The Clothing Collective Series: Work Out Fashion

Hello everyone! I am beyond excited for today's blog post so let's get started! I'm a fitness freak so I couldn't wait to write-up today's post/I'M IN BORACAY!!! Today's theme for The Clothing Collective series is:

Work Out Fashion

Please know that the "fashion" part of this title is completely subjective and is very loosely interpreted because I have been known to get my sweat on in nothing more than a ratty gym shirt and whatever breathable shorts are handy. However, just because I am apt to throw on whatever is handy when I am running to the gym doesn't mean that I haven't decided to make a conscious effort to look my best when I decide to work up a sweat. 

Lately I have been dressing in a more fashionable way when I get my workout in because I work out, A LOT, like a lot, a lot, and I decided that if I was going to spend so much time doing it I should look good! Looking your best never fails to give a little confidence boost, which is sometimes all someone needs to make a positive choice for the day, so why shouldn't this mentality holdover to a work-out outfit?

I went with a pair of black leggings so that I was able to be comfortable and covered at the same time because there is nothing worse than going through a yoga flow and having to worry about your shorts riding up your booty. For my top I went with a layered look of my sports bra, a simple white tank, and a fun ikat patterned pink tank top from American Eagle. I opted for au-natural, put my beach hair up in a pony and headband, and went makeup-less because who wants sweaty mascara ruining a perfectly good yoga session? 

No one ever, that's who. 

Since arriving in Boracay, I have made it a point to not forget about my fitness goals just because I'm on vacation. I made sure to check out what kind of activities I could participate in and that's when I came across True Yoga. I have been practicing yoga on-and-off since I was 17 when I thought it would be a cool way to spend an hour or so of my time during my last summer at home. As crazy as it sounds to be that was a whopping 10 years ago!! WHOA! So while I'm not the most experienced practitioner I can confidently say that the yoga classes at True Yoga are AMAZING. Not only am I challenged and stretched beyond what I thought myself capable of before the class, but I feel like I have learned so much from just a few classes with True Yoga. True Yoga's teachers honestly care about teaching and you can feel the care that they put into each session, plus what is NOT to love about yoga ON THE BEACH?!

Here are a few less than candid shots of me showing how functional, but adorable my chosen outfit was for a yoga session. I didn't want to be "that" girl taking the selfies while trying to hit a pose so Rich snapped these right after class.

I know that this post is lite on the fashion, but can you blame me? Check this awesome place out! 

About 20 or so feet from here is the ocean! I was able to see the beautiful waves of Boracay while I practiced my yoga for the day, how wonderful is that?

If you find yourself in Boracay and want to check out True Yoga then never fear because they hold super-affordable classes everyday at 9 am. Classes are True Yoga are 400 pesos and they run a little over an hour. Expect to be challenged and come ready for a wonderful opportunity which will serve to further your yoga knowledge.

True Yoga is located on the second floor of the Indian restaurant True Food, which can be found on the beach in D'MALL. If you go to D'Mall just walk along the main road until you see the Sharkey's sign and then take the road towards the beach. You will walk along for about 5 or so minutes passing through a wet market, a Pancake House and Globe mobile store. Keep going until you see a shop called Lonely Planet, turn left and walk along the beach to True Yoga/True Yoga, which is just a few minutes down the beach.

Look for this sign.

True Yoga's FB page, here.

Blogging is crazy hard when you are surrounded by an amazing tropical paradise, but I wanted to make sure that I stuck to the schedule that Katie and I had set out! Check out Katie's super fantastic work-out outfit, here. 

Make sure to leave The Style Dunce some love in the form of comments/some bloglovin'!

Let us know how you are liking The Clothing Collective series and what outfits you would like to see us do in the future. Next on the schedule is beach fun and you just know I'm going to have some great stuff from my time in Boracay! :)

Summer Fun: The Clothing Collective Series

Today's post for The Clothing Collective is focused on dressing for my favorite time of the year: Summer! I absolutely love the heat which I credit to growing up in South Texas WITHOUT an air conditioner. Man, oh man was it hot, but I grew to love the heat and I absolutely love being in the sun. Summer is always a great time of year for me because I can bust out my shorts, pretty sundresses and I love all the toe showcasing shoe options!

Let's get down to the chosen theme for this week: Summer Fun!

Since moving to Korea, I have slowly moved away from my tank top ways and because of the culture have adapted my summer style to cover my shoulders. For some reason in Korea you can show all the leg in the world, but as soon as we get into the shoulder zone things get scandalous! 

Never one to get down about fashion I love pairing a pair of light shorts with a more substantial top and fun shoe to get that summer look. Even though Seoul is a huge city there are no shortage of pretty green spaces so I headed over to the nearest pretty park to snap a few photos on a gorgeous summer day! I love being able to find a peaceful place so easily in the middle of the bustling city and the care that Koreans take in landscaping is going to be sorely missed when I leave.

For my look I paired a casual tank top and snap button lightweight denim top with my favorite black shorts and fun espadrille wedges. I chose a textured leather belt to add some interest and to allow me the option of tucking in my shirt if I wanted. I added a pretty patterned purse and grabbed my shades for a look that I felt comfy, but still stylish in for a Seoul summer day.

I love this purse so much because not only is it pretty, but it is water resistant and is made from a sort of sail canvas material. I'm a bit clueless on it since I picked it up years ago in Santa Cruz, but it is water resistant and DURABLE! I love that I can just wipe everything off of it and I don't have to worry about anything happening to it while I'm out adventuring. 

I bought these shoes last year from Modcloth during one of their crazy flash sales and scored them for a measly 18 bucks! I know, amazing, right?! I love how comfy they are and they add some sunshine to whatever outfit I pair them with. I never bother with expensive sunglasses because I am forever losing, scratching, and dropping my sunglasses to EVER bother spending more than 10 bucks on them, but I love these pretty pink framed sunnies so much I hope I manage to hang on to them!

Shoes: $18.00 Modcloth. Find similar, here.

Shorts: $39.50 Roxy, here.

Top: $20.00 Random Boutique. Find similar, here.

Bag: $40.00 Random Boutique. Find similar, here.

Sunglasses: $6.00 Random Street Vendor. Find similar, here.

Belt: $29.50 American Eagle, here.

Don't forget to swing the Katie's blog, The Style Dunce, to see how she approached our theme of summer fun. Here's a little preview to her sweet summer style.

Read Katie's blog post, here.

Do you have a favorite outfit for the summer? Let us know what kind of outfits you want to see us do and keep reading because our next post will be on creating a work out outfit fit for any fashion forward woman. 

PS: I'm off to beautiful BORACAY tomorrow morning and I couldn't be more excited!! I'm being ambitious about uploading some half completed posts  so I hopefully won't be completely absent from the blogging world. In reality I will probably be in a mojito daze and sunbath instead. Whoops! I can't wait to work on my tan, sip a mojito and take in the island beauty. 

This is where I'll be staying....I can't WAIT!

I hope everyone has an amazing week because I know I will!! I'll be back in 10 days! Have fun everyone. :)

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.

What I Wore : An Evening At A Ball

Today I want to share what I wore to a recent Army Aviation Ball. My husband and I were really excited about attending the ball and we jumped at a chance to put on our best and spend the night with our friends. When I was deciding what to wear for the ball I knew that I wanted to go for a look that was vintage, chic, and most of all me. I'm not a fan of overly tight, short, bedazzled, cleavage bearing, tafetta numbers and sometimes when it comes to formal wear I feel like I am stuck between a rock and a hard place, but NEVER FEAR, Modcloth is here!

For the ball I wanted to go for a vintage look and got the Rosé Bubbly Dress from Modcloth, which I paired with my favorite silver BC heels. I opted for no accessories other than my wedding and engagement rings and a simple leather Hobo clutch in ivory.

I debated between doing a dramatic make-up look, which I did the previous year with red lips and dark eyes, but I decided that this sweet cocktail dress garnered a fresh face to complete it.  I went with my go to Lancome cosmetics to create a simple, but chic face. A pink and gold eye, pretty pink lip and blushing cheeks were perfect for the evening.
 
For my hair I went with an AWESOME princess roll up-do that I learned how to do the previous day using a Birchbox tutorial! Everyone complimented me the entire night on my hair that looked salon quality, and only took me about 15 minutes, a handful of bobby pins, an elastic hairband and a few sprays of hairspray. Thanks, Birchbox! Here is my up-do and you can find the tutorial, here. I will do a future post on how I altered the hairdo to hide the hairband.

I think my husband and I cleaned up pretty well and I know that we definitely felt our best and had an amazing evening! Don't you just love the vintage inspired details of this dress? I fee like this dress helped me strike a perfect balance between formal and fun. What do you like to wear on a special night out? Do you have a go to style that makes you feel elegant and put together?

Dress: Modcloth: Rosé Bubbly Dress, $157, here.
Clutch: Hobo Clutch Wallet in Ivory, similar, here. I snapped mine up at a TJ MAXX for 30 bucks so keep your eyes open!
Shoes: BC Winner's Circle Pumps in silver, $45.50, here.
Hairstyle: Princess Roll Up-do tutorial by Birchbox, here.

Modcloth: What I Wore

Today I'm going to share how I took two wonderful pieces from Modcloth to create a fun, but sophisticated look for a dress-to-impress occasion. A while back I mentioned that I was going to be heading stateside to visit a university that I was interested in attending for graduate school, and now that all of my decisions have been made I wanted to share a little of what happened!

I'm more than a TEENSY bit superstitious and I was convinced that if I shared early it would all come to naught. I blame my years as a softball player for my superstitious nature...I still can't walk onto a field without tapping my feet against the first post by the entrance. >.>

Anyhow, I went to the University of Alabama and I was blown away by how beautiful the campus is! I am a total sucker for brick and 19th century architecture and a winning football team NEVER hurt anyone. I am a rabid college football fan, but no matter where I go for graduate school, I will remain true to my first love the Kansas State's Wildcats! I LOVE, BILL! Did I mention how much I love college football?! Haha, yep.

I had a really great visit, but I was pretty conflicted about what I should wear to visit the school and meet people from the university. Because I spent most of my time teaching younger students in a school with a black t-shirt and jeans dress code my office appropriate attire is pretty much non-existent. I realized that while such a lax dress code at the Hagwon, I worked for made dressing for work a snap it also didn't encourage my professional wardrobe. I always fool myself into thinking that I have an amazing wardrobe due to all the shopping and modeling that I do for the shop, Seoul Sold. Whoops!

In a pinch, I turned to Modcloth for inspiration and ended up putting together a winning outfit for my visit! One of the things I love about Modcloth is that so many of the pieces are not only fun and stylish, but also of the appropriate lengths and I've never purchased an item that looked cheap. Perfect for the woman looking to make a great impression without sacrificing her personality to a black pantsuit. (I DO love a good pantsuit, just not EVERYday)

I decided on buying the Essential Elegance Skirt, and the Run and Hydrangea Top. I was drawn to both items due to their versatility and I figured whatever the weather in Alabama, I would be able to make an outfit or two out of them.

I loved how well the two items went together, and that I would be able to use them separately to get the most out of my closet. The pretty secretary top would do well with jeans or a skirt and can easily be dressed up or down. When paired with the essential elegance skirt the floral pattern of the blouse helped create a balanced outfit that didn't look too heavy, but well constructed and thoughtful. The essential elegance skirt's quality is outstanding, but if worn incorrectly it could easily overwhelm whoever is wearing it due to its heavy fabric and length. I will say that the double-tier draping warranted a few twirls when I first put it on. Such a pretty and classy skirt! Just like the hydrangea top the skirt could easily go with a casual top like a v-neck shirt or a dressier top for a night out on the top.

I was THRILLED with my purchases and I couldn't have been happier with how they came together for my big visit to Alabama, a visit that went GREAT! I will have more wonderful news very soon about my graduate school future!

Shop the items:
Modcloth
Essential Elegance Skirt: 69.99 get it, here
Run and Hydrangea Top: 34.99 get it, here

Things I love: Modcloth!!!

It has been over a WEEK since I posted....which seems like a lifetime, but it couldn't be helped. I caught a particularly nasty stomach flu and was down for the count all of last week. I didn't go outside or talk to anyone the entire time since I was so drained, and I cannot tell you how happy I am to be getting around again!

Hooray for health!

A while back....a VERY LONG while back...I was lucky enough to snap up one of Modcloth's stylish surprises! I had no idea what I would be getting and my mind ran rampant with what kind of goodies could be in store for me.

The long awaited day came and I won't lie to you. I was a tad disappointed...AT FIRST.

I ended up getting a sheer mustard yellow hi-low button-up top. I pulled it out of the box and was kinda of like...that's it? 

The top is soft and flowy, but I am not really a fan of flowy or baggy clothing because not too long ago I lost around 40lbs. When I lost the weight I had a wardrobe full of baggy clothing that didn't fit right. Because of my own history I was tempted to toss the item back into the box and call it a day, but I decided to REALLY look at the item and think about what it could BE.

Modcloth's stylish surprise challenged me to step away from my specific likes and to experiment with things I owned to create an outfit that I loved. It was really fun going through my closet with fresh eyes and on a mission. Overall, I would recommend the stylish surprise because you never know what you are getting and if anything it's fun to play dress up to find the right look.

Here is what I came up with. 

I really liked the top when I added it over a simple black dress with a crisscross back. When the weather is warmer I will be taking this look out for a fun date night look. 

I also wanted to try and play up the pretty color and collar of this top so I slipped it beneath a little peplum lace blazer that I own. I was really pleased with the pop of color and the overall look of the top underneath the blazer. This isn’t all I have come up with for this little number from Modcloth! I have some ideas of pairing it with a high-waist skirt and I can see it underneath a slouchy sweater as well.

When you feel like you have nothing to wear remember to look at your closet with FRESH eyes. With a little thought and some playing around you will be able to utilize pieces in new and interesting ways this year!
Keep your eyes open for a shop update in the near future and have wonderful day!

 

Fashion Friend: Emily Reinhardt's Outfit of the Day

I chose this outfit for a day of thrifting and seeking out second hand treasures with my friend Jen Spring. We took the non-traditional Black Friday shopping route, avoiding those stores with crazy flat screen tv deals and equally crazy shoppers. She has ignited this desire in me to find the best deals and to shop as wisely and frugally as possible.

I found a 13-piece set of brown glass tumblers in various sizes for $7, a wood framed small mirror for the wall for $3, a bronze flower/succulent pot for $6.50, and cloth napkins for $1.00 each. For just about $20 I had my arms full of treasures that truly get my heart beating. I love treasure hunting, especially when it's time spent with a good friend.

My skirt came from Zara (www.zara.com), a store I fell in love with in Washington, D.C. during a sidewalk sale. My shirt and blazer are both from H & M (http://www.hm.com) and my flats are the Gap (www.gap.com) city flats - my absolute favorite flat! So comfortable, and I now own a wide range of colors! I've never been much of a necklace girl, so pinning a mini flower pom from ban.do (www.shopbando.com) right onto my shirt is the perfect accessory for me. Makes me feel extra fancy! Like it's a real boutonniere! My jade ring was made by Debbie Carlos (http://www.etsy.com/shop/shopahc) and she and I worked out a little trade, so it cost me a few ceramic plates, and that's it!

emily j. reinhardt

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Photographer: Jen Spring

Visit Jen's beautiful blog, the fox frugal, here.