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!
Today (November 12th, 2021) is the day that Britney Spears's conservatorship is supposed to finally be dissolved in court. Everyone following the #FREEBRITNEY movement knows that this has been a very long time coming. Last month, I styled a Britney Spears concert t-shirt for the blog, and as soon as I remembered that her final conservatorship hearing was coming up, I decided to save these photos for today!
Hey friends- happy Monday! I've been super busy lately and there's a few things happening behind-the-scenes in life right now... so starting off the week with a lighthearted outfit post sounds good to me. This look was so much fun to put together, and it's honestly making me happy to see a cute outfit like this on a Monday.
This is also the first outfit post in a long time where I'm using a mix of iPhone and camera photos!! The first three are from my DSLR camera, and the last two are phone snaps. I'd love to know if there's one you prefer or if you can tell the difference!
Another plot twist of 2020? It's the year I fell back in love with wearing sneakers- for non-athletic purposes that is! For the past several years, wearing sneakers solely for fashion hasn't really been my thing. If I wasn't working out or doing something with a lot of walking, I wouldn't have been wearing them. I definitely think it's the rise in popularity for Golden Goose sneakers over the past year that's had me reconsidering wearing sneakers more often again.
I'm not sure if you've ever looked into buying Golden Goose sneakers, but they aren't cheap. (I'm honestly not sure there's a more overpriced shoe currently out there- I mean that!) The good news? I've found the most affordable pair of white star sneakers that are so great they deserved their own blog post today! Dare I say I think these are even cuter than Golden Goose? Plus they're on sale right now!!
Vera Bradley has managed to do what I thought was impossible: they've made me a backpack fan! They kindly gifted me two of their post popular backpack styles for a social media campaign a couple months ago, and I've been enjoying using them so much that I wanted to share the photos here as well and a review of both styles.
Happy First Day of the Winter 2020 After Party Sale!! 🎉Who is ready to shop at 8am this morning when the sale queue opens? (If you have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about- see this blog post!)
I'll be updating this post later today with my sale picks once the website opens and I can link them, but until then I wanted to do something different on the blog today for this After Party Sale. I'm sharing my five most unexpected favorite Lilly Pulitzer purchases from over the years. Obviously Lilly is known for their classic and colorful shift dresses, but they also make so much more apparel and accessories as well! Some of the items I'm highlighting today are older and the exact thing might still not be in stock, but I'll try linking a very similar other option instead if that's the case.
In the spirit of November, let's chat Thanksgiving! I think this outfit would be perfect to wear for a Thanksgiving meal, and there's a high chance I might be wearing something similar next Thursday. I also wanted to share my Thanksgiving plans for this year with y'all, since they changed a few weeks ago!
The older I get, I feel like the less likely I am to try certain trends. In high school and college, I was all about it. I knew that I loved wearing bright colors and fun prints, but I didn't have much of a sense of my personal style yet aside from that. Now I'm pretty selective about trying new trends- I don't feel pressured anymore to try ones that aren't something I'd wear if they weren't "in." Today's post though features one big 2019 trend that I'm glad I have finally come around and embraced: midi skirts with sneakers!
I celebrated 7 years of blogging last month, and in that time-frame there have been so many incredible moments and memories that I've had. I've been lucky enough to partner with so many wonderful brands and companies over the years, and even formed long-lasting business relationships with a few. It's only natural though that there have also been some blog opportunities that didn't turn about to be as positive as I envisioned. A couple weeks ago I had to deal with an unexpected awkward situation with a blogging collaboration, so I wanted to share today how I handled it! And share one of my favorite outfits that I wore on my Charleston trip last week as well.
Happy Thursday! Today I'm sharing an outfit that I wore in Nashville a few weeks ago. I normally only share camera photos for outfit posts on the blog, but today I'm mixing things up a little bit as these are actually all iPhone photos.
Last weekend I was in Washington DC for a quick 48-hour trip. DC is quickly becoming my favorite city to play tourist in on Saturdays and Sundays! There are endless fun things to do, and always something new to see. It's hard to get tired of visiting there! One thing I will say about DC is that it is a "go go go" type of town. This isn't the best tourist destination for a relaxing weekend, but instead it's one to check out if you like having a full itinerary and tons of stuff to do. Putting together outfits for being a busy weekend tourist can be challenging. Athletic clothing and sneakers might be the most comfortable to wear, but if you're anything like me, you still want to look cute and fashionable in all the photos you'll be taking. In today's post, I'm sharing the simple but chic outfit that I wore in DC last weekend!
And here's a couple fun photos in front of the White House!!
This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Southern Belle in Training!
After this past weekend, I am convinced that jumpsuits are the ideal outfit choice for tourist activities! They're so easy to wear, and yet you look like you spent a lot more time getting ready. 😉I also get cold very easily, so I like the fact that most jumpsuits cover more of your legs than dresses. The only hassle with jumpsuits is of course that they're really annoying to take off if you have to go to the bathroom... but hey, I'll take that in exchange for how cute they look on! This orange floral jumpsuit is gorgeous, and I loved wearing it for a morning of sightseeing in DC. I ordered a size M, and it fit me perfectly.
I have fallen in love with visiting DC for weekend trips! The DMV (District, Maryland, Virginia) area has an exorbitant cost of living and a bit of a fast paced and intense lifestyle, so while I'm not sure I'd ever want to live and work there, it's the absolute best to visit on weekends!! Without traffic, I live just under two hours from some of the Virginia DC suburb towns (like Tyson's Corner, a big shopping district), and about two and a half hours from DC proper and the Maryland suburbs. It's a really easy drive to get up there from Charlottesville, and I intend to keep taking full advantage of this!
The plethora of amazing free things to do in DC continues to blow my mind. In addition to all of the museums and attractions, there is world class shopping and dining. DC is such a beautiful city to visit as well; the architecture styles and unique charm of all the different areas is wonderful. My favorite DC weekend was still my first trip up last spring, when my friend Mercedes and I saw all things cherry blossoms! I also wrote a blog post after that weekend detailing some fun and free things to do in DC, which you can check out here. I'm planning another weekend in DC around the holidays to see the city all decorated, but truth be told I'm most excited for cherry blossoms in 2019!
Have a wonderful weekend! My mom is here visiting me in Virginia, and I'm looking forward to hopefully doing some exploring with her on Sunday after church. A new Relationship Monday is coming to the blog next week!
Fellow fashion lovers- I don't think there is anything better than finally finding the perfect version of something that you've been wanting to have in your closet! Today I'm sharing all about a beautiful tweed blazer that I found completely by chance. I'm also sharing some blog post ideas for the upcoming weeks- I've been feeling in a bit of a "same old, same old" rut for blog content over this month, and I'm ready to write some really fun posts!
For years now, I've wanted a tailored pink tweed blazer. This just seems like such a chic and versatile piece of clothing, and one that can get a lot of wear especially in the fall and spring months! I'd looked at some in stores occasionally over the last couple years, but all of the tweed blazers I found were either not a good fit, or too expensive for me to justify purchasing. I had faith that if I was patient, I'd eventually find the perfect one!
When I was back visiting Charlotte over Labor Day Weekend, I treated myself to an afternoon of solo shopping at SouthPark Mall. The Labor Day Sales were fantastic this year, and SouthPark has the best store selection in Charlotte. Ann Taylor has been one of my favorite retailers for a few years now, but I always prefer to shop there in-store rather than online. We don't have a store in Charlottesville, so I knew I had to visit the SouthPark store! Way in the back on the clearance rack, there was *one* beautiful pink tweed blazer hanging on a random rack. I quickly snatched it and took it to the dressing room, and it fit perfectly. I couldn't believe my luck- I'd finally found THE blazer! Even better, I found it for 70% off. Patience paid off, literally! Since I found this one on clearance, I unfortunately can't link it for y'all. This one is also from Ann Taylor and is very similar though!
I also want to give a quick shout-out to these cute faux suede boots that JustFab sent me to style. They arrived to me shortly after I found my dream blazer, so I knew I wanted to pair the two together! I love how this look turned out, and it will probably be on repeat for me at work this fall season.
On a personal note- the month of September has been absolutely nuts for me! There's been a lot going on behind-the-scenes in my life that I'm still not able to share on the blog quite yet, but hopefully I can soon. My mind has been going a million miles a minute this month and hasn't been focused on Southern Belle in Training as much as it usually is. I'm hoping that October will bring the good news that I've been praying about, and that I'll be ready to tackle the rest of the fall blog content season in full force! A few upcoming blog post ideas that I have include an updated list of podcasts that I love, a big fall book reviews post, a post all about my US bucket list travel destinations, some honest thoughts about my personal experience with situation depression last year, and an October post for my Relationship Monday series! If you have any blog posts requests for the next month, let me know in the comments. 🙂
Not sure what I'm more shocked by today- the fact that I'm 24, or the fact that I've managed to keep this blog up and running (and thriving?) for SIX years!! Thank you so much for reading today and celebrating with me. 😊I always do some sort of a different type of post to celebrate my birthday and blogiversary. This year I did six lists of six things that all relate to my blogging journey over the years.
6 Things I Wish I Could Tell Myself When I First Started My Blog:
Made two Instagrams (blog and personal) when I started blogging: This is my biggest regret! I didn't make a separate personal private IG until I'd been blogging for almost three years! I love to post personal pictures and memories with friends and family on Instagram, but for the first couple years that I blogged my feed was mostly that. I think that's part of the reason that to this day I still have a lower Instagram following, and in the early days it took me forever to gain followers. People were probably confused if my account was blog related or personal!
Invest in photography earlier: For the first two years of SBIT, my photography "strategy" was to have miscellaneous friends at college snap my pictures on my old Kodak digital camera... somewhere random on campus. I have photos from so many weird locations, and I also didn't know a lot about posing in the early days! Not to mention that I knew nothing about natural light (in my first year I literally would shoot blog photos in a dark hallway inside my dorm... *shakes head*). You don't necessarily need a DSLR or professional photographer to launch a blog, but I wish I had taken the photography side of things more seriously in the beginning, even when it was just an iPhone and little digital camera!
Don't take random sponsored posts just to make a quick dollar: In the past couple years, I've gotten really good about only saying yes to sponsored work for brands or products that I myself would personally endorse, or have a lot of experience using. With some of my very first sponsored posts... eh. Way back in the day, I did sponsored posts for everything from a documentary that I'd never watched, a breakfast food that I had never eaten, and even.... toilet paper. (Twice for that, lol!!) Granted I was a young college student at the time I started SBIT, and any extra income was helpful. But still... if only I could go back in time and tell myself to be more selective, haha!
You WILL eventually get into rewardStyle: I was literally obsessed with getting into rS/LTK for a couple years. All of my friends at school knew it too because I talked about it 24/7! It finally happened about a year after I thought it would- I wish I had more faith at the time that it would happen someday and that I wouldn't have obsessed!
Started travel blogging earlier: In the last year and a half, it's been SO fun to get into travel blogging and start working with hotels and tourism boards. Travel blogging really wasn't as big of a thing six years ago when I started all this. I feel like I could have stood out more in the blog world had I started doing that much earlier.
Make a separate email address for blogging: When I started this blog, I decided to use my childhood email address for it- rainbowflash94@yahoo.com. Yes- in 2018, this is still the blog email that I use! I have meant to switch it over the years, but at this point I'm on so many PR lists and so many brands already have this email as my contact, that it just seems annoying to switch it to something else. In 2012, as far as email addresses go I wasn't thinking this far ahead though!
6 Ways Blogging Has Changed My Life:
Confidence that I never knew I had: My high school years were rough. I didn't really make any close friends until my senior year. During part of junior year, I suffered from crippling anxiety and depression. For most of those years, I always felt less-than and like a reject. Blogging helped me to find confidence and inner beauty that I never knew that I had! By sharing not only my outfits, but also bits and pieces of my personal life on the internet, it felt that I finally had a voice.
A steady side income: I don't blog full time and don't intend to, but for a few years my blog has been more than just a hobby; it's become a second business opportunity! I am so thankful for this. I've never done a full post on blogging income before, so you might be wondering how I use most of the money I get from blogging. Some of it goes back into the blog (Photography is the biggest expense, as well as website upkeep and things like media kits), Sometimes I will treat myself to a special shopping purchase or meal with blog earnings, and for awhile last year I was using my blog bank account for monthly student loan payments. But the majority of my earnings? I actually keep in savings! Anyways- I'm very thankful for the financial blessings this blog has brought! Anytime that you purchase off an affiliate link on this blog, you're helping to support by side hustle.
Wonderful new friends: I've met so many amazing women (and a couple men!) through the blogging world. I never knew that the internet could help me find such dear friends! When I lived in Charlotte, so much of my social life was comprised of blogging meet-ups, and I loved it. I am especially thankful for blogging friends as this blog and my Instagram helped me meet and connect with two great bloggers when I lived in Vermont last year for work. It was so hard for me to make friends there for the first few months, so if I hadn't met these two ladies through blogging, I'm not sure what I would have done! I've also become close friends with some of my photographers I've worked with!
More technology knowledge: I've been using social media for business reasons for years now, thanks to blogging! I'm definitely not an expert by any means, but it has been fun to help friends and coworkers over the years with things they didn't know about Instagram, blogging, or other social media. My blog also got me a paid internship as Social Media Coordinator for six months when I was in broadcasting school!
Managing my time better: I didn't truly learn time management until I started taking blogging seriously. Whether I was busy with college commitments (now work commitments) or not, blog posts still had to be written! Creating an editorial calendar a few years ago for the first time really helped me with planning ahead, and now I think I'm pretty good at time management, mostly due to balancing blogging with everything else in my life for so many years!
Experience writing business emails: For years now, I've been writing business emails, follow-ups, and pitches to brands and businesses. Emails for all of these collaborations have helped me become pretty good and composing and sending a business related email. I also feel like I have a good grasp on how to respond to a brand that isn't professional in their emails!
6 Favorite Blogging Memories From The Past Years:
Attending my first blogging conference: I went to The Blog Societies Conference in 2016! It was held in Charleston, South Carolina. I met so many new friends there, and learned so much. It was a turning point for me to really take my blog even more seriously.
Getting into rewardStyle: I CRIED happiest tears on the day it finally happened!
Reaching 10k on Instagram (without buying followers / using bots): I've never had the biggest Instagram following and over time I've come to accept that. In the early years, a long time went by when reaching 10k felt impossible! On the day that it finally happened, I was ecstatic. The best part was I already had hit 10k before Instagram released the Swipe Up feature!
Writing my Senior Capstone Paper for undergrad about blogging: I've never spoken too much about this on my blog, but I actually wrote my 40+ page Capstone paper (a requirement for my major to graduate college!) all about the blogging industry, and how blogging had impacted my life up until that point. This was such a special topic, and it made working on the project really fun.
Being the Regional Chair for Charlotte area bloggers for the InfluenceHer Collective (formerly Her Campus Blogging Network): For about two years, I was the Regional Chair for the Charlotte area, and I got to plan really fun meet-ups with other bloggers every few months! There were so many awesome girls in the area that I got to meet in person through this. Plus, I really love planning events!
Every time a brand or business sends me a follow-up email saying they enjoyed working with me: The BEST feeling!! I am so happy after each time that I have a successful collaboration.
6 Biggest Lessons I've Learned As A Blogger:
Be authentic: I wouldn't be interested in following someone who just copies what other people have already done- whether that's specific outfits, Lightroom presets and editing, writing style, etc. Some of my favorite bloggers that I follow are girls who are unique and proud of it! That's what I strive to be every day on my blog and social media.
Be happy for others' successes: #CommunityOverCompetition! Since I don't blog full time, use sketchy Instagram practices to gain followers, or stick to one niche specifically, I've grown slower than others over the years in terms of page views and followers. I'm finally at a place where I'm okay with that. There will always be someone else who gets an opportunity that I don't. The best thing I can do is support that blogger and be happy for them! Then go back to focusing on my own lane. There's no point to be jealous of someone - you'll never know their full backstory. Supportive and kindhearted girls go far in the long run!
Don't be afraid to share a bit of your heart: A lot of my blog posts with the highest page views are my personal ones! My blog has made me feel more comfortable and able to open up about different things- both in the online world with writing posts, and also in person with friends!
Instagram is filtered and staged reality: I don't trust many of the things that I see on IG or blogs these days- so much of this type of lifestyle is filtered and staged! (To a certain degree) I don't think there's anything wrong with that, but blogging has definitely made me view others' lives differently, and be less jealous too, as you'll never know someone's full story from a staged photo!
I can stick with something long term: This might be the most personal part of this whole really long post! If I had to give one of my weaknesses as a person, I'd say that sometimes I don't stick with things longterm, and it becomes a problem. I grew up as a competitive figure, but quit after an injury in middle school. In high school, I dabbled with different types of dance and school team sports, but didn't keep any of those going into college. Talking about college... I transferred schools! I stayed in Vermont at my first job just under a year before wanting to move South again. I don't necessarily regret any of those things that I just listed, but I've always had an insecurity based on some of my past life decisions that I have trouble sticking with something. Clearly- blogging proved that really wrong!! Happy SIX years!
You can meet the BEST friends through the internet: Safety online is always important, but with that said, amazing friends are in abundance online! I'm a lot more open to meeting friends through blogging now than I was when I started.
6 Of My Favorite Fashion Posts (one from each year):
Thank YOU for being apart of my blogging journey over the past six years!! Here's to the next six... and hopefully more. Now I'm off to work, and to enjoy my 24th birthday too!
Happy Monday- lots to chat about today! I recently styled this outfit from JustFab for an Instagram collaboration, but I loved the photos and outfit so much that I wanted to share here on my blog as well. 😊Further down in this blog post, I'm also sharing some thoughts about the direction I want my Instagram content to go in, and I'd love your feedback!
Styling this outfit for an Instagram collaboration was actually my first time trying things from JustFab- but I can definitely say I'm a fan!! I was curious how this dress would actually look on me after seeing it online, but I love it. It's such a flattering style, and the grey floral print would be so easy to transition from summer to fall. Pair this dress with these pink suede block heels and suede jacket makes the ideal business casual look for this time of year. It's a bit too dressy for me to wear this outfit to my job (Although who are we kidding- I've worn stuff fancier than this to work!), but this is also an ideal church outfit in my opinion! I've always been #TeamDressUpForChurch- so you can bet I'll be wearing this outfit to a Sunday service this month or next.
Changing gears for a second to talk about something that normally try not to talk too heavily about on my blog: the I-word. Instagram!!! It seems like every time that a blogger says anything about Instagram online, it immediately becomes a long rant about how the algorithms are making their lives miserable, and it's all Instagram's fault if they aren't getting a lot of likes, engagement, or collaboration opportunities. While I do often *internally complain* to myself about how frustrating using Instagram as a blogger can be, I don't feel there's much of a purpose in sharing those rants here on my blog. It's all been said many times before by too many bloggers to count! What I would like to talk about today instead related to Instagram is my thoughts about the type of feed that I want to curate here on out.
There were lots of fashion influencers already on Instagram way back in 2012 when I made my account. (My @miss_alk account was created a few months before I started this blog, and I used it for a long time as personal feed!) There were tons of fashion influencers on Instagram in 2015, when I made a separate personal account and started using @miss_alk really just for fashion and blog content. And today in 2018? TOO MANY fashion bloggers and influencers on Instagram to count!! Something that I've started to notice about a lot of the newer fashion blogger feeds that are popping up is that they all look exactly the same. And no- I'm not talking about how the photos are edited or the weird orange preset trend that's going around (that's a discussion for another day). I mean the types of poses girls are doing, the standard Instagram "props" that everyone has in their photos (Starbucks cup, flowers in purse, etc etc), the clothing itself... it's a rare day on Instagram now when I don't see several girls all wearing the same top or dress from Nordstrom. And captions! Oh my goodness, everyone's captions sound exactly the same. This might be what's been bothering me the most! You'll see a couple superficial lines about "OMG it's finally Fri-Yay! Who else is #WeekendReady?" or "I am so obsessed with this top! My favorite top ever! I bought it in all 6 colors omg omg omg!" And you know what I have to say about all of these repeat Instagram behaviors? After blogging and being apart of this world for almost six years... I'm sick of all of this!
I have nothing against putting time into creating visual content, whether for your blog itself or Instagram. I really do love and truly appreciate good photography- it's why I've been working with photographers for the majority of my own content for 2+ years now. The issue that I've been having lately with following fashion bloggers is that there seems to be no more creativity. Everyone is copying everyone else, and worse then that- everyone is trying to shove sales down my throat. I don't think there's anything wrong with using Liketoknow.it on Instagram (I obviously use it myself). It can be a useful tool to find out where items are from, and I have the app on my phone to use for shopping other blogger's photos sometimes. My issue is that for so many fashion bloggers right now, it seems like they only use Instagram because of Liketoknow.it. They're solely existing and operating their brands with the desire to sell me things, not to inspire me.
I started this blog during my freshman year of college as a way that I could share the fun and creative outfits that I'd wear to class and school activities on weekdays. I didn't have a huge budget to spend on clothing or accessories, and I wanted to blog to hopefully inspire girls who shared my love of fashion and also shared my limited budget. While my blog has changed a lot over the years, and now of course I do use affiliate marketing and create sponsored content for brands, my goal has remained that I want to inspire people. I want girls (and some guys?) who read this blog to feel like we are virtual friends, and that if I'm wearing something or recommending something, it's like friend-to-friend conversations where I share things that I love. When I see fashion blogger after fashion blogger who only wants to sell me the latest thing that they're wearing on their Instagram, it feels less like a friend relationship and more like they're those annoying kiosk salespeople in the mall chasing me down. Anyone else feel that?
So why am I bringing this up today? I want to start making some gradual changes to my Instagram feed. I'm still going to use Liketoknow.it, because like I said above I do think it's a useful tool. However- I don't want this to be the focus on ANY of my posts (okay unless maybe it's a Lilly Pulitzer sale week- #honesty). I want my not only my photography on the 'Gram to be creative and detailed, but also my captions to be on the same level of thought. I want to STOP taking the easy way out and captioning a really beautiful photo something like "OMG love this blue dress!! Download the LiketoKnow.it app to shop it now" to funny captions, to have personal captions, to have a caption that makes you smile and chuckle, and also some captions that make you stop and think. I will still be posting outfit photos- because styling looks and shooting them is something that I enjoy (all in hopes to inspire someone else). But with that said, going forward with my Instagram I also want to include more of my own photography. I actually love taking my own photos when I'm traveling, or even locally sometimes!! Being behind the camera and not just in front of it is something that I want to continue to do. I want to share with y'all way more of my pictures of landscapes and flowers and city skylines and just anything that piques my eye to take a picture!! More uniqueness and true inspiration in my feed, less doing what everyone else is doing. I'm not saying that I'll never post a selfie or picture of me doing a typical blogger pose while holding a coffee cup ever again- but if I do post a photo of one of those things in the future, there will be a purpose for sharing that image on Instagram, and the purpose won't solely be trying to sell you something on Liketoknow.it, or having to post just for the sake of posting.
Okay- this rambling about Instagram feeds turned out to be way longer than I expected. Whoops! But I'd love to know what you think about all of this- let me know in the blog comments below, or on Instagram this evening when I share one of these photos and a shorter version of all of this! 😉
"Suit Up!" -Barney Stinson, How I Met Your Mother
Any other HIMYM fans here? Anyone else super sad that it's not on Netflix anymore? Anyways, while it wasn't exactly the bodysuit trend that Barney was referring to with his famous quote on the show, I think it could apply. 😉In today's post, I'm sharing how I styled my first bodysuit, and why I now love this trend. AND I have an exclusive discount code for y'all to use at one of my favorite online retailers as well!
Similarly to many very "trendy" trends, I was a bit hesitant about bodysuits when they first began popping up in magazines and stores a couple years ago. They looked rather uncomfortable to wear, and a lot of the ones that I'd see girls wearing in college were quite... er, revealing. I wondered if there was a comfortable and fairly modest bodysuit out there- if there was I figured I would give it a try! I finally found one this spring from Shein, my favorite online retailer for fast fashion pieces. This bodysuit has absolutely exceeded my expectations and is now one of my favorite things in my closet for spring!
I've tried several Shein swimsuits in the past and have always sized up, so I did with this bodysuit as well. I ordered a size Medium and it fit perfectly!! It is made of the most comfortable material, and I have been loving wearing it. Radio is such a casual industry that I actually wore the outfit pictured above to work! This bodysuit is so versatile that I could both wear it to work, and also wear it for fun nights out. And if you're wondering how going to the bathroom / taking it off works... there are handy snaps at the bottom of it! (Think like a baby's onesie, haha!) So it's easier to wear than a romper.
Speaking of Shein, they have generously sent me a discount code to share with y'all for any spring shopping you might be doing!! I've been shopping at Shein for a few years now and they have become my #1 destination for any fast fashion or trendy pieces. With their very low prices, you will find that some pieces are cheaply made, but there are also some true fashion gems to be found on Shein!! You can use code missalk20 for 20% off at Shein, now through June 30th!
Today's photos were taken by Lacey Botteon Photography. Just like me, Lacey recently moved to Charlottesville! She is re-launching her photography business here in the Charlottesville area, so be sure to check out her website if you're looking for portrait photography in this area. I have been so lucky to find a great array of blog photographers right after moving here!! I love getting to work with Meredith Sledge, and I have also just started working with Kate Greer- you'll see photos from her soon!
I hope the start of your week is going well, and thank you as always for reading my blog! It's a busy week for me at my day job- my radio station has live broadcast events out in the community every day this week and for part of next week to promote a big contest that we're doing!
Spring and summer means that baseball season is in full swing! When I put this outfit together, the first thing that came to mind was "This would be so great to wear to a baseball game." I don't have any to attend on my agenda right now- but I'm going with that for the theme of this post! (Note: these photos were actually taken at the beautiful UVA campus in Charlottesville. But this outfit still makes me think of baseball games- haha!)
So... get this. Before Summer 2016 (that's the summer right after I graduated college)- I had never been to a baseball game before! Isn't that insane?! I grew up in Maine, and we have a very popular minor league team there called the Portland Seadogs. I grew up figure skating, and my ice rink in Portland was actually next-door to the stadium that the Seadogs played at in the summer! But despite that, I never made it to a game. A lot of people in Maine are also huge Boston Red Sox fans, but similarly with the Seadogs, I didn't have any huge Boston sports fans that were a big part of my life, so it wasn't something I grew up loving. The college that I transferred to in Charlotte and ended up graduating from didn't have baseball as a sport, so I didn't have an option to go to college baseball games either. To be honest- I never really thought much about baseball at all until I finally made it to a game!
WELL - my chance to go to a baseball game finally came two summers ago! Charlotte's minor league team, the Knights, have a fairly new stadium right in the heart of Uptown. I went to a game with my roommate at the time, Ciera, and her family. I also went to a Greensboro Grasshoppers game that summer with Cara from Caralina Style. Baseball games are so much fun- especially minor league ones I think!! It's an excuse to enjoy a beer or other cold beverage, treat yourself to tasty ballpark food, and enjoy a warm spring or summer evening outside with friends. Some nights at the ballpark are themed as well and there are giveaways- I won a free t-shirt at the game I went to with Cara that I still wear frequently to the gym. To be honest, I still don't completely understand all of the rules of baseball, but it's also not the hardest sport to follow along with either! The best part of all is that minor league games are pretty cheap to get tickets to, so it's an affordable way to have a fun evening. Vermont had its own minor league team, and I'm still a little bummed I never made it to a game while I lived there. Ah well!
Anyways, if I get the chance to go to any baseball games in Virginia this season, I feel like I'll wear this outfit or one very similar!! A casual fitted dress paired with a jean jacket and Converse seems like the ideal outfit for a summer sporting event. You'll look and feel cute, but will still be comfortable and not be overdressed! My dress is actually a clearance rack find from a few months ago (it was only $10!). The good thing about striped dresses the one I'm wearing is it wouldn't be hard to find one like this from another retailer - this one is similar!!
I'm really excited about tomorrow's blog post. Grocery Month will be starting on the blog! I first got the idea to do this on Instagram, after I posted a Story about something to do with grocery shopping several weeks ago, and my DMs blew up after! Clearly a lot of y'all enjoy grocery shopping and talking groceries as much as I do, so I got the idea to do Grocery Month for May. In these blog posts I'll be visiting all of the grocery store chains that Charlottesville has, and reviewing them! Which meet my personal grocery shopping needs best (as a single female who lives alone), which have the best selections of products, which are most affordable, etc. I've never done a blog post series like this before, so I'm not really sure where it will go, but I sure am excited!
Happy Monday Friends! Today's post is a little shorter and sweeter than usual. I have longer posts on the way for later this week (the second post in my moving out of state series is on deck for tomorrow) so we'll just chat fashion today. But I am super excited to share this outfit with one of my favorite dresses- I know this will be a staple in my closet for awhile!
There was a 50% off sale at LOFT a couple weeks ago, so I popped into the Charlottesville store one morning on my way to work. I loved so many of the LOFT new spring arrivals!! Their dresses for this season are especially cute and classic. Even though I work in radio, an extremely casual industry as far as dress codes go, I still like to look presentable and put together for work (it helps me to focus better on-air!), and in the spring/summer I wear dresses many days to work. As soon as I laid eyes on this dress, I knew it had to come home with me! It's pretty much the ideal spring dress. It can be dressed up for a more business casual workplace (doesn't it look nice paired with my black blazer?), but could easily be dressed down with a different hairstyle and shoes for the weekend. It's very flattering and accentuates your assets while still being modest... so a win-win in that department!
Wishing you a great start to your week today! Mondays and Fridays are shaping up to be my busier days of the week at my new job (busy start to the week and busy end to the week). I also have a lot to do this morning for the blog and things around my apartment before heading to work- but I like productive Mondays so bring it on!
OH- before I forget, I had a surprise Saturday blog post this weekend! Sharing one of the details about one of the outfits that I wore in DC for Easter Weekend- check it out here.
