Style – District Damsel

November 28, 2017December 7, 2017

AerieREAL Pop-Up Tour!

When Aerie — American Eagle’s sleepwear + lingerie line — opened in my hometown mall in 2008, I was overjoyed. I was so excited to finally have a lingerie shop that wasn’t intimidating and actually fit my body type. When Aerie launched its untouched photo campaign in 2014 l fell all the brand all over again. The fact that Aerie promotes self love + acceptance AND creates cute, high quality clothes are just two reasons I’m so excited to be partnering with them for their DC AerieREAL Pop-Up Tour!

On Sunday, December 10, the brand will be popping up in Georgetown at the corner of M Street and Wisconsin NW (the PNC Bank corner) from 11 am – 6 pm. Not only will they be featuring their winter line of bralettes, cozy sweaters, PJs, and quirky beanies, there will be a DIY Dream Pillow Station, FREE tote with any purchase, and FREE cozy cable knit blanket when you spend $65+. To top it all off, Aerie will be donating 50% of the pop-up’s proceeds to N Street Village, a local charity that empowers homeless and low-income women in DC to claim their highest quality of life. That’s shopping for a cause that I can get behind.

RSVP HERE.

Whether you’re shopping for holiday gifts or treating yourself, I hope that I’ll see you at the pop-up in a few weekends! If you can’t wait for the pop-up, you can shop the items I’m wearing in this post below!

Shop My Looks

All items courtesy of Aerie.

September 15, 2017

Statement Tee

Two years ago, I hated jeans. I would do anything – like wear a dress with no tights when it was 40 degrees out – to avoid wearing pants. Fast forward, and now a statement tee and a pair of high-waisted jeans are one of my favorite go-to outfits for work. (I realize how lucky I am to work for a creative company that allows me to adopt this as my daily uniform!)

Some mornings, I will just tuck a plain tee into my jeans and call it a day, but I like to look for t-shirts that have a special detail to make it seem like more of a statement. This Zaful tee is a perfect example of a “statement tee” and I wore this exact outfit to work yesterday! I love that the ruffle is shorter in the front and longer in the back — perfect for pairing with my beloved high-waisted jeans. The size on the website says “one fits all” but the tag says a M. It runs a little large on me, but I like the looser fit!

When searching for statement tees, I gravitate towards details like a fun sleeve (think lace up details or lattice work), or even just an asymmetrical hem to jazz it up. If the tee is a plain cotton one, I like to tuck it in and add either a brightly colored or printed belt for some detail. My favorite neutral but statement-making belt is a cheetah print one I picked up at DSW years ago for like $9.00. I also find that pairing a simple look with a pair of heels instantly makes your outfit look more pulled together. Another obvious way to jazz up a look centered around a t-shirt is to add a statement necklace or earrings, but I’m more of a simple jewelry girl!

Shop My Look:

Top | Zaful

Jeans | TopShop

Shoes | Vestique (similar)

Clutch | South Moon Under (similar)

August 16, 2017August 16, 2017

A Little Prep In My Step

Raise your hand if you had a preppy phase. In middle and early high school, I wanted nothing more than to look like I was out of a Hollister or Abercombie catalogue. I had pages from the magazine and even shopping bags of beach babes and shirtless men plastered all over my bedroom! (Sorry, mom.) Layered, popped polos paired with jean skirts – and UGGS of course – was what all the cool kids were wearing. When I was finally old enough to work at the retailers, I didn't even wear their clothes anymore! I ended up working at Hollister in college (retail by day, Papa John's by night – pure glamour) but I rarely wore the clothes outside of the store.

I dabbled in the preppy world a bit after college, but those dresses and tops now hang unworn in my closet – I know, I know, I need to take my own advice and do a wardrobe cleanse! I've since gravitated towards a more boho style, but in the summer I am drawn to some peppier pieces. (By the way, don't get me wrong, I don't dislike preppy outfits and think some girls look adorable in them, it's just not my thing anymore!) Seersucker screams J Crew to me, but I loved that the keyhole on this Zaful dress made it a little different than your typical striped summer dress. This dress also has POCKETS! I forgot to take pictures that show them off, but they're there and fantastic.

This is probably TMI, but I wore this dress to the movies and the keyhole made getting popcorn out of my top so much easier. Highly recommend a cutout dress for popcorn eating. I know, I disgust myself too.

Shop My Look

Dress | Zaful

Shoes | Vestique (similar)

Bag | Rebecca Minkoff

August 8, 2017August 16, 2017

Palm Print For Bottomless Brunch

You ain’t seen the end of palm print pieces from me yet! The print is such a fun, fresh take on florals that I can’t stop gravitating towards pieces with it. While I was browsing Zaful, it instantly jumped out at me and I knew it would be perfect for brunching. I pretty much consider brunching a sport, so I always opt for flowy dresses to allot for the essentials — bottomless mimosas and homefries.

I saved this dress for a girl’s day at the Capitol Riverfront with one of my best friends and it was the perfect look for brunching then frolicking along the waterfront and petting strangers’ dogs. (We’re both completely obsessed with dogs…but we always make sure to ask the owners first before we play with them!)

I’m wearing a small in this dress and it runs a little big. I had to shorten the straps and secure them with safety pins, but I plan on actually sewing the straps because I think this piece will be on repeat in the summer months! I usually wear studs, so I’m trying to work on my earring game and feel like this earrings are a good way to ease into it because they’re subtle but still statement-making.

Shop My Look

Dress | Zaful

Earrings | Zaful

Shoes | Hushpuppies

Puppy | Wolf Trap Animal Rescue

August 1, 2017August 16, 2017

Styling For the Summer Heat

I think my spirit animal might be a 15 year old boy. I sweat so much in the summer, I’ve resorted to wearing two different types of extra strength deodorant to try and help my perspiration! I have an insanely hyperactive nose (just another clue that I was a dog in my former life) so I probably don’t really smell, but no one likes getting sweaty on the way to work and then having to sit in a freezing cold office all day long.

I’ve shared my tips for dressing for a sweaty commute in this previous post, but I’ve picked up some new tips along the way (my commute to the Metro has also increased to a mile since I wrote that last post!) and I’m sharing some advice from some of my favorite fashionistas on how they beat the heat!

Cotton is key: this lightweight top from StyleWe is insanely breathable thanks to its cotton eyelet fabric, even though it is a long sleeve piece. I’ve also shared how breathable my other top from the brand is in this post.
Getting your hair off your neck is a life-changer: I’ve recently started wearing my hair in a bun to keep it off my neck, and I swear it makes your body temperature at least five degrees cooler.
Carry a bottle of ice water with you: I know this isn’t a style tip, but I notice a huge difference when I stay hydrated on my walk, and the ice water helps bring down your body temperature

Shop My Look:

Top | StyleWe

Pants | TopShop

Mules | Hush Puppies

Now some of my favorite stay-cool tips from my fashion-forward friends!

“Go for looser cuts and styles. Avoid skin-tight clothing and clothing that will constrain your body as you move around on a hot day. In general, looser is cooler in hot weather. Stick to shapes that fall away from the body. The less fabric touching your skin, the cooler you’ll feel.” – Marisa Gonzalez of DC Style Factory for Alexandria Storybook

“It’s cooling down a bit (for now) but aside from that, offices are always chilly. I always keep a cardigan or a scarf at my desk.” – Caroline Downing of The CaroLove

“Instead of selecting a structured piece to finish your look, opt for a rayon or silk jacket that drapes. And, be sure your base layer is dressy enough to stand on its own so if you do remove that jacket outside, your look is still finished.” – Rosana Vollmerhausen of DC Style Factory

July 28, 2017August 16, 2017

A Breezy Zaful Dress For An Evening At Kyirisan

Tuesday night, my friend Roxanne and I got to experience a five course wine pairing meal at Kyrisian (with the manfriend and Husband of Glam in tow, of course) and it was so amazing I had to dedicate a post to it. If you’re unfamiliar with the restaurant, it’s an Asian-French fusion spot tucked in The Shay. The service is fantastic, the decor is fabulous, and the dishes are a truly innovative take on fusion food

The four of us unexpectedly ended up at Kyirisan last winter for dinner after a movie and we loved the restaurant so much we hadn’t stopped talking about a return trip since that night. Somehow I ended up on the Kyirisan email list and the second I received a note about a five course meal with wine pairing from Early Mountain Vineyards for $85, I instantly forwarded it to Rox—we may have been the first people to make reservations because we jumped at the chance to attend so quickly. (Disclaimer, a five course meal with five glasses of wine for that price is a HUGE steal for DC dining prices. Most pre-fixe meals in DC start around $80 without drinks.)

We all went to the restaurant straight from work and Rox and I were matching without even telling the other what we were wearing so we had to snap a twinning photo. My midi dress is from Zaful and it’s a perfect breezy piece that takes me from my sweltering commute to a freezing cold office to after work drinks. The best part? It’s only $12 and comes in four different colors! You can shop it here.

At the dinner, we were greeted with a glass of rosé and passed hors d’oeuvres while the guests settled in. One of the biggest highlights of the experience for me was that the chef was generous enough to make my dishes vegetarian, which is pretty unlikely when it comes to large tasting groups! Once we were seated, Winemaker Ben Jordan of Early Mountain Vineyards talked us through what we were about to experience, and then we ate all the things. The dishes ranged from a take on sushi with watermelon and hot mustard to a spicy gnocchi tofu topped with popcorn (my favorite!) to a homemade blondie truffle as a goodbye treat. We actually ended up getting to sample six glasses of wine and Gerald and I liked two of the bottles so much we were able to order them from the restaurant with a discount!

The dinner was one of my favorite events of the month, and the restaurant is planning on hosting more, so keep an eye out!

Shop My Look:

Dress | Zaful

Shoes | Hush Puppies

Bag | Forever21

Note: this post was not sponsored, I just really had an awesome time!