safari

I remember being in Middle School circa 1995 & convinced that I was going to be a flower child when I grew up, as if that was an actual thing that you could grow up to be. My clothing wish list items included head scarves, flare (like mega flare) leg jeans, & anything with a peace sign on it. I also remember my parents being endlessly amused by my 70's obsession & I totally didn't get why.

Now that I am a teacher of Middle School aged children, I'm in on the joke. They are obsessed with the 90s, & while I realize it was 20 years ago, it still seems like yesterday to me, & when I think back to 90's fashion, it was SO BAD! How were Hammer pants EVER a good idea?!?!

At the same time, I am nostalgic for the styles of my youth, especially the ones that I admired on the stylish women around me. Thankfully, the current 90's inspired styles are the best of what the decade had to offer, including my personal fave - the comeback of safari ready items, decked out in straight khaki, that always brings the jet set style of classic Michael Kors to mind. Elle named "urban safari" one of the runway to real world styles to look out for in this season's pieces. Gotta say, yet again I'm totes on board with this vintage throw-back, especially with flattering pieces like this tan, button front dress!

dress: borrowed from Soca Nashville (to order call 615-732-0990)

shoes: older DSW mules (I love this style of shoe - shop similar below, including some steals from Target!)

purse: older from Pour La Victoire (they sadly aren't selling purses anymore), but the Tiny Tote from Dagne Dover is similar & I love how functional it is!

watch: Michael Kors gold tone watch

necklace: custom name plate c/o T. Audrey

sunglasses: Ray Ban aviators

All Photos | Catherine Truman Photography

This dress is from a local Nashville boutique, Soca. I popped into their Green Hills boutique last month, & drooled over all of their unique pieces - from funky kimonos, sparkly jewels, & statement tees, & even some of my favorite staples like striped tops & flattering denim. If you are a local, go check them out!!

I have gotten so much use out of these peep-toe booties. Shop similar styles now:

go green

Today's post sponsored by XFINITY, but all opinions are my own. Please see below for additional disclosure.

Nashville is expecting the arrival of Google Fiber later this year, & in the interest of making sure that we have the best option in cable service, my husband & I have been learning more about our current provider, & sharing some feedback about our experience. Check out my first XFINITY review post here.

Ever been locked in a heated battle over what to watch? Our house knows this struggle oh too well - husband has to watch his beloved Portland Trailblazer basketball games & I just want to watch E News! Luckily, as we have been learning more about the features of our system, we no longer have to worry about hogging the remote! I just figured out that we are able to stream every channel live with our current XFINITY system – a crucial feature that I learned Google Fiber doesn’t offer - straight from our devices!

Despite our sometimes very different TV watching preferences, with Cloud technology from X1, we stream channels live to our connected devices (I make him watch on his computer!) so we can both watch what they’d like. On week nights we are both pretty much camped out on the couch - me grading papers & catching up on my guilty pleasure shows, him following along with news/sports. While we may all have different favorite shows, it’s still great to spend time together (with the pugs squished somewhere in the middle). Our living room just became a multi-screen entertainment center!

Google Fiber doesn’t carry this capability, meaning you’re going to have to head to a different room or wait until everyone else is done with the TV to watch your shows. If you love live tweeting (and hate spoilers!) like I do, you’re always going to want to watch live!

To learn more about these & other amazing XFINITY features that we have been testing in our home, head to their live streaming FAQs.

dress: Elle collection for Kohl's

clutch: convertible "Carly" purse c/o Gigi New York (can also be worn as a shoulder/crossbody bag)

shoes: DSW mules (sold out, shop this similar pair for under $100)

sunglasses: Carrera sunglasses c/o Sunglasses Shop

necklace: super old (from when I worked in a boutique during college), but I love how much it looks like this mega expensive version from Oscar de la Renta. If you are looking for a similar resin link necklace I am into this from Neiman Marcus Last Call & this from BaubleBar.

All Photos | Catherine Truman Photography

Shop these exact pieces:

XFINITY partnered with bloggers such as me for this program. As part of this program, I received compensation for my time. They did not tell me what to purchase or what to say about any product mentioned in these posts. XFINITY believes that consumers and bloggers are free to form their own opinions and share them in their own words. XFINITY’s policies align with WOMMA Ethics Code, FTC guidelines and social media engagement recommendations.

Can we also talk about how amazing this dress from Kohl's is!?

I'm also partnering with Kohl's to talk about my undies drawer + giveaway a $50 Kohl's gift card. Read more about my panty drawer make-over here & enter to win the gift card below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

watch it girl

top: lace up bodysuit ℅ American Threads

skirt: J.Crew Factory blush pleated skirt

bag: computer bag ℅ Fab.com

watch: leather strap watch ℅ Fab.com

shoes: old from DSW - found super similar ones from Sole Society here.

All Photos | Catherine Truman Photography

Shop my favorite blush pink pieces:

Happy Friday! Today I have for you a story that perfectly sums up this crazy roller coaster of a week + the follow up outfit from my office make-over post with Fab.com. You choose if you want story time or just pictures, but be sure to scroll down for a chance to win a $1,000 shopping spree from Fab!

Story Time:

Last night after feeding the pugs, we heard Scout coughing a LOT. Breathing problems are nothing new for any pug owner, so we calmly went through the steps of making sure that her airway was clear, & ruled out any other common issues. None of our usual tricks worked, & all of a sudden I noticed that her tongue was turning purple (!!!). We ran to the car, rushing over to the emergency vet (luckily only a mile from our house), sure that she was going to totally stop breathing any second (I was in scary dog mom mode!). We sat in the car debating whether we were being over protective dog owners, or if the $85 fee to get into the emergency clinic was totally necessary. She continued to breathe (if somewhat belabored), & was actively coughing, so we sat in the parking lot to wait it out. After about 30 minutes I was ready to just go into the clinic to figure out what the heck was wrong with our little lady.

At the same time, Scout started doing this crazy sneeze/cough combo, & out shot a single kibble that had been lodged up in her nasal cavity - Tyler & I just looked at each other & started laughing.

Life lesson: 

I'm constantly tripping over myself by rushing for a resolution, however some problems just have to be wrestled with for a while, but eventually the kibble will dislodge itself... 

Ok, if you are just here for the outfit photos, I have to gush about some extra special accessories in today's look. I LOVE the leather strap watch (feels like buttah!) & amazing work bag (pocket perfection!) I found at Fab - both pieces are not only attractive, but high quality & functional! When we were shooting these photos, my photographer had to check out the bag for herself because she was so impressed :) .

In fact, we are still 10 months from Christmas & I am already planning my holiday shopping list around all of the amazingly unique finds on Fab! 

Looking to upgrade your every day style or your birthday/holiday gift giving? Fab.com is giving you a chance to win a $1,000 shopping spree! To qualify for entry, fill out the entry form over on Fab.com. You can qualify for extra entries by following/liking Fab.com on Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // Pinterest. The contest has now been extended to March 15th, 2016. Winners will be chosen at random and announced on March 16, 2016. Fab will reach out directly to the winner via email to send $1,000 site credit.

laced-up

sweater: Laced-up sweater via Tobi (looks like sizes are limited, but they have an awesome selection of similar sweaters now in stock! Shop my favorites below.)

jeans: ASOS Ridley ripped jeans (mine are the petite version)

shoes: several years old from DSW (found 3 similar pairs from Sole Society: 1 // 2 // 3)

I wore this outfit twice recently, once with and then again without my felt hat. I have featured it previously here on the blog, but my felt hat is this one from J.Crew Factory (J.Crew Factory felt hat), but there are only a few sizes left, so I also found an identical hat for under $40 here.

clutch: Bonjour clutch available at Sole Society

All Photos | Catherine Truman Photography

Shop my favorite sweaters from Tobi:

In the past I have stated that I am trend-phobic. My shopping budget is not unlimited, & I always want to make sure that my new purchases will work for me in many ways, for many years.

When I spotted this sweater, I knew it was finally time to try my hand at the lace-up trend. This sweater works for me because besides the lace-up detail, it is exactly in my wheelhouse of style - neutral color + long length that can be paired with slim bottoms (my go to silhouette is oversized top + slim bottoms).

This ensures that my new sweater will be worn even after the lace-up trend fizzles out.

My tips for trying trends:

1. Baby steps. You don't have to try every trend at once.

2. Just because it is trendy, doesn't mean it should be cheap. This sweater was relatively inexpensive (snagged it using a 50% discount code that I got for signing up for the Tobi newsletter), but it constructed using high quality details & materials.

3. Make sure that you would want to wear the item even it is wasn't the hot hot item. This sweater is gorgeous & my style, meaning that it won't get donated after only 1 season.

How do you try out trends? Anyone else fallen in love with the lace-up details popping up everywhere??

Shop exact pieces from today's outfit:

shopping vs. style

dress: Old Navy long sleeve swing dress (the long sleeve version of this dress I was obsessed with over the Summer)

scarf: zig-zag scarf ℅ Posh'mina

purse: "Twice as Nice" cross body purse ℅ Vera Bradley

hat: J.Crew Factory felt fedora

shoes: old from DSW, but these open toed mules from Sole Society are similar & so chic!

All Photos | Catherine Truman

A month or so ago I was out with a fellow blogger & she made a statement that caused me some inner-blog reflection. We were shopping & she had found the MOST adorable skirt on the clearance rack. I remarked that the skirt's fun colors/patterns would make for a really pretty blog post, but she replied that no, the skirt would most likely not be featured on the blog, because it was a clearance rack item & she wouldn't be able to link to it with Reward Style (meaning it was older, & probably wouldn't be in stock for people to purchase from her commission links)…

This stopped me in my tracks & has stayed with me over the last few weeks. Why would you not want to share an awesome skirt you found just because you couldn't make any money off of it!?

Since I started down this blogging road 5 years ago, I've seen bloggers that started their sites around the same time as me catapult to internet fame, some pulling in tens of thousands of dollars each MONTH. But along the way many of these same bloggers lost the spark that was the reason I started following them in the first place. Now, after reading some blogs I'm left with the feeling of, "I have to go out and SHOP to create that look" - which has been responsible for some feelings of envy & even inadequacy.

The feeling I want to leave people with after they read my blog is: "Wow, I want to go recreate that in my closet". I know my focus on "closet staples" has been less explicit than it was when I first started blogging, but I still firmly believe in building a strong foundational wardrobe, one that doesn't require you to go out & do massive amounts of shopping each month.

The only new piece in this post is the Old Navy swing dress that I scored on sale for $15, & will be featured in other outfits to come. The other pieces are older, & in the instance of these shoes (which I'm obsessed with), the exact style is not currently available, but I highly recommend this type of shoe & I did enjoy looking for similar styles for you. In this case, I love these shoes, they have been extremely versatile for me, & if you too want shoes like this, I've already started the search for you - linking 1 option above & some more in the shopping gallery below.

So the point? I want to stick true to my "personal style" blog's goal, while I sometimes get carried away with thoughts of "I could totes be making money off of this", at the end of the day, the part of blogging that I enjoy is sharing my outfits, & hearing comments along the lines of: "I have pieces similar to this in my closet & I can't wait to try them in this combination"…

Style doesn't mean purchasing a new item each week, I believe that the truly stylish can create unique outfits using the pieces already hanging in their closet.

What are your thoughts on this battle of the shopping blogger vs. the style blogger? What do you read blogs for? To have a personal shopper? Or to see items that you might already have, styled in a new way?

simple staples

tee: Old Navy pocket tee

skirt: ASOS button front skirt

clutch: Le Tote

booties: DSW (similar from Steve Madden <-- currently buy 1, get 1 50% off with code WOW)

necklace: gold lariat necklace ℅ HumbleChic.com

watch: Michael Kors

All Photos | Kate Davis Photography

This past weekend in Nashville offered up some seriously warm temps & sunny skies - the perfect opportunity to break out some Summer favorites one more time!

My style is definitely a study in simple staples as of late. Simple touches like this gold lariat necklace from HumbleChic.com, seasonless booties, and a textured skirt I can't wait to wear with tights!

polished

{ What I Wore: wrap dress ℅ Shabby Apple // J.Crew Panama hat // DSW booties (similar) // bracelet via Rocksbox* }

All Photos | Kate Davis Photo

As you all know, I have been working on building my Teacher Wardrobe. Finding what works for my new lifestyle of bending over to pick up dropped pencils, reaching up to write on the white board, standing on my feet all day, all the while trying to not expose too much around a classroom of 12 year olds. This means no low necklines, saying good-bye high hems, & avoiding straps that aren't wide enough to hide my bra/under garments. 

I have purchased things from Shabby Apple before (like my fun tulle skirt!), but now I am perusing their website with a new filter - stylish workwear that keeps me comfortable & polished all day! And while this is a little thing - I adore that they show their styles on women wearing mostly flats. I try to bust out my comfiest pairs of heels once or twice a week, but I will mostly be wearing any of my work clothes with flats - so I appreciate seeing them styled that way.

I am currently in a wrap dress phase of my life & instantly fell in love with the fun colors & print on this one from Shabby Apple! I wore it with black flats for work (even got a compliment from our rockstar principal!) & then will heels and my weekend hat for Saturday adventures around Nashville. This dress has earned a front row spot in my closet!

What pieces have been the major players in your work week style?

Get social with Shabby Apple: Pinterest // Twitter // Facebook // Instagram

And be sure to check out my Teacher Style Pinterest Board with lots of stylish teacher outfit inspiration! 

this dress was gifted to me by Shabby Apple, but all reviews/opinions are my own. 

peach season

{ What I Wore to Barista Parlor: Gap jean jacket // Old Navy dress // DSW mules // earrings ℅ Kendra Scott // Rebecca Minkoff purse }

all photos | Kate Davis Photo

My favorite time of the year has officially come to a close, but I am still dreaming of the peaches I picked up from the Peach Truck. If you are a local, be sure to follow these guys for peach season next year!

What are you going to miss most about Summer?

Anyone put away the Summer whites, or are you planning on being a rebel?