Hello all! Happy hump day!

 Suede is huge this season! Actually this year! Suede was big during the summer and has transitioned easily into a fall staple! I have fall head over heels in love with suede! It such a comfortable and soft texture and an elegant look to it.

This suede maxi skirt is a perfect piece for fall! Not only is it warm, it has a lengthening effect. I am only 5 ft. But in this skirt I felt like Gisele Bundchen! Ok... I felt tall! ;) But it is very mature and elegant. The dark, rich brown color is perfect for fall. As well as the plaid, Old Navy bag!

Plaid is a print that is in full swing this season! From scarves to bags to coats to skirts, plaid is everywhere! So pairing these two, fall must-haves was a no brainer! =)

It is sophisticated and mature. Perfect for work, lunch with the girls, business meetings, or date night!

I hope everyone is doing well! I thank you for reading as always and your sweet, supportive comments are very much appreciated!  =)

XOXO

Happy Friday!

I hope you have had a great week!

Now, I know what you're thinking -shorts in October?! Believe me I am thinking the same thing myself. But it almost 80 degrees today! Personally I am ready for cooler weather that is here to stay, but this is what we have so I dressed comfortably.

I restyled a pair of tweed, LOFT shorts with a simple, EXPRESS button down. And fresh off of my Lou Lou Boutique post, where I styled a barely there necklace on its' own, today I played with more necklace pairings. I paired a layered pearl necklace with a long pearl necklace strand.

I feel like this necklace pairing breathes new life into simple pieces. Pearls typically have an older, more vintage feel but this pairing is youthful, fun, and certainly dresses up a plain button down blouse (which by the way is a staple piece for every woman!)

I threw in some hints of red with the felt and my lipstick. There is nothing quite as timeless as red lipstick and pearls. To me that is one killer combination!

Before I close I want to shout out to my friend Jennifer. In our last post she made a special trip over to help me with the Lou Lou Boutique post. Typically we try to plan our shoots to times that we are already hanging out. But she came over despite not feeling great and we got some great shots! I am so blessed to have such a great friend and photographer! She is great!

One last thing! If you liked the necklace from Lou Lou Boutiques or anything from their site, you can enjoy 10% off your purchase when you use the code: DCBLOGGERS10!

Thanks for reading and I hope you have a fabulous weekend! =)

XOXO

Happy Wednesday!!

Today I am so excited to share a special piece with you today! The Delicate Kate Necklace from Lou Lou Boutique! I have worn this necklace out twice (aside from this shoot) and both times were a bit more casually styled, yet I got compliments all night over this piece!

This is such a special necklace to me for a number of reasons! First of all, in this world of statement necklaces and dramatic accessories, rare gems like this are too often overlooked I think. Which is a shame, because though it is small and delicate, it has just as much (if not more) impact!

I purposely paired it with the emerald green dress, with a plunging neckline to really capture the essence of the necklace. It has such allure, elegance, and glamor that unique. It can really stand alone. Which is unique given that is a small, delicate, intricate necklace.

For me, this necklace holds a much more personal significance. It tells a story. My story. And it is proof of how far I have come -both as a fashion blogger and in my personal life. It is proof that a little hard work and faith really do make a difference, and it is proof that I am capable of great things. This is my first partnership with a company (which I want to thank Lou Lou Boutique for this opportunity!

I urge you to take a look at their site and find pieces that really speak to you and make you feel queen of your own world or tell a story. If you like this necklace you can find it at www.loulouboutiques.com! Just search Delicate Kate Necklace! =)

Thank you so much for reading and following me on this journey!

XOXO

Good Morning and Happy Monday!

I hope you all had a nice weekend! My weekend was nice -just too short (but isn't that always the case?) Lol.

Today I am playing with a print that is very big this season -plaid!  

Now typically I like plaid in smaller amounts, like, scarves, bags, or coats. However, there was something about these plaid printed jeggings that I was drawn to. I am not really sure what it was but when I found them I tried them on and love the way they fit, but I still couldn't help but think: would I really wear them?

As it turns out, yes! These are quickly becoming one of my favorite pieces!

We finally enjoyed some (much) cooler weather this weekend, so I layered a knit, wrap vest from New York and Company with the jeggings. It adds some additional texture to the ensemble as well as much needed warmth! =) Plus there is a bonus to the vest, because it can be styled two ways; tied in the front or in the back!

Which look do you like best? Let me know! Have a great day! =)

XOXO

Hello my lovely friends! TGIF! Am I right?!

This has been a busy week, full of surprises and emotions. Today I experimented with layering, not just with clothing pieces but also with necklaces!

Layering clothing is more common and somewhat obvious with this particular ensemble. In the transitional period -which I realize should be over by now or at least towards the end- it is somewhat hard to dress for the temperature. That is where layering comes in handy! I layered the Forever 21, trench vest over a crisp white button down, and red, Mossimo trousers.

The trench vest adds an additional layer of warmth in the morning hours, when it is much cooler and necessary. Once it warms up, I took off the trench vest, and the rest of the ensemble is just as dynamic on its' own. I also love the contrast between the blush color of the trench vest and the red in the trousers!

The additional layering is in the accessories, specifically the statement necklaces I chose. Styling necklaces can be tricky, and I will elaborate on that another time, but for this particular post I chose two pieces; a bold, black necklace and a lighter, Versona necklace. I love the way the blue in the Versona necklace contrasts and stands out against the black of the other necklace.

I opted to keep it tucked under the white blouse so as not to distract from the overall ensemble. This also creates a peek-a-boo effect that is alluring and adds additional detail to the outfit without overwhelming it.

Thank you for reading and I hope this helps! Have a great weekend! =)

XOXO

Hello and happy hump day!

I am so happy to be breaking out this turtle neck, billowy sweater! I found it at Loft and fell in love with it. I have already found several ways to style it but for today I enjoyed pairing it with distressed, flared jeans. I sometimes forget how much I really do love flared jeans! I do love my skinny jeans, but there is something so amazing and so chic about flared jeans! I feel like this pair especially has a lengthening effect. Paired with the sweater, I like the unique shape it creates. It has a very seventies feel to it, which I love!

Before I close today, I have some exciting news to share with you! I will be partnering with Lou Lou Boutiques! Lou Lou's is a boutique that specializes in women's fashion and accessories. They have stores located father up North than the QC but they also have an online store that has amazing pieces!

I can't stop skimming through their products and I already have a long list of things I want! Lol. I will be sharing products with you and keeping you up to date on new arrivals, sales, events. I am so excited about this venture! I cannot wait to share more about this with you in future posts! So keep an eye out for that! And feel free to check out Lou Lou Boutique! www.loulouboutiques.com!  =)

Thank you for reading as always! God Bless!

XOXO

Hello my beautiful friends!

I hope you are well!

In my humble opinion there is nothing more stunning, more demure, or more elegant than a black ensemble. Whether it be a little black dress -which every woman should have!- or a two piece ensemble like I have created today.

Today is an interesting  experiment with both textures and accent colors. I love the stunning detail of the Banana Republic blouse. It is a mixture of stunning lacey material and chiffon material. I paired it with a faux leather, Forever 21 skirt -which I adore! Its so playful and fun!

The accent colors in the Versona necklace and clutch is dynamic. When using accent colors, especially when you have a stunning outfit -LBD, statement dress or skirt, basically anytime you really want your outfit to be the main focus point- accessorize minimally. 

Hints of color -like I chose- give it a little extra character and anchor the outfit. However too much accessorizing or additional color can distract from the ensemble. I hope this is helpful!

Thank you so much for reading! Love you so much and I appreciate you so very much! =)

Happy Friday everyone!

After a long week, I wanted to go into the weekend on a playful note. And what better way to do just that, than by mixing patterns?!

I have restyled the colorful, Mossimo blazer several times (it is one of my favorite pieces) but the polka dot, Charles David heels are a newer addition. They have such a fun, classy element that I just fell in love with! I cannot wait to create other looks with them! =)

During the shoot, I was joined by a creepy crawler that was passing by. I jumped a little but managed to keep it together enough to not topple over backwards, thank goodness, but Jennifer and I found the resulting picture pretty funny. Funny enough I had to share! =)

I hope you all have a great weekend! Thank you for reading!

XOXO

Hello and Happy Monday!

So, this weekend Hurricane Joaquin swept through bringing a lot of rain, wind, and cloudy/nasty weather with it.

I was preparing to venture out on Saturday for a few errands when if dawned on me that hurricane weather or nasty weather in general is a little difficult to dress for. So here is my hurricane chic, go-to ensemble;

a military inspired rain jacket (for the obvious reasons to protect you from the rain -duh!) accessorize it with a printed scarf to dress it up. I learned (the hard way) that rainy weather is no time for heels -though it can be done. It is simply easier (and chic) to wear boots -plus it is a great excuse to break them out for the first time this fall! =)

I had my hair down for part of this shoot and we managed to get several good shots but the wind proved too much and I ended up with this version of a top-knot (please be kind!)

On a more serious note, I was blessed that the area I was in did not endure much more than strong winds and rain. Other areas got it far worse. I hope and pray that everyone is alright and can get back to their everyday routines as soon as possible! God bless and be safe!

Thank you for reading! =)

Hello and TGIF!

I for one and looking forward to this weekend -although I hear we will be getting a lot of rain! But still, I am looking forward to relaxing and being able to spend more time with my blog and hopefully getting some shoots in!

If you are anything like me, you might stare into your closet and might as well be staring at an empty closet. It is like there is nothing there to wear! Which is ridiculous of course but sometimes I get bored with the clothes I have or perhaps I am not feeling inspired or creative -whatever the case maybe. That is the inspiration for this post. I got creative and created four relatively unique outfits using only one dress. 

#1. As a Dress. This is the most obvious way to wear the dress; as a dress . I accessorized it with a patterned scarf and brown, leather cross body bag. That look is perfect for summer or spring and can be changed up easily enough with a different scarf or a necklace instead of a scarf, or a change of bags/shoes.

#2. As a Skirt. Last fall I wore this several times. I paired an interestingly designed sweater over the dress. I love the way it looks. It has a very different look than simply wearing as a dress.

#3. As a Shirt. If you follow my blog regularly, you might recognize this pairing. I paired a striped, Gap, Cupcake skirt over the striped dress. The effect of the different stripes is what really makes this outfit work. They are different enough to make an impact but not so much that it is tacky. The gold necklace really anchors the outfit.

#4. With a Jacket and Accessories. Now that it is getting cooler and not appropriate to wear it solely as a dress, throwing a lightweight jacket (or trench coat or blazer) can be effective. I added yellow heels and a bright blue necklace to spice it up even more.

All it takes is a little creativity and some mixing and matching, but it is possible to create several different looks with just a few -or one- piece. And even these looks can be changed by swapping out a skirt for a different skirt, or as I mentioned before, a blazer instead of a lightweight jacket. I hope this helps and may spark some creativity. Let me know what you think! Thanks for reading and have a great weekend! =)