Zara – a pearl kind of girl

Style

White Summer Dress

Dress: Amanda Uprichard // Shoes: Zara similar // Clutch: Cult Gaia

My calendar is starting to look like it did pre-pandemic and I am not sure if I was ready for this social whirlwind. My brother graduated college last month and I went on the hunt for a white summer dress. I had my eye on this Amanda Uprichard dress in black a long time ago but was nervous that white might be see-through. I gave it a shot anyway and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of such a light dress (aka not see-through). This dress fits large (wearing XS) so I recommend ordering a size smaller than you usually would. I love the tiered pleats that create such a light and breezy silhouette. Dresses with sleeves always win me over because I am cold-natured, especially when everyone is blasting their A/C in the summer. Shop this white summer dress and more of my favorites below! xoxo

Images via Alex Phillips.

Style

Plaid Skirt

Skirt: J.Crew // Turtleneck: Zara (similar) // Clutch: Rebecca Minkoff // Earrings: J.Crew

Christmas is less than two weeks away! The tree and garland are up, all the presents are wrapped, and the only thing left is to find the perfect Christmas outfit. I love showing holiday cheer, but at the same time I love a sleek black outfit. This plaid skirt from J.Crew was the perfect holiday solution for me. I can still show off my Christmas spirit while wearing a black turtleneck, black tights and black shoes. If you like to wear more color than I do, this skirt also pairs well with a red, green or gold sweater. This plaid skirt fits true to size (wearing a 0) and is still truly high waisted without being too short in length. I have linked everything from this look as well as my favorite plaid pieces for you to mix into your holiday look below! xoxo

Images via Alex Phillips.

Style

3 Ways to Wear Velvet

Velvet Top: J.Crew // Velvet Skirt: J.Crew // Bow Sweater: J.Crew (similar) // Heels: Marc Fisher // Leather Jacket: BlankNYC // Clutch: Rebecca Minkoff // Turtleneck: Zara (similar) // Jeans: Paige // Boots: ASOS // Hair Bow: J.Crew

Who else decorates their house for Christmas the Friday after Thanksgiving? If you follow me on Instagram, you know I do! The Christmas season is by far my favorite time of year, particularly because there are so many reasons to dress up. I really like the velvet trend for the holidays, but velvet can be a little intimidating, and it is easy to feel like a 5 year-old if you wear too much. Since I had such a hard time styling velvet with other pieces in my own closet, I am sharing 3 ways to wear velvet this holiday season!

1. Velvet Skirt + Top – This velvet skirt pairs perfectly with a festive sweater. I liked the black bow detail on the sweater paired with the black skirt and tights, but a simple sweater or silk blouse (like this one) would work well too. This velvet look is perfect for holiday parties, especially at the office. Did I mention this skirt has pockets?!

2. All out Velvet – I paired the same velvet skirt with a matching tank, for a full velvet look. I wore the set with a leather jacket and heels to keep it from looking too juvenile. Of course all of my velvet pieces are black, but this top comes in 6 colors besides black and the skirt comes in 3 other colors.

3. Accessorize with Velvet – Incorporate velvet into your accessories like this hair bow, a handbag, or even shoes. I love how easily this black velvet hair bow dresses up a simple turtleneck and jeans.

I have linked some of my favorite velvet pieces as well as everything I am wearing below! xoxo

Images via Alex Phillips.

Style

Gal Meets Glam Lauren Dress

Dress: Gal Meets Glam Collection at Nordstrom // Shoes: Zara (similar) // Clutch: Mar Y Sol

What a crazy past two weeks! Not only are we officially a month away from the wedding (cue panic attack), but we closed on a house (woohoo). I will be sharing more of the minor renovations we are making to the house in future blog posts and on Instagram stories, but for now it is just gallons of paint! I jumped on the opportunity to get out of the house this past weekend, and to finally wear something besides my paint clothes. The Gal Meets Glam Lauren dress was the perfect thing to throw on for brunch and a day around town. I wore this dress to an outdoor wedding about a month ago and loved how easy it was to wear. It fits true to size (wearing a 0) and is loose from the waist down. The buttons and sleeves are the perfect amount of detail for this floral summer dress. I also love the blue and green pattern because it pairs so well with navy, but the dress also comes in a peach and mauve pattern. I paired the dress with a navy raffia Mar Y Sol clutch and some simple nude sandals (similar). Shop my favorite dresses from the Gal Meets Glam collection below! xoxo

Images via Alex Phillips.

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Style

Pearl Tee

Tee: Zara // Jeans: J.Crew // Shoes: Marc Fisher // Earrings: Anthropologie (similar) // Scarf: Zara (similar)

A few weeks ago I made one of my “quick lunch break trips” to Zara. These trips are never as quick as I plan, but this trip took especially long when I saw that half the store was covered in pearls. Everything I tried on had pearls on it. I’m talking tee shirts, dresses, jackets, sweaters, jeans, skirts, shoes, you name it!

One of my favorite things that I walked out with was this classic white pearl tee. A basic white tee is so easy to style and the pearls add just the right amount of excitement. This tee fits true to size (wearing a small), and is softer than most tees I have purchased from Zara. I have put it through the wash a few times, since it is white, and the pearls still look good as new. However, I would try to spot clean as much as possible. I paired the pearl tee with a pair of light wash, mid-rise jeans from J.Crew (wearing size 25 regular) and nude Marc Fisher heels. I love these Marc Fisher heels so much I am debating ordering them in all 26 colors. They fit true to size (wearing an 8), are comfortable enough to wear all day without blisters, and look great dressed up or down. Shop this look and a few more pearl tees below! xoxo

Images via Alex Phillips.

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Style

Head-To-Toe Black

Dress: Zara (similar) // Heels: Rebecca Minkoff // Clutch: Rebecca Minkoff // Earrings: Gorjana // Sunnies: Karen Walker

I always find myself drawn to dark colored clothes, and find it an accomplish to put together a head-to-toe black outfit. I rarely buy colorful clothes, and when I do, they tend to be muted tones and not very bright. My coworkers tend to wear similarly colored clothes as me (normalizing my obsession!), but many people associate my lack of color with grieving, depression, mystery and goth. I might be in the minority, but to me black represents just the opposite. When I see a well-made black dress or skinny black jeans, I think of power, elegance, and a chic sophistication that only Audrey Hepburn could convey. The Huffington Post actually found that a slimming black dress can boost a woman’s mood and increase her confidence. Personally, I find that I am most confident in a simple head-to-toe black outfit.

These Rebecca Minkoff heels are perfect for summer and early fall. They fit true to size (wearing an 8), are comfortable enough to wear all day, and are best styled with a shorter dresses or skinny jeans. I paired them with a black mini dress that I found at Zara about a year ago. The dress I am wearing is out of stock, but I have linked a few similar options below. This dress (and the similar one) is great because it has built in shorts just like the skorts I use to wear in elementary school plus pockets. To complete my look, I added my favorite black Rebecca Minkoff clutch, lightweight Gorjana earrings, and my go-to Karen Walker sunnies. Shop this look and similar black dresses below! xoxo

Images via Alex Phillips.

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