{guest post} travel style

Hi loves!  I know lots of you are preparing to travel for the holidays so I'm so excited that one of my favorite Chicago bloggers, Lesley from Six Twelve Place, is here to share her take on airport style.  I'm all about the comfort, but as Lesley proves you can still look good too!

Welcome Lesley!

****

For many of us, the holidays mean many hours spent traveling as we head home to visit our family and friends, and of course, Mae will be clocking plenty of airport hours on her move back to the States!  Travel style is all about being comfortable and functional {dang TSA security checks!}  As you prepare for your own holiday travel, take note from my friends Rachel, Gwen and Eva and wear thin layers and comfortable shoes.; pack a chic carry all tote and consider yourself ready to fly the friendly skies.

SHOP: green jacket, black cardigan, gray pullover, striped tee, leggings, skinny jeans, scarf, sunglasses, bag, nude flats, leopard flats

****

Thanks Lesley!

You've totally inspired my travel outfit for the long trip home!

until tomorrow,

xx

{girls guide to...} PARIS

Happy Monday my dears!  Did you see yesterday's surprise OOTD post? I hope so!  It was such an amazing opportunity to work with Daily Buzz Style...I loved it! 

I'm so glad you're joining me today because it's the official start of PARIS WEEK!  I have so many things I want to share with you from my recent trip so I'm dedicating all the posts this week to the City of Lights! YAY! 

Today I'm featuring an insider guide to the city in addition to my photos.  I took so many pictures!  And if I do say so myself, some of them turned out pretty well!  These are my favorites that I wanted to show you.  Plus while I was there I learned more about the city, so I put them both together into this little guide.  I travel a lot so I'll try to put together a girls guide post for every city I visit.  Enjoy the pictures & I hope the suggestions are useful for your next trip to Paris!

{street style} rome, italy

Oh, Roma...the capital city of Italy & home to beautiful buildings, rich history, luscious cappuccinos and stunningly gorgeous people.  Italians are always dressed impeccably well whether taking a stroll, grabbing a gelato or dropping their kids off at school.  They are always stylish.  Last Winter,  I went with my girlfriends and my mom for a whirlwind long weekend in Rome.   What a dreamy city!  (One of the many perks to living on this side of the world is the quick & easy access to Europe!) 

As I was looking through old photos this weekend, I found a few paparazzi-style pictures I had taken during the trip.  At the time I didn't have this blog, but I wanted to chronicle the style of the Romans in hopes of one day sharing it. 

So, here we go...my shots of the glamorous people of Rome (and a few shots of the city.)

{the men}

{mother in mink:  this woman had an adorable daughter, they were just hanging out on the steps by the Vatican}



{the Vatican}

{the Colosseum}

Happy Monday lovelies!

Tell me, what other cities do you simply love?

Which ones have the best style?

{jetsetting} {thirty.} cruisin to cyprus

I'm off to celebrate my birthday weekend with a cruise to Cyprus! It's just for 2 days but I'll be with 4 of my closest girlfriends and I'm so excited!  Laying by the pool, exploring the city of Larnaca, drinking Starbucks!  Couldn't think of a better way to start my 30s!  Have a great weekend, everyone! xx

{Cyprus!}



{jetsetting} cowboy couture

Remember my {currently coveting} post a few weeks ago about the trend of using deer heads in decorating?  Well look what I found!  (Can you tell I'm not in Capri anymore?  I landed in Oklahoma a few days ago.)  I saw this in a restaurant today...the deer is wearing pearls.  Talk about cowboy couture!  Only in the South!  I must say, while I like the idea of using a fake plastic deer head as a decorating piece, I do not advocate hunting live animals and hanging their stuffed heads on the wall.  Reese Witherspoon said it best in Sweet Home Alabama:  'people need a passport to come down here!'

I still love this place, the South will always be my home...pearl-wearing, stuffed deer heads and all!

{cowboy couture at a restaurant in Oklahoma}

{jetsetting} the dress!

The wedding was amazing!  I hope to share more pictures of my island adventures soon, but for now I wanted to show you the dress!  Oh and Capri is just beautiful and the bride, my cousin, was stunning.  It was so wonderful to spend time with my nearest and dearest.  The groom's family chartered a boat for the day before the wedding and we took a tour of the island.  So fun!  Besides that we ate seafood, pasta & delicious gelato, laid in the sun, and frolicked on the island all weekend long!

However, the weeks leading up to my trip were a bit hectic because I had to find an island wedding appropriate dress.  That's hard enough as it is, but throw in mix the fact that I live in a foreign country that's not exactly known for it's couture style and my stress levels were peaking.  But thankfully, it all worked out in the end.  I'm so happy with my dress, it was a lemon lime colored, one-shoulder dress with a big flower.  It suited my style perfectly.  I ordered it from ASOS, which I must say is a fabulous company!  What do ya'll think?  Do you like it?  Have you ever ordered from ASOS?




{I finally decided on this dress from ASOS.  It was so comfortable and easy to dance in!}

{jetsetting} coffee in capri

I'm here!  Capri is beautiful.  It's a gorgeous island full of colorful houses and glamorous people.  (Seriously, Italians are so stylish!)  And the fresh seafood is unparalleled.  So far I've had calamari, shrimp, lobster, and fish...it was all delicious.  But, my favorite edible part of Capri is the iced coffee.  I come from America: the land of Starbucks and sugary, icy caffeine-infused beverages galore, but never have I had such creamy, blended ice coffee drinks like the ones in Capri.  They are delicious! 

Tomorrow is the wedding! I'm off to a private boat tour of the island! 

{Top: the Capri shoreline.  Bottom: the best iced coffee I've ever had. twice.}

{jetsetting} preparing to pack

I'm leaving for a 2 week holiday tomorrow!  Slight problem: I'm not exactly the best packer.  Actually, I'm pretty horrible at it.  I start out with the best of intentions: a few weeks before my intended trip, I put out my suitcase and put a few things in it.  But, then I always wait until a few days before and end up packing WAY TOO much.  Hey, at least I'll be prepared for all possible scenarios--lost luggage, unexpected tsunamis, sudden weight gain, rain, you name it--and I have options.  The bottom line is, I usually end up with a gigantic suitcase and carry-on plus my purse.  It's a bit of a disaster.

{This is usually the scene in my bedroom the night before my trip.}

But, for my upcoming trip I decided I was going to reform my old ways.  I am going to be....a light packer!  Only problem is this is actually like three trips in one.  First, I'm going to a wedding in Italy and that event plus all its accompanying festivities require semi-formal and black-tie dresses but it's on an island so the daytime requires well, island clothing.  And then, I'm going home! America!  (Italy & Oklahoma: two of the most exciting destinations for me!)  That's all about spending time with family, relaxing, going to the lake, and not fixing my hair.  A whole other ball game.  

Back to square one and my gigantic suitcase.

I just Googled "how to pack" and I also found the guide below on Pinterest.   Alright, back to work--I'm going to try to mix & match and pare it all down.  Wish me luck!

 

   

{ps:}

I'm obsessed with this luggage:

{Globe-Trotter Suitcase}

{suitcase available here & images via}

{jetsetting} capri. evening.

 

My cousin's island wedding is next week in Italy!  These styleboards for the rehearsal dinner & wedding were my inspiration when I went shopping, but it's not the easiest thing to find a dress in this country that's not my own.  Stay tuned for pictures from my trip & to see what I end up wearing. I still haven't decided yet!

 

{jetsetting} capri. daytime.

I'm jetsetting on over to the island of Capri next week for my cousin's wedding! Here are my styleboards for the weekend's daytime looks. I'll post my inspirations for the rehearsal dinner & wedding tomorrow!