#OOTD: Of The Vintage Variety (Feat. SheIn)

June 17, 2018 by Bree Fesh in Personal Style

Wow, what a month it has been! Though I have been absent from here lately, if you follow me on Instagram you know that I have been far from being on hiatus and will have many exciting posts to come this summer. Just to fill those of you in who haven’t been on Instagram lately, recently I just returned from a trip to Florida, a place that makes my heart very happy, only second to my home away from home, New Orleans. While in the sunshine state, I did so much exploring and experienced some great and lively new places, which I will be writing about in an upcoming travel post (in the mean time you can checkout my story highlights and feed to see what I was up too), and in said travel post I will also be talking about how I’ve mastered my minimalist packing skills—as per request from many of you, and I just can’t wait to share!

However, in today’s post, I’m starting back with a light, fun, and stylish look for the season and will be talking about this darling summer outfit of the day. Which features some vintage Gap denim shorts I snagged at a thrift store in St. Petersburg during my travels, as well as this adorable tie up top from my long time sponsor and affiliate, SheIn.

Seeking the Seventies

Recently, after returning home from Florida, I was admittedly very happy to hear from one of the representatives I work with from SheIn, not only because I'm thrilled to be working with them and love their clothes, they also have a huge new selection for the change in season, so what better time to take on some new projects with them? I was also thrilled to find that one of the products that they were looking to feature was this adorable, vintage style, tie up top, which as soon as I saw it, I knew that it would pair perfectly with my new vintage high-waisted shorts. And pretty much as soon as I returned home, I had a brunch date with a few of my girl friends in Sewickley and just knew this seventies inspired outfit would be the perfect fit for our girls days out.

As many of my longtime readers know, I have been forever in love with vintage looks reminiscent of the 1970s. Something about the freedom of that time period and the way its fashion mirrored it has most definitely become iconic and a trend in fashion that I welcomed back with open arms in 2015. I simply have always just adored the light and airy vibes the styles exude, as well as the earth tones that tend to go along with them, adding to their charm and making them a perfect pick for summer. So, needless to say I was incredibly excited to style these two awesome pieces. What makes them each so perfect for a nice summer outing it that they are both simple and chic pieces. The blouse is great due to its light color and the shorts complement it by balancing the outfit out, giving it a nice, casual feel.

I do have to mention though, that aside from this top being a great color for summer, I also love it because it is incredibly comfortable and well made. The material is very light and breathable, making this top a great choice for the hot and sticky humid days we have here in the 'Burgh. I also adore its button detailing, which in my opinion adds a sweet and more feminine vibe. Honestly, this top has become my new favorite for the summer and I am tempted to get it in all three colors! (You can view the other two here and here!)

And of course, I still need to talk about this cool pair of denim shorts, which have admittedly also become a summer favorite of mine. I actually came across them at the Sunshine Thrift Store in St. Petersburg! Though I wasn't originally planning on shopping and just went in to browse with my aunt, when I came across these Gap 1969 original high rise shorts in my size I just had to have them! Honestly, I love how they fit and find them to be extremely comfortable, as well as flattering to my shape.

To add a little polish to this outfit, I decided to dress it up with some Kendra Scott earrings, this South Moon Under layered necklace, a large gold ring from Versona, and one of my favorite cuffs by SLATE. The reason I chose these pieces is due to the fact none of them are overstated and went perfectly with this casual summer look while keeping true to its dreamy 1970s chic feel. I also am a fan of these pieces because they are all relatively light weight which is great for keeping you comfortable while looking stylish.

The last accessories I styled for this look are my American Eagle heart shaped sunglasses, which I just felt were a fun choice, and my classic Louis Vuitton Tasche "Globe Shopper" in red. The reason why I mention this bag is because it holds a very special place in my heart as well as purse collection, considering it is the very first designer bag I ever purchased, way back in 2011, and is still in impeccable shape to this day! It's honestly my go to summer bag aside from my recently gifted Hermes Lindy bag (thank you, mum and dad) due to its durability and color.

Finally, to put the finishing touches on this seventies look, I chose to keep my makeup light and airy and went with my ever trusty bareMinerals powered in “Original”, Dior's "My Rose" blush, Too Faced “Chocolate Bar” eyeshadow palette, and NARS “Roman Holiday” lipstick. The reason I chose these colors is because I really wanted to have a more natural makeup look and just love the subtle pastel colors.

One Last Look

What are some fashion eras that you just adore and how will you be styling them this summer? I'd love to hear the answers to both of these questions so let's chat about it in the comments below or you can tweet me about it at @StarkRavingChic! Have an awesome summer look you're just dying to show off? I'd love to have a look, so feel free to tag me in your Instagram story at @StarkRavingChic. Later, babes!

Xx, Bree

P.S. Psssssst! If you love the jewelry I styled in this post as much as I do, you can try Rocksbox for a whole month 100% FREE when you sign up using my promo code "starkravingchicxoxo". Don't know what Rocksbox is or how it works? You can learn more here!

Also, I am now a proud member of rewardStyle and LIKEtoKNOW.it! Meaning you can shop straight from my Instagram feed when you click here or here. Don't know what LIKEtoKNOW.it is all about? Learn more, here!

You can also shop my closet on Dress Like Me as well, which there will be a post about this new tool coming soon.

Impromptu #OOTD: Playing With Plaid (Feat. SheIn)

February 08, 2018 by Bree Fesh in Personal Style

If I had to pick one pattern that I was an absolute sucker for, the pattern I would have to choose is plaid. I don’t know why, but something about the look of overlapping tartan squares has always been appealing to me. Perhaps this is just due to nostalgia, because while I was growing up, all through elementary and middle school, the skirts for my school uniforms were plaid. Whatever the reason though, plaid always seems to be the most dominant pattern in my wardrobe and I continue to have so much fun styling these pieces. Recently, I had the chance to add yet another fabulously checkered piece to my closet, and this new piece would be the latest dress I received from my longtime sponsor, SheIn.

The Casual Cowl Neck

Though normally I try to avoid styling dresses in the winter due to the cold and snowy weather (here in the ‘Burgh we’ve gotten about a foot of snow in just a matter of hours— my classes at Point Park were actually cancelled yesterday due to the poor weather conditions), I was honestly a bit overly eager to style this adorable shift dress, and jumped on the first opportunity I had! So, on Monday I decided to step out in this pretty dress for a casual lunch date at Dominico’s after my morning classes, and I have to say the reactions I got from this darling piece did not disappoint.

Firstly, as mentioned earlier, the plaid pattern of this dress is honestly my favorite thing about it, but along with the pattern, I also adore the color combinations. Though I am normally not a fan of blue and yellow together, in this particular instance these two colors really work together to create a very visually pleasing color palette. This is due to the fact that the yellows and blues work transitionally through out the dress, making the shift from warm to cool colors less harsh. I also love how these colors play off of one another and how natural and earthy all of the colors are, making this piece great for both the fall and winter seasons.

The dress itself is honestly just an overall great piece. I would recommend this piece to anyone looking for a nice, casual, fall or winter dress to add to their wardrobe. Aside from having great colors for each of these seasons, this dress is also made of wool, meaning it is a thicker as well as heavier material which is perfect for winter because it will surely keep you warm. Personally, that was the biggest “win” for me with this dress. I also adore its cozy cowl neck design, which is great for a laid back look either on campus or just a relaxing, low key day out. This dress’ loose fit and high-low cut also adds to its casual chic appeal, because these qualities give the dress a fun and flowy look. Lastly, like every piece of clothing I have received from SheIn, this dress is incredibly well made and fits true to size.

To style this dress for my lunch date (as well as for this impromptu outfit of the day post) I chose to keep it simple and leave my accessories at a minimum. First I chose to pair this dress with these adorable Nova Fringe Earrings by Perry Street, and this dainty, gold, choker by Rudiment. The reason I chose these earrings to style with this look is because I felt they added a whimsical and fun feel to this cute cowl neck dress, and I chose such a dainty necklace because I felt a more prominent necklace would be to overpowering. I then chose to carry my market bag with this dress simply because the colors just matched perfectly and the bag itself also has a relaxed vibe to it. And to complete this look, I topped it off with my absolute favorite booties, which are also from SheIn. The reason I felt these were the best choice to complete my outfit is due to the fact their tan color plays well off of the dress’ earth tones.

Lastly, I want to talk about my makeup for this kicked back look. As always, I used my go to Mattifying primer by Julep (you can read more about it here!) and bareMinerals BarePro Liquid Foundation. But I also got some new goodies from Julep that I took the opportunity to use and those would be Julep’s Eyeshadow 101 in Shimmering Orchid and Julep’s Skip The Brush Blush Stick in Passionfruit. And though these products will be appearing in a later post, I have to say these products work great and I absolutely adore them! The colors have great pigment and they’re long lasting which is great for all day wear. I finished off my makeup look with NARS Fast Ride lipstick. The reason I chose these colors for this look is I felt their deep and earthy tones complemented my over all look.

One Last Look

What are some of your favorite patterns to style? Let’s chat about them in the comments below or you can tweet me at @StarkRavingChic! Have a fabulous plaid dress that you have just been dying to show off? I’d love to see it so feel free to tag me in you Instagram Story at @StarkRavingChic. Later, babes!

Xx, Bree

#OOTD: Studious Style (Feat. Prada, SheIn, + Amazon Fashion)

February 01, 2018 by Bree Fesh in Personal Style

Well, the nice weather we got to experience here in the 'Burgh this past weekend was great while it lasted, and I'm glad that I was back from my impromptu trip to New Orleans just in time to catch the tail end of the sunshine and fifty degree weather we had here on Sunday. However, unfortunately this beautiful weather did not last long and we were once again greeted with two inches of snow on Monday night, and they're calling for more over the weekend--sigh. I'm trying not to let the cold weather get me down though, as well as my homesickness for NOLA, and am just going to think positive and hope that we have a few more warm days that sneak in before the end of this winter season, and of course rejoice when spring and summer are finally upon us!

However, in light of my travels over the weekend, and being told by my mum that the weather would still be absolutely beautiful once I got back home, I decided to spend my last day strolling around The Big Easy in this absolutely adorable outfit, and once I got home, had the opportunity to do this outfit of the day photo shoot! What can I say, it was just too darling to pass up the opportunity, and while my mini vacation was nice, I was ready to jump right back into the blogging game (and officially had the opportunity to show off my new Prada eyeglasses).

Alluring Academic

After getting off my flight at the Pittsburgh International Airport, I have to admit that I was absolutely thrilled to walk out of the terminal and be graced with semi-warm weather as well as some gorgeous sunshine, it was much better than the shock of cold I was originally anticipating. Once I loaded my bags in her car and greeted my mum, we decided to enjoy the rest of the afternoon, as well as the lovely weather, and head to Sewickley for a quick stroll around town to catch up and talk about my trip, as well as grab a bite to eat at Lula. And though Lula doesn't have a dress code, this outfit was perfect for their fun and quirky atmosphere.

To start off this outfit, I chose to style this pink ruffle sleeve blouse from my longtime sponsor SheIn. Though I have styled this blouse on here before, it honestly got buried in my closet and I only found it when packing to my trip to New Orleans, and boy was I stoked that I found it--I forgot how much I adored it! The blouse itself is made of a medium weight material, and the cut of this piece is actually cropped, making it an excellent piece to wear with jeans for a more casual look, or like how I styled it here for a more chic but playful way to wear.

Next, I paired this blouse with my latest piece I which I received from Amazon Fashion. Again, this is another reason that I was so excited to find the blouse because I originally was fresh out of ideas of what to style with this skirt, but I'll get to more on that later. First, I would like to tell you about just how awesome this pretty midi skirt is! For starters, I do need to caution you that this skirt is made out of a light weight material, meaning it best suited for spring or summer, but it is definitely thick enough that there is no need for a slip underneath it. This skirt is also very well made and fits true to size (I am wearing an extra small), and includes a zipper closure on the left hand side. It is also 100% cotton meaning you can wash it on delicate at home or have it dry cleaned if you do not want to iron it yourself.

The reason why I chose to style this blouse and skirt duo together was firstly because once I found the blouse, I realized that these two pieces matched perfectly! This is because the pink of the blouse matches the light pink highlights in the skirt. Next, I felt that though the skirt is definitely a more classic piece (which is why I paired it with my Kate Spade Heels), the blouse would add a fun, quirky, and flirty touch, making this outfit a perfect pair. This look also gave me the advantage of looking cute without being over dressed for my travels, giving me a girly but casual vibe for my flight and outings after I returned home.

To accessorize this look, I first chose to wear my new Prada eyeglasses. For my readers who my not have known this, a fun fact about me is I am actually nearly blind without my glasses or contacts! And though I rarely wear my eyeglasses on here (something I really need to start styling more actually), I do wear them when I am travelling for fear of losing a contact and not being able to see at the airport! Next I went with some simple accessories such as my pink Kendra Scott Earrings and a plain hammered gold cuff by Gorjana. I then topped off my accessories with my ever trusty Chloe Drew bag.

Of course my look wouldn't be complete without some finishing touches of makeup! For this fun and flirty look, I chose to keep my makeup sweet and simple. I did this by using my favorite bareMinerals BarePro liquid foundation, my Julep Feels Like Velvet eyeshadow duo in Coconuts & Cabanas, Dior's "My Rose" Blush, and my Chanel Rouge Coco in Michele. I chose this light and airy color combination because I felt that they complemented my overall outfit perfectly, and added to its chic and girly appeal.

One Last Look

What are some of your favorite surprise pairings to style? Let's chat about it in the comments below or you can tweet me at @StarkRavingChic! Have a gloriously girly outfit you'd just love to show off? I'd love to see it, so feel free to tag me in your Instagram Story at @StarkRavingChic. Later, babes!

Xx, Bree

P.P.S. I am now a proud member of rewardStyle and LIKEtoKNOW.it! Meaning you can shop straight from my Instagram feed when you click here or here. Don't know what LIKEtoKNOW.it is all about? Learn more, here!