New heights in fashion

First of all I feel like I should explain that these photos were taken nearly two weeks ago—it is certainly not warm enough here this week to warrant a sweater and shorts combo!

Second, I'd like to excitedly point out that my friend Chris ended up staying put here in Bham instead of hightailing it out to Cali for a few months, so I get to reap the benefits of having an amazing photographer who's eager to shoot pretty often.

One of my fav things about shooting with Chris is that we will spend a solid two hours just hitting spots all over downtown to get some great backdrops. I mean, we went to the museum, the park, the theatre district and even a random parking deck.

I also love that he will make me climb up ridiculous heights and give me a "boost" when I need it because, ya know, I am wearing 5 inch heels. Yeah, definitely not something I would do on my own, but he's never wrong. The shot is always amazing and it's always worth the risky climb—even being on a ledge at 8 stories or so high (hence the blog post title). Just scroll down, you'll see what I mean!

Oh and I'll go ahead and apologize for the insane amount of photos. But there were just so many good ones, I couldn't make decisions on which ones to cut!

Okay, here's the cheapskate outfit breakdown:

1. Sweater, H&M ($19.95)
2. Shorts, c/o Sugarlips
3. Heels, Charlotte Russe ($15.00)
4. Vintage purse, gifted/passed down (thanks mom!)
5. Sunglasses, Venice Beach ($7.50)
6. Turquoise ring, gifted (thanks mom!)
7. Square ring, Brooklyn Flea ($5.00)
8. Love ring, gifted (thanks Em!)
9. Dainty ring, gifted/passed down
10. Bar earrings, gifted (thanks Joy!)

Total: Under $50.00 

 

 

 

 

Photos: Chris White 

ps. Happy Turkey Day Yall!

Splurge on: Faux fur coats

Woah. Holy moly, it is finally cold down here in the south! And even though I am pretty sure this cold weather phase probably won't last very long, it's still enough to make me think about all the lovely faux fur coats I wouldn't mind snuggling into.

Here are just a few options, most of which would be particularly perfect for a finishing touch to an upcoming holiday party outfit.

1. Necessary Clothing Rocco Faux Fur Jacket, $49.99
2. H&M Faux Fur Coat, $129.00
3. Top Shop Pelted Faux Fur Capelette, $136.00
4. Charlotte Russe PU Trim Faux Fur Jacket, $21.49
5. Forever 21 Be Seen Shag Jacket, $64.80

Life lately

Well, it's been a couple of fun-filled weeks since I last did a "life lately" post. It started with the big special event, Taste of Triumph that benefits Triumph Services, which is the non-profit whose junior board I serve on. It's always great spending time with the Martucci's, but since Joy has such a giving heart, I was truly excited for her to see more of what Triumph is all about. It was a great night with great friends, and most importantly, Triumph pretty much met their fundraising goals for the night!

Things didn't slow down much from there (as per usual). That following weekend J and I attended a surprise party for one of our friends and then the next morning I crawled out of bed early to do my first ever solo trail run at Red Mountain Park. I couldn't believe I actually found my way out of the park and also avoided a fall—huge success! Then that afternoon I went climbing at Moss Rock with Beth and a couple of guys from the gym. I was pretty stoked to make this big move at Lost Roof. Too bad I didn't finish the problem and "send." Oh well, it'll be a project I guess!

The following weekend's highlight was a Friendsgiving dinner at the Little's house with some friends of mine and J's from church. Since these are technically more J's friends than mine, I felt honored to be invited to this special occasion. The food was incredible, conversation was awesome and of course Bonnie's decor was gorgeous. It was such a great night.

Then this past weekend, I hosted the Bham Framgiving that we called "Fiesta Gracias" since we were having Mexican food instead of a traditional turkey day feast. Sadly Cassidy made it out the door before we thought to take a pic - sorry Cass! Anyhow, it was also a great night filled with food, fun and games (literally). I love these people and just don't get to see them enough these days.

The rest of my time has been spent catching up with friends over dinner and coffee and even seeing a couple of movies with J (btw, I totally recommend Gravity. It is intense, but you have to see it. It's so beautiful). One of the movies I actually dragged him to (instead of him dragging me). It was a two-part climbing film at the Reel Rock Film Fest, which was followed with a late night dinner with Beth, Phil and Justin. Good times!

Oh and J and I also got to see Carolina Story perform at the Red Cat when they came into town last week. Turns out they were also filming for a PBS show and everything was decorated and lit beautifully. And of course Ben and Emily sounded great and I'm loving their new songs. It was so good to be able to catch up and hang out with them after the show, too. Hoping to get up to Nashville at some point and hang with them on their turf sometime soon.

Whew! Well, I think that covers it! Hopefully next time I won't wait so long to update and you don't have to hear quite as many details. Hope yall have had a great couple of weeks too!

Ideal vs. steal: (p)Leather leggings

I bought these faux leather leggings from ModCloth about three months ago and I was so incredibly nervous when I got them in the mail. What if they didn't fit me well? Or what if I just looked ridiculous in them?

Well, it turns out I shouldn't have been worried at all. They fit like a glove and I think they look pretty amazing on. And as it turns out, they are also incredibly versatile. Don't believe me? Just check out this article from WhoWhatWear on the many different ways to style (p)leather leggings. Reading it made me crazy excited that I was smart enough to buy a pair before the fall.

And while I would love it if I could afford a pair of real leather leggings like this Joseph pair, I'm more stoked on the price and fit from these at ModCloth. So go get your own pair of (p)leather leggings. You will be amazed at how often you'll be able to wear them and not look like you're trying to be Sherrie in the Rock of Ages.

What's in my piggy bank for November?

I feel like I really went outside my "norm" with my November picks. Not only would I typically pick more snuggly and cozy items for this month, I also have chosen a couple of pieces that aren't typically what I would consider my "style." (Maybe I even channeled Gwen Stefani?!)

Also, I think everything looks like it could almost be one outfit. But what can I say? I saw these super affordable (and cute!) plaid pants from Joe Fresh and they called to me for some reason. Then everything kind of followed from there. But I can definitely see how you could remix each piece several times throughout the winter, and possibly even into other seasons.

So while these picks are definitely more of a step out of my style comfort zone, I still think they are a step in the right direction.

1. Joe Fresh Skull Sweater, $39.00

2. Charlotte Russe Coiled Snake Rhinestone Ring, $6.00 

3. Bonlook Barracuda Non-Prescription Sunglasses in Onyx, $49.00

4. Joe Fresh Tartan Pant, $49.00

5. H&M Faux Fur Jacket, $59.95

6. Urban Outfitters Eva Embellished Head Wrap, $14.00

7. Corcra Handmade Red Fingerless Gloves, $20.72 

8. Necessary Clothing Cupid Arrow Pump, $39.99

9. Charlotte Russe Color Block Single Sole Heel, $32.50

10. Free People Dahlia Crossbody Bag, $38.00

Take a walk on the wild side

I don't think I've ever worn as much animal print as I have in the past month. I used to be majorly opposed to leopard print and I didn't take too kindly to snake or other similar prints. But I think this was mostly because I didn't know how to wear animals prints without seeming like I was trying to look sexy or worse, just end up looking cheap. Hopefully I've moved past both of those fashion faux paus though. Guess I'll let you guys be the judge of that!

It's funny because now that I have embraced wearing animal prints, I have really embraced them. I just keep mixing them together and really loving the outcome. Here I am this time mixing a leopard top with a snakeskin belt. And in case you missed the last animal print mixing ensemble, you can see it here.

Here's this cheapskate outfit breakdown:

1. Dress, Gulf Shores ($29.99)
2. Leopard top, Old Navy ($19.50)
3. Jacket, Know Style ($39.99)
4. Boots, The Clotheshorse consignment ($32.50)
5. Purse, Charlotte Russe ($9.99)
6. Belt, Charlotte Russe ($5.99/3 pk)
7. Tungsten ring, c/o Modern Design
8. Vintage cocktail ring, gifted
9. Sunglasses, gifted

Total: Under $150.00

 

 

 

Photos: Leslie Evans

Design project: Little girl pink piggie birthday party invitation

It seems that I haven't had a design post in quite some time. Probably because I have been so busy actually completing said design projects! Anyhow, this is long overdue, but it's too cute not to share.

Sometime back in September my friend Lauren of Something Blue Events reached out to me for design work for a little girl's birthday party that she was planning. It seemed that Lila was turning two in late October, which happened to fall at perfect timing with the family's annual fall festival on their farm. So naturally, a pink piggie party was themed. And what a theme it was!

There wasn't a single small detail that was overlooked. We designed invitations and coinciding directional cards and even a pink gingham band to hold all of the stationery pieces together. We also used a circle sticker to seal the outside of the envelope together and this same design was used to create a label for the water bottles at the party.

It truly was an adorable idea that was executed magnificently. I was so happy to be a part of setting the initial aesthetic for the birthday celebration. I only wish I lived closer and actually knew the family so I could've attended the event! Instead, I settled for the photos that you can also see here on Lauren's blog.

My cherie d'amour

I have no idea why, but for some reason looking at this outfit now I feel like I look a bit Parisian? Maybe it's the sunglasses, maybe it's the red lips. Not sure. But whatever it is, I am totally ok with it!

There doesn't seem to be much else to say about this outfit except that it's always fun to find a new way to wear a dress. I've pretty much only ever worn this one plain. You know, maybe change up the shoes or purse or get really crazy and throw on a pair of tights. But until now, I'd never thought to wear a vest over it to really change the overall look.

This new ensemble has made me pretty excited about the other possibilities of how to remix this sweetheart of a dress that I have a new found love for now (ahem...a nod to the blog title..see what I did there?!).

For now, here's this cheapskate outfit breakdown:

1. Dress, Rainbow ($5.00)
2. Vest, Forever 21 ($15.50)
3. Booties, Target ($24.99)
4. Clutch, ?? (??)
5. Sunnies, gifted (thanks Peach!)
6. Earrings, gifted (thanks Amy!)
7. Vintage cocktail ring, gifted
8. Tungsten ring, c/o Modern Design

Total: Under $50.00

Photos: Leslie Evans

Music Monday: Current obsessions

Artist: Rue Royale
Album: Changed My Grip (listen on Suncloud)
Why I love it: It's super chill, peaceful and mellow and just oh so pretty.
Favorite song(s): Shouldn't Have Closed My Eyes, Try as They Might
For fans of: Ivan & Alyosha, Greg Laswell

Artist: Lorde

Album: Pure Heroine (listen on Spotify) 

Why I love it: It sounds so different to anything else out there right now. 

Favorite song(s): Royals, Ribs, White Teeth Teens 

For fans of: Youngblood Hawke, Kitten

Artist: Alpha Rev

Album: Bloom (listen on Spotify) 

Why I love it: I can't quite put my finger on it. It's catchy enough to be maintstream, but it's not overly produced or cheesy. I guess it has the quality of band like Coldplay of Mumford, without actually sounding just like them. 

Favorite song(s): Sing Loud 

For fans of: Coldplay, Matt Kearney, NEEDTOBREATHE

Artist: Al Lewis

Album: Battles (listen on Spotify) 

Why I love it: It's nice easy, everyday-kind-of-listening and the lyrics are incredible. 

Favorite song(s): Battles, Make a Little Room

For fans of: Jackson Browne, James Taylor 

Artist: Screen Door Porch

Album: The Fate & the Fruit (listen on Bandcamp) 

Why I love it: It's a different take on Americana. Kind of sultry, kind of rock, kind of pickin'. I kind of dig it. 

Favorite song(s): Devil's Honey, Lovin' Strange

For fans of: Shovels & Rope, Bonnie "Prince" Billy & Dawn McCarthy