacked as usual so I had lots of outfit options. Since I was feeling ~inspired~ by the vividness around me, I opted for bright colors and fun prints. As always, I showed more than a little love for a few of my versatile pieces.

I’ll admit, I wasn’t feeling too hot after finishing up my long day of travel (I had to get up at 3:30 am for my first flight yeeet), but I was so excited to be in SD that I decided to take a pic in the streets of downtown La Jolla anyways.

This time of year is a little bit colder than I was expecting, (it was mid to high 60s during our trip), so when I hopped off the plane wearing lots of layers and a hat and sunnies, I was actually in the perfect ensemble.

I think layering is definitely always the right way to go when traveling, especially when dealing with notoriously cold airplanes and airports. I also think throwing on a bunch of pieces is a an easy way of looking put together and effortlessly chic. Sometimes this tactic does fail though, as my mom likes to point out.

These are a pair of my favorite leggings that are great for barre classes as well as everyday wear. Super stretchy, neutral in color but fun in print, these are a serious go-to. As is my jacket! Oh wow do I love my BlankNYC jacket. It has the most amazing quality faux-leather sleeves and a flowy, drapy, zippered detail at the front. It has way more edge than a simple cardigan, but isn’t too intense for the daytime.

My scarf and hat are just fun, last minute add-ons. I had a 5 am flight followed by a connection, so throwing on my baseball cap and covering up my face just felt right. My scarf matches the hat so extra points for me! God this scarf is cool. Alexander McQueen makes them in a billion colors too. They’re the perfect combo of edgy and girly. Could not have been more excited when my superstar boyfriend got me it for Christmas.

My Vans high-tops are definitely another favorite of my closet (a Christmas present from my boyfriend’s brother, some seriously cool taste runs in that fam) and go with every outfit I could ever wear. Essentially. I wear these with leggings and a tee shirt to run errands. I pair them with distressed denim and a black top and wear them to bars. I wear them to class with leggings and a big sweater and I wear them with white denim and a colorful blouse to dinner. Seriously. All. the. friggin. time.

I picked these super cute ruffle shorts up at a little boutique as soon as we got to La Jolla and could not have been more excited. I’ve been loving all shades of blue lately, and I thought this darker shade was a little different but still great for spring. I got these Tory Burch open toe and open heel booties last year and I think if you check the website they’re currently close to 50% off! They are so so comfortable and the dark brown goes great with everything, especially my taupe Kate Spade tote!

My jacket is another BlankNYC, like I said, they’re amazing. This one is completely vegan leather, but seriously looks like it could be real. It has this really badass zippering detail at the front and some cool raised detail on the shoulders. The shape is great too, I have very wide shoulders so this jacket is perfect for keeping my proportions in check.

I paired these shorts for a more casual daytime look with my silver Birkenstocks, grey open back Alice and Olivia top, my blush Tory Burch bag, my denim Fossil jacket, and a pair of sunnies I got on eBay

We went into San Diego’s historic Gaslamp Quarter for dinner one night and had the most amazing Italian. I absolutely loved this area, there were so many young people, tons of fun looking bars and restaurant,  all of the trees were covered in twinkle lights. Very cool spot.

Got on my lighter colored BlankNYC for good measure. I actually love pairing mismatched cream and white together! It helps to have a third color to tie them all together. I threw in some taupe and an amber colored necklace from J.Cre to help offset the balance.

I also have on my J.Brand white skinny jeans and my new Madewell top. I wore it all the time during my trip and cannot waaait to debut it when spring comes to Chicago and Boston. I loved dressing it up for this nighttime look but it also looks adorable during the day with a pair of bright, printed shorts.

Seriously, how versatile is this jacket?? Clutch is from eBay

My lovely sister and I. Kate’s wearing ~Lilly for Target~ (side note: remember when that line first came out and people were ready to sell their first born child and their right foot for one of the pieces on eBay? Well that dark time in history has passed and now you can get your hands on this jumpsuit for a starting bid of just $29.99)

My dress is another new pretty from Madewell. Beyond obsessed. It has a bit of a v-neck and a super cute cap-sleeve detail. Like most of my favorite clothing items, it easily goes from day to night wear and is one of my favorite colors for spring. I thought it’d be fun to pair my camo clutch with the bright blue pop.

Wish this trip could have lasted forever but I am happy to be back in Chicago for a few days for Easter. The pouring rain and freezing temps aren’t really doing it for me, so here’s hoping I can find a little more early springtime in Boston next week…

Xo,

Meghan