On My Radar No 54

Happy Friday! After a slow start to the week, Jason, Maddie, Jeffrey, Samantha and I are back home and settled into our usual routines. I feel so lucky that our home and neighborhood weren’t damaged by Hurricane Florence but my heart breaks for everyone less fortunate. If you have an reputable organizations that aid in the hurricane recovery, please let me know.

Also this week we got our first taste of slightly cooler weather and it has me SO excited for fall! Because the weather stays warm for quite a while here in Charleston I won’t be sharing my fall capsule quite yet but I will be sharing how I switch over my closet during a season change along with my fall capsule plan, wish list and what I’ve added to my closet. In the meantime, here are a few of the things that have been on my radar this week.

PHLUR LAUNCHES NEW ROSE FRAGRANCE | You know how much I love rose fragrances and I’m always on the hunt for a new one to try out. Also, as part of my personal style, I’ve been trying to expand my fragrance wardrobe to a few scents that I can wear for different occasions and seasons so you can imagine how excited I was when Phlur released their new rose fragrance this week! The scent named Améline has a base of rose with top notes of Italian bergamot, pink pepper, patchouli and sandalwood and I can’t wait to receive my sample!

MARY POPPINS TRAILER | I CAN’T WAIT for the new Mary Poppins film and the trailer has me even more excited that I already was.

YOU CAN BUY A FRESH CHRISTMAS TREE ON AMAZON | Buying a Christmas tree is one of my favorite holiday traditions but if you don’t love it, you can now buy your tree from Amazon.

HENRI BENDEL CLOSES | In another signal that retail as we know it is changing, New York icon Henri Bendel announced earlier this week that all 23 stores will be closing in January.

Naadam Launches Ethical $75 Cashmere

Cashmere is one of my favorite fibers and nothing says fall to me quite like a cashmere sweater. I have my go-to favorites and typically don’t sway from what I know works but this season, Naadam has caused me to break out of my comfort zone and try their newest offering - luxurious, ethically sourced cashmere sweaters for just $75.

Within the growing trend of transparency and retailers disrupting formerly exclusive markets, Naadam is one of the newest kids on the block but they’re quickly making a name for themselves with what they claim to be the most ethical cashmere in the world. You can learn more about that here.

The Naadam difference they say, comes as a result of using the most durable fibers which is on average 39-42mm long. According to their site, “that's about 30% longer than regular Grade A cashmere” and as we all know, when it comes to cashmere, the longer the fiber, the longer the sweater tends to last - with proper care of course.

This newest offering joins their existing line-up of sweaters averaging over $100 and comes in a variety of classic shades - though I’m partial to the navy, camel and dark ginger. Available in either crewneck or v-neck, both offer a classic silhouette that will layer beautifully under my favorite fall pieces. As part of my fall wardrobe I’ve been on the hunt for an orangey colored cashmere sweater and went ahead and ordered the dark ginger in a size xs. I’ll of course let you know how it works out and if you’ve ordered anything from Naadam in the past I’d love to know what you thought.

You can shop the Naadam $75 cashmere here.

More Than Just A Pretty Face | Easy Ways To Be A Well-Rounded Person

One of the reasons I make fashion videos is to share the things I've learned over the years that have helped me feel like the best version of myself. As a result, most of the tips I share deal with our outward appearances but in the grand scheme of things how we look on the outside is only one part of who we are, and in light of fashion month which admittedly focuses all of our attention on how we and others look, I want to share some of the easy things we can all do to make ourselves more well-rounded individuals that don't just look great, but also feel and act great too.

I also want this video to signal the start of a new initiative here on my channel which will occassionally highlight different charities that are doing wonderful work to better the world we live in. To kick things off, I asked you on Instagram and my community tab here on YouTube what your favorite charities are and I've rounded up a list of those that were recommended the most. There were so many amazing responses though and I'll he highlighting more in the future but for now, you can see the list in the description box of my video and below. 

EASY THINGS WE CAN ALL DO TO BE MORE WELL-ROUNDED PEOPLE

1. Be present in the moment | It’s so easy to get caught up in life especially with our cellphones always within reach so I like to set aside at least an hour each day where I don’t look at my home. I usually leave it at home while going for a walk around the neighborhood and I try not to look at my phone when I first wake up. Also, I never bring my phone into bed with me and I find that it’s a wonderful way to refocus my attention on what’s happening in front of me rather than what may be happening in someone else’s life through the screen of my cellphone.

2. Engage kindly and compassionately with the world around us and genuinely interact with the people (and animals!) in our lives | This one is so important to always leaving a positive impact on the world around us. We never know what another person is going through so it’s always better to act kindly. Plus, in my experience this kindness is usually contagious and has a ripple affect that spreads outward to everyone else.

3. Be kind to ourselves | A key part of spreading kindness is to extend that same compassion to ourselves. Especially in the age of oversharing and comparing, it’s so easy to allow ourselves to slip and taking the time to reflect on the things you love about yourself is so important. If you have a hard time with this, it may be helpful to write down your proudest accomplishments and physical features and then recite them to yourself each morning like a mantra. In my experience, highlighting what I like about myself (physically, mentally and emotionally) has a tremendous impact on my overall well-being.

4. Focus on the good | This next one is something I like to do when I’m having a particularly tough day when nothing seems to be going my way. Rather than allow myself to feel completely defeated, I like to take a few minutes and reflect on the things that are going well. By shifting my attention off of what’s wrong and the things I don’t have onto the things that I do, I’m able to stop myself from dipping too far into negative town and level the playing field a bit. Now, depending on what’s going wrong this of course won’t be fail proof, but I find that most of the time it really makes a difference.

5. Have a sense of humor | For me, one of the key parts of being well-rounded is having a sense of humor. We all know that laughter is the best medicine and I try to laugh at least once everyday. Not only does laughing help reduce stress, but I also think it It makes you live longer and it’s such an important part of my day that I have a folder saved in my Instagram collections of videos, memes and images that make me chuckle. Whenever I need a laughter break I scroll through them for a few minutes and am left feeling lighter and brighter than I did before.

6. Cultivate interesting hobbies | Last but not least, cultivating interesting hobbies is so important to ensuring that we’re interesting people. Personally, I really want to work on this more in the coming years because most of my hobbies overlap with what I do professionally and I’d love to add more diversity to the topics I’m interested in. Not only does this help make us more exciting to talk to, but we also enrich our lives in new ways.

5 MOST RECOMMENDED CHARITIES

1. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital https://www.stjude.org/

   • Donate Here: https://www.stjude.org/donate/donate-to-st-jude.html?sc_icid=wtg-mm-btn-donate-now

   • School Fundraisers: https://www.stjude.org/get-involved/school-fundraising-ideas.html?sc_icid=gi-mm-school

   • Sports & Fitness Fundraisers: https://www.stjude.org/get-involved/fitness-fundraisers.html?sc_icid=gi-mm-sports-fitness

   • Workplace Giving: https://www.stjude.org/get-involved/workplace-giving.html?sc_icid=gi-mm-workplace

   • Volunteer Locally: https://www.stjude.org/about-st-jude/visit/locations.html?sc_icid=gi-mm-volunteer-locally#regions

2. The Humane Society: http://www.humanesociety.org/

   • Donate Here: http://www.humanesociety.org/donate/?credit=web_id93480558

   • Organizer A Fundraiser: http://www.myhumane.org/?credit=web_id93480558_web_hsus_rndonatepage

   • Workplace Giving: http://www.humanesociety.org/donate/workplace-giving.html

3. Doctors Without Borders: https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/

   • Donate Here: https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/support-us

   • School & University Chapters: https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/take-action/schools-universities/join-student-chapter

   • Organize A Fundraiser: https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/take-action/fundraise-us

   • Volunteer Opportunities: https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/take-action/engage-us/volunteer

4. Dress For Success: https://dressforsuccess.org/

   • Donate Here: https://dressforsuccess.org/get-involved/donate/

   • Volunteer Here: https://dressforsuccess.org/get-involved/volunteer/

   • Find Donation Drives Here: https://dressforsuccess.org/get-involved/donation-drives/

   • Corporate Partnerships: https://dressforsuccess.org/get-involved/corporate-partnerships/

5. Local Homeless Shelters, Soup Kitchens & Youth Shelters

Late Summer Outfit Inspiration

Before I hope into today’s post, I want to share that Jason and I have been very lucky and it looks like Charleston and our home has not been damaged by Hurricane Florence. Jason, Maddie, Jeffrey, Samantha and I have been in Florida with my parents the last few days and while I’m grateful that our home hasn’t been damaged, I’m heartbroken for those who haven’t been as lucky. We’re heading home today and if you have any recommendations for ways to help those impacted by Hurricane Florence, please let me know.

For today’s post, I want to share some late summer outfit inspiration. The first day of fall may be only a week or so away but in much of the country it still feels like summer. This transitional period can be so tricky to dress for so today I’ve gathered a few late summer outfit ideas that you can easily recreate. Most of these looks feature rich fall hues in lighter fabrics to keep you from melting and plenty of fall accessories that help transition even your warmest clothing.

SHADES OF BROWN

First up is one of my favorites in the bunch and I love how beautifully the shades of brown work together to create a perfect fall palette. Plus, the deeper shade of silk is wonderful for welcoming slightly cooler temps without melting and can easily be layered up as the weather cools down. Simple gold accessories, a classic bag and mules complete the look.

POP OF RED

One of my favorite ways to transition my summer pieces into fall is by adding deeper accessories like a pair of red shoes. In this look a satin dress (or silk/satin separates) instantly look sophisticated and fall ready by adding a classic blazer and red shoes. The addition of timeless earrings rounds everything out.

THE FALL BLAZER

Speaking of pops of red, adding the color of the season into your favorite outfits is a great way to transition into fall.

Here, a red blazer looks perfect when paired with a white tee, black jeans and sleek mules. The woven bag keeps things from feeling too autumn and the simple jewelry is the perfect finishing touch.

THE WHITE SHIRT & JEANS

One of my favorite “uniforms” is a white shirt. I love how with a few small tweaks this combination can transition effortlessly throughout the year and for early fall, it doesn’t get better than a white shirt, jeans, sling backs and classic bag.

The summery sunglasses keep the look relevant and rolling the sleeves adds a touch of style while also keeping you cool. Slightly frayed edges and undone hair are nice additions if you feel a little too buttoned up in this combo.