Cancun Part II - aqua blue

Fashion Fundamental:  shorts

Just another beautiful day in the Cancun paradise...

Vacation is the best time to bust out some adorable shorts.  I love this pick from AE with the pockets peeking out the shorts. These are essential for walking around in hot weather. All of this walking makes me want one thing... a nice, cold Coke. Mexican Coke... best ever!

Check out Part I for the start of the Cancun holiday.  Happy Monday!

Top: PacSun | similar

Shorts: American Eagle | similar
Sunnies: 01OS, Prada | shop
Shoes: Sperry Top-Sider | shop

Banana Republic: White Blazer

I love a white blazer. It makes any look - chic and put together. I anchored this look with a beautiful taupe dress from Calvin Klein. My mom found a few of these dresses on sale for $20+ or so dollars at our local Bergner's! Win win. I wanted to jazz up the look so, I paired this with one of my favorite pieces -- a colorful scarf-- from American Eagle.

What are you doing to jazz up your day?

Scarf: American Eagle | shop similar
Dress: Calvin Klein | shop similar
Blazer: Banana Republic | shop
Earrings:  Banana Republic
Shoes:  Target versie pump | shop

Lace & Pleats: Remixed

It's true that Forever 21 isn't known for their customer service, but the trade-off is admittedly lower quality, but definitely on trend pieces.  This beautiful celadon dress caught my eye as I walked past Heritage 1981's store window.

I was in love with the color, but not so much the cut.  Still, I tried the dress on twice with mixed feelings and a less than enthusiastic endorsement from Aili... To be honest, I was apprehensive about purchasing, but I couldn't pass up the color, and at 25 George Washingtons, the price wasn't awful.

As soon as I got home, however, I had instant buyer's remorse.  I've been trying to maintain a well-edited wardrobe filled with quality classic pieces, and in general, Forever 21 doesn't exactly fit the bill... Plus, I'm sure you're all familiar with Forever 21's less than generous Exchange (not return!) Policy.  Considering those combined factors, I was determined to make this dress work with my existing wardrobe, so I spent about hour (okay, okay 2. At least.) trying out different pairings before I was happy with my purchase.  All in all, I must say that this dress is a fun and colorful addition to my wardrobe.

Black has proven to be a fabulous contrast to this celadon shade, but I definitely plan on trying out some more colorful pairings.  Stay tuned for those!

Dress: F21 (worn backwards) | {1, 2}

Shirt: Old Navy (old)

Cardigan: Embroidered Chiffon Back Cardigan, AE | shop

Brooches: Thrifted

Shoes: Abalene, Nine West | shop

AE Fair Isle Sweater Dress + Nine West Erynne Boots

During the cooler months, I seem to gravitate towards the always cool & holiday appropriate fair isle design.  This season you can find fair isle items at any price point, and AE has a decent selection of fair isle sweaters, cardigans, and dresses.  You can check out fellow blogger, Kileen of Cute & Little in her own fair isle ensemble.

It's been a while since since I've been a regular AE shopper (though I did rock their denim high school, which are available in a range of lengths that are nice for petites), but this summer, I've (re)discovered their their denim shorts, and since then, I've been checking AE.com & AE stores much more frequently.

P.S. Last night I had the honor of attending the CNN Heroes All Star Tribute; for a sneak peek of what I saw, check us out on twitter @janesquaredblog!

Dress: Fair Isle Sweater Dress, American Eagle | shop
Earrings: Charlotte Russe
Ring: Dome Ring, Express | shop
Boots: Erynne Boots in Black Suede, Nine West ($189 currently on sale for $94.50) | shop

Linked up at Monday Mingle, The Pleated Poppy & Transatlantic Blonde.

Jane & the JCrew Beatrice Blouse Meet Apple Cider Doughnuts - Part II

I love, love this olive top from the Crew. It's really comfortable, and pleasantly peasant chic (bit of alliteration for good measure). Luckily, I got to wear this simple outfit to one of my favorite places.. the apple orchard. The weather continues to be beautiful in the midwest so, I will wear shorts as long as I can! My sister and I had a great time on our adventure for doughnuts, cider and apples.

Check out sister Jane's look in Part I of the Apple Cider Doughnut Adventure. Fall is the best with crunchy leaves and cider! What could be better?

Shades:  Forever 21 | shop

Top:  Beatrice Blouse in Perfect Olive, JCrew (no longer available online, but 41525)

Necklace:  JCrew 

Shorts:  American Eagle | shop

Bag:  Gap

Boots:  BP Runway Boot in Cognac, Nordstrom | shop
I love these boots that are also styled here.