Ever since we got back from Mexico, I've been hyper-focused on Europe and making sure I have everything I need to pack! We are going for 10 days and will be visiting Paris, Normandy, Amsterdam, and Rome. Yep! Seriously SO excited. I obviously want to feel cute in my outfits, but I really just wanted to bring basics with which I could easily throw endless outfits together. Since it will be spring, we expect the weather to be in the 60s, so light layers were also a must for me. I am a horrible last minute packer, but felt this trip was too epic to leave up to chance! So, here is everything I am planning to bring!
I styled this top for CS Gems because they were having a lightening deal sale on it while I was gone last week in Mexico. Unfortunately, it's not on their site anymore, so I'm sorry you all are missing out on it! However, I wanted to share it anyway because I feel it styles very similarly to a varsity stripe top, and varsity stripes seem to be a trend that is coming back along with other 90s inspired styles. I also wanted to use this opportunity to give you an update on my voice/ laryngitis situation!
Good morning (or afternoon or evening depending on when you read this....) and happy Monday! Hope everyone enjoyed their Cinco de Mayo or Derby Day, or whatever you had planned this weekend! We had some tacos and margaritas with friends Saturday evening and then went to the baseball game last night. The weather was perfect for both, so I definitely cannot complain! So nice to feel warmth on my skin again!! Let's get started with today's post.
Coming at you tonight with a random Wednesday night post!! I mentioned in last week's post that I was starting a new monthly Facebook live video series with CS Gems called Sip and Style. If you missed our "pilot" video, so to speak, you can get yourself caught up here. Tonight we talked about what to wear to wineries! Each of us brought two outfit ideas to the table and as I was pulling ideas together for what I would present, I couldn't organize my thoughts without pulling out old photos, and I figured since I was pulling out old photos, I may as well pull together an actual blog post to go along with the video! So, here you go!
I realize I had three blog posts last week, but because I haven't actually taken proper blog photos in a couple of weeks, I feel like I haven't blogged in awhile! It always feels good to get back into the saddle. Though admittedly, it's been raining for a good two weeks now, making blog photos stupid, and us having to be creative on where we can catch some outfit photos without getting drenched. The struggle is real guys. This is my typical weekend uniform and it makes me happy. I really don't know why I didn't turn to baseball caps sooner in life!
First off, thank you all so much for taking the time to read last week's post and for checking in on me and leaving such thoughtful comments. I didn't really want to attach the linkup to such a sentimental post, and Jenna was a bit under the weather last weekend as well, so I apologize for no notice on the linkup front, but I know you all get it. It's just a blog, it's not critical stuff we are talking here. But still.
On top of the emotional roller coaster, I lost my voice this week, and can't decide if it is stress related or if I actually got sick again - I caught something right after the new year. Antibiotics and prescription cough meds seem to be clearing that up, so hopefully I can get back to a normal routine again. Except this month will be crazy for work travel! Blah! Anyhoo. It's been a rough last couple of weeks, but it's time for me to get back in the saddle for my own sanity.
When I first started this blog 5 years ago, I was EXTREMELY into mint. That may be an understatement actually. I thought over time that obsession would fade a bit, but it really hasn't. Once February and March start coming around, I start to crave mint more and more again!
Happy last day of January! Now that February is looming, that means Valentine's Day is right around the corner, so I had no problems agreeing to a "red" collaboration with some of my favorite bloggers: Gina, Rachelle, Jo-Lynne, and Amy Ann. Red is my favorite color, though admittedly, I don't wear much of it outside of the pop of color here and there. (Well, not including baseball season anyway...) I've had these red bottoms for awhile, but hadn't worn them in forever! I figured now was a good time to style them again.
One of my readers commented a few weeks ago letting me know that the reason why she started following along with me in the first place is because she loved my remixes. That really means a lot to me, and honestly, I do pride myself in my ability to showcase different ways to style the same piece. I admit that I side eye some people who claim they are "remixing" but they are really just "accessorizing." To me there is a big difference. Proving something is versatile is more than just saying - oh look you can wear this with flats AND boots. Remixing is all about mixing colors and textures and prints and pieces in a way that makes you fall in love with that piece all over again as if it is brand new. Since I'm now five years into blogging, I have a LOT of outfit photos and I want to share a lot more remix ideas this year. I've done an olive skinnies remix post before here, but it was time to do another! So let's get started.
Super happy that is Friday, you have no idea! I'm looking forward to sleeping in, getting some workouts completed, a fresh hair cut, and a belated birthday lunch with Jenna! We also have a car cruise we are doing on Sunday which is always fun and pretty this time of year! Here are some outfits I've worn lately! I am only linking to the items that are still available. Let's get started!
I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I was asked to speak at a local moms group function to talk all things fall fashion! They solicited questions from the group and sent them to me ahead of time, which was great because it helped build content for me! (I honestly wasn't sure what I would talk about otherwise!) One of the questions they asked me was about jackets and which I couldn't live without for fall. I thought I would share my answers with you today along with some shoppable links and outfit inspiration! Let's get started!
The military jacket
The three jackets that I picked aren't specific to this season. These are timeless to me -- things I've had in my wardrobe for multiple seasons, and that will remain for even more seasons, too! The military jacket is such a huge staple for me, and if you still don't have one, you seriously need to find the perfect one or four. Ha! I have a few that I rotate, but what I love most about it is that it's a lightweight layer and the green goes with basically any color.
SHOP MILITARY JACKET OPTIONS HERE:
The neutral suede moto jacket
This jacket is the most recently added of the three types in my closet. I just got this last year, but it has staying power, for sure! I will say that I purposely sized down in this style. I love the look of the lapel with a double breasted, asymmetric zip jacket, but I don't like all the excess material when worn open because of the bulk and also because you can't really see what you're wearing underneath. I sized down knowing I didn't really have any intention of ever zipping it. That said, it's definitely meant to be more of a transition jacket for me than a middle of the winter, frigid temps jacket.
I love this style because the color mixed with the soft suede makes it so cozy! And as you know, it can get pretty dark and dreary in the cooler months pretty quickly, so it's nice to have a light colored neutral to cheer things up a bit!
This jacket is just about as old as this blog! Almost 4 years! And there's a reason why Express still keeps selling it! It has a stretchy ribbed bodice at the sides which makes this fit like a glove. It's lightweight enough to wear layered under a trench vest (or any vest for that matter), yet when paired under a blanket scarf, it will keep you just as warm, if not warmer, than a heavy winter coat. You can dress it up, or dress it down. And it comes in a jillion other colors if black isn't your thing. I also have this in white and burgundy! I'm not even going to give you any other options for this style jacket because I feel strongly that this is THE ONE! And it's 40% off right now, so you really need it.
That's all I have for you today! Thanks for stopping by and linking up!
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Happy Monday! I'm excited for a week of no travel!! Last week was super hectic with 3 different trips plus being sick, one ear that never popped from a plane ride, having my girl time, oh and having zero voice. I'm glad I went to Urgent Care before I left for Boulder because I know my symptoms would still be lingering had it not been for the antibiotics and cough meds! Anyway, I'm feeling much, much better today because my girl time is basically over, voice is 80% there, and I haven't had to take a cough drop in two full days. #winning Let's get on with today's outfit!
I feel like the entire country is under an excessive heat warning... well, except for San Diego, which is where I was all last week and the weather was quite delightful, if not a little chilly at night! Here in St. Louis though, it is in the 90's with the "feels like" temp being in the triple digits. On top of that, the humidity is unbearable. You walk outside and it feels like Mother Nature punches you in the gut!
I was going to continue my recap of our vacation, but I felt silly talking about vacation since I will be shopping the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale as of 8am this morning! The sale does not open for cardholders until tomorrow, July 13th, however, level 4 peeps get to shop it today, and I was lucky enough to be able to get behind the scenes a little bit early. Since the #nsale is so top of mind at the moment, I will have to postpone my vacation recap for a future post.
As bloggers, we can get a lot of scrutiny by saying we are "obsessed" with a new purchase, especially if that purchase only shows up in our feed that one time. I can certainly appreciate how disingenuous that may seem! But let's be real. People prefer buying the exact pieces we wear vs. the "similar" items we may link to (which is kind of disheartening because it takes time to research and link to those similar items!) So, once something is no longer available, the less likely you may end up seeing it showcased on the blog or on social media. But that doesn't mean those obsession items go unworn! Thanks to me taking outfit selfies every time I get dressed, and sharing these selfies with you through these random roundup posts, you are able to see old favorites over and over again. I thought I would pull together some older posts so you can see how I've styled some pieces now and then.
I've accumulated a handful of kimonos over the last couple of seasons so I thought it would be helpful to compile a post around all the different ways I've styled a kimono. To be honest, I fought the trend for quite some time, but eventually I caved! Whether you need a little modesty, a touch more interest to your outfit, or just another layer for warmth in the frigid air conditioning, kimonos really are a great, lightweight alternative to a cardigan in the spring and summer months.
This past Friday, I went to visit CS Gems at their pop-up shop in Highland, IL for the Forever Vintage Market event at the Madison County Fairgrounds. Highland is only about 20 minutes or so away from the house, and I always love doing what I can to support Carrie and Stacy! They had this kimono on a mannequin and I went straight for it! A striped kimono?! Sign me up for sure!
I feel like a broken record, but March has been such a doozy of a month! It's already the third week of March, and I can't seem to catch up! Have you ever been so busy that you have absolutely no idea where to start with your to-do list that you just end up sitting in a vegetable state doing none of it? My brain is mush! That week in Nashville has been all consuming both before and after, and I just can't seem to get back to normal for whatever reason! On top of that, the husband has been traveling a lot these last couple of weeks, which equally throws my own schedule off. I need to just put my big girl pants on and get back into my normal routine!
Well, I made it back from Nashville! It was crazy busy to say the least. And I'm talking busy from 8am to midnight. I had two posts scheduled to go live last week and I was hopeful that I would have just a little bit of downtime to be able to put together a post throughout the week that I could then schedule for Friday. As you can see, that didn't happen. I was a bit foolish to think that I would have time, but oh well. Sorry for not preparing you for my absence! I hate not having a normal schedule for you guys, but things happen that aren't in my control, so i can't stress out about that! As promised, I do still want to give you a thorough recap of last week's festivities including what I wore and what I did. That would make for quite a lengthy post, so I am going to split them up into two posts. This post is all about my logic for packing - why I packed what I did based on the agenda I was given. This also serves as a nice spring time capsule type post. I've done others like these in the past, but this one was geared towards fall and this one was geared towards winter. I've been wanting to do a similar post for spring, so let's get started!
With spring upon us, I wanted to share a couple of my spring must haves. And I'm not just talking about needing these things for 2017; I'm talking about needing these things spring after spring. First up, the blush/pink pair of skinnies!
We've been enjoying warm weather for February. I'm talking 70-degree-eat-on-the-patio weather! It's insane! Of course, as the weekend hits, BAM! It drops into the 20s and 30s again. I'm not convinced that winter is gone for good yet, but at the same time, I can't not wear my recent purchases until spring! Mini skirts are easy to style in the cooler months - I just add my fleece lined tights and let my feet disappear by elongating my legs with my black wedge booties. I did have my moto jacket on over this as well, but the lace detailing of this top is too good to hide with my jacket for the purposes of these photos.
