An Afternoon Tea Party: A Modcloth Outfit Challenge

A couple weeks ago, my aunt asked me for some advice. She had a fancy tea party to attend and needed helping deciding what to wear.

 The local inn in her hometown hosts a luncheon each month with a different theme, this month being "French inspired." She wanted to dress for the occasion, adding a bit of french flair without being so literal. (think black & white striped top with a beret and a freshly baked baguette)

Of course, the first thing we did was scour Pinterest for some ideas. While we didn't find exactly what we were looking for, eventually we created an outfit for her to wear taking a bunch of different ideas, adding them together and creating our own. 

When Modcloth contacted me to create an outfit inspiration board featuring one of their dresses, I knew exactly what I was going to do: mash all those ideas we found and use that as my inspiration board. Thus 'An Afternoon Tea Party' was born:

I created the outfit to be centered around this gorgeous dress.

Bouquet of the Season Dress

Less is Amour Cardigan

 It's what your eye first draws to and is the main focal point of the look, so I wanted everything else to blend and the dress to really pop! This dress is perfect for the event, it's not too fancy but still classy and elegant; it can be both dressed up and down. 

I added the cardigan because while technically it's spring, it was still a bit chilly. I'm a big fan of pattern mixing, so I love the look of the florals from the dress and the subdued hearts together. 

One of the things we both agreed on was that wearing a hat was definitely necessary for the French tea party. 

Pure Edith Hat in White

Believe it or Haute Sandal

{as I typed in these names, I laughed...several are French... Less is Amour... Haute... purely unintentional ;) }

In fact, I can't think of anything more French than a quaint sunhat! This one is perfect; it reminds me of something very similar to ones worn the 1920's (très Francais!)  Anyway, I adore the retro look to it and I really feel like it would pull the entire outfit together. 

Let's chat about these sandals, ok?

I am swooning over them! The scalloped edges, the gold, the ankle strap...dying over here! They are lovely. Not to mention how darling they'd look with this dress!

Now for accessories...

In the Zone Necklace

Girl Who's Got it All Earrings

I purposefully kept the jewelry simple, as I didn't want to overpower the dress. 

When I saw this necklace, I couldn't help but think of Alice in Wonderland. And once again, these octagon studs are very 'art deco' to me and just scream French! 

Finally, I added this adorable tea pot...because how could I not!?!

Pack Your Tea Bags! Teapot

Of course if you are going to a tea party, you absolutely need a cute tea pot, right!? 

Ok, maybe I just think it's so deliciously cute. 

So what do you think of this whole ensemble?

If you like it, you could help me win this contest!

Go check out my board on this awesome site Wanelo. It's a cool resource to create outfit boards and  make wish lists. If you want, check out my Afternoon Tea Party board here!

Modcloth is such a great store. I love all their dresses because most are so feminine and retro... I even bought my graduation dress from there! If you want to check out their other dresses, click here.

Merci et au revoir! 

:)

What WE Wore Wednesday

Hey y'all! I'm back sharing with you a few of the outfits I wore this week. 

Here's what I wore to the awards ceremony friday:

Dress is from Kohls last year

Jacket-Goodwill

wedges- also goodwill

Earrings are from target! 

Saturday, my friend (visiting from Idaho) and I rode the train into downtown Dallas. It was so much fun! Living in the suburbs definitely has it's fair share of setbacks...I love the city. Everything is so lively and all of the hustle and bustle just makes me want to move downtown.

 We had planned on going to dinner and then going up into the Reunion Tower, but we ended up laughing and chatting too long at the restaurant, it closed! So we ended up just sitting in front of the JFK memorial, people watching and giggling while munching on tiramisu. It was a fantastic night. 

All that's to say, here's what we wore:

Isn't she just drop dead gorgeous!?!?! The long blonde hair, her model-esque figure and beautiful, jaw-dropping smile; she's quite the trifecta! Not only that, but she's beautiful on the inside and out.  It kinda hurt standing next to her all night...hehehe, I kid, I kid. 

Anyway, we wanted to dress up a bit but still look sorta casual. 

My outfit:

Top is Coldwater Creek from the outlet store

Jeans-Goodwill

Wedges-once again, goodwill 

My little pins in my hair were a gift from another friend...thanks Ev!

and the necklace is from franchescas 

Alli's outfit:

her dress is from Marshalls. It has the most gorgeous black and gold lace back...I wish I had a pic!

Sandals are target I believe. 

I just wanna steal all the hair off her head, it's so dang pretty!

and just because...

 If I had one picture to describe our friendship, it'd be this:

Yeah. We've been friends for over 5 years and yes I am posting this for the entire internet world to see...hahaha!

Love you Alli!

T-Shirt OBSESSED

I have a guilty obsession, and it's something I need to tell you about. I've been lying to you. 

I know I started the whole WIWW thing to get out of my former uniform: t-shirts and jeans... but lately, all I wanna do is wear t-shirts.  

I mean have you seen them recently? They've really stepped their game up.

The other day I bought this one:

buy here

 I had a gift card burning a hole in my pocket and ever since I got it in the mail, I haven't wanted to take it off. Legit. If you don't understand it, we pretty much can't be friends.

How freaking awesome is it to support one of your favorite books of all time ON YOUR BODY!?!?!! I can't even. Cant. Even. 

Speaking of favorite books...

buy here

I LOVE THIS! Again, one of many favorite books out there, but how adorable is this?!?!

Not to mention that it says Le Petit Prince not The little Prince...

it's the small things, guys. 

buy here

I don't even know how else to describe how excited this makes me. The fact that T-shirts with novels on them even EXSIST IN THE FIRST PLACE makes me want to scream (good screams) and then to have my favorites ones on shirts makes it 100X better. For real. 

Buy here

This is another one of those that if you don't understand we can't be friends. ever. 

I reeeeeally want this one, in fact, I think I might have to have it. HAVE to. 

buy here

yeah, this one has my name allllllll over it. 

My wallet is looking pretty scared right now. ha!

(I should probably stop saying this but.... if you don't get this we can't be...

OK, OK I'll let this one slide)

Then, there are some pretty darn hilarious ones out there, too!

For example:

Buy here

YES YES YES 100X YES!

buy here

If there was a shirt out there to describe my sense of humor, it'd be this one. 

buy here

no wait, maybe this one!!?!!?!

I literally snort every time I see this one. 

Now, don't even get me started on band tees. The Killers have some pretty awesome ones out there... but I shall refrain from sharing them with you. 

What do you think... Are tees no longer frumpy?  Have they transformed into a way of self-expression?

I think so!

*BUY ALL THE TSHIRTS!*

(insert image of that internet meme here)

WIWW: 1 Graphic Tee- 4 Ways!

While shopping at an outlet mall with my grandma and dad, we stumbled across the 'perfect' tee shirt for myself.

 I loooove bikes and often daydream about riding my bike down the river Seine with flowers in my basket. My grandma, aunt and I even have a board dedicated to bikes on Pinterest! 

So when I saw this shirt, we all knew I needed to have it. As we finished the rest of our shopping trip, I kept imagining all the different outfit combinations I could create with it (please tell me I'm not the only one who does that!)

Thus, this post was born. Here's how I wore the same graphic tee (which is just perfect for spring!) 4 different ways!

1. Maxi skirt and statement necklace:

The first way I wore it was with this maxi skirt. This was the most comfy outfits ever....maxi skirts are basically fancy-fied sweat pants. No joke!

Pink cardigan-Jcrew via Goodwill

Tee-Loft Outlet

Maxi skirt- LC for Kohls, yard sale find

Necklace-Everyday Icing stolen from my mom (thanks mom!)

Wedges which you can't really see- Goodwill

2. Jean jacket and sandals

I can't believe it's already time to break out my sandals...which only means one thing: I need to get a pedicure! I have to say this outfit was the one I felt the most 'me' in. My jean jacket is a staple in my closet and I loved how it looked with the tee!

Jacket-Old Navy via Goodwill

Pants-Loft clearance (a $6.88 score!)

Sandals-Kohls

Earrings-no clue...maybe target?

3. Moto jacket and Converse

I wore this outfit when I was in Ohio and needed a heavier jacket. I love pairing edgy items with more feminine pieces! My aunt called this look "My hipster outfit".  :)

By the way, she did my hair in this picture...isn't it awesome! I wish she was closer to do my hair everyday, hehehe!

Jacket- Kohls

Black jeans-Loft

chucks-DSW

Earrings(my fav ever!)- Target

4. Flowy skirt and bright cardigan:

I think this is my favorite look of them all! This one felt very Parisian chic to me, what do you think?

Cardigan-Old Navy

Skirt-Goodwill

Necklace-Forever 21

Flats-TJmaxx

and believe it or not, I still have other ideas with this tee rolling in the back of my head! But I suppose I will stop with 4 for now. 

Linking up here:

The Pleated Poppy

What WE Wore Wednesday

Say that title five times fast.

 WIWW is back folks! Well, sorta. I just have one (well two really) outfits to share today. 

The other weekend my family and I went to our favorite Moroccan restaurant and before we went my brother snapped a few pictures of what my sister-in-law, Holly, and I were wearing!

My outfit was rather plain but I thought Holly's was just too darn cute not to share!

Here's what she's wearing:

Sweater and dress/ Urban Outfitters

Leggings/ Target

Boots (which are adorable)/ DSW

and my dress came from a garage sale (old navy) the wedges are from target and my earrings were a souvenir from Paris. 

and now for a blooper pic:

I'm pretty sure this was us saying "What the heck!" to my brother because he took one picture of us and left. I mean we are girls!! We need options!

Love Your Melon

I apologize for the crickets over here, this week has sorta slipped by and blogging moved down the priority list this week. 

Anyway,  as you may know, pediatric cancer is something very near and dear to my heart!

I wanted to share with you an amazing  foundation that I saw the other day on the news and fell in love with!

Love Your Melon Foundation

Because I can't explain it as well as they do, here's what they say on their about page:

"The Love Your Melon Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) dedicated to improving the lives of children battling cancer through therapeutic treatments.  Through its Buy One – Give One program, Love Your Melon provides comfy hats to give them something to wear during this difficult time. Our hats do more than keep them warm, they restore confidence. Love Your Melon’s gifts create smiles on the faces of children battling cancer and make them feel comfortable after losing their hair due to chemotherapy treatment. For every product purchased, another of equal value is given to a child battling cancer."

What's even more awesome is that Love Your Melon goes on 'Smile Tours' and travels the country visiting children's hospitals, giving children the beanies (because when you don't have hair, you get pretty cold!) They even dress up as super heroes to pass them out, just to put a smile on a child's face. 

 As soon as I saw them, I immediately purchased one. Not only are the beanies really cute, they are surprisingly affordable (especially when you know that you're buying two for the price of one), and  they are also made in the USA! But what I loved the most about them, was the story behind it. I love that whenever I wear my beanie, I'll be reminded of those kids who stuck in a hospital fighting for their lives. I love knowing that that beanie I bought went to help bring a smile to one of those children's faces. 

I literally can't wait till mine comes in the mail ( I got the cuffed coral one)! I think I'll wear it everyday since then. 

You can order one on their website Loveyourmelon.com!

WIWW, Pinterest Inspriation- Stripes and Boots!

Hey Y'all... Sorry this is so late! 

My brother had his wisdom teeth removed today, and I had a lot of school work to catch up on, so I haven't had time to sit down and get this done till now.

Nevertheless, here is my last week of Pinterest inspiration:

The inspiration photo:

via

and my take!

Striped sweater: Loft outlet a long time ago, $15

Pants: LOFT outlet, $20 (not 100% sure)

Boots: Frye via Last Call, $99

I bought these boots last year when my mom still worked for Neiman Marcus and used her discount. I had been lusting after Frye boots forever and when I saw these, I knew I would get lots of wear out of them and the price was amazing (for Frye Boots). So far, a week hasn't gone by that I haven't worn them. Not only that, but they are very well made and will last me forever! 

Scarf: Forever 21, $5

Later that night, I needed a little more warmth and more comfort, so here's how I changed it up a bit.

Inspiration:

via

and my take:

Jacket: Gift from my Nana

Same striped sweater as above 

Jeans: Goodwill, $5

flats: Thrifted $2

Next is my favorite all week!

Inspiration: 

via

I like pairing feminine with edgy, so when I saw the idea of pairing a feminine polka dot dress with a more edgy moto jacket, I knew I had to try and replicate it!

and my take:

Sorry about the blurriness!

Jacket: Kohl's, $15

Dress: Macy's years ago, $20

Boots: Also Macy's (after season clearance for $20)

{Lipstick Maybelline Very Cherry}

Neeeeeeext:

via

and my take:

This was surprisingly comfy!

Top: Old Navy, $14ish

Scarf: Gift

Jeans: Goodwill, $5

Boots: Frye

Raybans: Also from Last Call, $40 (my mom's discount seriously rocked)

and because I loved my striped sweater so much, I washed it and wore it again for this look yesterday:

via

and lastly, my take

Sweater: Loft outlet, $15 (I wish I could've taken the flower off for this pic, but it doesn't come off )

Cardigan: Goodwill, $2

Pants: Loft, $20

Bubble Necklace: Stolen from my mom!

Boots: Same as before

I have to admit, I'm kinda sad this is over! It really helped me come up with new outfits using stuff I already had. I might just have to continue doing this from time to time. 

A Golden Find

This past weekend, my family hit up our local TJmaxx for some Christmas shopping. Of course, I had to check out the shoe section. I mean how could I not?

That's when I stumbled upon pure gold. 

I may or may not have mentioned here before that I have a minor major obsession with all things Kate Spade. 

They were nude (ie. would match almost everything)

They were flat.

They had my favorite color on the crystals.

They were my size!!! 

I panicked thinking about how much these puppies were.

So when I saw the price tag on these, I almost fell over. 

Originally, they cost about $200, but then they were regular price at TJmaxx at $99. ( I even found the same ones here for more!) Then, they were marked down more than three more times at $39. 

I threw those guys in my cart as fast as I could and ran up to the checkout. No way was I going to leave them at the store.

Then, I had an idea.  I asked the manager if there was anything else he could do on the price because the suede part had some dirt stains and had minor ware. I figured it never hurts to ask!

 (I realize how crazy that is seeing that they were already marked down crazy anyway) 

He said no problem and slapped the $36 tag on them. 

SOLD!

WIWW Pinterest Inspiration Week Three!

Ugh, I refuse to admit November is over. No way, nuh uh. 

Anyway, here's what I wore this week, inspired by pinterest of course!

Here's the inspiration picture:

via

and my outfit:

Top: Goodwill

leggings: old

boots:Frye via Last call

Scarf: Paris souvenir

earrings: Canton flea market

neeeext:

via

and my take!

Cardigan: Target

Dress: Goodwill

Boots: Frye

For my birthday dinner, I was inspired by the left outfit below:

Because only on your birthday can you pull off a tulle sparkly skirt. 

Black Cardigan, Skirt, Shoes: Goodwill

 Looking at this now, I should've taken the earrings off, it's a bit too much.

Necklace: Everyday icing

earrings: very old

and just a few others that didn't come from pinterest:

Dress: Marc Jacobs via Goodwill

Belt: Goodwill

shoes: target

Top and pants: LOFT

Flats: Sam Edelman via Last call

earrings: target ($2!)

Scarf: Everyday Icing

That's what I've been wearing this week!