Happy Monday! May is about halfway over and it's already feeling like summer in these parts. I'm not sure if I'm quite happy about that or not! It's nice to feel some warmth on my skin, but it would have been nice to enjoy a bit of spring before we just jumped head first into summer!! Regardless, I found this dress a couple of weeks ago and I fell in love with it instantly. It made for the perfect brunch-style outfit, too, for Mother's Day yesterday!
Happy hump day! This has been the longest month of my life, I feel like! But hopefully after today, or at least, this weekend, things will go back to normalcy and I can feel like myself again! But, enough about my hectic schedule! I am excited to do another collaboration with Shawna Leeann! You can see our first collabo here. For round 2, we decided to find one piece, pick the color we each loved the most, and style it. As you can see, we both had the same idea of pairing it with shorts for a perfect transitional outfit into spring. I loved seeing these next to each other because it really gives you something to chew on whether you are looking for neutral or more bold inspiration.
I figured I would finish out the week with outfits I wore during Thanksgiving/Black Fridayweek since a lot of the focus with this week's posts centered around the sales and it's helpful in my head to chronologically keep all this information together! First up is what I wore for Thanksgiving! I went with the comfiest of leggings and a very forgiving tunic. Nothing fancy - we end up just going to a restaurant for our Thanksgiving feast at lunch, and then spent the rest of the day grazing on snacks and cocktails while we played games with the family. It was fun and I was stuffed!
If
you're lucky, you saw the whole Black Friday recap on Snapchat. I
*thought* I downloaded that whole snapped video that I could share on my
blog also, but apparently I only downloaded one 10 second video and not the entire recap. (Insert crying emoji here.) So, I
have been agonizing about how to share my Black Friday purchases with
you! Anyone can share stock photos with you - I love being able to share
real life outfits with you, or at minimum, a flat lay that I've styled.
There's no way I could capture real life styled outfits of every piece I
purchased within one post! But, at the same time, I do think there is
value in sharing my entire haul, stock photos or not, in case it does
spark some interest. Since today is Cyber Monday, I figured I needed to
recap everything for you today and not later in the week and risk you missing out on a good sale find!
If you saw yesterday's post, it was all about my shopping list for Black Fridayweek and what I had my eye on. If you noticed, there were no Express items on that list! That's because Gina summarized my wish list items in her post HERE. I honestly wasn't planning on posting anything else until after my Black Fridayweek purchases were complete, but then Jenna said she was waiting to see some outfit collages from me of all the things she needed from Express! I figured she may not be the only one with this request, so here is YOUR shopping list post! For the sake of time, I am only linking to those items I know are available and on sale, so if there is something I have not linked to that you'd like to know more about - please let me know, and I'm happy to dish the product info!
This weekend was crazy busy, specifically Saturday! Ok, who am I kidding? The last two weeks have been a whirlwind of all the things, but I felt extra busy on Saturday. I decided I wanted to pay a visit to the new Charming Charlie that just opened - they were having a grand opening sale. Then I had back to back hair and lash appointments. I had to find time to take a couple of blog photos and flat lays. And then the blogger dinner and wrap party for fashion week that I recapped for you on Monday. So what does one wear when they are running around like a chicken with their head cut off? The easiest breeziest tunic and booties of course!
I can't even tell you how excited I am for this collaboration! You see, I stumbled upon Shawna's blog a couple of years ago, and she quickly became one of my blog crushes. I love her quirky personality that comes across in her photos, I love her writing style, and most importantly, I love her outfits. When she asked if I wanted to collaborate with her, I felt like a celebrity was reaching out to me! If you are new to her blog, I hope you'll pop on over and check it out here and that you'll find her to be as much of a style inspiration as I do!
The title of today's collab speaks for itself. I couldn't survive without a chambray (or 7) in my closet. It's a holy grail piece, and Shawna came up with the idea of styling it for day and then for play. Let's get started!
Today Gina and I are collaborating to each share 4 different ways to wear this berry colored textured knit moto jacket. Yes, reunited and it feels so good! It's great to be working on something with her again, so I hope you guys enjoy this project!
Left: Original post here | Right: From random roundup post here
If you remember, I already have this jacket in ivory and in olive. I bought the ivory one late last season after admiring it on Gina and some others who had it. When I finally caved and bought one for myself, I loved it instantly and kicked myself for not getting it sooner. When it was released in olive and now in berry, I didn't hesitate to get the additional colors. I personally size down in this jacket with no intention of ever zipping it. I just like the way it looks worn open, and I don't think it would be as flattering on me worn open if I bought my normal size. Today's focus is on how to style this in berry, so let's get started.
If you read my post yesterday, you saw that I was sick all weekend, but I did manage to take selfies for the purposes of this post! Since I was resorting to selfies verses proper blog photos, I figured I'd provide you with the flat lay also so you can see more details of the pieces I chose for styling. First up is this combo-- snakeskin print cami, metal bib necklace, blush skirt, silver metallic heels.
I'm not afraid to wear blush in the colder months, so I knew I wanted to style this skirt with the jacket first and foremost. I didn't realize until I pulled the older outfit photo of the ivory version of this jacket above that I also styled that jacket with this same snakeskin print cami. It's just a good backdrop to the jacket, adding interest, but not being too overwhelming of a print.
Possible outfit adjustments:
1. You could switch out the print cami for a black one and add black tights with black booties to make it more cold weather friendly.
2. This skirt also comes in navy, which would pair beautifully with the jacket. You could do the navy skirt with this and switch the snakeskin for a solid blush colored cami, or even just a white one, keeping the shoes and necklace the same.
Outfit #2: Black tee, long tassel necklace, camo pants, black pumps
I didn't include the jacket in this flat lay, but you get the idea. I already showed you that wine and olive pair perfectly together here, so I thought I'd take it one step further and style this with my camo skinnies to mix it up a bit!
Jacket: Express | Top: Express | Necklace:Kendra Scott (gifted) | Bottoms: Gap (option) | Heels:Valentino (budget option here)
I really loved the way this turned out. The moto jacket is a nice alternative to a denim jacket in this instance, as I always tend to reach for my denim jacket when I'm wearing my camo pants. The color contrast keeps it interesting and the pointy toe pumps keep it from being too masculine.
Possible outfit adjustments:
1. Switching into a white tee and some black Chucks would make this outfit weekend ready.
2. Instead of the black tee and wine colored necklace, try a light grey sweater and silver necklace, with wine colored flats or pumps.
3. Don't have camo pants? Try some solid colored olive skinnies instead! Don't have olive skinnies either? Do black pants with an olive colored cami or tee.
Outfit #3: Striped dress, statement necklace, black lace up flats
I did this flat lay for Instagram a few weeks ago, as part of my packing post for NYC. I didn't end up wearing this combo because the weather in NYC kept warming up each day we were there, and this jacket gets warm really quickly. As I was trying on this outfit for this post, I decided to make a couple of adjustments.
Since I already showed you that this jacket pairs well with black pointy toed shoes, I decided to skip the flats and wear leopard pumps with this as well. Wine and leopard go together like peas and carrots after all! The long bauble necklace would have looked great with this also, but I grabbed my gold bib necklace at the last second since the last outfit featured a long necklace.
Possible outfit adjustments:
1. Add a chambray over or under the dress for an extra layer if you need more warmth. If you layer a chambray over the dress, add a belt, too, to define your waist. And then ditch the bare legs for tights and boots - cognac knee high boots or booties would look great.
2. Pointy toe leopard flats would work just as well with this.
3. If you don't have a striped dress, try this with a striped colored top and your fave destroyed skinnies. Or to keep it on the dressy side do a solid colored top (in black, white, wine, grey, navy, olive, baby blue, blush, or even mustard!) with a striped skirt instead.
Outfit #4: Berry colored plaid blouse, navy and ivory striped scarf, black leggings, brandy colored booties
I knew I wanted to layer this with leggings, and a plaid shirt just seemed like the natural pairing. I have a ton (ok, "only" 6) of these oversized plaid shirts from Express, the weight is perfect to layer under the jacket, and the length is perfect to wear with leggings. All my bits are covered, and I'm offering you the side view as proof.
I went monochromatic here with the top, but that was only because I realized I hadn't done a monochromatic look yet with these 4 outfits. This might be my favorite of all of the combos because I just love my layers and my print mixing. And my new booties. Ha!
Possible outfit adjustments:
1. If you're not into print mixing, just swap the plaid shirt for a solid black long sleeved tee. Or keep your plaid top, but switch the scarf for a solid color that complements one of the colors of your plaid shirt.
2. You could easily just do a chambray, leopard scarf, same leggings, and cognac knee high boots with this jacket as well.
3. Switch to regular black pants and pointy toe pumps (leopard pumps if you're courageous enough to triple print mix!), and give your top a partial tuck for a date night ready look.
And here are all four looks side by side. After I put this collage together, I realized I didn't do a very good job showing you what colors pair really well with berry. I do always tend to reach for it as a good color pop with black and white, but it does play well with more colors than you would think. Here's a quick color collage I put together to prove my point.
Well, this has turned into quite a long post! Hopefully you were able to pull some inspiration from here, and if not, Gina has four more ideas you can chew on, so please be sure to pop over there if you haven't already to see how she plans to style this! And, if berry isn't your color, check out the other three colors in which this jacket is currently available!
Before I go, you should know that Shopbop is having their Friends and Family sale right now! I'll be back tomorrow with some of my sale picks, but wanted to make sure you got a head start on your shopping cart!
I know that technically it's not the end of summer, but it's September 1st. Kids are back in school and the start of school will always denote the "end" of summer for me! I don't do these recap posts enough, so I figured with the new month, and the implied new season, I would look back at some of my favorite warm weather looks. I definitely see a more casual trend in my favorites. I embraced the basic tee this season, and I loved anything and everything that looked hand crafted or embroidered.
I seriously feel like summer has just started. Though a teeny part of me is excited for fall. I was looking through old posts from last year, and I'm definitely missing some of my transitional pieces! Next week, I'll pull those archives and share some of my favorite fall looks from last year that are still relevant to this upcoming season! Stay tuned!
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff (obsessing over her moto satchels HERE!) | Top:Express | Necklace: House of Harlow | Bottoms:American Eagle | Sandals:DV Dolce Vita
Top:LOFT | Necklace: House of Harlow | Skirt: Vince Camuto | Shoes:Vince Camuto (similar)
Yay for Friday, amiright? I seriously didn't think I was going to get through it! But it was an awesome birthday week and I definitely can't complain! I promise I will fill you in on the rest of the birthday details next week! I'm sure you are just sitting at the edge of your seats!!
This weekend should be fun! Jenna and I have a style event with CS Gems and The Fashion Lane Truck downtown! There are supposed to be other bloggers there as well, so it should be a great girl's day out! Afterwards, I offered to help Jenna get her closet room organized! So there may be some Greek food consumed for lunch to get us energized for the organization project!
Sounds pretty low key and relaxed to me! Fingers crossed for great weather! Have a great weekend!
I still have my old school Dooney and Burke bucket bag from the 90s. I was so proud of that bag! I loved it so much! And here we are, years later, and I've bought myself another. (Ok, well maybe mom and dad bought that first one for me!) This one is roomier than the one I had back in the day! I love the option of making it a single or a double strap. I also love the large, voluminous tassels that finish off the bag. I definitely loved this bag even more in person than in the catalog. I've always found one bag to buy during the anniversary sale, and I'm glad this one was "the one" this year!
I did get a few people ask me why I didn't end up getting the Rebecca Minkoff moto hobo in the cranberry color. Unfortunately, it was already sold out in my store by the time I was there for my appointment, so I was never able to see it in real life. I didn't need a bag that color anyway, I already have two, so it's probably for the best! I did see it in the "Ash" color, and while it was extremely tempting, I did love this bucket bag even more, especially since it's different than anything I currently have, and I had already committed to buying so many other items anyway!
I can see myself reaching for this tee when I need something easy but not obviously lazy. I loved how it looked with the olive vest layered over it. I wore this outfit to brunch with the husband on Sunday. I could have easily worn my new animal print flats instead of these heeled sandals!
For my second styling example, I just wanted the tee to speak for itself. And when paired with destroyed skinnies and statement heels, it's a foolproof weekend look. You can see a third way I styled this tee shirt in my Nordstrom Anniversary Sale recap post with the same lace pencil skirt I wore on Monday. It's a great, relaxed tee that is fitted but not tight. The scenic print reads a little bit more abstract from a distance, which makes it pretty easy to pair with most colors and other prints. It's nice to have options!
I received a frantic text from Gina yesterday morning asking/confirming that I didn't actually have a blog post live yesterday. Yes, it's quite weird for me also to not have 5 posts every week. I wasn't exaggerating though on Monday when I said it's been raining for an eternity. And unfortunately, rain means that I can't take photos outside, and if I can't take photos outside, well, that's basically the entire point of my blog. Yes, I can take photos inside, and perhaps if it's still raining this weekend, I may just have to resort to that. But in the meantime, I figured I would just keep it short and sweet this week with Monday, Wednesday, and Friday posts. And, since I have a ton of outfit selfies accumulated on my phone - you're getting two random roundup posts in one week!
If this top looks familiar, it's because I wore it for the style event last month. I really just needed something foolproof to throw on this day, and nothing is easier than a crisp white top and light washed denim. Leopard is always the perfect finishing touch. Always!
Top:Express | Bag: Kate Spade | Shorts: Express | Shoes:Converse
This is a weekend look that I wore running errands, but I had to go from running errands to going to a Cardinals game. This is an incognito game day outfit, no? It works for the fourth of July also if you need outfit inspiration for the holiday.
Jacket: Zara | Necklace: Express, Stella and Dot | Top:Express | Bottoms: Express | Shoes:DV Dolce Vita
This outfit was a product of another inadvertent Instagram outfit chain. This formula was black and white stripes, plus caged style cognac heels, and a pop of color. I realized when I was putting this together that I don't have a great striped cami, and ended up buying the one seen here as a result!
I have been trying to master the side Dutch braid for awhile now, and while I still have some perfecting to do with my technique, this was the first time that I got it presentable enough to leave the house. And yeah, I may have gone a little too costume-y with the poncho and the lace up sandals, but I couldn't resist.
I never really realized how much I love my leggings until I don't wear them for awhile. We were going through a cool spell - cool enough to whip my faux leather leggings out again, and I ended up really missing fall after I threw all this together. These second skin booties don't hurt either!
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And that's all I have for you today. I hope this gives you enough to chew on, and hopefully I will be back with proper photos soon! I think I'm going through withdrawals!!
