Wildwood Weekend

A few weekends ago I went to Wildwood for a Ultimate Frisbee tournament (well, my friend went for the tournament, I went to drink on the beach). Other than the obvious issue of 'oh shit, I haven't owned a legit bathing suit since I was twelve', I knew I wanted to pack light and live in the same outfit the entire weekend. I didn't want to look like I was trying too hard, but I wanted to look cute and stylish at the same time. My anchor chambray shirt from Old Navy, my Beatles inspired tank from Ross, and my super cheap shorts from Walmart came together as the perfectly comfortable combination. If it got too hot I tossed off the chambray, and the tank was long enough to work as a coverup when I wanted to swim. Admittedly, it wasn't the easiest outfit to pee in (especially since I was wearing a one-piece bathing suit underneath it all), but I needed an excuse to avoid the rather fresh Port-A-Potty, anyway.

I'm not a sucker for brand name labels, but when you're going to be shaking sand out of it for weeks to come, you don't want to be donning your $500 outfits anyway. Along with being super cheap, all of these pieces are super durable and actually look better with a bit of roughing up from the salt water and wind. The chambray was the most expensive piece, probably about $25, and the top from Ross was only $10 and so incredibly soft that I didn't even bother trying it on. I very rarely buy clothing from Walmart (actually, I think these pair of shorts were the first thing I ever bought), but it's almost impossible for me to buy shorts. I feel like they always accentuate in all the wrong places, but these were looser fitting (and so damn cheap) that they were a no-brainer summer must.

I got the belt while on a desperate search for accessories that would add some glitz to my plain black dress for New Year's Eve (GASP! Black and brown?! I know, I know, I was frazzled). I honestly can't remember if I got it from Old Navy or Target because my mind was all scrambled trying to accessorize, but I literally wear this belt with everything. It's a perfect neutral color with just a little bit of shine, and I love the braided structure.

And the most important accessory of the day was my $4 shades from Charlotte Russe! Again, I'm not good at owning nice, expensive things. But if there's the possibility that I'm going to drunkenly misplace them, have them swept away into the ocean on a particularly strong wave, shattered by a misguided frisbee, or carried off by a revengeful seagull--okay, okay, you get it. Cheap is the way to go.

Almost just as important was my shoe choice. If I know I'm going to be walking around a lot I usually grab something a little more supportive. But treading in wet sand is a job for sandals. I've had these babies since last summer and they've definitely got some wear to them, but they're still going strong. Have you started to see a pattern yet? When I like something, I REALLY like something, and wear it until it can't be worn no mo'. These are really comfortable and didn't budge while I was dragging a cooler full of beer, food, and ice from field to field. Alright, while I was trudging alongside the person who was dragging the cooler full of mostly beer. These probably cost about $25 from Target, and I'm sure they've got similar styles this summer.

What are your favorite summer clothes and accessories that you don't mind having beat up a little?