some links for you

And a Happy Friday to you! Thanks again for all the aok love this week! I'm so excited to have the site out there and I hope to work with some of you readers this year!! Tell me, what are you up to this weekend? Mother Nature tells me it's supposed to be almost 60 on Sunday and then back into the 30's on Monday? I think we can all agree that it's time for winter to stick around for a bit. Tomorrow I'm brunching with some girlfriends at Prime Meats , and in looking at the menu have decided that I'll be ordering one of everything. Whatever you're up to, I hope it's fantastic! Please do enjoy this list of my favorite links :: 

What to watch after 'Making a Murderer'.

In fashion education news, what to call your shoes.

A guide to new arrivals. 

This makes cleaning your makeup brushes a snap (I can never quite get my foundation brush clean!)

This week, I lost my gloves. <insert sad face emoji here> Thoughts on these?

This wedding dress has me swooning (check out those pics by my friend Julia!)

Hair color that lasts 6 months (and takes 6 hours!)? Hmmm...

See you next week!

xoxo,

aok

style dictionary: jacquard

Happy (holiday) Monday, friends! There's nothing better than a long weekend, am I right? We spent ours huddled up on the couch with large glasses of wine; the cold here is intense. It's a sweltering 5 degrees right now! Whether or not you're working, there's always room to expand your knowledge of style and clothing, which, I hope, is why you stopped by today! Last week's style dictionary post was the most popular post of the week, which tickles me, so we're going to continue our education with today's word: JACQUARD.

Now, my good friend Merriam Webster defines jacquard as "a fabric of intricate variegated weave or pattern," but that's a little general for me.

When I think of jacquard, I think of a boxy, honeycomb type fabric. Raised and textured, like this:

By the way, this was happening to the left of that photo:

He loves to nap on the heater, go figure. Anyway, ASOS consistently does jacquard really well, at an affordable price with great quality. Which, if you're wanting to experiment with this fun pattern, is a great way to go:

// blazer // pj's // crop top, skirt //

My favorite way to wear jacquard is in a top or jacket, but here I love the luxe jammies (great for the wedding night, maybe??), as well as a crop top set worthy of Taylor Swift.

How do you feel about jacquard? (PS- DON'T FORGET ASOS IS OFFERING 20% OFF WITH CODE PREZDAY20)

xoxo,

gift guide: furry babies

 

Good morning, friends! If you're like me, your pet's happiness is as important if not more important than your own. See exhibit A:

MOV_5732.MOV

So, needless to say, Charlie will be getting a present this year. Here are my favorite finds for your furry baby and the animal lovers on your list:

// pet tracker for the paranoid (ME) // dog toy for the plaid lover // great collar and leash to support animal adoption // self heating dog bed  for the energy conscious animal // collapsible water bowl for the pup on the go // bougie dog treats for the sophisticated palate // Christmas dog pillow // mini emergency kit for dogs // candle for pre-holiday party pet odor elimination //

Have you enjoyed our gift guide series? I think I have one or two up my sleeve, and check back next week for a big ol' giveaway!

That's all for now, friends!

xoxo,

                                                                                                                                                                                                            top photo by Ashley Caroline.

nailed it.

Morning lovely people! Before we get started here, I just want to give a shout out to Charlie, who is THREE today! This is Charlie this morning:

Happy Birthday, Charlie! We are in love with you.

So, lately I've been obsessed with nail art. There seems to be a trend going around, and maybe I'm late to the party, but it's a GREAT party. I always get a gel manicure before I go on vacation, and my friend recommended Vanity Projects before we went to Costa Rica - she had gotten some cool manicures there. Their Instagram is chock full:

Right!? So fun! I had a good experience there but I was a little disappointed in myself for not being a little more adventurous (I got a rose gold mani with a simple design on each index finger). Well, this weekend I'm attending the Monarch Workshop and I really want to look ON POINT! So I've got to figure out what kind of design I want to do...

For more simplistic yet still daring ideas, I found a spot called Paintbox that's been getting a lot of hype:

A little more subdued, but still awesome!

And lastly, my friend Emily just told me about Ten Over Ten, which does nail art with regular nail polish (which Vanity Projects doesn't like to do):

Hmm, the Jury's out. I would LOVE to hear your suggestions. Get at me!! xoxo

images via here, here, here.

telling stories: an experiment with ashley caroline photography

Back when a landline was necessary, I would make calls to my best friend Ashley from my parents' bedroom.  We would plan to meet up in the woods, on the path halfway between our houses. There was this one scary part of the woods that was a dark tunnel of branches.  I can see it like it was yesterday.  We would run through it as fast as we could- that was about halfway- and continue on, sometimes stopping to explore, sometimes detouring, always, always laughing.

I can't believe that was almost 20 years ago, but the good news is…old habits die hard.  Ashley, who is a very successful wedding photographer and owner of Ashley Caroline Photography, contacted me a couple months ago about meeting up for a lifestyle / fashion photoshoot.  I think I said yes before her fingers finished typing.

Well, we made it happen this weekend with plenty of exploring, detouring and tons of laughter…here are the results.

Sources: Free People Lou Buttondown Dress / Scarf made by my lovely sister in law (email me if you would like her contact info!) / Wolford tights / Belt on permanent loan from my sister (similar here) / Pedro Garcia boots (sold out- I got them when they were 50% off) / Hunter Boots borrowed from Ashley's sister / Hat borrowed from my impossibly stylish friend Vicki (similar here) / Soo Ihn Kim Bracelet (old) / Marcia Moran Druzy Ring (similar here)

While I tried my best to smize, Ashley used glass to create some incredible images...

You didn't think we would leave Charlie out, did you?  Master of the Smize...

Okay that's a lie.  Charlie was FREAKING OUT!  Friend does not handle new situations well, though you can't tell by Ashley's shots, and we were fortunate to have the most handsome dog wrangler on hand (thanks, Raven!).

I'm in love with the above shots.  Ashley's pictures read like a novel- I swear I can picture the entire story about that girl in the plaid dress with the lace blanket.

Taking pictures on the rocks was amazing.  We were freezing, the wind was whipping and I felt like the ocean was going to swallow us up.  Again, you would never know it from these pictures...

This last picture makes me want to cry!  Ashley, you are a true artist and I cannot wait to watch your career blossom and grow.

If you're interested in hiring Ashley, please visit her website here (and check out her recap of our shoot here!).

And please check back over the next couple weeks, I'll be recapping the other outfits!  Hope you've enjoyed :)

images by Ashley Caroline Photography