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!
I had to wait a couple weeks longer then some of my friends did for theirs, but my stimulus check finally arrived last Thursday. In today's blog post, I thought I'd share what I'm using my check for, and a few extra ideas for other things you can do with them. And I'm also sharing a fun and preppy spring outfit!
I know I'm sharing a post with "New Years' Resolutions" in the title about three weeks after the start of 2020... whoops! In full honesty, I've found that I have a much better success rate of completing my resolutions when I don't start them in January 1st, but end up taking the first 2-3 weeks of the year to really brainstorm my goals and visions, instead of rushing coming up with them. Today I'm taking a look back at last year's resolutions, and also sharing the ones I have for 2020!
Confession time: I've been taking a weekly break from Instagram for the last year and a half or so, and it's been one of the best decisions I've ever made!
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'm wearing one of my very favorite Lilly Pulitzer pieces on the blog today- and I can't believe this is the first time this skort has gotten its own outfit post! I've had it for over five years, so better late than never I guess? I also wanted to chat about when the next After Party Sale might be- safe to say at this point it'll be within the next month, if not sooner!
As soon as I got this skirt in the mail a couple months ago, the first thing I could think of was "This makes me feel like a human Popsicle!" A human Popsicle in a flattering way that is. 😉 While I don't eat Popsicles very often anymore, they were my favorite summer treat for years when I was growing up. Plus- they're often super colorful and just a fun symbol of the summer season. Anyways, I shared my Popsicle skirt on Instagram a few months ago, but I've been wanted to give it a blog post as well!
I think this is by far the most FUN outfit that I've worn in 2019! It's a pet peeve of mine when bloggers refer to everything they wear as their "favorite item" (you can't have a new favorite five days a week on Instagram!)... but y'all this skirt really is my new favorite, haha! Also sharing a little summer bucket list in today's post!
Happy December! It just wouldn't be the Christmas season on my blog until I shared some photos with a huge decorated tree, right? 😉Sharing this year's edition of my blog Christmas photos today, as well as a few of my own personal Christmas traditions!
Photography by my mom 😊
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Each year I like to do some sort of a dressy look for my Christmas tree photos, but I do something a little different each year. I haven't done a dress and skirt combination since 2015 (the first year I did these type of photos for the blog!), so it felt right to bring it back. Both my white sweater and this fun wrap midi skirt are from Chicwish, which has become one of my favorite retailers for unique pieces. I thought I'd add in a little color by pairing this look with my favorite pair of red bow pumps! Red shoes just scream Christmas to me.
The wreath that I'm holding in these photos is very special to me! I made this last year on Thanksgiving in Vermont. I wasn't able to travel for that holiday last year with my work schedule, so I went for Thanksgiving dinner at the house of a family that went to my Vermont church. My friend Anna also wasn't able to travel home for the holiday, so she joined as well. After eating, we had a Christmas crafting session, where we each made a wreath! I picked out the ribbon and accessories on mine from Hobby Lobby. I still can't believe that I made what was literally my dream wreath! Maybe next year I'll bring back the tradition of doing Christmas crafts on Thanksgiving.
I also wanted to share my Christmas traditions with y'all in today's post! I think there is kind of a bad assumption out there that you have to be married or have a family of your own to make grown-up Christmas traditions. I'm here to tell you that I think that's 100% false! While my family did have both Christmas and Hanukkah traditions (My dad was raised Jewish) when I was growing up, I took it upon myself to create my own ones, starting senior year of college! Here are my personal Christmas traditions:
Set up my Christmas tree on November 1st (est. 2016): Fall 2016 was a really rough season of life for me. By the end of October, I was ready to bring on as much early Christmas cheer as possible! That year I decided to set up my Christmas tree on November 1st. It was also the first year that I had a Christmas tree of my very own, and my first year living in an apartment. Since then, I've continued to set-up the tree on November 1st. The past two years, I have decorated it later in November, but I still make sure to at least get the tree out of the box on November 1st! The season is so short as is, why not enjoy your beautiful tree for a little longer?
Take Christmas photos for the blog (est. 2015): Well- you're looking at that blog post today! Here are my past Christmas photos from 2015, 2016, and 2017.
Design a Christmas card and send to friends and family (est. 2016): Since I went to college out-of-state and have lived in two additional states since then, it's safe to say that most of my closest friends and family are far away! I always loved when my family received Christmas cards when I grew up, so I wanted to start that tradition for myself after I was out of college. Weirdly I don't use the Christmas photos that I take for the blog each year for my card, I usually select another favorite photo or photos from the year. I love how my cards turned out this year and I've already started sending them!
Watch a Hallmark or Lifetime movie premiere (est. 2017): Last year in Vermont I got VERY into Hallmark and Lifetime Christmas movies. Most of them play on repeat throughout the season, but I think there is something really fun about being able to catch a live premiere! This year I watched the premiere of Christmas at Graceland on Hallmark (starring Kellie Pickler), and I hope to watch at least one more premiere live before the season is over.
That's all of my Christmas traditions for now, but I'm thinking that it might be fun to add a new one into the mix each year going forward! I think the next one that I add will be faith based. I'd love to hear some of your Christmas traditions- especially if you have some and you're a single gal like I am!
One last fun thing to end today's blog post with! I'm teaming up with some other bloggers to bring you a fabulous holiday giveaway. It's super easy to enter (if you follow me on social media already, those are free entries basically!).
To enter:complete the steps in the Rafflecopter below. The more steps you complete, the more entries you receive, and the better your chance at winning! This giveaway runs until Monday, December 17th at 12am PST
Winner will be announced here. Good Luck! *this giveaway is in no way sponsored by Nordstrom.
Now that the Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale is behind us, I'm officially making the transition to fall fashion on the blog today. This outfit is a great transition look for living in the South- it's fall colors and super trendy, but it won't make you too hot for the days that it's still in the 70s or 80s outside!
I am really excited about how this outfit turned out, and I see myself repeating it a lot this fall. If you've been reading here awhile, you know that my favorite outfits in all seasons are ones with a lot of color, but sometimes I do wear darker colors or neutrals, and sometimes I even like it! 😉The gold jewelry that I've accessorized with here makes this outfit a little brighter. I've had my skirt since college, but plaid skirts are always trendy in the fall, so I've found an almost identical one here! My t-shirt is from Mott&Bow. They make premium denim, and just expanded into t-shirts as well. The shirt I'm wearing is called the Marcy. It's fitted very well and extremely comfortable to wear! A well-made, solid colored t-shirt that you'll get tons of wear out of in all seasons can be a worthwhile investment.
I've had my Tory Burch Parker tote (pictured) for just over a year now. Since I got mine, the Parker style has been discontinued, but they're selling the Robinson tote instead, which is very similar (and available in the same color as mine!). I'm curious if y'all would like a dedicated blog post review on this bag? I know that some bloggers do designer bag reviews, and I always find those interesting to read. Even though my exact bag isn't available anymore, the Robinson tote is really similar. This is my work bag, and it's served me very well for that!
Wrapping up today's outfit post with three things that I've been loving this month! September has been off to a rough start for me. I know that I've been teasing that on social media and in past blog posts without much detail... hopefully by October I'll have enough information to be able to share what's been going on in my life outside of blogging. Anyways, even though the past few weeks have brought a lot of anxiety into my life, I've been trying to make a conscious decision each day to choose joy and take delight in the little things. Here are three random things I've loved this month!
*Superstore (NBC TV show): I know I've mentioned this show in a few other blog posts already, but I gotta give it even more love. This is 100% the funniest and most relatable comedy that I've found in 2018. The show follows the work adventures of various employees at a fictional megastore called Cloud 9. I am obsessed with the show- I only wish I'd started watching this when it was new on TV a few years ago! I adore the characters especially, and since I've worked a retail job in the past, I can relate to some of the situations in the show. All of the jokes are just hilarious, and watching this show on demand has really been a bright spot for me these past few weeks.
*Peppermint tea: I drink a cup of hot tea every afternoon at work in the 1pm hour, before I go on-air for my afternoon show! Up until recently, I'd usually pick something caffeinated for that afternoon boost, like Earl Grey or English Breakfast. Over the past few weeks, I've started bringing caffeine-free peppermint tea to enjoy at work. I've found that most days I'm find without the afternoon caffeine, and peppermint tea is just so delicious either sweetened or unsweetened! This type of tea leaves me feeling even more refreshed to conquer the busy part of my workday.
*SNS nails: I got bi-monthly gel manicures during last year when I lived in Vermont, and when I first moved to Virginia I tried SNS dip nails instead. I LOVED SNS manicures initially- it lasts longer than gel, and there aren't any UV rays involved! A couple months ago I let the SNS grow off my nails though and started painting my nails myself again- as much as I love going to the nail salon, it gets pricy, and that seemed like an easy way to cut my budget. Anyways, for my birthday weekend in Charlotte, I finally got an SNS manicure again, and now I'm hooked! These past couple weeks have been very stressful, but one thing that hasn't been is the beautiful color that is lasting so well on my nails. I think I'm hooked back into salon visits for now!
Before I go- a quick Hurricane Florence update! A few of you checked in with me last week as the hurricane neared the East Coast, and that was so sweet. Thankfully the path of the hurricane went away from Central Virginia, so while it was a rainy weekend here, there wasn't any life threatening damage in this area. I still stayed indoors for the majority of the weekend. I am still praying for those in the NC/SC coasts who ended up having a lot of damage- so sad to see the news coverage.
Thank you so much for reading Southern Belle in Training today, and making this post apart of your Monday! I do appreciate everyone who reads here. No blog post tomorrow as I have some busy stuff going on at work- but I'll talk to you Wednesday for this week's Midweek Ramblings!
Charlottesville, Virginia, my new home city, is famous for many things. Some very good things, like being home to the prestigious University of Virginia. and some not-so-good things, like the white supremacist rallies that happened here last summer. Something to add to the list of GOOD things that this area of Virginia is known for are the incredible wineries! Charlottesville is located smack in the middle of Central Virginia's wine country, and the region is actually home to 33 wineries that comprise the Monticello Wine Trail. I've made it one of my goals since moving here to visit all of these wineries at some point! Not sure I can get to them all in my first year here, but I'd sure like to try. 😊Anyways, a couple weekends ago when my friend Caroline was visiting, we went to Keswick Vineyards! This was my 5th winery visit on the Monticello Wine Trail. I thought it would be fun to share a few details from the day:
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Unfortunately, the weather wasn't too great on the day that Caroline and I headed over the Keswick. But the clouds in the sky didn't dull the fact that we had a great time! We started our time there with a wine tasting. The $12 wine tasting option includes a variety of white and red selections, and we both enjoyed it. We then went on a walking adventure to explore the beautiful grounds! While the wine tasting room at Keswick is very nice, the prettiest part of the winery is by far the manor home that is used for weddings and other large-scale events (the large white home pictured above). The architecture is absolutely stunning, and the fountain in front of it makes it picture perfect! Gazing at the white fences and endless fields of wine grapes make Keswick Vineyards seems something like a dream. Driving through the small village of Keswick from Charlottesville to get to the vineyard is very picturesque as well- you'll pass miles of farms and rolling hills.
Both Caroline and I wore our Hunter boots for this day's adventure, since the ground was still pretty damp from rain the night before. I styled mine with this embroidered jean skirt, which is a little out of my fashion comfort zone, but I really liked how the end look turned out. Winery style is really fun- you can wear something a little dressy (like a nice sundress or fun skirt), and I'd pick your shoes based on how much walking you anticipate doing. If your main goal is to sit and enjoy the wine tasting, heels or wedges would probably be fine! But if you want to walk the grounds and explore the winery in full, flat sandals or cute sneakers would be your best bet (or rain boots in case you have weather like we did!).
I loved visiting Keswick Vineyards, and hope to go back when the weather is nicer. I'm so excited to see the remaining 26 wineries on the Monticello Wine Trail!
Are there any wineries where you live? I don't know of any in Southern Maine (where I'm from). Vermont had a couple, but they were very tiny. North Carolina has a lot, but they're in the northern part of the state, so none by Charlotte. Charlotte however is known for its extensive craft beer and brewery scene!
It's time to talk wedding attire again! More specifically, how to restyle pieces from your own closet for weddings. Today's post will focus on two more important pre-wedding events: bridal showers and rehearsal dinners.
Unless each of these events has a specific theme or dress code specified on the invitation, it's a general rule of thumb to wear something nice and seasonally appropriate for the event, but not as nice of an outfit as you'll be wearing for the wedding. I'm personally a fan of really dressing up for weddings themselves, so events like showers and rehearsals are a great time to break out some of your more casual (but still classy) dresses and skirts, or even jumpsuits if you have them!
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I think that a midi skirt and coordinating top with heels could be such a fun option for a bridal shower! I love printed midi skirts, but sometimes it's hard to find occasions to wear outfits like this to. I would probably wear a different colored blouse than white if I wore this to a bridal shower (just since it's best to avoid wearing white if you're not the bride 😉), but I could definitely see myself re-styling this outfit for a wedding shower.
Here's another skirt and top combo that I loved wearing on the blog that could easily be worn to a bridal shower!! The off the shoulder top paired with such a bold ruffled skirt makes for a really fun outfit. An all-pink outfit just screams "girly things" - and a bridal shower is super girly!
A cute sundress in a summery color like bright yellow could be a darling choice for a summer bridal shower! I styled this look with a turquoise clutch and earrings to add even more pops of color. This dress or one like it would definitely be too casual for a wedding, but could be a great option for a shower.
You can NEVER go wrong with Lilly Pulitzer for wedding related festivities! Especially those in the springtime. I do find a lot of Lilly dresses to be on the casual side for weddings themselves, but many are perfect for bridal showers and rehearsals. This specific dress is actually still in stock!
For holiday or winter wedding events, Lilly or bright colored dresses might not be the best choice. But you can still have fun with your outfits! This look was from a holiday blog post that I did a couple years ago, but I think it would be a great outfit to wear to a winter bridal shower or rehearsal dinner as well. The polka dots and bell sleeves give this dress such a fun twist. A similar dress is available here!
This was actually what I wore to a rehearsal dinner that I attended last spring! The dress is from one of my favorite fashion lines, CeCe. I added a coordinating cardigan to make it a bit more modest for the church portion of the wedding rehearsal, and then wore it as pictured for the dinner part of the evening. My dress is now sold out, but this one and this one from CeCe would be cute for this season!
Be sure to check out the first post in this series if you haven't yet, it's all about shopping your closet for bachelorette party outfits. The final post, all about weddings, will be up soon!
Hope that you're having a great end to your week! My mom is coming to visit me in Virginia this weekend- this will be her very first visit to Charlottesville! Neither of my parents had ever been to this part of the state before, and I came here solo on my job interview trip this winter. My mom is really excited to see where I moved to, and I think she will like it here a lot.
Earlier this week on the blog I announced my upcoming move and new job in Virginia! A new job means the perfect chance to update the workwear section of my closet. I've touched on this a little bit in my Radio 101 blog posts, but my industry is a bit unique in terms of attire for the office in that it's very casual. At my former station in Vermont, I wore jeans to work all winter long (ripped jeans are allowed too!), and shorts were allowed for both male and female staff members for work in the summer- both for events and in-studio. I never want to show up for work looking like I just rolled out of bed- I always try to do my hair and makeup for work. But at the same time, I don't work in an industry where wearing a suit and heels is appropriate... that would be way overdressed! I honestly dress for work very similarly now to how I did for college classes.
It's a known fact here on the blog that my love fore Lilly Pulitzer runs deep! While the Lilly brand is often associated with their classic bright shift dresses, their clothing line carries tons of pieces- many that are work appropriate for both business casual work environments and more casual workplaces like a radio station! I had the chance to partner again Vermont's largest specialty Lilly boutique, Pink Colony, on a couple of fun posts for this month. Today's post is all about styling Lilly Pulitzer for a radio station work environment, or other types of casual office jobs. I worked with Pink Colony back in January for the most recent Lilly After Party Sale, so I was so excited to do another fun collaboration!
As I mentioned above, my workplace in Vermont allowed employees to wear shorts to work in the summer months. I tried not to wear them too often (usually just for outdoor events), but had I owned this cute Lilly Pulitzer Madison Skort this summer I definitely would have worn it to work! Since it's a skort there are built in shorts which gives it an extra modesty factor, which would make me feel comfortable wearing it in the casual radio work environment. I love it paired with the Leslie Silk Top! The Leslie is similar to Lilly's classic Elsa, but has fun details on the back (which you can see pictured), and a slight v-neck in the front. I would probably wear this outfit with flats or sandals for work instead of pumps, but I thought it looked cute with pumps too!
This outfit is literally the perfect example of something I'd wear to my job as a radio personality in the fall or spring months! This Belinda Pullover from Lilly Pulitzer is both casual yet put together, and I love how you can wear it regularly, or off-the-shoulder. I styled this look with these fun KEP Designs Large Pom Earrings- I ended up loving them so much that I took them home with me! A big fun pair of gold studs are very versatile and I know I'll be wearing these earrings a lot both for work and play.
I love the new Lilly Pulitzer Florin tank!! I had seen this on the Lilly website prior to my visit to Pink Colony, and it was great to try it on in person. This is such a versatile piece, and I adore the fact that it's reversible! The plain navy side would be ideal to wear to the office, for both casual and more formal workplaces. I loved pairing it here with the Bridget Cardigan. Hot pink and fuchsia are hues that Lilly does very well- and this cardigan is no exception!!
How fun and convenient is this?! The same tank that was office appropriate in the last set of photos can be turned inside out and is suddenly perfect for Happy Hour or a dinner date after work! I am loving this fun Via Amor print- while I didn't take home the Florin Tank I did end up taking home something else in the print. Just can't get enough of those cute hot pink flamingos! I also had fun styling the Caught Up Necklace for this look. I feel like this necklace is very different for Lilly's typical jewelry style- but I liked it! Side note: I wasn't too crazy about the fit of the Alessia pant, I personally prefer the Lilly Pulitzer Kelly pant. But that's the great thing about getting to try Lilly on in person, you can really see which fits you like the best! 🙂
Is this classy number not the quintessential winter or early spring dress? It's a bit different in style and color from traditional Lilly dresses, but it's still very ladylike and gorgeous on! I love the bell sleeve detail. This dress would be great for anything ranging from a dressier workplace, a business meeting or job interview (I wish I'd had this for my interview trip to Virginia!), church, or occasions that fall in the winter months like bridal or baby showers.
Thank you so much for reading today's workwear style guide with Pink Colony!! Please stay tuned next week on the blog for a second spring collaboration with the store featuring some classic spring Lilly dresses AND a giveaway on my Instagram! 🙂If you liked any of the Lilly items in today's post, you can shop in-store at Pink Colony if you're in Vermont, or via phone or the Pink Colony website if you're out of state. Jessica and her staff would love to help you find some new Lilly for spring wherever you are!
Have a great weekend! My weekend plans are continuing with packing and saying more goodbyes to some of the friends I've made here in Vermont.
