style like you mean it

Good Afternoon Chicas!!! I hope you all enjoyed the holiday weekend! we are back from vacay, but the never-ending pile of laundry has me dreaming of mocktails under the palm trees. it's already noon and I still haven't put on real clothes or unpacked a single thing, so i'd say i'm making progress, no? I plan on burying myself in work (and I use the term loosely) for the rest of the day and ignoring the explosion of luggage in our kitchen. so lets discuss this quote unquote work that I speak of. "blogger" is technically my job title, but creatively I consider myself a stylist. styling is where my love affair with fashion started and it is the main reason behind my blog. when I first started in retail, dressing the mannequins was my favorite! I would give them names, give them personalities, basically create my very own plastic girl group. nowadays I really only get to style myself and as fun as that is, I miss that human contact. sorry, I should mention, I styled breathing human beings as well, but the plastic ones were still my favorite ;). my job as blogger has awarded me some amazing opportunities, some of them have even allowed me to put back on the stylist cap, and 2 weeks ago I got to do just that with my favorite subject, Men's Fashion!! some of you may remember my Man Candy Monday series?? I really think I need to bring that back. anyways, 2 weeks ago, Belk put some serious faith in me, and gave me the most amazing opportunity to style their Men's Fall Lookbook. unfortunately there were no hot models for me to work with, which was probably best for their HR department (I don't know if you know this about me, but im extremely inappropriate and lack the ability to filter what might come out of my mouth. I'm not currently seeking help, but I acknowledge that I have a problem). I can't wait to share all the style statements with you guys and show you my looks, but for now you will have to wait and enjoy these women's fashions from Belk that I styled on myself.

this pink dress is a lot of, well, pink! when I style myself in something so full of color, my first thought is always, how can I break this up? I love head to toe monochromatic if its separates, but in the case of one item head to toe, whether it be a jumper or a dress, I like to add intrigue to the look by adding layers. everyone can throw on a dress right? this is my inner struggle. I feel like if I just throw on a dress and heels, all that I've shown you is a dress and heels. not that there's anything wrong with that, its just that I haven't inspired anything for you. I'm not showing you a look, i'm showing you a dress. with this dress, the options are endless. its essentially a big blank pink slate, so you can style it 100 different ways and never wear the same look twice. jackets are always my favorite layer and I have worn this dress (and just about every other dress that I own) with a denim jacket tied around at my waist. I don't know why i'm really into that right now. remember last summer when it was a bit of a debate?? well it was a definite YES for the win, but in an effort to show you a bit of diversity, I wore an actual belt this time, and instead of tying the sleeves around my waist, I put my arms through them. I love how tough meets pretty with this moto leather and sheer pink. I added a few delicate accessories and my floral single straps to complete the look. love you ladies for following along, have a great week!!