• WEAR Archive •

I have a bit of advice for you that you should definitely listen to. If ever you go to Lowes and buy deer repellent for plants and somehow during the journey home said bottle of repellent leaks into the plastic bag, I urge you to proceed with caution. I wouldn’t advise sitting the plastic bag on your desk or removing the bottle with your bare hands. The smell is foul and lingering. You’ll regret it for days. Even after four showers, you’ll still feel as though you smell like cow manure.

I have a strong sense of smell. And certain smells make me nauseous. It was one of the first and largest indicators that I was about to be deathly sick during my recent food poisoning/stomach flu episode. We were sitting in a bar in Austin when the table next to us ordered some beefy, hearty pot roast. The aroma didn’t bother anyone else but I couldn’t sprint to the bathroom fast enough. It was disgusting and even still, if I should ever run into that smell again, I’m certain my reaction will be the same.

So now that you’re probably pinching your nose because you’ve tricked yourself into thinking you can whiff deer piss through the computer screen, let’s talk about pleasant smells. Like the new air fresheners that are released for the Fall. Or cinnamon apple cider. Or smokey bonfires. Kids, I am so ready for my favorite season to be here. In fact, I may have rushed it a bit with my denim outfit choice considering it was 90 degrees outside while taking these pictures.

This week’s fashion post was back-to-school inspired and is brought to you by a few of favorite stores. There was a time in my life where I would never consider mixing denims. Of course, there was also a time in my life when I wore an all-pleather purple suit. Thank goodness things change. I hope you each have an incredible Labor Day weekend and send summer off in style. Rumor has it that you can now get your hands on a PSL. That’s a Pumpkin Spice Latte for those of you not clued into the cool kids lingo. Happy Weekend!

Shirt + Jeans: H&M / Belt + Shoes: Forever 21 / Sunnies: Ray-Ban / Backpack: Target

There are fewer things I am prouder of than being a country girl. I’ve evolved and grown to love the city life but my roots have and will always be true to country. I find I am most at peace in the mountains. Secluded from the hustle and bustle. Surrounded by nature and simplicity. I love being able to actually breathe fresh, clean, non-polutted air.

Today’s look is inspired from those summer trips to Chimney Rock with my family. Picking out the perfect piece of turquoise from the gift shop. Sharing a picnic on a Sunday afternoon along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Riding the 4-Wheeler throughout the wooded trails my dad carved. I grew up only an hour drive from Boone and some of my fondest memories are from watching and experiencing the seasons change from the backseat window of the family car.

Throw on your denim, plaid and oversized hat this weekend and go explore. Maybe it will encourage August to speed up so we can cool down with September. Happy Weekend kiddos!

Sunglasses: Ray-Ban

Everything Else: Forever 21

I’ve changed my drink order at Starbucks. This is a huge evolution for me. It happened suddenly. I realized one day that an Iced Caramel White Chocolate Mocha was ridiculously too sweet and that I was practically wasting half  each time I bought it. Of course, that’s pretty much my staple move for any drink. I never finish a beverage. It’s a weird quirk. Nonetheless, my Starby’s drink order is all grown up.

Even though my taste buds are aging and I’m on the downward slide from age thirty to thirty-one, I still enjoy pretending to be forever twenty-one. Despite my age, shopping at Forever 21 is my jam and I’m still able to find outfits that excite me. And once upon a time, I would blog about the outfits I would source and assemble and I would pretend that people cared even though I know how silly it is. Trust me, it’s extremely awkward begging your friends and family to take pictures of you randomly eating a cup of ice cream in the backyard.

Regardless of how kooky crazy it is, I’ve been on a mission to resurrect my blog and that includes documenting and showcasing my fashion picks. So without further adieu, I present to you a casually chic ensemble perfect for comfortably running errands or grabbing a cup of coffee. And in fact, that’s exactly what I wore this outfit to do. I went to pick up a delicious drink from Thanks a Latte in Holly Springs and walked out with a new head wrap from one of my favorite online shops, Ban.do. Thanks a Latte is dangerous. The shop is filled with gifts and goodies ranging from jewelry to day planners to Kate Spade must-haves so be warned you’ll walk out with more than a cup-of-joe.

The details for the outfit are below in case you can’t live without my cat-eyed sunglasses. Hope your weekend is filled with relaxation and more of the moments that matter.

Shirt + Pants + Shoes + Necklace + Bracelets: Forever 21
Headwrap: Ban.do
Sunglasses: Nastygal

Have you ever needed to hit the restart button? Like completely start a day over.  You aren’t sick. Nothing catastrophic has happened.  You’re just off. And you have a gut feeling the rest of the day is headed down a crooked and uneasy road.  So for the sake of salvaging the rest of the day, it would probably be best to just slide back into bed mid-morning, take a quick snooze, wake up and pretend you’re just starting the day. You aren’t alone.

I did just that this past week. My friend has nicknamed me “Positive Polly” because the majority of the time, I see the glass half full. I see the good intentions in people. I believe in a favorable outcome. It takes an army tank to permeate my happy thought bubbles.  But even Positive Polly cracks.

I woke up cranky. Nobody else had a clue but they were annoying me. And it was really trivial and silly things. Like the fact that Starbucks didn’t have the green straws that fit my drink and I had to settle for the extra long black one. I mean seriously. That’s a bad case of waking up on the wrong side of the bed. So after getting up and getting ready and venturing out and having one meeting, I marched myself back home and put myself back to bed. It was time for a redo.

We all need to hit the refresh button every now and then. It doesn’t mean we’re failing or that we’re insensitive or selfish. It means we’re human. It means sometimes the world around us doesn’t seem so colorful and it’s up to us to fill in the grey. It means we can’t work 24 hours a day and live off of soda and yogurt bites. It means the stress of making enough money is tangible and sometimes drives you to consider becoming a stripper. It means we need a change of perspective and that contrary to popular belief, each of us is in fact in control of our feelings. We have the ability to change the way we feel if we just try.

If you’re like me and feel like you have a one-way ticket on the struggle bus, pump those brakes and get off. Take control of your feelings so you have control over your actions. And by all means, look at some other options to make money before deciding to work the pole.

My above soap box has absolutely nothing to do with the video below. I just needed some writing therapy. Our March video blog is up and is all about learning how to tie a bow tie. I talk about being embarrassed at weddings when a groomsman would ask me to tie his bow tie and I would have no clue how.  Worse than that was at my grandmother’s funeral when no one in the family could figure out how to tie my brother’s bow tie and despite our extensive YouTube research, we couldn’t find one that helped. Hopefully I’ve solved that problem for you.  Take a look at our video, which I believe is hands down the easiest bow tie tutorial, and feel free to leave any and all helpful tips you have!

Happy Good Friday!  It’s actually a great Friday if you’re my brother because you aren’t in jail.  I literally got a text from my mom last night that said, “Priscilla! Your brother almost got arrested for breaking into my house.”  So here’s the scoop.

My mom asked my brother to go to her house, which is where he presently lives, to let the dog out since she wouldn’t be home until late.  Naturally my brother didn’t have his keys so he thought it would be a good idea to pull into her development in a friend’s car that nobody recognizes and enter the townhouse by climbing through the front window.

A neighbor saw what was going on and immediately called the police.  As Andrew and his friend were leaving the development, they were surrounded by police officers, commanded out of the car with their hands up, frisked and accused of breaking into my mom’s house.  After contacting my mom and having her answer a series of questions confirming my brother’s identity and residency, Andrew was released.  I wish I had video of the entire confrontation because I can only imagine my brother’s reaction.

He has the strangest run-ins with law enforcement.  Like a few years back when we were traveling to the beach for family vacation and he was in the back seat waving my dog in the air to appear like Scottie was dancing to the music.  We got pulled over because a cop saw us and thought Andrew was on drugs.  They gave all of us the third degree, searched the vehicle, threatened to bring in the canines and insisted we admit Andrew was on some sort of narcotics.  It didn’t help that when they asked him who Chase was he responded in nervousness, “My father-in-law.”

Today’s Forever 21 Fashion Find was found last weekend during my quick shopping adventure with Megan.  We both purchased this outfit and it was so funny when we came out of the dressing room to show each other and we were wearing the same thing.  Chase asked me what type of pants these are and the only real answer I have is that they are beyond comfortable and look super adorable with high heels.  I decided that for a sleek black and white look only a sock bun would do.  Which, by the way, isn’t a sock at all.  It’s this nifty little tool I picked up at Claire’s (of all places!) that I encourage you to purchase if you haven’t mastered the Pinterest sock bun yet.

I have probably one of the most adorable weddings in store this weekend that I cannot wait to share with you.  Until then, I’m going to try and avoid the police and keep my fingers crossed that my brother does the same thing.  Enjoy your Easter friends!

Happy Friday lovelies! I hope you have fabulous weekend plans ahead. If my weekend is filled with half as much happiness as today contained then my heart will be overflowing.

I spent last night in Hickory with my mom and decided to have lunch with my cousin Kristin today. We devised a plan to surprise her son at school with some Mickey D’s. I’m not joking when I say he’s my favorite. Kristin’s two kids are probably the only two kids on the planet that don’t annoy me. I wish you could have seen the expression on his face when he walked toward the cafeteria and saw the two of us standing there. He literally started shaking and jumping up and down. His grin couldn’t possibly have gotten any wider. I told myself to freeze that moment in my mind and keep it for a rainy day. None of the chaos of my week mattered when I saw that little boy’s face light up just by the sight of me. It was literally a happy meal.

The lunch date I had with Grant gave me a look into the life that could have been and goodness gracious did I make the right choice. I still can’t believe that at one point in time I thought I was going to be an elementary school teacher. The noise level in the cafeteria was the same as an outdoor summer concert. There were kids sneezing without covering their mouths. Kids pouring milk into their lunch trays. Kids licking ice cream wrappers. One girl raised her hand three times to go to the bathroom. And, I’m quite confident I was sitting next to a replica of Chase when he was a child. Instead of this boy eating his lunch, he made fart noises with his filthy hands glued to his mouth for the entire twenty-five minutes. I tried to tune out the madness going on around me and focus on Grant but it was difficult because I was fascinated watching how long one girl was going to stare at a strawberry on a fork that she held in front of her face.

I am kind of in love with the chambray shirt featured in today’s Forever 21 Fashion Find because of the cut-out shoulders. I paired it with some tribal inspired Harlem pants and a vintage-looking tank. To accessorize, I used tribal accents like the spike earring, giraffe ring and turquoise rock necklace. This outfit is so incredibly comfortable and yet stylish while you’re out shopping or having lunch. Take it from day to night by removing the flats and adding a pair of heels. Don’t forget your go-to leather jacket. It’s a must.

I’ll have you know that I’ll be spending tomorrow afternoon at Forever 21 doing some “research” for the blog. If you want some fashion advice, feel free to meet me there and I’ll gladly use you as a mannequin and style you from head to toe. I hope you have a fantastic weekend! Play with your food. Make some fart noises. Don’t sweat the small stuff kids. Maybe those 1st graders are onto something.

It’s Friday ladies and gents!  The weekend is upon us.  We’re gearing up for an exciting one filled with weddings, weddings and more weddings.  This past week has been filled with stuffing in preparation.  Stuffing envelopes.  Stuffing welcome bags.  Stuffing favor bags.  Un-stuffing flip flops.  I’m stuffed.

I’m sure come Monday I’ll be begging for a manicure, pedicure and massage to recuperate from an exhausting yet exhilarating weekend even though my nails are freshly painted mint green and my body was pressed and stretched a week ago.

I spent the first part of last Friday at a local spa having a stranger named Fiona rub oils and lotions all over my naked body with her bare hands.  Here’s something I learned.  When the masseuse says she’s going to leave the room to let you get undressed and she’ll knock before she returns, you have a finite amount of time to de-clothe and get your exposed body back under the heated blanket.  Just as she said she would, she returned and knocked on the door to ask if it was safe to enter.  I imagine “Come in.” and “Hold on.” sound strangely similar and muffled from the other side of the door.  So a word to the wise, even if you say, “Hold on.” because you are stalling in order to take a picture for Instagram, the door will open and your masseuse will get a clear view of what’s she working with.  And let’s clarify.  I was taking a picture of the massage table for Instagram.  Not a selfie of my nudeness.  Although, I might gain a lot more followers if I considered switching that up.

Today’s Friday Forever 21 Fashion Find makes me want ice cream.  It’s like I took a dip into a sherbet pool.  I assembled this outfit beginning with and based around the jade-colored jacket.  I had spotted the coral skirt but wasn’t convinced until I paired it with the white blouse and green jacket.  I, and the associate at Victoria’s Secret, love the contrasting color blocking.  I took it next level with a floral headband and yellow trimmed sunglasses.  I kept the jewelry minimal and opted for a large gold coiled chained choker and mix-match gold earrings.  Who says both ears want to wear the same lobe candy?

I hope this look makes you as happy as it does me.  Now go to eat some frozen cake batter flavored yogurt topped with cookie dough bites and gummy bears and think of me.  Have an amazing weekend!

My palms were so sweaty, I could barely grip the steering wheel.  My right foot pressed the gas pedal while my left shook nervoulsy.  I increased the volume on a slow Billy Joel classic in hopes the downtempo piano melody would steady my racing heart.  I debated calling and canceling our meeting with each mile that passed.  I kept going.  I had no idea what to expect but I knew something inside of me needed to reach the destination.

I walked into a room filled with the exact things I had seen watching episodes of Mad Men.  A plush loveseat sat centered along the wall with a single arm chair placed diagnoally across from it.  The side table featured one single item, a box of Kleenexes.  The only sound was the faint constant ticking coming from the clock hanging on the wall.  Just in case of an emergency, I positioned myself on the side of the couch closest to the tissues.  With my legs crossed and my hands fidgetting with one another, I took a deep breath and finally made eye contact with the complete and total stranger that sat in front of me.

The last year had been painfully tough.  I’m an incredibly strong person but the circumstances and decisions of years prior and specifically the 365 days of 2012 had broken me down.  It’s as if I had spent the entire year dipping my hands in finger paint and tossing it onto a canvas with the assumption I was creating a masterpiece.  When all was said and done, I stood back to find I had merely created a mess and my paint-stained hands served as evidence it was mine.

I had a million thoughts racing through my mind.  Does it make me crazy that I’m here?  What if I’m too timid to talk and become mute which makes her think I am crazy?  Am I really paying someone to listen to me talk?  With a brief introduction and a genuine smile, she said “Let’s get started. Tell me something about yourself.”  Perhaps it was me releasing built-up frustration and confusion or maybe it was just her non-judegmental demenor, but as I opened my mouth, the words came flooding out and didn’t stop.  I spent two hours speaking candidly and truthfully about my past, my fears and my thoughts.  I didn’t second guess something I said, I just said it.  Her interjections were brief but powerful.  It was someone from the outside, completely uninvolved, giving me insight into how humans process emotions and giving me the recipe for empowering myself to be better.

There’s often a stigma around therapy, one I fell victim to before I stepped outside of my comfort zone.  You don’t need a therapist unless you’re crazy and if you have a therapist, you certainly shouldn’t admit it.  I don’t agree and especially now since I’ve experienced it for myself.  I find something freeing in being an open book and letting people know my struggles.  I’m learing about myself.  More importantly, I’m discovering how critical our thoughts are to our behaviors and that to make a noticeable change, you have to address the root of the problem.  I’ve spent a lot of time stomping out the burning leaves falling around me while paying no attention to the tree on fire that is producing the cascading foliage.

So what do my sessions have to do with a Forever 21 Fashion Find?  Absolutely nothing.  Just like talking it out every two weeks helps me, so does writing.  And if anything, maybe someone in the world reading this can relate and reached a point where they too hit their knees in prayer and woke up on the closet floor with the residue of tears on their face.  It’s my way of letting you know you’re not alone.  We all have family stuff, relationship trials and a history that repeats itself.  We all struggle to balance our personal and professional life.  We all have a breaking point.  It’s ok to say, ”I could use a little help in getting this ship back on course.”

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s chat a minute about this little number I put together.  I shopped for this outfit for a recent video I filmed.  Although the pants remind me of something I would have worn circa 1999 at the N’Sync concert, I knew I had to have them the minute I saw them.  I texted a picture of the floral jeans to Megan and smiled when her repsonse was, “You can pull anything off but I need to see it all together.”  So I set off on a mission to assemble a casual yet stylish ensemble and paired the unqiue jeans with a light pink blouse that I absolutely love because of the cut-outs on the chest.  A classic white blazer with intricate floral lace design and brown cuffed booties took this outfit from questionable to a definite yes.  To accessorize I wore a collared necklace and blush flat earrings.  My rose gold  Michael Kors watch felt left out so I invited a new simple gold bracelet with a hanging cross to join the party. (And hello. That bracelet was a whopping $1.80.)  Aside from my watch, the only non-Forever 21 item on my body is the “P” ring on my finger.  I found it at a local antique shop and yes, it is an old tyepwritter key as a ring.  Pinch me.  Happy Friday ladies and gents and have a wondeful weekend!

I have an intense case of spring fever.  I’m craving it.  And because North Carolina weather is so sporadic, one day it teases us with loads of sunshine and then drops an inch of snow the very next.  Preparing for spring makes me think of preparing for summer which makes me think of being in a swimsuit.  And even though I think one-piece bathing suits are going to make a huge fashion comeback this summer season, you’re still practically standing in your bra and panties on the beach for public display.

I’m going to tell you something you’re not going to believe.  You’ll literally read it, shake your head in disbelief and then re-read it.  For the first time in our entire relationship, I went to the gym more times this week than Chase.   The fact that my feet were enclosed in tennis shoes and even made it onto the property of a gym is a miracle.  But for me to deliberately and intentionally go three times in a five-day period even makes my head spin.  The main reason for this burst of motivation is really quite simple.  I’m doing it because I’m not being told to do it.

I’m literally like a child.  If you tell me or harp on me to do something that you want me to do, I’m going to want to do the complete opposite because I hate the feeling of being controlled.  Even when it’s for my own good, some trigger deep inside of me is ignited when someone tries to take away or influence my independent decision-making skills. This is usually very evident when I’ve had one too many glasses of the Valentine’s Day Punch, tripped over the coffee table, broken a wine glass into the carpet and performed a lip-syncing dancing routine to “Adorn” by Miguel and yet thinks a birthday cake flavored shot is a good idea.  Perhaps my ability to think clearly was clouded in that particular scenario but nonetheless, my reaction to being told what to do is the same as when I’m cold-stone sober.

For the last year, and estimating on the low end, at least once a week Chase would tell me to go cancel my O2 Fitness membership.  He even tried to cancel it on my behalf but they wouldn’t allow him.  I rolled my eyes each time he brought it up, refused to be submissive and continued to avoid going to the gym.  His reasoning was justified.  We were wasting money every month.  I knew he was right.  But I wanted to cancel the membership and accept my laziness in my own time and on my own terms.  My therapist put it into perspective for me recently.  If  you tell a child to not run through the mud puddle, the focus is on the mud puddle and the kid will become infatuated with splashing through the water.  You have to shift the focus to the sidewalk and pretend the mud puddle doesn’t even exist.  Sadly, she was relating my mentality to that of a children’s book featuring a kid and a puddle but the example was effective.  Perhaps Chase should have consistently told me how I would have an extra $40 to spend at Forever 21 each month if I cancelled the membership.  If so, it probably wouldn’t have taken me until last week to sign the dotted line and part ways with O2.

I know I’ve confused you.  In one paragraph I’m bragging about going to the gym three times in a week and in the next I’ve cancelled my membership.  In my attempt to take control of the gym debacle, I’ve started visiting a gym closer to my office.  And one of the countless benefits to now having a best friend live 15 minutes away is the encouragement and accountability of going to the gym together.  We get to spend time with one another.  We’re prepping our bodies for laying poolside and the proximity of the gym’s location to the rest of my life makes it significantly easier to fit into my daily routine.  I’m not officially joining the new gym until I’m confident with my commitment but judging by the past two weeks, I’m extremely optimistic.

I’ll pretend the reason I haven’t featured a Friday Forever 21 Fashion Find in three weeks is because I’ve been so busy factoring the gym into my schedule and not because I misplaced two memory cards to my camera that contained the pictures.  Regardless, it’s Friday and my face is back and plastered all over this page to showcase some serious flower power.  Forever 21 presently has a complete section dedicated to spring pastel colors and soft hues that made my heart jump out of my chest as I rummaged through the racks.  I decided to pair the vibrant flower-printed blouse with a pair of soft blue straight ankle trousers.  A geometric blazer added a patterned layer.  And when I tell you I love that blazer, I mean I’m obsessed with it.  I purchased it months ago, ripped the elbow, took it to the tailor for repair, wore it, ripped it again beyond repair, got rid of it, found another one in Charlotte, bought a second one, wore it, ripped the elbow, took it to the tailor for repair and wore it again.  Luckily both elbow seams are still in tact.  To accessorize, I added a chunky rose gold link necklace, pale pink bangles, a taupe glitter rose ring, nude high heels and the cutest little square purse I ever did see. The Cupcake Shoppe provided the perfect setting for pictures about happy spring colors and what better contradiction than to start a blog at the gym and end at a cupcake bakery?  Happy Friday!

Just briefly, I’m going to let you inside the mind of a crazy person.  Take notes.  This is top secret insight into the inner workings of my brain.

A normal person rides down the road, listens to music, may or may not notice a beautiful sunset but mainly stays focused on the road ahead.  A crazy person rides down the road, scouts out potential photo shoot locations and then selects an outfit that corresponds with the discovered shoot set.

I recently spotted this multi-colored, abandoned metal building and knew it would be the perfect backdrop for an upcoming Friday Forever 21 Fashion Find. Don’t be fooled.  Just because the building is abandoned doesn’t mean the trailer park across the street is vacant.  This was apparent by the two guys camped out on their front porch who admired the entire shoot and sent numerous whistles our way to showcase their approval.

Not only did we battle the unwelcome onlookers but we endured bitter and brutal weather in order to document this outfit.  Frigid temperatures and gusty winds couldn’t stop me even if I shivered through the entire thing.  It kind of made me feel like a real model except I eat anything I want, I barely break 5 feet and my gym membership is about to be canceled because I’ve failed to visit it three times a week like promised.

I know, I know, get to the outfit details.  This ensemble is as fresh as the bangs across my face.  If you like or want a versatile black peplum jacket, you need to get to Forever 21 right now and buy the blazer I have on.  It’s amazing.  And no, your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you. I paired peplum with peplum and polka dots with polka dots.  Why not?  I love the turquoise color of the pencil peplum skirt and I love the fact that it was $12.80 even more.  I decided to add a little more touch of color by wearing the coral dangling earrings and an oversized blush pink ring.  This outfit was perfect for my business lunch meeting and could easily be taken from a day to night look.  Happy shopping my lovelies!