Southern Charm: #OOTD for Sightseeing in Charleston (Plus a few recommendations)

October 29, 2017











{Outfit details}
Blouse: Studio 6 Chattanooga (local boutique, but similar online here for only $13, here for $19, this adorable off-the-shoulder striped blouse here for $40, this cute one for $20) //  Jeans: Express (here, runs TTS. Love them, they get even more comfortable the more you wear them!) // Flats: Target (here, some of my faves of the season, only $23) //  Neckerchief: Vintage (my Nana's! Obsessed with this one here though. $14!!) // Sunnies: Target (here, $17) // Crossbody bag: Old Navy (no longer online, love this one though here)


Happy Sunday sweet friends!

How has your weekend been? I hope everyone has had a restful and enjoyable one! 😊  Ours consisted of a family birthday party for our nephew, a drive through the mountains, watching football, eating wings, and going to a pumpkin patch today!!! Oh, and if you follow me on Instagram HERE, you know that the temps in Chattanooga dropped so I was able to FINALLY pull out my chunky knits Friday, Saturday, AND today. I would call that a pretty successful fall weekend!

So we made a little fall weekend getaway with my parents to Charleston, SC last weekend. Have y'all ever been to Charleston? If you have, you'll know what I mean when I say it is seriously THE most charming and lovely city! It is full of history, amazing food, and the best shopping. 

We arrived in time for dinner on Thursday, and when we woke up Friday it was time for a day of sightseeing. The outfit above was my ideal outfit for exploring Charleston. The temps were in the mid 70s, lower 80s, so I didn't even have to bring a coat. I'm so sad this cross body bag isn't online BUT I will say that I highly recommend a bag like this one which is roomy enough for all your travel essentials, but is a small enough size to be able to wear it cross body. It's so much more comfortable to have your hands free and not worry about a bulky purse when out exploring (plus, it's also safer to wear your purse in this way to keep it close by when out!). Ok so, let's talk about this top: I am in LOVE with the stripes and ruffles!! I have linked similar styles above since this one is from a local boutique. I decided a polka dotted neckerchief was JUST the touch of southern charm this outfit needed. The trick for print mixing? Pick similar color palettes (both of my shirt/neckerchief are the same color, so even though they are different prints, they work well together!). Finally, I am sure it goes without saying, but for me, comfortable but stylish shoes are a must when I'm on my feet all day! These from Target are seriously so cute (a Gucci dupe), and comfortable! My feet didn't hurt at all after walking all day. 

I love talking about fashion on this blog, but I thought I would just throw in some of our favorite places we ate and things we did while in Charleston. We honestly ran out of time to see EVERY thing (we only had 2 full days for exploring) but these were some of my personal favorites for your next Charleston trip:

Our Must-Do/Must-Eat List for Charleston 
(in no particular order):
1. Take a Carriage Ride (we were very happy with Palmetto Carriage Works we used here, and there are usually coupon codes available online so search before you check out). We took a carriage ride after we went to Fort Sumter and ate lunch at #7 below, and it was a great way to tour the city and see the beauty of Charleston's buildings, and also to figure out other things we wanted to do for the rest of our trip. Our tour guide was also very knowledgeable about much of the history of the city. Plus, how cool is it to be riding in a horse-drawn carriage next to a car?! haha! Pretty unique experience. Also, a tip: we booked our tickets about 1 hour before our departure time online. They run every 15 minutes, so it's super easy to find a time that works with your schedule!  I would book a carriage ride earlier in your trip so you can see the city up front.

2. Tour Fort Sumter (tour information here): This is definitely a must-see if you have never been to Charleston. You take a ferry ride to the Fort, which is fun in itself to see Charleston and the Fort from the water. There are certain times the tour leaves which are available on the website, so you definitely want to plan ahead (but depending on the season, you can buy your tickets when you get there. Summer is the busiest though). Also just a FYI: I recommend bringing your own water bottle. They do have water available for purchase once you're on the ferry, but there's no water available while you wait for the ferry to arrive or while you tour the museum prior. Just a tip! 

3. Shop at the Charleston City Market (here): Oh my gosh y'all, this was one of my favorites! The Market was seriously SO cute and had so many unique, NICE things! On weekends, they also have a night time Market from 6:30-10:30 with different vendors and music. It's definitely a must-see. 

4. Callie's Hot Little Biscuits for Breakfast (here): So this was a place I heard about from Draper James' Instagram page. There are two locations, and we visited the one inside the City Market before we went sightseeing for the day. I highly recommend the blackberry & the cinnamon biscuits (we got 3 mini ones each to try a few different kinds). DELICIOUS! 

5. Visit Rainbow Row (here): I am SURE you've probably seen pictures of the adorable, brightly colored homes on Rainbow Row in Charleston. We took an Uber ride (tip: both Uber and Lyft are available in Charleston, and it is a great inexpensive way to travel between locations because trust me, you can wear yourself out walking here!) to Rainbow Row to take some blog pics (coming soon y'all!). This is a must-see, the houses there are just so gorgeous and it's fun to walk around and see how they decorate the outsides (and the pretty window boxes).

6. Dinner at Circa 1886 (here): This is definitely a Charleston experience! It is a great option for a nice, upscale dinner. The food is DELICIOUS, and it has a lovely ambiance. I would recommend reservations! We made them via OpenTable before. 

7. Grab lunch at 5Church (here): I love a restaurant with a unique atmosphere and ambiance. This place is in an old church, and it's just beautiful on the inside. The food is a bit unique for my liking (haha) but my hubby said his oysters were some of the best he's ever had. I would definitely recommend going here for the unique experience. 

8. Experience a Rooftop Restaurant (we loved the one we ate dinner at our last night, called The Watch: Rooftop Kitchen & Spirits inside of the Restoration Hotel. Check it out here). So, you MUST experience Charleston from a rooftop if you go! There are countless spots around town, but we found this one and loved it. We ate outside and it was just perfect weather and a view of downtown Charleston. Plus, we had some of THE BEST wings we have ever had! 

9. Get a Blowout from the Dry Bar (book an appointment here): Confession: before we had even made any dinner reservations or planned anything we were doing on our trip, I had booked an appointment at Dry Bar for Saturday afternoon before we went shopping. If you've never been to a Dry Bar, it's SUCH a fun experience. This would be a great option too if you're going to Charleston for a girls' trip. I got the "Southern Comfort" style because, well, when in Charleston, right!? 

10. Shopping on King Street. Our hotel was really close to King Street, so AMAZING shopping was just a quick walk from our hotel. They have literally EVERYTHING you could dream of, and if you follow me on Instagram, you know I shopped at H&M & picked up a little treasure from Louis Vuitton. It's definitely a must if you love shopping. We ran out of time but there are so many amazing stores there! 

11. Tour the Calhoun Mansion (information here). We were introduced to the Calhoun Mansion on our carriage ride, and when the tour guide told us that the shots of Allie's summer home, in The Notebook, were filmed there, we knew we had to see it! I would highly recommend taking a tour. It is the largest single family residence in Charleston! 

12. Dine at Magnolia's for dinner (here): This restaurant is another Charleston classic. It has yummy food from the fried green tomato appetizer to the pumpkin cake dessert. We made reservations prior to our meal here! 

13. Stay at King Charles Inn (here). We absolutely loved the convenience of our hotel, and not to mention it was a very comfortable room and lovely hotel!!! 

14. Buy some pralines to take home! Need I say more? One of the best souvenirs you can buy. Besides a new LV purse. Lol.


Thanks SO much for reading, dolls!

XOXO
Ashley

How to Use LIKEtoKNOW.it to Shop My Looks!

October 18, 2017


Hi dolls!

At the beginning of October, I was SO excited to be accepted into the Reward Style community and to now be able to make it much easier for you, my lovely readers, to check out all details on my #ootds! So you may ask, how do you shop mine (or any of your favorite bloggers/influencers') outfits more easily now!? Well, let me introduce y'all to your future BFF 😉  LIKEtoKNOW.it! I recently did a poll on my Insastories (follow me on IG HERE) and asked if y'all would like a tutorial on this app....which is why I am doing this blog post! Keep reading for how you can use LIKEtoKNOW.it!

LIKEtoKNOW.it recently released their app earlier this year which it makes it SO easy for you to instantly shop your favorite bloggers' looks. AND just this week, there was a NEW feature released as well which I will explain below!

So, to get started, all you have to do is go to your phone's App Store, and type in "LIKEtoKNOW.it." The app logo is a black square with a white heart with a white border around the heart. The application will look like the picture below on your phone once it is downloaded:


Once you click on the app, create an account with an e-mail address & password! Next, head back to your Instagram app and after going to my Instagram profile, take a screenshot OR "like" of one of my #ootds with the LIKEtoKNOW.it logo in the bottom right corner (hint: most of my recent posts since October 4th have this feature). For the sake of this tutorial, I used my recent weekend outfit in my polka dot dress. Next, head back to your LIKEtoKNOW.it app!! Your homepage will look like the following after you take a screenshot or like one of those photos....


This is your home screen where all of the photos you have "screenshot" OR "liked" will be located for you to easily shop them. Next, click on the photo you just took a screenshot of or liked on Instagram....



And there you have it, y'all!!! All of the outfit details from my recent Instagram post all in one place, where you can then click on any item where it will take you to the retailer's website, so you can find out how much it costs, and to add it to your cart if you so choose!

This will also work for whenever you screenshot a LIKEtoKNOW.it enabled image on other social media platforms of your favorite bloggers (i.e. on Facebook or on Snapchat). There are many options within the app for customization, such as enabling push notifications when the images are ready to shop. Another feature of LIKEtoKNOW.it is that you can receive e-mails when the images are ready to shop, with the frequency of e-mails being fully customizable. What's not to love about this app!? Oh....well, I'll give you one more reason because just THIS week, LIKEtoKNOW.it released another feature: being able to follow your favorite influencers!!!! Follow along and I will explain this feature as well....

So first, open up your LIKEtoKNOW.it app once again. After the app opens, tap on the magnifying glass in the bottom right corner of the app.


NOW, you can search for the influencers you want to follow! So of course for sake of this example, I would LOVE it if you follow yours truly, so type in "Ashleys Passion for Fashion"


Next, click on my name and my profile will pop up. Tap on the "follow" button underneath my profile picture to follow me!


When you "follow" your favorite influencers, it makes it SO much easier for you to NEVER miss a shoppable post published!! Now you will be able to find all of my shoppable pictures in ONE place on your LIKEtoKNOW.it app. Click on the icon with the silhouette of the 2 people at the bottom of the app to see all of the influencers you "follow." Make sure you have the most updated LIKEtoKNOW.it application installed to use this feature!!

OK, so I think that covers the basics of how to use LIKEtoKNOW.it!!! I am SO excited to bring this feature to y'all here on Ashley's Passion for Fashion. Please ALWAYS feel free to reach out to me via any of my social media channels or by email (ashleyspassionforfashion@gmail.com) with any questions you have about using this app (or of course, with anything at all!). Also....head on over to my Instagram to try out this feature for all outfit details on the photo at the top of this blog post!!!

I truly do appreciate you taking your time to read my blog. Your comments and love mean SO much to me!!! Now....I'm off to finish packing.....we are headed to Charleston, SC, bright and early in the morning!! Be sure to follow along on Instagram (HERE) to see what we're up to! If anyone has any Charleston suggestions, would love to hear them!

XOXO,
Ashley

How to Wear Camo for Fall

October 17, 2017












Outfit Details:
T-shirt: Target ($8, here! Available in SO many colors. Even camo 😉. Size up for a looser fit. Wearing a M here for reference) // Jacket: Goody's (here, love the comfy utility style of this jacket!) // Leggings: Copper Key at Dillard's (Under $30, runs TTS. I am in LOVE with these! They are "leggings" but thick enough you can wear them as pants. Obsessed. Shop them HERE) // Necklace: Topshop (no longer online, but love this one here, and it's just under $14!) //  Loafers: Steve Madden (here, I recommend going up 1/2 a size. These are seriously a fave of mine) // Sunnies: Jessica Simpson (here

Happy Tuesday, dolls!

I hope y'all are having a fab week so far! We are busy getting ready for a trip we are taking to Charleston, SC. I am SO excited and can't wait to share our trip with y'all along on Instagram & Instastories, so be sure to follow along HERE

So, who else is excited that camo is a big trend for fall!? I mean, has it ever NOT been a trend here in the south? Of course, camo in the fashion world does NOT have to say "let's go hunting" and that is one of the reasons I love it so much, because, well....I don't know how else to say it except I'm not much of an "outdoorsy" kind of girl-haha! So, one of my best tips is whenever you are incorporating a trend into your wardrobe, make it YOUR own. Maybe you're not that crazy about camo....but suddenly when you add "girly" accessories, it becomes your own. Or, maybe if you add some "edgy" rocker vibe accessories, and suddenly camo becomes your own. Or, maybe you want to play up the casual nature of camo: pair it with some track pants and an athleisure-type #ootd, and it becomes your own. That is one of the BEST things about fashion: it can be an avenue for your creative expression as you take a trend and truly OWN it, girlfriend!

One of the key pieces of advice I can also give about wearing camo is to take 1 camo item and wear that at a time. This fall, I have seen camo in literally EVERY article of clothing...which I love!! But, one way to not look like you're about to spend your day up in a tree stand is to take one article of camo and focus on it at a time. That's what I LOVE about this utility jacket. You can mix & match it in so many different ways to make this trend your own. For my look above, I decided to give my camo a "girly" vibe (which, if you haven't guessed by now, I am such a girly girl) with feminine accessories. I mean, let's be honest, what is more feminine than pearls?! THESE Steve Madden pearl slides are some of my new favorites for fall. I also paired it with a chunky pearl necklace to dress up my camo (and plain t-shirt) even more!

Besides this cute camo utility jacket, I have also seen THE cutest camo sweatshirts, pants, and t-shirts this fall! Be sure to shop some of my favorite camo pieces in the widget below!!!

How are YOU going to wear camo this fall!? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Thank you SO much for stopping by and reading!

XOXO
Ashley


Fall Florals

October 13, 2017











{Outfit Details}
Top: c/o fab'rik (here, TTS. I am wearing a small!) // Jeans: Articles of Society (here, raw-hem version here. Keep reading below for a coupon code to Macy's!) // Booties: Marc Fisher (here, runs TTS!) // Hat: Old Navy (here, under $25) // Sunglasses: Jessica Simpson (here, under $40 and my go-to sunnies lately!)

Happy Friday, friends!

As you may have seen on my Instastories, I shared last night that I have been sick with a stomach virus. I finally am feeling (a little) better and I wanted to share a fun fall #ootd with y'all tonight. 😊Also...keep scrolling because there are some awesome sales going on this weekend I wanted to share as well!

This fall floral top was sent to me by fab'rik and is part of the new fall Asher Collection. I absolutely love the mission behind this line. Each fab'rik item has a child who they donate proceeds to through Project 82 Kenya. Proceeds sold for the top I'm wearing above go specifically to Evans, (read about his story here), whose mother died during premature childbirth. He was supported through Project 82 Kenya, and when you buy the top I'm wearing above, you can help provide his basic needs! What is better than fashion that gives back?! Read more about the founding of the Asher line here.

One of the trends from spring I love is FLORALS, and I'm so happy to say that this print is being carried over into the fall in more of a autumn-inspired color palette. I love that this top has golds, blacks, and browns in it. While I paired it with some of my fave open-toed Marc Fisher booties, this top will just as easily look fab with some brown boots/booties as well to bring out the gold/brown shades in the top. Also...I posted on my Instagram page about this black Old Navy hat for under $25. It's a definite must-have fall item, and you seriously can't beat the price! What a fashionable way to hide a bad hair day, right? 😉

Now, I want to share some exciting weekend sales with y'all!

1. Macy's: Extra 25% off with code FRESH. Promotion ends 10/15 (Score my jeans from this post with this coupon code!). 
2. Ann Taylor LOFT: Extra 40% off sale. No code necessary. Limited time only.
3. ULTA Beauty: 20% off one item with code: 508765. Promotion ends 10/21.
4. asos: up to 70% off sale, no code necessary. Limited time only.
5. Neiman Marcus Last Call: extra 30% off. No code necessary. Limited time only. 
6. MISSGUIDED: 50% off 4 or more items with code BABESPREE. Limited time only.

I hope y'all have a fabulous weekend and happy shopping!!! Leave me a comment below or send me a message on Instagram (here) to share with me what deals you scored!

XOXO,
Ashley

A New Way to Wear Your Favorite Scarf

October 9, 2017

 




{Outfit Details}
Scarf: BP (here, just under $20!) // Lace bodysuit: Soulmates at Dillard's (here, runs TTS) // Jeans: Express (here, size up) // Heels: Jessica Simpson (here, runs TTS) // Handbag: Louis Vuitton (here) // Sunglasses: Jessica Simpson (here

Happy Monday friends! 

I hope y'all are having a fabulous week so far. As the title of this post indicates, I wanted to write a post to share with y'all a new way to wear your favorite scarf. So far this fall, THIS leopard print scarf by BP has definitely been my fave! It is probably because it's a little lighter weight than most of the blanket scarves and we have yet to have super "cool" weather in TN so far. This scarf has gone with SO many outfits and I know it will be on constant repeat. Plus at the price, you really can't beat it! 

In this particular OOTD I decided to change things up a bit and wear my favorite scarf as a belt. Who says you have to follow the rules in fashion and just wear a scarf around your neck?! That is one of things I LOVE (among many) about fashion: you can mix things up as you please and don't have to follow any rules! Do what makes you happy! On this particular day, it was a little too warm to wear this scarf in the "traditional" way, AND I was wishing I had a cute belt! So, around my waist this scarf went! 😉

It probably goes without saying, but the key to wearing a scarf as a belt is to make sure it's not too thick. This wouldn't work well with a blanket scarf. However, this scarf by BP is not too thick to loop through the belt holes of my jeans. I was super excited to play with a new way to wear a scarf! 

What are some of YOUR favorite spins on classic fashion trends?! Leave me a comment below and let me know!

Thanks SO much for reading, dolls!

XOXO
Ashley


Goody's beYOUtiful Girls' Night Out Store Event Recap!

October 8, 2017
















And a few pictures from exploring the city of Fayetteville, TN.....
















{Outfit Details}
Top: c/o Goody's, by Hannah (here, $18, I went up a size to medium for a looser fit) // Leggings: c/o Goody's, Signature Studio (my exact pair not online but love these here for only $10) // Faux Leather // Jacket: Signature Studio at Goody's (here, currently on sale for only $50! Runs TTS) // 
Booties: c/o Goody's, Rampage (here, for $40, runs TTS). 

Hi friends! 

If you follow along with me on Instagram (here) or Facebook (here), you may know that I was invited to host a "beYOUtiful Girls' Night Out" event to help celebrate the launch of the new Beauty Bar at Goody's, a part of the Stage family stores, in Fayetteville, TN this past Saturday, September 30th. At the event, I shared a fashion and beauty demo for fall (you can check out my videos on my blog's FB page)! I hosted the event along with Nashville blogger Brooke Webb of KBStyled (you can read her blog here) and we had a blast together. Best part of all, 10% of sales for the evening went to Christian Women's Job Corps of Madison, County, AL, Inc (check out their Facebook page here). I loved learning more about this wonderful organization! 

As you know, one of the things I try to do here on my blog is show my readers that you don't have to spend a fortune to look cute, stylish and on trend. When I went shopping the week before my event at my nearest Goody's store, I was so impressed with how many CUTE trendy pieces they had that were affordable! The outfit I picked out to wear for the in-store event included some of my favorite trends for fall: leopard print (I have seen leopard print everywhere for fall...even in pants/leggings), moto jackets (the one I've linked and wearing above is SERIOUSLY so cute, I love the hood detail, and it's currently on sale for $50. It's excellent quality!), and booties (these are by Rampage for only $40. You cannot beat the price!). The sleeveless top I'm wearing underneath my jacket is SO comfortable and perfect for leggings because it covers your hips. I have already worn this top 2-3 times since the event! I think I may need more colors at only $18 each! 

As you can see in the pictures above, I styled my mannequin in a camo jacket (shop it here), which is a huge trend for fall! One thing about camo is that you can really make it feminine, as I tried to do in the way I styled my mannequin at the event with pearls and heels (shop the heels here). Also, I layered a beige sweatshirt (shop it here) underneath the jacket that has girly ruffles and bows on the sleeves. Y'all know I'm a pretty girly girl so I love to make trends that have a tougher vibe softer with feminine touches. 

For my beauty trend for the event, I wanted to show how a bold lip is a must for fall. The new Beauty Bar at Goody's now carries one of my favorite brands for inexpensive but amazingly pigmented lipsticks, NYX. I used the shade "Alabama" in the matte lipstick (shop it here) on my GORGEOUS model (who happens to be my wonderful cousin/best friend Jil; cannot thank you enough for always being there for me girl!). We also used a NYX palette "Perfect Filter" in "Golden Hour" (shop it here) for her eyes and applied the shades with a Eco Tools brush set (here). A great way to save $$ is to pick an eyeshadow palette that could double as a blush/bronzer. The warm shades in this palette work perfect for both eyes & cheeks! 

Before my event,  we had time to explore the downtown shops in Fayetteville and enjoy a lunch at a cute, old school diner called "Honey's." There is something so charming about a little Southern town; one of those places where everyone is SO friendly! We enjoyed browsing the cute antique stores and of course my hubby/photographer snapped a few pictures for the blog. I just have to say, I am SO blessed with the best family in the world and always having their support with this blog (or whatever dreams I pursue!). 

I hope y'all have a fabulous week! Thank you as always from the bottom of my heart for reading and following along!

XOXO
Ashley

Thank you to Goody's, a part of the Stage Stores family, for sponsoring today's post and collaborating for this event.
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