Monday, April 4, 2016

Take Me to the Candy Shop | Inspired + Outfit


Welcome to my candy shop! I'm excited to launch this blog series that has been brewing in my brain for a while and has just been waiting for happy weather to emerge. It was born in February when my family was having a mini-vacation in the Wisconsin Dells. The hotel was closing up for the night and we were slowly making our way back to our room when we passed a closed candy shop with huge windows lined with different varieties of candy. It was dim and empty of life but all the adults and children alike plastered their faces up against that wall in sweet reverence. We all started excitedly talking about the different candies. What we would buy if it were open, special memories, (hey, remember that Black Friday when we bought a five pound bag of Swedish Fish and ate the whole thing?), and how pretty it all was. It was clear to me how much power that big wall of rainbow colors had. 






And that wall stuck with me. It left me with feelings of delight and nostalgia and as the sun slowly inched it's way closer to the Earth I fixated on those feelings as I began to plan my spring wardrobe. I put together a mood board on pinterest, which you can see in full here, and as it grew I knew I couldn't limit my inspiration to one outfit. There were just so many directions I could go in! So, the next few weeks will be a series of outfits that take us straight to the candy shop. It will feature all the amazing brights and pastels that fill the candy world and pay homage to the sweet, vintage, and childlike charm of the shops that house those sugary treats.


Sweets and treats are strongly tied to the fun things to do in the warmer months. Boardwalks and beaches, amusement parks and festivals, all load us up on candy. That might be another reason why candy is so irresistible. Because it reminds us of the carefree, simple days of when we can just focus on having fun. I have so many memories of walking down to this beach with my kids and spending the whole day splashing in the water and building sand creations. Every beach day was punctuated by a visit to the candy shop or the ice cream parlor right across the street. This beach has been a part of our family since there was only Sawyer. And even though we don't live down the block anymore, we still come back every summer. I couldn't think of a better location to prance around in candy colored finery with my favorite little lady.






This City Chic dress, which was bought at a major discount, is one of those pieces that makes me feel like someone bundled up my spirit and spun it into an article of clothing just for me. The print is everything. Just everything. The mix of light and dark with the bright and pale is a perfectly coordinated dance of colors that totally suits my eclectic nature. And the style of the dress is equally amazing as it accentuates the curves of the body without being anywhere near overtly sexual. I added the black and white striped shirt to play up the youthfulness of the overalls and bring out the black and white details in the print. This look is exactly what I dreamed up when "Take Me to the Candy Shop" was just a little pinterest board and only the beginning of a great series of looks!






Dress: City Chic (similar in straight size here, here and here, similar in plus here and here) | Shirt: JCP (similar in straight size, similar in plus) | Shoes: Target | Sunglasses: Vintage (similar) | MAC's Vegas Volt

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