Hello there!
As much of a dress enthusiast as I am, I've never really loved a sweater dress. I see other people in them looking cozy and effortlessly chic, but the long, shapeless knits always made me feel frumpy. I had tossed it up to me being too short for them, and had pretty much written them off. However this year was the first time I saw some sweater dresses with some shape and waist-definition to them, so I decided to give this newer style a try. 

I picked up this a-line sweater dress from Lulus, and I was pleasantly surprised by it! The fit-and-flare is very much in my comfort zone, and the knit holds the shape nicely. The skirt has a nice flounce to it, which I wasn't expecting in a thicket knit! The bodice and waistline are nicely fitted, without being uncomfortable, and with the flounce of the skirt if overall gives it a pretty, feminine shape!

I styled it up here with some pops of red from a satin hair bow & my red Kate Spade bag from my personal archives, some polka-dotted tights, and silver ballet pumps from Steve Madden. With the holidays fast approaching, this ensemble will definitely make its way back to Texas with me for Christmas festivities! 

Hello there!
It's me, the weird token horse girl from everyone's elementary school. I may not have actually been the one in your class, but I know you had one. My girlish horse obsession that manifested itself in checking out horse breed encyclopedias from the library and 'trotting' around the playground eventually turned into horseback riding, which led to my parents buying me my own horse, and now a lifelong love for the animal and my big guy, Blue.

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As you can imagine, I've been a big fan of the Barbiecore style movement we've seen this year. Sure I loved the Barbie movie, but as a life-long lover of the color pink it's been exciting to see so much of it absolutely everywhere. As fall has arrived, I've noticed the general ferver for the over-saturation of the shade start to wane. So today, I wanted to share how I'll be styling pink this fall!

This shift dress from Red Dress Boutique is the perfect pink, girly piece to take into the cooler weather. It's a buffalo check which is a traditionally autumnal print, turned on its head in this fun bubblegum pink! The fabric is also a lined, super-soft flannel, making it warm and cozy. I styled it here with a white pussy-bow blouse, Mary Jane heels, one of my favorite Kate Spade bags, and a big bow headband by Lele Sadoughi to give the outfit that fun, over-the-top girliness Barbiecore calls for.

As it cools off I'm going to try styling this with a white turtleneck knit top layered underneath, white cashmere tights, white booties, and a pink coat to top things off. Just because the weather is turning grey here in the Midwest doesn't mean I will be!

And finally, please give me a round of applause for photo-shopping the wall of the side of an office building pink! It simply had to be done.

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As mentioned a few posts ago, nap dress evangelist here. I'd say I'll give it a rest for a while, but I can't help it when they keep coming out with these darling designs in the cutest prints! You have to know that combination is my Achilles' heel by now- I can't resist. 

This is a new dress style for me from Hill House Home, meet Norah! A mini-dress featuring their signature 'nap' smocking, with a scooped neckline & long sleeves for fall. A mini dress heading into the cooler months might seem like an odd choice but it will be so chic paired with tights and tall boots, and a neutral trench or wool coat tossed over top. And isn't that watercolor berries print so sweet?

Since I shot this look in Texas while it was still rather warm, I decided to go an ultra-cutesy route with my styling. I ordered these double strap Mary Jane heels from Amazon, because they reminded me so much of a luxe pair by Carel that are just out of my price point for my current tax bracket. But these are under $40, just as cute, and shockingly comfortable!

Topped things off with a navy grosgrain hair bow from Grace and Grandeur, because of course, and a super casual bouquet of flowers. I love how many colors are in this dress that you can pull from with accessories- blues, pinks, reds, greens, and of course black.

Oh and don't worry, the Norah nap dress did pass the nap test. ​

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As a basic white girl, of course I had my giggle at that infamous "Christian Girl Autumn" tweet from Giovanni featuring blogging icon Caitlin Covington back in 2019. Poking fun at the quintessential fall outfit for so many girls of the oversized sweater, blanket scarf, suede booties, and pumpkin spice latte to top off the look? I have absolutely stepped out in that exact look, countless times.

What makes this joke live on in infamy for me is that Caitlin Covington responded back and unapologetically embraced her love of fall, and still does to this day. She should be embarking on her trip to New England for peak fall-foliage any week now, and I can't wait to see the outfits, the scenery, and the celebration of women's interests. 

Times have changed, styles have evolved, but when I put together this look the first thing I thought was 'Christian Girl Autumn'. Updated, sure. I put together this cream crewneck sweater, autumnal floral cord mini skirt, and knee-high boots because I just felt they paired together perfectly. But this is undeniably a basic, white girl fall outfit. Which then got me thinking, is this camp? 

If you're unfamiliar with the term camp in this usage, simply put- it's appreciating something for its ironic value. For me, in this outfit, it was making me like this outfit even more because in a sense it was ironic for me to wear this, and post about it on my very own blog. But taking a page out of CC's book, I'm gonna embrace and celebrate it. 

So here I am, embracing my roots in C.G.A. and basic-leaning tendencies, posting this quintessentially autumnal look on my fashion blog . 

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I was back in TX a few weeks ago, and my older brother & resident photographer offered to help me take some blog pictures. I was describing what I had in mind to shoot this pretty dress by Ivy City Co., and I said, "It's just the kind of dress that calls for field frolicking, you know?". Luckily, he was happy to go with it. 

Now, let's chat about this dress. One thing I don't love about autumnal fashion is I feel like it's so much harder to dress in my usual feminine, frilly style while still looking seasonally appropriate. I know- a niche, first world problem. I know some would roll their eyes at this, but you're here so you get it, ​right?

This dress brings the ruffles, frills, and whimsical prints in an undeniably autumnal color palate. The dramatic puffed sleeves, smocked bodice, and tiered skirt give it a dramatic look, and the skirt-twirling is exceptional. I mean, the pictures let the dress speak for itself!

Not pictured: me tripping, falling, and landing on my face multiple times trying to get some good frolicking pictures. The reality of running around in a dried field in Texas at the end of summer is lots of holes and cracks in the ground, bugs, and incredibly rough grass. But my commitment to the bit, or rather the dress in this case, knows no bounds. 

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I am once again penning a post as a nap dress evangelist. 

If you're thinking, "what is a nap dress?"- allow me to explain. The nap dress is a term owned my Nellie Diamond & Hill House Home to describe their ultra-comfortable smocked dresses. They're comfortable enough to sleep in, but fun & frilly enough to wear out dressed up with some heels & statement jewelry.

This fall they've introduced something a bit dressier in a crushed taffeta fabric- but don't worry, it's still every bit as comfortable. I grave it the ole' nap test, and it passed. And it wasn't even wrinkled when I got up! As I've been saying, a miracle garment.

This is their classic 'Ellie' dress, in a crushed taffeta irate floral. They have ventured out into a variety of silhouettes and styles now, but I still find Ellie to be the most versatile for layering, and dressing up and down. I love that the white base floral is light enough to wear now while it's still warm, but the colors in the print will pair nicely with autumnal tones & layers as it cools off.

I styled it here with a lady-style denim jacket from J.Crew, some bow-detailed booties by Kelsi Dagger Brooklyn I picked up a few years ago, and a hair bow from Grace & Grandeur. As it cools off, I plan to style it with a turtleneck knit underneath, some knee-high tall boots, and a neutral wrap-coat tossed over top.

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Back in the spring, Dolce Vita sent over these cutest cowgirl booties. I styled them back in March here with a white lace dress, but truthfully couldn't think of more ways to style them. I'm not much of a denim & cowboy boots girl myself, so I decided to try what seemed to be the most 'me' option- pairing them with more florals.