Winter Weather Essentials #1 & A Challenge

Happy New Year everyone!!!! I truly hope that your 2016 has started off amazingly and that you reach each goal you've set for yourself this year!!! As you probably guessed, one of my goals is to become and REMAIN present on my blog. I've been spending my first few weeks of the new year doing some soul searching and taking some tough love from my honey. In these past weeks I've realized one important thing.....I've been lazy. That was a tough pill to swallow, but it was one that needed to be taken. I read one of those infamous post on Instagram that are often times cliche, but every now and again actually resonate with me and I wanted to share it with you. The post said that we spend all day working hard at our 9 to 5's, well in my case 7-4, for someone else.We then come home and neglect to work on our own dreams. Wow! It was as if that message said " Holly, we are talking about you!". I ask you, are you also guilty of this? Do you work hard all day for someone else and come home and neglect to work hard for yourself? If so, I challenge you. I challenge you to put in as much, if not more, work for yourself as you do for you bosses, supervisors, students, clients, and patients. Take time to chase your dreams and goals this year. Be a little selfish this year. We all deserve to have and chase our own dream. Despite our age or how "busy" we swear we are.....if you don't do it for you, who will???

         

As is says in the title, this weeks post is the start of my "Winter Weather Essentials" series or for the sake of time, "WWE". This Winter season has come full force here in NC and I was more than thrilled that I was proactive in the Fall and started purchasing some essential pieces. Yes, being fashionable can sometimes come with a price, but I refuse to let that price be my warmth!

                                         

 It is often assumed that it is difficult to remain stylish and warm simultaneously, but as always, I am here to debunk that myth. Stylish and warm can be achieved at the same time and that is the premise of my "WWE" series. The way to achieve both warmth and style is to choose a fashionable layering piece. In this outfit, I opted for a long-line trench/pea-coat. The coat is one of the warmest coats I own, but yet remains stylish. It can be thrown over the shoulder or worn regularly and either way, you will be nice and toasty. 

I paired this coat with a soft gray turtle neck, forest green riding pants, and some gray ankle booties. This look was not only warm, but extremely comfortable. The strechyness of the riding pant and the chunky heel booties worked in my favor for this look. Effortlessly chic is always my aim with outfits and being comfortable is an added bonus!

          Outfit Details:

      Riding Pants- Target

      Gray Turtleneck- K-Mart

    Gray Booties- Target

       Pea-coat- H&M

                

Thank you for taking this time out of your day to let little ol' me give me insight and hopefully inspiration. Everyone has their own amazing style, so take ideas from me and make them into your own fashion statement. I will be back with you next week for the 2nd installment of "WWE", so until then....Work on Your Dreams!!!!  

<3 xoxo,

holly jae

                                                                       

DENIM & SUEDE

Hi loves! Today I'm featuring an outfit that I wore for a concert this weekend. I decided to tryout the suede trend with this denim on denim look. I hope you enjoy and are able to get some inspiration from this outfit and get ideas of ways to wear this Fall essentials.

Suede is definitely one of the more challenging trends to work with in my opinion because it can quickly turn into a Pocahontas, just around the riverbed  look. Being that this is such an eye catching texture, I opted for a simple and clean base and used the suede pieces as accents for the look.

Since I was attending a hip hop concert, I knew that I wanted to be fashionable and comfortable at the same time- this denim on denim look achieved just that.

Outfit Details

Denim Shirt- Target

Ripped Knee Jeans- Forever21

Faux Suede Waterfall Vest- Ross 

Faux Suede Pumps- Forever21

Clutch- CitiTrends

Hermes Belt- Gifted
Lippie- MAC Instigator 

I had an amazing time at the concert and felt chic and stylish in this denim and suede outfit. Finding ways to incorporate current trends is one of my favorite things to do when is comes to fashion. Even though trends are found in abundance in just about every store, you can still make them your own by remaining true to your own personal style! 

<3 xoxo,

holly jae

Work Day Chronicles

Well hello there! I hope ya'll are having an amazing and productive week so far. While my week has been very productive it has also been quite hectic. I absolutely love my job and the amazing families I am able to work with, but I would be lying to you and myself if I said it did not become stressful at times. Being a social worker has its perks, I mean I got in this field because I am able to build one-on-one relationships with people, but with those relationships comes some heartache, sadness, and frustration. The frustration comes from wanting to do more for them when I only have 8 hours in a day to do anything. I always want to give my all and for my clients to know I care, but I am learning that I can only do so much and I am starting to accept that. Believe you me, that is not an easy pill to swallow, but it is one that I have to take if I want to avoid burning myself out. 

I think this realization is one that every one needs to have and not only in the context of working. We are only one person and though we want the best for everyone and want to help as much as we can, we must keep in mind that we are just ONE PERSON. I know Big Sean says, "One man can change the world." and I absolutely believe that, but I know that one person also knew how to pace themselves and did a hell-of-a lot of self care! 

So, of course the fashionista in me has found self care in waking up a little bit earlier each day to get stylish for work. I can attest to the notion that looking good makes you feel good. I already told ya'll that Fall is my favorite season and one the main reasons is because of the beautiful colors! I am in love with these deep purple, draw string cargo pants and was so excited I could bust them out! 

Outfit Details:

*Snake Print Chiffon Top- K-mart

*Drawstring Cargo Pants- Old Nay

*Booties- Forever21

*Purse- Michael Kors

I decided to pair it with a snake print, long sleeve chiffon top which added a bit of interest. As I talked about before, prints can easily get tacky, so you must style them carefully. The deep color of the pants complimented the print well and allowed the shirt to be the point of interest. I kept the look simple with black booties and gold accessories. 

So loves, remember to pace yourself, take care of yourself, and never sweat the small stuff. Life is too short to stress about things we can't change- and we need our energy for the things we can!

<3 xoxo,
Holly Jae 

Edgy & Chic

Hello my loves! Today's post is a look that I wore on a date night with my husband. With the Fall starting to show its beautiful self, I took complete advantage. The reason Fall is my absolute favorite season is because it is still warm enough to pull of your Summer pieces, but cool enough to introduce those Fall pieces too.

Don't be so quick to pack away those Summer time pieces you loved; instead, layer up the look with jackets, cardigans, boots, and scarves to make them Fall appropriate.

 The nude/neutral trend for this Fall is also something I am currently loving. Neutral tones make pieces look even more chic and they allow you the opportunity to make your look standout without  being overwhelming. 

This double slit, taupe colored midi dress was a hidden gem I found on one of my most recent shopping adventures. I knew right away that I wanted to preserve the simplicity of it, which is why I decided to pair it with black to allow it to remain the focal point. 


I feel that this look subtly complimented my curves and gave an effortless and sexy look. Bringing in the leather jacket edged up the outfit a bit and most importantly, kept me warm on this cooler night!

Outfit Details:

Taupe Dress- H&M
Leather Jacket- Ross
Booties- Kohls
Clutch- Forever21

<3 xoxo,

Holly jae

Leather & Rips

As promised....I have returned. My husband and I decided to do an impromptu mini-moon the weekend after our wedding. We decided to go to a boxing match and had an amazing time. I am one that believes when you have nothing to wear....wear black! This look gave me the edgy feeling that I think was appropriate for the event. These type of outfits look put together without having to give it too much thought.

My obsession with leopard print has yet to subside and I must be honest, I love what a pop of print does for an otherwise simple look. I paired my pointed toe heels with a pair of black ripped jeans,a black distressed v-neck, and black, leather detailed blazer. I completed the look with a black "money" clutch.  

Details

Ripped Jeans: Forever21

Distressed V-Neck: Forvere21

Leopard Print Heels: Nine West

Leather Detailed Blazer: TJ Maxx

Money Bag: Forever21 

I'm noticing that my style is becoming a lot more simple and to the point, which I am liking. I received a number of compliments about this look and had to chuckle to myself because of how easy and effortless it really was. 

LESS is sometimes BEST! 

<3 xoxo,

Holly Jae

Boyfriends & V-Necks

In the words of the infamous Queen Bee..." I been gone for a minute, now I'm back with the jumpoff!".

Saying it has been a while would be a complete and utter understatement. One year away and I am now ready to hold myself accountable with no excuses of explanations. Quite frankly...I've been slacking and life has been picking up. Between graduate school, graduating from graduate school, planning a wedding, getting married, and starting a new job....I've been all over the place. 

With all that being said, I'm back and ready to produce! Productivity is the name of the game and I am here to win!!! (corny or nah??) I thought I'd come back with a laid back look because when it comes to this blog thing,  all I've been doing is laying back apparently. 

Boyfriend jeans were my go to this Summer and with the right v-neck, you can't go wrong. The whole point of this look was to look and feel relaxed while still bringing a sense of style to it. The distressing on the jeans helped to edge the look up a bit and the metallic gold slides added a bit of interest.

 I'm a girl who loves my heels and skinny jeans, but every once in a while it is nice to feel as comfortable as my husband does!

I decided to keep it simple with my accessories and opted for a beige rope necklace with gold details, a few gold bracelets, and a gold watch.

Details:

V-Neck: New York & Company

Boyfriend Jeans: Forever XXI

Slip-ins: Target

I plan to post at least twice a week and I want you all to hold me to that! Life has started to mellow out and its about time I get back to what I love. Thanks for ridin with me, babes! 

<3 xoxo,

Holly Jae

Blue Suede Shoes

Date night looks are one of my favorites. Being able to incorporate sexiness into your look while still looking classy can be a bit tricky though.

My fiancé and I decided to hit up a hookah bar this past weekend which gave me the perfect excuse to get a little sassy! It was cold at night, so I still had to be realistic with my outfit. I pulled out my leather and chiffon mini length skirt and made that my base. I had previously purchased these Kimchi Blue booties that I knew I had to pull out for a night on the town. 

The booties are a faux velvet material in a beautiful navy blue color. The pop of color added interest to my black and white look. I also had to perfect pair of orange and blue earrings to accent the booties. 

 A black and white Paris long sleeve tee and a gold detailed belt completed this look. I was comfortable throughout the night and felt very confident knowing that I was "sexy" without doing too much!

            Outfit Details:

Paris Tee: Rugged Wearhouse

Leather/Chiffon Peek-a-boo Skirt: Target

Booties: Kimchi Blue

Gold Plate Belt: Asos

Earrings: Rugger Wearhouse

I hope that this look gave you ladies some ideas on how to keep it sexy, chic, and classy on those winter date nights! Thanks so much for tuning in and I'll talk to you guys soon!!!!

XOXO,

-Holly