Lace midi dress

Hi loves!!

So many of you asked me about this gorgeous dress that I wore for my hubby's birthday.  I totally get it because the lace is so girly and fun and I felt like a princess in it. I've seen so many bloggers and celebrities in it adding their own personal touch to the look. 

(Marianna Hewitt)

 (Louise Roe)

 (Miranda Kerr)

(Lace and Locks)

I found a version of this dress online at Nordstrom which I've linked here. It comes in 3 colors- white, black, and powder blue.  I'm honestly considering getting the blue because I love this dress so much. Incase you do like it in the blush, I have a brand new one size M in my poshmark closet. I've linked it here for you guys as well. 

Xoxo,  Karen

Travel Edition: Savannah

Savannah, a gem of a place in Georgia, will always have my heart. It's a charming riverside town with cobble stone streets, beautiful historic buildings, serene cemeteries, quaint antique and coffee shops, and distinct park squares around every corner with gorgeous landscape full of bougainvillea and large oak trees with Spanish moss.  It's literally a scene out of a movie. Everyone is so friendly- like genuinely friendly. 

I've been there before with my family as a day trip from Tybee Island where we love taking the kids. But it's a completely different experience going there with your loved one with no kids. There are so many neighborhoods to explore and walk around. There's so many great food options. 

We stayed at a bed and breakfast called the Dresser Palmer House on Gaston St. All of the houses on this street are what dreams are made of.  Massive homes with intrinsic details that make them unique. Ours had a long welcoming porch with rocking chairs that just called our name with an afternoon glass of wine. As soon as you enter the doorway, your eyes are drawn to the opulent gold and crystal chandelier right above the foyer. To the right is a pink room with a large marble fire place, an ornate gold mirror on top, and my favorite touch, a black baby grand piano 😍.  The bed and breakfast was the perfect starting touch to the trip.

 (A dream of a front porch)

 (living room)

(entry way)

One of the things we take for granted when we're with the kids is food. My kids are picky and so they're usually the driving force in our dining out choices. But on this trip, we actually got to eat good food- like amazing, full of flavor, mouth watering, pretty looking food. And we didn't have to rush! We were able to savor every bite and linger around at the restaurants longer. We ate good this weekend. 

My absolute favorite was Soho South Cafe- which both our Uber driver and our receptionist at our B&B recommended. Wil got the fried chicken and waffles of course, and it was topped with strips of bacon. I mean- how can you go wrong with that. I had fish tacos with fresh battered fish, coleslaw, chopped banana peppers, topped with cilantro and an aoli sauce. I had sweet tea which I always have to have when I'm in the south. It's just part of the nostalgia. The decor was right up my alley. It was an old converted warehouse with brick walls and beautiful chandeliers, and lots of greenery. The bar area where we ate had teal, tufted stools with silver studs. Amazing right? 

Our first dinner we had a seafood boil at Savannah Seafood Shack over on Broughton St. so we (meaning Wil) got down and dirty peeling our shrimp, crayfish, crab legs, and clams. It was so so good.  

Another great place for lunch was Crystal Beer Parlor.   This one involved pulled pork nachos and a fried grouper Rueben sandwich. 👍🏼. 

Our last dinner was a great bar restaurant with great ambiance and great food called Hitch. We had definitely eaten our calories worth for the month in just these 2 days but we wanted to do our last hurrah. 

One of the highlights of our trip was visiting the SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) Museum of Art.  This museum was a lot of fun to visit - its contemporary art by SCAD alumni and the exhibits were beautiful, thought provoking, and interactive.  

(Art by Jose Parla)

More scenes from our trip:

(Forsyth Park)

(Beautiful waterside views)

(River St.)

(The Paris Market)

(quaint cobblestone streets)

(coffee break in the square)

 (Savannah Style)

 (historic cemeteries )

(enjoying glasses of wine in the beautiful 70 degree weather)

So that's my trip in Savannah in a nutshell.  We only had a day and a half there but it was such a great trip.  My pictures don't do the place justice at all.  If you haven't been there yet I hope you put it on your bucketlist because it really is a beautiful city.  xoxo, Karen

Spring Shoes

Yay for pedicures and pretty shoes! There's something about shoes that just make you feel so sexy. They don't have to be sky high but they really make your outfit.  I definitely have way more shoes than I should, but in my defense you can get some killer shoes without breaking the bank.  So if you're looking to up your shoe game for the spring season without breaking the bank, or your ankles, check out my edit.   This is my Shoe Wish list  - if you will.  I could choose all these beautiful high heeled shoes with the glitz and the glam.  But I wanted to be realistic and choose shoes that everyday people could walk in.  If I could share any tip with you guys, it would be this - be realistic about your shoes and your lifestyle.  I've definitely had my moments of buying high heels thinking oh i can wear this for girls night out or for date night.  And yes, those outtings do happen.  But in the end i don't choose those shoes because I know I won't last in them all night.

My shoe roundup has a lot of neutrals with a few pops of color.  I chose heels that were wearable for everyday and fabrics that were luxe for an elevated look.  I'm loving the look of mules and platforms.  I included some lace up styles. And of course I included my fave purchase of the season, the thin toe strap and ankle strap silhouette that everyone needs to have in their closet.  I wore these fuchsia colored shoes around during my weekend getaway to Savannah, GA last weekend and loved them.

So, without much further ado, here is my Spring 2017 Shoe Roundup.

Product info (clockwise from top left corner) : Katie and Kelly sandals , Born mule, Matisse lace up, Nine West genie, Topshop mule, Charles by Charles David Sandal, Adrienne Vittadini mules, Linea Paola cutout

xoxo,  Karen

Spring Pink

Blush pink is always a favorite of mine.  It's probably the one color that takes up the most real estate in my closet.  I scoured online found some of my favorite pink pieces in staple silhouettes or pieces that I think are great transition, versatile pieces.

Product info (clockwise from top left corner) : HM ruffle sweater // DSW Pink Wedges // HM Camisole //  Missguided bodysuit   // ASOS Frill Sweatshirt // Zara moto jacket // Steve Madden sandals // Zara skirt // Zara jacket // Nordstrom Sheath Dress // Zara lace top // Ray-ban sunnies // Missguided duster

 Hope you enjoyed this edit! xoxo, Karen

Shades of Color

I always love the changing of seasons.  I'm sure its still too early for a permanent change, but the sixty degree weather we had this week definitely has me dreaming of spring and summer.   Of course a refresher in our wardrobe is a given, but what I really look forward to is wearing bright lipstick hues.  I've tried a lot of different brands, but I always go back to Mac.  Its just one of those unassuming accessories that you don't realize the impact it has on your overall look but it really does make a statement.  Many people I talk to say they get nervous about veering away from the nudes.  But I'm telling you, once you try it, you will open your eyes to a whole new world.

Here I'm sharing my 4 staple colors that I love wearing during the warmer weather.  I have to say I just saw pics of these lipsticks on different girls of different skin colors on the internet and they look drastically different on me (I'm a medium tan color.)  Which just goes to show, you should just try it.  You might just like it :)

Here are some bright lipstick inspiration pics of some of my favorite youtubers and celebrities. Clockwise starting with top left, Teni Panosian, Eman Makeup, Jennifer Lopez, me wearing Mac's Relentlessly Red, and Desi Perkins.

Have fun color exploring!!  xoxo, Karen

Fur + leather

I'm sure you don't need any convincing as to why you should pair leather and fur together.  But incase you wanted some fun inspiration, I've compiled a few of a my fav looks that inspired one of my recent OOTD's.  A moto jacket is a closet staple that you can carry forth through every single season. And a fur scarf is a must for a luxe winter look.  

We finally got some sun and warmer weather so I took full advantage of this ideal layering weather.

Fur stole is from Ann Taylor   // Bag from Balenciaga  // Sunglasses from Aldo Accessories   // Moto jacket by Blank NYC  //  Pumps from here

And here are my inspiration pics for a leather and fur combo.  xoxo, Karen

Style Ideas

Christine Centenera

Fashion Over Reason

Allergic to Vanilla

Winter Layers

I've been playing around with more layers lately.   Yes, it's practical to wear layers  - especially here in the Minnesota cold - but it also adds interesting dimension to your looks.  I got a few outerwear pieces this season (most from thrift shops) and I made to sure get a size larger for the purpose of layering.  Try it - you won't regret it.  :)  xoxo, Karen

Coat - scored from Arc's Value Village Thrift store but can find similar here  // Fur Vest - similar here //  Turtleneck  - similar here //    Over the knee boots //  Celine Sunglasses // Louis Vuitton Bag // Via Luna ring