summer 2017

Flowing white dress at a garden party

 in General Fashion  tagged apiece apart / cult gaia / outfits / rsthecon / spring 2017 / summer 2017 by

summer white dress apiece apart dressessummer white trend summer cult gaia handbag

Wearing: rose gold dangle earrings / YSL lipstick / Chanel sunglasses / white flowing dress / white tank top under dress / rose gold cuff / Cult Gaia bag / Chanel summer nail polish / blue scarf  c/o Banana Republic (sold out, also love this one) / black watch / Christian Louboutin espadrilles (old, also love this pair under $100)

How breezy and fun is this white dress! This isn’t something I would normally reach for when I am shopping for a summer dress, but now that I have it, I love it! Let me tell you the backstory on how this flowing white dress ended up in my wardrobe. . .

If you read my posts last week, you might know that my original outfit for the “Escape to Tulum” welcome party at the rewardStyle conference did not work out as planned. The outfit I wore instead was what I had planned for the last day of the conference. On the last day, there was a Garden Party theme, and my outfit had been planned accordingly. Since I already wore the Garden Party outfit to the pool party, and this was a conference filled with fashion bloggers, I couldn’t really wear it again. So, this meant I needed to buy something! The horror!

Luckily there was a shop in the building across from our hotel, so Alison from Wardrobe Oxygen went over with me to find something quickly for the last day of the conference. I did have an extra skirt in my suitcase, so I thought I would find a cute black, navy, or white top to match it. I couldn’t find anything basic, or easy to pair with a skirt. We scoured the store. Normally when I shop, I can find something quickly, but just my luck, nothing was basic at all!!

Alison eventually found some racks in the back, so we flipped through them, and voila! There was this white dress! I have always admired Apiece Apart from afar, but never actually purchased something from them. So, I was excited to acquire my first piece from their collection. Yay!

This dress flowed, and was nice and breezy. If it had been a warm day, it would have perfect. Unfortunately the weather was in the 40’s with a cold, icy wind tearing through the area. I was a little bit cold, but it is OK. I know I will get a lot of wear out of this dress as the temperatures rise; after all, summer is on it’s way! Love that!

Have you ever had to shop last minute while on vacation? How did it turn out?

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

*photo credit: Alison/Wardrobe Oxygen

how to wear a white dress

Uptown chic picnic

 in General Fashion  tagged banana republic / chloe / outfits / rsthecon / spring 2017 / summer 2017 by

black and white outfit idea chloe drewbanana republic outfit

Wearing: rose gold dangle earrings / blue scarf c/o Banana Republic (sold out, similar scarf  on sale here) / Chanel sunglasses / YSL lipstick / iPhone case / black flutter sleeve top / black and white striped skirt / rose gold cuff / black watch / Chanel summer nail polish / Chloe handbag / blush wedge espadrilles

How cute is this picnic! On the first full day of the rewardStyle conference, Banana Republic hosted an “Uptown Chic” picnic at the Shake Shack. It was so much fun to sit outside in an adorable picnic setting in the middle of downtown Dallas!

Banana Republic set up the cutest picnic tables with floral centerpieces in the outdoor eating area of the Shack Shack. There were also cute little Adirondack chairs set up in groups of two for intimate socializing. If I had this much room in my backyard, I would totally throw a picnic like this every weekend. It was so cute and fun!

I have heard of the Shack Shack through Instagram posts which pop up in my feed, but I had never been to one to before. Apparently we are getting one here in the Bay Area very soon! It will be located in Campbell. I cannot wait! Let me just tell you, this was one of the yummiest hamburgers I have ever eaten. The french fries were to-die-for too! I enjoyed a cheeseburger while some of my blogger friends enjoyed the crispy chicken burger. I understand the chicken was equally delicious. Next time I have the opportunity to eat at the Shake Shack, I want to try the chicken! Yum!

Since I knew ahead of time that Banana Republic would be hosting this event. I planned my outfit accordingly. This skirt and top are from Banana Republic’s current collection and they are so perfect for spring and summer. I know I will get a lot of use out of this skirt for daytime events, and church, this season. In addition, this black flutter sleeve top will also look amazing with jeans, denim shorts, white pants, and more! These are such versatile, staple wardrobe pieces. Love!

Banana Republic was so nice to us! In addition to serving up a beautiful setting and delicious food, we all got to pick out a scarf. I decided to tie mine “Melrose Place” style. I was in a 90’s mood. haha What do you think? Bring back the “Melrose Place” scarf trend? I’m thinking, let’s do it!

One last thing about this outfit, remember how I mentioned earlier I forgot to pack a few things? Well. . . this outfit was supposed to be worn with black espadrille wedges, but I forgot to pack them. When I returned home, they were on the floor in my bedroom and I tripped over them bringing my suitcase in! haha I think these wedges look OK, but the black pair would have been perfect. Oh well, c’est la vie!

So tell me, have you tried Shake Shack? If so, are you a fan too? Secondly, what do you think of tying a scarf “Melrose Place” style? Yay or nay?

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

outfit idea picnic

Channeling vacation in Tulum at a work conference

 in General Fashion  tagged cult gaia / diane von furstenberg / outfits / rsthecon / spring 2017 / summer 2017 / travel style / vacation outfits / who what wear by

how to wear floralscult gaia ark bagrewardstyle bloggerscute spring outfit ideas

Wearing: Kendra Scott earrings / Chanel sunglasses / Chanel spring lipstick / white ruffle tee (under $20 & also in black!) / rose gold cuff bracelet / wood watch c/o Jord / Chanel summer nail polish / Cult Gaia Ark bag / DVF skirt / pink espadrille wedges

Channeling vacation in Tulum, Mexico! Last week I attended a conference in Dallas, Texas. The conference was hosted by rewardStyle which is a media and affiliate marketing company geared towards fashion, beauty and lifestyle bloggers. The conference is known throughout social media as #rsTheCon if you would like to search the hashtag for pictures.

I was so excited to receive an invitation to the conference. There are only about two hundred spots available and they are tough spots to come by! So, I definitely felt honored to be included. As with any business conference, there were classes and networking opportunities with both brands and bloggers. It was really fun to meet some bloggers I know through social media, but have never had the chance to meet in person. While education at a conference is must-have for your business, making new friends who can become your support group is a goldmine. Love it!

So you might be asking yourself, why is she channeling Tulum at a work conference in Dallas? Well, on day one of the conference all we did was check-in, meet-and-greet with other attendees, and celebrate being there at a pool party! The theme of the pool party was “Escape to Tulum” and it was sponsored by Sole Society, so it was super fun! Hence my outfit, channeling a vacation in Tulum 😉

Surprisingly, this is not what I planned to wear to this event. The original dress I planned to wear didn’t work out for the party, so I decided to wear this outfit instead which I had originally planned to wear on day three of the conference. It worked out perfectly since it was fairly warm and humid at the pool party, and this skirt breathes! Love!

Circling back to the original dress; when I tried it on at home I thought the bra I packed would be OK, but it totally showed through! Eeeek! I can’t go around like that!! So, the dress will have to come home with me and get worn another time. But, that wasn’t my only packing snafu. I forgot to pack my eye-shadow brush, and my black wedges. Ugh! I am usually really good about following my packing list, but somehow I screwed up this time. Has this ever happened to you?

Thank you so much for stopping by, and stay tuned for more coverage of my escapades at conference!

*photos by Alison/Wardrobe Oxygen

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