Workwear Chic with LOFT

Bow Blouse (similar here, here and here) | Black Denim | Cat Eye Sunglasses | Crossbody Bag | Black Suede Pumps | Gold Watch

Workwear has changed (for the better!) so much over the past decades of fashion. Women used to only be considered "dressed appropriately" in a pencil skirt or pants suit, but office environments have progressed and the fashion has definitely followed. There are more and more offices that allow business casual attire, and as long as you don't look sloppy (insert blue jeans and flip flop sandals, yikes!) there's so much more you can get away with.

 I don't work in an office but I do have multiple meetings during the week and that means having to pull myself together and look presentable. I always opt for white denim during the warmer months and black denim during the colder months and pair them with blouses or sweaters. For a more professional and put together look, I always tuck the blouse (or sweater) in and layer on some accessories like jewelry or a statement watch. I think there's always more to your overall look than just what you're wearing, so having your hair done- either blown out or curled- and rocking a fresh manicure always makes me feel so much more put together and confident!

I think blouses are a great investment and the most basic wardrobe staples. They transition so flawlessly season to season and year after year, making them so worth your money. I have a good amount of solid silk button downs in my closet in almost every color (and by "every color" I mean a few whites, blacks, neutrals and maybe there's a grey and maroon thrown in there). I also have some more trendy ones, a few patterned with stripes or polka dots. This fall the biggest trend with blouses has been the tie neck or bow blouse. I fell in love with this one from LOFT because of the beautiful black accents on the bow and the cuffs and I can wear it two ways: I button the blouse all the way up to the top and tie the bow at the top of the collar, or I keep a button or two open at the top and tie the bow lower so it hangs down for a little more of a laid back look. The fact that it was under $50 and I can wear it two ways, I was sold! I've linked a few more of my favorite bow blouses below.

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Fall Flats Under $100

Fall is in full swing and for some reason it's always my busiest time of year. Between wedding season, holidays, errands,  meetings and traveling for work I feel like I'm constantly on the go from September-December. That being said, I usually invest in some new flats because I know I'll get a lot of use out of them. These are some of my favorites that are all under $100, including some  trendy options like the lace-ups and more classic options like the tassel and bow detailed ones.

Bell Sleeves + Wearing White After Labor Day

Bell Sleeve Sweater | White Denim | YSL crossbody | Sunglasses | Cocktail Ring | Sandals

Whoever said you couldn't wear white after labor day, was definitely wrong! I've been pairing my white denim with neutral sweaters as the weather starts to change and have loved the outcome. I've also been sucked into the bell sleeve trend and I really can't get enough. I usually don't spend a lot of money on trendy items because I never know how long they'll be in style, so when I saw this Free People sweater and its price tag I knew I had to have it. 

This shoot was also the first time I styled my new YSL bag which was my first designer handbag purchase EVER! It was a really large investment but I got it for my wedding events and never looked back. I bought it in a neutral color so I could wear it with everything all year long, which was basically how I justified the price tag. But I love that I bought it for myself and the sentimental value that it holds, having worn it on some of the best days of my life. 

Shopbop Spend & Save Sale

Black Ripped Denim | Leopard Clutch | Tassel Necklace | Over The Knee Boots | Cowlneck Sweater | Blanket Coat {sold out but find it here} | Gold Watch | Black Crossbody Bag | Stud and Spike Earrings | Bow Ballet Flats | Off The Shoulder Top | Suede Knee-High Boots | Lace Bell Sleeve Top | Tory Burch Crossbody {sold out but find it here} | High-Rise Distressed Denim

It's that time of the year: The Spend More & Save More Shopbop Sale is on! For the next 3 days the entire Shopbop website is basically on sale and, for me, that means it's time to take advantage of the savings. This sale always feels like I'm being rewarded for shopping and I'm not quite sure there's anything better than that. I try to be as strategic as possible for this sale. I only purchase the items I know that I'll get tons of use out of all season long and splurge items that I've had my eye on but couldn't afford without a discount. I tend to wait until sales like this to buy quality items like cashmere,  leather or suede boots, new denim and designer handbags.  I usually stick to the wardrobe basics (never splurge on trends that will be here today and gone tomorrow!) and a neutral color pallet, especially when I buy new tops and sweaters because I know I'll get the most use out of them. 

Save 25% off all orders up to $500 and 30% off all orders over $500. Use code 'MAINEVENT16' at checkout!

Transitioning to Fall with Coach

Bag c/o Coach | Top | Jeans | Sunglasses | Shoes | Watch

There's finally a crisp breeze in the air and it has me so excited for the months to come! We have weddings to go to almost every weekend in October all over the country and I feel like the next time I get to spend a weekend at home, I'll be bundled up in layers and big socks on the couch. That being said, I'm savoring every last second of this month, my tan and my sandals! 

This shoot was so fun but a little bittersweet because it was my last collaboration with Coach. I became one of their digital influencers back in the spring and worked on a campaign with them all summer long. They truly are an amazing brand and have come so far! The brand's style has totally evolved over the past few years and has become so chic and sophisticated. I know I said this about all the bags they sent me but this one, the 'Rogue 25' Leather Satchel, hands down was my favorite! I love a great camel-colored bag in the fall and I also love the structure of this one. After a while, I feel like some leather bags loose their shape but this one has held up so well. I plan to put it to great use in the months ahead!

Wishing an official happy fall to you all!

Fall Style with Nordstrom

one {similar here} | two | three | four | five | six | seven | eight | nine | ten | eleven | twelve

The weather has been so hard to judge the past few weeks and I'm sure it will feel the same way into October. Some days I'm throwing on a sundress and flip flops to walk Chloe and other days I'm reaching for denim and a sweater. This week, I've been nursing the most awful cold and even though it's been back in the 90's outside, I've spent the entire week in bed wearing cozy layers. When I wasn't napping, I may or may not have done a little online shopping, {make that definitely}, so I thought I'd share what I've purchased lately.

At the beginning of each season, I try to stick with buying wardrobe staples that I know will be a good investment. I always head to Nordstrom's website because they have the largest selection of items at all different price points. {I'll say here that this post is NOT sponsored, I simply love everything they have to offer and you can return items any time which just makes life easier!} This week, I focused on my favorite items in every category: a new blouse {under $50!}, a new pair of suede boots, distressed denim {under $100!}, a new crossbody bag, sweater and then fun jewelry and accessories I could wear with everything. I think it's safe to say I did some damage but I absolutely love everything and I already know I'm going to be able to wear each item multiple times over the next few months and even into next spring.

Coach Collaboration Pt.3

Dress {similar here and here}| Bag c/o Coach | Shoes | Sunglasses

It feels so good to be back {again!}. My wedding was three weeks ago and I have no idea where the time has gone but I finally feel like I'm back to normal life. I'm SO looking forward to getting back to working and blogging every day and never talking about wedding details ever again. Planning totally consumed my life! Endless kudos to all the blogger babes out there and working women who planned their own wedding AND worked every day - I applaud you! 

This weekend was the first one my husband {ah! so awesome!} and I were finally back in DC together. We filled the weekend with tons of errand running, mostly registry returns, and eating out since our fridge is still empty. Yesterday, we went to Eastern Market (a must-experience flea market if you're in DC!} to walk around, have lunch, and grab some fresh produce and flowers. It was the perfect opportunity to shoot this gorgeous Coach bag! I love a good neutral-colored bag in the fall and this one is just perfect. Since it's still really hot in DC, I paired it with a shirtdress and sandals but I can't wait to style it with my favorite denim and boots. Cozy sweater weather is around the corner and I can't wait!

Coach Collaboration Part 2

Bag c/o Coach | Dress | Shoes | Sunglasses 

It's so good to be back! The past month has been only slightly insane. After my last 4 posts didn't save properly and disappeared into some sort of Internet abyss, I decided to take a little break from blogging. I also had an upcoming Bridal Brunch to plan, contrary to some of my family's more traditional preferences, I really wanted to plan my own event so I got my mom and sister on board and got started! A girl only gets one bridal shower and one wedding and I wanted them both to be events that directly represented my style and taste. I'm also a quintessential Type A person, so I hate surprises and I love being able to organize everything. In hindsight, it was incredibly beautiful- truly all I could have asked for and more, but I definitely bit off a bit more than I could chew. In addition to my day job (social media consulting & web design) I spent endless hours, nights and weekends over the past month planning this brunch down to the custom cocktail napkins and edible flowers for the cocktails. Was it all worth it? I think so because I had such an incredible day, but I also think I was overly focused on small details that were probably overlooked by many of the guests.  Either way, I'm so excited to be bringing you guys a post all about it soon and sharing all the photos with you, so stay tuned!

Now, I'm trying to get back into the swing of things and aiming to start posting at least 3 times per week on the blog. With our wedding rapidly approaching {only 2 months to go!}, I can't make any promises but I'm definitely going to try! This recent Coach collaboration has been so exciting and empowering for me as a newbie blogger and as a small business owner. There's 1 more round to go, but this one was definitely my favorite so far. Not only was it really fun to shoot but it took me out of my style comfort zone a bit. I've never owned a handbag that didn't have gold hardware and when I received this beautiful white bag and saw the gunmetal hardware, my first reaction was that it was a bit "too edgy" for me. I decided to style it with a floral and feminine dress and fun fringe heels and I absolutely loved the result. It felt completely like me and it actually was nice not sticking to the same old style I was used to. I'm not the most adventurous when it comes to fashion, I find it's beauty lies in whatever makes me feel most confident so I was pleasantly pleased to have loved this look so much. I've used the bag everyday since and plan to keep it on my arm all summer long. It's also the perfect size, I had been used to larger bags that I'd have to dig through for 45 minutes just to find my keys or chapstick. This one is large enough to fit everything I need (which is still a lot) but small enough that I don't feel like I'm reaching into Mary Poppins handbag {anyone know what I'm talking about??} 

Spring Decor Update

Pillow 1 & 2 | Flatware | Lamps | Candle | Arrow | Towels | Nightstand | Mirror | Record Player | Wall Decor | Coasters | Succulents | Nesting Boxes

There's something about the spring season that always gets me in the mood to completely redecorate our home. Since we have our wedding, honeymoon and six friend's weddings this summer, we've been on a tight budget. While we could really use a new couch, mattress and some other high price tag items, I've made some smaller updates to our space that have made such a difference. It's amazing how purchasing some new home decor like lamps, pillows and fresh towels can make your home feel so refreshed. It also changes the vibe. I don't know about you, but I get so bored looking at everything in its same place every day. So since we can't purchase all the decor we'd really like to right now, I reorganize a lot of the items that we already have to mix it up a bit. This combo of rearranging and adding some fun new pieces into the mix is key!

Here are some of the items we added to our home recently; including some succulents, a fun record player to play our old Frank Sinatra records when we cook, a new mirror for our bedroom and new nightstand lamps. The best part is most of the items are under $150 and some were even under $50!

Coach Collaboration

Bag c/o Coach | Dress | Shoes | Sunglasses | Bracelet and here

True story: when I received an email asking if I wanted to collaborate with Coach and become one of their Spring Campaign Influencers, I initially thought it was spam. I actually forwarded the email immediately to a close blogger friend to evaluate it for me. It seemed legit to us, but when Coach sent over an actual contract, I had a serious pinch-me moment. I couldn't believe this huge and amazing brand had actually found me on Instagram and reached out to me. The moral of the story is never underestimate yourself! Looking back on it now, I'm actually a little disappointed in myself for how shocked I was. I had been so caught up in my number of followers, I didn't take into consideration the largest asset in social media and blogging today: engagement. {This is also why it's so important to grow a slow and 100% authentic and organic following, but more on that in a future post!} 

Not only has this collaboration made me realize the value of my brand and social platforms but it also made me value myself personally and realize how far I've come. I mentioned on Instagram earlier this week, but when I got my first ever job in high school, I saved up my paychecks to buy myself a Coach handbag {the one with the 'C's' all over it, if you started high school in the late 90's you probably know the one I'm talking about!}. It was the bag all the cool girls had and I just had to have it. I remember working so hard toward that goal, and now as I sit here and type this post I'm appreciating my hard work paying off again. I think as a blogger it's so easy to be influenced by numbers- how many followers you have, how many likes you're getting, etc. -but blogging really isn't about that today since many people just purchase those things. I've come to realize that blogging, and being any type of digital influencer, is 100% about the content you're single-handedly curating and the value that brands see you bringing to the table. I'm so proud of the brand I've built for myself and I never want numbers to be the metrics I use to measure my success. It's opportunities like this that I'm really proud of. If any of you other girl bosses have similar stories, please share in the comments section!

You can shop my look below: