#OOTD: Vintage Vixen (Feat. Light In The Box)

If I had to describe how the weather here in the 'Burgh has been lately in one word, the word I would choose is...strange. Though later this week it's been back to it's typical cold weather, this past Monday the weather was absolutely gorgeous and in the upper 60s! This being said, I seized the opportunity to style one last summer/early fall outfit, because for the next few months I will be hiding under a ton of layers and sweaters as well as doing more beauty posts because I am not a fan of being out in the freezing cold. 

Ivory & Ivy

The dress I chose to style while I was out and about in Sewickley was none other than my gorgeous ivory and ivy patterned dress from my collaborator and affiliate, Light In The Box. As I mentioned in my last post about them (Remember my blue coat?) their representative, Valerie, was kind enough to send me two items to style--even though this one is a little late, better than never right?

The first thing I noticed about this dress when I put it on was how nicely the dress was shaped. The reason I say this is because I was pleasantly surprised. Though the dress looked pretty on the hanger, it didn't have as much life as I anticipated it to, so I was a little worried that it wouldn't look flattering on but boy was I wrong!  This dress is a lovely piece to wear on a lunch date in town or just to take a stroll of a warm autumn day, it's also work appropriate to boot! The other thing I liked about this piece is that it is very reminiscent of the styles you would see in the 1950s, and though I generally don't style vintage looks, I was excited to have the opportunity to do so with this dress.

Though I initially wanted to go with a more vintage look to style this piece, I ended up combining this vintage looking dress with my very modern leather blazer from my affiliate Ann Taylor (though it was gorgeous out it was still a little chilly in the shade!), some cat eye sunnies from Versona to still play with the dresses retro vibe, my mum's Bvlgari hoops, and my matte black pumps. So, the reason I decided to mix and match these very different pieces is because I thought thought my leather blazer just gave this soft and pretty dress just the right amount of edge due to the structured shoulders of the blazer.

One Last Look

What are some of your favorite ways to add a modern edge to your vintage pieces? I'd love to chat about it, so tell me about it in the comments below or tweet me at @StarkRavingChic. Have a photo you wanna show off? Just tag me on Instagram at @StarkRavingChic! Later dolls.

Xx, Bree

#BLOGMAS: Christmas Countdown Styling Challenge

Hi everybody, and happy December 1st! As I'm sure my long time readers remember from last year, I am quite the Christmas nut and absolutely love the holidays/holiday season. This being said, since I already have my holiday giveaway covered (you can get the deets and enter it HERE.) I figured I'd do something a little different this year and start a holiday styling challenge just for fun! 

What I'm doing for this challenge is every day on my Instagram, I will be posting the holiday themed looks you'll see in the Calendar below, as well as adding them to my Look Book tab on here.

So though this is more of a personal challenge, anyone who wants to join in on the fun I urge to do so! I'd love to see what creative stuff my fellow bloggers and fashionistas (and of course fashionistos, too) can come up with.

So if you decide to partake in my Christmas Countdown Styling Challenge, there are no rules or winners, and you can participate as little or as much as you would like, I'd just like to ask anyone who does participate to please the hashtag #starkravingchicholiday2016 on Instagram, because that way we can all see what everybody comes up with! Can't wait to see everyone's styles! Later babes.

Xx, Bree

#OOTD: Seductively Simple (Feat. Swim Classy)

BUUUUUUUUR! That was my first thought when returning from the sunshine state Sunday night. Needless to say I'm already jonsing to head back to Delray Beach not only to see John but to enjoy the lovely weather. However while I was down in Florida over the holiday, John and I took some time to just have a nice relaxing day at the beach, and that meant I had the perfect opportunity to style and show off my new swimsuit from my sponsor and affiliate Swim Classy!

Swim Classy

Firstly, if you haven't heard of Swim Classy, it's about time you have! The company is a small business owned by Milly Carmona and is based in New Jersey. Though the one thing that sets Swim Classy apart from other swim shops is their gorgeous designs, the other thing that sets them apart is the fact that they promote body positivity. So much so that all of the models on their site are their customers as well as their Swim Classy promoters which are bloggers like me! Which leads me to my next announcement, I am now also a part of the Swim Classy family which means my readers can receive 25% off their order when they use my special promo code "starkravingchic25" at check out with Swim Classy.

Soaking Up The Sun  

As I'm sure most of my readers know from my last Travel Essentials post, I spent my Thanksgiving holiday with my beau down in Delray Beach. And as I stated earlier, hitting the beach was the perfect opportunity for me to show off my new gorgeous Mika swimsuit from Swim Classy. 

The reason I loved this suit so much was due to its unique design. I just adored the plunging neckline and strappy details. To me, these little details added just the right amount of sexiness to this simple one piece, but kept it looking very stylish. And though I normally prefer bikinis I thought this cute one piece was perfect for a different look on the beach.  

The suit itself is very well made and is quite comfortable. Also the design of it is perfect in the respect that it works so well as a stylish swimsuit, but can also double as a bodysuit (which you'll see later). The only negative thing I have to say about this suit is due to its design, it's not super practical to do any heavy swimming in. The reason this is, is just because of the plunging neckline which makes movement a bit limited because (at least for me) if you are a little more busty, you may have a wardrobe malfunction on your hands. However this is still a great piece just to wade in the waves, or chill by the pool in, and again it also doubles perfectly as a cute bodysuit, as you'll see up next!

Sand & Style

To style this chic one piece a different way, after the beach I decided to pair my swim suit with my pink striped blouse from Ann Taylor and just a basic pair of cut offs from Target. To show off this one piece, I chose to keep the blouse unbuttoned so you could see the stylish neckline of my swimsuit underneath it. This gave my outfit a fun beach bunny feel as well as a sweet and flirty vibe, which was the perfect combination for John and I's post beach lunch date. 

One Last Look

So babes, are any of you beach bums? If so what are some of your favorite ways to style your swimwear for after beach activities? Let's chat about it in the comments below or you can tweet me about it at @StarkRavingChic. Have a photo you want to show off? Just tag me on Instagram at @StarkRavingChic! Also remember that if you love my Swim Classy swimsuit as much as I do, you can order it for yourself (or any of their other gorgeous pieces) and receive 25% off your order when you use my special promo code "starkravingchic25" at check out.

Xx, Bree