Casual Neutrals for Fall [high school reunion tailgate outfits]

In a few hours, I'll be heading back to my old high school football stadium stomping grounds to kick off my ten year reunion weekend with my classmates.  It's also the 50th anniversary of my high school, so alumni from throughout the school's history as well as retired teachers will be in attendance.  I had been brainstorming cute fall outfit ideas for a while and came up with four layered looks I was loving - and then Virginia decided to be 80 degrees in September.  So while I'll probably be rocking a t-shirt, jeans, and flats tonight, here's what I'd rather be wearing!

View this set on Polyvore

Tomboy:  Striped sweater (similar from J. Crew), bar necklace (similar from Piperlime), Nordstrom pave stud earrings, GAP destructed jeans, Merona riding boots from Target

Preppy: Madewell cableknit sweater (similar from Mango), J. Crew Factory herringbone excursion vest (similar from Need Supply Co.), pearl earrings (similar from ShopBop), mustard crossbody purse (similar from Macy's), Old Navy embroidered loafters

Edgy: Moto jacket (similar from Forever 21), House of Harlow 1960 button earrings from Piperlime, flared jeans (similar from Pink Mascara)

Diva: Old Navy t-shirt, Yumi glitter thread cardigan from House of Fraser (UK), Tory Burch stud earrings from Nordstrom, Fossil satchel, GAP leopard print flats

Which of these looks is your favorite?

my CUPID SWAP swag!

I was excited to participate in Micah's Cupid Swap this Valentine's Day - I thought it was such a cute idea to  have bloggers matched with a mystery "cupid" and shower one another with gifts!  My cupid was Laura from Simply Me The Way I See It.

Two of the "likes" I'd listed in my survey were Paris and leopard print and I'd say Laura did a great job with this little metal art plaque and leopard print picture frame.  I think the plaque is going over my vanity.

The cutest little Eiffel Tower (which now lives in our living room) and a glittery box!

The best part... have you tried the strawberry swirl Dove milk chocolate yet?  If not, you really need to because it is amazing.  I think Mr. Q and I went through the whole bag in two days.

Thanks to Laura for being such a great "Cupid" and to Micah for hosting this fun gift exchange!  I played Cupid for Tiffany from My Smile Saga and I hoped she loved her gifts, too.

fashion: must-haves for classic style

In high school, I once described my personal fashion sense as "gypsy cowgirl ballerina."  That's right, I said in high school, not when I was three.  These days, I'm trying to streamline my wardrobe a bit.  My style these days is best described as "classic."  Maybe I'm just getting older, but I'm starting to value a good fit over a trendy look, and my style icons are women like Audrey Hepburn, Michelle Obama, and the Middleton sisters- women who exude class and always look put together.

My Must-Have Items for Classic Style:

LOFT

1.  Shells - Something fancier than a t-shirt to wear alone in warm weather and under a cardigan in cool weather, I like silky shells in solid colors, with classic patterns like polka dots, stripes, and florals, and with great details like bows and ruffles.

Rebecca-May

2.  Breton tops - I love French style and a striped sailor top is its simplest iteration.

Michelle Obama via Nitrolicious

3.  Cardigans - My favorites are Target's Mossimo line - they are affordable, available in a wide range of colors, and hold up in the washing machine.

what to wear to high point fall market

High Point Market has been compared to Fashion Week, but for home decor.  And believe me, people who work in the home decor industry usually have distinct personal styles of their own.  Among Mr. Q's clients are a woman from Florida who always rocks a hat and brightly colored blazer and a gentlemen, also from the sunshine state, who always wears a crazy tie - that's his trademark.  This year his tie had horses on it.  If horses become A Thing this year, we'll thank Tom.  The sales reps (Mr. Q's clients) at Market are dressed for business - in suits.  There's another category of people at High Point that I aspire to emulate in my style choices - the designers and interior decorators.  Usually they skew a bit younger than the sales reps and look flat-out classy due to a few well-chosen items.  I've found some images from around the web to illustrate some of the fashion trends I observed among the women of High Point Market!

FabYouBliss

The outfit on the right would fit right in at Market - the "uniform" for young women this year was a long belted shawl-collar cardigan or sweater dress in a fall color, skinny black or brown pants, and riding boots.  I saw a lot of women pair black pants with brown boots just like the model in the picture.  Very few women wear jeans at High Point - it's simply not that casual.

steeper or cheaper: leopard print belts

I'm back with another pair of items with similar style at different price points.  I'm not a fashion blogger - I'm just a girl who likes to shop- and since I'm a busy working wife much of that shopping happens online. I had to share these two takes on leopard-print calf hair belts, similar to the $34.50 LOFT version in this morning's round-up (LOFT also offers a version with a silver metallic buckle if tortoiseshell is not your thing).

J. Crew Calf Hair Skinny Belt | Merona multicolor Calf Hair Belt at Target

Will you try the animal print trend this fall?

fall color: honey gold and camel

1. House of Harlow sunglasses from The Outnet  

2. The Limited colorblocked tee    

3. LOFT tortoiseshell buckle calf hair belt  

4. Honey cardigan by Mossimo at Target  

5. Elbow patch cardigan from GAP 6. Giani Bernini handbag at Macy's

7. J. Crew leather belt in English saddle  8. LOFT honey bow heels  

9.  Madewell Archive Boots in English saddle

Are you ready for fall color?  Honey gold and camel are cozy, warm, and reminiscent of changing leaves.  My pick: the Target sweater!  A great layering piece for fall.  One of my colleagues has a handbag similar to the Giani Bernini above and it is such a great pop of color.

How to style honey gold:

Honey gold is a fairly bold color, especially for pants!  Cassandra of Coco & Kelley put together a really chic menswear inspired outfit with a gray vest, 7 for All Mankind jeans, and leopard print flats.  I think she was also smart to introduce the honey gold via pants because certain shades of yellow can be unflattering on brunettes - I try to keep it away from my face.