What's In My: Carry On

I recently went to Dallas, Tx. for a wedding (thanks again to Kate for all the recommendations!) and since I always love reading "what's in my bag" posts, I thought I would share my own! There is a lot of stuff here, so I am just going to go over the basics.

Louis Vuitton Never Full MM: my mom let me borrow this, which was so sweet of her! I wanted something big to hold everything, but I could also wear as a regular purse if I didn't want to take a cross-body.

Jewelry Bag: When it comes to traveling, I like to get through security and to my gate as fast as possible. In order to cut down on the time, I have developed a few hacks along the way. I always wait until I am sitting at the gate or on the plane to put on the jewelry I want to wear. I hate having to rush by taking it off or having to go through the metal detector again because I left something on. This way, I don't have to worry about it!

Wallet: Yep...no surprise there! I usually take my ID out and hold onto it until I am through security. This one is old from the Kate Spade outlet. But I am loving this one!

Tech Accessories: I always bring my charger with me and a pair of headphones. I also recently got this phone case and I am obsessed! I love my gold iPhone, and I love how this protects it while still showing it off.

Socks: A. if I go through security with sandals on, there is nooo way I am putting my bare feet on the floor. B. if you are like me and get super cold on airplanes, socks definitely come in handy! They're a no brainer for me.

Makeup case: I bring this along for makeup and other small odds-and-ends like a mirror, my inhaler (lol), this amazing bottle of my go-to perfume so I don't have to worry about a bottle breaking in my purse, deodorant (for obvious reasons), and mints. The ones I get are the Starbucks "after-coffee" mints and they are so tiny, powerful, and effective...I swear by them!

Scarf: I always bring a big scarf or a chunky sweater (pending on where I am traveling to) so I can wrap it around me on the plane. I love this one!

What do you bring with you in your carry-on? What travel hacks have you discovered? I would love to know!

xoxo, 

Lauren

Black Jumpsuit

Jumpsuit (old, almost identical here, here) | GiGi New York clutch | Tory Burch earrings | Jack Rogers 

When my mom threw this jumpsuit over the dressing room door at South Moon Under, I gave her a big fat "NO." But...mom's always know best...don't they?

A lot of my favorite pieces end up in my closet by going a little something like this: my mom suggesting a piece, I say I can't pull it off, she tells me to "humor her" and try it on, I end up loving it...you get the gist. I had never even tried on a jumpsuit (or a romper, for that matter) before trying this on and I could not get over how COMFY it was. I would be lying if I said I didn't strategically wear this to my birthday dinner back in June (because this girl can pack in the Mexican food). The waistband is so stretchy and comfortable...so I should probably wear it on Thanksgiving, too.

I wore this jumpsuit again this past week for dinner/drinks with a dear friend. Her and I were going to a pretty casual bar, but I still wanted to look put together. So, to dress down my look, I kept it simple by pairing it with gold dangle earrings (Mom, I promise I'll give them back before I go back to school), my gold class ring, a bright clutch and tried-and-true Jack Rogers navajos.

 Has your mother ever influenced your style? I hope you are having a great start to the week!

xoxo,

Lauren

Blue + White

Lou & Grey sweater (similar, similar) | J.Crew skirt | Tory Burch cross-body (similar, similar)

Pastel blue is one of my favorite colors. This light hue always reminds me of hydrangeas for some reason...fine by me! I wore this outfit while on Martha's Vineyard over 2 months ago but forgot to take pictures of it, so here it is now making its internet debut.

The sweater I'm wearing is by Lou & Grey, which you can find at your local Ann Taylor Loft! Although this particular sweater has since sold out, I would definitely recommend checking out their line. Everything is SO COMFY.

I received this gorgeous Tory Burch cross-body for my birthday this past June and I just cannot get over how feminine and girly and me it is! I have never owned a patterned or printed handbag before, so I was worried that I wouldn't have enough to wear it with but ohhh boy was I wrong! I have worn this puppy with just about every shade of the rainbow. Talk about versatility.

And I can't forget to mention the J.Crew fluted skirt I'm wearing! Yes, many-a-blogger has styled this skirt and for a great reason...it is so flattering on!

I am also extremely excited to announce that I will be a LIKEtoKNOW.it Campus Influencer this fall! I might have cried a little when I read the email (happy tears, of course!) I cannot wait to share more about this exciting opportunity :)

xoxo,

Lauren

Embroidered Shift

Ann Taylor embroidered shift | J.Crew denim jacket (old, similar) Rebecca Minkoff handbag | Michael Kors wedges (similar)

I typically shy away from shift dresses because they just don't seem to be flattering on my figure (potato sack = not cute). However, when I popped into Ann Taylor last week on a whim, I was immediately drawn to this dress and I was determined to make it work. I love a good orange and white combo, so I literally ran over (I'm embarrassing) to take a look.

You bet I squealed when I saw they had one left in my size. The embroidered detail on both the neckline and hem are to die for!

In order to make this dress look less shift-y and give the illusion that I have more of a figure, I decided to pair it with my tried-and-true denim jacket. The relaxed look of the jacket helped make the look a little more casual. Although I paired this dress with wedges, I cannot help but think how cute this will look with cowboy boots for my upcoming trip to Dallas and for football games in the fall...Go Hokies!

I hope you are having an amazing start to the week!

P.S.

 (even if you're not a total nerd like me) you HAVE to see Guardians of the Galaxy. It's amazing. I might have already seen it twice...but this is a judge-free zone.

Lauren