On Monday, I gave you a recap of the Spring Style Soiree hosted by ALIVE Magazine, St. Louis Fashion Week, and West County Center. I mentioned coming home with one top, and that would be this perfect peplum. I bought it from Altar'd State, which I had never heard of before that night. I was impressed by their runway presentation and was excited to see what else they had to offer.
Apparently they have stores all across the midwest and southeast part of the country, so I'm a bit surprised I was completely in the dark. Yasmin, another local STL blogger, described it as an affordable option to Anthropologie because of their boho styling and clever home decor pieces. I can definitely see where she was coming from with that! I could have spent a lot more time in the store and know that I will be a repeat customer. For now, I was happy to add this peplum to my collection.
If you follow me on Instagram, you saw the sneak peak I gave you of this top. Before I left for San Antonio, I could not resist styling it for a flat lay. I got all giddy when I realized how perfect my beaded necklace would look with it!
I will have to wear the necklace with this top next time. Today, I decided to dust off my leopard pumps. I haven't worn them since my Remix challenge! You know it's bad when I shrug off leopard! But, I was craving them again, and lately I've been loving navy with leopard, so i was really excited to see today's outfit come together. And on a final note - I'm pretty sure anything + white skinnies = spring, amiright?
I've been on the hunt for a white pump now for some time. I'm sure it's only been like a month, but it always feels like forever when you're searching for the perfect piece. As part of my bonus splurge, I had ordered the Manolo BB pump in white. I already have them in polka dot calf hair (seen here), so I figured they would work just fine.
Yeahno. They were super narrow in the toe box, and immediately pinched my feet. I suppose I could have tried another pair just in case I just got a freakishly small version of my size, but I returned them.
I was excited to see that Vince Camuto had a basic pump that was available in white and had a ton of great reviews. They arrived last week and fit like a freaking glove! I was so excited that I accidentally ordered two more pairs.
Vince Camuto pumps:
Carlotte in Royal Blue Fishskin | Norida in Bittersweet Grapefruit | Kain in White Nappa
But hey, three Vince Camuto pumps is still less than the cost of one pair of Manolos, so I'm *making* money! Ha! I've been super obsessed with basic pumps lately. I think the change to warmer weather has gotten me excited to wear all of my old favorites again, and I just forgot how perfect a basic pump finishes off any outfit.
Oh you guys! It kind of saddens me to write this post because that means my weekend in Denver is officially OVER! It was so much fun, and I hope you are enjoying the recaps as much as I enjoyed living it in real life. If you missed the first part of this - you can read it HERE.
On Sunday, I parted with the Style and Beauty board girls for a blogger meet up. Kellie and Stacie from ie-Style are Colorado locals and were nice enough to pick me up from the hotel for a lunch and shopping date! Seriously, the pressure to dress for other fashionistas is a struggle! However, I felt a little bad because by this part of the trip, my body was beat down, I was super tired, and feeling very fashion un-motivated. I ended up just recycling bits from earlier in the trip.
The original plan was that we were going to eat lunch at Cherry Creek - this restaurant called Syrup. Looks amazing, right? Wellll, unfortunately, timing didn't work out. We probably should have gone earlier, but I just knew that Saturday would be a rough night for me and was wary to commit to anything earlier than hotel checkout! The wait was about 45 minutes, which, to be honest, didn't surprise us, but we ended up just taking our chances to see what the mall had to offer in terms of food.
The Nordstrom Bistro never lets me down - I enjoyed a cup of crab bisque and a cilantro shrimp salad. That definitely gave me the energy I needed to shop, and shop we did! Naturally, we had to start at Express. (Hmm, this sounds a lot like my first date with Gina! I promise I don't use the same moves on all my dates!)
First up is my new favorite tee shirt. I may or may not have this in four colors now because I know I will wear them a ton, and they're just really easy to thrown on and feel cute. I'm such a fan of the partial tuck, which is really what drew me to this tee in the first place. I was so happy that the IE-sisters agreed with me and went home with their own! If they don't convince you that you need this top in one or more colors, here are three other reasons you need it:
I'm not the only one that does the enabling though! Gina has this jacket (see it here) and I swoon over it every. single. time. she wears it. I figured it was about time for me to just get my own so that I didn't have to worry about the regret of missing out!! I tried it on with this Zig zag aztec embellished tank, and while I did love the tank a lot as well, I went ahead and passed for now, mainly due to limited suitcase space. Since the jacket has been out for awhile, I feared for its availability, so I snagged my size and figured I could *make* room for it in the suitcase.
I was intrigued by this skirt. Unfortunately, it's not online right now, though this one here looks like the same principle. I'm not sure how I felt about it on me, and since it was something I didn't LOVE right away, I passed on it. I LOVED however, how it looked on Kellie in black!
Maybe it's the way I'm standing, but I like the way her leg gets more exposure, and the fit is very flattering on her. I also kinda dig the whole asymmetry going on with the same knotted tee!
I was showing Kellie how I take mirrored selfies. Haha. But as far as what we are trying on - she realized she didn't have a structured blazer and I put in a good word for this one. You can actually read all about her fitting room endeavors here!
I saw this plaid shirt on Rachelle here. Ironically, she was headed to Express to buy this plaid top of mine, and ended up walking out with hers instead. And when she texted it to me, well, that made me want it, too! Wouldn't it be easier if we all just shared one closet?! This is the same shirt as the one I physically wore to shop, just in a different color. And since I have this top in 3 colors already, I couldn't not get a fourth one. RIGHT?
I didn't get the blue marled mini. Yet. I did love it, just as much as my grey and black ones, but I ended up only walking out with the moto jacket and the plaid top!
After all of that, we kind of lost the mood to try on more clothes! I know, blasphemy, but that's the downside to shopping during the winter. All the layers! So, we opted to go shoe shopping instead, and you know my favorite place for that, right?! Nordies!
Admittedly, I was long overdue for a pedicure and managed to squeeze one in right before this trip. That made me extra excited to shop for sandals, not to mention the fact that I have spring fever like crazy! I fell in love with these cognac strappies! The block heel makes them easy to walk in, and the straps don't dig at all into my feet! Very comfy!
I loved these Joe's pumps, but unfortunately they didn't have my size. As good sales associates do, Max was nice enough to bring out an alternate option. Similar color, but obviously more of just a basic pump. I fell in love with them immediately! The shape was perfect and they were really easy to walk in! I don't have any other pumps in this color, so I was definitely down to bring them home with me.
But, that's the problem. How on earth do I take two pairs of shoes with me without having to check a bag? Easy! Just ask Nordstrom to ship them to you, which they will gladly do free of charge. Win/ freaking win.
At the end of our date, Kellie asked me to walk them through my selfies, so we practiced outside of the Nordstrom bathrooms. I can only imagine what people were thinking! I'm not kidding when I say their laughs are contagious! Kellie and Stacie were the nicest, sweetest, most beautiful people - inside and out! I couldn't help but sneak some photos of these girls laughing it up! Makes me smile just looking at these!
So thankful to share my day with these two lovelies! What a great ending to an already fabulous weekend! I hope you will pop over to their blog here and say hello!
Still time to enter the Rebecca Minkoff Mini MAC Giveaway!
Yesterday, I brought you up to my speed about last weekend's festivities, so today I thought I would recap what I wore. But I can't really recap what I wore until I recap what I bought. Yes, you read that right.
I totally caved.
I was only "allowed" to buy 1 thing this month but a) Express was having a 40% off sale, which included some new-to-the-season pieces b) there was no way I was going to go on our special weekend trip wearing things from my capsule (mentally, I could not do it) and c) Express was having a 40% off sale!! Yes, I'm weak, but I promise I'm not done with my capsule. I still have some other remixes up my sleeve, but here are some new pieces to act as an intermission of sorts. Let's start with the dressing room photos.
I'm a big fan of the partial tuck, so when I saw this tee, I was immediately drawn to it. I had visions of layering it over a long tank tunic and wearing with my skinniest leggings. The jeans, I "needed" because, if you haven't noticed, distressed jeans have taken over my closet. I needed a non-distressed pair, and these fit and feel amazing.
Same base with the tee and jeans, but I layered these jackets over them. You know I can't get enough of my green anorak/military inspired jacket - but the one thing that I wished was that it were appropriate to wear indoors as well. I found this green one, and thought it was perfect for this purpose - it's definitely still fine to layer outerwear over this vs. the jacket I have now, which really is more of an outerwear piece itself.
I expressed my love for the black blazer last week, and needed another backup that was just as versatile. The fit is just like my black one, and will look great with rolled up sleeves.
I loved the colors of this plaid top! I picked it up immediately and got two compliments just walking around with it in my hand in store. It's the perfect plaid color combination for spring! Though, that won't stop me from wearing it now!
Sunnies: Vince Camuto | Scarf: H&M (enter Rafflecopter to win a similar one!) | Top: LOFT | Jacket: Express (not online yet) | Bottoms:Express | Shoes:Nike
Everything I ended up buying, coincidentally, ended up being perfect to pack for the weekend. Which is exactly what I needed because I certainly did not have time to spend hours figuring out what to put in my suitcase. This outfit above was easy to throw on, comfortable, but I still felt put together. I wore this for lunch Saturday when I was barely alive from the night before.
This is what I decided to wear for Valentine's Day at the fancier Mexican restaurant. And I styled the tee just as I had pictured it in my head - over my tank tunic. I'm pretty sure I need it in different colors. I love the layered look and I also love that the tee is not baggy but not fitted either - hence, perfect to conceal my problem areas with leggings.
And last but not least is my outfit to road trip it back home in. The jeans and top go together effortlessly - all I needed were my cognac booties to formally make it an outfit. I seriously cannot recommend these jeans enough. I always size up in their jeggings because of my hips. And the short length is perfect for my 5'-2" self. No hemming required!
I'm sorry to let you all down by shopping. Please don't think less of me. If there's one thing I've learned about this remix challenge is that everything is in moderation, right? I definitely needed to slow myself in spending, but to go cold turkey, or even one item a month really isn't reasonable. I need to figure out what that bare minimum balance is...
And since I've caved and failed my shopping ban, I figured misery loves company and I would let you guys all fail with me. Except, I'll give you the money to shop with! I've teamed up with some fellow bloggers to bring you this $600 Cash Giveaway! It was so much fun seeing what was new for the season and shopping for not-as-cold weather. I hope I've given you inspiration on how to spend your winnings! Good luck!
Rules: Use the Rafflecopter form to enter daily. Giveaway ends 3/19 and is open worldwide. Winner will be notified via email.
Are you a blogger who wants to participate in giveaways like these to grow your blog? Click here to find out how you can join a totally awesome group of bloggers!
Hey guys! I'm bringing you this special weekend post to provide you shopping inspiration for Pulse's online flash sale, which happens every Sunday night. If you don't remember - I first introduced you to Pulse here. Lots to choose from this week, but my two top picks are my two favorite things - stripes and leopard. Let's start with the leopard!
I mean, you know I love anything leopard, although, I think technically this print may be "ocelot" which is the same print as my Tory Burch cross body. This is an easy tunic to throw on with boots and leggings in the colder months, I think that goes without saying. But don't forget that you can also throw on a skirt over it for warmer months. I do this a lot with my tunics and have found that as long as it's a fuller skirt, you can't see the lines of the tunic underneath it, and it's not any bulkier than simply tucking a normal top into your skirt. I'm showing a skater skirt below, but a maxi skirt would work great!
I'm pretty sure I said, "ooh" out loud when I saw this top. Yeah, yeah, I know you're thinking it's just another stripe top - but not all stripe tops are created equally. I think it depends on the color of the stripes, the thickness of the stripes, and the shape of the overall top. I find this combination of a predominantly white background with the thinner stripes is the most versatile. Similar to my favorite tee shirt seen here and here.
Stripe top, available in white (pictured) and navy: Only $38
This one is a little more playful with the flouncy hem - which would look awesome layered under a sweater and finished off with a statement necklace (my foolproof winter outfit formula.) When I was pulling together outfit pairings for this top, I was literally picking stuff currently in my closet, which probably just means that this top would fit right in! Stripes like these are such a neutral background, that I wouldn't be afraid to pattern mix this - even twice in the same outfit.
For more details on how to shop Pulse STL's social media flash sales - click here. Please be sure to like them on Facebook here and follow them on Instagram here so you don't miss out on any perfect pieces! Happy shopping!
Disclaimer: I am not being compensated for this post. All views expressed are my own.
I feel like I haven't done one of these buying lately posts in awhile, so here you go. I got a ton of Christmas money, and I figured I would take advantage of some of the post-holiday sales. After my Express Next Rewards - I paid nothing out of pocket for my haul. OH! And, I'm not sure if it will still be there by the time this post goes live, but this poncho from Express was also magically on their website again, so I ordered it also! Eeee - hope it works out.
The Rebecca Minkoff bag caught my eye at Nordstrom, but I ended up buying this cardigan and this sweater instead. But it worked out awesome, because in addition to Nordstrom and Express, my mother in law got me a gift card to Amazon, so I was able to snag that bag with zero money of my own. You can't beat that!
I need more shoes like I need a hole in my head but those same black over the knee boots I recently bought (seen here and here), were available in grey for under $80 and I knew I'd regret it if I didn't get them. Same with the leopard heels. I love Sam Edelman's leopard print and I've always loved these shoes. For $56 and change, I could not resist.
Random polish selections, I know. Neither of which were Gina's suggestions when I asked for some Essie recs, but I forgot that I have been craving a white polish lately and the textured polish also looked fun.
I'm obsessed with Nadri bangles and I blame Jenna for that. They're the perfect amount of bling and they are actually small enough to fit my wrists. For half off, I was happy to add this one to my collection.
And, well, that's about it! To balance out this haul, you will be happy to know that I actually photographed 25 things over the weekend to list on ebay. I have 9 active listings (a pair of shoes has already sold - yay), and I will try and be religious about getting 2-3 things up every weekend or so. Out with the old, in with the new, right?
PS Don't forget about the Nordstrom Giveaway going on now! I've conveniently placed the Rafflecopter below for easy access :)
I have more inspiration for you to prepare you for Pulse's online flash sale, which happens every Sunday night. If you need a refresher on what Pulse is all about, you can read my introduction here. And you can see a couple other ways I've styled my Pulse purchases here and here.
I love the look of a frilly ruffle hem peeking out from under a top layer. These images were actually what inspired me to buy my lace baby doll tunic I'm wearing here. It's not only functional by providing a bit more modesty, but it's fun to look at and instantly spruces up an outfit for me. So, when I saw that Pulse was releasing this tunic for their flash sale tonight, I was excited to come up with different ways I could style it.
Any piece that I can think of at least 3 ways to style it is always a winner in my book. And this one gets bonus points because it can double as a casual piece and a little dressier if you need it to. I love that it can work as a top layer over a slinky dress, or a bottom layer over your favorite moto jacket, vest, or scarf. You may even be able to layer a chambray over it and knot it closed at your waist instead of buttoning it for a crop top layered effect.
OK, I'm pretty sure I've just talked myself into buying one. Ooops. For more details on how to shop Pulse STL's social media flash sales - click here. Please be sure to like them on Facebook here and follow them on Instagram here so you don't miss out on any perfect pieces! Happy shopping!
Disclaimer: I am not being compensated for this post and all views expressed are my own.
