MIA

I apologize for the lack of posts lately, y'all! Work and my social life have been super busy and I have had zero time to sit down and write. This weekend will consist of a going-away party then going to see the Alabama Shakes tomorrow night! If you haven't heard their music yet, I highly suggest you check them out. They rock.

Have a lovely weekend!

xoxo

Château

I present to you the majestic, ethereal, unique Château de Sannes - a 17th centure hunting lodge near Aix en Provence, France.

A long private driveway, lined with plane trees and shaded by cherry trees underplanted with irises, leads to the peaceful grounds of about 135 acres, surrounding the château.
 

Enchanting formal gardens, abundant with cypresses and ancient Cedar of Lebanon trees, are framed by olive groves, a truffle plantation, wheat and lavender fields, and woodlands.  

 

While the house is exquisite, it's the grounds of the property which are the shining jewel, including a restored 18th century moulin (or windmill for those non-French-speakers).

Hope you enjoyed this petit voyage as much as I did. Let's vacation here. 

xoxo

& Love Unconditionally...

W2WW :: Wear to Work Wednesday

It's Wednesday! Here's your weekly wear-to-work inspo.

Blazer - ???
Pants - Ann Taylor LOFT - $65 (now an extra 40% off!)
Bag - Michael Kors - $174
Necklace - Etro - $355
Bracelet - Windsor Store - $7
Nail Polish - Dior - $23
Lip Color - Clinique Black Honey - $15 (I am obsessed with this! I keep losing it and every time I go back and buy a new one. It's that good.)

Make the pattern of the pants the focal point of the outfit with a neutral top and nail color. Make sure you don't overdo the jewelry, especially with the large necklace it's important to keep the rest of your accessories to a minimum. And, of course, add a pop of color with your bag. Who's surprised?

Happy hump day.

xoxo

Tips from a Pro

Close your eyes.
 
Imagine, in your mind, the perfect rolled up sleeve.

The perfect mix of formal and messy.

 

What is the first thing to come to mind? Is there a certain brand over others who takes this look to a new level of perfection?

 J.Crew, perhaps? The brand who can do no wrong? Yes, they have the perfect rolled-sleeve down to a science. 

According to Marina Dobreva, personal stylist for J.Crew, you achieve the J.Crew sleeve by "Taking the cuff and bringing it up to the elbow... THEN rolling the remaining part of the sleeve up to the elbow. This way the cuff is always showing."

*cue the "OMG why didn't I think of that?!!?" feelings*

That was how I felt, at least. No more awkward, chunky sleeves pushed up to my elbows for me!

Happy Tuesday, loves :)

xoxo

Just Do It

 

We're all guilty of this one.. especially us girls. 

In honor of Monday and the grumpy attitudes that come with the beginning of the workweek, here's to being nice polite to everyone. You know, like us Southern girls were raised ;)

xoxo

Do Work, Son!

Some of my favorite office spaces, courtesy of my Pinterest page.

Would it even be possible not to feel accomplished and important if one of these was your personal office??

Say it with me... ahhhh... so dreamy and peaceful

My absolute favorite office of all time - belonging to the ever-glamorous and always hilarious, Khloe Kardashian

Friday Funday

Happy Friday, beautiful ladies! 

Enjoy every moment of your weekend!

xoxo

A Very Glamorous Thursday

This room just infatuates me. The amount of details and layering is pure genius. Your eye darts from the chaise in the middle of the room, to the framed coral on the far wall, to the sputnik-style fixture on the right, to the blown glass eggs on the foremost table. Perfection, I tell you!

Notice how almost all the furniture features stark, modern, clean lines? Even the upholstered chairs on the right have modern chic silver legs. Pair this with the soft, billowing curtains, the organic coral fans, and the natural stone object on the table - voila, automatic chic.

I'd love to share the designer with you, but the name has been lost somewhere in the black hole that is my computer. My apologies.

xoxo

W2WW :: Wear to Work Wednesday

Top / Modcloth / $35
Boots / Loeffler Randall / $695 (in my dreams...)
iPad case / Marc by Marc Jacobs / $98
Denim / Joe's Jeans / $190 (similar from Old Navy here)
Earrings / Nordstrom / $60
Necklace / J.Crew / $165

Many companies these days are ditching the business formal dress code for business casual. Embrace it! Happy employees = productive employees.

My new job allows us to wear jeans to work, but I'm a little slow to work denim into my work attire. Something about feeling more professional in formal dress, but hey, to each his own!

What kind of work outfits do you want to see featured on W2WW? I'd love your input!

xoxo

Splurge vs. Steal

SPLURGE // STEAL
Leather jacket: Mango // OwnTheRunway
Jeans: True Religion // Forever21
Flats: Chloe // Charlotte Russe
Bow ring: Ivanka Trump // BaubleBar
Scarf: Alexander McQueen // Republic.co

Which do you prefer? Are name brands like McQueen, Chloe, and True Religion worth the splurge, or would you go for the steal?

Personally, I recommend a mix of both high-end pieces and more practical, cheaper ones. I'd totally splurge on the True Religion jeans and still rock the Charlotte Russe flats. No shame, I tell you...

 

xoxo

Lurve

This may be borderline hippie talk, but let's focus on love this week.

Giving > receiving

xoxo

Wanderlusting :: Outer Banks, NC

Centuries before the area became a vacation hot spot, the Outer Banks, a long string of barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina, was the setting for a story unlike anywhere else in the US. In 1585, more than twenty years before the 1607 settlement of Jamestown, a group of English settlers forged a colony in the Outer Banks. By 1587, however, the settlers had inexplicably vanished. In the ensuing years the region witnessed similarly mysterious shipwrecks and sporadic pirate encounters along its extensive coastline...

 

I imagine someone wearing this outfit strolling down the boardwalk on a crisp autumn day. Sometimes I think there is nothing more peaceful than the beach when it's cool outside.

The treacherous seas off the Outer Banks and the large number of shipwrecks that have occurred there have given these seas the nickname Graveyard of the Atlantic.

Before bridges were built in the 1930s, the only form of transport between or off the islands was by boat, which allowed for the islands to stay isolated from much of the rest of the mainland. This helped to preserve the maritime culture and the distinctive Outer Banks accent, which sounds more like an English accent than American.

The islands are home to herds of wild horses which are thought to be descendants of Spanish Mustangs washed ashore centuries ago in shipwrecks.

Nearby was the home base of pirate Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard. It is also where the famed pirate was killed.

The rules are different out here. Shaped by nature just like the Outer Banks were swept in from the Atlantic Ocean. The first colonists to settle the Americas only to mysteriously disappear.

Happy FRIDAY

Happy Friday, ladies! 

Go out this weekend. Have fun with your friends. Enjoy the weather. Love life! And tell me all your crazy stories ;) 

xoxo

W2WW :: Wear to Work Wednesday

Black + white + raspberry = a yummy wear-to-work outfit.

It's pretty much impossible to go wrong with black and white, especially when it comes to office wear. If you've been following my W2WW series at all, you know how much I love to add pops of color to an outfit using accessories, like this McQueen scarf. If you have something more formal to attend, like an important business meeting, you can just take it off for a more polished look. Easy!

Pants / J.Crew / $118

iPad case / Juicy Couture / $95

Bag / Tory Burch / $495

Scarf / Alexander McQueen / $260 (in my dreams...)

Blouse / J.Crew / $88

Blazer / SheInsife.com / $46

Shoes / Nine West / $50 (great price for those of us on a budget!)

Earrings / Kendra Scott / $60

Perfume / Chanel Coco Mademoiselle

My Challenge For You

Okay my dear readers, here's what I challenge you to do today (and tomorrow and the next day and the next day...)

It sounds simple enough, right? So then why do we not do more of it? What's holding you back from doing what you love? Is it time, money, responsibilities, expectations? What would you do if you weren't afraid to fail?





I LOVE and encourage comments, so even if you're an anonymous reader, I ask that you please leave some love in the comments box.

Let me know your thoughts, comments, if you had a good or bad day, anything you want - that's what I'm here for!

Here's hoping you have a fantastic start to your week,

xoxo