Gingham & Lemons | Lovely Style

I mustered up some bravery and decided to do a fashion shoot for the blog! A lot of my friends and readers have been asking for some fashion posts and I felt like maybe it was time to oblige. Fashion has unintentionally been a part of my blog for a while now, as what I wear is featured in any photo that I happen to appear in for my posts. Although I didn’t set out to share fashion, it is undoubtably been an unintentional part of my blog since I started. To me, fashion is deeply personal. Since childhood, people have always had an opinion about the way I dress (good or bad), however, I have always decided to ignore the unsolicited advice and simply dress like me. Clothing is an artful way to express myself. I have always loved patterns and textiles. I have also always loved fashion, not for what is trendy, but for what interests my own style. 

I worried that sharing fashion posts on my blog would somehow diminish my message. I blog primarily about simple living, travel, and weddings. Would fashion somehow take away from that? Would it in any way cheapen my message about simple living? I love personal style, yet I am also anti-excess. In some ways there is a fine line between fashion and materialism. In the end, I decided that of course there is a balance to everything. And I do truly enjoy clothing. I read fashion blogs because I love looking at the styles and learning new looks. I shouldn’t let any fears hold me back from sharing something I enjoy. 

My mission is not to sell clothes, make readers feel inadequate until they purchase what I am wearing, or to promote materialism. I am not a fashion blogger, but style I can do. Personal style is not about buying more clothes or accessories. It is about being creative with how you dress whether your clothing is new or an old favorite. Now that I can do. I hope that you enjoy my first true style post! 

On the idea of being brave and sharing my first fashion post, I thought I would share a style that I have seen come and go continuously over the years: crop tops and shorts. I have always loved the way a good crop top has looked, but never bought one because I didn’t have the confidence to show my mid-drift (or entire stomach depending on the cut), but I have always secretly wanted to try it. Instead of waiting until I felt comfortable or had a “better body,” I decided to give it ago. I will never be as young as I am now ever again. It was time to feel confident. 

This spring, gingham has made another comeback (a checkered pattern that I have always adored because it reminds me of lovely family picnics) and I have been seeing my favorite fruity pattern obsession (lemons!) everywhere. The other week I showed up to work in my favorite lemon skirt and my cousin, who also works with me, was wearing a lemon shirt! The best coincidence all week. I have two gingham and lemon looks to share with you. It is a unique combination, but I feel that they work wonderfully together. 

For the first look, I paired black and white shorts with a white and lemon crop top. Both itms were bought this spring at Forever 21. (I know I’m a little bit past the Forever 21 phase, but I love their colorful clothing this year!)For the second look, I have another outfit that is also from Forever 21. I love this crop top because it is a little more modest and pairs really well with high waisted shorts. Although I am usually a dress girl, I have finally embraced a new love for shorts! I used to be awful to myself as a teen (I hated showing my legs), but instead I decided to be grateful for my health and strength. I have two legs that can get me places so I am no longer going to hide them. I now love wearing shorts on hot days at casual events. I wish I could go back and tell my younger self to be kinder to herself. Which is also why I do not photoshop my photos. I would never dream of making one of my clients appear thinner with some Photoshop editing (I have a modest and authentic editing style), so I would never edit myself either. I also truly believe that it gives girls (and boys too) the wrong message about body image as well as how to respect a woman. Make a wish! Who here still wishes on dandelions? I paired my outfit with these casual brown wedges from Target and this lovely round French Market Basket that I found on Etsy. This photo shoot was a collaboration with Lydia of Chic on the Cheap, a Connecticut based blogger who has a talented eye for fashion! Please check out her amazing blog!

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