A Dress, with Rings 'n Things
Today I'm very excited to share a few new photographs with you! I have a wonderful friend who has signed on to be my outfit photographer, and I'm so stoked to have someone so talented supporting me and this little blog! His name is Miles, and he's the best. Because we're already pals in the real world, I knew having him help me with photos would be fun and I would feel at ease. Please check out his work here on his website: http://www.miles-gaudet.com/
These photographs are of an outfit from two Saturdays ago, when I attended Lindsay Pattan of Heartland Underdog's Business of Blogging 101 Workshop. Miles and I met up for coffee in the Delmar Loop afterwards for our first stab at a shoot for the blog. I must immediately point out that I'm wearing a dress here. Do you know how unusual that is?! I'm so much more comfortable in denim, any kind of pant, or high waisted-shorts. But, expanding and evolving your personal style means that sometimes you need to step out of the box and into a dress.
If you see me much in real life, you know that I just about always have a few very specific rings on. In the closeup directly above, you'll see my claddagh ring. My family has a lot of Irish heritage (which I would love to dedicate a post to sometime soon), so I wear my claddagh every day. I really enjoy the meaning behind the way that it is worn, too. I wear mine on my right hand, with the heart turned in, to let others know that my "heart is taken." I don't dwell on the meaning all that much, but I find comfort in knowing it's there, supporting me in my fun, adorable relationship. The Celtic knot ring on the same hand was found at a cute little Irish shop in Weston, MO called The Celtic Ranch nearly 4 years ago. I'm plotting an overnight trip with the boyfriend this fall to go back to Weston. It has its own little brewery, a couple bed and breakfasts to stay at, and a shopping main street perfect for holiday gifts. I'd love to visit the Celtic Ranch again and pick up another ring. They have an exquisite online collection of claddaghs to purchase if you'd like to wear one like I do! The third ring I wear 24/7 can be seen in the earlier photographs above. It's a sterling silver thick band. My left ring finger is the only finger it truly fits on, and I don't know what I'll do one day way down the road when another ring has to kick it out of its spot!
Hopefully Miles and I can get together this week to take some more fun photographs! I purchased a new pair of wedge heels at Leopard last Sunday when I was at the Jamberry Nails event at the boutique. They were on sale for $15, and are a style that have been "in" for a little while now, but I haven't found a pair in person! And they're metallic rose gold/blush color. I just couldn't say no.
In other news, I'm actually being featured on a St. Louis website! RealTime/St.Louis is a STL-focused news and informational website that aims "to be chatty, familiar, friendly, inviting and conversational." I've really enjoyed reading it so far, and like the home page's setup - headlines pop up across the page as you scroll down, some accompanied by photographs. I'll be turning to the site more and more for down-home stories. They have started a section on their blog called Real People, where they highlight St. Louis bloggers, which helps give us a more visibility, and in turn, will help drive traffic to their site. I think it's a great collaboration, especially because I'll learn about other nearby bloggers from them! I'm happy to be highlighted, and feeling more motivated than ever!
These photographs are of an outfit from two Saturdays ago, when I attended Lindsay Pattan of Heartland Underdog's Business of Blogging 101 Workshop. Miles and I met up for coffee in the Delmar Loop afterwards for our first stab at a shoot for the blog. I must immediately point out that I'm wearing a dress here. Do you know how unusual that is?! I'm so much more comfortable in denim, any kind of pant, or high waisted-shorts. But, expanding and evolving your personal style means that sometimes you need to step out of the box and into a dress.
I found this dress at Value Village in Fenton for only $4. I'm not much into preppy dresses (or any dress at all, as I've made clear!), but the blue and red pattern on this jumped out at me. After I discovered that it's an original Brooks Brothers piece, with the tag still attached, I knew I had to have it! I think it may have been a gift because the price point was torn off - but the closest style I can find to this on their current website is $150+! Quite a find, if I do say so myself! I love that the dress ties at the waist to help offset the preppy collar up top.
I'm a huge fan of leopard print, if you didn't know already. I snatched this jacket off a clearance rack at Forever 21 over a year ago for $10. It sat in my closet for way too long because I realized I didn't know how to wear it. Isn't that a silly thing? I finally gave up thinking about it and just started throwing it on top of everything, and this is what happens.
For a day that involves a workshop, I had to carry two bags with me. The red clutch is a Value Village find, and the laptop bag is a garage sale discovery. Both are real leather, and the inside of the clutch is a beautiful smooth red suede. The laptop bag makes me giggle because it has that blank spot on the front where I would think a logo would go. There is no brand anywhere inside it, either. We accidentally didn't get a picture of my shoes, oops!!! We're learning. I was sporting a low, blocky heel that just screams boy-chic. They almost perfectly matched the laptop bag.
If you see me much in real life, you know that I just about always have a few very specific rings on. In the closeup directly above, you'll see my claddagh ring. My family has a lot of Irish heritage (which I would love to dedicate a post to sometime soon), so I wear my claddagh every day. I really enjoy the meaning behind the way that it is worn, too. I wear mine on my right hand, with the heart turned in, to let others know that my "heart is taken." I don't dwell on the meaning all that much, but I find comfort in knowing it's there, supporting me in my fun, adorable relationship. The Celtic knot ring on the same hand was found at a cute little Irish shop in Weston, MO called The Celtic Ranch nearly 4 years ago. I'm plotting an overnight trip with the boyfriend this fall to go back to Weston. It has its own little brewery, a couple bed and breakfasts to stay at, and a shopping main street perfect for holiday gifts. I'd love to visit the Celtic Ranch again and pick up another ring. They have an exquisite online collection of claddaghs to purchase if you'd like to wear one like I do! The third ring I wear 24/7 can be seen in the earlier photographs above. It's a sterling silver thick band. My left ring finger is the only finger it truly fits on, and I don't know what I'll do one day way down the road when another ring has to kick it out of its spot!
Hopefully Miles and I can get together this week to take some more fun photographs! I purchased a new pair of wedge heels at Leopard last Sunday when I was at the Jamberry Nails event at the boutique. They were on sale for $15, and are a style that have been "in" for a little while now, but I haven't found a pair in person! And they're metallic rose gold/blush color. I just couldn't say no.
In other news, I'm actually being featured on a St. Louis website! RealTime/St.Louis is a STL-focused news and informational website that aims "to be chatty, familiar, friendly, inviting and conversational." I've really enjoyed reading it so far, and like the home page's setup - headlines pop up across the page as you scroll down, some accompanied by photographs. I'll be turning to the site more and more for down-home stories. They have started a section on their blog called Real People, where they highlight St. Louis bloggers, which helps give us a more visibility, and in turn, will help drive traffic to their site. I think it's a great collaboration, especially because I'll learn about other nearby bloggers from them! I'm happy to be highlighted, and feeling more motivated than ever!
Thank you for stopping by, I appreciate YOU!
Outfit Details:
Dress: Value Village in Fenton, originally Brooks Brothers
Jacket: Forever21
Earrings: Value Village in Fenton, no markings
Necklace: Value Village in Fenton, brand - Monet
Bags: Value Village in Kenrick Plaza (now defunct)
Shoes (not pictured, but mentioned): Value Village in Fenton
Rings: Etsy.com, The Celtic Ranch, and the Missouri River Irish Festival