Spring Transition Volume One

Good Morning, Friends! Thank you SO much for the amazing response to Tuesday’s Basics post! It was one of the most well received posts in recent memory! If you missed it, we talked all about what I feel are the best basics for your closet, how to layer on top of them and even how to pair them together to make complete looks from them….a basic capsule wardrobe if you will! Today I’m switching gears entirely and am sharing an easy Spring transition outfit idea as well as taking a deep dive into a question that I’m asked often “How do you afford to shop so much?” When more than two people ask a question within a few days of each other, I think that it’s safe to assume others are wondering the same thing, and since I try to be an open book, I’m going to share a little behind the scenes of blogging today!

Lightweight Roll Tab Top $45 | Cotton Layering Tank $12 | Busted Hole Jeans $88 | Booties | Cross Body Bag  

Sunnies | Watch | Layering Bracelet

First, let’s discuss the outfit! Easy, casual and cool…exactly what I like for everyday style. I have this top from two years ago by the same brand and in a fairly similar design and wore that dang thing out. When I saw this one come up for Spring transition, I grabbed it right away. The price is right and the design makes it very versatile. Since it’s roll tab and fairly thin, you could easily wear this with jeans throughout April and May and then pair it back to your fav denim shorts when the weather warms up.

The jeans are ones that I’ve discussed quite a bit lately, the Levi’s busted hole high waisted skinnies. They are a true true denim fit (read: not stretchy), which definitely took some getting used to, but they have quickly become on of my favorite pair to wear. I love that they are higher waisted and the lighter wash is still flattering. Since they come in at well under $100, I call them a great deal!

Shop all Levi’s HERE

The booties and bag are two pieces that I’ve worn in multiple posts now and really feel like they are two great transition pieces that are super functional. The bag is a bit of a Chloe dupe (at a fraction of the price) and the booties are lightweight and breathable. Win win.

Ok, now moving on to blogging and a bit of how things work behind the scenes. Remember last week when I kinda stepped on a soapbox on Instastories and addressed this whole “bloggers make people insecure issue.” Well, I don’t really agree with it and definitely think that you have to be very self aware and confident when you get on social media in order to not feel insecure or inferior with your own life. I practice this myself.

When I did step back, though, I realized that the real issues lie within transparency and relatability. Unless you guys know the back story and a bit about how things work, you might think that all I do is shop (and potentially have an unlimited supply of funds to do that with), which could leave you feeling funky. A few ladies directly asked the question as to how I afford to shop so much, so I wanted to tackle it head on!

The short answer is that this blog is a business. I know that I’ve said that often, but I still think most people think of it as a fun/fluff job (which it IS fun, don’t get me wrong). In order to make my business run (ie generate cash flow), I need “inventory” just like most other businesses. In my case, that inventory is current clothing. The current clothing has a life cycle similar to almost any other business….it’s most valuable to me right away and then depreciates in value as time moves along.

Ok, there are so many directions to go with this convo now, so I’m praying I get this right…

Each month as I plan out business financials, I allot a fairly generous budget to new clothes. The budget varies by season and month and ramps up as we prepare for a seasonal change (ex March and August are my heaviest spends). Sadly, most of these pieces are not tax deductable, so when making the actual purchases I have to ensure that I buy things that I know will be interesting to my audience, so that they aren’t a complete loss.

*In a short side bar, I’ll tell you that I look at analytics daily and can see which items were clicked on and purchased the most and really use this information to get to know you guys better. I know that you really like when items are under $65, pieces that can be worn multiple ways, ones aren’t overly trendy and they must get good reviews online too. 

When making a purchase, I always try to keep you guys in mind and ask myself how will I present this to you? How will I style it so that it’s relatable and is something that you can see yourself wearing? I also ask myself how it can add value to your life? For example: Will it make getting dressed easier in the morning? Will it make you feel more confident because the fit is so amazing? Or is it a killer basic that you will wear over and over?

Once I buy something, I plan for how I am going to style it on the blog and for how I will show it to you on stories. I always plan to show each item at least 3 times across various media so that you’ll have multiple ideas on how to wear it. The life cycle of an item always varies and depends solely on the retailer. When they mark something down and/or when sizes start to go out of stock is when I typically begin phasing it out, because posting something that isn’t shoppable doesn’t really benefit me or you as a consumer. Think: people want to be able to buy the EXACT item that I’m wearing because they are able to see how it fits, wears, etc. if I link a similar item, they know that they run the risk of it not working as well. Of course I still want to alert YOU guys of sale finds, but I’ll typically do that in my daily email (subscribe here), on Instastories, or within the weekly Edit post. If the item stays in stock month after month, year after year (and it’s something that I still find relevant), I continue to style and wear the heck out of it!

Prime examples are: The Tunic. The Layering Tank. The Leggings. My Sunnies. These Wedge Sneakers. This Bomber Jacket …You get the point 😉

Other things to remember:

-I’m catering to the tastes of nearly 1,000,000 women a month across social media, so I always try to experiment with a variety of styles, fits, and preferences because I know that not all people are looking for the same thing at the same time. I think that a good tip when viewing social media is to really tune in when a blogger is presenting something that fulfills one of your needs. If you get caught up in the number of new items, etc you will be more likely to feel funky, but when you focus on how someone like me can serve you, it feels a lot better. For example, if you really need a pair of jeans but not really anything else, tune in for the denim post and let me do the hard work for you and take something off of your plate! Does that make sense?

-I try to differentiate the way that I present things. If I’m not necessarily in the market to buy certain things, but I know that some of you are (for example, I don’t need 100 Holiday Dresses), I’ll do an in-store try on session so that I can present you guys with a variety of styles and how they fit in hopes of helping you find something that might work for what you need. I’ll also create mood boards and/or gift guides with things that I like and that way I’m able to present a variety of items and also not bust my own budget.

-I only buy things that I genuinely love and rarely accept clothing from brands. On occasion, a brand will let me select things that I would like to style, and I will do that because they are actually items that I would’ve bought myself. If I do buy an item you can bet your bottom dollar that I genuinely love it and feel that it’s cute, functional and good enough to share.

-I very much plan for any investment pieces. I don’t buy them often AT ALL, but when I do I make sure that I’ve planned for and been very strategic about which pieces I buy. Normally, it’s things that we’ve discussed on the blog before and you’ve given me signs that you are also interested in them, so I know that me styling them might be helpful for you before you decide to take the plunge.

For example: This Belt. These Sneakers.

-Do I Ever Return Things? Yep, sometimes. If something sells out or gets marked down (assuming that it will sell quickly at a lower price) before I am able to post it, I’ll likely return it. I don’t ever wear something or photograph it and then return it though, that feels icky.

-What do you do with all of these clothes? I get this question I get all of the time and it’s actually the biggest downside of my job. Yes, shopping and buying new clothes is still fun for me,  but before you think that the grass is always greener, I’m also forced to keep things organized and do regular closet clean outs (my least favorite thing to do). The clothes end up becoming a burden and really cluttering my space and my mind, especially since I’m not an organized person by nature. I have found great joy in gifting them to mamas in need of a little confidence boost, to women’s shelters, to friends and occasionally selling a few pieces on our local Moms Facebook page.

-Also remember that the pieces that I present to you have a much longer lifecycle in your closet! I switch out often because it’s a business and I’m always catering to different people, preferences, seasons and trends…but that shouldn’t be the case in your closet! Almost every piece that I talk about should have a pretty long life cycle in your wardrobe 🙂

I truly hope that this answers the question for you, that I didn’t ramble too much and that you have a better understanding of how things work on the back end. Also, remember I am only speaking for my business and no one elses’ 🙂 If there are any other topics like this that you want me to tackle, leave them below in the comments. Would love your feedback!

-xoxo