style

Living in Austin, it’s really hard to ignore the Austin City Limits Music Festival.  The city is consumed with people, music & one big party.  Admittedly I’m not a big music festival person – traveling to different cities to knock out big festivals.  I’m too tired.  But I join in Austin’s because I can participate at my own pace & go to my own home afterwards.  And I can’t say I don’t like dressing in the festival gear, minus glitter because that’ll follow you around all year.

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 stole this Instagram Round-Up idea from someone else because I loved it.   Instagram stories is what Instagram is all about now, the photo’s are a thing of the past.  You can deny it if you want to, but I’m speaking truth.  I thought this would be a good place to share them.  You’re already on the website, meaning you’re invested enough to peek photos + some.  {Love you.}

If you’re not bringing a notebook, water bottle, gym clothes, sweatshirt, pens, lip gloss, epi pen, dog treats, crispy chickpeas, dinner, & computer in your purse everyday… are you even working?   I hate obnoxious large totes, but I need them.  Here’s my inventory:  1 expensive tote that I use when I want to be fancy & a few cheap + affordable totes that I can easily change up or throw out whenever I want.

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

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.

I’m on a shopping role for you guys, woot woot!  Here’s why: SUMMER.  Near the end of winter, and into Spring don’t you just want a refresh?  You’re getting out all the extra stuffy clothes, extra pounds on your body, and bringing in lemon water + daisy dukes. Right?

In order to do that you need to workout.  Mmmkay?  That’s just the reality of the situation.  And new workout clothes is the most motivating way to do that. Not really, having a group that holds you accountable & establish friendships with is truly the best way to stay motivated.  Besides the hot body you’ll get, you’ll also be HEALTHY.  Praise Jesus.  But nice workout clothes helps MAJOR, too.

However, workout clothes are expensive.  F.

I found the sneak around: OLD NAVY.

That’s right, Old Navy is the shit when it comes to workout clothes.  And because the clothes aren’t super expensive you won’t feel bad sweating your body weight in them, laying on the ground of exhaustion, or getting them a little dirty in the grind.  You know what I mean.

I’ve had a lot of Old Navy athletic wear for awhile but just recently committed to purchasing more pieces, & am finally bragging about them.  The quality you guys, is not compromised.  It’s strange how comfortable & quality the pieces feel.  I’m here for it.

As if the clothes aren’t already affordable enough, Old Navy is constantly having sales.  I think yesterday, they had 40% off everything??  They’re always updating the styles.  You can keep buying new new new as long as you want to add to your personal inventory.

Ting tangs are the subject for today! Wonderful ting tangs!  (But are they actually wonderful?  Thoughts?)

Whether or not you’re in denial, backless & low cut clothing have been all the rage for a few YEARS now.  I denied it for a long time, because I don’t have the option of going free willey w my chesties, but the envy has taken over!

I tried everything, over a period of years, to go backless.  It all started in Dubai with a beautiful backless gown I had to wear to a wedding.  I went hunting & found those silicone bras that stick to the front of your chest & don’t wrap around.  These are a decent option, you can find them: here.  BUT, they aren’t the best because they pull your tits down.  SoOoO if you’re ok sagging a little, they’ll work in a pinch, but not ideal.  Although I do keep them handy.

I’ve also transitioned to these Gel Petals from Target.   You’d be surprised how well these babies work, they really lift!  Stick on the bottom, pull up, stick to the top.  You’ll get it when you try it.  I actually really love these, also super cheap.  They’re never in stalk, so I know I’m not the only one that’s found them as a secret trick.  If you do find the Gel Petals, get a few so they’re always on hand!  The other nice part of these is they’ll work for any cut – backless, low cut, almost nude, whatever!  I also like them because they’re pretty much summer resistant.  Meaning, if you sweat, they’ll stick.  Even with these little guys, sometimes – you want more…

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.