Southern Belle in the 'Bunk: Fields of Blue.

     This is Week Three for my Friday summer post series here on the blog, called Southern Belle in the Bunk. This blog series combines my love of fashion, beautiful scenic locations for fashion posts, and the fact that I'm spending this summer back in my hometown area of the Kennebunks region of Southern Maine! You can read more about the inspiration for this series in the intro post HERE, Week One HERE, and Week Two HERE! Xo

Dress: Delia's {Stores closed now, Similar here} || Cardigan: Talbots || Shoes: TJ Maxx {Popular brown wedges here} || Sunglasses: H&M || Tote: c/o Adam Block Design || Earrings: Talbots || Necklace: Charlotte Russe || Bracelets: c/o Stella & Dot, Charming Charlie || Ring: {Gift} || Lips: Maybelline Color Sensational Lip Gloss in Captivating Coral

      It's already week three of my summer post series, Southern Belle in the 'Bunk! I am so happy that a lot of you are really enjoying this series. I have decided that I will be taking a break from these posts during the four weeks that I am studying abroad in France, but the series will commence for late July and in August until when I leave to go back to Charlotte! Next week's post will be the last before I leave for France!

      I try to save talking about the locations of each week's post until later on, but in this case the location influenced how I picked my outfit! So these pictures were taken at the Kennebunk Blueberry Plains, which are in the western part of town. It's an expansive mass of land that suddenly breaks apart from the dense forests that cover most of town (that isn't on the direct coast or the small downtown), and in the Plains the skies become as large as the eye can see and the "trees" are limited to small brush type plants. I think that you really do feel as though you have been transported to the Southwest part of the country! So I tried to pick an outfit that I felt had some Southwestern influences; from the pattern in this dress, the Aztec print in my tote, and the multi-strand beaded necklace! 

     This is exactly the type of outfit that I love wearing for school. It's what I call "casual dressy." When you wear an outfit like this to class, you're making a statement that you put time everyday into  your personal style. Yet this wouldn't make you look so dressed up like you're going to a formal event or something completely out of place!! 


The location:

      I'm taking a break this week from the water based locations around my town, and instead showing y'all a taste of West Kennebunk. Interstate 95, Maine's only major highway, runs right through the middle of town, and this is the unofficial divide between Kennebunk and West Kennebunk. West Kennebunk is not a separate town, it's still apart of my town, but it has a very different feel to it! When in West Kennebunk, you're a good 15-20 mins from the ocean, and instead the roads are filled with beautiful forests and farmlands, as well as lots of residential communities. Many of my friends live in West Kennebunk, as the area that I'm from is quite spread out!

     The Kennebunk Blueberry Plains are one of West Kennebunk's biggest natural gems. This wide expanse of prairie lands is a rare find in a New England state. Out in the Plains, you feel transported to another side of the country. The reason that this place called the Blueberry Plains is because wild blueberries are known to grow freely out there. 


      Stay tuned for another round of Southern Belle in the 'Bunk next Friday!

     xoxo Miss ALK

Behind the Blog: Who Takes My Blog Photos.

     So thanks to Maine's weather taking a sudden turn for the worst (a few days in a row of rain and  temperatures in the 40s #WHAT #It'sJune), I haven't been able to shoot any photos for outfit posts so far this week! Had I done so, the scenery would have been a little depressing and wet looking, and my attire would have been a throwback to what I was wearing in January/February. That's Maine weather for you! Anyways, I decided that for today's post I would instead do a little fun "Behind the Blog" post.

     Lots of fashion bloggers it seems have one very set in stone person who takes their blog photos. Some fashion bloggers have a contract or relationship with one specific professional photographer. Others use one person in particular in their lives, especially their husbands or boyfriends! I have even seen the hashtag #BloggerBoyfriend going around on Instagram lately. Well- ya girl over here is about to be a senior in college and still is just as single and failing to mingle as she was when she started this blog almost three years ago. ;-) So no #BloggerBoyfriend is taking my blog photos!! I actually have a variety of different people in both NC and Maine that take my pictures or have done so in the past, so I thought it would be fun to share a little post to thank and highlight the people who have helped me out over the past few years! Without any of them- this all wouldn't be possible!


North Carolina


     Just a little refresher- I started Southern Belle in Training on my 18th birthday in 2012, right after I moved South to begin my freshman year at my former college! My blog's very first official photographer was a dear friend from my former school named Michelle. Michelle was (well still is!) a nursing major, and despite her demanding course schedule, she always took the time to help shoot outfits on my little point and shoot camera for my blog. She actually took the pictures for my very first outfit post ever here on the blog!
     Today, Michelle and I barely get to see each other since I have transferred schools, but we still do keep in touch! And I treasure the many memories we shared from freshman year!

Freshman year OOTD taken by Michelle!

Michelle and I at a Christmas party that I hosted during my Freshman year

     When I transferred colleges at the start of my sophomore year, I went through sorority recruitment and joined Alpha Delta Pi shortly after transferring! My sorority sister Perrin, who is in my pledge class, took most of my blog pictures during sophomore year. Perrin is a music therapy major (one of the most demanding majors at my college!) and is super super busy so I sadly don't see much of her this year, but even though she doesn't take my blog photos anymore she is still one of my favorite sisters and dear friends at school!!

OOTD taken by Perrin, Sophomore year

Perrin and I at ADPi Black Diamond Formal 2014!

     This year (junior year) is when my parents bought me my DSLR camera for Christmas, and also when I really started to do multiple outfit posts per week on my blog instead of just a few a month! So since I was upping my blog content, I needed more photographers!!

     I currently have two main photographers at school. One is my best guy friend at school, Max. Max and I met through the internship that we both have with the Ryan Seacrest Foundation's Charlotte location! But luckily our friendship has grown way past that! Max runs the student radio club at school (which I hold an exec position in), we share lots of mutual friends, and he has been my date to a few ADPi events! But most importantly, I think out of all the people who take my blog pictures Max probably gets the most enthusiastic- he is quite the fashion lover himself!

OOTD by Max, April 2015

ADPi Black Diamond Formal 2015 with Max!

    My other main photographer this year is my dear friend Caroline!! We actually met through the strangest circumstances. We had a class together when I first transferred to my current school, but didn't really become friends that semester. Then last August, I learned that her roommate was Perrin (mentioned in this post!), and my roommate was Caroline's high school best friend! So we were always in each other's rooms, visiting each other's roommates. And we just became friends by default! And now this coming year Caroline and I are suitemates!! I cannot wait. :-) Anyways, she also takes a lot of my blog pictures and I've even featured her outfits in a few posts (she has a gorgeous and chic style!).

My blog's rebranding photoshoot - February 2015

Behind the scenes of the photoshoot with Caroline!

     And these lovely ladies below have also helped take my pictures throughout the school year when Max or Caroline are unable to!

Julie (my Little) Jess (my Big) and Haley (another dear friend!)

My BFF Lily! (This is us volunteering at this year's MLK Day of Service- hence the outfits :-) )

Another bestie of mine, Soo Jin!

Maine

When I am home in Maine on school breaks, things are a bit different. The two main people that take my blog pictures would be my parents!! Something that y'all might not know about my mom is that she actually is a photographer. Not in a wedding/portrait sense, but she does artistic and some nature photography, and has sold her work and some local galleries near where we live in Maine! So she knows her way around a camera! And I'm slowly teaching my dad to get there. :-)

OOTD by my mom - Summer 2014

    My third photographer at home is my sweet friend Katie! She and I have been friends for almost 13 years. Fun fact that you might not have known about me: I was homeschooled for most of my elementary school years! Katie was as well, and this is how we met. Anyways, she took the photos for last week's Southern Belle in the Bunk post, and did the photos for this Friday's post as well!

OOTD by Katie - Summer 2014

     And lastly, I have been very lucky to get to work with some photographer friends of mine occasionally throughout the past couple of years!! Shara of Shara Lynn Photography, Meredith of Meredith Sledge Photography, and Olivia of Olivia Miller Photography (Olivia is Charlotte based!) are all the nicest girls, friends of mine, and extremely talented photographers!! I have featured all of their work multiple times on the blog and since this post is already quite long I will just show pictures of me with all of these girls. :-)

    (I sadly wasn't able to find any pictures with Olivia!! I need to change that next school year!)


     Of course- I also love having my blogger friends get to take my pictures when I am lucky enough to have meet-ups with them!! I can't end this post without making a note about that. :-) But I wanted this post to mostly focus on the people in my life outside of the blogging world!


     So now my question for all of the fellow fashion/lifestyle bloggers is- WHO takes your blog photos? Are you lucky enough to have a #BloggerBoyfriend (or #BloggerHusband)? Or do you have a wide array of friends and family like I do??


     xoxo Miss ALK

Splurge vs. Save: Crossbody Purses.

Rebecca Minkoff Mini 5 Zip Convertible Crossbody vs. Forever 21 Faux Leather Zippered Crossbody

     I leave for my study abroad trip to Tours, France in less than two weeks (!!!) and this past Friday I went shopping in Massachusetts with my mom for a few new goodies to pack with me for my month abroad. One thing that I have been wanting is a new crossbody bag, and preferably in a bright color for summertime! My favorite purses to carry are large (and heavy haha), but that won't be as practical for living and exploring abroad, so it was time for something new.

     The first store that my mom and I visited was Nordstrom, which was currently having their Half-Yearly Sale (not to be confused of course with summer's Holy Grail #NSale, but still a good sale nonetheless!). I immediately was drawn to some of the cute Rebecca Minkoff Mini Macs and Mini 5 Zips that were marked down for the Half-Yearly Sale. All of those bags were bright in color, small in size, and seemed to be just what I was looking for. Everything I was looking for except in price that is. While they were all on sale, they are still pricey purses,  and it would have taken just about my whole paycheck from my first week back at my summer job to get one!

     Luckily I took a few minutes to think about it, and happened to walk in Forever 21 in the meantime. Imagine my shock when I found almost the identical bag!! It was almost the same color, had the same amount of zippers, and the same gold colored chain. The only difference? It was over $170 cheaper!! 

     I am all for splurging on designer handbags from time to time. My "everyday bag" which has been in many a blog post is Michael Kors, and I pair it always with my favorite Kate Spade wallet. I also have a vintage Chanel crossbody from my mom (a gift from my grandma to her several years ago which is now mine!!), and someday once I am in the working world I hope to treat myself to my own Chanel purse! But currently, I am about to be headed to study abroad for a few weeks, and most of my paychecks need to be directed towards saving for that! So in this case, the Save won over the Splurge. :-) I am so excited about my new crossbody from Forever 21! (Yet sadly I guess it still didn't save my wallet that much money because I practically ended up buying out all of Forever 21... #oops. But that's another story!) 

      Which of the two bags is your favorite?

     xoxo Miss ALK

    

Dreams do come true: visiting Churchill Downs!

     A couple of years ago, I wrote a bucket list here on the blog. I was so inspired by actually writing out the items that I ended up creating it into a whole page of my blog, so that I could reference it in the future as I checked items off of it! Bucket list item #42 is to "Go to the Kentucky Derby." During the week of May 10th, 2015, I got two big steps closer to that dream!


     I am not a big fan of most spectator sports. I did not grow up in a household that was really big fans of any particular sports. Neither of my parents are fans of football, baseball or basketball. A few years back the Boston Bruins made it into the Stanley Cup finals for hockey (and ended up winning!), and my dad watched a few of the games on TV... and I honestly think that was the first time ever that a televised team sporting event (minus the Olympics or Super Bowl Half-Time Show) had been on in our house! Yet even though I was never exposed to it, something always captivated me about horse-racing. The beauty of the animals, the speed of the event, the thrill of the bets, and most importantly, getting dressed up in your finest attire, and topping off your outfit with a big hat!

   
     In the Carolinas, the biggest horse-racing event is the Carolina Cup, held in Camden, SC, annually in March. I have always wanted to go, but every year so far that I've been in college it hasn't coordinated with my schedule (it's on the senior year bucket list though!). During my sophomore year, in honor of the Carolina Cup and the Kentucky Derby, I dressed up Derby style for the Spring Formal dance that I got invited to at my former college!

     I never would have guessed that just over a year after this picture was taken, that I would be at Churchill Downs, the ultimate home of horse-racing in America, twice in one week!

     A couple of weeks ago I was in Kentucky, interning for the Fraternity Communications Association's annual conference. One of the evening events for all conference attendees, vendors and interns was to take in an evening of racing and dinner at Churchill Downs! We ate and watched races from Millionaire's Row, which is the private part of Churchill where some of the richest people in the country watch the Kentucky Derby each year from! It was an incredible and once-in-a-lifetime experience!

     But of course, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to head to Churchill Downs for a second time while I was in the area. I mean- since I couldn't make the Derby- why not visit twice on regular race days instead?!

     And to make it even better, my second visit to Churchill Downs was with one of my blog besties! My internship with the FCA ended late Friday night, and on Saturday morning my Kentucky blogging buddy Bailey from Becoming Bailey drove all the way to Louisville (in the rain!) to meet me at my hotel and pick me up for the races! We started our day with walking around the Louisville downtown area (and getting lunch at KFC- because when in Kentucky one must eat the Kentucky Fried Chicken!), but then we headed back over to the race track.

Sweet Bailey and I!

     Unfortunately, my Millionaire's Row status from the previous evening wasn't still valid so we had to settle for General Admission seats. ;-) But I quickly learned that there is no such thing as a bad seat at Churchill Downs! The General Admission seats that I had booked for us ended up having great views of the races, and it was really fun for me to experience a different side of Churchill Downs!! The rain didn't dull the fun and excitement of horse-racing!

     As we headed out, we passed by one of the stables where the horses that are about to go out are kept. Bailey and I enjoyed this strange sight!

     Is that broom yummy, Mr. Horse? :-)

     My time at Churchill Downs this year was an experience that I'll never forget! Being able to visit there during Derby month, and having one of those visit be combined with my passion for Greek Life and the other involve a blog bestie made for two incredible memories! 

     P.S. To read my guest blog post for the Alpha Delta Pi blog which gives more details about my time in Louisville and the FCA internship- CLICK HERE! :-)

     xoxo Miss ALK

Southern Belle in the 'Bunk: Spring Glow.

     This is Week One for my Friday summer post series here on the blog, called Southern Belle in the Bunk. This blog series combines my love of fashion, beautiful scenic locations for fashion posts, and the fact that I'm spending this summer back in my hometown area of the Kennebunks region of Southern Maine! You can read more about the inspiration for this series in the intro post HERE, and Week One HERE! Xo

Dress: Lilly Pulitzer for Target {Sold out, Similar here} || Shoes: Nine West || Earrings: Talbots || Bracelet: c/o Stella & Dot || Lips: NYC Color Expert Last Lipstick in Forever Fuschia

     I am oh-so-excited about today's post! First off- I just cannot get over the amazing natural lighting in these photos! Lately I have been very inspired by the fashion blog Gal Meets Glam by blogger Julia Engel. If you aren't familiar with Gal Meets Glam, Julia's husband Thomas does all of her photography, and he always captures Julia in the most beautiful natural light! I guess this post was my attempt of being inspired by their photography. :-) This is also the second week of my summer series, Southern Belle in the 'Bunk. More on the location of this post later, but first for the outfit details!

    This was the second dress that I was able to score on Pink Sunday during the Lilly Pulitzer for Target launch! (I featured my other shift dress in the #LillyforTargetLinkUp that my blog bestie Michaela and I held a few weeks ago!) Despite being a self proclaimed girly-girl, I don't own that many clothing pieces that are this pink! So I was excited to score this Lilly dress at Target and bring a little bit more pink cheer into my closet. Like my other Lilly for Target dress, I was very impressed with the quality of these shifts for the price, and I thought that they fit well! 

     Since the dress is so bright and eye-catching, I paired it with a classic pair of nude pumps, delicate gold jewelry, a fun side pony hairstyle and fresh blooms from my Grandma's garden! For one last pop of color I used one of my favorite NYC Color lipsticks which perfectly matched the dress! I don't mind splurging on lip products in neutral or lighter pink/peach shades that I will wear all the time, but for very bright lip products, I always buy drugstore brands since I don't wear them as much. The Expert Last Lipsticks from NYC Color are $1.99 at the drugstore and have amazing pigmentation and last well throughout the day! They are a go-to for me when I need a bold lipstick in a specific vivid shade. (And no this post isn't sponsored at all- just me raving about a product that I love!)

     With the light and locations being so stunning in these photos, of course my photographer had to jump in a shot at the end!! This is my best friend of over 12 years, Katie! She has a passion for photography and takes a lot of my blog photos when I'm home in Maine (and this isn't the first time she's been on the blog!)

      The location:

     In the first week of Southern Belle in the 'Bunk, I did my blog shoot on the bridge over the Mousam River, one of two rivers in Kennebunk. When looking at a map of town, one can see that the Mousam River runs through the Southwestern part of town, and other river, the Kennebunk, is Northeastern of the Mousam (#geographynerd). Both rivers end up coming to meet the sea within just a few miles of each other though! 

     I thought that it would be fitting for this week's pictures to be taken where the Kennebunk River comes to meet the sea. I did them in two locations: one on a bridge similar to the bridge that I shot at on the Mousam River, and the later pictures in a small field with beautiful flowering trees near the banks of the river between Kennebunk and Kennebunkport. Katie took these pictures for me right at sunset, and I already said this, but the natural lighting was truly incredible! 

     I am luckly to be from a town that has not only ocean coastline and wonderful beaches, but also two beautiful rivers flowing through it! This might not be the last time I feature these two rivers for this post series...

P.S. Since my dress was sold out, I have linked instead some similar pink shift dresses from the regular Lilly website below!

     xoxo Miss ALK