flavor of the week: pistachio.

earlier this week, one of our readers, rachel, asked about the difficulty of styling the new lace-up steve madden troopa boots my husband bought me for my birthday. i think i've been walking around in them literally every weekend since they were gifted to me, and her question had me thinking about how i could probably be getting even more creative with the way i wear them.

so to answer her question and make my weekends a little more interesting at the same time, i curated a few inspiration boards for the beloved boots. to start, here's the "pistachio" board for an outfit that would be fitting for a festival like sxsw, coachella or palm beach county's very own sunfest coming up (that is, if the temperatures are aligned!):

flavor of the week: pistachio. by pretaporterpb

want to get this look yourself? make it happen with a little hair chalk and these pieces from free people, bcbg, top shop, ralph lauren, joanna laura constantine and more:  illustrated people printed shirt, top shop, free people scalloped shorts, ralph lauren denim and supply, joanna laura constantine jewelry, dannijo cuff, bcbg max azria natural stone ring, profess xtra l hair chalk in funky orange.

om.

dolphin. bird of paradise. cat-cow. down dog. camel.

there were a lot of "animals" and poses across the great lawn in downtown west palm beach this past sunday at the annual yoga day, and while i love a good practice, i was there for a different reason. besides the sunday funday bacon bloody mary ritual after the soccer game at o'shea's, it was the vendors that brought me down to clematis street and the waterfront.

i've found that over the years i've gotten the coolest, funkiest additions to my closet with my art fairs and festivals finds...and the best part is, no one else has them.

this year there were the usual cute yoga tees and bohemian jewelry, of course, but it was a booth with latin spices and accessories that caught my attention. it was only 25 minutes and a few chats with friends before i went home with this handmade cross-body bag. i love the stamped detail on the faux leather, and the southwestern serape print made it all the better.

from there, the man and i celebrated my new purchase, his soccer win and having his cousin in town with a few more stops down clematis, including in front of this mural by eddie mendieta on the hip, artsy 500 block. 

(and to my reader, rachel...look, i'm wearing my pistachio green boots!)

say it's your birthday.

now that i'm over the age of 21, i no longer care much for my birthday. actually, that is probably only considered to be a half-truth, considering it may or may not have taken me until at least 25 to stop planning my own parties.

well, today is my birthday, and no, i'm not going to tell you which year. luckily, i have some way cool people in my life that made the day semi awesome. the "birthday suit" i got from urban outfitters helped a little too, mixing business with pleasure by adding spikes and color-blocking to an otherwise conservative collared, button-down dress. no pics yet, but i'm sure it'll show up on the blog soon enough. in the meantime, here's one of my instagram-inspired nail art courtesy of my new bff, van from tipsy spa.

back to those cool people i know. first, my man. probably the smartest guy i know...he sneaked a look at my pinterest page and purchased my latest obsession: these minty fresh, lace-up "troopa" boots by steve madden i found on zappos. (want your own? my green version is sold out, but the purple is a close second.)

barely over the excitement of my new boots - which, by the way, i plan on wearing every day i'm not working until the florida summer gets too hot - two of my lovely friends and coworkers also surprised me with gifts i can only assume are from francesca's collections at cityplace. love these goodies and the patterns: a wallet with colored bikes (that match my boots!) and a pretty lunch bag with little russian dolls.

they know me so well.

now i'm looking forward to a low-key happy hour at the wine dive on clematis street with my parents, little sis and of course, the guy who officially gets the title of the best gift-giver ever. after all, his past present resume does include a a sewing machine and lady gaga pit tickets.

p.s. i'm not yet 30, so your chances of guessing the correct age is one in four.

season's must-haves.

reason #2 why i love fall:
there is not much better than a pumpkin spice latte from starbucks (even if it does cost more than my lunch at $4.19).

wondering what reason #1 is? 
boots. duh.

check back later this week for more on two of my favorite pairs of boots i was able to add to my collection for less than $50 each, even as autumn launches. and yes, i'm referring to my boots as a "collection" now, considering i have now accumulated more than 15 pairs, which is just crazy for a south florida girl.

festival fashions.

yesterday was a whirlwind of sun, sounds and street style at sunfest in downtown west palm beach, and the prêt-à-porter palm beacher caught a lot of it on camera. 

while the music, art, food (um...crawfish? yes please!) and on-tap margaritas were awesome, the majority of the fashions didn't seem to be quite up to par with coachella. that being said, it is a bit different demographically as a family-friendly event for all ages, and we were able to spot a few cute girls - and guys - rocking trends mentioned in friday's post.

here are some looks we picked out of the crowd:  

fashionable foursome: boaters' hats, fringed tanks + ankle boots

 leila and dara in neon + sheer lace maxi skirt; a head wrap + crocheted top

 kady with a hot pink lip + combat-style boots; brittany with a side braid + tribal top

cassady in a very palm beach-esque, watercolor-inspired dress

my little sis, ashley, in a tiered lace top, converse + cross-body bag. her
"skanking" gear for the mighty mighty bosstones, apparently. 

(what's "skanking," you ask? i did too. strange dancing down
in the pit, similar to moshing but much friendlier!)

 

even the dudes were aware of their apparel. pete and jarrett both sported surfer tanks
and board shorts, much like most of the 20-something men in attendance.
pete took it a step further adding in the neon trend and these shoes...

pete wore some dirty pink sperrys, minus the laces, and i have to say i liked the look.
my husband, alex, wore his classic chucks, this time in pinstripe.

it's evident that cross-body bags, baggy tanks, cuffed denim shorts, sandals and sneakers were popular, but it was the bright colors, lace and boots that stole the show. the festival fashions seemed to be the best early in the day, especially jamming around the michael franti & spearhead concert...which by the way, moved directly behind us during a part of the day, shown below. and let me tell you - michael franti certainly has stage style with those good looks, tattoos and dreadlocks.

and what did i wear? i wasn't much of a wild child myself because of the heat, donning a black maxi skirt, taupe crop top and fringed handbag from brandy melville, beaded sandals from nine west, a belt from h&m cat-eye sunglasses from urban outfitters and a few of my favorite chained necklaces. a body chain, purple hair chalk and a bold lip were almost part of the outfit, but with temperatures in the upper 80s...there's no way i could make them work!

i can't make it to sunfest today, but want to see more. so if you're there, send me your street style pics at pretaporterpb@gmail.com or tweet them to me at @pretaporterpb so we can keep up with it all here!

a little spring in your step.

even though i'm a south florida girl, born and raised, i sure do love my boots...all 12 pairs of them. unfortunately for me, in palm beach county we don't have a lot of opportunities to wear them after winter.

but lucky for me, dr. martens found a way to combine boots and springtime with these floral castel boots from free people. now all i need is $130, temperatures less than 90 degrees, and probably a whole new wardrobe because as much as i want these, i have no idea what the heck i'd wear them with!