Snakeskin Saturday

Happy Style Saturday! I couldn't let another day go by without sharing this buttery leather jacket and snakeskin dress with you. As fall has descended on the Carolina's it is time to transition our wardrobe into our fall uniforms. 

I love this look because of its versatility. These pieces together ROCK but they can also be worn as stand-alone, standouts. You could easily wear this snakeskin pleated dress to the office with a cute blazer or style it with this black leather jacket for more of a date night look. It would also look killer with black or nude booties but I opted to dress this look up a little with a pair of Steve Madden high heels.

This whole look including the earrings (and minus the shoes) is available at Fabrik Birkdale!

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Best Friends Are Hard To Come By

NYFW is upon us and although we are already looking forward to Spring 2020 lines, we still have to live through Fall of 2019. This season, get ready for a little 90's influence. Cue the denim jackets and plaid button-downs. Although we are still waiting on our first burst of cool air, fall fashion styles are already rolling out. 

Last week my best friend Laura Pucker was here in North Carolina to escape Hurricane Dorian as it threatened the east coast of Florida after pummeling the Bahamas. Of course, when Laura called and asked if she could fly up and stay with me I said YES immediately. Laura and I have known each other for years and met when I was coaching her for Mrs. Florida America.  

About 3 minutes into our first session I knew 2 things, Laura was the class clown (aka Ms. Congeniality) and we were about to become best friends. Since that day 10 years ago Laura and I have been thick as thieves and we have bonded over everything from travel and relationship issues to fashion trends and fake friends.

Even though Laura and I don't live in the same city, she is one of those people you can just pick right back up with. One of those rare friends that you can call for anything. While Laura was here we were inspired by NYFW and started planning our return trip to New York City for fall fashion week this coming February.  

In the meantime, enjoy these fall-inspired styles that are sure to be hot trends as the leaves change. Look for denim, mauve, plaids, casual dresses and sandals to rock this season for transitional pieces.  

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Seeing Spots : Page 6

Ugh, it is officially flu season! Cue the yo-yo temperatures and chronic coughing fits! 

Sadly, I am already there. It all started with a sore throat Monday night after work and it was all downhill from there. By bedtime, I felt like I had been hit by a mac truck. My whole body ached and my voice was weak. I poured myself a cup of hot tea with honey and started a hot bath with Epsom salts to ease the pain that was creeping through my muscles, but nothing seemed to help. 

Next, a fever set in and I spent the night fist fighting with the sheets on my bed. (We've all been there.) Hot. Cold. Sweat. Shivers. I thought "Surely I'll feel better in the morning". However, when my alarm promptly sounded at 4am I did not feel any improvement.

Unfortunately, in our line of work, sick days are few and far between. Radio is a crazy animal and we have this little thing called ratings that determine how well our show does or does not do. On a three-person show, we don't typically get the luxury of taking off unless the whole show takes scheduled PTO. 

People may think, being in the entertainment world we are "show ponies" but I can assure you, we are the workhorses. Yes, the job is a blast but when you are sick, or down, or not feeling 100% it doesn't matter because you have a show to do and people to make laugh. As they say, " The show must go on!"

It's now Friday night and I still feel terrible. I have tried all the medicine in the world this week and the only thing to make me feel even remotely better is, of course, a cute outfit like this one from Page 6  Boutique in Fort Mill. 

Who doesn't love Spanx, a leopard turtleneck, and a darling hat! Now, this specific sweater is SOLD OUT but Page 6 has more leopardy goodness in store and on their website! Plus they always have Spanx in stock and they are so easy to mix and match. I also paired this look with these Page 6 booties and my favorite fall necklace. 

Happy Friday y'all! 

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4 For Fashion : Adair

Finally, fall fashion is in full swing and I couldn't be more excited to bring you this month's "4 For Fashion" looks courtesy of Adair boutique! This is a fun collaboration for Rachel, Laura, Barbi and myself because Adair just opened their second location in South End. Adair has lived in Concord for years and this new location brings even more affordable fashion, trends, and gifts to our uptown area. 

Adair boutique not only has two full locations of inventory to choose from but also a full website of apparel for you to enjoy. Of course "4 For Fashion" is here to give you a look at Adair's trendy looks at all ages. Rachel from Queen City Chic is leading the pack with looks for your 20's. I am at the helm for my 30 something sisters. Laura from Smart Southern Style is representing our lovely ladies in their 4o's and Barbi from Southern Blonde Chic is rounding out our possie with looks you'll love in your 50's. It's fashion for all ages! 

Rachel from Queen City Chic always has a style all of her own and I LOVE that! She put together this boho-chic ensemble that is to die for! Her suede skirt really pulls the natural colors out of this long sleeve off the shoulder blouse. Pair with a braid and this fabulous orb necklace and you are ready for a night out with the girls! 

Playing off of Rachel's adorable off the shoulder style top, I chose to go with this black long sleeve basic. I went with this piece because I think it is an article that will work with many different body types, perfect for any wardrobe. Coincidentally, this orange fall dress was hanging right next to my black beauty and upon discovering it I decided they went great together! I paired them with these perfect snakeskin booties and fringe earrings also available at Adair. 

Laura from Smart Southern Style takes on the honor of shopping for our ladies in their 40's and she always makes everything look so great! Laura is great about finding pieces with beautiful detail. This plaid button up boasts handstitched embroidery throughout the shoulders that really makes this look. Laura threw on her favorite pair of jeans and gorgeous gold hoop earrings to complete her casual style.  

Last but certainly not least is our blonde bombshell from Southern Blonde Chic! Barbi opted to embrace all that fall fashion has to offer! How can you not love an aubergine long sleeve and a hand knitted duster vest?! This statement piece looks amazing with Barb's blonde hair, jeans, and necklace! 

Adair really has something for everyone in the way of fashion! As you can see we had no problem putting together show-stopping looks that look great and are age appropriate for anyone. Now that we have started your creative process feel free to check out Adair's Instagram for more looks that you will love! Their stylist are always on hand to help you put together a look for any occasion or to help you shop for a gift your friends will love! 

You can shop Adair's Concord location at 6185 Bayfield Pkwy or at their NEW South End location at 1820 South Blvd!

I also want to give a special thank you to Say Cheese CLT for providing our group with some really fabulous photos for this weeks blog post! 

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Nanny Fails and Fringe

Yes, I know it's only Tuesday but WHEW... What a week! You guys know I share a lot of my life with you all and I feel like I write about this ad nauseam a ton but if I have to do one more flipping nanny interview I might scream!!!

Since April we have been in nanny limbo. Our long-time nanny took a leave of absence for an illness in her family and we loved her so much that we tried to wait for her return, just covering where we could. However, lately, that has added an abnormal about of stress to our lives and careers. Thus, we decided we needed to bring someone on board. 

Since then I have done close to fifty phone interviews and over a dozen in-person meetings. Yet, every time I find someone I like and they hear the words "five am" they run for the hills. I even had a VERY unprofessional experience with a girl who accepted the job and TEXTED me twelve hours before her first shift to cancel.

As you can imagine, I saw red! I thought, "What a selfish thing to do". Come to find out she had accepted two jobs and was probably afraid to tell me. Now, I am a very understanding person if you are upfront with me but the way it was handled was unacceptable. The kicker was that I kept asking her throughout the process if she was still okay with the early start and she proceeded to say "yes" every time! I gave her every opportunity to come clean, so I felt blindsided.

I won't lie to you this process has put an undue amount of stress on myself, my radio career and our marriage. I know we will get through this and find someone amazing for our son but there have definitely been times when I have laid in bed crying because I thought I was going to have to quit my job. 

This may sound cliche but I am a huge believer that you can have it all, but you're going to have to work your ass off to do it! One of my favorite quotes is "Hard work beats talent, when talent won't work harder", so I'll just keep chugging away until I find a solution to our situation. (Shameless plug if you have nanny experience and would like to apply, email me here.) 

In the meantime, here is an adorable new arrival look that will dress up your fall wardrobe from Page 6 Boutique in Fort Mill. (You can also order online here!) I LOVE this off the shoulder Madam sweater in grey! I personally love it styled oversized and I am wearing a medium in the photos. 

This stylish sweater goes great with this suede fringe skirt and black booties! I paired this look with a Page 6 necklace and my favorite Chanel handbag to be able to take this look from day to night! 

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NYFW : CRIV and Yuna Yang

    

Even though these photos were fun to shoot this post is especially emotional for me. Yesterday terrible news broke from my hometown in South Florida. The high school my brother attended and graduated from in 2010 experienced one of the 18 shootings of 2018. The news was gut-wrenching for me as a parent and a member of the South Florida community. 

It is so sad to me that this kind of evil exists in the world. Which is why it is so important that we talk to our children and peers about the importance of reporting something that doesn't seem "right". We want our children to feel safe when away from home. We want them to be able to go to school and learn in a healthy environment void of fear. 

The reason I chose to spotlight CRIV and Yuna Yang today is that we need some positivity in the world. This gorgeous Lush brand maxi is available at CRIV boutique in Uptown at the Metropolitan. This maxi dress is actually a romper and was the perfect look for a New York City Theatre show on Broadway. 

The designer I want to spotlight today from New York Fashion Week is Yuna Yang who made a name for herself in 2017 when she released a line inspired by the "Climate Change Crisis". She is a designer that uses her status for good. This year she took on the "Me Too" movement and titled this line "Love Yourself." 

Love is a message I want to spread today. When we as a community have to pick up the pieces after a terrible tragedy like this, it is important to pray for the victims and families who are missing their loved ones.  

Here are some of my favorite looks from Yuna Yang's beautiful feminine fall line.

Yuna Yang Photos Courtesy Of Fashion Week Online

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Peak Week

     

It's here! This is "peak week" for the autumn colors in Charlotte! How pretty are these fall shades against this magnificent background?

I had the pleasure of shooting with the amazing Cindy Lauren Photography this week to collaborate on this epic scene.

If you're looking for an ideal dressy casual look I think I found it! This beautiful ruffle cold shoulder sweater is from Nordstrom by BP and it pairs perfectly with this mustard Blue Blush skort from Page 6! (available instore only)

I love the look of skirts but I always feel a little insecure in them. I'm not that tall but I do have pretty long legs so when I saw skorts making a come back I was the most excited!

This outfit goes great with a pair of over the knee boots and a casual clutch! I paired it with a pair of Dolce Vita boots and a Tory Burch clutch, but you can always get creative. The necklace is a piece I picked up from Fabrik online!

Hope you "fall" in love with this look too!

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Splurge & Steal Friday

It's PAYDAY! The day we all wake up and check the good old bank account for that direct deposit. Well if you're anything like me, you confirm it's there and you're off to the mall... it's a problem really.

However, with all of these fall sales going on it's hard to contain yourself. Half of my outfit today is a steal and the other half is a splurge.

Let's start with the steals! I am obsessed with this jacket, even though when I bought it I wasn't quite sure about it because it's a little extra, but now I'm all in and it's ON SALE! It's by BLANKNYC and I picked it up at Nordstrom. The metallic Champagne tee is from Express and it's perfect for a casual Friday, plus it is also on sale.

My favorite part of this outfit is the shoes I found yesterday on sale at Nordy's by Halogen. I feel like we all need a good metallic slip on in the repertoire.

The black jeans I have on are not on sale but they are very reasonably priced from Just Black. This Kendra Scott silver pendant necklace also won't break the bank.

Now for the splurges. I have ALWAYS wanted a Chanel brooch and when I got my first bonus check from work, it was a gift to myself. The sunglasses are a pair of rose gold Burberry shades I picked up at the airport on our summer trip this year and this YSL Metallic crossbody bag doubles as the perfect clutch.

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