Happiest of Fridays, friends! I’ll be digging deep for self-control today as it’s going to be sunny and in the 70s here in Chicago. I would love nothing more than to spend every waking second outdoors! Can you blame me?This week was so much fun! On Wednesday night I headed to The Everygirl‘s West Loop office (which is impeccably designed and decorated) to celebrate 5 years of the site and finally met so many of the people I’ve been following along with online for years! (Hi Cait, Jess, Kelly, Caitlin, and Alaina!) I also had a chance to talk with Beth of SouthLoopLoft, who I mentioned in my spring bucket list, and now I’m even more excited to visit her space.

Last night the Collectively team hosted a dinner at Soho House and I had one of those moments where I was reminded that I am right where I’m supposed to be. I can’t even begin to express how grateful I am for the opportunities (and the people!) this city has brought into my life over the past 8 months. I’ve been working on a post about my time here so far and I’m hoping to share it with you all soon!

Song of the week: 3LAU & Said the Sky – Fire (ft. NÉONHÈART). Turn it up and listen as you browse this week’s links 🙂 Speaking of music, did you see the Lollapalooza lineup? So many of my favorites!

AROUND THE WEB/WORLD:

• Monica Vinader sent me the most stunning bracelet and I’ve been wearing it every chance I get. The team is hosting a pop-up at Nordstrom on Michigan Ave. tomorrow from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m and you’re invited! They’ll be serving up champagne and canapes, but the best part is they’re offering complimentary, on-the-spot engraving. I’m thinking of stopping by to have a “Z” added to mine if I can swing it with my schedule.
• I was featured over on the Windy City Blogger Collective last week where I shared how I got started blogging and what keeps me coming back to this space!
• Read this and then tell me you weren’t nodding along in agreement at every. single. one.
• Have you heard of Chelsea28? It’s a new-to-me brand sold at Nordstrom and I like what I see – a little too much, admittedly. The bell sleeve, cold shoulder top I’m wearing above is made by them!
• I wore this pink stripe tie-front shirt last night. How cute would it look with a pair of cutoffs this summer?
• Do you remember the tassel sweater from this post? I thought I’d let you all know it’s on sale. 😉
• My friend Nicole launched her Spring Style Guide and it’s chock-full of so many thoughtful ways to make the most of spring. Word on the street says she’s the hostess with the mostess and I’m soaking up all her tips and tricks in hopes that I, too, can be one!
• I can’t get enough of these photos shot by Alea. So tastefully done. I’m making it my goal to shoot with her someday!
• Again with the cold shoulder trend – this time in dress form. My online shopping cart is now filled to the brim.

SHOP THE POST:

I’m looking forward to logging a few workouts over the weekend, cleaning up the disaster that is my apartment, and meeting up with some of my favorite gals to work on a tequila-fueled shoot tomorrow afternoon. After all, a little mix of work and play never hurt anyone!

Wherever the weekend takes you, I hope it’s great! I’ll be sharing in real-time over on Instagram and Twitter. See you back here next week, friends!