Friday Inspiration: Quotes I Love

Even though it was only a 4 day work week, it seemed SO much longer and I couldn't be happier that the weekend is here! :) I hope you all have a great one - next time I post it will be June!

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Feature: Brittany Willard of Bwillow Designs

Earlier this month I attended Mount Ida College's student fashion show 'Exposed' and had a fantastic time. I was really impressed with the young talent I saw and the unique perspectives each designer presented. One designer's collection really stood out to me, so I waited until the end of the show to track her down and tell her how much I loved her designs. She very graciously agreed to meet me for a photoshoot of her dresses and even let me try on a couple (after the jump)! I'm so excited to be sharing these photos with you today - I think you'll understand pretty quickly why they are right up my alley. Brittany's designs are feminine and romantic and feature beautiful details and amazing craftsmanship.

Brittany's sketches {click to enlarge}

In Brittany's words: "I am the middle child of three sisters, and very true to being the middle child I am quiet and reserved, the creative one and in love with simplicity. It was in high school when I fell in love with shopping and clothing and sewing. My constant hand sewing and desire to create products led me to realize that fashion was my intended career path. Fashion to me is a world of things on top of creating trending clothing - fashion is a creative outlet that connects with who I am as a person. It has pulled me from the world of the unknown where you question all that you do. I immerse myself into creating pieces that honestly make me happy and make me hopeful for the future, for my future. Fashion has become a value of mine; it makes up an elemental portion of my lifestyle. It affects me wherever I go with whatever I do. Analyzing what others around me are wearing and what it says about them is an automatic attraction for me on a daily basis. I am interested in what others paint their bodies with, so to speak. My eyes wander and rest on what they know and like; yet they also search for meaning behind styles that I find different and intriguing. At 23 years of age now, I am one year away from graduating with my Bachelor’s in Fashion Design at Mount Ida, where I will move on to obtain my Master’s in design and an Associate’s Degree in Buying and Product Development in London."

Brittany (in stripes) and her models after the show {click to enlarge}

Review: What Goes With This?

I'm really excited to be sharing the new website What Goes With This? with you all today! WGWT is a fashion community for asking and giving style advice. Members ask for outfit ideas and the community gives product suggestions that link directly to stores where they can buy them. When founder Mona reached out to me and asked if I'd be interested in joining her new site as a style influencer, I jumped at the chance! I'm no Olivia Palermo when it comes to styling, but I love putting together outfits and giving shopping suggestions to my friends, so why not do so for other ladies out there who are looking for some advice as well? It's actually been kind of addicting for me - I really enjoy answering questions and styling outfits for the WGWT users!

Here are some of the looks I've styled on WGWT...

Jessica wrote: "Just picked up this amazing blush tulle skirt - I've paired it with a striped tank, a simple white tee and a knit sweater - any other fun options?!"

I responded with the following: "Tulle skirts are my favorite!! I've been pairing mine with floral and patterned blouses in addition to stripes & simple tops. Here are some of my picks!" Jessica is able to look at my recommendations by clicking on each top which will bring her to right to the website where she can get more details and have the option to purchase.

What I Wore: Shades of Blue

Happy Tuesday - I hope you all had a great weekend! I've been having such great luck with Hautelook lately and found this fun patterned Romeo & Juliet Couture on sale for $25. In the first set of photos, I wore a sheer blouse with a tank underneath, and in the second set of photos where I was modeling jewelry for Gold West Vintage's summer lookbook, I wore a darker blouse. The photo shoot was so much fun, and this is only one of the outfits I got to wear, so stay tuned for more outfit photos featuring Gold West Vintage jewelry in the coming weeks!

Friday Inspiration: Quotes I Love

Happy Memorial Day weekend! I can't believe we have just one week left in May. I don't have any big plans for the weekend except watching my mum run a half marathon in Boston on Sunday! I also hope that we have some nice weather so I can get outside and maybe go to the beach. What are your plans for this long holiday weekend? I'll be back blogging next Tuesday!

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buy this print

Splurge vs. Save: Chloe Ballet Flats

I've mentioned before on the blog how I have a love affair with Chloe ballet flats. I've been lusting over their ankle strap ballerinas for over a year now, and as much as I LOVE Chloe, I just couldn't bring myself to spend $485 on them. Luckily, I found the most amazing steal at DSW for just $60! They are nearly identical in style and didn't break the bank, so I'm really glad I went with them. :) Sometimes it feels good to save money, doesn't it??

What I Wore: 28

Today is my 28th birthday! Since I normally post my personal outfits on Tuesdays, I decided to make today's outfit post birthday themed. :) Tonight I'll be going out to dinner with my closest girlfriends to a restaurant I've been dying to try {and I plan to wear my tulle skirt!} I usually celebrate my birthday by surrounding myself with not just the people, but the things I love as well, including my favorite foods (mac & cheese and French macarons,) my favorite flowers (peonies,) and my favorite clothes. This year's outfit favorites include my blush sequin jacket, my lace LWD and my new leopard heels, and you can tell in the photos how happy I am in this look! I think this outfit captures my personal style so well - it's feminine, simple and chic with a bit of a twist, and of course includes blush sequins! :) What do you think of my birthday outfit?

linking up with Walking in Memphis in High Heels & The Fashion Canvas
linking up with Living in Color Style and Stylin' In St. Louis

Lately on my Kindle...

Happy Monday! I wanted to review some of the books I've been reading lately in case any of you are looking for something new to read! Make sure to let me know what you've been reading in the comments below - I am always looking for new books to download on my Kindle!

Friday Inspiration: Quotes I Love

Happy Friday everyone! Can you believe that May is halfway over already? Tonight I'm going to a Red Sox game with my friend Ellie which should be fun. :) I've also been fostering two adorable kittens so I can't wait to spend the weekend playing with them! Check out my Instagram to see photos and videos of them. I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

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Shopping List: Pepper Mayo

Do you ladies ever set personal style goals for yourself to avoid getting stuck in a fashion rut? This spring and summer, my goal is to wear more bright colors and more prints since I tend to wear a lot of neutrals and pastels, and the majority of prints in my closet are polka dots, stripes and florals. When I happened upon Pepper Mayo, an adorable online boutique out of Australia, I knew my goals could be easily achieved. :) They have tons and tons of great dresses, skirts and tops in fun prints and colors, and they ship to the US! The prices in USD are really fair (I would say similar to Mango) and it's taking all of my willpower not to buy every single dress on my wishlist below. What do you think of my Pepper Mayo picks? Have you heard of this cute online shop before?

Design Inspiration: Modern White Living Rooms

Although I'm currently adding more color to my own living room, which is made up of mostly black, white and grey {I asked for a blush pink armchair and curtains for my birthday!} I'm really inspired by these modern white living rooms. They all look so clean, bright and airy, even when they do have a few pops of color thrown in here and there. How do you feel about a mostly white living space - could you see yourself living in any of these rooms? Which is your favorite?

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What I Wore: Casual Studs

When I spotted this light pink blazer at H&M, I knew I had to have it! I've been wearing it all the time lately {you saw it a few weeks ago with my polka dot dress} because it's so easy to dress up or down, and it's my favorite color! For this weekend look I wore it with a black studded tank, skinny jeans and my gold Tory Burch flats. I also got to borrow my friend Ellie's adorable Yorkies for the photos on our walk to brunch! :)

Lately on Instagram...

Happy Monday! It's been a busy few weeks for me - lots of fun things going on! I wanted to share some photos of what I've been up to lately. :)

special Dior-livery! I'm obsessed with the new Blooming Bouquet perfume and rose scented blush for spring!

I got to meet Tuna on his tour stop in Boston! he was so adorable and the proceeds of the meet & greet benefitted the Animal Rescue League of Boston where I adopted Phoebe :)

it's FINALLY peony season!

Friday Inspiration: Quotes I Love

It's finally the weekend! :) I'm excited to be spending this Sunday with my mum for Mother's Day - we are getting brunch at her favorite restaurant in Boston, Max Brenner, and then walking around the Arnold Arboretum to see all of the gorgeous spring flowers! What are your plans for the weekend? Don't forget to tell your mum (or aunt or grandmother or stepmum) how much you love them! :)

{CLOSED} Mother's Day Giveaway with Long Elegant Legs

I'm excited to be partnering with Long Elegant Legs today for a great Mother's Day Giveaway! LEL is the authority on clothing for tall women, and even though I'm just 5'4" and don't quite qualify as tall, my younger sister Jill is 6' and I know how hard she struggles to find proper fitting clothing! It makes me happy to spread the word about LEL for all the tall girls out there who face the same shopping challenges. :)

You don't need to be tall to enter the giveaway, and neither does your mum! Winners will receive a box canvas image, expertly printed from a digital photo of your choosing and a gift they can use to treat themselves – tall ladies will no doubt be interested in a $100 LEL gift card, or any TWO items from the website. Alternatively, they're offering a $100 American Express gift card which can be used for any purpose!

Red Carpet: 2014 Met Gala

I always look forward to the Met Gala, where celebrities have the chance to wear the most gorgeous, ornate, straight from the runway and over the top dresses that couldn't be worn anywhere else. I always have favorite looks, and this year was no exception! Here are my top 10 looks...which celeb was your favorite - was it someone I missed?

Suki Waterhouse in Burberry. I don't think I need to explain why I love this one so much!

Emma Stone in custom Thakoon. The colors are perfect on her and I LOVE her hair!

Blake Lively in Gucci. Love the color, the sparkle, the cut...perfection.

What I Wore: Just Soles

I'm super excited about today's outfit post, and not only because I got to wear a pair of Jimmy Choos for the first time! :) I'm happy to be writing about Just Soles, an awesome new site where you can buy, rent or sell your designer shoes online! Founded by New Yorker Heather, a shoe lover like all of us, Just Soles is a place to sell a pair of shoes you never wear, buy a pair you’ve been shoe stalking or rent a pair of shoes you can’t justify buying.

Here's how it works:

1. Sell: We’ve all had a pair that we bought on an impulse or that we just had to have that isn’t quite us after all. So, sell your sole and let some other lucky shoe lover enjoy wearing a sole they love! The listing fee is only 10% of your sale.
2. Rent: You want a pair of shoes that you won’t wear all the time. Maybe it’s a pair you only wear once a year and it was a shoe you saved for or charged. Rent it out to a fellow shoe lover who doesn’t want to buy an expensive pair of shoes she won’t wear all the time. Rent out your shoes for 2 months and you just paid for those stilettos! The listing fee is only 10% of the rental sale.
3. Buy or Borrow: Enjoy looking through the online closet of shoes and when you see something you want to buy or rent in your size, enjoy indulging!

Heather was kind enough to send me a pair of Jimmy Choo rentals to style, and I wore them with a fun paneled faux leather dress from LeTote to the Mount Ida College student fashion show, which I'll post more about this week. Let me know what you think of my outfit in the comments below!

Linking up with WIMIHH for TrendSpin

Style Inspiration: Beach Bodies

Summer is just around the corner, and due to some recent health issues, I haven't been able to hit the gym as much as I'd like to get bikini ready. Instead of mentally beating myself up about it, I'm going to ease myself in to my workout routine to get back on track so I can feel great inside and out for the summer! For me, exercise isn't just about making my body look good - it helps me feel happier and healthier as well. I was looking through my Pinterest boards and decided to pull together some beach body inspiration for all shapes and sizes, proving that whether you're a size 0 or a size 16, as long as you feel great about yourself you'll look fantastic as well! :)

Sisters in the City

Friday Inspiration: Quotes I Love

Happy Friday everyone! Before I get into the quotes, I wanted to let you know about a great event happening tomorrow in Boston - the Mount Ida College student fashion show! I will be in attendance and I hope some of you will join me there to support these talented students' hard work. :) All details can be found in the image below - let me know if you'll be there with me! I'll be posting a recap of the show next week so keep an eye out for that as well.

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Now, on to the quotes!

Shopping List: Zara Shoes

I've been a shoe buying kick lately...I don't know if it's because I'm excited for spring weather and sick of wearing boots, but I'm constantly window shopping and browsing online for new affordable shoes to add to my wardrobe! I noticed that Zara has some great new shoes available for the spring and put together a shopping list of my nine favorite pairs. What do you think of my picks - which is your favorite?