Golden Girl :: J Crew Pencil Skirt & Michael Kors Selma

 

 

 

 Good morning everyone! Hope you had a good weekend. My weekend was action packed. One of my best friends was in town visiting from Salt Lake City. On Friday we had a beauty day. We got our brows done at Anastasia and then headed to the nail salon for shellac manicure. I got this color by Essie. It's a perfect transition color for the fall. We then headed out for dinner at a local Indian Restaurant and out for a few drinks. On Saturday we visited Highline and then had lunch at Cookshop. Great place to eat in the Chelsea area. Later in the evening we went to the Kaskade concert in Brooklyn. The Barclay's Arena is beautiful. I can't wait to go to a basketball game there! That night we met up with a group of our sorority sisters who live in NY. We had a blast! On Sunday we took it easy. She met up with a friend of hers at Iving Cafe. Her flight left in the early evening and I spent the rest of the evening watching football with Matt. Sundays are the best in the fall. :)

That now brings me to Monday morning...I opened my email this morning and got a few surprises! Here are a few sales that you must know about! 

Piperlime, which is my favorite online store is currently having a 30% sale on all items. So stock up ladies!!!

J. Crew is offering an additional 40% off sale items. If you have a J. Crew near you, I'd recommend stopping by the store. They always have great jewelry.  These pants I have in cropped tweed, but also love this length for fall and this shirt is perfect for the office. If you must splurge on a statement necklace, get this one!

 Place you could wear this outfit :: the office, business meeting, blog meeting

Top :: H&M last season (similar here & here)
Skirt :: J. Crew

 Heels :: Kurt Geiger (similar here)
Necklace :: Saks (similar here)

Bag :: Michael Kors
Sunnies :: Target 

 Photo Credits :: Lydia Hudgens

DIY :: Chalkboard Wine Glasses

 

 

 

 

 

 Looking forward to finally post this DIY! A few weeks ago I hosted a wine & cheese blogger event. While looking through several Pinterest ideas, I stumbled upon DIY chalkboard wine glasses. I was in love! The project looked easy and I'm always up for a quick DIY project.

We had extra chalkboard paint from the accent wall I painted in our room and picked up a set of wine glasses from TJ Maxx for $14.99. I dug through my craft supplies and found a sponge brush and masking tape. The project took 2 hour from beginning to end.

Steps

1. Wash & dry wine glasses

2. Tape glasses 1 inch above base

3. Paint first coat & let dry for 15mins 

4. Paint second coat & let dry for 15mins

Tips

I'd recommend dipping the glasses if I were to do over again, check out video tutorial here

Use a drop cloth prior to painting

Wait 24 hours prior to writing on chalkboard

Hope you enjoy the tutorial. Anyone who loves "DIY" projects I'd recommend having a can of chalkboard paint in you house. There are so many great ideas on how to use throughout your home.

Faux Leather :: 5 Faux Leather Skirts Under $100

The Rebel Edge is one of the biggest trends this season. The leather skirt is one of the easiest ways to tough up your look, while looking trendy and stylish. I find this trend easy to wear with any closet because you can wear it with almost anything! This skirt can be worn with a basic tee and ankle boots or it can be worn with a sheer blouse and black pumps. You decide. And remember to always mix it up and try something new.

 All of the skirts above are from Piperlime. For those of you who know my shopping trends, I love Zara and Piperlime (you can see this in the outfit post from yesterday). Both places have great return policies and always offers affordable and trend piece for any girl on a budget.

one :: Tinley Road 59.00

two :: Eight Sixty 79.00

three :: Sanctuary 98.00

four :: Tinley Road 79.00

five :: Tinley Road 79.00

Skirts & Tights :: Floral Top & Faux Leather Skirt

 

 

Happy Friday everyone! Hope you have a fun weekend ahead of you. I'm looking forward to an exciting weekend! One of my dearest friends is in town visiting from Salt Lake City. We have a busy schedule over the next few days. Can't wait to share pictures. First thing on our agenda, Anastasia brow bar appointment. I have the entire weekend filled with exploring the city, brunch and a concert!

Today's outfit is featuring one of my favorite piece from my wardrobe; the faux leather skirt. This gem was purchased at Nordstroms earlier this year. I've worn it a few times, but I've realized that I love wearing it with tights. It makes it look a little more chic. This summer I tried to wear it a few different times, but I didn't like showing so much leg (it flares at the bottom showing more leg). I also think that tights make it easy to transition as a summer stable to a fall essential. Throw on textured tights, black heels & a solid color top and you have yourself a really cute outfit! I wore this outfit at the blogger event I hosted a few weeks ago. I've added a few more skirts I found on Piperlime and other online stores below.

Place you could wear this outfit :: girl's meetup, weeknight dinner, happy hour 

Top :: Piperlime on sale!
Skirt :: Nordstroms (also love this one)
Heels :: Zara (similar here)
Bracelet :: Stella & Dot
Bag :: Fendi

 Photo Credits :: Lydia Hudgens

DUMBO :: Zara Skirt & Vintage Inspired Top

 

 

 

Last weekend I met with Akil of Clearshadow Photography to shoot a few photos in New York. He recommended that we go to "DUMBO". If you can imagine, I was really confused where DUMBO was located. He explained that DUMBO is also known as "down under the Manhattan Bridge overpass" and was once a haven for starving artists. This link will give you a little more info. However, to see this place for your own eyes is breathtaking. We can probably all agree that New York has hundreds of sights to see and tons of history, I'd consider this place a condensed Manhattan in 25 blocks. Beautiful views of the city, history and art all over! Not to mention an awesome food fair every Sunday called Smorgasburg.

The first thing I realized when we drove across the Brooklyn Bridge is the view of Manhattan. As we drove into the area you being to drive on cobblestone. As you go further into DUMBO there were old apartment buildings that looked like old movie sets (this is where these pictures were taken). After we took a few outfit photos, Akil mentioned there was a mansion a block away. We walked down the cobblestone streets and came upon a large mansion. It resembled something from the Great Gatsby!

We drove around to find a few other places to shoot and saw several buildings with graffiti and artwork. There was also a beautiful park with life-size macaroons (Rebecca Minkoff took an Instagram photo)! I could go on and on with details. If you come to NYC or live nearby and haven't been, make your away across the Brooklyn Bridge and visit DUMBO. You won't be disappointed!

Place you could wear this outfit :: perfect outfit for the office! 

Skirt :: Zara (similar here)

Top :: Forever 21 old

Heels :: Antonio Melani (similar here)

Bag :: Fendi

  Photo Credits :: ClearShadow Photography

Ankle Booties :: 5 Splurge Worthy Fall Booties

The last few weeks I've been wanting to post my favorite black ankle booties. Ankle booties are my favorite boots, especially for the fall. So go ahead and put aside your pumps and buy yourself a super cute pair of booties. You'll thank yourself later.

When I talk about ankle booties, most woman say they are not a fan of the shorter boots. Typically because they "think" the boots make them look short and/or have thick calves (which I can sympathize with being 5'1).  I'm always interested in hearing about why people have certain perceptions about trends, style and fashion. The ankle booties can be worn so many ways. So get creative with your ankle boot...because we'll all stare with desire.

My recommendations on wearing ankle booties is that you can wear it with ultra skinny jeans, boyfriend jeans, cropped jeans (my fav), leggings and tights. What I appreciate most about the ankle boots is that you can wear a simple tee or sweater and it's the perfect outfit to wear out with friends, shopping, or exploring a city. ALSO...the small chunky heel allows you to wear it for several hours, without "that" much pain. Extra brownie points in my book. 

One last thing, this morning on my walk to work I saw this girl with a flowy structured dress, black tights and gray ankle boots. I wanted to stop her and instagram her outfit. Perfect outfit for the office.

one :: H&M Ankle Booties 49.00

two :: Report Toe Cap Boots 125.00

three :: Kate Spade Ankle Booties 398.00

four :: Sole Society Ankle Booties 70.00

five :: Tory Burch Ankle Booties 385.00

Little Frenchie :: Faux Leather Pants & Gap Tee

 

Good morning everyone! Looking forward to an exciting day. Lots of work meetings and then heading to a Kenneth Cole event with my blogger friends. Kenneth Cole is celebrating 30 years in the fashion industry.  Look forward to hearing him talk about his success and challenges throughout his career.

Today's outfit is another "Catwalk" outfit. My style is a mix between "corporate" and "catwalk" style. During the week, I'm all business with my pencil skirt and structured blouses. When I leave work, I like to hang up my black blazer and throw on my faux leather leggings and trendy accessories. I wore this outfit to meet some friends out for sushi.  The outfit is still casual because I'm wearing a cotton tee, but I keep the look trendy with faux leather leggings.

Place you could wear this outfit :: happy hour, Friday night dinner, concert 

 or as my fiance would say, a motorcycle convention :) 

Top :: Gap old (similar here)

Jacket :: H&M old (similar here)

Pants :: Zara sold out (similar here)

Heels :: Nordstroms

Bag :: TJ. Maxx (similar here)

Necklace & Ring :: Lia Sophia

 Photo Credits :: Lydia Hudges