This outfit was inspired by Kim (The Style Tutor) and her Instagram post here. I always love pairing opposites together like this sweet lace skirt and tougher moto jacket, so I knew I was going to recreate it the second I saw her look. Such a good combo. I threw on the blanket scarf for extra warmth and added interest. The plaid and lace print mix is a good one!
Yes, this is the same tee that you saw in a solid color here. Except in that shirt, I had ordered a small. I decided to try it in an extra small in this striped one and I think I prefer the smaller size more! I guess that means I should buy it in a third color. hehe
There are times I love to get all done up for the blog and then there are times like this when I'm all about real life. On the weekends, especially the day after a long night out, it's not uncommon for my hair to be thrown up in a messy pile with easy pieces I can grab that require little thought and no fuss. This outfit is the epitome of my summer weekend uniform.
I am obsessed with stripes. OBSESSED with them. If you've been following my blog for awhile now, that's just a given. Stripes are a neutral and they go with all the things! It's my favorite pattern with which to print mix! For some reason, styling striped shoes doesn't come as easy to me, and I'm not sure why! I think it's all about balance. Sometimes I feel like an outfit can look too top heavy because the stripes don't ground the outfit as much as a solid shoe would. Or maybe it's because they're such attention grabbers that your eyes go directly to your feet, but in a way that truncates your look verses elongates your legs. Whatever the reason is, I figure I can't be alone in this struggle, so I wanted to pull together some of the looks that I thought worked very well with the striped flats so now this can be your striped shoe resource for color and outfit pairings!
Sunnies: Oakley (borrowed from the husband) | Necklace:Kendra Scott | Bag: Longchamp | Top:Express (similar in Tile Blue) | Jacket: Halogen (option) | Leggings:Zella | Boots:Frye (in Grey Antique)
I'm writing this from Myrtle Beach! If I had a quarter for every city I've blogged from! I wouldn't normally choose to blog on vacation, but I realized I wouldn't be home until after 11pm last night, and I knew if I didn't blog now, it certainly wouldn't happen any later! Not that I'm complaining because I honestly love sharing with you guys anyway! It's been a whirlwind of a weekend!!
I don't know about you guys, but it's been a long week! It's been a long couple of weeks as a matter of fact. Make that a long FEW weeks! Between SoCal, and then NYC, and then the cousin's wedding, and then the concert -- my closet room looks like a complete nightmare, not like a happy place! My nails are chipped. I haven't been to Pilates in weeks. All we have in the pantry is Ramen. I've been a midnight blogger instead of pre-posting on the weekends. Sigh. I am looking forward to a normal weekend of no plans and just trying to catch up on life!! First world problems to the max, I know! Anyhoo, here are my random outfit selfies to kick start the weekend!
Jacket: Express (in select stores) | Top:BP | Necklace:Kendra Scott (c/o) | Leggings: Vince Camuto (option) | Heels:Renvy
I realized after pulling these outfits together that I've been transitioning into fall outfits for a few weeks now because these are all a few weeks old, but they're still pretty relevant to the cooler temps. Or perhaps I just have a high tolerance for heat and dress like it's fall anyway! Either way, now that it's October, that means post-season baseball and layers! Lots of layers! I am pretty sure fall is my favorite season of the year. I just can't believe it's here already!!
Well, it is officially fall, can you believe it? Because I can't. I was super excited to wear leggings and a lightweight scarf this week, but by yesterday, we were back into the upper 80s. Such a tease! Luckily, many of these looks I have rounded up for you are nice transitional outfits for fall. Speaking of which, if you missed my big fall wardrobe post, be sure to check it out here!
Ok then, let's get started because it's going to be a busy weekend for me!
My weekend festivities officially start at 5:15 this afternoon. We have the rehearsal dinner tonight and then we're meeting at the salon at 8:45 tomorrow morning for hair and makeup! The ceremony is in the afternoon, then we party bus it all day until the reception at night! I'm exhausted thinking about it, but also seriously excited because I know it will be so much fun! Follow along on Snapchat if you'd like - carylee07! Have a great weekend!
I was sooo excited to find this skirt! I feel like I've been looking for a blush colored, pleated skirt like this for a long time, but they all seem to be more midi length, which isn't flattering on me. This ends up falling perfectly on me, and I love that the pleats don't start right at the waist. It's a perfect fit! I decided instantly that it would go with me to NYC!
You've been seeing a lot of Kendra Scottstuff on the blog lately, and I figured it was about time for me to properly post about it. Unless you don't have Instagram or you never read blogs, you've probably seen Kendra Scott pieces even if you didn't realize it. The signature and most recognizable pieces are theRayne necklaceand theDanielle earrings. These pieces have saturated social media to the point where I was just meh about them. They didn't bother me, but I didn't seek them out either.
A new Kendra Scott store is opening at Plaza Frontenac here in St. Louis, so to build awareness, a local Community Relations and Event Manager reached out to me to see if she could meet with me to discuss blogger opportunities. Needless to say, Kendra Scott is the biggest brand that has ever reached out to me, so I was definitely interested to hear what they had to say, and figured that for a company with this much clout, I should come prepared. I checked out all their other jewelry offerings on their website and was surprised to see more edgy pieces than their signature stuff. I even put together a social media kit thinking I was really going to have to sell myself to them and how I could provide value to their brand.
The meeting was amazing, and to be honest, I felt like she was trying to sell Kendra Scott to ME verses the other way around. She explained that although they're sold at big box retailers like Nordstrom, they had less than 20 of their own brick and mortar stores around the country. And while the number of stores will over double this year, there will still be less than 50 by next year. Small company but big success.
I feel like a lot of their success is thanks to how much they give back to the community, which is another thing I didn't know about the brand. Twenty percent of the proceeds made from these charms go towards various causes. They are also happy to host any charitable event whether on an individual or a national level. Part of the reason why I work at the current company I'm with is because they have these same cultural values on top of the good products they sell. So, it's great to be able to partner with another role model of a concept in my blog life as well.
At the end of the day, I found out that Kendra Scott has so much more to offer than colorful jewelry! And I'm not just talking about their edgier or more delicate pieces, I'm really referring to what they stand for as a brand. I was certainly enamored by their story. The jewelry they offer is really just a means to get their positive message out there!
After Jenna and I made our last minute plans to spend the weekend in NYC, I emailed our local brand rep to see if there were any Kendra Scott events we could attend while we were there. As I was sitting on the plane waiting to take off for NYC, I got an email back that there was an open house that very day to debut their winter collection called Mirror Mirror. We were so excited that the timing worked out!
I wish I could share photos from the designer showroom with you, but the collection will not be released until mid-October and they asked that we not post any photos on our blogs or Instagram accounts until after October 1st. You'll just have to believe me when I say there are a LOT of things I am going to need.
We snapped a ton of photos and mingled with the Kendra Scott girls, who were just so much fun. I'm pretty sure I want to be a Kendra Scott employee when I grow up. They act like such a close knit family and were extremely welcoming - I definitely felt at home.
I have to end the post with a disclaimer that while Kendra Scott has gifted me several pieces, it was made clear to me that I had zero obligation to even post about them. All of my opinions expressed in this post are my own and are sincere. If you don't know much about the Kendra Scott brand, I highly recommend reading up on them and seeing all that they have to offer! You won't be disappointed!
It's Friday!!! Which is both exciting and terrifying because I have SO MUCH to do from now until I get on that plane at 9am tomorrow! Eeeeeee! But, in true Friday form, I had to leave you with some outfits. Some residual pieces of summer! Though to be honest, we're not quite feeling fall weather yet either.
It's this weird time in between seasons, and sometimes it affects my mood and I start to feel uninspired outfit-wise. But maybe this weekend in NYC I will find something to reignite that spark!! Cannot wait! I'll try and Snap all the interesting bits. Follow me on Snapchat at carylee07. Have a great weekend!
Happy Friday!! I am in SoCal as I write this, and I'm torn between sleep and online shopping. There are just so many good sales right now, I don't know how to deal!! In case you missed my post yesterday, I recapped some of my wardrobe staples should you need shopping inspiration. You can also check out my SHOP tab up above for other pieces over which I am currently obsessing!
I take outfit selfies anytime I leave the house in something, true story. They end up accumulating on my phone quickly, and I decided months ago, that Fridays were the best time to share these random selfies with you so they properly make the blog. But, since they multiply like rabbits, I end up with a backlog of outfits. This bunch happens to be from around the Nordstrom Anniversary sale at the end of July. I tell you this because many, if not all of the items I purchased during the anniversary sale are back ON sale now! So, if there were pieces you coveted that you decided to pass on, the shopping gods are giving you a second chance. Don't blow it!
Top: Express | Necklace: MOD | Bottoms: Hue | Heels:Valentino
Lots of good stuff in this post! And now that I'm done with it, I think I may do a little online shopping before I go to sleep. Sorry not sorry. Express is having a 40% off sale right now, and thanks to this picture on Instagram, I won a $500 gift card. How freaking awesome is that?! Now to figure out what is worthy enough to spend this free money on……
Happy shopping and enjoy the long weekend! Please report back and let me know what you buy!
EDIT: Sooooo, just as I was going to hit "publish" on this post, I just realized I already posted 3 out of these 5 outfits in this recap post here. Lucky for me, they are relevant again since all this stuff is on sale, so we will just call it blogging fate verses a fashion blogger problem. Because it is almost midnight and I am not rewriting this post! Please still love me and pardon the accidental rerun!!
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!
