I purchased these today from Target. I know, I know but I had a cardigan and a dress in my basket that I decided not to purchase. Just the shoes and that to me is a small win. That will be ALL for June! I think ;).
Nashville is delicious!
So, remember my goal of eating myself through Nashville’s 70 Best Restaurants? Well, I’ve been making great progress and I thought I’d share my faves thus far in this adventure towards elastic waist pants :).
– Wild Hare— Don’t judge this place by its outward appearance. My Grilled Chicken Salad and side of Mac & Cheese covered in jalapeno gouda sauce was the best lunch EVER! My friend had an excellent lobster pizza.
– 1808 Grille —Dessert-Strawberry Shortcake! Tortellini was tasty. Located in the Hutton Hotel and would normally be out of my price range but it was a free professional dinner.
– Tavern —Brunch! Yummy! Went after church and it was super busy but worth the wait and we saw a Bachelorette contestant.
– B&C BBQ— Hmmm, needed to roll myself to the car especially after inhaling a gallon of sweet tea and I could have taking a dip in a vat of the grits. Staying awake at work after this lunch was quite the chore.
– Valentino’s —Fancy $$$$, the Groupon was appreciated. Lovely atmosphere and the salmon melted in my mouth.
– Cabana—Great Girls’ Night deal on Wednesday night.
-Cantina Laredo—Get yourself a margarita. You’ll only need one but you’ll probably want more.
– Whiskey Kitchen —Sit outside on the patio. Try a pizza.
Since I moved to Nashville a little over a year ago I’ve eaten at 21 out of 70. Luckily, I’ll be staying in Nashville for a while cause I’ve got a whole lot of noshing to do.
Since I wasn’t shopping for the month of May I was forced to reframe my existing wardrobe and make it feel like new again.
I discovered my “go to” pieces. The workhorses of my closet.
1. Striped Tops- Blue & White and Red & White (Stylemint pictured above)
2. Leopard flats- similar to having a neutral shoe that can be paired with many colors and, thanks to style bloggers everywhere, I feel comfortable pairing them with stripes
3. Jason Wu Black Pleated Skirt- pretty, easy, and can be dressed up or down plus if I spin I feel like I’m 5 again
4. Fuschia handbag by Maja—I love this bag and wearing it with other bright colors. I wor an orange J.Crew dress with a camel Merona jacket, and flat neutral Merona sandals on my flight home to VA. Compliments were given ;).
5. Cardigans- I have a rainbow of cardis but my favorite ones include bright pink (J. Crew), Leopard print (Merona from Target), Orange ( J. Crew), and taupe (NY & Co.). I throw these on over a dress, sleeveless top, wrap it over my shoulders to instantly class up any ensemble.
6. LBD- I have a great standby from The Gap that I can throw on with any pair of shoes and a colorful bag
7. The Dolce Vita Wedges pictured above, I mean HELLO! Love these shoes and can wear them to work or out on the town.
8. Colorful pants from Old Navy and Target. I have blue, green, and Nantucket Red options.
9. Chambray Top that can be thrown on with any of the pants mentioned above, the Jason Wu skirt, different shade of jeans or open over a tank to add a layered effect
10. A colorful, fun dress that is easy to slip on and change the tone with a few accessories from day to night
Notice, that nothing I mentioned was overly expensive and some of these staples I’ve had for more than a year.
10 items that can be remixed to create a variety of new looks. Luckily, I had a great foundation that made the Fashion Fast more bearable than I thought.
Blog Talk
Back Down South is a look at the style of the South. Caroline Fontenot, does a fantastic job of photographing native and transplant southerners in their environment wearing their personal wardrobe. The fashion and the “models” are accessible and have an enormous amount of swagger. I also love the blog because my cute friends Allyson and Christina along with their sweet roomie Caroline are regularly featured. Ashlyn Stallings from one of my favorite blogs EVER,writes guests spots. The blog isn’t all about fashion as I am, at this very moment, grooving to a Spotify playlist called ”Go Back Down South” which is a compilation of “Music Monday”, a feature of the site that highlights southern artists. Volunteer Traditions, Cordial Churchman, Harding Lane, and Brier & Moss are just a few of the staple brands of the blog. The Dirty Guv’nahs, Alabama Shakes, and Matthew Mayfield made it into my music collection because of this blog. Great fashion and music inspiration! Check it out!
The Great Fashion Fast of May Part II
I did it! I made it through the month of May without shopping for clothes. Factors contributing to my success include:
1. I’ve been super busy doing other things.
2. The students are gone so I’m not constantly seeing cute clothes I just “need” to own.
3. I’ve been less stressed which means less retail therapy and when I have been stressed I’ve just gone to the gym or to sleep.
4. I had fun remixing existing items. The day after laundry day is like opening a new boutique in your closet.
5. The money I didn’t spend on clothes I spent on Carrie Underwood concert tickets, a haircut, and a few eating trips to Nashville culinary hotspots. So, did I “save” money—uh, no. I just repurposed it—Hey, back off. I’m a work in progress.
6. I went home and came back with 2 “new” bags from my mom’s baskets o’ purses and new perfume with matching lotion so I felt like I shopped without spending cash.
Now on to June…Let’s see if I can keep this up or least keep the shopping impact on my wallet low ;).
Oh, and I totally got rid of most of my TV stations yesterday…post coming soon!
(Source: http://relatablegifs.tumblr.com)
Have you ever had an unread book on your shelf for a long time and for some unknown reason you pick it up one day, start reading it, and realize that the reason you didn’t read it before was because you weren’t ready to read it or didn’t need to read it until that VERY moment? That happened to me today.
God is the best librarian ever or better yet He’s better than AMAZON and their creepy recommendations.
Last year I was sitting in an apartment covered in boxes anxious but excited about my impending move to Nashville, TN and beginning a new job at Vanderbilt. Sad to leave my NC friends and praying that I would make TN friends. The drive from Durham to Nashville was incredibly beautiful in many ways and quite ugly in a few others. In the end, the move was a smart choice and I have no regrets. Nashville, TN has quickly become home and I look forward to creating happiness here for as long as God sees fit. To the concerts, the food, the fashion, and the bars, the Junior League, BBBS, and Cross Point Community Church, Delta Delta Delta, the ‘Dores and to all of the fantastic people that have made me feel like I belong. Happy 1 Year Anniversary to me and TN :).
peculiarpearl 