I had never met someone who loves weddings more than I do until I met Marissa.
When Marissa and I met, we instantly bonded over business, Instagram aesthetics, and yep, WEDDINGS. Marissa has offered so much advice to me as I plan my destination wedding, and she helps her clients live out the weddings of their dreams. Seriously, she is so talented at bringing a creative vision to life.
I had to bring Marissa on the podcast to share her insight on wedding planning, tips, trends, and valuable advice on being a wedding planner.
Over the years, my style has become balanced. What do I mean? A little edgy and a little feminine. It used to be 100% feminine, and the look started to seem stale and overdone. I would wear outfits that were all pink, ruffles, bows, you get it. No more. Adding juxtapositions to your outfits just adds interest and it looks a whole lot more effortless. And natural.
This ‘style’ has brought me to LOVE the athleisure trend because there is so much masculinity to the trend, but you can totally put your own spin on it with colors and accessories.
So, what is athleisure? The formal definition of athleisure goes something like this: Athletic apparel or casual, comfortable clothing that’s suitable for both exercise and everyday wear.
When I think of athleisure, I think of the Kardashians — I think they made this ‘trend’ happen when they were photographed leaving the gym wearing cute Nikes, leggings, and a flannel tied around their waist.
From there it made its way to Pinterest and the rest is history. Athleisure has evolved into such a popular style because it can be chic, easy, and affordable. And you don’t have to be working out in order to wear these clothes!
My favorite way to wear this ‘trend’ is to wear a ‘normal’ outfit and pair it with one or two athletic pieces. This instantly dresses down your look and gives BALANCE. Some examples of this include: pairing a T-shirt and a denim jacket with athletic pants, or a dress paired with sneakers.
My best tips for styling athleisure looks:
Color coordinate: The #1 easiest way to do this is by dressing monochromatically. Meaning: wear the same color from head to toe. This doesn’t have to mean exactly the same shade. It can be different hues of one color, like hot pink, some blush, and a little nude. Another way to color coordinate is to wear a neutral and add a pop of color.
Wear flattering clothes: This one is HUGE. Stay away from all baggy, ill-fitting pieces because you will look like a hot mess. This look should look effortless, but put some thought into what fits your body well. If you’re wearing leggings, maybe pair them with a boyfriend style denim jacket.
Ok, so here is a list to get started. Think your athleisure starter pack:
This post has been a long time in the making because I am DENIM OBSESSED.
It’s just so easy to throw on a pair of jeans – you will find me in jeans just about everyday.
If you’re like me, you have to have the ‘right’ fit and style. It’s so important to feel comfortable too.
Here’s the thing about denim: it’s not such a trendy item, so if you do splurge a bit, it’s not a big deal. I personally splurge on denim over any other kind of clothing in my closet. And when I say splurge, I never spend over $200 on denim. Everything I’m showing here is $100 or under.
ANYWAY. Good denim can be so hard to find. Does it make your butt look good? How is the material? Is there any stretch? Will it stretch out too much? Is it high waisted?
These are all questions that I ask myself as I shop for jeans. I have come to realize that high waisted denim is so much more flattering than any other height on me. It sucks everything in, ya know?
Rounding up the best pairs of jeans to have in your closet:
We all know that the best way to plan ahead with what to wear is to pick out your outfit the night before. Check the forecast, choose your outfit, accessories, and shoes so they’re all ready to go. Anything to make things EASY, right?
But it doesn’t always go that way, at least not for me.
When I don’t have time to put an outfit together in advance, I usually always go for the same STAPLE outfit.
GO-TO Outfit Whenever I’m Pressed For TIME:
The top: I love rocker tee’s because they add personality to your outfit while still being very easy to wear. You can find rocker tee’s at so many places, like Forever 21, Urban Outfitter’s, Revolve, and ShopBop. This one is my favorite, from Revolve.
The jewelry: Coco Chanel once said, “before leaving the house, a lady should look in the mirror and remove one accessory.” Great advice if you’re one to pile on the jewels. Side note: I used to! Right now I love to wear dainty yet edgy accessories and I stick to only a few. They add an extra punch to your look without taking over your outfit. My favorite pieces are from Miranda Frye.
The jeans: I am a total jeans girl. I live in them. Fun story about these jeans: back when the Rachel Zoe project was on TV, I became obsessed with flares. I bought this pair from JBrand — same pair that Rachel always wore, and wore them to death. A couple of years later, I lost some weight, had them taken in, and I didn’t fit into them again until recently. Score! I am really loving flares again because they’re just so fun, and they are super flattering if worn right. Make sure that they’re not too long (not dragging on the ground) and not too short.
Thejacket: A black faux leather jacket will always be a staple for me. Love this biker jacket from BlankNYC.
Have you seen someone wearing layered dainty jewelry and it just looks so effortless?
I am all about that look, and have learned that dainty jewelry can complete any look, but it has to be done well.
My best tips for necklace layering:
♡ Make sure each of your necklaces is a different length. This is probably the most important tip because major overlap just starts to look messy.
♡ Consider the neck line of your top or dress. Personally, I like to wear layered necklaces with V-neck tops best because that neckline serves as a kind of frame for the necklaces.
♡ Mix and match metals. I’m a total gold girl, but love mixing gold and rose gold. Mixing silver and gold or silver and rose gold etc. looks more unique and effortless.
♡ Add a personal touch. This could be an engraved bar necklace, a pendant with your zodiac sign, a name necklace, or another personalized necklace. The longest gold necklace I’m wearing here was my Grandpa’s favorite necklace and the zodiac necklace makes the whole look a little more personalized.
