Life Aquatic

You may have noticed that The Fashion Magpie is “all aboard” with the nautical trend — just take a gander at the “Nautical by Nature” and “Ahoy, Matey” posts from a few weeks back.  This Markus Lupfer t-shirt (a vastly overpriced $170 at Net-A-Porter) pretty much sums up my approach to the look:

But what about marine life itself — beneath the sea rather than above deck?  I’ve been noticing a lot of accessories featuring clamshells, seahorses, starfish, and more — and I love it.  What could be better for my upcoming “Bachelorette Party Kick Off” at the beach house of my fellow fashion magpie and bridesmaid (I’ll call her Ms. On-the-Money — she’s one of those girls who always has just the right outfit for the occasion)?

Let’s start with the items on my current lust list.  I have literally begun the purchasing process for this Kate Spade clamshell ring 2,923 times ($125 at Nordstrom) — each time worrying that I might be going too big with this one:

Don’t get me wrong: I love an aggressively-sized cocktail ring.  But 1.5″ x 1.5″ on my tiny hand?  Hm.  I’ll mull it over and probably buy it anyway.  Kate Spade also has this adorable seahorse bangle up for grabs ($225, Kate Spade):

I’m bananas about this Pisces-perfect Emilio Pucci dress ($1,860 at Net-A-Porter) — can you imagine how hot it’d be with a late summer tan, some super-high white pumps (Fendi, $980, also Net-A-Porter), and an updo?  Love.

I’ve already shared with you my love of starfish.  I featured these precious studs by KEP Designs ($250) a few days ago and have been drooling over them since:

But how adorable is this delicate starfish charm on a chain by DogEared ($46 for sterling silver; $54 for gold-dipped)?  What a perfect gift for a good friend or a bridesmaid (hmm…my wedding is coming up in August) — or maybe just for myself:

One of my very dearest girlfriends from UVA gave me a Dogeared necklace with a solitary pearl on it for Christmas and I wear it every single day I’m not wearing a big statement piece.  Magpie Deal: you can get 20% off your order at Dogeared by entering the code LuckyBreaks5 at checkout!

If you’re a fan of the starfish, too, consider this bauble by Bounkit ($495, Marissa Collections):

I’m swooning for all of the aqua-studded pieces in the collection as well.

Other sea-creature featuring jewelry?  The covetable Mesi Jilly rings I blabbed out in my Tropical Punch post (definitely the most popular post to date — check it out if you haven’t seen it! — and side note: Miss Big City emailed me the other day to say that Jenna Lyons, the head designer over at J. Crizzle, must have been taking a note out of my book, because she just featured a new “Turks and Caicos” spread as well!).  The Jilly rings are insta-heirloom masterpieces — and I recently found out why: they’re all handmade in Italy and individually designed by Ms. Jilly herself.  Um.  Uh-may-zing.  You can pick one up for around $1,000 from Kirna Zabete:

I like the idea of wearing one with an airy white caftan on the beach (Calypso-Celle often has breezy sundress options and a decent sale section to boot — the tunic below is “The Aurora,” $135) and some metallic gold sandals (you know my “Thing” for K. Jacques — love ’em — but these comparable Tabithas by J. Crew ring in at an affordable $88!):

I also like the idea of lounging by the beach all day in a coral print bikini (the one below is by the one-and-only Melissa Odabash, a very hip UK-based swimwear designer — $166, Madison L.A.):

Don’t mind if I do.  I’d throw on this airy batwing tunic, also by Melissa Odabash, and available through her own online boutique:

While you’re on the Odabash site, browse all of her tunics/cover-ups.  They are ridiculously chic.  Believe me — if you wind up putting down your plastic, you’ll seriously consider booking an impulse trip to St. Tropez just to have an adequate audience for your new beachwear’s debut.

If you’re more inclined towards the preppy, check out Lilly Pulitzer.  She has a bunch of coral print items out this season, including this bright bikini, available at Lilly Pulitzer’s eShop:

Continuing with the coral motif, consider splurging on this Simon Tu coral necklace:

You can pick it up at Vivre ($1,125), but KEP Designs has a similar style for about half the price ($660 — see it here).  I’d wear it with a simple strapless white dress — I’m thinking of one of those little embossed numbers that J. Crew has out every season and that we all own in 23 different colors (on sale now, $69, at JCrew):

With some metallic accessories or a pair of hot wedges and a raffia clutch?  Perf.

(Love the little turtles on the clutch above — perfect for this “Life Aquatic” theme.  You can snap it up at Vivre as well — $800, by Ismachseven.)  If you’re a little intimidated by the idea of wearing a bold coral necklace, why not get the same bright pop of color without the statement-making shape?  This cheery Anthropologie necklace is perfect — and only $28:

While you’re in the Anthro store, consider the lobster-print dress I was chit-chatting about a few weeks back.  It didn’t fit me properly, but that’s not to say you shouldn’t test the waters!  I saw one little chica wearing it at Foxfield and, while I wasn’t sure if it was Foxfield-appropriate, still found it made me smile ($138, Anthropologie):

You’d need to wear it with simple accessories — say, white Jack Rogers and a little white woven clutch.  Anything else would look a little overdone given the scale and whimsicality of the print.  Think lobsters are charming but find the above dress over-the-top?  Why not entertain with the style?  I’m nutso about Dabney Lee’s monogrammable lucite serving trays ($120):

Check out her other home goods as well; she also has adorable ice buckets, place mats, and napkins in a variety of bright graphic prints.  And they’re all personalizable.  And you know I love a monogram.  Her blog is delightful as well — Ms. Southern Belle, I totally envision your future children’s nursery to look just like the one she wrote about here.  Oh!  And while on the subject of the little ones — just had dinner two nights ago with Christine Meulemans, one of my little sister’s good friends from Wake Forest and just the most adorable girl ever.  She’s a super-talented photographer specializing in lifestyle and family portraiture — love her photography style, love her website!  Definitely need to keep her in mind for big moments down the road…

But back to sea-scape-inspired home decor: why not spruce up the bedroom with some coral-print sheets (these are from Williams-Sonoma)?

Or maybe add some coral-print pillows to the couch (Pottery Barn):

And — because I won’t be happy concluding this post until I feature a few little gems I’ve been stockpiling for just-the-right-post over the past few weeks — consider toting your life around in this adorable Henri Bendel carry-all ($128, Henri Bendel):

If you’re willing to go a bit bolder, check out this NOIR koi fish ring I scored about a year ago.  I’m obsessed with the NOIR line of cocktail rings — so fun, glitzy, whimsical.  They’ve designed a line of rings featuring all different kinds of animals, from owls to elephants, and they always draw a lot of “oohs and aahs” from a fashion-interested audience.  I tend to wear my little fish with a navy frilly J. Crew blouse, skinny jeans, and some kicky shoes for a dinner out with friends:

And finally: though the pirate is not officially an aquatic life-form, he looms large in oceatic iconography, and I’d be remiss to omit this adorable little pirate sarong by Tara Matthews ($68, TheOutnet):

With a little white bikini and some gold sandals?  I’d be happy as a clam.