Our New P+P x Elisamama Collection!

We are so thrilled to introduce our newest collaboration: a collection of colorful, pattern-filled dresses with Elisamama! With upcoming warm weather travels in mind, we wanted to create a lineup of four versatile, easy to wear dresses: Medallion print shirtdress, Palm print tie front dress, Abstract print short sleeve shirtdress and Swirl print puff sleeve caftan. These dresses will be great for sunny getaways over the holidays, as well as all throughout the year (and they’re perfect for our friends living in warmer spots like Florida and Southern California who like a rich color palette without looking too wintery!).

We’ve been big fans (and wearers!) of Elisamama’s dresses for years now, and loved working together to create these versatile styles. We absolutely adore that Elisamama’s origins are rooted in a commitment to serving women, with all of the designs hand made by amazing female artisans in Nigeria. Elisamama’s founder Fisayo Che, who named the company after her own daughter, Elisa, started the brand out of a desire to create joyful, stylish and comfortable garments for other “mamas,” while bettering the lives of fellow Nigerian women through work opportunities and income.

Our mutual love of color and pattern is celebrated throughout the collection, with a mix of Ankara print fabrics sourced from female suppliers in the local markets in Lagos, as well as the custom-dyed red and white swirl fabric that uses a hot wax stamp method to create the pattern and then the fabric is hand dyed in a process called Adire. The fabrics used in the collection are all cotton and machine washable, and the shirtdresses feature our favorite natural wood buttons.

We love the broad size range of the collection, which is available in XS through XXL. Gen is wearing an extra small in all styles shown here with the exception of the red and white swirl caftan, where she is wearing a small (the only sample available during photography, but she’ll wear an extra small in the production version). The red swirl style has a great detail inside of the neckline at the shoulder (shown in the photo above) to keep the scoop neck up by buttoning around your bra straps.

We love the versatility of the ivory and brown palm print dress; the top can be worn with a bow or knot in the front (also great for adjusting to different bust sizes), as well as in a wrap style that provides a little more coverage in the chest area and ties in the back. And you know we can’t resist a great shirtdress, so we had to include two versions in the collection: the blue, red and gold medallion print with long sleeves, and the burgundy and cornflower blue abstract print with short sleeves. Both shirtdresses come with self belts, and we also like styling them without a belt or by adding a favorite leather belt.

The full collection is available to shop now at elisamama.com! We can’t wait to see you in your new dresses…be sure to tag @pencilandpaperco and @elisamamaofficial so we can share your photos!

Photography by Jessica Amerson

Comfy Fall Uniform!

Post sponsored by Frank & Eileen

With the arrival of cooler temperatures, we’re living in our favorite Frank & Eileen styles! We’re big fans of their button-up shirts, and now we’re wearing our new Frank & Eileen fleece pieces and classic cotton sweaters on repeat as well!

We love having easy to mix and match staples on hand that make it super simple (and comfy!) to get ready for everyday running around while still looking pulled together and chic. And it’s always lovely to buy from a female-owned brand that really nails it on fit and quality (plus everything is machine washable!). We find that the pieces run true to size – I’m wearing a size small in the styles worn here.

Frank & Eileen fleece styles are available as matching sets (which are so perfect for travel days!), as well as separates. We wear the white and black fleece styles regularly, and right now we’re eyeing the new evergreen color and our favorite red! We love that the raw edges on the fleece styles can be easily trimmed if you want to shorten them. We like pairing the cropped fleece pant with a classic white button-up shirt; this oversized cut and the signature crinkle are our two go-tos!

We’re sharing more of our latest favorites below, plus you can check out the full collection at frankandeileen.com!

Photography by Jessica Amerson / Post sponsored by Frank & Eileen

Fall Wardrobe Staples!

Post sponsored by Everlane

We can’t believe it’s officially fall! As temperatures start to drop, we’re on the hunt for the perfect wardrobe staples that we’ll turn to again and again all throughout fall and winter, and we’re so thrilled with our latest finds from Everlane!

We’ve styled multiple looks here that incorporate our newest go-tos, like these black jeans that have quickly become a favorite pair, and this boyfriend-cut striped button-up shirt that has a great hem detail for wearing it both tucked and untucked. We especially love the quality of Everlane’s designs and their commitment to using the best materials and ethical manufacturing.

This cashmere v-neck, this striped polo sweater and this alpaca crewneck with a subtle rib texture are all going to be repeat wears for years to come, and we’re really happy with this water-resistant anorak in the prettiest shade of green! Also in our lineup of green favorites right now is this utility barrel pant; they’ve got a great cut and just enough stretch to make them super comfy (and come in lots of colors!).

We’re sharing more of our latest favorites below, plus you can check out the full collection at everlane.com!

Photography by Jessica Amerson / Post sponsored by Everlane

Denim Must-Haves!

Post sponsored by Saks Fifth Avenue

We think there’s nothing quite as versatile for fall as a great denim dress, and we’ve just ordered five different denim dress styles from Saks that we’re loving! Saks is also our go-to spot for the best jeans and other denim separates, plus the perfect investment-worthy bags, shoes and accessories that we’ll turn to again and again. Even better, right now the Saks Friends and Family sale is going on, with 25% off of many new arrivals through Sept. 29th!

It’s so hard to choose a favorite from our new lineup of denim dresses! This classic shirt dress will be a staple across multiple seasons, and this button front midi style is so cute on its own or with a cardigan or blazer over your shoulders. We love the button and belt details on this pretty dress, and this short sleeve style is super versatile (and has the perfect amount of stretch!). The crystal keyhole detail on this shift minidress is so darling…we can’t wait to wear this for an upcoming party! We paired all of the dresses with these classic heeled sandals that we adore, and we also love ballet flats with denim dresses for daytime, or a bootie or taller boot style once temperatures start to drop.

You can browse lots of our denim favorites and fall-ready accessories in the gallery below, and check out even more over at saks.com!

Photography by Jessica Amerson / Post sponsored by Saks Fifth Avenue

Current Crushes!

We’re excited to share our latest installment of crushes — just click or tap directly on the items above or in the gallery below for all of the details! We’ve got so many great Tuckernuck friends and family sale finds in our cart right now, including this midi dress, this cashmere cardigan, these cap toe ballet flats and this striped shirtdress (sale ends at midnight ET tonight!). The Saks friends and family sale is also under way, and we’re snapping up this tunic dress, this raffia and leather bag, these mesh and suede pumps, and don’t miss our new favorite jeans on sale! In even more friends and family sale news, Banana Republic’s promo is also going on right now, and we’re especially loving so many pretty coats like this belted wool one, this scarf style and this denim trench. Fall layers are specially priced at J.Crew today…we’re eyeing this cable-knit cardigan, this merino crewneck and this classic striped button-up. If you haven’t taken a peek at our new P+P x Mark & Graham collaboration yet, don’t wait on picking out your favorites since it’s a limited edition collection and many styles are selling through quickly. Happy shopping!

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