Making a Statement in a Summer Staple

Hey guys, I'm back this week and I'm talking about a summer staple with a bit of a unique spin.  That summer wardrobe staple is none other than LINEN!!!

Linen is a lightweight fabric that undeniably coincides with summer months and it's volcanic temperatures.  Linen is designed to keep us cool.  It usually comes in classic styles and shapes and is a bit understated design wise.  You can also bet on linen items being in a more muted or neutral color palette such as whites, beige or khaki.

I found this beautiful bold, vertical striped grey and teal linen beauty at a Goodwill thrift store several years ago.  The dress really stood out because it was reminiscent of the old vintage house dresses my great grandma would wear.  I can literally see her stomping around the house going from room to room with the remote control or some other random object in those large front pockets of this dress.

outfit deets - dress: thrifted (here)(here); shoes: Forever 21 (here)(here); necklace: (here)(here)

Aside from the nostalgia associated with this dress, I knew that that alone wouldn't be enough to justify this purchase.  My goal is always to imagine several ways to wear an item, but if it's thrifted or vintage, I have to create ways to modernize it.  Figure out how to make the something old, a something new.  Check out this dress worn on the blog a few years back (here).

I paired my linen dress with these chic little white mules that I recently scored at Forever 21.  Mules in any color or style are a go for me, but it's so funny because I haven't always had an affinity for them.  I actually hated them a few years ago, on the brink of their comeback.  Now onto my necklace.  I coveted it for months, and waited for it to go on sale, then finally I got it.  It's so cool, and such a conversation piece.

Campaign Trail Obama - Hernado, MS

This post has been a long time coming guys, and here we are.  Thanks for popping back around to see if I've kept my promise of revving up the content...I do what I can. 

My photographer and I decided to venture outside of the city a few miles south to Hernando to have lunch, and perhaps get a few outfit shots.  Smaller towns have so much character and little hidden gems that tend to get overlooked when we are just driving through them to get to our destinations.  Hernando has the absolute cutest little city center, and during the summer months they have the best farmer's market right on the lawns of their city hall.  However, on this particular day we used this little northern Mississippi town as my backdrop. 

Now let's get into my outfit - I call this my Obama campaign look.  The linen shirt with the rolled sleeve is reminiscent of a relaxed businessman.  I actually recall seeing photos of Obama with a similar style shirt looking very relaxed during his campaigning or "off-duty" moments.  My current day to day personal style is very relaxed with a dash of conservatism.  However, I challenge myself to try out trends, and really see what's new on the high street.  This lead me to pick up this cute little flirty gingham skirt, and my sandals.  The skirt was purchased during the H&M sales last year, and I bought the sandals a few weeks ago from F21. 

outfit details:  shirt: H&M (here)(here); skirt: H&M (here)(here); sandals: F21 (here)(here); earrings: gifted (here)(here)

The story behind the sandals is that I actually saw another influencer on Instagram sporting these awesomely chic shoes.  When I double tapped the picture, and saw that Forever 21 had been tagged I figured she had made some sort of mistake.  So I messaged her to inquire, and to my delight these sandals were indeed F21, and priced at about $30.  This deal was especially sweet because they are such a close replica to the Celine SS16 ring toe lace up sandals.

Photography by ControlFreeConcept

Fashion in Memphis - MFW 2018

Fashion and style are elements that transcend race, ethnicities, gender and socioeconomic status.  Every major metropolis and fashion capital holds a fashion week were the designs of local talent are celebrated on the runways.  Across the globe, both men and women from all walks of life come together to revel in their appreciation for fashion and style.  Memphians aren’t a group to fall too far behind the curve, so of course we have our very own fashion week.

Fashion Lives Here

Memphis Fashion Week 2018

Here in Memphis, a group of young influential women formed the Memphis Fashion Design Network.  This group sponsors an annual celebration of all things fashion cultivated from right here in the MidSouth.  Memphis Fashion Week is about week long array of events ranging from fabulous galas to runway shows of our local emerging talent.

I had the pleasure of attending both nights of the runway shows.  The opening night was a larger scale night of shows which included talents from across the nation as well as one or two designers from Mid-South.  The setting was Elvis Presley’s Automotive Hall of Fame, so imagine beautiful models, long runways with vintage cars as the backdrop.  The evening was quite breathtaking.  Freeze models adorning pieces from local boutiques and stores greeted guest, and spirits and hor d'oeurves.  The night’s designers showed their collections, and it was to everyone’s delight that Rachel Roy closed out the show.  Not only is she a celebrity, she is a well respected designers hailing from NYC, and philanthropist.  Her spring/summer collections include vibrant colors and eye catching florals.  Everything was so on trend, with a touch of sophistication and Old Hollywood Glam.  And to top the night off, I got to go backstage and grab a “very dark and blurry” photo with the beautiful honoree.

Night 2 of runway shows were held in vestibule of Memphis College of Art.  The event was buzzing with fashionistas from around the city, and a ton of family and friends of designers, as this was “homegrown” night.  As mentioned earlier, emerging talent from right here in Memphis presented their mini collections to a sold out crowd.

Photos are courtesy of Control Free Concept