How To: Tie A Silk Scarf 5 Ways

It's finally here! It feels like I have been working on this video version of my "How To: Tie A Silk Scarf 5 Ways" post, but it's finally done. You can view the video below or over on my YouTube channel. 

Capsule Wardrobe Combination For Transitional Weather

It's hard to believe that August is already here! With September (and fall!!) right around the corner, I have been reworking the pieces in my capsule to create some early transitional outfits. Case in point is this lacey look that I wore recently. What I love about this combination is that both pieces are light enough for a summer day, but still pulled-together enough to feel (almost) fall ready. When worn together, this look can easily tide me over until the official start to fall without feeling like I'm jumping the gun.

Having lived in both the south and the north, there is an undeniable difference in transitional dressing between the regions. That said though, some key points hold true regardless of your geographical location.

The first of which being that neutral or muted colors are a great place to start because they allow your accessories to do the talking. For example, with this look I opted for pale green and white so that I could showcase bold gold and rich browns which instantly call to mind cooler temps.

Next, when putting together transitional outfits keep silohette in mind and try to choose pieces in light fabrics that feature a cool weather shape like the long sleeve silk shirt I wore here. While the color is neutral and the material is light as air so that it can be layered or worn alone, the silohette automatically feels more autumnal than say a plain short sleeve tee.  

This pale green, lace skirt from J. Crew is one of my favorites for transitional wear. The lightweight fabric is comfortable enough for august, while the muted color hints at cooler weather to come. 

My third "rule" for transitional dressing is to lead with your hair and makeup. While it is still too early for bold lips and rich nail colors (I would wait til September for those), you can slowly signal that fall is on the way by favoring a more refined coif.

In fact, mid to late August is the perfect time to begin phasing out the beachy waves and re-incorporating carefully curled locks. My fourth and final rule of thumb plays off of my first and involves transitioning from dainty everyday jewels to bolder costume jewelry. With temperatures and humidity beginning to dip, bold accessories can feel like a comfortable option once more.

Plus, by pairing your go-to summer pieces with bolder accessories, they will instantly feel more elevated than they did in June and July, and will help signal that chunky scarves and mitts are soon to follow. 

For accessories, I stuck with a bold gold palette and wore my J. Crew link necklace, gold bangle and new Ralph Lauren sunglasses that have the perfect round frames. 

To let the skirt shine, I kept my other accessories simple with three shades of brown. My favorite Chanel ballet flats are the ideal walking shoe and are both parts comfortable and chic, while my vintage Gucci bag adds just enough structure to any look.  

As mentioned in this post, from now on I will be sharing the exact pieces from my capsule, accessories, shoes and purse collections that I used to create each of my outfits. My hope is that by showing the pieces used from each category I will help inspire you to get creative too and see how far a few carefully chosen pieces can take you. I have outlined these below for you and have also put together a quick OOTD video that you can view here or below. 

Capsule Pieces: Everlane round collar white silk shirt, J. Crew green lace skirt

Accessories: J. Crew gold link necklace, J. Crew gold bangle, Ralph Lauren round sunglasses 

Shoes: Chanel ballet flats

Purse: Vintage Gucci Kelly bag

Until next time!

Capsule Wardrobe Packing Guide - 1 Week In Colorado In A Carry-On

If you follow me on Snapchat or Instagram (my username is AudreyALaMode on both and I share restaurant reviews and tons of scenic snaps), then you know that I am in Colorado for the week enjoying mountain views and fresh air. To streamline my trip, I brought only 1 carry-on full of my favorite capsule items - with a few spring and fall items sprinkled in to suit the cooler temps. To help inspire you to pack light for your next trip, I have outlined the exact items I brought below. Also, be on the lookout for tons of pics and travel lookbook once I return! 

Tops

1. White cotton shirt from Brooks Brothers

2. Chambray shirt from J. Crew

3. Striped Tee from J. Crew

4. White crewneck tee from Everlane (a replacement addition to my summer capsule)*

5. White v-neck tee from Hanes

6. Cream cableknit sweater from L.L. Bean (borrowed from my upcoming fall capsule)*

7. Long-sleeve navy and black tees from J. Crew (borrowed from my upcoming fall capsule)*

Bottoms

1. White denim skirt from J. Crew

2. White chino shorts from J. Crew

3. Navy chino shorts from J. Crew

4. Denim shorts from Levi's

5. White jeans from Levi's (borrowed from my spring capsule)*

6. Classic jeans from Madewell (borrowed from my upcoming fall capsule)*

Shoes

1. Classic loafers from Gucci

2. Pointed toe flats from Everlane

3. Sneakers

4. Brown chelsea boots from Cole Haan

Accessories

1. Large scarf

2. Sunglasses

3. Fedora

4. Statement necklace

5. Classic brown belt 

Outerwear

1. Brown leather jacket

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I also put together a quick packing video on YouTube that you can view here or below. 

Until next time! 

My Summer Capsule Wardrobe + What's Inside My Closet

As I mentioned in my last post, I want to take the content on this site in a slightly newer, more purposeful direction. The first part of this new goal includes seasonal capsule dressing that includes sharing my entire wardrobe with you. Rather than only offer glimpses here and there, below I have outlined every article of clothing, pair of shoes and accessory I own.

These pieces are broken into categories based on season and frequency of wear, and moving forward I will indicate which items I am wearing to recreate each look I feature on this blog. Additionally, beginning today I will outline the summer pieces I intend to use the rest of this season (my 2016 summer capsule as it were). 

I have planned out these pieces with the goal of maintaining a capsule each season of about 20-30 pieces not including accessories, outerwear or shoes. For me, this is the magic number that feels both manageable and versatile but it might not be for you. Experiment here and there until you find the number that works for you and don't hesitate to make that 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50 or more! Just make sure your closet never becomes unmanageable. 

That said, the goal of this exercise should be to free yourself from the stress of getting dressed, not add to it so don't limit yourself too much and remember to have fun with it. After all, it's just clothes and if we are lucky enough to have clothing that we love then we shouldn't take it for granted. 

Summer 2016 Capsule Wardrobe

1. Chambray shirt

2. White long sleeve cotton shirt

3. White long sleeve silk shirt

4. Black short sleeve silk shirt

5. Blue ruffle shirt

6. White peplum shirt

7. Blue and white embroidered shirt

8. White peasant top

9. Striped tee

10. V-Neck tee

11. Crewneck tee

12. Striped shirtdress

13. Black dress

14. Pink midi skirt

15. Black midi skirt

16. Short black skirt

17. Printed silk skirt

18. White denim skirt

19. Green lace skirt

20. Striped skirt

21. White chino shorts

22. Navy chino shorts

23. Striped shorts

24. Denim shorts

25. White denim shorts

Outerwear - Blazers, Jackets etc.

1. Navy blazer

2. Rust herringbone blazer

3. Green herringbone blazer

4. Grey herringbone blazer

5. Floral blazer

6. Pink gingham blazer

7. Denim jacket

8. Short white tweed jacket with gold buttons

9. Short white tweed jacket with brown buttons

10. Plaid blazer

11. Short black tweed jacket

12. Short black wool blazer

13. Tuxedo blazer

14. Long blue and white tweed jacket

15. Long white tweed jacket

16. Barbour coat

17. Camel coat

18. Black wool coat

Seasonal Pieces & Extras (Nice dresses etc)

1. Green and white striped oxford

2. Plaid button-down

3. Plaid ruffle shirt

4. Cream cashmere crewneck

5. Cream cashmere turtleneck sweater

6. Cream cotton cableknit turtleneck sweater

7. Black cashmere sweater

8. Cream cashmere cardigan

9. Black cashmere cardigan

10. Black and white tweed vest

11. Brown tweed vest

12. Blue and white tweed skirt

13. Plaid midi skirt

14. Plaid short skirt

15. Equestrian print skirt

16. Floral short skirt

17. Floral midi skirt

18. Grey moto jeans

19. Navy trousers

20. Black trousers

21. White jeans

22. Classic wash jeans

Accessories (Scarves, Hats, Jewelry, Purses)

1. An assortment of silk scarves (about 10)

2. An assortment of large scarves and shawls (about 10)

3. Faux fur stole

4. Brown satchel

5. Black top handle purse

6. Brown top handle purse

7. Classic day clutch

8. Crossbody purse

9. Black slouchy purse 

10. Black wool fedora

11. Green wool fedora

12. Boater hat

13. Straw fedora

14. Black floppy hat

15. Brown floppy hat

16. Camel floppy hat

17. Blue floppy hat

18. An assortment of statement necklaces (about 5)

19. An assortment of long necklaces (about 4)

20. An assortment of brooches (5-10)

21. An assortment of statement bangles (about 5)

22. A few pairs of statement earrings

23. Simple everyday jewelry (pearl studs, diamond studs, gold bangle, three gold rings) 

24. Black and brown reversible belt with 3 interchangeable buckles

25. Classic brown belt

26. 2 vintage Dooney & Bourke belts

Shoes

1. Ballet flats

2. Black brogues

3. Brown wingtips

4. Black lace-up flats

5. Black flats with gold hardware

6. White Jack Rogers 

7. Brown gladiators

8. Brown loafers

9. Brown chelsea boots

10. Black chelsea boots

11. Brown riding boots

12. Brown heeled boots

13. Black heeled loafers

14. Burgundy heeled loafers

15. Brown heeled booties

16. Bean boots

17. Brown peep toe heels 

18. Black loafer mules

19. Black and yellow Stubbs 

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That's everything! As I mentioned above, I will be sharing the exact pieces from each category that I use to create my looks moving forward. My hope is that it will inspire at least one of you to see how I stretch a closet of 110 pieces across all four seasons. Also, I have put together a little capsule wardrobe video on my YouTube channel to go with this post. You can check it out below or here and I hope you like it! 

Until next time!