Outfits

One Last Summer Look

Saying goodbye to summer with my staples
Filed Under > #OOTD (Outfit of the Day)

Roller Rabbit Tunic & Tassel BagRoller Rabbit Tunic & Tassel BagRoller Rabbit Tunic & Tassel BagRoller Rabbit Tunic & Tassel BagRoller Rabbit Tunic & Tassel Bag Roller Rabbit Tunic & Tassel Bag Roller Rabbit Tunic & Tassel BagRoller Rabbit Tunic & Tassel Bag Roller Rabbit Tunic & Tassel Bag

If there’s anyone who’s ready to say goodbye to summer, trust me, it’s me. Don’t get me wrong, I like summer.  Like being the operative word. I’m just not good with the extreme Southern heat, I never have been.  So unlike many of you who want to stretch summer days out indefinitely, I’m ready to embrace all things fall.

But before I pull out the chunky knits, jewel tone suedes, and all things faux fur I figured I’d embrace one more outfit post with a few of my everyday staples.  Some of the pieces are summer to the core, and a few are more everyday pieces like my grey jeans because my white jeans were already packed away.

Almost all of these clothing pieces in today’s post are older or re-buys.  Older meaning they’ve lasted and I’ve been able to wear them season after season. Re-buys meaning I buy the same type of piece or brand each season in a different print or pattern. And the good thing about talking about these favorites of mine now is you can score many of them on sale! Win, win.

The older staples: my Madewell high waisted jeans, my Balenciaga wedges (going on 4 summers now), and my Celine sunnies

I’ve tried a lot of jeans in my life, but Madewell jeans seem to be the winner.  They’re comfortable, they last forever, and the price point won’t break the bank.  I’m wearing the black high rise here, but I also have these ones and these ones.

My Balenciaga wedges are probably the most comfortable shoes I own, but sadly they don’t make them anymore.  When they discontinued this particular style I bought 2 additional pairs because I love them that much.  But they’ve held up so well, I haven’t even had to wear the backups yet. I did link a few similar styles below, I’m particularly fond of these ones.  

And then rounding out my older staple pieces would have to be my Celine sunnies.  I typically have issues with sunglasses because while it may not look it I actually have a very small head meaning so many sunglasses end up being too big.  And if you’ve ever had a pair of sunglasses stretch out on you then you’ll understand when I say there is nothing more annoying than sunglasses that fall of your head.  Celines and Karen Walkers fit my head perfectly, they last forever and are definitely worth the price point.  I’ve had these Celine’s for almost 3 years now and my Karen Walkers for almost six!

For my re-buys: my Roller Rabbit tunic, Colores Collective tassel bag, and some fun, inexpensive summer earrings and bracelets to add to my collection.

I buy numerous Roller Rabbit pieces each summer because I love their detailing and cotton or gauzy material.  This one is actually a dress that I often wear as an actual dress, but here I tucked it up into my bra to make it a tunic.  Innovative I know.  If you’re a Roller Rabbit fan like I am there are plenty of Roller Rabbit pieces on sale HERERoller Rabbit does tend to run a bit big, but that’s how you want it to fit so keep that in mind when ordering.

Lastly, each season I always like to add inexpensive and fun accessories to the mix. This summer I was all about straw totes like the one here from Colores Collective, and bright light earrings like these and these.  I love that because they’re not an investment I’m not worried if they’ll hold up or I’ll lose them when traveling.

So that’s it. My last post filled with summer vibes.  Thank God.  Bring on the fall my Friends! Truly, MKR

 

Photography Brittany Leigh

Back to Blogging

What 3 months "off" and a Hallmark Movie taught me
Filed Under > Let's Talk

I’ve been sitting here staring at the computer cursor blink for going on two hours now.  Is it possible to have so much to say and so little at the same time? 

To catch everyone up, this past May I made the decision to take the summer off of blogging.  I was over-committed with the other areas of my life and creatively burnt out.  The months leading up to my break all I kept thinking was; “Did I even want to blog anymore?” In a world where it seems that everyone has become a blogger is there anything left to say? “Do I have anything left to say?” And apparently, since I’ve been staring at this blank page for the past two hours, maybe I don’t have the answer I was so sure I had a short time ago.

When I pressed pause in May I felt a huge wave of relief rush over me. By saying no to photo shoots, contracted partnerships, and having to write and create “fresh” editorial content three-plus days a week I would have time for all those areas in my life that had taken a back seat to WOM. 

I would go to bed at a decent hour. I would re-focus on my health. I would meditate. I would get back into my yoga practice. I would take late night strolls with my husband, barefoot in the grass while fireflies romantically buzzed about. Okay, maybe that last one was a stretch, but you get the point. I would finally have the time to re-focus on what’s really important.

So did I regain my focus? No, but I did gain some clarity. 

May, and I’d say even early June was complete bliss. I didn’t miss blogging at all. My head felt clear. My days seemed manageable. And I had even read an entire book, Emily Giffin’s “All We Ever Wanted,” it was GREAT, read it! But by mid-June somehow my calendar had filled up again. 

I signed five new contracted social media partnerships, moved our entire WOM operations to a new space, opened a summer WOMH Outlet (WOM downstairs), hired two new full-time employees, decided to re-brand and re-launch all of our websites, and began the first steps to start two new businesses. That was June.

Then sometime after the fireworks of the Fourth, I sat up late one night crying to my husband that I didn’t understand why I had NO time! And there deep in my wine-fueled waterworks I realized it; the problem doesn’t lie in the Blog, the problem lies with me. 

Sure I’ve always known that I’m not great at balance. That I’m either going full throttle or basically dead-to-the-world-in-bed.  However there was a big difference in always knowing something, and actually seeing that something in action.

But regardless, that way of doing life has always in my opinion been a secret to my success. It’s allowed me to say yes to a plethora of opportunities. It’s allowed me to juggle a lot of different things at once. And it’s allowed me to persevere when many would have folded. 

Which brought me to the question that filled up my entire month of July; if that all-or-nothing, do-do-do mentality has played such a large part in what I’ve built then is it really a problem?

Sure, I needed to set boundaries, and really give this balance thing another shot, but was it really a problem-problem? And just as quickly as I had tried to talk my way around that thought I remembered a quote from one of my favorite authors Shauna Niequist. “The very thing that makes you YOU, that makes you great is also the thing that left unchecked will ruin you.”

I remember the first time I heard those words. I re-read them over and over again. “The very thing that makes you YOU, that makes you great is also the thing that left unchecked will ruin you.”  It was a true Oprah “ah-ha” moment.  Of course, taking time off from blogging didn’t give me more time, because I filled that time with new opportunities, new projects, new commitments.  My desire to build what’s next was rearing it’s ugly unchecked head in all its glory. I mean do you know how many yoga classes I had taken by this point? If you guessed zero you’d be right.

So as August approached and my lightbulb moment still shining, I had finally figured out that the Blog wasn’t the reason for my lack of time. Which left me at a bit of a crossroads. If I was truly going to work towards getting a handle on my time management and try to find some sort of balance in my life then I will have to say no to some things.  Would that be the Blog? Do I love it enough to make it a part of my finite daily time? I didn’t have an answer.  Luckily a Hallmark movie did.

But before we get to that, let me tell you about August. August was a turning of the tide. I could feel a desire to start creating again slowly creep its way in. I got back in the kitchen testing recipes. Magazine articles, fabrics, and images got pinned to a new inspiration board. I started slowly sharing on Instagram Stories my latest tips, tricks, and finds. But I still didn’t know if I wanted to translate that all back to a daily Blog.  And then my answer came how one always hopes any answer comes; in the form of a two-hour romantic made for TV movie on Hallmark.  

It was your typical Hallmark romance storyline. Girl moves back to hometown after a failed marriage. Boy, she loved in high school re-enters the picture. Boy and girl rediscover the love they always knew they had and live happily ever after.  In this particular scenario Boy was a big New York City Chef success story (think Bobby Flay-esq). Boy had just inked his third best selling book deal and was about to sign on to his very own reality show. (Stay with me, I promise I’m making a point). He thought he had it all, but after spending a few weeks in his small Texas hometown, cooking in the restaurant he grew up in, and rediscovering the love he thought he lost he realized he was still missing something. So when the time came to hop back on that jet to NYC he looked at his agent and said something along the lines of; “I miss actually being creative; cooking and being in the restaurant. All I am any more is a brand. I sign checks, I manage restaurants, I make appearances, but I miss creating.”

I, like the Boy, missed creating. 

WOM is growing, and I feel like my days are filled more and more with the management of people, analysis of numbers, plotting, planning, and next steps and less and less with why I started WOM in the first place.  To create, to find, to share, and most importantly to hopefully inspire. 

I know that inevitably as WOM continues to grow I won’t be able to be in the day to day creativity trenches. And that’s okay.  That’s a natural part of growth. But that day is not today.

So will I be blogging every day…no. Will I ever figure this balance thing out…maybe. Did I ever get to that yoga class…yes. Two of them actually. Let’s hear it for baby steps. I’m glad to be back friends! Truly, MKR

P.S. Since I’m back to sharing, I’d be amiss to not mention that this Dodo Bar Or Miranda dress is on MAJOR sale right now. Major!
 


 

Photography: Brittany Leigh Photography

Officially OOO (Out Of Office)

Dressing for the Holiday weekend with Hampden
Filed Under > #OOTD (Outfit of the Day)

Long holiday weekends have always been my favorite kind of weekends.  I’m sure I’m not alone in this. But unlike many, I rarely spend holiday weekends out of town. Instead, I opt for the quiet of the city while everyone is opting for the busyness of the beach.

So what do I do then when a four day weekend arrives?  A whole lot of nothing and everything at the same time.  I don’t really make plans, I just let the wind blow me where it will.  Usually the “wind” ends up blowing me towards a combination of eating, shopping, leisurely strolling, and some sort of home reno project.  

Which means whatever I’m wearing this weekend it has to be comfortable and ready for anything.  For me that means some sort of tennis shoe, shorts, and a cute tee or sweatshirt. All which I recently snagged at one of my favorite boutiques, Hampden Clothing.

If you’ve never heard of Hampden let me just change your shopping life now.  Hampden, a 4,000 square foot speciality clothing and accessories boutiques, resides on historic King Street in Charleston, South Carolina.  Owned by the lovely Stacy Smallwood who has the best eye for up-and-coming, as well as established designers. 

I’m a huge fan of Hampden because I can find truly unique pieces and my favorite staples all in one place. Stacy introduced me to my favorite shoe brand ever, Golden Goose, and all the pieces I’ve gotten from her are some of my most favorite and most unique. Plus I love supporting another small, female run business owner.  Just follow along on Hampden’s Instagram and you’ll quickly see what I mean about Hampden’s selection and Stacy’s passion.  

Today’s outfit is a perfect case study in what I just said.  The Holiday sweatshirt is a new-to-me brand that I’ve quickly fallen in love with.  Also available in pink and t-shirt form, I’ll be wearing Holiday well past the holiday weekend. 

My beyond comfortable shoes are Loeffler Randall, a classic closet staple brand for me. And psst….they’re on sale right now!

Then there’s of course the best part of this outfit; my Stella McCartney shorts. Yes they are a splurge, but so worth it.  These shorts will never go out of style, plus they can easily be styled with heels and a silky blouse or off the shoulder top for a night out, or worn everyday as shown here. 

Lastly, pair all of this with my Truss bag, which is also on sale, and you’ve got a complete ensemble you can wear together or pull apart. An ensemble you’ll likely see me in all weekend long! Happy Memorial Day friends!  Truly, MKR

P.S. Make sure you’re signed up for Hampden’s newsletter so you can see all of my favorite Hampden pieces.

 


 

Photography, Kathryn McCrary

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