what works

For my first outfit post since last September (read this post to learn about where I've been for the past 5 months), I wanted to share an outfit that represents where my style is now in one look, the pieces that I gravitate towards most, the things that I know work, & what I always enjoy putting on.

This sweater is from the Melissa McCarthy Seven 7 collection. Did you know Melissa McCarthy had a clothing line, & it is awesome? I have worn this sweater A TON since receiving it, it is fitted at the waist, has the most beautiful forest green stripes, & the mock neck makes me feel chic! 

I also recently added this suede moto jacket to my closet after seeing it on everyone & drooling enough times that I just HAD to have it! For a real suede leather jacket, the price point is great, & I cannot get over the amazing details! One thing to note, it is a pretty heavy jacket, but I like that it feels so substantial when I wear it.

Paired with my go-to jeans (on sale for $29 now!), favorite necklace, clutch & easy to wear booties - this outfit is a no brainer, but I like it because it makes me feel GOOD!

What do you wear when you want to feel comfortable & confident?

jacket: Nordstrom suede moto jacket - I'm wearing the Small, in "coffee bean"

jeans: Old Navy "Rockstar" skinny jeans (now only $29!)

bag: Clare V leopard clutch

top: Melissa McCarthy Seven7 mock neck turtleneck - I'm wearing the XS (similar style also available at J.Crew - shop it here)

necklace: Kendra Scott (old, but I've linked similar styles at the end of this post)

sunglasses: Ray Ban aviators

shoes: Older style Vince Camuto booties from Nordstrom Rack // this peep-toe style is very similar.

All Photos: Noah Berg Photography

{Shop these exact pieces}

Bloggers Who Budget: Neutrals for Less

Sharing My Sole | Lou What Wear | Let It Be Beautiful | Here&Now | Pearls & Twirls | Stylin in St. Louis

sweater: Nordstrom long open cardigan

jeans: ASOS Ridley jeans (I have the petite version)

tank: leather tank via Nordstrom Rack

scarf: J.Crew (solid version)

heels: Steve Madden "Stecy" heels

purse: "Carly" convertible purse c/o Gigi New York

hat: J.Crew Factory felt hat (also loving this similar style at Nordstrom)

All Photos | Catherine Truman Photography

I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day weekend! Tyler & I tried out a new Nashville brewery - Smith & Lentz - on Saturday, & then continued our V-day dive bar tradition with burgers & pool at Gold Rush (super smoky, but with cheap beer + $1 pool games, we were willing to give it a try!)

Today the Bloggers Who Budget are back showing off our neutrals for less. I have been living in these ripped black jeans ever since I brought them home at the end of the Summer. In fact, they have already appeared on the blog 7 times (8 now with this post!), which is wild because if I photographed my outfits every single day, I'm sure the number would be closer to 70! The base of this outfit (black jeans + black top + black shoes) is also what I refer to as my "cat suit" because I can add accessories to it a million different ways, making a new outfit each time.

This leopard scarf was one of those J.Crew purchases that I paid way too freaking much for at the time, but now it's cost per wear is down to pennies & I wish they still sold this exact piece! I think it's best feature is that it is oversized & looks great worn looped around or just hanging straight. Plus it will always be my airplane wrap because it is the perfect size + weight for wrapping around my self during an on board nap (one of my super human skills is being able to settle in for a nap even before the plane takes off!). This print is currently sold out, but this is the exact J.Crew scarf (only available in solid colors) & I am loving the print on this scarf for Spring. 

I am also super excited that I tried out this long sweater look & it actually worked. As someone who technically qualifies for petite status (5'3" over here), I was worried that the longer length cardi would overwhelm my frame, but I am quite happy with the end result.  Unfortunately it looks like this exact sweater is now in limited sizes, but I've rounded up similar styles below: 

What have you tried out lately? Anyone else living in neutrals lately? 

Although, everything I've purchased in the past month is either baby blue or blush pink - I blame Pantone!

Shop these exact pieces:

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:

hopeless romantic

skirt: swan print midi skirt c/o Chicwish (Love the fit of this skirt! The back has several inches of elastic, so it easily slips on, & fits perfect. I ordered the S/M size & it fits great, no alterations needed)

sweater: bedazzled neck sweater c/o Chicwish (last worn with jeans here)

heels: Steve Madden Stecy heels (I adore the minimal look of these heels!)

clutch: "Carly" convertible purse c/o Gigi New York (get ready to see A LOT of this cutie - it is love!)

All Photos | Catherine Truman Photography

Maybe I'm the only one, but I think it is hilarious that we have made personalities for so many different types of animals. Polar bears like to party with Coca-cola, Pandas are couch potatoes, Raccoons are little robbers, pugs are the best dogs ever (duh!) & Swans are obviously birds of romance. I mean, they do mate for life, so I'll just go on assuming that they are die-hard romantics!

I also think that this skirt is so cute for Valentine's Day! This is going to be my teacher outfit on Friday (with my black Tieks of course), but it is equally adorable for a chilly date night look too!

What are you feelings on animal print clothes? Are you pro-swan?

Shop these exact pieces below:

cozy casual

sweater: oversized sweater c/o Chicwish

jeans: ripped white jeans c/o DL 1961 denim (shop the non-ripped version here)

shoes: Chukka booties c/o Hushpuppies

purse: monogrammed cross body bag c/o Gigi New York

All Photos | Catherine Truman Photography

2 of the major factors that govern what I bring into my closet are where I live & the size of my closet.

Because we are lucky here in Nashville to have relatively mild Winters, paired with the fact that I have limited closet space in my 700 square foot apartment, the majority of my closet space is dedicated to the pieces that I can wear all year long. In fact, year long wearability is one of the biggest factors I have been considering when purchasing new items recently - especially when we are considering moving to the Pacific Northwest in the next year, which also experiences fairly mild year-round temperatures.

What I like about this outfit is that I can wear 80% of these pieces in any season & just by switching out the sweater for a lighter option top, this look instantly goes from Winter to Spring (just around the corner y'all!) 

I already wore these jeans + shoes + sunglasses (& the purse would have totally matched too!) in Fall (see the outfit here), so now I am dedicated to making this outfit work for every season. What can I say, I like a good wardrobe challenge!

This is one of the 20 murals I posted in my Nashville mural guide - check it out here.

Do you like to rock your clothes all year long or do you prefer switching over your wardrobe for each season?

This sweater is super cozy (loving the side splits!) & now on sale!

Shop the rest of my outfit below:

bling bling

sweater: J.Crew Factory "Teddie" sweater (J.Crew Factory currently has 9 green sweaters on sale, shop them all here)

skirt: faux leather skirt c/o Chicwish

shoes: Chris booties c/o Sole Society

jewelry: All items loaned from Kendra Scott Green Hills store. Featuring Tristan choker necklace, Gavin cuff & Naomi 3 stone ring. 

All Photos | Kate Davis Photography

If you talk to a teacher, they will tell you that the two worst months are October & February. Hard to understand if you aren't in the profession, but for some reason the kids are just extra rowdy around these times, & the stretch between where you stand & the next school break feels like FORRREVVVERRRRRRRRR!

To combat the February blues, I plan on pulling out my brightest clothes & faking an ear to ear smile all the way until Spring Break! Oh and LOTS. OF. COFFEE.

I just got this neon sweater as a little Christmas surprise from my parents & it makes me endlessly happy - if you can believe it, it is even more electric in person! When I spotted these gunmetal pieces from the Spring 2016 Kendra Scott collection, they instantly asked me to be paired with my new little slice of neon - although, now I'm dying to try them with some creamy whites too! My go to jewelry metal is gold, but I think Kendra Scott has finally gotten me officially out of my jewelry rut comfort zone

I have been having so much fun showing off the new Kendra Scott collection over the last week. Did you miss a post? Catch up below:

Distressed denim + polished crystal necklace + earrings

Mosaic skirt + stained glass inspired jewels

Shop exact pieces from this outfit:

This faux leather skirt is really soft & luxe looking in person - oh & did you spot those pockets?! Money!

CHANGE

sweater: Nordstrom v-neck tunic sweater (comes in 11 gorgeous colors, but I'm pretty partial to my mushroom choice!)

jeans: Old Navy rockstar skinny jeans (LOVE the super high rise + dark rinse!)

boots: classic Hunter boots + boot bows c/o Poppy Clips

sunglasses: Carrera sunglasses c/o The Sunglasses Shop

necklace: custom stamped key c/o The Giving Keys

watch: Michael Kors

All Photos | Kate Davis Photography

After 6 years of living happily in Nashville, my husband & I are talking about where we want to live next. This chapter of our lives is so exciting (we can live anywhere, do anything!) & also super scary (how am I going to find a new job, how can I leave my dear friends, ... but Nashville is where we met, fell in love, got married).

I truly am a creature of habit - once I find something that works for me, I prefer to stick with it! After graduating from college I moved to Nashville knowing only 1 person (who I proceed to break up with soon after - whoops!), & then made it my job to cultivate a life here, dedicated to finding friends, good coffee shops & my spots around town. During all 6 of my years living here I have made a list of all the new experiences I wanted to complete in Music City & even after 6 years my list continues to be longer than I can ever accomplish! So now that I have put so much work into this place, I am fearful about having to do it again, especially now that I am no longer a student, but supposedly a fully formed adult (still questionable on that front).

Because I am simultaneously a ball of excitement & nerves about what the future holds, I am making my word for 2016 "CHANGE". I want to embrace the unknown & throw myself into living for now with out fear for what comes next. To remind my self of this intention, I am wearing my word around my neck, thanks to The Giving Keys.

The Giving Keys is a great organization that not only employs individuals transitioning out of homelessness, but they encourage you to wear your word, and then give it away when you no longer need it, or find someone who needs it more. It is my dream that I will be able to make the most of this season of CHANGE and give my key away in our next city... wherever that might be! 

If you want to find out more about The Giving Keys check out this page & my exact key necklace can be found here (they also have 13 of their core words or you can get a key custom stamped with your word like I did). 

In my weekend reading post (full post here), I mentioned that I am on the hunt for a legit pair of snow boots, because while my Hunter's keep my feet nice & dry, they aren't exactly the warmest pair of footwear. 

I can't knock the Hunter's too much though, because I trudged everywhere in my Hunter's during our last bout of Winter weather here in Nashville. While I mostly think of my Hunter's as being more about function than looks, I cannot get over how adorable they are with these bows from Poppy Clips! They have so many styles to add a twist to your rainy day style!

Loving these boot bows? Head over to Poppy Clips to get a promo code to purchase your own. 

I also get a lot of questions about how I keep my Hunter's looking new & shiny. Because these boots are made of out a thick plastic, when the plastic gets dried out, it gives a chalky appearance that frustrates many Hunter boot owners. I found this plastic rejuvenation spray that I apply to my Hunter's whenever I start to see the white chalky spots (meaning that the plastic is getting dried out). I think this is a great product, & definitely believe that it helped my last pair of Hunter's last so long (almost 10 years, & then I cracked the sole of one shoe). Shop the boot spray on Amazon. 

Shop exact items from this outfit:

This sweater is pure perfection & available in lots of colors!

work of art

skirt: mosaic skirt c/o Shabby Apple

sweater: J.Crew

heels: old from ShoeMint (shop similar from Sole Society - available in 6 colors)

jewelry: borrowed from the Kendra Scott Green Hills store. Featuring the Caroline earrings, dainty Cory necklace, amethyst drop Carole necklace, & Lyle hand chain. 

sunglasses: Ray-Ban aviators

All Photos | Kate Davis Photo

This is the skirt that inspired my Winter wonderland photoshoot outing. I had this gorgeous skirt from Shabby Apple hanging in my closet & I just knew how dreamy it would look against the amazing white-out Nashville experienced last week. Luckily, my amazing photographer Kate lives close to me, & was willing to brave my snow driving skills to capture these images. The giggles we shared while I navigated this sheet of ice in heels was just a bonus! #doitfortheblog - amiright!?

This maxi skirt truly is a work of art & I love how the stunning purple stones in the Kendra Scott gems pick up on some of the stained-glass-esque colors. All of the jewelry I'm wearing with this outfit is from the Spring 2016 Collection just launched by Kendra Scott, & the inspired-by-modern-art pieces are beyond fabulous!

Shop exact pieces from today's outfit:

Shabby Apple is truly a brand that I adore (in fact one of my all time favorite dresses is Shabby Apple - full post), & I always look to their clothing for great teaching clothes, & items that will be a little different from what everyone else is wearing.

Today I'm partnering with Shabby Apple to give away a $50 gift card to their online store.

Come get social with us on Instagram to enter! Details in the Rafflecopter widget below. A random winner will be selected in 1 week.

a Rafflecopter giveaway