Ok, first things first...I'm shaking my head at myself right now realizing how many style posts I've done wearing leopard. The animal print overload is actually not intentional. Haha! I promise to die it down a bit.

I like to consider this look "Unpolished Jcrew". I've paired a Jcrew hat & (wrinkled) chambray button up shirt with a cutout shoulder crop top and a Karmaloop one piece leopard romper. Its an interesting blend of street style and classic prep style. - - - It's easy to go to one store and deck yourself out in only their clothing...You might end up having some boxed up style but you'll lack individuality. Challenge yourself to explore styles and brands. Mix & combine them. Break all the rules!

Lets talk about my sunglasses obsession right quick...gah! Yes, those frames are mirrored in the front, a gorgeous silver. These beauties are by Minkpink and I snatched them up from ASOS at a crazy low price.

Also, you can pick up my handmade jewelry line (pictured above), from either my shop or on Vinted!

Saturday was the Goodwill Akron Blogger Style Challenge and the store was buzzing! I had a fabulous time hanging out with other area bloggers (including Dina's Days who planned the event!) and chatting with shoppers. For the challenge, we each had $20 to spend and 30 minutes to scour and ransack the store. (just kidding about the ransacking, wink wink). Thankfully, I shop at the store quite often and knew exactly where I needed to go to search for fab finds. I had an idea to try and do a trendy layered look with some sort of a very unique statement piece. First thing I wanted to find was a great skirt...and man, I found a gorgeous fringe maxi. Boom! There was my statement piece! I then based my outfit around it. The fringe was a very bohemian style so I looked for casual neutrals to go with it. For an interesting twist I added a dark gray metallic sparkly Zara top to layer. I felt it added some color depth and a hint of glam to the look. As I was lost in happy designer/styling land, time flew by and it was time to show off our looks! It was cool to see all the other bloggers finds & treasures...and also how they styled them. This was such an inspiring community event. I hope more events like this pop up. It's a great way to show that fashion is about style and not having to spend big bucks.

I love the challenge of exploring style. I'm influenced by my surroundings, my research and observations...and that's where the exploration begins. Growth in design is what's important to me and I'm always striving to expand my horizon and perspective.
The simplicity of this look really draws me in. I'm actually wearing quite bold pieces yet the neutral color palette unifies the look and tones it down. The modern leopard shift dress is in warm tan and brown tones (and black) so to contrast, I paired it with a cooler colored silver pearl necklace and silver booties. See how that pops? Love it.

Hat: NastyGal  ///  Sunglasses: Bonlook  ///  Necklace: Nordstrom Rack  ///  Blazer: Goodwill - Wooster, OH  ///  Leopard Shift Dress:  Get it here!  ///  Ombre Tights: Missguided  ///  Cut-out Ankle Boots: from Ci Ci Hot brand: Qupid ///  Bag: XOXO

How could you not love a gorgeous pink bird with awkward long legs? Since my beach trip last month, (where I picked up the lawn ornament in the top pic) I've been slightly obsessing over them...especially in fashion. ASOS has a lot of cute flamingo patterned clothing and most of it is on sale. I've just been sticking with little accessories to show my pink bird love. When I saw the the pink rhinestone earrings at Franchescas, I gasped loudly and I believe I even hugged them. Hey, I get excited, ok? The gold flamingo keychain was on sale at JCrew, I added the little nuggets of beaded fun. 

Now is the perfect time to snag some summer deals!

Just what I needed. A get-a-way with beach time...and how lovely it was! A friend and I spent a few days at Panama City Beach to celebrate a fellow Akron alum cheerleader's wedding. White sand. Crystal clear water. Fish nipping at my feet. Pretending I'm a mermaid. What could be better?!

While lounging around the Gulf, I sported a super cute one piece suit from boohoo.com. Although it has a bit more coverage than a bikini, I still felt quite sassy rocking the fringe and "cut out" parts.

I highly recommend Spitfire Sunglasses. High style. Great price. Just get a pair. Nordstrom has a crazy selection. I'm also totally digging the head wrap trend, it adds to the sassy bit and it's a quick remedy to cover the beach hair. I'll try and post a summer scarf tutorial here soon.

Can you tell I'm super jazzed about these Sam Edelman leopard boots? Maybe I should ask myself, how many pairs of leopard shoes are too many?...I don't know. I'll save that to be discussed in a separate post...for now I'm going to enjoy my habit. I might have been excitedly skipping around in these the past few days. How can you not love that crazy pattern?

Here is a simple outfit with some bold details. Bright color top with ruffle collar is from jcrew. The black leggings with gold zipper detail is from Zara...you can always find great basics with a twist there! Jewelry is a bunch of layered pieces from my line, AC Design. For the Sam Edelman boots, I got an amazing deal from 6pm.com. Their prices are constantly changing so you have to keep your eyes out so you can snag the best deal.

Summer is winding down...here are a few of my go-to items and accessories for the remainder of the sunny skied and green filled days here in Akron, OH.
Oversized sweater: Target (yeah, great deal!) Shorts: My bleached dip dye DIY project.
Scarf, Socks & Nail Polish: Jcrew. Boots: Steve Madden (my Glitter Boots DIY project)
Earrings: My jewelry line, AC Design. Sun Glasses: Spitfire (brought from Nastygal)

The best street ready coats under $200 All by Zara