Have you ever thought about the variety there is among the members of your own personal posse…
THE STORY
…This past weekend, the youngest member of my posse got married. She’s a mere 24 years old; younger than my son and closer in age to my 14 year old daughter than she is to me. But that doesn’t make her any less my friend. She spent a year in my classroom as an aid before she was hired as a Language Arts teacher and now she’s in the room right next door to me so we still spend quite a lot of time together. Two of my besties were there as well (I dedicated an entire post to them here) and it got me thinking about friends.
The women who I am fortunate enough to call my friends are such a varied group. I have two friends that have known me since (almost) the dawn of time; I have friends with whom I’ve only become close in the last few years; I have friends who work in education, banking, or don’t work at all; I have friends in their 20’s and friends in their 70’s; I have friends that live near to me and friends that aren’t so near; I have friends that I see daily and friends that I see once a year if I’m lucky. Quite a diverse group of fabulous women don’t you think?
Friendship is such a strange thing if you think about it. At some point we cross paths with a random human…we strike up a conversation which perhaps leads to other conversations. We spend time together either due to circumstance or choice. And then at some undefined moment, our heart decides, “Yes…that human right there. I’ll keep that one.” Boom…you’ve got a friend.
Obviously, at least for me, there is no predetermined criteria in regard to who makes it into the inner circle. Age, career path, location…none of that matters one bit. But do you know what does? Trust, love and kindred spirits. The knowledge that these women will have my back come hell or high water. The knowledge that these women know me on an almost cellular level and love me anyway. Those are the things that matter. Yes…these humans right here. I’ll keep them.
THE OUTFIT
Typically when I’ve worn this slip dress in the past I’ve styled it more casually and/or for work. I needed an outfit for the wedding that we went to last weekend and initially I considered buying something new. But then I thought, “Why?” I have more than enough clothes that there was no reason that I couldn’t put together something wedding appropriate. As I ran through things in my mind, this dress immediately popped up. It was the perfect base piece to build a cute wedding outfit on.
I always say that your outfit is made in the details and this is the perfect example. Simply by changing up the extras…lace duster instead of a tee or sweater, block heeled sandals in place of boots, more delicate jewelry with some sparkle as opposed to my leather pieces and a special bag made all the difference in the vibe of the outfit. Everything that I’m wearing I’ve worn before with other things, but adding them altogether made the perfect dressy but not too dressy wedding look.
Lucky for me, I received this exquisitely beautiful clutch bag from Bellorita just in time for the wedding. The craftsmanship is incredible; from the inlaid pearls to the intricately detailed hand tooled leather, it’s truly a work of art and quite honestly the most beautiful bag that I own. It came with both a cross body chain strap as well as a wrist strap, but I felt that it worked best as a clutch for the wedding.
On top I layered my lace duster/kimono for some extra prettiness and stuck to rose gold tone jewelry. I added a little pop of turquoise (which I love with pink) through my feather necklace from Boho Buffalo, a vintage bracelet and my nails. Instead of my typical boots/sneakers I went with my nude block heeled sandals to dress things up even more. The bride, who as I mentioned above is a close friend from work, even commented on how pretty the outfit was. When I said that it was all things that I’ve worn to work, she responded, “I know, but it’s how you put them all together that makes it so pretty.”
If we can go back to the crazy fabulous clutch for a moment, I can’t emphasize enough that if you happen to be on the market for an excellent quality bag that is also unique, check out Bellorita. Not only is the detailing beautiful, but this is the most solidly constructed bag that I’ve ever owned. I love it when I get the chance to work with a smaller business that was started based upon a dream and built with love and dedication to that dream. Jack Sun left behind his career as a research scientist to follow his dream of starting a fashion line infused with the beauty of Asian culture which led to Bellorita handbags. If you decide to take the plunge, Bellorita is offering my readers a 10% discount…simply enter FFD10 at checkout.
THE TIP
Look for different ways to pair the pieces that you already own. You might be surprised at the difference a different shoe, jewelry and/or bag choice will make in an outfit. You can go from casual to night out without spending a penny.
THE LINK UPS
Check out the weekly link ups I participate in for even more fashion and style ideas…
Bag: c/o Bellorita; Dress: H&M (Similar); Duster: JCPenney (Similar); Sandals: JCPenney (Similar); Necklace: Boho Buffalo
