Happy Wednesday, everyone! Are we seriously halfway through October?! I promise I’ll be posting some fun Halloween content soon but in the meantime…THIS.

Every year around this time, I find myself really bringing the glam. Maybe it’s my way of counteracting the gloomy weather but I’m beginning to think it has something to do with the holiday season. Subconsciously I’m already starting to style non traditional holiday looks to ease myself in to the full blown holiday season! It makes sense, right?

P.S. this look may not look effortless but trust me when I say, IT IS! I have been living in these turtlenecks from H&M and this maxi skirt from Chicwish adds a touch of glam to even the simplest top.

Photography by Emily Petri of Emily Petri Photography.

Gotta love targeted advertising on Instagram because this dress popped up as a recommendation for me last month ! Apparently, I spend a lot of time looking at accounts where tulle is the medium. But really, can you blame me?!

I believe this dress has sold out twice now (online) at Akira and if I still lived in Chicago, you bet I’d be running from Akira to Akira searching for the royal blue version that sold out before I could get my hands on it!

Talk about a designer look for less!! The quality of this dress is beyond amazing and it was a steal at $125. I will say, it took me an hour or so to steam the layers flat after removing it from the packaging but it was SO worth it! If any of you have this dress, the key to it looking just like the online photo is steaming!!

Anyway, I’m loving orange RN and I thought this dress would be perfect for celebrating my favorite month…October!!

Dress from Akira Chicago

Photography by Emily Petri of Emily Petri Photography

A few weeks ago I couldn’t sleep, it was 3am and I was up thinking about a pair of vintage elbow length gold gloves I had never worn. Yes, fashion occasionally keeps me up at night…but only when I can’t get a styling idea out of my head. This particular night my mind was all over! I was thinking about the gloves, editorial magazine adds, fall color palettes, on trend prints and Gucci. Finally to rope in my ideas, I created a collage! This collage actually:

So…when I get an idea for a look and I don’t have all of the pieces but want to see how they’ll look together, I create a collage! This outfit was fun to style from the very beginning and it all started with a pair of gold gloves.

This might sound crazy, but I hadn’t actually seen this entire look IRL until Emily Petri Photography showed it to me off the back of her camera. I don’t even think I looked in the mirror before I left the house 😂.

When the world is your runway, everyday is a fashion show. Own it.

Zara dress, vintage gloves, Amazon sunglasses , H&M earrings, ASOS socks, DSW sandals.

Photography by the amazing Emily Petri Photography

In the 90s Mattel released the Enchanted Seasons Barbie Collection, Autumn Glory Barbie was and still is one of my favorites. Her chiffon gown the color of fall leaves and the leaves in her oversized hat…SO beautiful. The minute I saw this look created by my friend and portrait photographer, Lizzie Bell, I couldn’t help thinking of my favorite Barbie. Lizzie actually designed this piece last year for a fall portrait session and I’ve been dying to wear it ever since. I know we’re all familiar with “fall fashion” but when fall IS fashion, well that’s just incredible in my book.

Real quick…Thank you to Elizabella Portrait for loaning me your creation AND thank you to Emily Petri Photography for these amazing fall images. You ladies are the best!

Happy first official day of Autumn, everyone!

Friends, I found a cure for the end of summer blues…it’s called Chicwish’s fall collection! If you haven’t been to their website in a while, now is the time to check it out- especially if you’re looking to add a few unique pieces to your fall wardrobe. This dress (also available in burgundy) caught my eye immediately! Something about it reminded me of Rose from Titanic meets Lady Mary from Downton Abby, so naturally I had to have it. Must have been the romantic details 😂. Anyway, I’ll save the topic of “film and the influence it has on my style” for a later post. Happy Monday, everyone!

Thank you to Chicwish for sponsoring this post.

Photography by Emily Petri Photography.

Well it’s official, I can add Sydney to the list of international cities I’ve traveled to! Honestly, I never anticipated being able to cross Sydney off the list this year or next. I assumed we’d head back to Italy or even take the year off from a big trip, so when my husband presented the idea of going to Australia earlier in the year, I was onboard!

Guys, Sydney is so much more than kangaroos and koalas! Don’t get me wrong, I went for those two things and I loved every second of being near them but there are also platypuses, echidnas and emus! Joking. Yes, there are lots of amazing animals and birds in Sydney but there are also incredible beaches, structures and views.

We stayed in the Hyde Park neighborhood close to the Museum train stop, which was incredibly convenient. This stop got us to all of the locations on our “must see” list in two train stops or less which provided easy access to ferries via Circular Quay ( pronounced “key” by the way). We purchased Opal transit cards our first day there and used them all week to ride the trains, busses and ferries. One thing we learned after utilizing our cards all week is after you’ve paid for eight journeys (Monday to Sunday) with your Opal card, you reach the Weekly Travel Reward. This means, your fares will be half price for the rest of the week but you have to tap on and tap off each time to receive the discount! There’s also a weekly max of $50 for adults. P.S. this paragraph is in no way sponsored by Opal, I just loved how many places these cards got us!

If you’re looking for things to do in Sydney though, I’m sharing enough to fill up your week below! Also, I recommend starting your day early because everything (except transit) seems to shut down around 6 or 7pm UTC.

1. Take the ferry to the Taronga Zoo. Book a private tour online to get up close and personal with animals native to Australia!
2. Visit Luna Park for vintage amusement park charm.
3. Visit Manly and Bondi Beach, both incredible but so different from one another!
4. Have lunch in the Sydney Tower, Sydney’s tallest structure and the second tallest observation tower in the Southern Hemisphere. The view is amazing!
5. Go whale watching! There’s nothing like seeing a humpback whale in the wild.
6. See a show in the Sydney Opera House, this iconic landmark doesn’t disappoint. Talk about acoustics!
7. Explore the Royal Botanic Gardens, 74 acres of beauty!
8. Enjoy sunset in the harbor/Circular Quay.

One thing we didn’t get to do was visit the Blue Mountains 😭 I guess that means we’ll have to go back! Have you been to Australia? Which cities did you visit? Let me know in the comments!

So, yesterday was my birthday in Australia and today is my birthday back home. I guess that means I get to celebrate twice, right?! I have to say, the 17 hour time difference has been kinda funny. Yesterday I woke up to Happy Australian Birthday text messages and this morning I woke up to Happy American Birthday text messages 😂. Time difference or no time difference, I’m 35 now! I thought the big 3-5 would bother me, you know, being half way to 40 and all but I’m actually ok with it. Most people think I’m in my late 20s anyway and Carrie Bradshaw made 30 something look pretty fabulous! When I start looking (and acting) my age, let’s just plan to revisit the age topic then. In the meantime, thank you all for the amazing birthday wishes. This has seriously been my best birthday month yet!

Photography by @littlephotofox

Outfit from Zara

Sydney bound and I couldn’t be more excited to cross another city off my travel list, especially one with kangaroos and koalas! Normally my husband and I head over to Europe for our annual vacation, so it’ll be nice to switch things up a bit.

Alright, let’s talk about my travel style.

I love getting all dressed up but when I travel, chic comfort is key. Guys, I have been living in this Nike jumpsuit since purchasing it a few months ago! Initially, I bought it specifically for travel but quickly realized it was perfect for any comfy chic occasion! I’ve worn it to soccer matches, grocery shopping , around the house, you name it. I’m kinda obsessed…I wore the pink one yesterday 😂. The fabric is “French terry” and feels like a lightweight sweatshirt! Need I say more?

Ok, happy weekend, everyone. I’m going to finish my coffee and enjoy our car ride to Seattle.

Photography by Emily Petri.

My favorite shopping event of the year is right around the corner and I won’t be able to attend! I know, right? Missing it to go on vacation is a bit of a consolation, but still…it’s Mad About Plaid and I’m mad about vintage!

What’s Mad About Plaid, you ask? Well, its an annual private shopping event at Most Everything Vintage! Purchasing a $10 ticket (which is refunded back to you the day of the event with a purchase) allows you to be 1 of 40 to browse the shop’s new fall collection consisting of over a 1000+ pieces of wool, knits, plaid, tweed, leather and accessories.

This summer was my second year in a row shooting promos for the event with the shop’s owner, Alisa Tetreault and I’ve realized nothing gets me more excited for fall than getting to wear vintage plaid and tweed on a cool summer morning.

This year’s Mad About Plaid looks were all about combining vintage with modern pieces in your closet, so I’m super excited to share them with you! If you don’t wear a lot of vintage because you aren’t sure how to style it or incorporate it in to your wardrobe, fall is the perfect time to give it a try! Blazers, vests and coats are some of the easiest vintage pieces to style because they’re still very on trend. You can’t go wrong with combining timeless vintage pieces with fall favorites/basics you already have in your closet.

Thank you to Alisa Tetreault of Most Everything Vintage for partnering of this post! For more details on how you can attend Mad About Plaid be sure to follow @mosteverything!

Last weekend I got the opportunity to work with my favorite vintage shop, Most Everything Vintage! I spent the early morning hours shooting six distinct looks at three different locations (around downtown Vancouver, WA) with shop owner and photographer Alisa Tetreault.

I very rarely give up my styling rights but when I do, I hand them over to Alisa. She knows my vintage style so well that I always end up obsessing over the looks she hand picks for me.

Not only do Alisa and I share a love for vintage, we also share a love for editorial style photography. I spend so much of my free time looking at vintage Vogue covers and photos of Old Hollywood actresses because those images inspire me the most. I’ve never considered myself to be a model or actress, but editorial shoots really allow me to channel the women I admire most in front of the camera.

This is just one of the looks we shot at Providence Academy, a location that has been on my list for a while. If you’re a fan of old buildings, this one doesn’t disappoint. Built in 1873 it once received recognition for being the largest brick structure north of San Francisco.

For 110 years, the building served as the governance of local ministries, a school, hospital and even an orphanage. Today the academy is on the National Register of Historic Places, open for public tours and rented out as commercial space. It truly is an important link to Vancouver’s past and I’m so glad ongoing efforts are in place to preserve it.

Style tip: This 80s dress was easily styled two different ways by swapping out accessories! For the perfect day to night look consider layering with a denim jacket .

Thank you to Alisa Tetreault of Most Everything Vintage for partnering on this post.