SUMMER STAYCATION STYLE

The Steele Maiden: Summer Staycation Style

Suddenly, it feels like we’ve hit fast-forward to the end of summer and this is the last time I’ll be wearing this type of outfit for awhile. It’s always bittersweet isn’t it? Perhaps even more so when I feel like I didn’t even get a chance to really take a proper vacation this Summer. But the postcard print on this dress almost made me feel like I did. And this little stretch of New York, all secret alleys and white picket fences certainly feel transportive. Let’s consider it a Summer staycation.

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At least I’m headed off to the lake this weekend to soak up the last of summer’s boat rides, tan lines and flamingo floats. And then, I’ll do my best to say goodbye to this season and get ready for the next. Is it too soon to say the “F” word? I honestly love Fall just as much as Summer (especially clothing-wise), but the thought of the season after that makes me shiver even on an August day. Is anyone else as strongly tied emotionally to seasons? I think it’s why I didn’t like Los Angeles life as much as so many others do. I like the wave of change every few months – whether or not I’m ready for it. Here it comes.

The Steele Maiden: Summer Staycation Style The Steele Maiden: Summer Staycation Style The Steele Maiden: Summer Staycation Style

THE CLASSIC WHITE SHIRTDRESS

The Steele Maiden: Classic White Shirtdress at South Street Seaport

I talked about it a bit on Instagram, but I really haven’t done much shopping this Summer. Blame it on shifting all of my wardrobe budget to home goods for the new apartment instead. But the few pieces that I have bought I’ve absolutely loved. And isn’t that how it should be?

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This classic white shirtdress is something I’ve been on the hunt for since two summers ago when I bought a cheap version that was cut above the knee and promptly shrunk it to a length that no longer felt appropriate anywhere besides the beach. Oops. So I’ve been dreaming on a midi length one that has a nice weight and shape to it, fitted but not constricting and in crisp cotton eyelet. Low and behold, here it is. This one (if kept free of any ice cream spills) should last for summers to come and will never feel dated. Oh! And there are pockets! What more could you want?

Mango White Shirtdress – on sale | Talbots Gingham Slides c/o – on sale | Madewell Tote – on sale| Braided Leather Belt

The Steele Maiden: Classic White Shirtdress at South Street Seaport The Steele Maiden: Classic White Shirtdress at South Street Seaport The Steele Maiden: Classic White Shirtdress at South Street Seaport The Steele Maiden: Classic White Shirtdress at South Street Seaport The Steele Maiden: Classic White Shirtdress at South Street Seaport

WHY EVERY BODY IS A BEACH BODY

The Steele Maiden: Beach Body Positivity

For the past few years, Summer has tended to be the time when I’ve felt best about my body. My skin is sun-kissed (after an early Spring trip to someplace warm) and I’m usually in my best shape (after a Winter/Spring spent running on the treadmill and sticking to a strength training routing). And that’s not because of any number on a scale (I haven’t weighed myself in probably 2-3 years) but simply because of how I feel. It means I can keep up with a long run or hard work-out and feel strong, fast and capable. It’s a great feeling.

So what happens when life hands me a really difficult Winter/Spring and instead of working out or jetting off to someplace warm, I spend a season of life indulging in one too many beers/pasta dinners and hiding under the covers? Well, I’ll call it approximately 5 extra pounds of “emotional baggage” and not even a hint of the muscle tone that was out to play last Summer.

So that’s the beach body I’ve got this Summer. Not quite as tan or toned.. but you know what? Still my body. And it walks me to work everyday and it miraculously wards off most of the germs in this city and it’s starting to fight it’s way through runs along the river again and if I give it time it will get back to the place where I feel strong. And honestly, I don’t regret all of the beer (okay maybe one or two of ’em) or the pasta… because I think my body just needed it at that point in time. And that’s okay.

Maybe you’re growing a baby this summer (like my super-woman of a sister) or you had a similarly shit season of life and aren’t exactly in your old racing form. Let’s cut ourselves some slack. Throw on a bathing suit and go to the beach anyway. Summer only comes around once a year after all.

The Steele Maiden: Beach Body Positivity

FLORAL MIDI DRESS IN CENTRAL PARK

The Steele Maiden: Central Park in Summer - Floral Midi Dress

There is something about Central Park in the summer that really is magic. New Yorkers bumping past tourists, picnics on the Great Lawn, entertainers buzzing through Bethesda Fountain… I love it all.

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I love that Central Park has remained virtually unchanged for the past 150 years. Meaning a century’s worth of New Yorker’s have similar summer memories. I’ll always remember Summer in Central Park like it was this past Sunday – a perfect 80 degrees, filled with the sounds of happy voices, wandering about in the most perfect floral midi dress and then pitching a blanket on the hill beside the lake (mainly so that Adam and I could laugh about the people rowing their boats backwards and bumping into one another). Speaking of this dress – I love it too and filmed ‘how to wear it 3 ways’ for IGTV. Thinking this  could be a fun way to show things easily that I otherwise don’t have time to photograph quite as grandly as when the Plaza Hotel is looming in the background.

The Steele Maiden: Central Park in Summer - Floral Midi Dress The Steele Maiden: Central Park in Summer - Floral Midi Dress The Steele Maiden: Central Park in Summer - Floral Midi Dress The Steele Maiden: Central Park in Summer - Floral Midi DressThe Steele Maiden: Central Park in Summer - Floral Midi Dress The Steele Maiden: Central Park in Summer - Floral Midi Dress The Steele Maiden: Central Park in Summer - Floral Midi Dress The Steele Maiden: Central Park in Summer - Floral Midi Dress

A DAY AT GURNEY’S MONTAUK WITH KENDRA SCOTT

The Steele Maiden: Gurney's Montauk with Kendra Scott

This weekend, Adam and I took a road trip to the End of the World (aka Montauk – the Eastern most tip of Long Island). Jewelry brand Kendra Scott was hosting a pop-up shop party at luxury resort Gurney’s Montauk all weekend and had graciously extended an invite – so we decided to make a day of it. And what a day.

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Gurney’s is one of those places that looks like an actual postcard.. or you know, Instagram gold. Especially when the skies are as perfectly blue as they were on Saturday. With private cabanas, hammocks, an on the beach bar and DJ – it felt like all of New York’s Lower East Side had been transported to Montauk. Which, to be honest, was a little bit more of a scene than I’m usually in to – but when in Montauk right?

I wore this postcard print dress for the occasion and Kendra Scott jewels (naturally), Adam wore a nearly matching Hawaiian shirt (we inadvertently do this more often than I’d like to admit) and we both went straight for the Montauk Summer Ale.

The Steele Maiden: Gurney's Montauk with Kendra Scott The Steele Maiden: Gurney's Montauk with Kendra Scott The Steele Maiden: Gurney's Montauk with Kendra Scott The Steele Maiden: Gurney's Montauk with Kendra Scott The Steele Maiden: Gurney's Montauk with Kendra Scott The Steele Maiden: Gurney's Montauk with Kendra Scott The Steele Maiden: Gurney's Montauk with Kendra Scott The Steele Maiden: Gurney's Montauk with Kendra Scott