On My Radar No 29

Happy Friday! This week was a great one filled with beautiful weather and despite a few technically difficulties with my site, it was also a productive one. I was able to knock out a lot of filming and editing and loads of planning and execution for my upcoming e-book and e-course.

As we head into the weekend, I'm looking forward to spending tons of time outside and finally responding to all of your wonderful comments. Also, I am completely blown away that we hit 25,000 subscribers this week and I can't thank you enough for following along! It means the world to me that you're part of this community we're building and all of your support keeps me inspired to create content that will hopefully enrich your lives.

Now onto a few of the things I've been loving this week. 

OPERA IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS | I was lucky enough to be exposed to a variety of music and receive classical voice lessons from a very young age - exposure that ultimately helped shape the majority of my formative years and led me to study opera performance in college. I often wonder how my life would have been different were it not for this exposure so you can imagine how much I love this group of musicians bringing opera to local schools. Simply by exposing young children to an unfortunately under-appreciated art form may spark a life long love affair that could otherwise go unrealized and it warms my heart to think about. 

NEW SAOIRSE RONAN |One of my favorite actresses is the incredibly talented Saoirse Ronan and I love everything she does so needless to say, I'm looking forward to her new film. You can watch the trailer here.

TIMOTHEE CHALAMET ON JIMMY KIMMEL | Speaking of favorite actors, Timothee Chalamet of Call Me By Your Name has garnered impressive accolades for his heartbreakingly honest portrayal of a young man falling in love for the first time. As if that weren't enough, he's also quickly garnering an impressive fan base with his incredibly sweet nature and eloquent but relatable interview style and this interview with Jimmy Kimmel perfectly captures why. 

PROVENCE BEAUTY COMPANY BASTIDE | If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen a glimpse into my new fragrance journey (I'm on the hunt for one or two new scents that help represent who I am now as a woman in my 30's). In one of my Instagram stories, I shared a lovely new rose and olive perfume that I recently sampled from Bastide and I'm completely smitten! It's sophisticated but light and beautifully highlights my favorite scent - rose. 

COLLABORATION OVER COMPETITION | One of my favorite content creators/creatives, Natalie shared a wonderful blog post this week all about the importance of collaboration over competition in the blogging and creative industry. It's well-written and perfectly captures the atmosphere of this growing and ever changing field. I definitely recommend giving it a read and then checking out the rest of her lovely site. 

February Favorites

Happy last day of February! In today's video I'm sharing a few of the things I loved this month including my Mejuri diamond necklace, an inspiring woman (with great style!), a new restaurant here in Charleston, my Ancestry DNA test and more! Thanks so much for watching! 

Spring Capsule Inspiration: Black & White

ImAGE SOURCE: TOMMYTON

Each season I prepare for my next capsule by gathering some inspiration for not only the colors and pieces I hope to wear, but also the outfits.

In this post I shared my first inspiration image of the season along with the pieces I needed to recreate it - many of which I already have. Much like that earlier look, I can easily recreate today's outfit with many of the pieces I already have in my closet and it's getting me excited for warmer weather.

For the black skirt, I LOVE this one from Everlane and my old J.Crew black purse will be the perfect handbag for the same effect but the one pictured is a gorgeous option from Cole Haan that's available now. For the top I'm on the hunt for a lightweight blouse with this silhouette and I'm completely smitten with this one from Elizabeth Suzann.

For the sandals I have my eye on these simple slides from Nisolo and I can't wait for my classic gold signet from Ruff's to complete every look I wear this season. 

SKIRT / TOP / KNOT CHOKER (THIS ONE IS UNDER $100) / SIGNET RING / PURSE / SLIDES

How To Look Expensive Part III: 6 Easy, Classic Outfits

Today's video is part 3 of my "How To Look Expensive" series and I'm sharing 6 outfits that always look like a million bucks. These classic outfits are incredibly easy to recreate and can easily be worn year-round by switching up your shoes, accessories and outerwear.

TURTLENECK & BLAZER

First up, is one of my favorite cold weather combinations - the turtleneck and blazer. This simple combination looks fantastic with very little effort and is one that I fall back on time and time again during fall and winter. The trick to keeping things effortless is to stick to neutral separates (monochromatic is always a good idea!) and to make sure that everything fits you very well. 

Also, typically speaking a slimmer fitting turtleneck is better than a looser option in this situation, and tailored bottoms help keep things sleek and modern but also classic.

For footwear, you can't go wrong with flats or boots. I love ankle boots and riding boot when it's extra chilly. 

MONOCHROME WITH A POP

Few things are chicer than a monochromatic outfit and it's one of my favorite combinations when I want to feel polished and put together with very little effort. Depending on my mood, I have two variations of a monochrome look that I rely on depending on my mood, and the first is monochrome with a pop. 

I love this simple formula for days when I can't be bothered to come up with a unique outfit but still want to stand out. To make this combination work, I like to stick to neutral separates that fit me well and at least one stand-out accessory. As you can imagine, my accessory of choice is typically a silk scarf, but you can easily wear a statement necklace, statement earrings, great handbag or standout shoes. 

MONOCHROME & MINIMAL

The next variation on this combination is a monochromatic outfit with minimal accessories.

This is one of the easiest outfits out there and all you need is a simple canvas of classic separates that fit you well, and your favorite delicate jewelry.

The trick here, is to keep things cohesive and to make sure everything you're wearing is in tip top shape - no tears, stains, unintentional rips or scuffs. Also, make sure your jewelry is tarnish-free and has all of it's jewels and gems intact and then were it all with confidence and a smile. 

THE LITTLE BLACK DRESS

We've all heard that a little black dress is an absolute wardrobe essential, but it can often go unworn because we're unsure how to style it. The trick to making it look luxe, put-together and effortless all comes down to the shape of the dress and in my experience an a-line or slight pencil skirt with either cap sleeves or short sleeves and a v-neck or scoop neck make the most versatile silhouette. 

1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (GAP but sold out now)

camel coat / black purse / black pumps / pearl earrings / gold bracelet / diamond necklace / burgundy purse / riding boots / herringbone blazer

gold hoops / diamond necklace / green purse / green sandals / straw bag / espadrilles / gold bracelet

T-SHIRT & JEANS

Next up is an outfit that will always be a personal favorite - the t-shirt and jeans.

I wear this combination at least once a week and I love how easily it can changed up by rotating either a white, grey, black or striped tee for a different look.

Even though this outfit is incredibly basic, it serves as the perfect canvas for a multitude of looks and can easily be dressed up or down with a few simple tweaks. To keep it feeling polished and never sloppy, I like to tuck my t-shirt into my jeans and opt for denim with a slim, classic silhouette in either a mid, blue or dark blue wash. Also, when in doubt I like to keep distressing and embellishments at a minimum and stick to simple, classic accessories and shoes for a look that can easily be worn year-round. 

WHITE SHIRT & JEANS

dark wash jeans / diamond earrings / pearl clutch / perfume / embellished heels / white shirt / green slingbacks / gold hoops / green purse / lighter wash jeans

You know how much I love a crisp white shirt and I really do think it looks fantastic with just about anything you pair it with, but today I want to focus on the classic combination of a white shirt and jeans.

The beauty of this outfit is that it's universally flattering, can be perfectly tailored to you and your personal style, and it can easily be worn year-round.

Much like the t-shirt and jeans combination above, the key to making this combination look luxe is to keep your accessories tasteful and your separates simple, neat and well cared for. Specifically, you want to make sure that your white shirt is crisp, relatively wrinkle-free and that it doesn't have any stains or discoloration - especially around the collar and armpits.

Also, I like to keep my jeans tailored to me and fitting well and like always, I try to keep distressing and embellishments at a minimum (a little distressing is nice though and helps to keep the look from feeling too stuffy). 

And there you have it! Those are 6 outfits that I wear constantly when I want to feel and look great. I hope that you enjoyed this and I'd love to know what your go-to outfit is.

Also, you can watch my corresponding video to the right and like always, thanks so much for stopping by!