Some Fall Wardrobe Favorites

Thank you so much for all of the wonderful book recommendations after my last post!! One of my life long goals has been to start a book club that doesn't immediately fail due to lack of organization and time haha so thanks for helping me keep the dream alive!!

One of my biggest chores of the week, in preparation for our move, has been to go through all of my clothes and shoes so I can get rid of all of the things I don't wear anymore. After being in Florida this long I definitely feel like my work wardrobe has dwindled down to flip flops and sundresses, which we all know will not cut it in a NC winter.

So, out come the three organizational piles! The donate pile. The keep pile. And the trash-it-before-anyone-sees-it pile. My favorite part about the changing of the seasons is being able to switch up my wardrobe. As someone who is constantly trying to focus on the NOW but who is always thinking way too far ahead, I get sick of the seasonal fashion trends really quick. After like 3 weeks of bikinis and short shorts, all I can think about are sweaters and jeans. After a month of so of hoodies and tights, I am ready for flip flops and rompers.

It's really hard work being this basic.

With all of that being said, I have been gearing up for fall by creating a list of my fall fashion staples. My favorite part about fall fashion is the juxtaposition of all of the textures and patterns. I love mixing a huge, chunky knit sweater over opaque black tights, with some Frye boots. And seeing all of the rich, jewel tones people mix in with their work blazer through scarves and accessories. Everything is so comfy but so interesting to look at. In my opinion, a perfect, oversized, knit sweater is the equivalent of your favorite blanket you curl up in on your couch. Except the sweater is not frowned upon when you wear it in public.

Speaking as someone who is obsessed with always making everything as cozy as possible, the fall is my absolute favorite time of the year for fashion.

Must Haves:
Black Tights: they go with everything.

Boots: ankle, over the knee, etc...all of the boots!

Nice Jeans: I prefer dark wash, but a nice pair of bf jeans are amazing for a more casual look.

  

Flannel Shirt: the fitted flannels from Madewell and J-Crew are perfection. They are very flexible and can be tucked into a skirt or worn over jeans to a tailgate.

 

Blazer: a fitted, fresh blazer is perfect for going from the office to dinner.

Sweaters: I love a chunky, off the shoulder knit that can be layered or worn in its own.

Flats: A dressy pair of flats can be worn with jeans or a dress and they always look good

There are so many awesome fall outfits to try and so little time to try them all. You could always turn the A/C down and completely jump the gun like I did this morning! What are some of your fall wardrobe necessities?? 

My Favorite Things This Week: Click the Links to Explore!

A list of my weekly favs...Enjoy xo

1. Favorite Blog: The Daily Tay (So hilarious, and true, and hilarious)

2. Favorite Workout Site: BodyBuilding.com (Much cooler than it sounds...you can even find a plan that matches your health goals!)

3. Favorite Pandora Playlist: Bob Marley (So ready for summer!)

4. Favorite App: Boomerang (Perfect for capturing awkward moments, and repeating them over and over and over...)

5. Favorite Instagram Feed: mamawatters (She always posts such inspirational posts and lovely photos)

6. Essential Oils: We are loving peppermint, lavender, and eucalyptus right now! So refreshing on these hot days!

7. Favorite Show: House of Cards!!! (Obvi, we are taking it a little slower than some of you dedicated binge watchers!

8. Favorite Food: Fresh strawberries from Bailey's Market!

9. Favorite Swimwear: Victoria's Secret Swim (They always have the cutest suits!) But also, I love a good Target swimsuit if I can catch them early on before the good ones are gone ;)

10. Favorite Recipe: We are all about some smoothies for breakfast these days, and huge fresh salads with lettuce straight from our garden!

...E

What are your favorites???

Cold Weather Fashion Favorites: Party Time

One of the best parts of the holidays is getting to see friends and family that you don't normally get to spend time with. And a perk of these reunions is that you get to see each other at holiday parties! Now, I've been known to go out in sweat pants when highly unmotivated, but the fashion this time of year is just too fun to pass up! With that being said, here are some of my absolute favorite holiday party looks...

1. Faux Fur: adding some faux fur accessories is a great way to dress up an outfit. It's also super comfy to wear if you decide to take a little catnap at the bar...

2. Sequins: You know where I stand with sequins. We love each other and have been in a committed relationship for years. To keep it from getting out of control, try pairing one sequined piece with something more casual like a fitted T, jeans, or a skirt. 

3. Texture: holiday parties are a great place to play with different textures and fabrics like feathers, or tartan, or chunky knits. Mix them all up in crazy ways and see what works for you! A nice, classic black blazer is a great way to keep it in check when your mixing everything else up ;)

Happy Holidays!!

xo Em

Christmas Tree Lights & Adorable Dogs

The tree is up! And after much debate about whether we should use the wrapping around method or the weaving up and down method, the lights are on the tree too! Our ornaments are en route from NC and should be here any day now. It is officially our first christmas in our new home :) I love spending our evenings on the couch, drinking hot tea, and watching Christmas movies in the glow of the tree. The whole house smells like the holiday season!

It's even getting kind of chilly down here in good old Florida! We actually had to turn on our heat yesterday, well, maybe we didn't haaave to, but in the wise words of a random female extra on New Girl, 'it's 65 degrees and I'm freezing!' 

But you know it IS December and I would really like to break out the cute sweater dresses and scarves. While we were unpacking I discovered 4 boxes that remained unopened from the last move and they contained all of my cold weather shoes, coats, pants, you name it! It was like Santa came early! Just one of the random perks of having to move so much I guess.

Here are a few photos of our holiday decor so far...and maybe a couple of random dog pics...

Getting our tree! They were all brought down from Boone NC!

Hooray for NC trees :)

Yes, I only put lights on the front of the tree because it was heavy, I didn't have enough lights, and I got a little bit lazy, oops.

It also might be a little crooked because I attempted to adjust it while James was flying, but Copper still likes it!

So does baby Tuck! (sidenote: look at his crazy horse legs!! So cute)

Alright, I'm done posting pictures of our dogs by the tree. FOR NOW! But you better believe this next month will have a lot more to come :)

What are some of your favorite tree decorating tips and traditions??

E

Gimme All The Sweaters!

I feel like Florida has played me for a bit of a fool.

All last week was in the 60's and 70's and felt amazingly Fall-esque. Fall-like? Fall-y? Anyway, it was crispy and cool and delicious, is what I am trying to say.

However, as I sit here and write this post, it is 93 degrees and I am NOT a happy camper. You can't just trick a girl into unpacking her tights & sweaters and then rip it away like it meant nothing! I wore boots today for goodness sake!

This post is dedicated to sweater weather. In fact, it is the equivalent of a sweater weather rain dance! Bring back my bonfire enjoying, pumpkin carving, hot cocoa sipping weather!

And yes, I do truly feel this strongly about chunky knits ;)

E

A little mid-week fashion...

Wake up in the morning. Look through your drawers, your closet, your floor piles (you know what Im talking about!). So many clothes but NOTHING to wear. Its such a silly problem, especially if you're like me and have way too many clothes to start with. But it is a serious pain in the you-know-what trying to get dressed in the morning when its a bajillion degrees outside but negative 40 inside your office!

How is one supposed to look professional while alternating between sweating profusely and getting frostbite??

I'm still not sure I know the answer to that question BUT I have learned a couple of key fashion tricks over the years, namely, the art of layering. Here are some of my favorite outfit ideas that can go from work to play super flawlessly...and help regulate insanely variable weather/temperatures:

Or in other words, all you need is a couple of pairs of fitted slacks in different lengths (preferably grey or black), a black pencil skirt, a couple of fitted blazers (at least one that is only three quarter length in the sleeves so you dont have a heatstroke), work appropriate but comfy shirts (in black, grey and white obvi), and some killer heels. Viola! 

Now, if you are anything like me, you have a closet full of black, white, and grey clothes, with an unnatural number of black and white striped shirts...

case and point...

DO NOT BE ALARMED. These are what we call wardrobe staples and they are perfection. I personally feel like you can never have too many of these articles of clothing. But, that being said, don't be afraid to throw in some color every once in a while to shake it up!

Basically, as long as you are comfortable, not-to-hot, not-to-cold, and no inappropriate body parts are showing, you are good to go! 

All of these outfits and more are on my Fashion Pinterest board, so feel free to check it out and share your ideas too :)

Happy Hump Day!!