I usually try to get my Word of the Year post published before the end of January each year, but it totally escaped my mind this year since the first month of this year was so busy with wedding planning. But better late than never, right? 😊 I am really excited about my 2024 Word of the Year. This year's is such a good fit for my current life stage, and it also has such a positive connotation attached to it. I'm also sharing a few photos of one of my favorite casual winter outfits!
I've been picking a Word of the Year for the past several years, and it's always fun to watch the year go by and see how that word played into my experiences, goals, and memories of those 12 months. For 2023, I actually struggled a little bit with picking one! But I finally did make a selection, and I'm excited to share it today.
Today marks six months since I moved to Virginia Beach! I wrote a pretty lengthy post-move update at the three month mark back in October. Today's post definitely won't be quite as long, but I am still excited to share a recap of the first half-year I've spent living and working in Hampton Roads!
Last month marked four years since I entered the workforce full-time! My professional career thus far has been entirely spent in the radio industry, which definitely can be a bit unique compared to other career paths (even others in communications and media). But one thing that working in radio does have in common with any full-time job? The ongoing opportunity to advance your career and professional knowledge by seeking out career development and networking opportunities!
While employers in some industries are really intentional with paying for or helping their employees seek out professional development education opportunities, that isn't the case at every job or company. I'm a firm believer that there are always things that you can be doing on your own to help yourself network with those in your industry, or gain more knowledge about your field. While not all of these are free ideas, a lot of them are! Since I know most of you aren't in radio, I am going to try to make sure most of these ideas aren't just things that would apply to the radio industry. Most of these are things that I have done (a couple I haven't gotten to yet)... but out of the ones that I have done I've found them to be very beneficial!
What's the cure to a long and cold winter season during a pandemic? A.) lots of PINK, and B.) heart balloons! Am I wearing this outfit anywhere soon that's not this Richmond parking decor for these photos? No. But did it bring me so much joy to wear it for the sake of the blog and share it with you today? YES! And I think we all need more joy right now... 😊
Cyber Monday may have officially been yesterday, but a lot of the best deals and sales are still continuing into this week. The dress, coat, shoes, purse and earrings I'm wearing are all from the same retailer, and they currently have thousands of items marked down for their extended Cyber Monday sale, which is continuing today. Ready to learn where this outfit is from?
Even though Fashion Week is associated with expensive designer clothing pieces, I didn't let that deter me from my favorite affordable retailers when I was packing my outfits! Today's blog post features my very favorite outfit that I wore for NYFW, and you won't believe the price point.
ALSO- sharing a fun spring themed Rafflecopter giveaway at the end of this post that I'm participating in with some other bloggers, don't miss your chance to enter!
Happy Monday! Being honest for a second? This month I've been finding myself feeling pretty uninspired fashion-wise. January has been a brutally cold month here in Virginia, and by this time in the winter, I find it's usually hard to stay creative with fashion. I'm challenging myself for the rest of the cold weather to step it up with my outfits, and still enjoy the looks that I put together!
Fun fact: the pictures in today's blog post were taken way back in October! (As you can probably tell from the green grass and green trees behind me.) Fortunately, this dress is an easy one to transition into winter outfits, so I still wanted to share this look with you today. I'm also sharing today about a fun blog series idea that I'll be launching in 2019!
I think this is the first time that I've ever done an entire outfit of gray and pink, but I'm kind of liking the end result! I think this was a really fun color combo to wear for fall- a bit different than the usual earth tone colors that are popular in fall, but pink and gray still totally works together. I bought this dress at LOFT a couple of months ago and I just love it! There is a subtle leopard print in the fabric, but it isn't overwhelming. This is a perfect versatile fall/winter dress. It's actually what I'll be wearing to my work Christmas party later this week! I'm going to pair it with tights, heels, and a sparkly necklace instead of the pops of pink like I did in this outfit.
Switching gears- I wanted to share one of my ideas for blog content for 2019! The start of a new year is a perfect time to try something new when it comes to what's on the blog. All throughout 2019, I'm planning to do a different monthly series one day a week here on the blog. This is inspired by the moving out-of-state blog post series that I did last spring! I had so much fun writing those posts, and over the past few months I've realized there are a lot more topics that I'd like to go in-depth on with y'all. I decided Tuesday will be the day for these posts, and each month the topic will change! The first Tuesday series for January will be sharing a tour of my Virginia apartment- I'll share a different room each Tuesday during that month. I already have series topics picked for February and March as well! I'm excited really excited about this! Since this is my 6th year blogging, it's so important to me that I keep challenging myself as a blogger and finding ideas for content.
One last note not related to today's outfit or future blog content- thanks to everyone who checked in on me and sent such kind messages after I shared on Instagram Stories yesterday that I was in a weather related car accident! I will share the full story of what happened in Wednesday's post, but for now I am just so touched by everyone who reached out! I'm thankful I am okay and that there were no injuries- accidents are always scary. No blog post tomorrow as having that happen this weekend shook up my schedule a bit, but I'll talk to y'all Wednesday!
What comes to mind when you hear the phrase "Modern Classic Style"? For me, it would be wearing an outfit that is both current yet timeless. Something that I could wear five or ten years ago, or five or ten years from now, and still feel stylish wearing. The store that comes to mind? Definitely Talbots! Modern Classic Style happens to be their store slogan, and I think that it fits perfectly with their brand.
Talbots is able to accomplish something that I believe few women's fashion retailers can in this day and age. They're able to successfully appeal to women of all ages. I began shopping at Talbots early in my college years, and fell in love with some of their more feminine and preppy styles of clothing, as well as the accessories. I know that I will continue shopping at Talbots without a doubt for years to come.
The Talbots Friends & Family Event is currently going on now! They're offering 30% on all of their favorite styles, and this does include the new arrivals!! This is a great time to invest in some classic pieces for your fall and winter wardrobe. I am just obsessed with this gorgeous coat. It's called the Italian Wool Coat, and it comes in a few colors. I felt that this beautiful tan color would be the most versatile for my wardrobe! It also coordinated perfectly in that color with this chic purse and my black turtleneck sweater.
My mom took the blog photos for today's post when she was in Charlottesville visiting, and I just wanted to add in a quick extra note about why that was special for this campaign. As I've gotten older, my style has evolved and changed (which I suppose is normal for any girl growing up). Anyways, my adult style often tends to be different from my mom's. Her sense of style is very classic, and she prefers minimal or more dainty accessories and jewelry. I tend to favor really bold (possibly flashy) colors- there is definitely lots of neon in my wardrobe. And as far as jewelry... the bigger the earrings and necklaces the better!
Anyways, Talbots has consistently been a retailer that my mom and I can both shop at together, and each leave with a full shopping bag of new clothes and accessories. This store is ideal for mothers and daughters to shop at, and each one would find things that they like. My mom has generously bought me so many things from Talbots through the years- the earrings that I chose to wear in today's post being one of them. I've also bought her things from there for occasions like Mother's Day! When I think of my love for Talbots, I always think of my mom, so it was extra special that she got to take the photos in today's post. 😊
God Bless,
xoxo Annaliese
Thank you to Talbots for gifting me the items marked as c/o in today's post. All opinions in today's post are honest and my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that support Southern Belle in Training!
Good morning! I'm excited to share this fall outfit with you today. A lot of people think that pink is my favorite color because I wear a lot of it, but my favorite color has actually always been blue! I think that an all-blue outfit is a great fall fashion choice, and I love the items I'm wearing today.
Photography by my mom 😊
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I wasn't sure what to think of cut-out sweaters when the trend first became really popular a few seasons ago, but then I got my first one and I loved it! I'm really excited to keep wearing the blue sweater in today's post. I love the pretty pearl embellishments on the shoulders! This is a great sweater to throw on during the weekends when you want to keep your outfit simple, but also look cute and trendy.
I also love this blue suede jacket! Over the last few years, I've developed a real affinity for fall and winter coats (living in Vermont last year just fueled that!). Wearing a jacket in a pretty color is such a great way to brighten up any sort of basic fall or winter outfit. The coat that I'm wearing in today's post isn't warm enough for cold winters, but it makes an ideal fall or spring jacket! This coat has a suede-like feel to it, and when I wear it I find myself thinking of the song lyrics "Put on my blue suede shoes, and I boarded the plane" from the song Walking in Memphis! I just have to change shoes for coat. 😊
For the last few days I have been exhausted, but I think for two good reasons! You might have seen in yesterday's blog post that last week my family grew by four paws, and I welcomed home a new pet cat! It has been such a joy to finally have a pet, but it's also been a lot of work and a change to my schedule. The first night that she was home, she cried all night. She's doing a bit better now, but still meowing somewhat in the middle of the night. Today is also day five out of six for me of filling in on the morning show at the radio station that I work for, and I'm still adjusting with the really early morning wake-up time. It is my dream to someday do morning radio for my career, but I know if that day ever comes it'll be a huge schedule adjustment. I feel like I'm going to spend the later part of this week just SLEEPING - ha!
I promise I'll be a little more chatty in tomorrow's Midweek Ramblings post, and on Thursday I have a fun lifestyle blog post planned!
Happy Saturday! I'm popping in with a surprise weekend post today. I wanted to share more about the outfit that I wore for Easter Sunday in DC this year! It ended up being chillier than I hoped that weekend, but I still wanted to wear something that reflected springtime, and was perfect for a day of cherry blossom sightings and city exploring. FYI: this outfit was made up completely of older pieces that I already had in my closet so for most items I'm linking similar things, but I was able to find similar pieces for just about everything!
This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Southern Belle in Training!
I purchased this white wool skirt on a shopping trip in Canada last fall, but I actually never wore it once this winter! Easter weekend in DC had high temperatures in the upper 50s, so I knew that might be my last chance for this season to finally wear this cute skirt (this one is really similar from another favorite retailer of mine!). I brightened it up for Easter with one of my favorite colorful sweaters, and finished the look with a Lilly Murfee scarf (which I later realized the one I wore looks very similar to the DC scarf!). Normally as y'all know I'm all about getting dolled up for Easter with a new dress, but as I had untraditional Easter plans this year and the weather was cooler, this was a much better outfit choice!
What are the top three things that I associate with the state I've been calling home since the spring of 2017? Maple products, cheddar cheese, and classic red barns. I've done my fair share since moving to Vermont of consuming the first two, but the I hadn't had much exposure to that third item: the red barns! Vermont as a state has tons and tons of beautiful and classic red barns, some being used for traditional purposes as farming barns, and some restored into event venues, like the one you'll see in today's photos. The thing about finding a classic red barn is that the majority of them are in other parts of the state, either in the NEK (slang term for "Northeast Kingdom") or in Southern Vermont- both of these regions are about 2-ish hours from the Burlington area. I told one of my photographers, Melissa, that I wanted to try and find a beautiful red barn to visit within an hour radius to Burlington, and we were able to do just that!! I'm excited to share our visit to West Monitor Barn with you in today's post:
It was a mere six degrees outside when these photos were taken!! Hopefully I don't look too frozen here. 😊 I was so excited to finally do a photoshoot near a big red barn that I think my joy kept the freezing cold at bay at least for a little bit! I decided to style this classic white sweater and vest combo with bright pops of color in my accessories. I had fun pairing my pink Hunters and favorite blue DIFF sunglasses with this bold striped pom pom scarf. I think everything came out well for the finished product! That's the great thing about wearing "winter whites" like sweaters and vests, you can have so much fun adding color with your accessories. I've said this before on the blog, I am one of those people who follows the traditional rules about not wearing white after Labor Day. However- that applies to summer whites! Winter whites are awesome, I love my white sweaters especially.
The barn that Melissa and I went to is called West Monitor Barn, and it's about 45-ish minutes from the Burlington area. It's owned by the Vermont Youth Conversation Corps, but it can be rented out in the warmer months for weddings and other functions. This is literally the image I've had in my mind when I think of "classic Vermont barns," so I loved getting to visit here.
I'm keeping today's post short and sweet, but I'm looking forward to the other posts that are coming up on Southern Belle in Training this week! I've been having a lot of fun this month with different types of lifestyle content. With the cold weather this winter, it's reduced the amount that I've been shooting fashion posts for the blog, so it's challenged me creatively in other ways to still provide the same amounts of weekly blog posts for y'all. I hope you have enjoyed what I've been putting together, and as always I love blog post suggestions!
I might have mentally prepared myself for the snow in Vermont, but no amount of preparation got me ready for the cold! Brrrrr- it has been one chilly start to winter here in the Northeast. In my defense, record low temperatures have been reported in just about all states on the East Coast to start off 2018, not just Vermont, so I probably didn't pick the best year to take a job in New England! Ah well. One of my coping mechanisms for the sub-zero temperatures and plethora of snow has been to put together cute winter outfits! Today I'm sharing a recent favorite outfit of mine, and also talking about one of my favorite retailers for finding warm sweaters that have been helping me survive this cold season!
Despite what a lot of Vermonters think, North Carolina definitely had a winter season. There were a good few months of cold there, so I built up quite a sweater and coat collection during my college years. HOWEVER- "cold" and "winter weather" in the South means 30s and 40s, so it's mild enough for cute sweaters and coats! Here in Vermont, I seriously have started thinking it's a heat wave if I see temperatures beginning with 3s in the winter forecast. It is so darn cold up here in the mountains in the wintertime! A lot of my Southern appropriate sweaters and coats just will not cut it. This past weekend, the high temperatures didn't even get out of the negatives!! While that is a bit colder than average, winter days in the teens and single digits still aren't unusual for Vermont in January.
In the search for finding sweaters that are actually thick enough to keep me warm in this frozen state, I discovered how amazing the cold weather apparel is from Chicwish. I cannot get enough of their sweaters! Chicwish is an online international retailer that I just started shopping at last year. I had no idea what the quality of their sweaters would be like, but I styled one for this blog post in September. I was absolutely amazed at how warm and soft it was, and all around so impressed with the quality. The blue turtleneck sweater that I'm wearing in today's post is from Chicwish as well. I love how it is stylishy oversized. It's loose enough that I can layer extra tshirts under it for even more warmth on really cold days, but it's not too big that it looks frumpy. Sadly the color I'm wearing is sold out, but it's still available in this cream color!
Today's post isn't sponsored, I'm just really excited about finding a retailer that has cute and fashionable sweaters that are warm enough to help me survive Vermont winter!! 😊 I'm sharing a bunch more cute Chicwish sweaters below:
Speaking of Vermont's weather- it is warming up slightly this week, and it'll be back in the 30s in a couple days. I've never been so happy to see 30 degree temperatures!!
I have always wanted to do blog photos where Christmas trees are sold, and it's something that I never got to cross off my photoshoot location checklist while living in Charlotte. Maybe that worked out for the better... because getting to shoot amongst freshly snow covered Vermont Christmas trees for sale was really quite magical! The only thing not so magical was the weather... it was seriously 10 degrees when Amanda and I were out here! But we made it happen anyways, and I think it was worth it! I'm also getting real at the end of today's post about how to get real with yourself when the holiday season is filled with personal anxieties and stress.
It is very hard to find a winter coat that is still cute and fashionable, but can also keep you warm and insulated in New England's bitter cold winter temperatures. I am so pleased to report that this gorgeous coat checks off both of those boxes! It actually kept me quite warm and toasty on the freezing morning that Amanda and I were out shooting these pictures, and I think it has the most darling plaid pattern as well! I know I'll be reaching for this coat many more times during the upcoming months of winter. A note on the sizing- this brand does tend to run smaller, so I ordered a M. It is a bit large, so I probably could have gone with a S (my normal size) and been fine. But sometimes it's good to have coats a little larger- that means you can wear a super thick sweater and scarf underneath and still have extra room!
I am a fake Christmas tree girl all the way (check out this blog post to see how I decorated my tree this year!), but I do think there is something very beautiful about Christmas tree farms or lots. Vermont is very big on all things local, so it wasn't surprising to me to learn that they have tons of tree farms here! Amanda and I stumbled on this little tree lot set up in downtown Shelburne, a quaint lakefront town near Burlington, and taking these photos there really did get me into the holiday spirit!
This year could be my first white Christmas in several years! I have gone home to Maine every year for the holiday (minus a couple years where my parents and I have traveled), but the last few years it has been mild in New England for the holiday! One Christmas a few years ago it hit 60 degrees... not even joking (it was also my dream come true). Definitely a warm weather girl! Well- I might finally get to see a white Christmas again this year whether I like it or not! Snow is headed for Northern New England on Christmas Day! I'm just hoping the snow will coordinate itself around my driving schedule so I can make it home safely.... and be able to get home at all!
Getting real for a second about something not related to cute coats and Christmas trees- the past couple weeks have been really rough for me personally. I struggled with anxiety and depression in high school, and honestly I don't remember feeling as awful as I've felt lately since that time in my life several years ago. It seems a bit ironic, to be dealing with lots of anxiety, stress and uncertainty, in what is supposed to be the most magical time of the year, but I guess that's what adulting can sometimes bring. I am trying to make some positive life changes for 2018 following my holiday travels, in hopes that the new year will be one filled with less stress and anxiety, and more joy and peace. I can get much more into detail about all of that in another blog post! But just for right now, I did want to share that it hasn't been the easiest few weeks. Sometimes in this Instagrammable world that we live in (especially at the holiday season I feel like), it's easy to see pretty pictures and assume that all is happy and perfect in someone's life, but that isn't always the case. It's always good to keep it real and speak up and seek support if you're dealing with a lot. 😊
Happy Thursday! Thanks so much as always for reading. Y'all's comments always truly make my day!
