Garden Party:The Clothing Collective Series

How is everyone? I feel like I have been away from the blog for too long and it has been killing me! Today I am going to get back into the groove with a great fashion post for The Clothing Collective series that my bestie, Katie and I started!

Our chosen theme for this fashion post is: Garden Party. 

I'll be honest I have never even BEEN to a garden party, but even if you aren't heading out to a garden party to nosh on tea and macaroons anytime soon this look would work well for any outdoor event that you just want to look special for.

I love color so I chose to go with one of my favorites for this outfit: royal blue. Something about the color just makes me feel confident and calm, which is perfect for keeping it fashionable during the hotter months.

I also wanted a classic heel and something that wouldn't be too difficult to walk in because outdoor events usually have more walking and standing than usual. You won't want to be the pretty lady with sore feet while trying to look gracious, serene, and perfectly in control of that tea cup or fruit kebab.

Dress: Modcloth. Shoes: Hautelook. Belt: Modcloth. Clutch: Hobo Bags.

I've been growing my hair out for a while now and while I love how I can braid and curl my hair 8 ways from Sunday the rising heat has been making me sweat! So when I'm spending time outside this summer season an up-do is one of my necessities! I chose the princess roll up-do and I love how quick and easy this style is while making it seem like I put a lot of time and effort into it. I'm a bit taller than most of the people in Korea so I have become a bit lazy worrying about bobby pins showing on the top of my head, but I'm glad that you can see where I fixed the pins under the headband. Give this look a try when you want a fast and pretty hairstyle! Birchbox did a wonderful tutorial on creating this hairstyle that I shared on an earlier post find the hairstyle, here.

For accessorizing my outfit I kept things pretty simple because less can be more and it helped keep the overall feel of the outfit casual. I went with a simple floral belt, statement piece necklace, neutral clutch and a bright bow headband for some added color.

I hope you enjoyed my take on an outdoor event outfit! I loved putting together a look that was dressy enough for cucumber sandwiches, but still casual enough to enjoy a plate of BBQ if you choose.

Check out Katie's take on our garden party theme, here.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend and I can't wait to get caught-up on all the posts that I have lined up to share!! What kind of outfit do you prefer for an outdoor event? Let me know how to dress to impress and stay tuned for our next fashion post: summer fun!

Anniversary Outfit: The Clothing Collective Series

Today is the very first outfit post in The Clothing Collective series that my bestie, Katie, and I have created! I am super excited to share what I came up with for my 2 year anniversary with my great husband, Rich. On our anniversary it was pretty gloomy and rainy, which changed our original game plan of a picnic and night market date. Instead we did what any reasonable couple does with bad weather in Seoul, we went to the nearest CGV (movie theater) to have a 4-D experience.

Let me just say that if you have the chance to see ANYthing in 4-D do it, and do it right! We picked the most action packed movie that our chosen mall, I'Park offered: The Fast and The Furious 6.

Oh, yea we did! It was pretty stinking cool and felt like a Disney ride the whole time, especially with all the car chase scenes where I had to constantly remind myself to not throw my hands up in the air. So when I hit my closet to decide on an outfit I wanted something that looked special, but wasn't TOO dressy. Seoul is known for it's high fashion, but I might get a few stares in the movie ticket line if I showed up in my absolute best.

So to the closet I went looking for a casual but special look for a night out with Rich! 

A trend that I have been noticing for the summer is the use of black and white for a clean, but chic look and so that was the main inspiration for my outfit. I went for a casual striped black and white top and paired it with one of my closet staples, an A-line black skirt. I knew that I didn't JUST want black and white though because I am a huge fan of color and so I decided to work in touches of color in my accessory choices. 

I chose to go with a pink belt, floral necklace, and a fun purse to add a bit of color and some whimsy to my outfit. I feel like putting these light-hearted details into the outfit kept it from coming across as too serious and dressy.

For my hair I went with a simple, but sweet look by giving my hair some volume and a light curl with my trusty 1-inch curling iron. I Then took the front part of my hair and did a small dutch braid down the front to add some interest to my simple do. I was really happy with the overall look of it and I loved how quick I put it together!

I am in love with my kitty bag and have had it FOR YEARS. I usually just use it when I am running around in jeans and so I was excited to use it for a dressier occasion. Isn't it fun? I think it adds just the right amount of playfulness to the ensemble and it pairs really well with my simple pink belt.

I cannot say enough about how much I love heels, but I have been shying away from wearing them since I moved to Korea. I am already a fairly tall girl at 5'9, and in heels I am a giant among most of the population in Korea. When I wear heels I get gawked at for my height and so I have worn them with less frequency than when I lived in the states. I love the edginess of these heels and the detail that they bring the outfit. I also feel like a good high heel was necessary with this type of longer A-line skirt because with too low of a heel the volume of the skirt can overwhelm your shape.

My anniversary was a really fun occasion and I can't wait for the "real" anniversary present to happen later this month, A TRIP TO BORACAY! Our low-key 4-D experience was great for celebrating the actual day and I liked how my outfit was comfy and special enough that I was able to focus on just having a great time with Rich. We are pretty silly when it's just the two of us and I love being his wife, can you just tell what goofballs we are?

Make sure to visit The Style Dunce for Katie's take on an anniversary outfit!  Here is a little sneak peek of what she has going on over at her blog!

I hope you enjoyed my very first post in The Clothing Collective series! Let us know what kind of outfits you would like to see next and share your thought via comment! To make sure that you stay up-to-date with The Clothing Collective here is our posting schedule for the rest of the month!

Spring Garden Part June 9th

Summer Fun June 16th

Work Out Outfit June 23rd

Beachwear June 30th

Also, here is all the info one what I wore for this post! 

Skirt: Modcloth, here. $69.99 USD

Top:H&M, here. $12.95 USD for two!!

Shoes: Steve Madden, similar here.

Bag: Loungefly, similar here. $39.99 USD

Jewelry: Ukrainian folk jewelery(THANKS, KARYNA). Similar here. 

Visit Katie's blog, The Style Dunce, here.