General Fashion

Twirling into the end of summer

 in General Fashion  tagged brahmin / chicos / dresses / fall 2018 / outfits by

black white scarf dress fall 2018 dresses fall 2018 it bagschicos dresses

wearing: gold and white hoop earrings (under $20!!) / lipstick / black and white scarf dress / purple nail polish / black croc stamp satchel-fall 2018 (under $300!) / black patent pumps (old, also love this pair) /

Last Saturday night was so much fun! My friend Dawn from Fashion Should Be Fun invited me to attend the Mimi Tran fashion show with her at Santana Row. I am so happy she did! It was a blast sitting front row with her and seeing Mimi Tran’s latest collection take the catwalk.

I decided to wear my new black and white scarf dress which I bought when I was in Florida visiting the first Chico’s store on Sanibel Island. My original plan was to belt the dress, but the belt wouldn’t stay put, so I took it off and wore the dress sans obi belt; and I loved it! The hemline is so much fun, and the dress construction is really comfortable. This was a no-fuss outfit which is exactly what you want to wear when it’s time to have fun!!

Although summer is still in full swing, I am craving the fall season. The recent evening and morning fog have me feeling fall; and I had my first pumpkin pie latte at a local coffee shop. So, let’s just say I am trying to make fall happen. 😉

This fall dress is easy to wear right now, as long as the temperatures stay under 80 like we have had recently. When the weather cools down, I plan on wearing this dress casually with a moto jacket and western style booties. It will be a great daytime dress! The dress can also be glammed up with a necklace and sparkling earrings. Did you hear crystal chandelier earrings for daytime are coming back? Oh, I need to dig out my old pairs and start wearing them! But I digress. . .

Shop my black and white scarf dress for fall:

Are you still feeling summer, or are you craving fall like me?

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

*photo credit: Dawn/Fashion Should Be Fun

black white scarf dressfall 2018 dresses

Moving into fall with SOMA Style Essentials

 in General Fashion  tagged fall 2018 / outfits / SOMA Intimates by

soma dress soft jacket soma clothing review soma dressessoma style essentials soma style essentials

wearing: rose gold hoop earrings / lipstick / soft black jersey wrap c/o SOMA Intimates / black and white pattern maxi dress c/o SOMA Intimates / purple nail polish / black shoulder bag / white split shaft booties /

The weather is finally changing! We have been getting cool fog in the mornings, and warm, yet comfortable, temperatures in the afternoons. This is the perfect scenario for transitioning  my wardrobe from summer into fall. Thankfully SOMA recently launched their Style Essentials clothing line! Love!

My favorite intimates brand now has clothing! If you have been following along for awhile, you may remember how much I love SOMA pajamas. My daughters and I are addicted to their soft, comfy, and extra cute PJ’s. So it is no wonder I instantly fell in love with the SOMA Style Essentials clothing line! It’s just as soft and comfortable as their PJ’s; except that you can wear this clothing in public! Love that!

This comfy maxi dress is just as soft as SOMA’s pajamas, and it is great to wear all day. In the morning I can throw on flip flops and this jersey jacket to drop my kids off at school, run to the supermarket, and attend to any errands I need to get done for the day. When lunch rolls around, I can take off the jacket and throw on wedges for the perfect lunch look. This dress can even take me to a business meeting! Swap out the wedges for block heels and a more tailored jacket or blazer and I can take on the world!

This dress is a great alternative to leggings and an oversize top on days when athleisure or casual-wear is in order. If I am in a legging mood, SOMA also carries comfy leggings, oversize tops, and a variety of comfy and casual dresses. It’s a one-stop-shop!

You can check out the entire SOMA Style Essentials collection online here.

Shop my summer into fall maxi dress and jacket:

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

*sponsored by SOMA Intimates, all thoughts and opinions are my own

soma style essentials comfortable daytime clothing

35 Years Bold Chico’s trip day two

 in Events / General Fashion / Shopping / Travel  tagged chicos / summer 2018 by

Welcome to my Chico’s trip recap day two! If you missed day one, you can read all about it here.

The second day of the Chico’s 35 Years Bold trip was jam-packed with activities. We started our day out at Chico’s headquarters. Their headquarter’s is so dreamy! It’s Florida, so they had a beautiful pond near the gate to their campus, and the buildings were designed in nostalgic brick. It looked like a pretty place to work!

Chico’s gave us a tour of their campus, and filled us in on the history of the founders, and the company. There are beautiful antiques and a beachy vibe when you walk into the reception area of the building. There is nothing cold and corporate-like about it! What a fun place to work!

Our tour included backstage access to their entire design process from start to finish. You can see an artist designing a new print for a future collection, which I am not allowed to name, in one of the above photos. It is incredible to know that Chico’s prints are all hand-painted, in-house, by real artists!!

After getting a sneak peek at several future collections, forecasting mood boards, the fit process, and a couple of top secret collections, we were treated to a catered brunch. The brunch was delicious, and when we were done, we chatted with Chico’s executives about everything from marketing to design to shopping. It was so much fun to give feedback and share ideas with Chico’s decision makers!

Brunch eventually came to an end, and Chico’s brought us out to Sanibel Island where the very first Chico’s store is located. It was incredible to see the first store in it’s original location, complete with original fixtures and antiques. The store was incredible; and two stories!

So, what happens when eleven bloggers are armed with gift cards in a Chico’s? Well, a whole lotta shopping, that’s what! I came home with a black and white dress, and two belts. My new dress will make an appearance on the blog in the near future-so stay tuned!

Outfit I wore to Chico’s headquarter’s and shopping:

After shopping, we enjoyed a yummy lunch and then headed back to the hotel to rest and freshen up before dinner.

We started the evening off with a beautiful dinner inside the hotel’s ballroom. I found Tonya from The Real Chic Life had chosen the same dress as me for the evening. She looked fabulous! I love how she paired it with this necklace. The beads in her necklace really captured the colors in the print and looked amazing. Hmmmm, ideas for next time I wear it!

It was really fun twinning with her, after all, great minds think alike; amiright?! This dress is amazing, and it’s part of Chico’s pre-fall collection, so I plan on styling it differently as we move into the fall season. I am going to wear it with western style boots at fashion week in September. It’ll be a fun look!

Outfit I wore to dinner and the sunset cruise:

After dinner, we all walked across the street for a beautiful, ninety-minute cruise around Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel Island. The cruise was so pretty, I sat on the top level of the boat the entire time drinking in the beauty of the area. The sunset was incredible, and there were dolphins swimming along with our boat!! That was SO COOL!

One of the big takeaways from the trip was that we should always be living our best and boldest life. Chico’s is all about being bold, and enjoying life. When I was in my 20’s I always wore professional black ensembles and went for a conservative look. The older I get, the more I realize life is too short to follow fashion rules and blend into the background. It is time to shine; and be bold! So let’s raise a glass and cheers Chico’s on 35 years of living bold!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy