I’m excited to share that I’ve been featured in the August issue of Cincinnati Magazine! The magazine highlights someone in their Style Counsel section each month, and I was thrilled when they reached out with an invitation!

I’ve been reading Cincinnati Magazine since I was a little girl, thanks to the subscription my parent’s had. I would study every page and admire the beautiful photography. I loved reading all things Cincinnati culture, food, fashion, and everything else they cover. It was one of my early influences that inspired my love of media and culture, and definitely inspired me to study journalism in college.

The Outfit

I had a vision for the look I wanted for this shoot, but didn’t have every detail nailed down. I love my girly, feminine pieces, but I also adore menswear-inspired looks. One of my favorite styles right now is a mens tie paired with a blazer and pops of color. That was the vision, but I needed a piece to build around.

Getting to do these fun things because of my blog feels like a full-circle moment. One of my dream careers when I was in college was to work at Cincinnati Magazine or a local TV station. I feel incredibly grateful that I’ve been featured in both thanks to my blog. I started this website right out of college, at a very uncertain time in my life, and I’ll always say it’s the best thing I’ve ever done.

I looked at tons of ties. Nothing was hitting me. I was starting to worry that what I was envisioning didn’t exist until I discovered OTAA, a tie brand based in Australia. Pink and orange is one of my favorite color combinations (my bedroom at my parents house is painted in these colors), and I was ecstatic when I found a striped tie sporting those colors.

Since the tie was so fun, and I didn’t want to look clownish, I opted for white for the rest of the look. I got the matching pocket square, which added a nice pop of color on the blazer.

The blazer (on sale!) and pants are both linen pieces from J.Crew. They’re perfect for a polished summer suit look!

My white button down shirt was an old Zara purchase. My pink heels are an early blog purchase from way back in 2013 from the brand Dee Keller. I had to add some feminine sparkle, which is when a statement earring and brooch come in handy. My earrings are my go-to Loren Hope Cupid Heart pair, and my brooch is an old find from Casablanca Vintage, a wonderful vintage store in Northside!

The Interview

A fun interview was the cherry on top of a fashion-forward photoshoot. It was fun to chat about my background and what inspires me style wise.

Without hesitation, my fashion inspiration is Fran Drescher’s character Fran Fine from the 90s sitcom The Nanny. I remember watching that show as a child, and although I was too young to follow all the storylines, I was obsessed with Fran’s outfits. I follow an Instagram account devoted to her looks on the show because they make me so happy. If you want to have a look at her incredible fashions yourself, enjoy this website!

I picked the 90s as my favorite era of fashion as well. Maybe I’m nostalgic since it’s when I was born, but that decade just felt so fun and free in terms of fashion. I think of bright colors when I think of that time, and see documented proof in my childhood photos. I long for our world to get back to more colorful times, and shudder every time I hear the phrase “Millenial Grey.” It seems like in recent years, things have started to swing away from “sad beige” and “greige”, which makes me hopeful!

When asked what my favorite brand is, I immediately answered Boden. I love Boden! I’ve been shopping there for ten years, and it seems the brand has really taken off here in US in recent years. Boden is a British fashion brand, and they create wonderfully fun and colorful pieces. Some of my favorite things in my closet are from Boden.

In terms of a dream fashion designer I would love to wear, I had to choose Carolina Herrera. They are masters of making classic, feminine pieces with a modern twist, and they’re not afraid of color- all things that I love! Carolina herself is known for her crisp white shirts, which is the perfect foundation to build an outfit around.

You can read the full interview here!