I’ve always worn tie-dye clothing, the style has never left me, spiritually speaking. The problem has been, availability. The tie-dye market went dry for several years there, but I think it’s finally back in action. From the looks of it, tie-dye is trending & the options are endless. Dare I say, too much?
The past few years the ONE thing I stalk up on during Black Friday are sweaters. I find a good sweater to be too dang expensive throughout the year, but at 50% off you can grab a few at very gorgeous pricepoints. I ordered several from all the stores offering sales & narrowed it down to my favorites.
Are we cold yet? Everyone started pulling out their sweaters & jackets because fall is here! If you have a shopping addiction like me – you stop, look at your inventory & wonder why you kept everything in your closet for so long. I wore these sweaters 398 times last winter, they need to go. Time to start scrolling through the new, soft, warm fall clothes!
Alright, today’s a big day – we’re talking TRENDS. I’ve been seeing the big name bloggers & pretty models walking the runways. Through the common themes, there’s 1 trend in particular that I’ve seen appear over & over again that I’ll happily get on board with – Animal Print!
I’ve been trying to stack my closet w basics! I’ve been so busy lately but don’t want to compromise my food or style… SO BASICS make it easy to keep everything running biz as usual. I don’t like feeling “off” so it’s important that all parts stay in sync. Adjustments made, sails keep sailing!
The deal with sandals is that I hate them. Especially on men. There isn’t a bigger no-no. Men already have an easy fashion life so taking the extra effort to put on a sock, and then a shoe: is vital. It’s the first thing my eyes go to & was the ONE thing I immediately looked at when dating. This was a no exception policy. If you’re not wearing socks & a proper shoe, you better be next to a pool or beach. End of story.
I’m queen of a good DEAL! There’s something satisfying about finding a killer outfit that’s cheap enough to be guilt-free in purchasing. Save that extra money for something else!
I’m not being dramatic here, people often ask where I got something WHEN – I’m wearing Forever 21, H&M, Zara, Nordstrom Rack, ect. & with their reactions, I can tell Forever 21 is not the answer they were expecting. It has to be expensive, so they can say they could never afford that… WRONG! (It’s my fav feeling.)
The Nordstrom Sale is my excuse to shop there! Nordstrom is not my number 1 place to shop throughout the year, but come the anniversary sale, seeing all the fashion bloggers talk about it, I get major FOMO.
I’m a professional SALE shopper. I don’t like wearing the same outfit everyday because I like shopping, therefore I don’t want to spend major money on 1 sweater. I’ll feel like I need to wear the sweater 246 days in a row to make sense of the purchase.
The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is all the rage because it’s brand name & new items w discounts. You won’t have to dig through racks of damaged clothes or items from last season – the sale is all new, trending, and ready for fall. Mmmmmmmkay.
My thoughts on the Nordstrom Sale? Look for the major savings. Get those brand name pieces you wouldn’t typically purchase, that you’ll use/wear for a long time, and stop at that
Can’t find a swimsuit you love? You’re looking in the wrong places! YOU. GUYS. I went to work for you this week. I went to all the stores trying on bathing suits to find the best place with the perfect bathing suit.
A couple things need to be made clear from the beginning. A one-piece suit is not meant for ladies with ting tangs. It doesn’t work. I tried them all on & a one-piece is just not something I can suggest. Another thing, you have to go to girls clothing stores in order to find suits you’re comfortable in. I determined why – swimsuits for younger girls don’t encourage nip slips. Department stores, woman stores, and higher end brands are all pointed to trendy, fashion bathing suits… BUT they’re not functional. If you’re okay with an occasional nip slip & sheer fabrics, your options are endless. If you’re looking for something comfortable & functional – go to girls swimwear >> think: American Eagle, PacSun, Hollister, ect. I haven’t been in those store for years but they’re back on my radar.
Also, if we’re being honest here, I’ve never been a bikini babe. I’ve never really been someone who sits & sunbathes. It’s too hot, like I’m uncomfortable & impatient… Body confidence also comes into play, as it does for most of us. BUT, I do love water sports; like skiing & I get excited about actually swimming. Being on the lake, in a boat, laps at the pool, anywhere near or on water – makes me happy.
Because that’s how I tend to enjoy the pool, I don’t typically enjoy super skimpy swimsuits because… I don’t want to fall out of it while I’m swimming like small mouth bass through the water. You feel me?
SO here’s the deal. You need a variety of swimsuits so you can always feel confident when you have to be in one. You need one that’s fun, one that’s very functional, and one classic. That way you’ll always have something in your arsenal that’ll make you feel ready for any invite!
Let’s make the pool fun again!
QUICK! It’s selling out! ALL OF IT! The yellow that is.
Yellow is a bright color that reminds people of the sunshine & warm summer weather. Be the sunshine.
With our summer (fake) tans & the sunshine out all day – yellow is the perfect compliment & totally the in color. Pay attention & you’ll notice it everywhere. You saw Amal Clooney at the Royal wedding? Rocking full & particularily vibrant – YELLOW.
Yellow promotes energy, cheerfulness & joy. Bright & draws all the right kind of attention showing off your confidence. I’m here for it.
I was always afraid to wear yellow, because… do you remember when you were a kid & drew the blonde, white kids with a yellow crayon? How can I wear yellow when I’m already yellow, you know? I thought it would wash me out, but with a little summer tan action happening it totally doesn’t. And that applies to a lot of different skin tones & hair colors – yellow just works!
Popping on a bright red or pink nail polish & lip will really seal the deal.
You’ll probably NEVER guess my favorite clothing brand & place to shop. You’ll never be able to guess because I only recently discovered it & claimed it as my favorite – now I’m sharing the deets.
Last time I was in Dubai, it was the Dubai Shopping Festival. Which means: SALES. EVERYWHERE. There couldn’t be more glorious news for me to hear.
The Dubai Mall has SO many amazing stores, but lucky for me I stumbled into & Other Stories. I’m telling you, everything. And I mean literally everything – was perfect. The range of styles, the customer service, the gorgeous dressing rooms, the fabrics, the pricing, the smells, the fucking lighting. SPOT ON. I grabbed a stack of clothes, as one does when they step in a new store not knowing sizing, and every single item fit like a glove. The experience was magical. Don’t tell me that wouldn’t tickle your pickle.
The only issue? I tried on way more than I was expecting to actually buy, assuming something wouldn’t fit or I wouldn’t like it. But when everything fits so perfectly… you have to buy it all! Right?
Here’s the deal, not only do the pieces fit perfectly. The fabrics & quality are incredible. A simple T-Shirt has quality & detail like no other. At a decent price.
Also, prior to my trip I was willing to spend hundreds/thousands/millions of dollars on a new pair of jeans because I could NOT find any that I loved at an affordable price & became desperate. I’m extremely picky when it comes to jeans & was searching for years you guys, YEARS! I finally decided I’d throw down a lot of money on a pair, because more money has to mean a better jean. I order several popular brands, assuming one had to be amazing, but returned all of them. I hated them. Every single one.
Fast forward to my experience in & Other Stories, I bought 2 pairs of jeans! (Big deal for me.) And this brand will be my go-to jean going forward. They’re the only ones I own right now. Again, they fit like a glove. EXACTLY what I was looking for. And a fraction of the price compared to the other popular brands. If you’re looking for a real jean, I found them for you.
I hate to say perfect so many times throughout this post but everything about this place is – perfect.
Of course I quickly made sure they had an online store, and fantastic news, they do. And free shipping to the U.S. They also have a few actual store locations throughout the, WORLD. I believe there’s one in L.A. & obviously Dubai. But I think also throughout Europe.
There are 3 questions I get asked all the time: how I was treated as a woman in the middle east, did I feel safe AND “did you have to cover up the whole time”.
I hope I’ve done a good job clarifying, go to this post to see my answers to all 3 of those questions if you haven’t already. (We went to the public beach on this trip & there were girls in thong bikinis & topless tanning, so I think people are comfortable doing whatever they please.)
For me, I wanted to fit in. I wanted to act like I’ve been there before & I know what the fuck I’m doing. There’s something powerful in that. Also, for any destination, isn’t it fun to fit in? Wear what they wear. I think it makes you appear well traveled, like you know what you’re doing in you life. So that was my goal this trip. I stuck to coverage. When I was living there, I pushed this boundary w my cut off shorts & dresses all the time, because I was bored of being covered & it was HOT AF. Being that I was just visiting, I had a different approach this time.
The theme: BLACK BLACK BLACK. If this is the color of your wardrobe, you’re in luck! I like bright colors, florals, sparkles, drama – so I had to go shopping. An abaya & burka are black, so that’s the colors you’ll see a lot of when you’re out. I asked someone why black? Why not beautiful colors + design on the abaya? I was told the original purpose of the abaya was to avoid attention. Bright florals & colors will do the opposite, drawing attention to the people wearing them. So black is the theme!
