oui mon cheri

Bonjour mes amours! Full disclosure, I had to Google that phrase because I don't speak a lick of French. This sweatshirt is making me wish I did, though. Elle est très fabuleuse, no?

It was fun pretending I was at a beautiful French cafe when I stopped into Jeni's, a fantastic ice cream shop in Atlanta, for a caffeine break. You know what they say: mais d'abord , le café!

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photos by Kaye McCoy

reworkin' it

The first littering of leaves are on the ground so it's safe to say it: fall is finally here in Atlanta. Instead of running out to buy every possible fall staple, I've been trying to work with what I have. Or in other words, rework. 

This striped tank dress was from J.Crew two summers ago, and I love it it for warm days, but it's also a good element for fall layering. Luckily, navy is not tied to any one season, so it was an easy pair with chambray and a cargo jacket.

That said, I'm not completely cutting out all shopping, just repetitive shopping. I mean, who do you think I am? No shopping period is just not possible.

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business as usual

It's all business with me these days. By business, I'm referring to the fact that I am now an intern for the The Times, a local newspaper. Look, mama, I'm a bona fide journalist! College is paying off! It's an exciting time for me.

What's even more exciting are all of the prospects for office style. Blazers, button ups, heels, oh my! There's a chance that I will be overdressing, but what better reason could I have to? Another staple of office wear is a good, sturdy bag that'll hold your all of your soon-to-be-busy life.

Cue the Kate Spade surprise sale e-mail. I won't tell you how long I was stuck to my computer screen deciding what to buy (way too long) but I will say this: I bought two. Which I justified by referring back to my success of becoming intern. I deserved two Kate Spade purses. So now I have two drool-worthy purses and an internship. Look at me! There's no stopping this gal.

 

 

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It wasn't an easy decision but I went with The Southport Avenue Linda & Carmen. 

Both are sold out on the Kate Spade site, unfortunately, but you can still find them online. 

the denim equation

In my recent efforts to get comfortable in jeans after years of avoidance, I've cooked up a kind of crazy idea. Hear me out, okay? Pull those denim bottoms out of your closet, dust them off, and then throw on a denim top. Life changing, I say. Also, to be completely honest, I didn't entirely come up with this idea. 

Pinterest did it. I saw this combo and was immediately smitten. I'd never thought that wearing matching denim-on-denim could work. It almost doesn't. But the blazer, a thrifted one I should mention, is the glue that holds this all together. It is what really makes this work. 

And with it being such a vital part of the denim squared equation, why not make it a bright bubblegum pink? And then, why not add striped heels and a structured purse to really tell the world, "hey, I know this is a Texas Tuxedo, but look, I can make it fancy!"

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give a twirl

Pink has not always been an easy color for me to wear. I think at some point during the early-to-mid 2000's Paris Hilton had a monopoly on the color which sent me running in the opposite direction.

Now that I'm confident that I can wear pink without it being related back to a spoiled heiress or other similar stereotype, I wear it a lot more. 

I'm especially attached to the softer shades of pink -- blush to be specific. The paler the pink, the easier it is to blend with the rest of my closet. I can think of 50 ways to wear this dress right now (chambray shirt, sweater over, sweater under, tied patterned button up, crop top, leather jacket, etc.)! 

And besides the versatility of it, there is the fact that it is pink. And how can you feel anything but fabulous when wearing pink? Fabulous enough to twirl, perhaps?

shirt - thrifted (similar) | dress - F21 | glitter flats - faded glory | purse - h&m | jewelry - fiore boutique (similar)