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In the year-ish that I haven't shopped fast fashion (Forever 21, SheIn, etc) I've noticed a shift in the way I shop. No more late night browses on the F21 website, clicking 'add to cart' so many times my eyes glaze over. No more opening my closet a month later only to be hit with a resounding chorus of "why did I buy that??" See, when I stopped buying fast fashion, I finally started taking my own advice & doing what I preach to y'all about doing.

Tips & Tricks For Fitting All Your Clothes Into A Carry On

I started traveling with only a carry on a few years ago, when I wanted to 'stick it to the man' & not pay for a checked bag. Plus, I have a crazy fear of my luggage getting lost (it happens too often, people!) so I'm determined. 

Though it may seem impossible, fitting everything into a carry on can be done, and trust me when I say you feel a sense of 'I can do anything!' once you get it down. 

These are the tricks I swear by: 

How To Create A Travel Wardrobe

Putting together a travel wardrobe is one of the most important parts of packing for a trip. It is what you wear, after all, and it could set the whole mood of the trip. You want to be efficient (especially if you're trying to get it all on a carry on, which we'll talk about soon) and cohesive. 

So how do you do it?

Developing (& Polishing) Your Personal Style

I talk A LOT about curating a personal style. It's so important in building a cohesive wardrobe, shopping with intention, putting outfits together, and overall having a sense of what you like to wear. 

But if you've never developed a personal style, where do you begin? I wrote a small post on this topic a few years ago, but things have changed a bit and it's time to dive DEEP.

So, first things first. 

No Excuses: Here's How You Need To Dress For A Job Interview

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What you wear matters.

Have I said that enough times recently? Good, I'll say it some more because it might be the most important thing you read today. What you wear- how you present yourself to the world- matters, & that includes in the workplace. 

Purchasing Pieces That Will Last

I actually covered this topic in last week's IG live, (if you don't know, I do lives every Sunday) but I wanted to cover it again because I think this is important. 

Your wardrobe should be founded on the basics & classics, and then trends if you want to do them. But the classics- the things that will last over & over- are what's most important. 

Style Psychology | The Art Of Remaining Stylish When You Don't Feel Like It

A question I was asked on IG recently was how I remain stylish even when busy & anxious. 

A Practical Guide To Shopping Sustainably (On A Budget!)

In the past I've mentioned working towards shopping less fast fashion & starting to focus more on sustainability. Not only are sweatshops and horrid working conditions a factor, the environment is another biggie. 
Did you know that more than 15 MILLION tons of used clothing waste end up in landfills in the US each year?

How To Style A Longline Blazer

Longline blazers are a flattering silhouette, but how are they worn? 

Can people under five foot pull them off? (I'm in this boat, if ya didn't know) 

The Easiest Way To Store Your Belts

Something a little different for today- a little tip on how to store your belts. (along with a VIDEO? who is she) 

How To Look Expensive (When You've Really Just Looked At Your Online Cart & Cried)

One question often asked is how to put expensive looking outfits together while on a less than expensive budget. As much as I would love to be able to score high end pieces at their original value & not even worry, it's just not realistic at this point in my life, & my stats show it's not for y'all either.

HOW TO PULL OFF THE ARIANA PONY WITH SHORT HAIR

I love Ariana Grande. Maybe it’s because we’re birthday twins (& I’ll tell anyone who will listen) but I’ve been obsessed for years & it’s not going anywhere. Her iconic hair is being copied everywhere from Instagram to the ~real life~ & I’m not mad about it. As amazing as the half up pony looks with her mermaid locks, short hair is no excuse not to rock it. 

A HINT OF ROSE GOLD | TIPS FOR TINTING

Experimenting with my hair is the same as experimenting with clothes for me: a creative way of expressing how I'm feeling, the ~aesthetic~, if you will. (yes I do use that word too much, no I won't stop) I've always wanted to try out a fun color, but actually dyeing it lavender or rose gold is a commitment I'm never sure about. My only tousle with pink dye was one summer with my cousins, streaking the fronts hoping to get an Aria Montgomery pre missing Alison look, but just ended up looking like I had a bit too much fun in the dye. We live, we learn.

TIPS FOR SHOPPING AT FOREVER 21 WITHOUT LOSING YOUR MIND

When I've just told someone I got something at forever 21, (you know the drill, someone compliments you on an item of clothing, you respond & tell them where it's from, a conversation sometimes ensues) the response I get often is that they want to shop there more but it seems intimidating. Overwhelming. So many sections, so many styles of clothes and WHERE DO I EVEN START?? Even my best friend has admitted she doesn't quite know how to shop there, & I've told her too many times I'd show her the ropes, but I have been failing miserably. So in a way, this is for her, as well as anyone else who might be feeling their head spin at the thought of trying to tackle this big guy. 

GETTING OUT OF A STYLE RUT

You walk into your closet, guns blazing, ready to put together an insta-worthy outfit. But suddenly everything looks the same, you just wore that last week, you're not feeling that trend anymore, and then it hits you.

You're uninspired, in a rut. Sound familiar?

Style ruts happen to the best of us sometimes. I've been bitten by the uninspired bug lately, and the bite stings. Luckily, if you've got some armor, you'll be able to fight back with a vengeance. Here are my tips to get out of your rut & breathe new life into your wardrobe:

Find A Style Icon

A style icon is someone you look to as a source of inspiration. Normally they will be someone of similar body type and someone who's style you really like and can envision on yourself. However, if someone's style really speaks to you & they have a totally different body type, that's okay too.

For me, my biggest icons are Rachel Bilson, Lauren Conrad, Julia from Gal Meets Glam, & Alexa Chung. If you've already got yourself some icons, you're a step ahead! Always be searching pinterest, instagram, blogs & magazines for their latest looks, and think of how you can make them your own.

Put Together A Mood Board

As an extremely visual person, mood boards are a bit of an obsession for me. Anytime you're in need of some inspiration, scour pinterest (pinterest is our bff in this post) of your style icons & any looks or pieces that speak to you. Search pins of key trends and pieces that you feel are you. For me that's denim, stripes, dresses,.... etc.

I save all the photos for a particular board into a folder on my computer, then put it all together easily through the collage maker in google photos. AAAND DONE! Now you can save your mood board as your desktop background, print & out & hang it on your wall, in your closet, anywhere you'll see it in times of trouble.

{my mood board for 2018}

Find Newness In What You Have

I'll be the first to say: sometimes ya gotta go back to the basics. Pick a couple of key pieces to make a capsule of sorts: maybe it's a pair of jeans or a dress or a blouse you feel you've worn a thousand times. Separate it, look at your mood board, & dream up new ways to put together a look with it. Sometimes all it takes is a fresh perspective to get the creative juices goin'.

Now that you have some tips, go & put them into action the next time you're in a rut & you'll be out in no time! And if you're still shaking your head, thinking there's no hope, don't forget about virtual styling.... (how's that for a segue?)

xo,

kae

FINDING STYLE INSPIRATION

Finding style inspiration is a key part of finding your own personal style and finding out what you like & dislike. But how do you find that inspiration? 

Once you’ve found your vibe, it gets pretty simple. In order to find that vibe though, you should look at those who inspire you, both in real life and in media. Whose style do you look at and say ‘that’s my style’? Start there & then:

Take Action

The last post was all about how to make an easy inspiration board, and if wanted it can be used as a style board, where your favorite looks are cut out and put together in one place for you to see, a real life pinterest board. That way, when you're running low on inspiration, you can look back on it & have a fresh perspective.

Back To The Basics

I talk a lot about taking inventory of your closet, and it's because it WORKS. When trying to find some inspiration, the first obvious place to look is gonna be your closet. What pieces give you the warm and fuzzies when you look at & wear them? Separate them from the pack & see if there's a pattern. That, my dears, is the birth of your style. Get inspired simply by wearing one of your favorite outfits. EASY PEASY.

Take It To The Streets

Besides social media, the biggest way I find inspiration is simply by looking around me. Street style is EVERYWHERE, & people are killing it. I'll find outfits in the grocery store, the coffee shop, church... pretty much anywhere you can think of. I'll make a mental note of how I can turn that look into my own and it oftentimes strikes a match of creativity!

xo,

kae

HOW TO MAKE THE EASIEST INSPIRATION BOARD EVER

When I moved into the new place, I bought a little bulletin board from target, and I had been trying to figure out what to do with it. I had a few Polaroids & random things hanging from it, and then I decided what better thing to do than make a little inspiration board?

There are two main ways you can go about making this, the first being that you can literally just print/ cut out whatever you want. Magazine cut outs, pinterest things, WHATEVER YOU WANT.

It's your life, pick out things that inspire you, things you love, or that generally give you a warm & fuzzy feeling when you look at them. & then tape or pin them to your board & you're GOOD TO GO.

But if you wanna get a bit fancy, then you can handwrite it out. (or watercolor or do calligraphy or whatever your talent level allows for. Unfortunately I'm stuck in the plain handwriting stage) I got plain paper from hobby lobby and cut each page I wanted in half, for more of a poster feel. I cut some even smaller, depending on what was going on there.

I scoured my pinterest boards for things I wanted on there, and then I went for it, using a simple calligraphy marker and colored pencils, both things I already had. (but can be found for cheap) On a couple of them it took a couple tries, but WE GOT IT! 

I've only added a few quotes for now, but will be doing more, don't worry.

You'll want to keep your inspo board somewhere you see it all the time. Mine is by my desk as a motivator.

Now that you know the super easy way to get inspired, GO DO IT!

xo,

kae

HOW TO CLEAN YOUR CLOSET WHILE STAYING SANE

Cleaning out your closet is one of those things that needs to be done every once in awhile, but it's a tedious task that you'd rather put off. BUT I've found that the more times I clean it out, the more I've found a little system & rhythm to make it at least semi- enjoyable!

Break It Up

If you just go in blind, you'll end up being super overwhelmed & won't know which way is up. Instead, you should start one chunk at a time.

Take a handful of clothes out, lay them on your bed, & go through the items one by one. & repeat!

Be Tough

Any pieces that are the old 'eeh I haven't worn this in a year but I'll start now!' or 'this came from xx, so I'll keep it even though I'll never wear it' bits need to GO. Be tough with yourself & genuinely ask yourself if you still love it & you will wear it, more than once or twice.

If the answer's no, or there's any sort of hesitation, LET IT GO!

Be A Stylist

Once you've picked what you're keeping, find other items in your closet to pair them with. You'd be surprised at how many different combinations of things you can come up with!

You'll end up coming out of the clean out feeling refreshed, & like you've gotten new clothes to work with.

Obviously this system can be revised to fit your needs, but I've found it works well for me, & I STAY SANE, which is most important, no?

Do you absolutely dread when it comes time to do a clean out, or do you go full-steam ahead? What's your method?

xo,

kae

EASY SUMMER HAIR

The middle of summer is the hottest it is all year (I just made that stat up but it sure as heck feels right) & hair needs to be tamed. There's nothing worse than feeling like you've got on a wool scarf of hair, no? These are my go-to easy, effortless styles that work on any length & most textures!: The Milkmaid: When my hair was long I would do this updo ALL THE TIME. It was my 'fancy look,' even though it takes all of five minutes. It takes some getting used to on short hair, but can still be done if your hair is at least throat length. (that's a new one, but you get what I mean, right? basically my length) The basics are the same at any length: braid each side of your hair however you desire (I like a good fishtail) & secure with an elastic. Puff the plait out a bit, then pull each braid upwards onto the crown of the head. Then, BOBBY PIN YOUR LIFE AWAY.

The Ariana Grande: The half pony is IN & ever since I went short, it's been THE go-to for me. It's simple yet put together and can be in five seconds flat. A chic variation on a regular pony, & can even be switched into a half bun if you're in the mood!

The Twist & Pin: Another 'kinda fancy but kinda casual I just threw my hair up' look that I love: gathering the fronts of the hair & twisting it, then pinning it. Do the same on the bottom half & you're good as gold. Gets the hair out of the way and is super cute, plus takes two seconds. (ok, maybe twenty)

There ya have it! Three easy peasy styles for ya. What are your go-to summer looks? xo, Kae

FASHION RULES & HOW TO GET AWAY WITH BREAKING THEM

Over the years I've gotten to be sort of a rebel when it comes to supposed fashion 'rules.' In my opinion, the only rule to fashion should be that you love what you're wearing, but some people still feel strongly about the rules. Here's how to get away with breaking them.  No White After Labor Day I feel like this one died out about ten years for most of us, but some people still live by it to a t. How to get away with it: break up colors. If you're uncomfortable with a whole lotta white, just focus on one point & build around that. White jeans with a black top, white dress with colorful shoes... make it work for you. Mixing Prints I used to shy away from any form of pattern mixing, but now I know it's all in the way you wear it. Pick two prints that compliment each other, like classic stripes and plaid. If you choose to go bold with something like leopard, let the other print be more simple. Dressing For Your Body I am all for learning what shapes, patterns, etc best compliment your body type, but a lot of the 'rules' for what you should & shouldn't wear are kinda crap, in my opinion. If you wanna wear a crop top, wear a crop top! The balance between wearing what you want & what looks good on you is learning how to best compliment your features, & running from there. You do you! What about you? Do you follow the fashion rules or do your own thing? xo,