Photos by Lee Britto Photography

So this past weekend your girl turned the big 30.  The weeks leading up to it I swore I would be depressed and emotional, beating myself up for not being where "I should be" by this age.  So needless to say, I wasn't overly excited about my birthday.  Much to my surprise that morning when I woke up I felt the exact opposite.  The only emotion I experienced was thankfulness.  Every single day on this earth is a blessing.  I think sometimes we create these depictions of what we believe our lives should be like within certain time frames.  Now don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with setting goals for yourself, but when you don't allow the possibility of life outside of those goals you set yourself up for failure.  We have control over some aspects of our life but the entirety of where our paths end up is not completely up to us.  It's ok to allow a change in your plan.  Sometimes that flexibility will lead you to a level of success you never imagined possible.  So this year I plan to invest completely in myself and my growth.   I'm open to seeing where my hard work can take me.

On a less serious note, I have really fallen for the whole dresses and jeans look.  I have played around with so many different combinations of it, and I just love it more and more every time.  A lot of times instead of playing with different colors and patterns I like to explore different shapes and silhouettes, especially one like this that transitions well into the fall.  Although this specific dress is sold out online (sorry ladies) take a look at some of the other dresses that would pair perfectly with some jeans or cute pants.

I also cannot end this without giving a very special thank you to my wonderful boyfriend who gifted me this beautiful Gabriela Hearst bag

XO,
Camille

Kimono

 Hey Lovelies,

As I was up scrolling through old pictures in my laptop I noticed I never posted details on this look.  In the interest of keeping things simple and staying true to my personal style, I wanted to add some extra flair to a pretty basic uninteresting outfit.  It's been unbearably hot this summer, so I haven't wanted to put on much more than a pair of shorts and a tank top.  Trust me, outside of Instagram photos and the occasional shoot it's been swing dresses, shorts, tanks, whatever provides the least amount of coverage.  As brutal as this heat has been if nudity was a legal option I would probably explore that route as well.

Finding pieces like this kimono has been CRUCIAL in keeping my wardrobe fun and interesting this season.  This particular Kimono is sold out, but I've linked some equally cute ones below.

What are some ways you keep your outfits interesting when the weather is dreadful outside?

XO,
Camille

Add A Little Flare

Top: H&M (similar top here); Pants: H&M (similar here) Earrings: H&M ( Equally as adorable here)

So I decided this year for my 30th bday I want to experience something different.  I mean, of course, I could never deny the joys of laying out on a beach, but after much thought, I decided I want to try something new.  Luckily for me, I recently realized that fashion week is going to fall on my birthday this year; there couldn't be a more perfect situation.  I get to be surrounded by all things fashionable while frolicking through my favorite city.  New York and I have a low key love affair.  Of course, I love my city (Philly in case you didn't know), well sometimes, but there is something about the hustle and bustle of the big apple that really speaks to me.  Don't even get me started on how large the natural hair community is out there.  It's just an entirely different atmosphere then I'm used to, and often times I believe it is where I am supposed to be.   And trust me,   many a family member has tried to scare me with the inevitability of multiple roommates and ridiculously unbelievable rent, but as I told them I DON'T CARE I DON'T CARE.

I have been diligently trying to gather looks outside of my normal comfort zone.  If you've been on  my blog before then you know I live in basics.  I mean why not,  they are the building blocks of all outfits.  For this occasion, I do want to dabble a little more with trends that I don't normally try.  For this look I decided to join team 70's ultra flare and gave these adorable stretch pants a try.  I am super short ( like a midget among men) so  I had to add a really high heel to this look, and that height made my flares perfectly sweep the floor.  I would definitely recommend picking a shoe that lifts you up just enough so that your shoes still stay hidden.  Let those pants completely swallow your shoe, and if you're lucky and you happen to be tall enough just rock some flats.

What suggestions would you guys have for fashion week looks, and what trends are you scared to try?

Photography by Lee Britto Photography

City of Brotherly Love

Photography by Lee Britto Photography

Blazer : H&M (Similar here); Jeans: H&M ( Similar here); Blouse ( Similar here); Boots (Similar here); Earrings ( Similar here); Bag: (Similar here)

So lately I've been laser focused on saving and making better financial decisions.  As a result I have also been spending a lot of time sitting in the house, and when I say a lot I mean almost all the time.  As important as it is to save money, it is equally important to live your very best life.  Yes, I'm aware of how cliche that sound but it is imperative because in a nutshell, you only get one.

In an effort to get back out here and start enjoying myself I've been lining up a few fun activities for the next couple of months.  First on my list is spending more time trying new places and new things in my own city.  Philadelphia has an endless list of places to go and things to do, but after 29 years it can sometimes feels very boring.  This particular Saturday I decided to venture over to Reading Terminal.  It's hard to describe but it is basically a place in the city that is packed wall to wall with so many different vendors.  There is an huge variety of foods, local jewelry vendors, and my favorite natural hair and skin products.  The best part of the trip was scoring a huge bottle of avocado oil for $6, me and my hair were extremely grateful.  But this is the first of many outings I will be taking this summer.  Can't wait to share them with you while living my best life.

What are some things you do for fun in your city?

Following Your Dreams

Photography: Lee Britto Photography ; Jacket: H&M; Tshirt: H&M; Jeans: Thrift store; Shoes: Cole Haan; Earrings: H&M; Bracelet: My Intent; Watch: Michael Kors

It's called the quarter life crisis.  I remember reading a book about it when I was still in college and not understanding how people were worrying instead of having the time of their lives at 25. There weren't many important life altering thoughts passing through my brain at that age.  It was pretty much all parties, home decor, and intoxicated heart to hearts in the living room with my best friend.  Now at 29 I would kill to go back to that care free time in my life.

As of recently, it seems like I may have finally entered the stage of my life where I am facing major life decisions, and just doing my best to make the right choices for my future.  It can be hard at times trying to differentiate between what you should be doing with you life, and what you want to do.  Sometimes we lean so hard upon others expectations of what they think is the right path for us that we become to scared to follow our hearts.  We are constantly told to dream big, but in the same breath told to be realistic and make "smart" choices regarding our future. 

There are no dreams that are too big for us to obtain.  We spend so much of our time staring at social media, constantly scrolling through and examining all the success of others around us.  I can admit, often with much envy.  What we don't pay attention to is it is not luck that got these people where they are. They didn't wake up one day and put a little bit of effort into a dream they had and "got lucky".  They struggled, they cried, they failed, they lost, they persevered, and then they succeeded. And success is not the end goal because true success takes the same concerted efforts to keep.

For all of us out there who find ourselves at a crossroads of defining our future and choosing the conventional path over your passion, there is no reason at all why your passion can't also be the path you are supposed to travel.

Now for a little bit of outfit details.  I know you have all seen this jacket all over my Instagram page.  That is because I am so so so in love with it.  I originally bought it in cream, but felt like a Yeti so returned it and just happened to be lucky enough to get the last mint one.  Maybe its the color, but although I hated the fit of it on me in the cream, there was something so chic about this color.  The shoes were gifted to my by my lovely boyfriend ( who is really starting to have a good eye for my kind of style) from Cole Haan.  He was able to get them for a steal, which made me quite proud since I'm a sale junkie.

I hope you guys enjoy the post!

Black Girl Magic

I am a gift givers worst nightmare.  I never have any idea what I want no matter what the holiday is.  Every Christmas, birthday, pollyanna, doesn't matter what the occasion the answer will always be " I don't know get whatever you want to get me".  Needless to say this Christmas was exactly the same.  My boyfriend asked me what I wanted and I told him to surprise me, and that is exactly what he did.  When I opened up my gift I was completely blown away, like scream out loud and jump up and down kind of blown away.

Photography: Lee Britto

Blazer: Odd Jar; Sweatshirt: She's in the mood; Jacket: This one or This one; Earrings: This one or This one or This one; Jeans: H&M Similar here; Boots; H&M ( on sale here)

In a time when cultural pride and self love have become imperative within the black community, apparel like this means more than just a cute outfit.  "Black Girl Magic" is a phrase that is so commonly used sometimes we don't really think about the reason behind this mantra.  When I think of the black women in my life I am reminded of their strength and  resilience when faced with seemingly insurmountable adversity, and their ability to be the very backbone for their family, making constant sacrifices for the benefit of others.  All the while, remaining completely unbreakable.  How can a person have to fight harder then most to attain the same respect as everyone else and still hold their head high and always seemingly come out on top?  We are magic.  We are infinitely and beautifully magical.  When I wear this shirt it's so much more to me then just being " cute " or "fashionable" .   It is a reminder that I know my worth, and nothing and no one can devalue me.  I am a strong, beautiful, amazing, self aware, black magical woman.  As the great Solange Knowles once said ( and yes I said GREAT) " Don't let nobody steal your magic"

Photography: Lee Britto

Blazer: Odd Jar
Sweatshirt: She's in the mood
Jacket: This one or This one
Earrings: This one or This one or This one
Jeans: H&M Similar here;
Boots; H&M ( on sale here)

Patience is Key

It is very true that as you get older your style begins to evolve.  A few years ago you could not catch me in any faux fur clothing.  Back then I wasn't really into to taking too many fashion risks and tended to lean more towards basics.  Don't get me wrong I still love my basics, they are the entire foundation of many of my outfits, but now I like to live life a little more on the edge and spice things up a bit.  Nowadays I want to try new things and take a few risks with my style. 

Faux fur coats were my first step to reinventing my wardrobe.  I had tried them in the past and they just never really looked that great on me.  I remember being so in love with the general appearance of a shag oat, then putting it on and looking like an entire marshmallow.  This year I kept seeing them everywhere and decided I would give them a try.  One day while taking one of my many failed target trips for one specific item, I wound up in the women's department "window shopping" their A New Day collection.  Then right when I was about to leave I spotted it.  This absolutely gorgeous faux fur leopard coat.  Now of course this wasn't what I came in there for.  I mean this wasn't even something I would typically even be open to the idea of, but I was in love, and I knew I had to have it.

Now one thing you will learn about me as time goes on is I am a habitual sale shopper.  I am a very firm believer that if it ain't on sale it ain't for me.  Seriously!  Shopping in general is great, but looking at the bottom of a receipt and knowing you saved a ton of money is so so much better.   So instead of buying this coat right on the spot I decided to wait until the next day,  cyber Monday, and see if Target would have any sales.  I am probably the most impatient human being on earth, but waiting paid off because the coat ended up being $10 cheaper then the original price.  I guess it is true what they say; Patience is a virtue. 

Photography by: Lee Britto

Jacket: similar here, here, or here

Sweater: H&M

Jeans: Similar here and here

Odd Jar

After shooting some content a few weeks ago with my photographer, he asked me if I wanted to make a run with him to go to a vintage shop named Odd Jar, he would be working with soon.  Seeing that the only thing on my agenda for the day was watching insecure for the second time with a side of wine, I agreed,  Now when he said "vintage" I expected your typical racks and racks of items that would take a few hours to sift through, but thats certainly not what I got.

Photography: Lee Britto Photography; All Clothing from Odd Jar

Odd jar really lives up to its name, but in the most creatively interesting and exciting way.  If an art gallery and a clothing boutique had a baby it would be Odd Jar.   When you first walk in their is art EVERYWHERE.  Even some of the clothing has been made into art.  I was immediately in sensory overload when I walked in, but I got straight to what I do best; SHOPPING.

I'm so used to going into a thrift store and spending HOURS searching through every single rack trying to find at least one thing that I like.  Welp, that certainly wasnt my issue this time!  Much to the dismay of my bank account I found SEVERAL things I immediately fell in love with.  It actually got to a point where I had to have come to Jesus meeting about what I could realistically buy.  It was not an easy decision, I seriously wanted it all.   There were so many, blazers, gowns, rompers, accessories, it was all so overwhelming.  It was the perfect mix of vintage and current brands.  One of the things, I loved most about this store is their ability to customize pieces.  The owner is an artist and is able to add artwork to jackets, bags, furniture, pretty much whatever you can think of.  You can also pick up some very unique art for your home while your there. 


So if you live in the Philadelphia area I highly recommend stopping by.  I promise you will be taking many more trips there after your first visit.  This current look is from a shoot I did with them. Of course I ended up buying it lol.  I mean look at it, absolutely adorable.

Thigh Highs Save Lives

Thigh high boots is a trend I kind of avoided because I just never thought I would be able to pull them off, but there is something about their demure way of being sexy that really blows my mind.  I love a chic sexy look, but at the same time I'm a grandmother at heart.  My entire fall and winter wardrobe consists of multiple turtleneck sweaters and long dresses and skirts.  Don't get me wrong I'll throw on a tight dress here and there, maybe even a low cut top once in a while, but typically I like to keep it grandma chic.

Sweater Dress: H&M; Thigh High Boots: Aldo; Earrings: Similar Style

I recently got a pair of really cute taupe thigh high boots to fulfill my urge but it wasn't enough.  For the past 3 weeks I have been looking everywhere for the perfect pair.  One of the biggest issues that I've had is that I have the teeniest little ankles and a thick thigh.  Now that doesn't bother me one bit as far as my actual build goes, but it drives me absolutely insane in terms of my boots staying up.  The other day as I strutted around work and my boots slid down to my ankles every 5 second, looking so very sad and pathetic, enough was enough.  So after weeks of searching every store in the mall, and scouring tons of online sites I finally found these beauties and I am completely in love with them.

I got this specific pair from Aldo.  They are a black faux suede with a snake imprint on them.  But most importantly they are unbelievably comfortable.  Are you loving thigh high boots this season, and whats your favorite way to wear them.

Oh The Weather Outside Is Frightful

Oh the weather outside is frightful.  Like absolutely blistering cold.  There really is not many positives to these super frigid temperatures we have been having, EXCEPT having the opportunity bust out some really adorable sweaters.  I'm a summer baby so I don't do well with the cold, but fall and winter trends have always been my favorite looks.

Photography by Lee Britto

Sweater: Similar style here; Jeans: H&M; Necklace: Aldo; Shoes: Lucky Brand;

Sunglasses: H&M

So this winter has been a really rough one.  Here on the east coast it's been outrageously cold, and there really has not been many positives to these super frigid temperatures we have been having. One of the very very few upsides to the cold is finally getting the chance to bust out some of your favorite sweaters. 

This year I wanted my winter wardrobe to be as comfortable as possible, like still wrapped up in my comforter kind of cozy.  So when I saw this sweater dress it was love at first sight.  Thanks to the dress and jeans trend I have the option to either dress this down or  let it be a little sexy.  For this look I decided to keep it casual since I was on my way to brunch.  Without jeans it would have been a little bit too much thigh for that early in the day.  Don't get me wrong I plan on also styling this with a pair of statement knee high boots, because a little thigh after 5pm ain't never hurt nobody.

What do you guys look for in a sweater dress?  Comment below.