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!

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.