#ootd: Chambray + Gladiators

Lately, I haven’t been feeling very inspired. So, when the manfriend asked me what I wanted to do (which he does everyday, it’s one of our things…), I said walk around town. Usually, I respond with something outrageous that we could never do, but I figured why not explore Poultney.

Chambray + Gladiators

(Chambray Dress: Old Navy, Gladiator Sandals: Charlotte Russe (this style is longer available, but you can get similar + even better ones here), Bag: Kelly Moore, Sunglasses: Foster Grant, Nail Wraps: Scratch)

OOTD Details

Sunflowers

Gladiator sandals from Charlotte Russe

We didn’t do too much, but I did enjoy a strawberry smoothie from Café Pazienza + a Full Belly Deli Pepperjack Bacon Melt (the sandwich that turned me on to sandwiches). And if you know anything about my relationship with the manfriend, you know that movie nights are another one of our things, so we picked up three movies. You don’t have to go all out to have an inspiringly uplifting day.

xx
Bet

#ootd: Band Tee + Chucks

This is what happens when you pack in the pitch dark, because your power went out thanks to a storm.

If you’re not sure what I’m getting at  by that, let me explain. The shirt was a rescue from the manfriend’s sister’s to be donated pile. I grabbed it since I didn’t have anything else to wear, and cut off the sleeves +  just threw it over a basic H&M dress.

Band Tee

The Converses we share. I think they were originally mine (or maybe my little brother’s), but I gave them to her, and she never wears them but when I visit I do sometimes.

Red High Tops

Give you one guess where I am…

4 Ways To Do Red, White + Blue

With the Fourth of July being this weekend, I started to think about what I was going to wear to all the BBQs, parties + fireworks.

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I get really excited about holidays because they can inspire some pretty great + creative outfits. Hey, any excuse to dress festively!

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When I think about Independence Day, I think red, white and blue, so I styled four different red, white and blue looks. While I don’t expect anyone to want to copy any of these looks exactly, I hope that they can still spark (pun fully intended, ain’t no shame in my game) some outfit inspo!

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Nothing in this post is new or even recently purchased, everything was already in my closet (or on my bedroom floor)…except for the Birkenstocks, I got them on Poshmark about a week or two ago + have worn them pretty much everyday since.

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Happy Fourth of July! Enjoy the fireworks!

diy destroyed jeans

Jeans are a wardrobe staple.

Destroyed jeans take a classic look to the next level.

They are also wicked expensive…and I’m broke.

That’s what makes diy so awesome!

Not only are they something fun to try, but that feeling of accomplishment afterwards, makes me feel like I can take on the world. And in these jeans, I can, now that I worked some diy magic on them.

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I found (yes, found) a pair of Vigoss jeans that just happened to be my size. The only thing wrong with them is that they were missing the button.

DIY Destroyed Denim

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I have distressed, ripped, and destroyed all kinds of denim in the past, but they never come out great. So I set my expectations low, by deeming my finds as practice jeans. But the results were far better than I could have hoped for!

Side note: Pay attention and don’t multitask when doing anything with a sharp blade. Sounds obvious, but I sliced my finger pretty badly and there was a lot of blood involved…No bueno!

wake up + social media tank

This past weekend was spectacular! First I got this rad wake up + social media tank…

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Second, I got to go to New York with my two best friends,  where we went to the first ever BeautyCon NYC!

The manfriend got me a Pro Ticket which included a tote bag filled with goodies (I’ll be sharing about that and all things BeautyCon NYC later) and this tank!

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Anyone who didn’t have a Pro ticket (there was also VIP and GA), was able to purchase a shirt for $25. What I found really cool was the fact that I was able to choose which shirt I wanted. Otherwise, I would have left with two shirts because I really liked this tank!

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Don’t know what BeautyCon is? Check out their website! Want to hear about my experience? Stay tuned!

denim + denim look

I have have always appreciated the denim on denim look. I wear it often, but never with a skirt. Until now!

I mean, used to rock mini denim skirts on the reg, but stopped when they started to feel like they were no longer age appropriate for me.

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Then I found this H&M skirt that is just the right about of mini.

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And the details! I’m a huge fan of distressed denim and  love to DIY, but it never comes out quite like this…

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The second I saw it I knew that I wanted it. It’s just so…ME!  Casual yet chic, with just a bit of edge. With my J. Crew chambray button up shirt and Forever 21 ankle boots, perfection! I can’t wait to style this skirt again! What would you wear it with?

Dressing the “True You”

A while back, I shared about attending the Vermont Women in Higher Education (VWHE) Women’s Leadership Conference. I also had the pleasure of attending the Pre-Conference, and while the entire experience sort of spoke to me, it was Stasia Savasuk, the founder of Thrift Me Pretty, whose story moved me most.

Stasia spoke about the importance and power of dressing the “true you”.  She opened by sharing about her humble past, the joys of thrift shopping (one of her favorite brands is J. Crew, but why pay retail when you can score great deals instead?), and stories from her current experience as a personal stylist.  During her presentation, Stasia had us think back to our most favorite outfit as a child, and asked us to remember all of its special details…the texture, color, pattern, fabric, and most importantly, she asked us to remember how it made us FEEL. She then talked about ways to translate those features and feelings into our own personal style today. We learned that if we wear clothing that is true reflection of our soul, then we will feel better, act better and do better.

Now, at this point I’m sold! (Stasia, if you ever decided to write a book, save me a signed copy!) Then she played us this clip and it really brought her point home.

This video was supposed to be for a B-School scholarship, but because it was too long, it didn’t qualify. However, you’ll be happy to know that Stasia was able to raise enough money for the 8 week on-line marketing program through GoFundMe, and is rockin’ her way through B-School now! And as for Raisa, I heard she just landed a gig as an Instagram photogher…You can check out her work on Instagram!

Stasia’s favorite thrift shop in Vermont? Shalom Schuk in Burlington. “…It’s fantastic. Prices are great, and they’ve got some real quality goods…”

She also recommends the Goodwill in South Burlington.

While this was not a sponsored post, I do want to mention that I was so busy being inspired and taking notes, that I wasn’t able to get any photos during Stasia’s presentation. The feature image is from the VWHE Facebook page.

Fitting Room Sesh: Target

Although I truly enjoy living in Vermont, I have to admit that I miss having a Target in state. I mean Walmart is great, but it’s no Target.

All these Target collabs kill me, because if I can’t get it online, then I usually can’t get it. However, while I was visiting my parents, I figured I’d try my luck to see if anything from the Peter Pilotto for Target collection was left or made it’s way to clearance…

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I was also happy to see that Merona and Mossimo have really stepped up their game!

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I ended up not getting anything shown above (and I really wanted those tux inspired pants), but I would have gotten it all, if it had all been my size and I didn’t have bills to pay.

I did end up getting a couple of things…

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What are your thoughts on Target’s style? Like what you see on my blog posts? Follow me on luvocracy! Not there? If I ever post about something and you can’t find it, let me know!

Redbook’s Real Women Style Awards

On my style page, I mentioned that I had submitted outfits to the Redbook’s Real Women Style Awards. I am SO excited to share that I was selected as one of the 25 semifinalists for America’s best-dressed women…I even made it onto a Redbook promo!

Voting goes until May 12th and the 10 finalists will get coverage in Redbook Magazine’s September issue!

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Help spread the work using the hashtag #RBKBestDressed, and make sure to vote (…for me)!