"Summer" is a Verb

It's officially one week until the last day of classes (appropriately dubbed by W&M students as "Blowout") and the royal wedding (hello, 4 am wake-up call!), which can only mean one thing: summer is on my mind. I keep getting bursts of excitement for sun, sand, and working (yay?) in between the bursts of fear I suffer from thanks to my looming final exams. Thankfully I think the prospect of summer will be enough to carry me through the next few weeks of constant studying and complaining with my classmates. To kickoff the best season of the year, here is my top three things I'm excited for upon my return to Connecticut from good old Virginia.

1. More Jack Wills stores!



The British are coming, and not just to Massachusetts anymore. Thanks to my inside scoop from JW and Women's Wear Daily, I've been getting pumped for the New Haven, CT, Newport, RI, and Southampton, NY stores opening in May and the Charlottesville, VA store in June. New Haven is dangerously close to my homebase, so I'm sure I'll be frequenting the store quite often this summer on my days off of work when the weather's not good enough to hit up Compo Beach in Westport (the JW Westport store doesn't open til later this year). And of course, I'll be hitting one of the original US stores in Nantucket when I'm there in early August. Luckily, I already have my wishlist picked out (including the liberty print Larkhill dress).

2. Polo matches.


Jack Wills Varsity Polo in June is such an awesome event, even from watching it on my laptop across the Pond. Hopefully I'll get to go to a polo match in person again this summer in Greenwich with some friends (and hopefully it doesn't randomly thunderstorm in the middle of the match like last year). Getting dolled up in floppy hats and sundresses is pretty much a favorite summer pastime of mine, so I'll be jumping at the opportunity to watch some polo.

3. Beachy luxury.


I don't think I've ever looked forward to going to the beach as much as I have been recently. There's just something so glamorous and preppy about walking onto the sand with your Jack Rogers in one hand and your Vineyard Vines beach tote slung over your shoulder. But bathing suits and beach blankets aside, I'm loving walks on the beach at sunset (don't care that this is the cheesiest thing ever) and even glam dinners where the surf meets the sand. The idea of wearing a Lilly maxi dress with some chunky statement jewelry while dining on the beach is just too fabulous for words. Floppy straw hat not optional (this classic one is from J.Crew).