Perfect Date Night Outfit

You know, minus the whole dating part

I've flipped through many a magazine with headlines like "The Hottest Date Night Dresses for Spring" and "What To Wear On Your First Date So He Loves You Forever," so for a while during my ill-informed youth I thought that dating would require a stressful level of thought about wardrobe. 

Cool, fun and flirty were burned into my 16-year-old brain in preparation for dating. 

From those years I gathered this information on what a date night outfit required: it had to be fun. It had to be flirty. It had to show your favorite assets. But wait, don't show too much now girl. Did I mention flirty? And cool. Show how cool you are. They love that.  Cool, fun, and flirty were burned into my 16-year-old brain in preparation for dating.

So, it would seem that now, as a 25-year-old who is purposefully not dating, all my hours of research was for naught. Except, no. In what world am I only those things for the sake of a date? I will be cool, I will be fun, and if I damn well please, I will be flirty. And I will be all of those things even if my only date for the day is with my laptop and cup of coffee. 

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Not So Summer Dress

It's a little bit country & a little bit rock n' roll

If you cracked open my skull right now, here's what would come out: #LEMONADE, smoothie recipes, job applications, new books to read, moving and a summer style evolution—a nice little jumble to start my Monday. Let's talk about that last one, though. 

For now, the days are still in between a cool spring and pre-summer tease, so I've taken to layering would-be summer dresses...

Summer will be here (I hope) in the bat of a mascara'd eyelash, and I already see myself in easy dresses, baring crops and flowing maxis. I also see myself accomplishing a major beauty goal: no more straightening my hair. Summer is a time for effortless style, and leaving my hair be and accepting it's natural state is my first step in that direction.

But, I'm getting ahead of myself. For now, the days are still in between a cool spring and pre-summer tease, so I've taken to layering would-be summer dresses under jackets and over tops. This gingham dress will be revisited again when the sun and my curls are out in their full glory.

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Yes To The Jumpsuit

A springy closet staple for a forever lazy girl

Yes baby dolls, this weekend was magnificent. In fact, it was so magnificent that I'm riding through Monday on a spring-weather induced high and calling everyone around me baby doll. You're cool with that, right? Cool.

So, I've watched enough Say Yes To The Dress to know when The Moment happens. Jaws drop and the world stops because, oh my gosh, you've found the perfect gown. That's how I felt when I tried this jumpsuit on. Besides the too-perfect-to-be-true fit, it allows me to look put together on days when I literally don't know what to put together. 

Besides the too-perfect-to-be-true fit, it allows me to look put together on days when I literally don't know what to put together.

Sometimes figuring out what top to wear with what bottom is a real struggle, y'all. And though I could just as easily wear this with casual sandals and a crossbody for a comfy look, dressing it up with heels was fun, and showed me how versatile jumpsuits can actually be. As for using the restroom in this...we'll just talk about that another day.

Checking For Spring

Seriously spring, where you at?

All it took was three days back in Atlanta for me to slip into a sort of seasonal sadness. A sadness punctuated by the fact that my arrival to New York was damp. Literally. Rain for days.

So far, all I've gotten is gray and windy, but there have been blossoms, and I'm holding onto that as a sign.

I've been told that spring in the city is wonderful, and I'm just waiting, wishing and hoping for it to actually arrive. The kind of southern springs I'm used to are sunny and 60 with bright buds pushing up. 

So far, all I've gotten is gray and windy, but there have been blossoms, and I'm holding on to that as a sign. I've gone through two wind-blown umbrellas and my trench coat has been soaked on several occasions, but I'm still checking for spring.

Power Pants Under $25

Because you always wear the pants in your life

I know I just professed my love for dresses last week, but at the risk of coming off as a hypocrite, I'm here to say that pants deserve their credit, too. With spring here, I pull out my lightweight trousers and pretty patterned pairs. And can we talk about how damn powerful they make a girl feel?

Pick Your Power Pants for Under $25 

Over Black

Apparently there's such a thing as New York Black, and I'm over it

For someone whose chosen form of expression is clothes, I'm pretty fed up with them right now. Not clothes as a whole, though. Just mine. It's not even the old "lots of clothes and nothing to wear" dilemma that I'm having. It's more an issue of "Why the hell is everything I own black?" 

I have never been an ultra-cool, darks only dresser, but I think somewhere in my subconscious black became a go-to the minute I landed in the city. 

I have never been an ultra-cool, darks only dresser, but I think somewhere in my subconscious black became a go-to the minute I landed in the city. There's such a thing as New York Black, and it's all I've been wearing. I can't stand my closet. I can't stand myself. 

Now that spring has officially made her entrance, I'm making an effort to bring the brights, florals and generally cheerful items front and center. For starters, I've dug this poppy-colored Kate Spade out and my mood is already on the up-and-up. 

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Jeans & A Blazer

Business on the top, party on the bottom

Some things just go together: peanut butter and jelly, a cat eye and a red lip and, if you can see where I'm going here, jeans and blazer. What expresses the sentiment, "business on the top, party on the bottom," as well as this sartorial combo?

"Come winter, it's just one of the easiest ways I know to layer. And hello, this blazer has gold buttons."

It's a combo that I'm pretty familiar with, too (see here, here and here). So, yes, you could say it's a go-to of mine. Come winter, it's just one of the easiest ways I know to layer. And hello, this blazer has gold buttons. I repeat, gold buttons.

At some point in time I'm sure I'll retire my jeans and blazer. Actually, that's a lie. I won't. It's just too good, too easy and it always works. It has never let me down, and if I turn my back on that, I'd be a fool.

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The New Classics

I'm getting old, and before you roll your eyes at a 24-year-old calling herself old, let me just say that I am not complaining. It's just a fact. And I know this because, now, with every decision I make, even in my closet, I'm thinking of the future.

"There are voices in my head, girlfriends, and they're getting excited over classic staples. It's a strange time for this 24-year-old."

When I added this trench vest to my shopping cart, my thought process went beyond the usual "Oh, this is cute." I was thinking of every way I could make this staple work, from office to weekend. I was being – gasp – practical. 

There are voices in my head, girlfriends, and they're getting excited over classic staples. It's a strange time for this 24-year-old. I'm still holding onto some of that youthful impracticality, though, mixing trends with staples. Taking a trench coat and turning it into a vest. The new classic, if you will.

Photos by Kaye McCoy

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A Bit of Magic

You know how they say magic happens only outside of your comfort zone? Well, I'm here to tell you it can happen inside of your comfort zone, too. Forget what "they" said. 

"I felt ashamed of my repetitive style choices, until I accepted that stripes are just my thing. They are my magic."

I have gone on about how I should probably wear something other than stripes, yet, here I am again. I've felt ashamed of my repetitive style choices, until I accepted that stripes are just my thing. They are my magic. And who am I to turn away magic in any way or shape it enters the world?  

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