Beach Chic

I’ve been doing my best this summer to avoid the Arizona oven and hit up the beach. Yes, I love almost everything about the desert except our frequent 115 degree days this time of year. I’m not even going to pretend otherwise, it has been flat-out HOT here lately. So, this summer, the kids and I have been tagging along on a few of my husband’s work trips, particularly those with an ocean nearby. He gets some work done and we explore a couple cool cities. Not too bad, right?!

So far, we’ve spent time in Los Angeles, CA and Vancouver, BC up in Canada. Both trips have had gorgeous views of the Pacific ocean and required me to wear a sweatshirt at night (ahhhhhh). I was also able to put a few new beach essentials to use and invented a new term I’m dubbing “beach chic”. Meaning I look pretty put-together despite the ocean breeze that does quite a number to my naturally wavy hair.

This post is sponsored by the lovely folks over at Free People. We all know the brand and I’ve been a fan of Free People for as long as I’ve had my own credit card. While they provided me with the clothes for this post, I genuinely adore their styles. In fact, I’m going to warn you right now that this post is borderline photo-overload. I don’t know if I was just having a couple good hair days (see paragraph above) or these outfits are 1000% my style. I’m obsessed.

Let’s start out by talking about this Garden Party Maxi dress, aka the best maxi-dress I’ve ever worn in my life. I’m not joking, I want this dress in at least one, if not two, more colors. It is perfection. The pink floral pattern is absolutely gorgeous and it is one of those that moves so nicely. I was able to try this one on in the store beforehand and went with a size small. The XS might have worked too, but my local store didn’t have an XS in stock and I didn’t want to risk it because the small was just so dang comfortable. Fair warning, you likely won’t be able to wear a normal bra with this one because it does cut down pretty low under the armpits. I actually found the stretchy material was supportive enough to go without and I wasn’t worried about a potential wardrobe malfunction. Not an issue for me, but something to keep in mind.

I know, that BAG. I’m instantly drawn to anything which features cacti (#desertproblems) so I am flat out in love with this Sundrenched Straw Tote. Perfect for lounging on the beach watching the waves or hanging out by the pool surrounded by cactus back at home. I love the short and long strap options, as well as the material I can gather at the top to keep the sand on the beach instead of in my bag. It is also available in a silver lightening bold pattern, but how could you pass up the cactus. So stinking cute.

Now, let’s talk about this Just Right Off the Shoulder Mini Dress. The ties are adjustable, it is super comfy, and it features POCKETS. What is it with dresses and pockets?! This one is available in 6 different colors (I’m wearing the baby pink) and is currently on sale for $49. Woo hoo for a sale!!!! I’m wearing an XS in this one and am glad I didn’t go with a larger size, especially since it is so roomy. I obviously dressed it up with a cute tassel necklace (had to get my tassels in there somewhere) and sandals, but I could also see this one as a beach cover-up.

What do you think? Did I pull off beach chic? Which look do you like the best?