It's My Party...

Happy Birthday to me...{sartorial roadmap}!!

All of these sweet treats come from my "tasty tasty" board on Pinterest...you should join me over there, it's always a good time.

Oh geez.  Exactly one year ago, I had been in Charleston for about 4 days, and I posted my first blog.  In one year I have met so many amazing people, have lived in 3 states (South Carolina, Michigan & New York) and I've made hundreds, no thousands, of wonderful memories.  This blog has been the best outlet as I tend to have an opinion on...most things...a blessing and curse for sure.  I've had the best time sharing my inspiration and travels on this blog for the last year and don't plan on stopping any time soon.  I can never stop thinking about the amazing world that we live in and how badly I yearn to explore every bit of it that I can in the time that I have.  As my second year on Sartorial Roadmap begins, I'm both scared and ridiculously excited to see where this road will take me.  Also a huge shout-out to the coolest people I know, my parents, my family and my friends for telling everybody they know about my blog.

Thank you for being the bomb.com and reading this little guy of mine.


Also, I should definitely treat myself to a piece of cake today.

Seventies Summer

I am by no means the biggest fan of summer, but I was definitely excited this weekend when I broke out a few of my summery dresses to put into rotation.  One great dress that I got last summer, and another dress that I've had for years and can't stop wearing, both give off such great seventies vibes.  I still have a ways to go in terms of a fully functioning summer wardrobe, but at least I have a place to start.  

 I bought this maxi dress last summer at the store I worked at in Charleston, it was on major sale and nobody else seemed to want it.  I on the other hand loved it the first time I saw it.  It's comfortable, breezy and the pattern is so retro, it looks perfect paired with my Bettye Muller espadrille clogs, and my Madewell vest!

This black dress is from H&M, I got it my freshman year of college...6 years ago and have had times where I've thought about getting rid of it, but I never can.  I wore it to a wedding two years ago, and it was perfect!  The skirt swings so well, and it is the awesome midi length that I cannot get enough of these days.  

I pretty much always need dresses, but I can tell that I will need a full arsenal this summer, it was 90 degrees yesterday.....

2011 {First} Year in Review

This post will serve as a walk down memory lane, I had such a great summer in Charleston, SC and was able to incorporate so much of my surrounding environment.  I've also highlighted some of 2011's best trends.  Without further ado, here is my review of some favorite posts from Sartorial Roadmap's first year...

 Residents of the Runway: Seriously Feminine was inspired by this perfect little house right down the street from my apartment.

Stripes + Stripes = Style Stars was inspired by this SS '11 trend, which also reminds me of a dress in this post!

I had A LOT of fun with my Oh Irene post, listing necessities for the incoming Hurricane...that ended up causing mayhem for a whole 10 minutes...

Jenny & I stopped by Sugar Bakeshop to celebrate 1,000 views on my blog!

This was definitely a favorite post, PJ's In Public highlighted the silk p.j. trends that were shown on runways around the world!

In September I prepared my Missoni x Target Shopping List and was able to score a few of my favorite things, but I'm still bitter about the socks!!

The Paris Market was definitely a highlight during my trip to Savannah, and obviously seeing this girl!

Design minded in every sense of the word, Jenna Lyon's just knows what she's doing, and that's why Lyon's Den is my favorite interior design-centric post.

Going to see My First Artprize in Grand Rapids was so fun, the above piece was one of my favorites!

Thanks for a great first year, I can't wait to dive into 2012!  I'm moving to New York in exactly 1 week and can't wait to see what the year brings!!

Decorating Around My Duvet

Spring Break 2007 my mom and I ventured to Philadelphia for a few days and while visiting we stopped at an Ikea, at which I purchased my lovely and vibrant duvet cover.  Said duvet cover has now seen me through 3 Chicago apartments, a 4 month long move to Charleston, SC, and its next big adventure will be to the Big Apple. This time I vow to fully settle in and make the place my home.  In order to do this I plan on purchasing a couple of rugs, something I've always wanted to add to my rooms (3/4 of them have had wood floors) but I can never commit to because they're so expensive.  Today I came across a few at Urban Outfitters that I'm considering.

Pictured above is my duvet cover, stripes of purple, orange and a touch of citrus populate the fabric.  What do you think about these, and the possibility of layering the rugs to multiply floor coverage?  

The chevron rug is the largest (also probably the busiest), I wish Urban had it available in a dark purple...but would it be completely crazy to do the orange chevron and then these two smaller rugs (that are both under $40)?  I'm just not sure what else to do.

Also throwing this last one is as a wildcard entry, because it's pretty awesome.  Does anybody have suggestions, or ideas of where to find inexpensive rugs?  

P.S. this is my 100th blog post on SartorialRoadmap.blogspot.com.  Thanks for continuing to read,, I can't wait to see what the new year holds!  

photos via UrbanOutfitters.com

Prints of Persia

I've become a little bit obsessed with Persian rugs recently.  They are in galleries, shops and homes ALL over Charleston giving the perfect well worn historic feel to their dwelling places.  One of the things I especially love about these rugs is that there are so many colors and patterns throughout that it's difficult (and not advised) to match them with furniture and accessories in a room.  This then causes them to create a seamless way of mixing and matching patterns and colors throughout a space.  Check out the photos I've rounded up of my favorite rug-ged rooms.

Layering the rugs looks fantastic.  Adds texture and color to a room with such simple furnishings!

The only problem with this rugs is how insanely expensive they are...someday...someday.  Jenna Lyons' bedroom also has an amazing rug featured in this post.  

photos via desire to inspire & design sponge

The Red Door

My my mom was in Charleston with me this past weekend and on Saturday morning went for a walk around the neighborhood, on which I showed her a few of my favorite houses, gates and the beautiful Charleston battery.  The front entrance to this home is my absolute favorite in all of Charleston, everything about it is perfect.  The first photo is one that I took back in June during one of my first walks south of Broad, while the rest are from my last walk around the 'hood.

Sartorial Daytrip: Savannah, GA

A week ago I drove down to Savannah for the day, it's a trip I had been wanting to take all summer.  I finally got the chance to meet up with the lovely and wonderful Allie Morris (click on her name to check out her amazing blog).  Here are some photos from the day (mostly of the parks and scenery)...I promise there are more to come, they'll be popping up around here for a while.

The day started with an ominous and sometimes VERY rainy drive.  They don't call this "the lowcountry" for nothin', totally flat and marshy for miles.  There was such beautiful scenery I couldn't help but snap some pics...yeah I probably should have stopped the car...

Lunch at Zunzi's!!  This is Brinton, he was excited about introducing me to the Conquistador.

After lunch I spent the day roaming and found all of these beautiful places, and the amazing squares that are scattered throughout Savannah!

Totally stalking this beautiful garden...

Forsyth Park was amazing, so lush and pretty.  I really loved that Savannah has an element of grit to it that is not apparent in Charleston...yup I loved it.

I wish all parking signs were this cute...and I know it's very simple, but the two toned parking meters add so much character.

Allie and I at Green Truck Pub for dinner!  So happy I could make the trip and spend the day with this lady, it's been a long time coming!

Super Saturday

Last week Saturday was my first Saturday off in quite some time, so I made BIG plans!  Earlier in the week I had been running errands for my internship and stumbled upon the flier for the "Holy City Artist & Fleas" flea market.  And there was a restaurant I had been dying to try for a while so around noon I set out on my day.

Eye Level Art is a little bit gallery, music venue and flea market.  It's the perfect place for this, and I enjoyed wandering and looking around.  The jewelry above was so pretty, and I loved the way it was displayed, a beautiful organized mess.

Indigo & Cotton is my favorite store that I can't shop at...sadly it's just for the dudes, but eye candy nonetheless.  Cool brands, amazing ties, I love it!

In this Charleston neighborhood that is part run-down and part adorable I also stumbled upon Mac & Murphy a local paper company, they carry some things by Paper Source and so so so many adorable cards.  My favorite find was the Pantone post cards.

I walked past this beautiful house and couldn't help myself from taking the pic!

My trigger fish sandwich at Two Boroughs Larder was DELISHHHH!  I will definitely be going back there, I loved it! 

Love this photo of the graveyard.  And last but not least..........

The Michigan v. Notre Dame game was AMAAAAAZING.  The absolute perfect way to cap off my day...and my new tee has been deemed a good luck charm!  Another super Saturday is here (and today it feels like fall!!!!)...enjoy it!