The Farm Chicks

Granny DON'T, Granny DO

With the return of some granny fashion, sometimes we can make big fashion mistakes. Take these cute little granny sneakers, for example.

My fashion DON"T would be pairing the granny sneakers with ordinary jeans. Not only does it look dated, it adds weight to your frame.

My fashion DO would be to pair the grannies with a tapered leg jean, which not only has a slimming effect, but is more current too. Isn't it funny how such a tiny variation can make such a difference?

Even better? A little roll-up on the cuff:

The trick when adding in a granny piece is to add just one, and mix it with something current. A little bit of granny goes a long way.

Shoes: Target

Jeans: Ann Taylor Loft (both pairs)

My Color of the Season

My color of the spring and summer season this year is Coral. Coral feels like 1960 to me and I love it - in small doses. On my toes, or perhaps a summery scarf, or a cute little clutch.

And Coral is perfect paired with summer favorites such as White, Navy, and Bright Pink.

This season, it's all about color!

Polish shown above: Tangerine Crush and Versailles Romance by Loreal.

Gold

Hi! It's me!

I wanted to tell you about my favorite fashion accessory right now: Gold!

Not real gold, silly. Faux is just fine, and affordable too. Faux is still just as pretty to me.

Here are some of my current faves:

Gold Lace Pocket Watch Pendant (Spool No. 72) $22

Fan Disc Earrings (Forever 21) $1.50

Athena Bracelet (Etsy Seller Cosette) $20

Well, that's what's making me smile right now. Do you have accessory phases too?

Fall Favorites (Part 2)

Today I want to tell you about the pretty little things I'm loving right now. A few more little pick-me-ups for the fall wardrobe.

The best thing about gold? It makes you SHINE!

Happy day!

Sources:

Lace Clutch: Forever 21

Gold Nail Polish: Nicole (OPI) in shade "Next CEO"

Fabric Flower Pin: EmersonMade

Gold Lace Necklace: Payaya!

Fall Favorites

Adding a few special things to your seasonal wardrobe is like a little pick-me-up. A "Happy Day To Me, From Me" sort of treat. Here is what I'm loving for fall:

1: Sonia Kashuk Velvety Matte Lip Crayon - I love the look of a stained lip. Not overly made up, but lovely, nonetheless. And, yes, it feels velvety, not dry like a normal lipstain. I love this stuff! My fave? Mulberry Nude. $7.99 at Target.

2: Maybelline Express Finish polish. I love how quickly this polish dries. Perfect shade for my toes: Mocha Blast. $3.49 at Target.

3: Maybelline Express Finish polish. I like the shade Ivory in Seconds for my hands. $3.49 at Target.

4. Aviators (on the cheap!) Let me say that I've owned really expensive sunglasses and really inexpensive ones and the expensive ones break and get lost just as easily as the cheap ones. My vote? Wal-Mart $4.99.

5. Minnetonka moccasins. If you're going to buy moccasins, don't go cheap. I think Minnetonkas are the best, and aren't they just the cutest for fall? I got mine for a great deal: $29 at TJ Maxx. (Normal retail is $45, but well worth it).

Note: I was not paid to endorse these items. I just happen to enjoy them.

Serena's Rules for Packing

If there was any month in the year that I could choose to take a sunny vacation, it would always be February. Here in Spokane, it's the grayest of months and always feels like winter has gone on too long.

We were able to get away this year and the sun did us all some good. When we travel, I have one basic rule: Less is more. We never check suitcases, choosing to use carry-ons instead. It forces us to bring less and is just a lot more efficient. No waiting for checked or lost luggage and if there's a different flight we'd like to stand-by for (getting us to our destination earlier) it's possible since we don't have checked bags. (Airlines require that passengers travel on the same plane as their luggage).

Several years ago, I purchased a wheeled carry-on suitcase for each of the boys at Target. They were on clearance for $5 each and have been the best vacation purchase I've ever made. Now each person in the family has their own suitcase that they're responsible for.

When choosing what to pack, I make sure all of my clothing works well together. A few shirts, shorts, a couple of swimsuits, a cover-up, light sweater, and a little dress. (Pictured above top to bottom: Sundress, top, light sweater, swimsuits, cover-up, top).

Since I will be wearing sandals most of the time, they are what I wear on the plane. These neutral sandals work well with any of my outfits. (Funny story about these sandals: One time while accompanying Colin on a business trip, I decided to go to the hotel's salon for a blow-out while he was in a meeting. When I sat down in the chair, the stylist looked down at my feet with a horrified expression. Then after doing a double-take, he said, "Oh my gosh! I thought you had hair growing out the top of your feet!"

I also make sure to pack workout clothes (and shoes) and a pair of flip-flops for pool and beach.

And my favorite thing to pack? A little sample-sized perfume. It makes every outfit just a little more special. My favorite right now? French Lime Blossom from Jo Malone. And their samples even have a little sprayer. And once we return home, I like to use the sample for a while longer to remind me of vacation.

Sources:

Top image from top to bottom:

Green Cotton Sundress: Ann Taylor Loft

Pink Floral Top: Anthropologie

Striped Sweater: The Gap

Yellow Striped Swimsuit: Target

Floral Swimsuit: Boden

Ribbon Adorned Cover-Up: Boden

Yellow T-Shirt : Target

Second Image: Sandals: The Gap

Third Image:

Tennies: Nike

Silver Flip-Flops: Old Navy

Last Image: Perfume: Jo Malone

Floral Fashion

Floral fashion (English roses, especially) is the big trend this year. You're going to see it everywhere. But floral and fashion can go wrong quickly if you're not careful. You don't want to look like grandma's comforter, do you? The key is to not overdo it. Just a touch of floral here and there. Here are some of my favorites:

Free People:

Forever 21:

Aldo:

Nordstrom:

Topshop:

Happy happy *happy*

A Short Novel About Fashion

Thank goodness my sister was into fashion.  She used to order us Esprit catalogs which we'd pour over, learning what was cool at the moment.  When we were done with them, we'd pull the pages out and hang them on the walls of the little travel trailer she and I shared as our bedrooms.  It opened my eyes to a beautiful world I never knew existed.  I thought being a fashion model would be amazing, but I was going through an awkward phase, so I set my sights on being a hand model.

When I was in fourth grade, my family moved deep into the woods outside of the small Northern California town of Yreka. I loved when we'd get to make the trip into town and I could gaze in the windows of my favorite store, Directions.  The window displays were always done by a beautiful woman named Yoni, who I admired very much.  When I got older, I would pick her brain about how she created those amazing displays.  And it's definitely where I learned to appreciate a good display, especially one with cute merchandise.

My mom eventually took a job at a shop in town called the Second Hand Rose, which sold used clothing. It was like a dream come true for me because I got to be in charge of window displays.  And sometimes, there wasn't as good of a selection as other times, so I learned to be resourceful with outfit displays, leaning on a few good key pieces to pull the looks together.

Along the way, I met my uncle who was a very successful doctor in San Francisco and I began to visit him on holidays.  He shopped in wonderful department stores like Macy's and Saks Fifth Avenue and would take me there to shop, carte blanche.  It was a shocking experience for me, as his world and mine could not have been more different.  Now I could have the Esprit outfits I had only seen on my travel trailer bedroom walls, never even imagining that one day they could possibly be mine.

When I was just beginning my life as an adult, I'd still order fashion catalogs and would fill out huge orders on the order forms, sometimes taking several days at a time before I was done.  Once complete, I'd tuck them away and wait for the next season's catalogs to arrive.  For many years I wasn't able to place the orders, but the process made me happy.  Like I was in touch with fashion.

I still love seeing each season's collections and look forward to every catalog that arrives.  Each season (I break it up by spring/summer and fall/winter) I try to think about one main color I'm going to build my wardrobe around so that everything works well together and my dollar goes farther.  For spring/summer this year, I'm loving navy blue.  And so many colors look great with Navy.

From Boden.  Wouldn't this be a cute start to my navy spring/summer? :

From EmersonMade:

and from Made by Hank (any of these would look so cute with my wardrobe):

And even the color of the year looks great with navy!

Look sis, it's me! I'm a hand model.