trend watch - ankle booties

I'm back and beginning to be recovered from an AMAZING weekend in Colorado for the wedding of a close family friend. Post on that coming soon! I apologize for my absence, but I'm back with some good material for you all:)

Between online shopping, obsessive reading of fashion mags and in-store shopping browsing, I can't help but notice that ankle booties are the must-have staple for the swiftly approaching fall season. As the perfect accompaniment for dresses, jeans, shorts, skirts - the list goes on, I'd say that it's worth your hard-earned money to invest in a pair for fall/winter. Whether you prefer spikes, glitter, tribal print, or simply no detailing, there's a pair out there for you. I've gathered a range of styles, so there's sure to be something below to catch your eye. And, I've provided some pics that show just how versatile ankle booties are!

ankle booties by emilycleary10 featuring spiked booties

Images: Pinterest & Cheyenne Meets Chanel

New Chloe + Isabel Goodness!

Ever get a giddy feeling after you buy something you've been waiting for foreverrrrrr to get?? Or when a new collection that you've been anticipating is finally out?? Well, I have that feeling right now! And I'll tell you why....

The new chloe + isabel collection {well, at least half of it} was released today! I have been seeing 'teaser' sneak peek pictures for a couple weeks, so the anticipation of seeing the entire collection was killing me. But today, the wait was finally over. I've picked some of my favorite items from the new collection by category, and posted them below. I must say, picking favorites was tough because I pretty much loved everything!

Don't forget to browse {and perhaps shop} the whole collection!!

View the look book here!

Shop Necklaces

Shop Bracelets 

Shop Earrings & Shop Rings

Dual Birthday Celebration

Last Friday, my family all gathered to celebrate the birthdays of my sister and my dad, which conveniently fall on the same day. {While my dad says that my sister was the best birthday present, he fails to mention that she was also probably the most costly;)}. It's always good to get together with the whole family {plus Jason because he's practically one of us}. Throw a little wine/beer in the mix and it makes for a pretty fun night. We tried out a new restaurant in the city called 'GT Fish & Oyster', and although I don't eat seafood, I have to say it was pretty good. In addition to the food {I had delish mac&cheese sans lobster and an oysterless Caesar salad}, the atmosphere was bustling and the decor was simple, creative and unique. The birthday king & princess opened their gifts {many J.Crew & Lululemon items for Cait; desert boots, golf shirts and a beer tour for dad}, we caught up on the past week, and even discussed possible business ventures {my brother's cooking up something - no pun intended (he's a chef)}. All in all, it was a great night.

Not to mention I was loving my outfit - a new Free People cheetah blouse and olive green pants from Anthro...although I have no outfit pics. Sorry, I was too busy enjoying the evening:)

Check out the third of three birthday celebrations Caitlin had over the weekend on 'The Dreamer & The Doer.' 

Please don't forget to take one minute to vote for me in American Eagle's #liveyourlife contest! It seriously would mean a lot to me! Thank you in advance to those that take the (brief) second to support me:)

Mom, Steve (bro-in-law) and Chris (bro). 

The gang.

Dad and his kiddies.

We're struggling...

My pweety seester.

The bf and I <3

Mom & Dad:)

Joe Joe, the birthday KING!

Car ride photozzzzzz.

And the celebration continued the next night at 'The Southern' in Wicker Park! Happy 28th!

The beauteous birthday princess, and her coveted 'bubble' necklace:)

#liveyourlife

Well I'm calling it a night right now {a little after 11:00 p.m.}. This is so unlike me...I usually never fall asleep before 2:00 or 3:00 a.m. I'm trying out this new 'going-to-bed-at-a-normal-person-hour' today because....I start my new job internship tomorrow! I will be working at a PR firm in Chicago, and I honestly couldn't be more excited. I'm looking forward to getting back on the grind and settling back in my work-mode. After all, it's what I do best. {I'm admittedly weird and like to be busy and relatively consumed by work...it makes me feel like I serve some importance}. So for the next three months while the full-time job search continues, I will be learning the ins and outs of the PR world. As a journalism major, I never really took any courses in public relations/advertising/marketing - except for my fashion marketing program abroad - so I'm excited for the journey ahead of learning, unavoidable trial and error, and hopefully, success. Almost all of my past extracirriculars dealt with some aspect of public relations, so I have that extensive experience to go off of. I do realize, though, that nothing is greater experience than being thrown into the real world version {forget all that college-level stuff...}. So, tomorrow marks the first day of what {hopefully} is a long and fulfilling, real-world-run of a career. Here goes nothing...

Total change of gears, but here are some pics of an outfit I wore last week. Kinda just threw this together to run some errands. I'm clearly still in the Lolla phase with this skull cut-off tank. 

I LOVE these blue-dyed jeans from American Eagle {they're among my literally 15 pairs of AE jeans}. Speaking of AE, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE visit their #liveyourlife contest page and vote for me. It seriously will only take you about 30 seconds {dependant on your internet connection}, and it would mean SO much to me. The winner is featured on a billboard in Times Square, and also wins a generous amount of money. I know this might sound frivolous, but it would be such an incredible experience, and I'd be honored to be chosen. So, if you could, please click here and hit 'VOTE' when you get to the page! 

If you'd like to take an extra second, comment below if you voted so I can personally thank you:)

Shirt: Urban Outfitters {similar style here}; Jeans: American Eagle; Shoes: Target; Belt: J.Crew Factory {old}; Sunglasses: Target.

Spike Bracelet : {Posh-boutique in Nashville}; Rhinestone Bracelet: Ann Taylor Loft; Skull Bracelet: Claire's; Turquoise Ring: Forever 21 {old}; Stud Bracelet: Urban Outfitters; Watch: Michael Kors; Double Ring: chloe+isabel.