Backless and Ruffles in LG/ Need your help for a Lollapalooza dress!

Happy Monday, friends!!  I am officially 29 days away from the start of school with kids, 27 for inservice days, and I just realized how quickly this summer went/is going! 😓 It's such a blessing to have summers off, but teachers certainly make up for our vacation time as we plan and grade every night and on weekends.  Well-deserved for all you amazing teachies out there! 

As we inch closer to August, I always start thinking about what I'll wear to Lollapalooza. Every year since I met Mike, we have gone to Lolla with his brother Scott (and his two friends Christina and Matt, who are awesome!). Scott is a total Lolla champ-- he comes in from Michigan and goes all 4 days. Mike and I are amateurs, and we typically only go 1-2 days. 😂 It's become the last hurrah for me in the summer before I start getting ready for school again. This year, we are going on Sunday, and the lineup looks amazing: super pumped for Barns Cortney, Arcade Fire, The Shins, Grouplove, Rag'n'Bone Man, and Milky Chance. 

But, a big question mark remains: what the heck should I wear?! It is, typically, super hot, sweaty and sunny. The bathroom sitch at these music festivals is less than ideal: porta potties for days. So, it can get a little yucky/dirty/muddy with rain, too. My dilemma is an outfit that is super lightweight, breathable, not too expensive (in case of spills/rain/moshing hahaha jk), but still cute because it is THE music event of the year! 

Enter: this backless, plaid, ruffle dress. I wore it last year to Lollapalooza and my bff's bachelorette party in Nashville, but I brought it back for Saturday during our anniversary weekend in Lake Geneva. I wanted to wear something beachy/lightweight for walking around the Lake town. This was perfect! 

Similar dress from this season:

This is the exact type of dress I am looking for for Lolla. Lightweight, preferably with some cut outs/open back. 

Okay, I am obsessed with this whale purse. HA! It is older from the Kate Spade outlets for $70, but check out these whimsical options:

Also, some of these prices are downright stupid. Like, this Pinata bag is the stuff of dreams, but it is almost $500. Unless you're bathing in money, I wouldn't waste $500 on a whimsical/fun bag. But, wait for it to go to the outlets!! It's soooo cute! Or this cactus bag. $498 is a joke! But I promise at the outlets there will be a similar version for under $100. 

Tried my hand at some bocce at the Maxwell Mansion in Lake Geneva!

The movie room in the hotel was amazing! Adjacent to the apothecary bar, you could order any movie you wanted on the hotel's dime. 

Another updated version of my dress:

Heading down into the heart of Lake Geneva. 

Okay, but seriously, how cute is Mike? Haha! I love turning the camera on him. He wore this tiger/jungle shirt, and he got so many compliments on it. It's so fun. He finds the most unique shirts! He always goes, "Okay, is this ridiculous?!" before purchasing, and of course, I reply, "no!!! get it!" And he pulls it off with ease. 

Lake Geneva! 

You have to check out Popeyes if you're ever in Lake Geneva, WI. We had cheese curds and nachos + these amazing margs! To die for. And the patio is right along the lake for awesome views and people watching. 

Sunnies:

Monogrammed Jacks. 

These Jacks are seriously one of my favorite purchases ever. I love having monogrammed everything! haha. Ladies about to get a new last name: hint this to your man!! I couldn't wait for Mike to buy them for me, so I just gifted them to myself. LOL 

AHHHH! Best ice cream ever in Lake Geneva: Scoops! 

my man enjoying his Scoops!

Love this "disclaimer" for Scoops. 

So, here are my top picks for Lolla. We are going Sunday, August 6, so I need to act fast-ish. What is your vote for the best one?! 

Side notes:

this romper would be in pink or yellow. 
This darling dress would be the orange color.
This $15 dress (!) would be in pink.

Thanks for your input! Other festival-y dress ideas greatly appreciated and welcomed! Feel free to email me: mary.fremeau@gmail.com if you have an idea!  I promise to give you full credit on the blog! LOL
xxoo
Mary

Lady in Red (lace)

So, to start off, I need to show you guys the amazing 2nd wedding anniversary gift Mike got me. It's above our bed now; it's a painting of the sound waves of us saying our vows at our wedding!!!! I cried like a baby when I opened it. The best part is on the back of each canvas, there are QR codes, with the actual clips of us reading our vows on July 11, 2015. It was the most thoughtful gift I've ever received. He took the sound clips from our wedding video! I couldn't believe it. Then he got it made to match our room (which, BTW, Mike totally put together-- not me! He really has an eye for design). And, the final touch is our names on each canvas-- in the font of our wedding programs. Mike is so good to me. I thank God for him every day. Here is where you can customize your own. 

I could gush about my hubs all day, but let's get down to business: the outfit!  (PS, I love you, Mike haha).  I wore this the other night for our actual anniversary dinner. We went to Fiora's in Geneva, which, BTW, is incredible. We always go there for big events. Mike took me there before he proposed to me, we went after I got my masters degree, we went when we closed on our house, etc. It holds a special place in our hearts. We actually used to live across the street from Fiora's in an apartment, so it was the perfect fancy dinner place 2 seconds away. 

This was an accidental combo outfit. I was planning to wear this black tank with my blush pink tulle skirt and glitter heels... but I looked like I stepped out of ballet class. HAHA! It was not a good combo. 

So, I went with the most lovely red lace skirt from YM Boutique. 

These shoes are the Valentino Rock Stud dupes, and I am obsessed. They are comfy, and I got my two pairs (one is blush glitter) both for $49. 

No one knows (or cares) if your shoes are $1,000 or $49, so why not save some scrilla to put into your future kids' college funds? LOL. 

Mine. 

The tank is old from YM Boutique, but here are some similar black silky tanks:

My earrings are also super old, but here are some fun gold statement earrings! 

I am totally the living version of the red-dress-girl-emoji hahaha!!! 

Lips: 

My sis gave me this cute little makeup sampler pack maybe 3 Christmases ago, and it just so happens this Stila all-day lipcolor was in it. I was totally obsessed (still am), and I bought it in the magenta (Amalfi) for our wedding. Again, this stuff lasts. I am still using the 2014 red and the 2015 pink. LOL 

And the piece de la resistance: the skirt! 

Again, this is a last summer's purchase from YM Boutique (cutest booty-q in Geneva. You must check it out!).

However, here are some more red skirts for your liking!

My dapper hubs at Grahams after dinner! Another favorite of ours in Geneva! 

What are you up to this weekend? We are watching Finn (our nephew!) all weekend! Follow along with our adventures on my Instagram stories (@BelleOnTrend)!
xxoo
Mary