boudoir, bandeau

To say that my bedroom is girly would be an understatement. It is clean, romantic, and feminine... creamy peachy hues, glittering gold, and a boatload of candles. It's more than a bedroom, it's my boudoir. It makes me feel like a fabulous French woman as I'm getting ready. I find myself traipsing around in my silk robe, swiping on a little lipstick and twirling through an extra spritz of perfume. Another girly touch? Lacy bandeaus. 

I've been wearing them under pretty much everything, but I'm especially fond of the look under sheer blouses. The lace peeks out a slight bit, and when the light hits just right you can see the faint outline. Sexy in a subtle sort of way...

[the only problem with my girly room? it's almost too conducive for playing dress-up... my sister came over & we ended up with the entire contents of my closet on my bed.]

I find they work well under camisoles too, sparing you the trouble of an unintentionally exposed bra...

p.s. similarly, my rules for exposed bras here...

[all tops: CAbi, pink shorts: forever 21, all bandeaus: american eagle]

Now & Later

I'll admit to having shopaholic tendencies, but I must say I'm very practical about it. I tend to stay away from pieces that are overly trendy and items them I can't wear a a few different ways. On second thought... that's not entirely true. I shop for bargains on pieces like this. I'm always willing to spend a little more on the things I know I can wear year-round though, like this fabulous scarf top from the current CAbi collection. I wore it all February with rockin' red pants and ankle boots. 

[Top: CAbi Pants: J. Crew Boots: Target (I know, right?!)]

Now that the weather has warmed up, I'm channeling more of a boho beach babe vibe. Did I mention that the front of this shirt is the most creamy, delicious silk? Yeah. To die.

[Top: CAbi Shorts: Forever 21 Shoes: Zigi Soho]

How are you transitioning some of your favorite pieces into the warmer months?

Craven

Peplum can be tricky. I was watching an episide of Kourtney & Kim take Miami last night, and in one particularly unfortunate scene both were shown traipsing around in the worst kind of peplum (proof.) The thing about peplum is all too often it draws attention to the widest part of a woman's body. It's like "hiii, as if your hips weren't wide enough, here's an extra ruffle..." hmmnothanks. I love my Texture Cami by CAbi because the peplum is at the natural waist (aka the narrowest part of the torso, helloooo skinny minnie)  so it creates a flattering, feminine silhouette without adding extra bulk. 

I wore this to dinner in New Bern at 247 Craven (delicious, btw) & I topped off the look with my Chic Jacket (cannot get enough of the gauzy, sheer sleeves on this little gem)

[Texture Cami- CAbi Chic Jacket- CAbi Ponte Leggings- CAbi Fall 12 Shoes- Madden Girl Necklaces- J. Crew, gifted Watch- Michael Kors Nail Polish- Essie Turquoise and Caicos]

Emerald City

I tend to gravitate toward warmer colors, and the deep hues of fall are some of my favorites. My skin tone has some hints of olive (I've been asked on numerous occasions what nationality I am...) and shades of green typically accentuate that olive shade in the worst way, meaning I start looking like I skipped the Dramamine and decided to take a scenic drive off the side of cliff. Lately though, a shade of emerald has caught my eye, and, almost magically, I don't look the least bit nauseated when I wear it. 

It all started when I wore this dress in Miami & the rave reviews from my faithful Facebook friends (which really just means a few select members of my immediate family... thanks mom) made me feel like a Kardashian... In a good way (if that's possible)

Spotted on Pinterest, and loved. 

And liking the idea of pants...

I usually play it safe with olive skinnies, but a pop of this amped up hue could be just the thing to beat the winter blues...

And if there's ever any doubt, Emily from Cupcakes & Cashmere... perfection.

Oddly enough, a recent J. Crew catalog included a 6 page spread on the color... J. Crew, I'm onto you...

hey mama

I'm working in the office today, Which would lead you to believe I... 1. showered 2. dressed in business attire 3. am actually doing work.

Instead though, I... 1. Have dirty hair in a messy ponytail 2. Am wearing 3 different patterns (at the same time) 3. Am listening to old-school Kanye West (hence the blog title) and drinking excessive amount of coffee (as per usual) 

Before I left the house though, I walked into the kitchen to pick up some outgoing mail & my mom and I realized we kind of match. We are both super into the holidays. Like for real. But we try to save the Santa suits and light-up sweaters for the week before Christmas. We keep it festive the rest of December, but in a subdued kind of way. This is our take on semi-seasonal style. So you can be kind of Christmasy without looking like you work in your local mall's "North Pole," ya dig?

[patterns in action; stripes, leopard, and laceprintfloral? Yeah, I went there, but the black keeps the look grounded. and if anyone even tries to question my legitimacy, I'm wearing a massive timepiece, so clearly I mean business.]

Mom's scarf (by CAbi) is the perfect shade of red, and it's lightweight, making it appropriate for this 65 degree day.

Ok, so maybe we don't match, but our approach is similar. Relaxed and causal with bold pops of color. 

p.s. You might recognize my sweater, it's made it to the blog before. For some reason, every time I wear it I feel like a fashion blogger. Go figure. 

Icon

My mom has always been exceptionally stylish. She has great taste, and we are about the same size, so stealing borrowing her clothes is ideal. I trust her taste, too. Whenever I'm not sure about something, she's the first person I ask. Even when I was off at college, I'd text her pictures of shoe options or jewelry or whatever the indecision of the day was.

Saturday afternoon though, she hit it out of the park in the wardrobe department. Really. She walked out wearing this and I couldn't help but remark, "MOM you look like such a Pinterest girl!" 

She's a master layerer, and this mixture of textures is spot on. Mixing different materials can be tricky, and you have to pay careful attention to weight. The lace skirt, cashmere sweater, chambray shirt, and sweater tights combo is perfection. The distressed boots are the perfect counterpart to monograms and vintage pearls, as they keep the look from being too preppy.

What can I say... my mom, the fashion icon. 

Whose style do you admire?

fit to be tied... summer edition

Back in December, I fell in love with the look of a tied oxford. It lends an air of playfulness to a traditionally polished piece. But I grew up during the 90s, so the thought of an exposed midriff makes me a little nervous. Honestly, has anyone really forgotten this...

This summer, though, I've been warming up to the idea of just a sliver of skin. While we were in Floyd, we had the opportunity to attend a music festival at a local winery. And if a music festival at a local winery doesn't just scream "exposed midriff" I don't know what does.


I could edit this post to say I got dressed and felt fabulous, but really I spent 25 minutes going back and forth, getting snappy, and finally through tear-filled eyes whining "I just don't feel pretty..." In hindsight, it was a hormonal breakdown and I can't be held responsible for my actions. Taylor did a great job of diffusing the situation (as for hiding his dismay at my quickly deteriorating mental state... not so much.)

[details, details: top-J. Crew skirt-J. Crew Factory Sunnies-Ray Ban Sandals-Report]

When I look at these happy pictures, it's hard to believe that's the same girl that was staring back at me in the mirror that morning... frustrated, angry, and tired. I do this a lot. I get hung up on something, I get trapped inside my head. The view from the mirror that morning and the view from my camera that afternoon tell two different stories. And both hold some truth. But you can't get hung up on one point-of-view. I wonder sometimes, when I'm having a bad day, how long it will be before I look back on this time with fondness and think, "those were my salad days..." Sooner than later, my friends. Sooner than later. 

Perspective. 

I would make a terrible style blogger. 

off-the-cuff

My plans of a low-key weekend were hijacked, and I couldn't have been happier. After a lazy Saturday morning, as I was making my way to the gym, a friend phoned with an invitation to a swanky Azalea Festival Event. Never one to pass up an opportunity to play dress-up, and in desperate need of some girl time, I wholeheartedly accepted. 5 miles, several hours, and a mani/pedi later, I was headed down 17 South. Life is funny like that. 


Here's to spur-of-the-moment plans, impromptu dinner parties, unforeseen surprises, and chance encounters. Because we never truly know what is waiting just around the corner...

Addendum: Here's to being prepared, too. Just in case. Every girl should have a fabulous evening gown tucked away in her closet, should an occasion arise. Black is classic, but this fun little number by Leifsdottir has me wishing the dress code for life were Black Tie. Long and flowy with a dramatic slit up the front, it was perfect for dancing the night away. I paired it with black, strappy Madden Girl heels and my favorite Kate Spade bag. Since the dress is such a statement, I kept makeup and jewelry simple and stuck with my favorite color for both: gold. 

Thank you Carrie for inviting me, I had a ball!

And thanks Taylor for being the best chauffeur around!

just throw it in the bag

Hi kittens! Remember how I teased you with top secret travel plans? Well, I'm leaving on this evening's flight to Atlanta to spend a glorious weekend with my family cheering on our Wildcats in the NCAA tournament! It's the first trip all six of us have done together in quite some time, and to say I'm excited would truly be an understatement. In between games, we are sure to do some shopping, run along the Chattahoochee River, and have several delicious dinners out.

Packing for this sort of trip can be a daunting task. I'll only be gone four days, so checking a bag seems silly. But between all the activities we'll be doing, multiple outfit changes will be required each day (at least for this diva.) To keep it simple, I'm sticking to one main color palette, Kentucky Blue, for obvious reasons, but throwing in some unexpected twists to keep it fresh!

Outfits for the games will be casual and spirited...

but with fun accents, like this layered necklace and some bold, leopard flats, to elevate the look (just in case I happen to make my television debut)

Traveling with restaurateurs always guarantees one thing: delicious food. Seriously, my parents know how to find a great restaurant (darn industry insiders, they know all the best-kept secrets) Outfits for dinner will be dressier, but I'll incorporate pieces I can easily mix and match

This top will be worn during the day with cropped pants and gold sandals, and then at night over this sneaky black dress.

You thought it was a skirt, huh? I'm tricky like that. 

Watch out, Ashley Judd...

You've got nothing on this...

psst... Tune in next week to see how I fit eight days in 2 separate states into one carry-on... hopefully.