Beatin' the Heat in Pleats

Photos by Erin

{Top: Equipment; Skirt: Zara (similar); Shoes: Shoemint; Necklace: Spike the Punch;
Bag: Foley + Corinna; Shades: Thierry Lasry; Watch: Michael Kors; Bracelet: J. Crew}

Here's a fun fact about me: I break a sweat at basically the drop of a hat. Like, if I have to bend down to pick up a hat, I would probably start shvitzing. So despite the fact that the blistering D.C. heat dropped to a brisk 92 degrees yesterday, I still had to take all the necessary wardrobe precautions to meet up for brunch with Erin, Rosa, and Sara. (We're all now bbf--blog best friends. I would strongly encourage visiting their beautiful blogs!)

To celebrate the arrival of my newest Equipment top,  I made my mint pleat skirt play host for a day out in the city.

 My rhinestone necklace played chaperone, obviously.

And my Shoemint wedges tagged along because, well, they're kinda needy.

A Punch of Green

{Blouse: Equipment; Jeans: Express; Sandals: Steve Madden (similar); Necklace: Spike the Punch;
Watch: Michael Kors; Sunglasses: Thierry Lasry; Bag: Foley+Corinna; Lipgloss: Chanel Jalousie}

I mentioned a couple weeks ago that you'd be seeing more of my Spike the Punch necklace, and here it is! I figured something as bright and sparkly as this 7-row rhinestone necklace deserved an equally bright ensemble. After all, more is more. I buttoned the blouse all the way to my neck, feeling very Lana del Rey  meetsHeathers. With my fresh blow out from the Blow Dry Bar, I was the vision of springtime freshness and drag queen fierceness, just the way I like it.

HIRWI: How I Really Wore It

{Shirt: Equipment; Pants: Zara; Shoes: Sam Edelman; Ring: ColbyJune; Earrings: Mr. Kate}

I've been called a lot of things in my day: hilarious, intense, beautiful, crazy. But one thing I have never been called is a liar. So, just as I said I would, here is the real life version of my last HIWWI. 

As I mentioned, this is my very first in what I hope to be a large collection of Equipment tops. They're expensive, yes, but it's because they're made of an incredible silk. Not to mention the classic cut looks flattering on everyone and can be worn with basically anything your precious little heart desires.

I was serving up some Lana del Rey REALNESS, buttoning the shirt all the way to the neck.

I cold have kept the Lana theme going with big gold hoops, but I was really excited to rock my new Jem-style Mr. Kate earrings. So I did.

I'm quite pleased with how my hypothetical-turned-real-life outfit turned out, particularly because it makes me feel like I look cooler than anyone else in the room. And ya know, that's important when you're nurturing a superiority complex.

Friday Fun Find/HIWWI: Equipment Earl Retro Dot Blouse

{Equipment Earl Retro Dot Blouse, $248}

TGIF, am I right, Cupcult??? I'm getting crazy here combining two features in one, but this is MY blog and as I've said before, I do what I want. So this week, I bring you the exciting fan favorite from my "Which Equipment Blouse Should I Buy?" poll. You'll be happy to know that I did, indeed, purchase the very shirt that you all voted on!! Unless of course, you chose a different top, in which case, you're S.O.L. So yeah, this is a HIWWI, but it's also my Friday Fun Find this week. 

Since this is a top I will actually have in my closet imminently, I thought it only fair to build an outfit around things I actually have in my closet. (I'll also follow up with an outfit post of me in said outfit). Exciting, right? I feel like this is a reality show waiting to happen: What Should Melissa Wear? And each week, I am obligated to only wear outfits that my legions of fans deem apropos, no matter how outrageous, uncomfortable, or just straight up tacky they might be. You'd watch it, right? I mean, I would. Then again, I recommend Dance Moms and RuPaul's Drag Race to everyone I know, so my judgment could be questionable.

When I bought this top, I knew the navy polka dots would look particularly springy and precious with a pink pant, which is why I'll be wearing these jeans:

{Zara skinny jeans, $59.90}

And, I'm sorry, but this outfit is DYING for my Sam Edelman Novato heels (finally back in stock!) in pink blush:

{Sam Edelman Novato, $100}

Oh, and since we're on the topic of bad ass ways to incorporate gold into a look, I think the last flourish this look needs is a plain, thin gold band, just like this one:

{ColbyJune Vermeil Gold Thin Band, $30}

And you better believe I'll be sporting an equally srpingy color on my little-girl-nails. It seems like this is the only shade that makes sense:

{Essie Mint Candy Apple, $8}

Dude...I feel pret-tay good about this look. I feel even better knowing I'll actually be sporting it very soon. 

What do you think? Am I doing your vote justice? Do you feel cheated that I'm combining two posts in one???

Holy Shirt

1. Quinn Twister blouse 2. Colorblock Signature blouse 3. Ivory Signature blouse 4. Signature stars blouse 5. Daddy blouse with Poppy collar 6. Slim Signature stripe blouse 7. Signature Cabbage Rose blouse 8. Signature Mint blouse 9. Earl Retro dot blouse

It's good to have goals in life: home ownership, becoming a parent, be happy, blah blah blah. For me, an important life goal is to own a collection of Equipment blouses. At $200-250 a pop, it's more of a long-term goal. In order to beging my collection though, I've decided to allocate a chunk of my tax refund to purchase my first Equipment blouse. 

Now the question is, which one to buy? If I have to start with just one, should I go with something classic, like a simple white blouse, or should I go for something with a bold statement, like bright green stripes or a floral print? Although I generally don't give two shits what anyone thinks, I do greatly respect my Cupcult's opinions, so I'm going to let you decide what my first Equipment purchase should be. Tell me what you think I'd look best in in the comments. A compliment about my beauty might help sway my decision, btw.