A White Christmas

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In case you missed it, George Clooney got married, and Barbara Walters named his bride “Most Fascinating Person of 2014!”  Now, I know very little about Mrs. Amal Clooney, what I do know is the girl has fabulous fashion sense!  She blew me, and everyone else watching, away in this white pant suit and floppy hat.

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She inspired me to pull out my winter white and make my own white Christmas.  My white angora sweater and lined wide legged pants keep me warm and festive..I just have to be careful with the cranberry sauce!  Whether you dress up, dress casual, red and green, or all white, I hope you have a fabulous Christmas and a stylish New Year!  See you in 2015!

Sweater: Splendid         Pants: Ann Taylor      Boots: Vince Camuto

Click the picture to shop the look!

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Winter Morning Wedding

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t7It seems morning weddings are becoming more popular which, I love.  I’m all for a full spread of breakfast food!  A few weeks ago my friends, Lora and Brock said, “I do.”  It was a beautiful ceremony and I’m so happy for the new couple!  My only dilemma in the matter was what to wear.  How do you dress for a morning wedding?  It seemed to be a popular question amongst our group of friends.  We decided to go relaxed dressy and keep the colors light.  I must say everyone looked fabulous!

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Congratulations to Lora and Brock!

Dress: Old Navy     Belt: Anthropologie

Shoes: Michael Kors (TJ Maxx)

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Gala Glam

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I hope you and your family and friends had an enjoyable time together at Thanksgiving.  Up next, Christmas, a time for secret Santas and dirty Santas, mistletogas and tacky sweaters, and glamorous galas and swanky soirees.  Every year the Junior League of Jackson hosts the Mistletoe Preview Gala, a wonderful event to get you in the holiday spirit and knock out some christmas gift shopping.  I thought I had decided on a dress to wear long before the event but changed my mind last minute.  I searched several shops and was lucky to find this stunning Eliza J dress for a steal ($30!) at Ross Dress for Less in Dogwood.  As it is still pretty warm this time of year in Mississippi, the sheer sleeves were perfect to give me that winter look without causing me to have a heat stroke.  Let me know if you need help putting a look together for your upcoming holiday events!

Dress: Ross Dress for Less      Clutch: Hobo International

Shoes: Garage Sale    Earrings: Target

              Remember today is Cyber Monday, so if you are need of a holiday look, today may be a good time to buy!

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Mississippi Hippie

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The tri-county area of Mississippi (Madison, Rankin, Hinds) offers wonderful local shopping from local artists and boutiques.  This outfit displays just that.  A common thought is that you can’t find very good deals at local stores but this is just not true!  Local stores have to clear out their inventory during seasonal changes just like department stores and you can find some great deals!  This outfilt is the perfect example.  The denim dress was found on a 75% off rack at Highland Village, the headpiece was a great find at Mistletoe Marketplace, and the necklace was made by a local jeweler out of old coins from my grandmothers collection.

                    Head piece: Molly Gee Designs           Jewelry: Malissa Hamilton Jewelry

Denim Dress: J. Stewart         Booties: Ross

Upcoming opportunities to shop local:

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Saying Goodbye to the 20’s

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Mandy Mangrum's 30th Birthday Bash-30                                                                            (Above photo courtesy of Lindsay Vallas Photography)

Ever since I saw the movie “Fever Pitch” and the scene of the 20’s themed birthday party I knew I wanted to do that for my 30th birthday.  I had big plans to rent out a space, have jazz music, a bar, and of course, a fabulous dress!  However, working on a small budget I had to be creative.  I began my search for a dress a year ago.  I searched on hautelook, ruelala, ideeli, and any other sale website you know of.  I frequented consignment stores, TJ Maxx, and department stores but did not have any luck. Finally, I  found exactly what I was looking for!  A gorgeous mint green 20’s style dress for $100 including shipping on easy!  Thank you GatsbyLady!!  My matching headpiece was a lucky find at Alter’d State for $24, jewelry came from Target and Charming Charlie, and I found my shoes at Payless for $9!!

To help friends find a dress without spending a lot, I started a Pinterest board called “Dresses for a Party” where I posted links to 20’s style inexpensive dresses that could be ordered online.  These two friends, Amy (left) and Kristin (right), solicited my styling services and I found their dresses for less that $20!

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My decor came from Michaels, Hobby Lobby, Tuesday Morning and a little bit of DIY.  I made cardboard cutouts to hang around the room and used metallic spray paint on used cleaned wine bottles to stick feathers in as table decor.  Another lucky find was the art deco cones that were considered Christmas decor at Hobby Lobby for 40% off!  

 

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It was a great time eating, drinking, celebrating, and solving the mystery with friends!  And the killer was…

For more pictures and information on my party click on www.inspirems.co blog!

Falling Into a Pattern

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Pants: TJ Maxx         Sweater: Apricot Lane

Hat: Altar’d State        Rings: Altar’d State     Handbag: Michael Kors

Wide leg patterned pants seem to be all the rage here in the South.  I was against them at first.  I found if the right pattern hits the wrong places they can be very unflattering!  My advice on a trend like this, unless you are what your friends may consider a “toothpick,” shop small patterns.  Smaller patterns do not draw the eye so much and can actually distract from areas a large bold pattern may emphasize.  I love the subtle mixing of patterns in this outfit.  Even though the sweater is a solid color it has a woven triangle pattern that contrasts with the circles and squares on my pants.  This season, don’t fall into a pattern of wearing the same outfits over and over, fall in love with patterns you can mix and match.

 

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Pinspiration

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Top: Sans Souchi (TJ Maxx)         Skirt: Nougat London

Shoes: Guess (DSW)          Bag: Tory Burch (UAL)        Jewelry: Alter’d State

We are seeing signs of fall!  But cool mornings and evenings and hot afternoons can make it difficult to know how to dress.  This is when Pinterest comes in handy.  I love to get “pinspiration” for dinner recipes, for hosting parties, and especially for putting outfits together!  My most helpful board is called “outfits that already exist in my closet.”  I began to see outfits that consist of pieces similar to what I already own but never thought to pair together, like this khaki skirt and chambray top.  So, next time you’re staring into your closet thinking you have nothing to wear, look to pinterest for some “pinspiration.”

Shop this look by clicking on links below.

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Stop and Smell the Flowers

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Dress: Leifsdottir, found at UAL, Hattiesburg

Shoes: David Tate, found at T. Ables

When the stores are stocking up on boots, sweaters, halloween candy, and even Christmas decor it’s hard to still want to pull out and wear your summer clothes, but living in Mississippi we don’t have much choice unless we want to sweat to death.  I love dresses like this one because it easily transitions through the seasons.  So, in these next few weeks of sweltering heat take advantage of cool clothes in fall colors, light weight scarves, open toe booties and wedge sandals.  Football has begun and cooler weather is on it’s way!

Click on and shop these looks for an easy transitional style!

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Sittin’ On The Dock Of The Bay

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IMG_6251Seashell Top: Bisou Bisou at JCP      White Skinnies: Gap 69

                  Bracelet: Loft      Coral Reef Ring: Banana Republic

Handbag: Hobo International

Nails: Jamberry, Mint Green and Gold Horizontal Pinstripe

 

After a long awaited Labor Day weekend in Perdido Key with my girlfriends I finally got to pull out my beach attire and soak up some rays.  My dear friend, Jessica Meltz brought her high tech camera with her, so I thought it would be fun to do a photo shoot!  I realize I’m posting on beach attire while all retail stores are pushing fall on us, but it’s still too hot for me to think about boots and sweaters.  Plus, anyone who knows me knows I love a good theme, so whether at the pool, by a lake, or on the beach live it up and wear seashell, fish, and sailor attire!  The top I’m wearing I found at JCP a while ago so it is no longer available, and this goes for the bracelet and ring I’m wearing as well but click the links below to find similar items!  

 

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Splurge:

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Summer Lovin’

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 Top: Gap     Shorts: Loft    Shoes: Me Too (TJ Maxx)

 Ring: Francesca’s  Earrings: Mistletoe Marketplace

As summer draws nearer to an end I wanted to take the opportunity to share my favorite All-American summer look, denim and white.  Now, according to a good color stylist most people would not be advised to wear stark white, including myself, but what better way is there to show off you summer sun kissed skin?  As the temperature continues to be smoldering here in the South I advise sticking to cool fabrics like this flowy cotton top and lightweight denim shorts.

I hope before you officially wave good-bye to summer you get to attend one more baseball game, you get one more dip in the pool, and you enjoy several more  sno-cones!

Shop similar items below!

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