Weekend Wear

When it comes to shopping for clothes, I usually prioritize shopping for things I can wear to work. Ever since we had a warm spell last week, however, I just want all the shorts. Here are a few that I love:

Sadie Dishes- Weekend Wear

 

JCrew Factory 3″ leopard print basket weave short– Perfection.

Sadie Dishes- Weekend Wear

These JCrew striped shorts are statement but cool at the same time.

 

Sadie Dishes- Weekend Wear

I’m curious about these trendier elastic waist “boardwalk shorts” from JCrew Factory.

Sadie Dishes- Weekend Wear

These fun “Richmond Shorts” from Boden would really make an outfit out of plain tee shirt and flip flops.

Sadie Dishes- Weekend Wear

These Loft embroidered chambray shorts look like a great alternative to a basic jean short.

Sadie Dishes- Weekend Wear

But you do need a basic jean short like these from the Loft.

How many shorts does one person need, you might ask…

Lulu or Not

I’m really trying to buckle down with my gym routine lately. The resolutionaries aren’t clogging up the gym anymore, and as the weather continues to improve (fingers crossed), I really have no excuse. One thing that always helps motivate me is to have fun workout wear. While a lot of people near me seem to be dripping in Lululemon, I kind of hate their founder, and don’t love their premium price point. So let’s think about some other options that are just as cute and easier on the wallet. I picked a few of their classic options.

High- Rise Leggings

Lulu

Sadie Dishes- Lulu or Not

These Luon high rise leggings are a good option, but at $98, they’re a little cost prohibitive. Everyone does a black legging, and we can definitely cut a little cost and maintain quality in this category.

Athleta

Sadie Dishes- Lulu or Not

I love Athleta’s high rise chaturanga leggings, and they’re about $25 cheaper than Lulu’s high rise leggings.

Tie Back Tank

Lulu

Sadie Dishes- Lulu or Not

I see this tank top on the ladies at my gym all the time. It’s cute but I wouldn’t pay $48 for less than a whole shirt.

Under Armour

Sadie Dishes- Lulu or Not

Under Armour offers a similar version in several different colors and prints at $38 or below because a lot of the options are on sale. Zella also has a very similar option, and the Gap does it at $27.

Mesh Accent Leggings

Lulu

Sadie Dishes- Lulu or Not

These are chic mesh accent leggings from Lulu at $98. Let’s see what other options we have.

Zella

Sadie Dishes- Lulu or Not

Zella is Nordstrom’s private label. The style is on point, like these mesh accent leggings, but these are a good $35 less than Lulu at $64. There are a lot of mesh options out there right now, but I like that this mesh changes it up a little with the chunkier gauge.

Strappy Support Tank

Lulu

Sadie Dishes- Lulu or Not

I think Lulu really popularized this style of the connected tank and strappy sports bra and there have been a lot of fast followers. At $64, it’s pricey, but to be fair it’s also a two-in-one so I’m not going to hate too much.

Gap

Sadie Dishes- Lulu or Not

There are a lot of strappy support tops and sports bras out there, but to be honest, most of them are priced at a comparable level to Lulu. Leave it to Gap to come up with a more affordable (but still cute) option at $39.

Other more recent options include Anthropologie who has been steadily adding more active wear (similar prices to Lulu, but some pretty and unique stuff), Lou and Grey over at the Loft who has started adding active leggings and tops, and New Balance who is putting more and more effort into their clothing game. I’m a little sad Nike didn’t show up in this post because I live in Nike and Under Armour, but I realized that they cater to two different athletes. Lulu’s athlete is studio centric and wears the clothes outside of the gym, and Nike/ Under Armour’s athlete is a little more cardio and weight lifting centric, demanding more function and sportier fashion. Athleta seems to be a combination of the two. I could talk about this all day…

Springing Fashion Forward

Based on every new spring line so far, the two huge trends this upcoming season are lace and nautical stripes. I realize that these are perennial favorites but they seem really huge this year. Here are some of the items I’ve had my eye on so far:

Nautical Stripes

Work:

Sadie Dishes- Stripes for Spring

Ann Taylor has this chic new striped sheath dress. The different panels of strips and the structured silhouette makes it a little more interesting then the standard striped shift dress that you’re seeing everywhere. This might be a must have for me. I also like this striped number from Anthro.

Weekend:

Sadie Dishes- Stripes for Spring

This is easy. Get a classic boatneck striped tee shirt. It’s basically seasonless and easy to wear around the house or pair with a jacket and jeans for day on the town. Almost every retailer has something like this but the one above is JCrew, JCrew Factory has similar options, and Loft and Gap have several comparable sweater and tee shirt versions.

Brunch:

Sadie Dishes- Stripes for Spring

This dress from Banana makes getting ready for brunch very easy. Throw it on with fun sandals and assorted jewelry and you’re all set. There are also some fun nautical shorts that would make a full outfit with the addition of a plain tee shirt.

Lace

Work:

Sadie Dishes- Lace for Spring

There are a lot of lace dresses out there, but that reads a little too wedding guest to wear to work in my opinion. I like this skirt from Ann Taylor that has geometric lace pattern, rather than something floral. I like all kinds of lace, but this fresh take seems a little more work appropriate than the all over flower patterns. Ann Taylor also has a similar version with a floral border, and a lace pencil skirt.

Weekend:

Sadie Dishes- Lace for Spring

I love a statement short, and these ones from the Loft are right on trend. The easy part is that you just need a plain tee shirt. They will add some fun to your weekend errands and outings.

Brunch:

Sadie Dishes- Lace for Spring

I love this bright lace top from Anthro. It would make a pair of jeans look so chic if you’re meeting friends for a meal on the weekend. I think you could also pair this with a simple pencil skirt and wear to work in the summer. Ann Taylor also has several lace blouses this season.

Meanwhile…

One other trend I’m curious about is deconstructed denim. I’m a little torn (pun intended) because I don’t want to buy pants with holes in them, but sometimes DC is so preppy it makes me want to buy pants with holes in them. I may have ordered these from the Gap (I got them at a discount figuring it wouldn’t be a big investment if I don’t love the outcome).

Sadie Dishes: Spring Fashion Forward