Fall Shoe Trends!

Gucci Marmont Pumps || SARTO Loafer Pumps || Gucci Mid-Heel Pumps || Park Lane Pink Loafer ||

Stuart Weitzman Bootie || Carvela Black Bootie || Truffle Collection Taupe Bootie ||

Stuart Weitzman OTK Boot || Catharine Malandrino Black OTK Boot ||

Steve Madden OTK Boot || Caravela Taupe OTK Boot ||

Miu Miu Red Velvet Ankle Boot || Steve Madden Red Velvet Ankle Boot ||

Gianvito Rossi Navy Velvet Ankle Boot || H&M Navy Suede Ankle ||

Nicholas Kirkwood Gold Flats || ALDO Gold Flats ||

I am undoubtedly a shoe person. With every fashion week comes a whole new line of clothing, but I always find myself checking out the new footwear coming down the runway! So I wanted to put together a little list of the biggest shoe trends this season. The designers started the trend and, as always, more affordable brands have mimicked the designs. I hate to buy look-a-likes, but this girl can't drop $700-$900 on a single pair of shoes and still pay my pricey California rent. Believe me I would love to max out my credit card and buy the whole lefthand column, but responsibilities... Of course, the quality of materials for the cheaper options won't be as great, but you'll be on trend from now until Spring and that's what counts!

One of the trends that has really taken hold is Men's Wear. This is nothing new. We've seen the tuxedo pant, the tuxedo jacket, the sloppy button up (mostly from the men's department and worn with skinny jeans), but the loafer is coming back with a vengence! I purchased a metallic pink pair from Coach last winter and I love them! But now you can pick them up in every color, patent or suede, no heel or a pump. If you're into a statement/colorful shoe try out a pink pair. This light pink shade is going to be everywhere this fall and I'm so excited to mix it in with my duller fall/winter neutrals.

Stuart Weitzman and the OTK are here to stay. These luxurious suede boots have been on the rise for a while and I admit I have a pair, but in a different style. Love booties with jeans? Pair your OTKs with a printed dress and coat? The styling options are endless, but so are the cheaper styles. You can even get a pair that's not in suedette (a fabric I abhor), but plan to spend a little more money. And from far away no one will even know the difference.

A trend that I love, but haven't bought into yet is velvet. I talked about wanted a burgundy velvet pair of jeans in this post last week, but styling a velvet pair of booties is a whole new adventure! I do understand that this is a total statement piece and might not be for everyone, so I included a look-a-like in faux suede. (I don't want to leave anyone out!) And if you really want to try the trend, but are still a little unsure if you'd put them on your feet pick up a pair in black or gray. The velvet texture will be much less noticeable!

Then I included these metallic flats, not because they're a huge new trend, but simply because these, a pair of dark jeans, a button up men's shirt and a blanket scarf make for the best, easy outfit ever! And I just love a good pointed toe flat!

Check back soon for more fall trends!

Love you lots,

Planning For Fall!!

Sam Edelman Pumps || ASOS Shearling Coat || LOFT Sweater ||

Adidas Trainers || Steve Madden Coat || AG Skinny Jeans ||

Brahmin Bag || BP. Square Scarf || Baublebar Earrings ||

I've taken a the last few days off from blogging to recover from the second head cold I've had this summer, but that gave me lots of time to peruse my favorite sites for some new fall goodies! It's that time of year again when I go through my closet and all the September issues littered around my house (Plus, the Nordstrom catalog that just claimed my next paycheck) and decide on a few key pieces that I need to add to my fall wardrobe. Of course, the list is a little longer than this, but for now these pieces are on the top of my shopping list!

I am obsessed with all things burgundy right now and I can't wait to add some dark red trainers to my collection. Just because fall is here doesn't mean I'm switching exclusively to boots. Black jeans, a baggy tee, and a leather jacket is a great way to wear your favorite athleisure looks all season! In the same color family, velvet is huge this season and I am coveting these skinny jeans. Pair them with black booties or these camel pumps and a blazer for a super cute fall look! Plus, later on you can wear them to a holiday party or two for an edgier look than that red dress you always wear.

My big purchase this fall/winter is going to be a shearling coat. I've pinned a ton of them on my Pinterest and just love how casual yet chic they look. Of course, Burberry and Kate Spade have my two favorite looks, but I'll stick to something a little more affordable like the one above from ASOS.

Then every fall I replace some of my cream sweaters for newer, crisper versions (I hate dingy looking sweaters!) and I always love to add a new neutral scarf to pair with everything. The bigger the scarf the better! You can never be too cozy!

What are some of your most-wanted fall pieces? I'd love to see!

Love you lots, 

Labor Day Workout!!

Saturday (well... all weekend) was a series of football games and football food for me and lots of my friends. But indulging and having fun is a what holiday weekends are for, right?!? However, now that the three-day weekend is almost over Matt and I put together a workout to help jumpstart your body for the week and to work off some of those cheat meals! God knows I need it! 

So grab some water, a yoga mat, and a towel because you're going to work up a serious sweat! I hope you all had a great weekend!

Love you lots,

Project: Desk Redo!

Pens || Pen Holder || Roses candle || Magnifying glass || Matches || 

Succulent || Marble Clock || Frames || Easel Calendar || Memo Board ||

This time last week I was running all over San Antonio picking up things to take to my brother for his freshman year of college. Somewhere in between picking up succulents at Home Depot and a stapler at Target I decided that I wanted to start redoing my workspace. At the beginning of the year I posted about redoing my whole office space, but it's been a little overwhelming. And to be honest, I keep buying new shoes instead of a marble coffee table and a fiddle leaf fig tree. I mean priorities, right?

Anyway starting with the workstation is a small enough project that I won't break the bank and I can still feel inspired when I sit down to my computer. I just wish there was a magic wand that could get rid of all the clutter that is currently residing on my desk! 

I love all of these geometric shapes and the idea of mixing metals. Plus, if you want a candle that makes working on your computer much more enjoyable I reccommend this one! Diptyque is one of my favorite candle brands and Roses is one of my favorite scents. (The perfume is great, too!)

This weekend I will definitely be making a trip to CB2 and Homegoods to pick up a few great things.

What are some of your Fall projects?

Love you lots,

The Girls by Emma Cline

*Psst* Click the picture to find a copy

Before I left for my trip to Europe in June, I wrote down a few titles that I wanted to pick up in London, and The Girls was at the top of my list! I follow quite a few booktubers and their channels were all abuzz about this novel. As I often find, the UK cover was much more my taste than the US version, so I took advantage of Independent Bookshop Week and stuffed this copy into my suitcase while I was across the pond. If you’re going to splurge on a hardcover, then it better be the version that you love!

Yes, that means I brought a book back across the Atlantic whose plot takes place in Sonoma County – a mere 25 minutes from where I live. I loved reading a book about places that I know so well.

The Girls is a beautifully written, almost poetic novel that follows a 14-year-old girl, Evie, in the late ‘60s as she wanders into the fringe of a local cult. We first meet Evie in the present day, as an older woman living alone in a borrowed beach house on the Pacific Coastline, but the majority of the book follows her flashbacks to a time of adolescent confusion and discovery. At first, Evie seems like a run-of-the-mill young teen with divorced parents she can’t connect to, a friend that she spends most of her time with, and a crush with the reality of getting shipped off to boarding school at the end of the summer.

This book delves into the human condition, painting a more accurate portrait of a girl who desperately wants to be accepted than any book I’ve ever read before. I think it’s brilliant that Emma Cline chose a young teen as her narrator, because it’s a time in life when you lose the freedom of not caring and the unbounded originality of a child, and enter into the world of adulthood. It’s human nature to want to be noticed and wanted and to feel as if you belong, and Emma Cline lets every character in her novel show these traits.

Of course, this need is displayed most in the young women of the cult, like Evie, who blindly follow their leader, Russel, a man of questionable integrity. Like most cult leaders, he knows how to find peoples’ weaknesses and uses those flaws to make his followers feel connected and wanted. Whether it’s the mystical Suzanne (Evie’s role model and near obsession), the rapidly aging Evie, Evie’s desparate-for-love mother, or her father who searches for love in younger women, everyone is completely wrapped up in finding someone to love them – or at least want them.

This story follows Evie’s journey on the outskirts of the group, and the trials of being alone as an aging adult. I never got the feeling that she fully let herself fall into the chaos of the cult, but that made her a wonderful narrator, and allowed her to show how fully the other members gave themselves over to the group – so much so that Russell convinces them to commit a horrendous crime, an event that haunts Evie through her entire life.

I really enjoyed this book, but readers beware: if you’re looking for a fluff piece to read by the pool, this isn’t your book. It’s dark and dirty. You see the cult life just as it would have been, and not through rose-colored glasses. The women are subjected to sexual acts, lots of drugs, and endless harmful mental manipulations. There are #triggerwarnings galore in this novel, so don’t pick it up lightly. However, if you’re ready to give it a chance, I definitely recommend it.

After finishing this book, I’ve been hyperaware of times now and in the past that I’ve put myself under a microscope to get attention from others. I’ve gone through a filing cabinet worth of times in my head that I wanted to be accepted into a group or just noticed in a room full of people, times that I’ve reeled back after not saying the right thing or sat obsessing over what was said and how it could have been better. We all do it, but this book made me really think about how far wanting acceptance can make you go.

Happy Reading,