LE CATCH

Speaking of great tops, in case you missed out on Joahnna Ortiz's highly coveted off-the-shoulder blouse, above, you can do what I did and snap up this Pixie Market version at a tenth of the price instead. It's gorgeously dramatic!

$55, stories

My first lunch at super sceney Nava yesterday called for the debut of this cute, wear-all-summer-long linen top. (My date Clare Vivier wore these cute trousers!)

I left a cooking class yesterday afternoon with a new found fondness for gluten free black bean brownies (believe it or not, they're out of this world delicious!)--and a hankering for summer slides, thanks to a stylish friend who turned up in a drool-worthy Celine pair. (Topshop's riff on it is pretty darn good.) I've actually been wanting to invest in the classic Hermes version, above, but they're sold out. So, I hunted down other compelling options and came up with these spot on goodies by Kendall Conrad, Ancient Greek Sandals, Diane Von Furstenberg, Acne Studios, Chloe, ATP Atelier, Manolo Blahnik, and Asos.

Photo: Vogue

$180, whistles

An excellent candidate for this summer's go-to running-around, breakfast-to-dinner dress.

1. Whistles tie-waist dress, $180, whistles.com
2. Illesteva sunglasses, $300, shopbop.com
3. Jennifer Fisher gold-plated cuff, $475, netaporter.com
4. Hillier Bartley leather bag, $1191, matchesfashion.com
5. Converse sneakers, $69, nordstrom.com

I have a robust collection of monogrammed tote bags in my closet, courtesy perhaps of my east coast upbringing, but now it looks like they won't even see the light of summer days ahead, due to this just-ordered monogrammed basket bag. I mean... how CUTE is this?? Given its reasonable $150 price tag, I'm thinking I should snap up a few more--it comes in other fun colors!--for hostess gifts, mother's day presents, etc. Check out all the options here.

I've been loyal to the same handful of wardrobe staples for years now, but this spring calls for clean and fresh updates, like cropped wide leg jeans (this and this), a crisp button down with the slightest twist (such as this and this) and versatile brown sandals (here and here). Leandra Medine, above, beautifully builds the case for all of this! Also on my list: the new and improved white top, like this, this and this; running-around sneakers (also these); flattering white jeans, such as these and these; and work-to-weekend trousers (here and here).

P.S. Master of everyday basics, J.Crew is having a 30% off sale through Tuesday.

Photo: Pop Sugar

$47, marks and spencer

An amazing riff on Gucci's current season sweatshirt--at an amazing price!

1. Marks & Spencer sweatshirt, $47, marksandspencer.com
2. Topshop badge jacket, $95, topshop.com
3. Kenzo ring, $103, shopbop.com
4. Miu Miu denim bag, $1290, netaporter.com
5. Gucci sandals, $595, neimanmarcus.com
6. Frame Denim jeans, $240, netaporter.com

A couple of days ago I found myself struggling to get dressed for a friend's festive birthday lunch at the Bel Air Hotel. The weather was cool, but not enough to warrant a coat. There was also a chance of rain, and we were going to dine al fresco. Ultimately, I ended up in a spring-ready long-sleeve floral dress with a cropped faux fur vest on top. The mix of wintry elements (faux fur vest) and spring stock (floral dress) is key to transitional dressing. The outfit, above, subscribes to this no-fail formula: it touches on both the hot (open toe sandals, beachy bohemian blouse) and the cold (camel coat, suede bag), and employs evergreen jeans to stylishly bind these disparate pieces together. Other "seasonless" pieces that can be worn year round (and years to come): these Topshop cargo pants, this MiH Jeans scalloped blouse, this striking 3.1 Phillip Lim top, this Acne Studios distressed jean jacket, these 10 Crosby Derek Lam sailor pants, this Michael Kors trench coat (on sale!), and this Tibi dress.

$119, mango

A little sparkle and a lot of lace will make me shine in this spring dress!

1. Mango embellished dress, $119, mango.com
2. Stephen Webster x Tracy Emin gold and diamond earrings, $3600, netaporter.com
3. Chanel Ultra Wear Lip Color in Shocking Pink, $37, nordstrom.com
4. Sophia Anderson tote bag, $393, frwd.com
5. Miu Miu metallic lace-up sandals, $595, bergdorfgoodman.com

Throw Back Thursday strikes again, this time to last summer on the north shore of Oahu. I'm wearing a floral, diaphanous Dolce & Gabbana caftan that doubles as a breezy cocktail dress with a slip worn underneath. It's the kind of multi-tasking must-pack I relish and seek out for warm weather adventures. Fortunately for me, I recently found a few more amazing ones that I thought I'd share, including this Mes Demoiselles ethereal gauze top (which goes with a bikini as well as a pair of crisp white jeans), this day-to-night shoulder-baring Line & Dot dress, this cute beach-to-bar Seafolly romper, this fantastically resplendent Zimmermann wrap dress, these Diane Von Furstenberg shorts that can be dressed up or down, this wear-everywhere Maison Scotch eyelet blouse, and this throw-on-and-go party dress by Alice McCall.

P.S. It's the last day of the Shopbop sale--i.e., your last chance to save on next season's most desirable pieces, like this, this, this and this (already in my wardrobe!).