District Damsel

You know you’re obsessed with an outfit when you wear it three times in one month — this was totally one of those looks. My mom got me this suede jacket for Christmas and it’s been an awesome alternative to my standard leather moto jackets. I wore this exact outfit to an event hosted by Angelica of Angelica in the City, to a Fruition concert in Aspen, and most recently to a going away party for a friend who’s traveling abroad. 

I think the reason I like this look so much is because of its simplicity. Something about the clean lines and the way black and cognac pair together make me feel so chic. One of the things that makes this look so streamlined is because my top is actually a bodysuit! When bodysuits first came out, I thought they were so weird. I grew up wearing a leotard every day for ballet so I guess I had a natural aversion to them, but they’ve easily become one of my favorite go-to pieces (I have 5 and just got 2 new ones in the mail this week!). 

Bodysuits are extremely flattering because they eliminate any bulges you might get from tucking your shirt in and if you buy the right kind, they sort of suck you in. Plus not having to worry about constantly tucking your shirt into your skirt waistband is amazing! Since I was so inadvertent to the trend but am now obsessed with them, I wanted to share some tips with you on how to pick out and style a flattering leo. 

• Seek out high quality fabric – just like bodycon dresses, bodysuits are very form fitting so you want to look for  a thicker fabric that skims over your curves. Although they recently closed their D.C. locations, American Apparel is my go-to for leos with quality material that almost act as Spanx! 
• Cut is key – I cannot stand underwear lines, so I always look for bodysuits that either have a thong or cheeky cut. This is probably TMI, but for my leos that have a bikini cut, I just hike them up into a makeshift thong. Not as streamlined, but it does the trick!
• Look for snap closures on the bottom – I know this sounds weird, but as someone who constantly wears jumpsuits, rompers, and leos on nights out, I’ve had my fair share of awkward bathroom trips and I promise you’ll thank you me later. Snap closures make using the bathroom while wearing a bodysuit 100 times easier and you won’t even notice them while you’re wearing it 
• Wear the right undergarments – I’m getting all up in here with my TMI today, but I always ditch the underwear when wearing bodysuits. The majority of my bodysuits are cut higher on the thigh so wearing undies just adds an awkward layer of lace peeking out of the bottom, but to each their own! Wearing the right kind of bra is also very important. You’re wearing this streamlined item so keep it that way by making sure your bra straps aren’t hanging out. If I’m going braless, I use pasties, or if I want more coverage, I pull out my trusty sticky boobs (I linked my two favorite kinds of pasties and sticky boobs here.) 

Photos by Dani of Blonde In The District

When I was in kindergarten, I distinctly remember being obsessed with a navy blue velvet dress -paired with shiny Mary Janes, of course – that my mom would let me wear for special occasions. The velvet trend quickly went out of style as I traded in velour party dresses for sparkly sweaters and skirts made out of God-knows-what from Limited Too. Fast forward 20(ish) years later and who would have thought that velvet would be having such a comeback and that I’d have a modern take on my 90s party dress in my closet! 

I could really be going out on a limb here, but my rationale is that in an age where we’re constantly on our phones and looking at things in 2D on our computer screens all day, we’re starting to crave richer textures in real life, and what’s softer than velvet? I have this creepy problem where when people wear soft things I instinctively reach out to touch them (whispers to self *these are humans not dogs*) and I seriously couldn’t stop petting the sleeves on this Zaful top! 

One of my 2017 fashion resolutions (you can view the whole list here) was to mix patterns and textures more and I didn’t even realize I did it in this outfit until one of my blogger friends pointed it out in a photo. (I’m also following my resolution of mixing black and blue together!) This was totally one of those outfits that I threw together while in one of my weird moods but I love the way it turned out. I got these tights in college and they’ve been balled up in my drawer for the past four years but I think the way they added a bit of edginess to the soft velour top totally works. Adding some velvet into your wardrobe is the perfect way to start incorporating more textures into your style and it’s even better when the top is under $30! 

Shop My Look

Top | Zaful 

Skirt | ASOS (similar)

Tights | Betsey Johnson (similar)

Booties | H&M

Clutch | South Moon Under (similar)

I am a huge red wine drinker. I also drink coffee every day, so you can imagine what kind of havoc I put my teeth through! I’ve always thought about whitening my teeth, but I was unsure about what brand and treatment to use. When Smile Brilliant reached out to me to try their whitening trays, I jumped at the chance to brighten my smile.

Smile Brilliant’s whitening kit is as easy and low maintenance as it gets. To whiten your teeth, all you have to do is fill a little tray (kind of like a retainer) with their whitening gel, pop the trays in, let it sit, and you’re done! No messy strips or pens. One of the best parts is that each tray is custom fit to your teeth to ensure that every nook and cranny gets the treatment. (Learn more about why custom trays are the way to go here.) The company ships you these cute little containers filled with a putty-like substance that you mix with a base. The mixture then goes into impression trays that you insert in your mouth to make an imprint. If you ever had braces, you probably had to go through a similar molding process, but trust me this is nowhere near as icky as that! Warning, I couldn’t stop drooling and therefore laughing while I made my molds! Just have a towel nearby to clean up 😉

After you make your molds, you send them back in and within days you have your own little plastic trays that perfectly match your mouth and teeth shape. Unlike retainers, the trays are made of a soft plastic so they’re actually quite comfortable to wear. The whitening kit comes with two different types of syringes, the whitening gel and a desensitizing gel. All you have to do is line your tray with the whitening gel, making sure none of the gel overflows from the tray, and then pop the trays in for about 15-45 minutes. (You can keep them in for up to two hours but I saw great results with minimum time.) Luckily, I don’t have sensitive teeth, so I never had to use the desensitizing gel.

One thing I struggled with was following the rules. The whitening kit is so simple to use that the instructions are a little vague, so hopefully I can shed some light on the dos and don’ts.

DO: floss your teeth and brush with WATER before using the trays
DON’T: brush your teeth with toothpaste before using the gel! I accidentally did one night and then started whitening and my gums were so sore the next day. Luckily, Smile Brilliant has a live customer service chat until 12 PM CST  where you can talk with a representative about any questions you might have. She gave me some tips on how to heal my gums and they were fine in two days

DO: whiten before bed. I used mine while I was in the shower and getting my outfit ready for the next day
DON’T: freak out if you see little white spots on your teeth after removing the trays. The gel slightly dehydrates your teeth as part of the whitening process (it means it’s working!) but the dots will go away by the time you get up in the morning

DO: believe that you will see some pretty quick results! I mean, look at my before and after photos! I whitened about 12 times to achieve these results
DON’T: just take it from me. Check out this amazing transformation from beauty vlogger Dani Mansutti to get another opinion

I’ll definitely be reordering a refill of whitening gel syringes to keep up my new smile! Enter to win your own at home teeth whitening kit simply by filling out this form here: www.smilebrilliant.com/g/districtdamsel

You can also get 5% off your order with the code DISTRICTDAMSEL5. Please feel free to shoot me a DM on Instagram or an email if you want to learn more about the teeth whitening kit!

This post was sponsored by Smile Brilliant 
Teeth Whitening

Raise your hand if watching The Bachelor is one of your guilty pleasures. Glad to see I’m not alone. While I’m not as diehard of a fan as some of the gals in Bachelor Nation, I do enjoy watching the ridiculousness on Monday nights with wine in hand. Cue to when Galley Foods reached out to me to host a girl’s night with their delivery service — I immediately know that a Monday night Bachelor viewing would be the perfect backdrop. I even decided to turn it into a mini Galentines Day party, mostly because I wanted an excuse to raid the $1 bins at Target for cute decorations, but also because I already have a squad that I watch the show with so it was easy to coordinate! 

After this post, I promise I’ll stop spamming you with photos from my trip to Aspen. I wore this fun fringed cardigan from Zaful on our first day in town. It’s not something I would typically wear, but for some reason when I saw it on the Zaful site I was instantly drawn to it and had to have it! I think all of the fun details were what really attracted me to it. 

I know that lots of people say wearing leggings as pants is a no go, but the sweater hit at the perfect length in the back to pair with spandex bottoms. Coupled with my trusty snow boots and thick woolen socks, this was the perfect look for a casual day spent strolling around town. 

Obviously, I took a ton of pictures while we were out west, so I figured I’d share them in a little photo album so you can see the ones that didn’t make the cut for the gram or you might have missed on my Insta stories. If you have any questions about planning a trip to Aspen, please feel free to shoot me an email or a direct message on Instagram! 

Shop My Look:

Cardigan | Zaful

Leggings | Old Navy 

Tee | GAP

Boots | Sorel

Headband | H&M

 

So now that I’ve told you what to pack for Aspen (read the post here), I’m so excited to share what my top things to do, see, eat, and drink are in the fairytale town! I had some favorite spots I wanted to revisit from last year and definitely added some new ones to my list this trip.

If you missed my previous post, this was my second trip with the Tremblay Clan to Aspen, Colorado. The manfriend’s family has been making the hike to the Midwest for nearly 20 years so they all know the lay of the land pretty well and are all awesome skiers. I, on the other hand, have only been skiing three times in my life and I don’t think the time when I was 6 years old on the east coast really counts so I consider myself a novice skier (although I did get pretty good at the Blues on the “baby mountain” by the end of this year’s trip!) Luckily, there is plenty to do in Aspen if you’re not a skier, or are a new skier like me and want to take some time off between hitting the slopes. Shop my look below and read on for my guide to this magical winter escape! 

SHOP MY LOOK

Sweater | Rose Wholesale

Leather Pants | Rose Wholesale

STAY 

• Mountain Chalet: the manfriend’s family has been staying at this quaint, family-run hotel for decades and it’s seriously the best deal in Aspen. Located downtown, it’s not very fancy, but puts you right in the center of the shops and restaurants, offers complimentary breakfast every morning, and always has fresh-baked cookies in the lobby. Not to mention, it’s one of the most affordable lodges in the town
• LimeLight Hotel: if you’re attending Gay Ski Week, this is where you want to stay. The hotel is the event’s main headquarters and throws multiple parties throughout the week, complete with open bars and drag queens
• The St. Regis: centered directly behind the Mountain Chalet, you probably saw this red brick hotel in a lot of my photos for the trip. The St. Regis is stunning and has an awesome bar and amnesties but is probably the least affordable option for lodging 

SKI 

There are four mountains in Aspen, Snowmass, Highlands, Buttermilk, and Aspen Mountain, each offering their own unique terrains and restaurants. I’ve only ever been skiing on Buttermilk because I’m a beginner, but I’ve learned a lot about each of them over the years!

• Buttermilk – this mountain is known as one of the best mountains in the countries for beginners to learn how to ski and while I may be biased, I agree. The mountain boasts the most greens out of the four, but has plenty of blues and blacks for those of you who want a challenge. If you take a lunch break on the slopes, opt for the Mongolian Grill at The Cliff House
• Snowmass – the furtherest away from downtown Aspen, this mountain actually has an entire ski in, ski out resort on it. It’s the most family-friendly mountain and offers slopes for every level of skier 
• Highlands – I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure this is the favorite mountain of serious skiers. Fun fact – the local high school has a chair lift from the school’s property straight up to the mountain so its students can hit the slopes after class 
• Aspen Mountain – commonly called AJAX, this mountain is smack in the middle of town and where the annual Gay Ski Week race takes place. Even if you don’t ski it, the 25 minute gondola ride to the top is worth the views. They also offer sunrise yoga classes on top of the mountain! 

EAT

•  Brunelleschi’s – this restaurant has hands down some of the best pizza I’ve ever had. If you’re into thin crust pizza with tangy tomato sauce – this is your haven. The atmosphere is laid back, the food is fairly affordable compared to some of the white table cloth spots, and the service is great 
• White House Tavern – if you’re a sandwich lover, this is where you want to go. The space is super tiny (it’s a converted home) but their piled high sandwiches pack a big punch. They also have a decent salad selection and excellent fries
• HOPS Culture – I struggled whether to put this under eat or drink so know that it’s a great spot for both! From mac n’ cheese to taco salads and wings, this is gastropub fare at its finest. Wash it down with a brew from what can only be considered “a bible of craft beer” – they seriously have every type you could want 

DRINK

• Justice Snows -we loved this cocktail bar so much we went back twice! The drinks are pricey, around $16 a cocktail, but the mixologists are amazing and these were seriously some of the best drinks I’ve ever had
• AJAX Tavern – nestled at the bottom of Aspen Mountain, this is my favorite spot for Aprés Ski because you can watch everyone come down the mountain while you sip your drink of choice on their heated patio. This is also the best place to watch the gay ski week drag race, but get there early because seats fill up fast! 
• Aspen Brewing Company – walk into Aspen’s only brewery and you can instantly tell that this is where all of the locals hang out. The beer is good, dogs are allowed, and it’s fairly priced – what’s not to love?
• Escobar – I’m throwing this in here due to its insane interior because there was no one there when we were there (apparently it gets the “late night crowd”) but this underground bar is definitely worth a visit. Completely Pablo Escobar themed, the bar mimics an airplane and has all sorts of crazy neon signs and lounge areas 

DO

• Aspen Art Museum – I fell in love with this museum before I even set foot in it because its facade is beautiful. The museum is smaller inside than you would think (you can get through the whole thing in under 45 minutes) but the exhibits are modern and innovative and they have great guidebooks for each installation. Top off your trip with a glass of prosecco at their rooftop cafe
• Smuggler Mountain – the manfriend told me we were going for a walk around town and ended up making me hike up a mountain. you can imagine how thrilled I was about that. In all seriousness, the hike was beautiful but make sure you are wearing the right shoes (I was wearing my massive snow boots that give me blisters after 20 minutes) and bring water (we had none) because the altitude makes you dehydrated very quickly. Needless to say I bitched the whole way up because of these circumstances but if I’d been prepared it would have been a very lovely hike
• Belly Up – one of my favorite nights of the trip was going to see Fruition at this amazing music venue. The concert hall has hosted everyone from Calvin Harris to Nappy Roots and has an intimacy that equates to the 9:30 club. Highly recommend catching a show here — even if you aren’t familiar with the band it will still be a blast! 

I just got back from an amazing trip to Aspen with the manfriend and his family and I am so excited to tell you all about it! I’m working on putting together a guide of all the things to do, see, eat, and drink in the quaint Colorado town, but for now I’m going to give you the downlow on what to pack so you nail the ski bunny and Aspenite style.

The manfriend’s family makes an annual trip to Aspen and I got to tag along for the first time last year. As someone who had never been to a ski town, I was shocked when Gerald told me that everyone wore casual clothes after skiing and for bopping around town. I’d heard all the stories about the designer stores and fine furs that other visitors donned, so I was convinced that he was just “being a silly boy” and was wrong. A text to his mom solidified his recommendation and boy, am I glad I left the heeled boots at home that year. I had a much easier time packing for my second year, so in case you’re heading out on your own skiing trip soon, I wanted to share my packing tips with you!

• Casual is key – I lived in sweaters like this adorable lace-up one from Rose Wholesale. If you’re like me, you don’t dress down too often for going out to drinks and dinner, so I opted for sweaters with special details like these grommets and lace-up front to feel more dressed up
• No heels – the highest heel I packed were my snowboots. As someone who thrives in heels, it physically pained me to not pack at least ONE bootie. In retrospect, the sidewalks and roads are mad icy. I only packed an astounding three pairs of shoes for an eight day trip! My snowboots, UGGS, and flat OTK boots made the cut
• Leggings > pants all day – if you want to experiment with athliesure, this is the place. Almost everyone can be spotted donning leggings for aprés ski and/or dinner. I prefer to wear workout leggings under my snowpants in lieu of long underwear so it was easy to strip down to them and toss on a cute sweater or fleece over them for breakfast or drinks after the slopes
• Bring your finest furs – just kidding, kind of. Fur is HUGE in Aspen. The town draws a pretty large crowd of wealthy folks who don full length furs for their strolls around town. For obvious reasons ( $$ and veg), I don’t pack a fur coat, but I have packed my fur vests to toss over my flannels and tees for dinner

Shop My Look

Sweater | Rose Wholesale

Boots | Sorel

Jeans | TopShop

Bag | Rebecca Minkoff 

 

It’s hard to believe it, but Valentine’s Day is less than a month away! Honestly, I’m not a huge fan of the holiday, I can’t even remember what the manfriend and I did for it last year! I think we just stayed in and made pasta? There was probably definitely wine involved, too but we don’t make a big hoopla out of the day. The one thing that I do get excited about for Valentine’s Day is the possibly of getting some pretty flowers that I would never buy myself. I love roses but I always seem to buy the cheap flowers and stick to carnations, daisies, and sunflowers, so it’s always a very nice surprise when Gerald gets them for me.

Pro tip — it’s way cheaper to order Valentine’s Day flowers in advance as the price of roses gets jacked up closer to the holiday. If you’re planing on sending flowers for the holiday and are located in the NOVA area, I’d highly recommend checking out Farida Floral, a local, woman-owned flower shop. You can learn more about the boutique in one of my previous posts here. They have  stunning and unique arrangements and are offering 15% off of your orders through the end of January!

Shop My Look

(actually a former Valentine’s Day date look and what I wore for the manfriend’s and my one year anniversary…#outfitrepeater.)

Dress | Tobi

Heels | LuLu*s

Belt | Forever 21

Photography by Dave Mentzer 

This post is way overdue and I apologize for how inappropriate this look is for the season, but I’m obsessed with this outfit and considering it was 60 degrees today, it’s goin’ up. 

First, I’m going to start off by letting you know that I call this “my loin cloth dress, if you had seen me trying to shoot in it with Dave then you would completely understand why. Other than that, thanks to the high slits, this dress has some awesome movement and it’s probably one of my favorite looks that I wore in 2016. I picked this dress up from my favorite spot to shop the sale rack – Urban Outfitters in Chinatown. I rarely buy things full price from Urban Outfitters because unless an item is flying off the shelves, there’s a fair chance it will find its way into the sale rack approximately 6 weeks later. That sounds like a long time to wait, but since the store gets merchandise in ahead of season, there’s a good chance the sundress you spotted in march will be in sale in may when you can actually wear it.

Moving on. I wore this dress for our “fancy dinner night” while the manfriend and I were in Savannah (catch my recap of the trip here) and then out dancing at a country bar. Man was this dress fun to dance in! Alas with dancing in a low-cut dress, you’ve got to make sure that you’re fully covered up too because you don’t want a Janet Jackson a la the Super Bowl happening while you’re twirling (or twerking around). I’m going to let you in on a little secret about how I keep the girls in check when wearing low cut dresses — I swear by petals, more commonly known as pasties. You might feel weird buying them but they are SO easy to stick on, you don’t have to deal with double sided tape, and you can dance the night away without worrying about a nip slip. I order mine off Amazon or pick them up at Target or Bed Bath and Beyond. Happy dancing the night away, my friends!

Shop My Look

Dress | Urban Outfitters (similar)

Jacket | H & M (similar)

Shoes | Steve Madden