Fall Finds & Trends Preview

Totally stoked about my little sussies I've picked up over the last month or two. 

I love Fall (yes, I've said that at least a million times), and I adore the wardrobe that comes along with it.

Layers, scarves, tights, socks, boots, hats...the list goes on and on. 

I've had my eye on the trends for this season, and I must say, I'm pretty excited guys. Preeetty excited.

Here's a glimpse of the few items I've already added to my wardrobe for the season...these pieces are just skimming the surface of trends that will be rocking all of our socks off for the rest of the year.

Denim jackets, hats, ankle booties, leopard loafers, leather skinnies, enormous statement necklaces...

It's true, your eyes are not deceiving you. These fabulous items are sooo on the radar for the cooler months to come. Plus more.

Hope you're as excited as me. I can't wait to play around with my new pieces and style them in all sorts of ways! Outfit posts to come, obviously.

Stay tuned! A full list of your fall must-haves is on its way! It's my favorite time of the year and I can't wait to see all of you rocking these fabulous trends!

Jacket: Zara; Booties: Steve Madden; Hat: F21; Necklace: Sample Sale; Pants: Zara; Loafers: F21

Insta-Lately

Guys. I apologize. I've been gone for like, ever it seems. Ok, so maybe it's been a solid week, but it seems like ages. My husband just started teaching and coaching high school football in a town about 45 minutes outside of Austin, so he has long days and late practices on top of a tedious commute! So there hasn't been a lot of spare time to grab for outfit posts. Yes, if you were wondering, my husband is my handy photographer. I'll get back in the swing of things soon, don't you worry. I'll figure out a way to make it work! I have to, considering he's got football practice every weeknight until late and games every weekend! I can't rely on him to snag some pics anymore. So sad. Anywho. Here's a little sneak peek into my life lately via Instagram. An update on the exciting times in Blaine's world, if you will. Ok not really.

Hope everyone's having a dazzling week. It's almost the weekend again, yippee! I love when these things roll around. Happy Thursday, girlfriends.

                                                    

Follow me on Instagram: @BlaineAshley

 

1) DIY beaded necklace

2) Packing for Mexico

3) Chloe + Isabel pop-up-shop with my mom

4) Peaceful sunset in Playa Del Carmen

5) Beach livin' in Mexico

6) A runway at Austin Fashion Week

7) The Rare Trends collection I helped style at AFW

8) My rushed morning life savers

9) Our styling team at Austin Fashion Week

10) I'm a minor blazer hoarder

11) Brown & Black

12) Organizing

13) Tattoo - "Peace & Be Still"

14) New Kendra Scott & Taylor Faith gems c/o AFW

15) A couple of my favorite Michael Kors & Chloe + Isabel pieces



Chevron Throw

Does it look like every summer trend just threw up on me and created one combined outfit? I know, it does. Neon nails, stacked up bracelets, mint jeans, chevron print, studded bag, nude wedges, aviator sunglasses...I mean if that doesn't sound like a list of summer must-haves out of InStyle magazine then I don't know what does. It was unintentional, too. Oops. Obviously I'm not ready to let go of my summer wardrobe just yet. These poor mint jeans have been on repeat for the last few months, but, luckily they can be styled a thousand different ways so I've managed to disguise the fact that yes, I wear them once a week. You can judge me or assume that maybe I don't do laundry often, I understand. I also seriously dig chevron prints. Like, I want the zig zag lines on everything I own. So, naturally anytime I see something chevron I immediately am drawn to it. This awesome shrug/shawl/almost scarf from BCBG is the bomb.com for many reasons:

1) It's chevron printed, obviously.

2) It's nude colored, and I love nude colors. They're way chic.

3) It's also got bright AND pastel colors mixed in. 

Hellooo, do I even need to say anything else about it? Not to mention its flowy and lightweight and slouchy and all the things I love on a hot summer day. I can just throw it over a tank and some denim and it really speaks for itself. Not much else needs to be done to the outfit because it's so busy and statement-making. Love when I can find pieces like this one. It's so dang comfortable and I want to own about 5 more just like it and wear them everyday. Do you guys love chevron as much as I do? I'm talking the print and not the gas station. Do those still exist? I don't feel like I've seen a Chevron station in a long time. 

Anywho - I hope you all are having a glorious week and soaking in as much of summer as we have left! Hopefully you're exhausting your warm weather outfits as much as I am before we retire them for our Fall wardrobes! Oh, and stay tuned over the next couple of weeks because I'm seeing a jewelry giveaway on the horizon!  

*Sidenote: I recently have purchased two adorable pairs of shoes from F21, neither of which are on their website. The wedges I'm wearing for this outfit is one of the pairs I got at an ultra affordable price (hello, it IS Forever 21) and I got another pair of leopard loafers basically for free. So, my point is, check out your local F21 because they've got some great in-store options right now!

Shop my look: Shawl: BCBG via Dillard's (on major sale right now!); Tank: Francesca's Collections; Denim: Zara; Shoes: F21; Bag: Benjamin's (Corpus Christi, TX); Watch: Michael Kors; Earrings; Chloe + Isabel; Necklace: Chloe + Isabel; Bracelets: Chloe + Isabel - 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 

Black/White

Hope everyone had a great weekend! Mine was totally swamped, but fun-filled with the kickoff event for Austin Fashion Week (pics to come soon!), lots of cleaning house and a family BBQ. I don't think I've taken a deep breath yet! Weekends come and go with record speeds these days..what is that? They might as well not even exist anymore with the way our busy life has been lately!

I picked up these shorts on major sale (like, $19) on a whim a few weeks ago. As I've mentioned 18,000 times before, I can't resist a good sale. I basically MAKE money off of my purchases! Ok, so not really, but I justify it that way in my head. My husband, not so much...but, regardless, they were a steal and they're vegan leather, which means I can transition these bad boys into fall with no problem at all! Styled with some leggings and flat biker boots and I'm seeing a repeat outfit on my horizon! I know, I know..you're probably thinking there's no way in hades that I'd wear leather shorts. But, girls, they really are a fantastic piece to have in your wardrobe because they're so easily styled and versatile for a dressed up nighttime look or something casual and comfy for, say, 10 hours styling backstage at a fashion show!

Sidenote: When googling "leather shorts" please be aware that the images that pop up may or may not be a little PG-13. Leather is one of those keywords that tends to brings up some not-so-kid-friendly images via the internet sometimes. People these days, I swear. Just thought you should know. I almost spit my rice krispies out when doing some browsing earlier...yikes. Not googling that one again on my work computer. HR would have a heyday.

Anyway. I hope everyone has a glorious week. Mondays aren't really my best friend, so let's hope today flies by! Guys..it's almost fall. Get excited. My favorite time of year and favorite attire to wear! Yay!

Shop My Look: Jacket: F21 (old, similar here); Top: F21; Shorts: Guess (similar, almost identical here); Booties: TJMaxx (old, similar here, here); Clutch: Unknown (similar, similar); Necklaces: F21, Express; Sunglasses: Ray-Ban

Parallel Universe: Printed Flat

I have a couple of styling gigs coming up soon, so I've been on the hunt for a cute, comfortable flat shoe that I can transition into fall, but also not break the bank. I usually don't find closed-toe flats to be totally comfortable on my feet, so I struggle when it comes to finding a pair that I can't live without. Since fall is all about great prints and mixing and matching, funky flats really are the way to go right now. After searching several of my favorite hot spots both in store and online, I came across two adorable pairs that I loved. The great news, you ask? I also found two adorable, almost identical pairs at a much, much lower cost than the designer piece. It's always fun to find a great shoe at a great price, especially when it looks just like the more expensive one you were drooling over just the day before! Here are my two adorable, low-cost finds. Enjoy! I know your bank account will :)

Shop these shoes: Old Navy  /  Steve Madden

Shop these shoes: Candie's (now sold out, but there's a great pair here) /  Sam Edelman

Make a Statement

Ohh the statement piece. That one "must have" piece that every designer, stylist and fashion magazine tells us that we NEED in our wardrobe to take our look from wow to WOW, if ya know what I'm saying. Hopefully you do.

...What is it about capital letters that makes a point? Anytime something is capitalized we automatically assume that it's important. Or that someone's screaming at you via cyber space. Don't worry, I'm not yelling at you. Just trying to emphasize the "wow" factor.

Anyway - The statement piece is that one piece that, spoiler alert: makes a statement. It's the item that is a conversation starter and ultimate attention grabber. Most of the time this comes in the form of a chunky necklace, but it can also be found in glamourous bracelet cuffs or cocktail rings. But, for the sake of this post, we're going to stick to the most statement of statement making pieces, THE necklace. That's right. THE necklace. I know, there's the emphasizing with capital letters again, I'm sorry. Statement necklaces can be worn in a variety of ways and can be styled with endless options. Finding the right necklace can seem exhausting, but once you find a great statement piece it's almost impossible to say no. It's always fun to have that accessory that really takes your outfits to the next level and gets people noticing as it happens. They can be worn with a chic oxford button-down, a strapless cocktail dress or even just over a simple cotton tee for dramatic, sexy effect. No matter how the statement necklace is worn, it's sure to be a show stopper! That's the whole point of wearing one of those bad boys, right? The great thing about a solid statement piece is that they really don't need a whole lot of anything else with them. With a chunky necklace, it's best to pair it with a simple stud earring, dainty bracelet or small cocktail ring. You want to let the statement piece do all the talking and not overwhelm those that see you with your insane amount of bling all at once. Now, if you're looking for an item that you can wear everyday and with everything, this probably isn't your first choice. Statement necklaces tend to be pieces that, while you can vary how you wear them, they're really not made to be your go-to-every-single-day kind of jewelry. We wouldn't be making a statement if we wore them everyday now, would we? I think you get the point now. Statement necklaces are statement pieces. Wear them and wow your friends, that's really what it comes down to. It's sure to be a pick-me-up for any outfit that's lacking a little bit of pizzazz. Annnd now that I feel like I've gone in circles 20 times, here are some great statement necklaces that I'd love to add to my collection!

One / Two / Three / Four / Five

Buttoned Up

I've been trying to wear mint as much as possible before summer is over and we move into the warmer, darker hues of fall. I also just got back from Mexico and mint seems to highlight the tan sunburn that I managed to get. I'll take what I can get. Since Austin seems to be the very center from which hell's heat radiates right now, sheer tops and lightweight pants are all I can force myself to wear to work without having a heat stroke. Don't worry, it only took me wearing this top three times before I realized that it is, in fact, extremely see-through sheer and I needed to quit being a hussie and wear a tank underneath. And, in case anyone was wondering, these pants are quite possibly the most comfy skinnies I own and Old Navy has them in every color right now for a price that won't break the bank. I think a great pair of black skinnies is a staple in every girl's closet, no matter the season. I literally wore a hole in mine last year, so I was excited to see them back on the shelves just in time for fall. Annnnnd maybe I forgot to take the tags off the first day I wore them and rocked these bad boys around the office like I had just stolen them off the racks and walked right out of Old Navy with them on. So embarrassing. Nobody said a word to me about it at the office, either. Did they think I did that intentionally? I mean, come on. Oh well. I've had my share of wardrobe malfunctions around the office lately. I've become THAT girl.

Anyway. I got this floppy hat on clearance months ago at Express and just love it and can't ever find many places to wear it. After wearing it in 109 degree weather, I decided that maaaybe it's not a summer hat. I need to wait until it cools off a little. When you live on the surface of the sun, a black wool hat and black pants really aren't ideal. I know, I know, black absorbs heat, yada yada. We all already knew this, I just had a momentary lapse of judgement and thought I could outsmart the forces of nature, I guess. I've definitely made better decisions.

Top: TJMaxx (similar here , also love this one); Pants: Old Navy; Flats: Target (SUPER old, love this studded pair for fall!); Bag: Thrifted; Hat: Express (similar, similar); Necklace: Francesca's (old, similar,  similar, similar); Watch: Michael Kors; Bracelets: J.Crew, Chloe + Isabel; Sunglasses: Ray-Ban

Designer Spotlight: Sam Edelman

Ever had one of those "If I only had all the money in the world..." moments? I think we all have. There's always those items or vacations or houses or cars that we see and think YES. I NEED that. In every color, actually. I probably have these moments way too often. Well, that's how I feel anytime I'm at Nordstrom or browsing online sites and see Sam Edelman's masterpieces. Seriously, I'm obsessed. The colors, prints, styles and designs of every shoe are so unique and are truly perfection. The designer has a shoe for every occasion and every style. The unexpected combinations of colors and prints are sure to make a statement in any outfit. Sam Edelman plays with girly meets sophistication meets edgy meets casual meets traditional. From the classic flats and oxfords to beachy espadrilles and studded pumps, the designer truly has it all and it's truly caused a somewhat dangerous love affair in my life. I have a hard time saying no to purchasing every pair in store. And maybe I have to wipe the drool off of my lip everytime I sit and swoon over the beauties. Here are a few of my faves right now...it really was hard to choose just a few because I kid you not, I love them all.

The Mabel / The Odetta / The Aster / The Lorissa / The Yelena / The Louie