spring

In the Spring of Things

Happy Hump Day everyone! This week is absolutely crazy for me, but after such a warm and beautiful weekend it’s really hard to complain. Michaela and I are flying down to Nashville on Sunday, so I have lots of work to get ahead on and the obvious errands and packing to take care of, and I was already starting to feel overwhelmed three days ago! Luckily spring is the perfect season for easy dressing, and I just needed to toss on a pretty dress and my go-to jacket and we’re in business.

(If you guys have any recommendations for what we should see/do/eat/etc in Nashville we would LOVE to hear them! Leave a comment here or send me an email at thesolcompass@gmail.com!)

Thank you so much for stopping by! Enjoy the rest of your week!

xo, C

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Signs of Spring

Welcome back everyone. I hope you all had a great weekend! It was so nice here in Massachusetts that I decided to shoot some spring inspired outfits – even though I’ll be back to boots this week!

You all know I love pairing red and black together, and would normally add these leopard heels to that easy color combination. That reason is why I love them paired with white jeans even more – it’s much more unexpected!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you all have a great week!

xo, C

Cherry Blossom Festival

It’s a tad overdue, but today I’m finally sharing pictures from my trip to Washington, D.C.! I have so much to share with you all over the next few weeks, I’m going to try ramping up my game to five posts a week (Monday-Friday, still at 6AM EST). We’ll see if I’m able to keep up with it, but for now I’m excited to be able to share more content every week.

Seeing the magnitude of the Cherry Blossoms in peak bloom around the Tidal Basin is an astounding experience, and one that I’ve hoped to have the pleasure of seeing for quite some time now. Homaro Cantu once said that the cherry blossoms represent the fragility and the beauty of life. They are a reminder that life is almost overwhelmingly beautiful but that it is also tragically short. Seeing how quickly peak bloom comes and goes is the epitome of this sentence, and I feel so fortunate that I was able to be there the day before peak bloom when the trees were so very beautiful and full of life.

I’m a naturally early riser, and chasing sunrises is one of my favorite hobbies. However I’m not sure I’ve ever had such an experience that was as rewarding as the sunrises I saw in DC. We got up extra early every day we were there to make sure we could get down to the Tidal Basin or the Lincoln Memorial to find parking and prime sunrising viewing spots. It was 100% worth it.

I had an unfortunate incident involving dropping my DSLR lens while trying to get the perfect shot, which resulted in a broken lens and a mini panic attack on my part. Luckily my iPhone came to the rescue and managed to snap a few shots while I was trying to capture the fleeting sunrise at its prime (the two photos below).

This J.Crew Factory dress was perfect for a spring day. I love the attention to detail in the laser cut floral print, and the bright pink was perfect for both DC sightseeing and an Easter mass with a quick swap of accessories!

Outfit Details – Dress: J.Crew Factory | Jacket: Express | Sneakers: Vans | Necklaces: Bauble Bar (here and here) | Purse: Coach Factory (old, similar here and here)

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great week!
xo, C

Eyelet and Stripes

It’s incredibly likely that I will never get tired of American themed outfits i.e. anything involving a combination red, white, blue, and stripes-or better yet, all three. Patriots’ Day (better known as Marathon Monday) is somewhat of a sacred day here in Massachusetts and the perfect excuse to break out the Americana. I stalked this skirt from J.Crew for months until it was low enough on sale to snag it up. That meant I wound up with a beautiful eyelet midi skirt in the dead of winter, patiently hanging in my closet waiting for warmer days when we could rock all kinds of color combinations together. Stay tuned for more. (I also found a few similar options, including one for $25 that you can shop below!)

Outfit Details – Top: J.Crew | Skirt: J.Crew (sold out, similar here, here, here, and under $25 option here) | Heels: Sole Society (last seen here and here) | Bracelets: The Limited, LC Lauren Conrad, Chan Luu | Necklace: Bauble Bar | Watch: Fossil | Earrings: Banana Republic (old, similar here and here) | Purse: Vera Bradley (only available in stores, similar here and here) | Lipgloss: ‘Petal’ by Bobbi Brown | Nail Polish: ‘Not So Bora Bora-ing Pink’ by OPI

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful week and Happy Marathon Monday!

xo, C

Stripes if by Sea

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I am definitely happiest when outside, and more specifically by the sea. When my sister and I went down to the ocean I instantly morphed into a more playful and giggly person (which may not have been ideal for the picture taking, but alas). My seaside uniform usually involves navy, stripes, and boat shoes. They are the epitome of nautical style, but the pink jeans add a more spring vibe to the look than a traditional red or white might allow. Plus, these are the prettiest and most comfortable pants ever. I think I would try to wear them every day all spring long if, you know, people wouldn’t notice…

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Thanks for stopping by! Happy Hump Day!

xo, C

The weather has been so up and down lately, but I’m holding on to any resemblance of spring I can find. This skirt from The Limited is perfect for all spring occasions, from Mother’s Day brunch to graduations and beyond. The color and silhouette are just perfect. Now if only the flowers would start cooperating around here…

Thanks for reading! Have a wonderful week!

xo, C

Clover

My eagerness to break out all of the florals as fast as possible is bordering on desperation at this point. I just keep telling myself that by mixing in plenty of darker winter items it will be TOTALLY FINE to ignore the three more weeks of official winter and jump the gun straight into spring. I can’t wait until nature starts to come to life again, and incidentally all the humans follow. The winter gloom has been too real.

Outfit Details – Dress: J.Crew (sold out, same pattern on this top) | Jacket: Topshop (also available in tall and petite!) | Heels: LC Lauren Conrad | Necklace: Banana Republic (old, similar here) | Earrings: Banana Republic (old, similar here) | Sunglasses: Illesteva | Bag: Banana Republic Factory (new version here) | Bracelets: Chan Luu, Lucky Brand

Thanks for reading! Happy Hump Day!

xo, C

First Florals

There may not be flowers sprouting from the earth quite yet, at least in Massachusetts, but I am more than ready to start incorporating them into my wardrobe! My sister and I both have this Cynthia Rowley skirt (twinning on Instagram here) and our different styles are a perfect example of the versatility of florals. I wore it with a navy sleeveless blouse over the summer, which unfortunately was one of the shoots I lost when my computer crashed, so I wanted to try it with this bright pink sweater from Banana Republic. In a mild attempt to mellow myself out (since technically it is still winter), I made sure to add a plethora of navy in to the ensemble to properly winterize the look.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Happy Hump Day!

xo, C

Monday Blues

The Monday Blues are all too real this week. April Showers will do that to a girl, I guess. Luckily the other kind of “Monday Blues”, aka the kind that you wear, happens to be one of my favorite things ever. It’s also fair too easy for me to do, seeing as my closet is about 70% blue, 30% every-other-color-in-the-rainbow. I love pairing different shades of blue together in the same outfit (last done here), as long as the shades are different enough it can make for such a chic look. I always try to choose varying textures in addition to a light/dark combo, and then pick an accessory that pops, like these silver oxfords. I’m totally obsessed with the eyelet pattern on this LOFT skirt, and I’ve seen it popping up all over the place this spring, including this gorgeous J.Crew dress. Having eyelet patterns available everywhere I turn is basically my fashion dream come true. Anything with lace, eyelet, or embroidered details, you can sign me up for ASAP!

Have a wonderful week!

xo, Caitlin

Spring Shoe Guide

Happy Friday everyone! Today I rounded up some of my favorite spring footwear trends, and am sharing one of my picks of each one at three different price ranges, so there is a pick for every style and at every budget! Have a wonderful weekend!

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