What Are You Wearing? Friday Chi-Day

As you’ve probably noticed around here on Thirty Four-Seven, I like to keep you up to date with “What I Wore”. I definitely wouldn’t say that fashion is the main focus of this blog, but it is one of my many creative interests and an outlet I use to express myself. I know that my style can be a little colorful, eclectic, and vintage-influenced for some people, and that’s fine! Having different preferences is the whole point of developing a personal style. You do you. Keeping this in mind and hoping to provide a more well-rounded lookbook for 347 readers, I’ve decided to occasionally recruit my best friend Meliss to help out! Since we were 11 years old, the two of us have been phoning each other with the most frequently asked question amongst girl friends…“What are you wearing?!”. My style has always been pretty loud, while Melissa is more of a minimalist. I think this feature will be a fun way to compare and contrast how to style yourself from opposite perspectives. Meliss and I are also constantly planning fun girl-dates (I usually refer to her as my other half, sorry Dillon ?), so this will double as an excuse to give recommendations for fun ways to spend your free time! A couple of weeks ago, the two of us took a Friday off of work to spend the day together in Chicago. We ate, drank, looked at art, shopped, and basically just lived our best lives. Let’s sneak a peak at what we wore! ?

The two of us hopped on the train at the Waukegan stop bright and early carrying bags packed with day trip necessities. After boarding, we popped a bottle of champagne ? (getting jealous looks from the commuters on their way into work) and poured some train-mimosas. Cheers-ing boomerangs were taken #basic and we made our way to the Art Institute of Chicago once we got into the city.

The Art Institute of Chicago is one of my favorite places. I’ve been frequenting there with my aunt since I was old enough to not cause a scene in the museum, and she generously gifted me a membership for Christmas this year. It was Melissa’s first time, so we did a quick once-over of the place, spending extra time in my favorite spots: the Impressionism and Modern wings. We saw what we needed to see, and then moved on. I was a Fine Arts major in college, and if you placed me into an art museum without a plan, I could silently wander alone for the entire day without ever getting bored. Melissa definitely did want to go, but would never be interested in spending her whole day there. I think while planning day trips like this, it’s important to compromise and keep each other’s personalities in mind. No one wants to be that person dragging someone to things they could care less about. We got our art-fix and then headed over to lunch!

We lunched at the 3 Arts Club Cafe in Restoration Hardware because above all else, it was so. damn. cute. ? There was a pretty long wait, but when I’m in a dreamy interior design showroom with a FULL BAR in front of me, time is not an issue. We grabbed drinks and gawked at some gorgeous furniture, then spent a little time on the rooftop enjoying the weather. The food is typical “American Fare” but was great and portioned generously. Even if you don’t do a full lunch here, grab a glass of wine and an appetizer amongst the fountains and chandeliers in the cafe. It was just a really enjoyable vibe!

Next we shopped. A lot. Melissa in a mall is like Amanda in an art museum. Don’t get me wrong, I love to buy things as much as the next girl. But I get “shopped out” pretty easily. I would rather stop into a store for a half hour after work everyday than spend 5 hours in a mall on Saturday, I just end up overwhelmed. Anyways, like I said before, compromise is key on days like this! We stopped into the stores that were on our “must-go” list and walked past others that didn’t seem as important. I bought an adorable sweater from Zara that I’m sure will show up on the blog soon enough, and got a ton of inspiration for fall fashions. Sometimes window shopping can be just as constructive as actually buying!

Lastly, we did dinner at Duck Duck Goat, which I cannot give enough praise to. It’s a restaurant that does an interesting take on Asian cuisine. I wouldn’t necessarily call it authentic, but I would call it artful, unique, and BOMB ? Seriously, everything we ordered was amazing. If I had to give one recommendation it would be the Pekan Chicken, but luckily this place is small-plate style so you can try more than just that! The inside looks like China Town got a high-end makeover, it’s tacky in the chicest way possible. Also, if you know me well, you know the first thing I ran toward was the craft cocktail bar. The mixologist whipped me up a “Jade Gate” which was a beautiful combination of Tequila, Green Tea, Aloe, Pistachio, and Apple Honey. I’m biased because Asian food is where my heart is, but I think this may be my favorite restaurant I’ve been to in Chicago. Such a perfect way to end our night! ?

Dress: Here. Boots: Here. Sunnies: Here. Backpack: Here.

Now for our outfits. Meliss is wearing a light-weight black duster, striped jumpsuit, mules, oversized black sunnies and her go-to fringe cross body. This outfit is very classic and relaxed, but the mules and duster give it a more trendy edge. I opted for a patterned mini dress with ruffle detailing and some over-the-knee boots. I paired it with basic black sunnies and my new backpack that I am SO excited about! I recently bought it as a camera bag and it’s been the perfect mix of fashionable and functional. Outfit details are tagged.

If there is one thing Melissa values above all else, it’s comfort. I mentioned the idea of wearing skinny jeans and she burst out into a fit of laughter. She said “We’re going to be trying things on, and eating… A LOT!”  (And eat a lot we did ??). Keeping comfort in mind, both of our looks worked out super well. Dresses, jumpsuits, and flat shoes are all really great options when you know you will be walking all day. Also, over-the-knee boots and mules are my two favorite shoe trends for fall. So cute!!

Jumpsuit: Here. Duster: Here. Mules: Here. Sunnies: Similar. Bag: Similar.

Thanks for following along with us on our Friday Chi-Day adventure! If you have a spare vacation day to use before yearend, head into the city with a friend! I already can’t wait for our next girls day. ? Also, what would you say your style is? Loud, or minimalistic? I’m interested to hear! As always, if you use any of these tips hashtag them with #347Style so that I can follow along with the fun! ?

Xo Amanda