LBP loves TCB: The Carolina Ball

We have been working on this partnership for a few weeks and I am SO excited to finally be able to tell y'all about it! I have officially signed on as a media sponsor of the event and it's going to be great! It's a week from TODAY so hop on board.

The Carolina Ball is a gala that is being held next Thursday here in Columbia and I am thrilled to be going! Remember when I talked about all those formal dresses--yep, I've got gala on the brain.

It sounds like it's going to be a blast based on the description alone:

A group of friends collaborated to create a formal philanthropic event for the community to come together in support of an amazing cause. The inaugural Carolina Ball, sponsored by Breakers Bar and Grill, will be held on April 25, 2013 at 701 Whaley in support of Palmetto Health Children's Hospital. With this cause in mind - along with live music and an open bar - this black-tie affair will be a night to remember. 

Anyone remember what I was just involved in with Palmetto Health Children's Hospital? DANCE MARATHON of course! Why not be a part of another big party to celebrate such a wonderful place right here in Columbia?!

The Carolina Ball stands for all kinds of things I love:

1. Helping out a children's hospital

2. Standing up with peers to do something good. Really, really GOOD.

3. Getting dressed up

4. Dancing with live music 

Check out their website to buy your ticket (ASAP y'all, they're filling up fast) and the official event invite to get all the deets! We'll be comin' atcha with more information as the big soiree gets closer!

Be there or miss out big time!

xxKatie

Outfit of the Day: Maxed Out

Last summer when the "You Gotta Regatta" print came out from Lilly, I got a dress for my sister's high school graduation. I couldn't really justify getting two dresses in the same print, so I skipped out on this Treena Maxi dress originally.

I had HUGE remorse for not snagging this dress when I had the opportunity. I was ELATED when I logged onto Rue La La to see that it was being offered in the most recent Lilly pop-up shop! There was high traffic all day, so I didn't think I was going to log on, let alone even order or purchase this dress. After trying my patience, I finally got through on Rue La La and ordered my dress as soon as I could! I was PUMPED when I got my confirmation email that it was on its way. 

I paired this dress with a yellow party cardi and my neon McKims from Carolina Cup, and added my monogram necklace on to top it all off. I cannot wait to wear this dress more often because it seriously feels like PJs when you're wearing it. Needless to say, I am LOVING my newest acquisition!

Have you ever snagged a dress after longing after not buying it?

xxKatie

Carolina Cup Week: The Dress

Girls take a long time in choosing an outfit, we know that. Imagine Christmas plus warm weather plus a day long tailgate plus mimosas plus hats and you've got the beginning of the gist of Carolina Cup.

Choosing a dress for Cup is no easy task. I take awhile in deciding my dress. Carefully evaluating all my options. Trying on tons and tons and tons of different styles. Do you go strapless? Straps? Stripes? Solids? Prints? Ruffles? Longer hems? Peplum? Embellishments?

And that's only after you've made the choice of designer. Lilly is the obvious choice, and 95% of stylish Cup attendees will be in a Lilly Pulitzer dress dating back to 2003 until the last 3/25 shipment.

There are so many choices! After having worked a full Cup season, these are the front-runners of dresses:

The Lowe Dress in Pretty Pink Tootie was hands down the most popular dress that people were buying for Cup! It is SO stinking cute on, and we even suggested monogramming the seersucker part on top!

The Payton Dress was second ONLY to the Lowe Dress. This sweet strapless number was so popular, and I have to think it's due to all the faaaaaabulous colors in the print. They really knocked it out of the park with this floral look.

Although a late arriver to the game, the Lonnie Dress was another big player! This dress was really elevated when you added a belt. Knockout!

Valentina Dress--pink seersucker, TDF. Done and done.

The Sandrine Dress in Shorely Blue Tossing the Line was an early front-runner. There are fun embellishments and the back is a big V. So so so cute, but definitely better for the shorter gals!

The Adeline Dress in my book is a "life dress". I have this from last year and I was elated that it was brought back for Cup '13--apparently so was everyone else! This was snatched up SO quick!

The Nina Dress in Tootie was another popular choice! As you can see, the best part about this shift is the ADORABLE back and zipper!

I have also been TIGHT-LIPPED about my own dress, but I am SO excited to announce that I am wearing the Lowe Dress in POP!:

As soon as I saw this dress on the back cover of the Spring catalog, I knew this was going to be my Cup dress! I ordered it and had to do a bit of altering to make it Cup-ready, but I. Am. In. Love. I look forward to taking LOTS of pictures with anyone who has made the same choice as me, because, we all know that great minds think alike! This dress and print are one of my favorites I've seen in recent years, and I am THRILLED to be wearing this number!

What are you wearing? Is you dress on the short list? Do spill the beans...I did!

xxKatie

Outfit of the Day: Over the Top

Over the top is the name of the game in this OOTD!

I ordered the Lilly Pulitzer Malibu Blazer and Juliana Dress for when the corporate team came into Pink Sorbet for a big meet and greet! No one had really thought about adding the striped blazer over the striped dress, but we all agreed that it really worked!

I'm excited to add the blazer over navy shorts and pair it with wedges once the weather gets hot. I think that would be a super fun outfit once it gets nice out again!

Do you remember "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants"? This dress could be a substitute for those pants. It works on gals of every size. I have it, and I've seen shorter girls look KNOCKOUT in it as well as girls of different sizes! What the best part really is, is that the fluorescent part isn't really close to your face. The stripes set them apart, and the neon doesn't wash you out like it can sometimes.

I've also been in search of a good professional bag. I have a black one, but often times, black doesn't always match my professional outfit. I found a great tote from Target:

This Merona Tote was a great score and it fits everything I need it to! I was in a time crunch to find something that worked ASAP, and I'm definitely still on the lookout for a more long-term option. I would LOVE any input!

xxKatie

5 Steps to NYE

1. A dress: This Michael Kors number is on sale and perfect for NYE! Gold, sequins, go big or go home for New Years. Everyone else will be shiny and glittery with you, so pick a dress you love for this fun night!

2. A photobooth: Choose a dynamic backdrop, set up a camera and add in a few props to spice up the photos--your iPhone and Instagram can do all the heavy lifting! A set like this from the Confetti System is festive and fun!

3. A playlist: Pick your favorite current tunes, or find a good Pandora or Spotify playlist. Add in old school tunes like the Beach Boys through 90's with the Backstreet Boys to a little top 40! There'll be a song in there for everyone AND tons of dancing to be done!

4. A drink: Something bubbly is normally the ticket, but why not create your own signature cocktail to enjoy? It can catch on just in time to ring in 2013!

5. A crew: A true New Years is entirely incomplete if you don't have people to celebrate it with! Grab your crowd, and even if you stay in and watch the ball drop, you're still starting the new year in the best of company!

Although I won't be in SC for the big night, I'll be celebrating just as heartily with a crew from home!

xxKatie

GIveaway: Tracy Negoshian

All my SEC ladies love their Tracy Negoshian!

Gameday is well, the name of the game!

I see SO many Tracy Negoshian dresses at Gameday and they are PERFECT especially as we start to transition into chilly-er weather. Some of the most important games fall toward the end of the season: rivals week, Championship games AND Bowl games! The season is hardly over when it really starts to get cold!

Can't decide if you're a Clemson or Carolina fan--this is the dress for you! (I would say though, that it's definitely more of a Clemson Gameday dress!)

This is another great garnet and black combination Gameday dress!

This makes a great Gameday dress and even a good work dress!

Of course I have to include an Auburn version for my sister and all her sorority sisters too!

Enter today's Tracy Negoshian dress giveaway here:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I can't wait to announce this winner!!

xxKatie

Tailgate City, USA: The Dress

Your choice of outfit is among the most important choices that you'll make for Gameday! PS: How cute are all my models with their Swoozie's gear?

It's not an easy feat, but we have four FAAAABulous models all with different Gameday looks!

Jami

Jami's look is Traditional Carolina Gameday: black dress, pearls, cowboy boots and a sorority button! And she looks awesome!

Hannah

Hannah's look is Classy Carolina Gameday: patterned ruffle shift, garnet sash, black Jacks, Ray Ban Wayfarers and a sock bun! Isn't she our little Carolina Audrey Hepburn?

Jordy

Jordy's look is Cool Carolina Gameday: eyelet dress, strappy sandals, aviator sunglasses and a great garnet belt! Her look is perfect for games like the ones we've had so far when it is SO hot out!

Colleen

Colleen's look is Sassy Carolina Gameday: ruched sweetheart dress, bow belt, garnet crossbody bag, and flowery flats! Colleen's look is great when you're looking to get an awesome tan during those day games and tailgates!

What's the dress code for games at your school? Do you wear dresses or is it more of a t-shirt and jersey campus?

A quote from ESPN College GameDay sums it up perfectly:

"If South Carolina isn't the essence of Southern hospitality, I don't know what is. Those women sure know how to dress. Of course, in the South, a college football game is practically a formal event. Everyone – especially the ladies – gets all dolled up. But USC takes it to a whole new level. That football crowd is like something you would see in Vogue magazine."

xxKatie

Outfit of the Day: The Bad Luck Dress

At first I debated whether or not to post this OOTD, but I figured y'all might find it funny...or something.

Let me clarify first: I am NOT AT ALL superstitious. I don't care about black cats, or ladders or broken mirrors. I don't throw salt over my shoulder, or anything like that. I think superstitions are silly and weird. However, the bad luck dress is more than convincing.

So, I have this dress. That I love.

Pink and orange and it has this awesome back to it and it's a great, unique cut. Amazing.

Except for the fact that something horribly awful happens in it almost every time I wear it. Y'all probably think I'm off my rocker, but Wednesday it yet again proved itself unlucky. I thought I made it all the way through the day at work without anything going on. PHEW! I made it! I figured I had broken the curse and nothing was wrong anymore.

FALSE.

I got in a VERY MINOR car accident. All the damage was cosmetic and it wasn't my fault. We were all safe and nothing serious happened, BUT IT WAS STILL AN ACCIDENT NONETHELESS. I had the realization and asked myself, "REALLY?!"

So, is it really a cursed dress? My friends (who have experienced the dress' ill-effects) all think it's cursed. Am I the only one who has a cursed piece of clothing? Needless to say, something has to be done and I need to find a solution!

Has anyone else ever experienced something like this? I'm SO curious to hear if anyone has ever had a similar situation!!

xxKatie

Columbia Style Week 2012: Wedding 101

Wedding 101 was held on Saturday morning and I left work for about an hour to make it! I love all things wedding and figured this would be IDEAL for yours truly. After interning at Bayside Bride last year, I felt like I learned SO much, so I really knew what to keep my eyes out for!

Wedding 101 was also held at Tapp's and converted into wedding wonderland!

The showcase itself was presented by Weddings 101, a local wedding planning service. They did a wonderful job showing us all some great designs! (Minus the clamps used to secure dresses! I wish they found a different way to make them work because they were a teensy bit distracting!)

We got a chance to see designs for the Mother of the Bride, Bridesmaids, Brides, Grooms, Groomsmen, and even a ring bearer! My favorite options were the bridal dresses we saw!

This boatneck dress was my FAAAAAVORITE of all the dresses we saw--LBP loves a boatneck wedding style!

The white dinner jacket look was my pick among all the groom looks! This guy ROCKED it too!

In front of me, so technologically savvy, was The Fat and Skinny on Fashion--a blogger I was lucky enough to meet because of CSW! She's totally a local fashion blogger worth checking out. I also got to meet Josh Ratliff, a stylist who's gotten the chance to work in a TON of places and Mike Kelton, one of the US Weekly fashion police! I was lucky enough to get the chance to hang out with these guys for all of the events on Saturday!

Wedding 101 was a great event and I had a blast yet again getting to cover Columbia Style Week!

xxKatie

Outfits of the Days: Columbia Style Week

Today begins the first post of a few recapping Columbia Style Week!

I had a wonderful time with all the folks who attended the first CSW! I'll have the first run-down of this series of posts about CSW events posting tomorrow--get excited!

June 5 by letsbepreppy featuring a one shoulder long sleeve dress

This was the first night of CSW! It was a kick-off party and crowned Columbia's Top 25 Most Stylish People! I had a blast and even got to network a little with the panel of industry experts. I don't want to give much away, but the industry expert night was DEFINITELY a highlight for me! I, of course, had to wear Lilly since I was representing the preppy population of Columbia!

June 9 by letsbepreppy featuring kenneth jay lane earrings

The second event I went to was called "Wedding 101" hosted by a local wedding planning company--Wedding 101--on behalf of CSW. It was really fun and the crowd was a bit different than the usual CWS event crowd. I got a chance to meet a few bloggers whose blogs I've been reading for awhile and was a bit starstruck when I met them! It was a blast!

June 9 by letsbepreppy featuring print dresses

For the finale event, I wore this dress that I've been lusting over! I added a pink crossbody for both events on the 9th and it was great! I didn't have to hold a purse and could still take tons of photos so easily! I snapped 100's of photos and even a few videos to put together for everyone to see! It was a wonderful night and I was able to hang out with the same crowd from Wedding 101! 

All in all, Columbia Style Week was a BLAST, and I hope y'all are looking forward to the rest of the detailed posts--you're in for a treat! 

xxKatie

Outfit of the Day: Target Steals! ( + more of my faves!!)

May 7 by letsbepreppy featuring longchamp tote bag

"I'm in LOVE, I'm in LOVE and I don't CARE WHO KNOWS IT!"

...in love with Target! ...But y'all already knew that! Right?!

Who isn't already in love with Target! The paisley shorts from my May OOTD are from Target and I do not stop getting compliments on them. They TOTALLY look like they're the J. Crew 5'' chino shorts and they fit great. They are true to size, if you're looking to get them online and have a high cut at the top. I often tuck mine in with big belts, like I did that day and wear them with basic tops so they can speak for themselves!

I got mine on a day when they were on sale, but I'd pay the $18 price tag for them. The colors are spot on and trendy for this season, but they're still paisley and have a classic cut. I also believe that they're good for any age!

Speaking of Target steals, has anyone checked out their ADORABLE boutiques they've recently added?! I'm OBsessed with The Webster originally hailing from Miami. 

I didn't see these shoes in-store, but ohmygoodness they're amazing! I love neutral wedges--and talk about neutral, these would go with almost anything! The coral is equally amazing and would match SO much of my Lilly stuff!

This cardigan looks so upscale for Target--I'm very impressed!

I am in LOVE with this dress! I actually bought it from Target without trying it on, and unfortunately needed to return it for a smaller size. I was outta luck though, none in my size left! Oh no!! Lesson learned--try it all on in the store! I thought this dressed looked like Tibi or Milly and the material was TDF. If this dress is in your Target, be sure to snag it quickly!!

Do you like all the "curated shops" at Target these days? This bargain hunter sure does and I can't WAIT to see what else we're lucky enough to see at the ones in the future!!

xxKatie

Feelin' Crafty: Framed Shift

This is one of my favorite (and easiest) DIY's! 

I was given this frame as a gift and always look for special things to put in it! I saw this quite awhile ago and spoiled this post a little by tweeting the quote a few nights ago, but it was too fun not to share!

This really was SO SO SO easy! All I did was find the shift online as a picture, printed it out, cut it out, typed up the quote in a fun font, and printed that out as well. I glued the dress onto the quote and put it in the frame! You could even use teeny tiny tape circles if you didn't feel like waiting for glue to dry!

Try this craft out for yourself and brighten up you day, desk, or wall!

xxKatie

Outfit of the Day: Trendy Colorblocking

April 3 by letsbepreppy featuring longchamp handbags

It's no secret that I'm not trendy. I don't "do" the big trends. I like what I like, and I stick with that about 99% of the time. There is, however, that tiny 1% of the time, when I venture into the world of trends. It's rare and often unseen, but I do it once in awhile. 

Tuesday was one of those rare days. Over the weekend, I found a colorblocked dress on major clearance sale at Old Navy. It was less than $17 dollars and so I figured I'd try it on. (Everyone's been seeming to be singing ON's praises these days anyway, so I had high hopes...) It was a medium so I wasn't sure, but I really liked the fit! It's a little breezy, but a cute day dress that really could probably be considered a work dress too! Toss on a blazer or cardigan and you've got a great work outfit!

The size medium came down to 1/2 inch above my knee and I paired it with Platinum Jacks. It wasn't ever static-y and the only time that it was hard to wear was in ONE of my classes where the air is set really high and it's super hot in the classroom. Other than that, I'm so glad I bought this dress and I know I'll be able to wear it a ton even though it is so trendy!

Do you try trends? Do you stay with classic looks and pieces? What about colorblocking? Do we like it?

xxKatie

Cup Dress Week: Maddie's Dress

...and by Maddie, I'm referring to Just Madras of course!!

Kimberly Dress

Just Madras has so many different madras options that give you SO many different hat/ribbon/shoes combo possibilities!

Mackenzie Dress

Plus, plaid options like the Mackenzie Dress gives your date a ton of different ways to match you! The way I'm envisioning it is: him in kelly green pants, a white button down and add a pink-and-green bowtie and YOU in the Mackenzie dress!

Ellie Dress

I love the versatility of all the Just Madras dresses! Also nice, if it's a really hot day, madras will keep you cool since it's so lightweight! Totally a plus!

xxKatie

Cup Dress Week: LBD's Dress

Some of my favorite hats this year are black and white and perfect for Cup! I love how big the brim of this one is and even tried it on one day at Pink Sorbet:

We really made this outfit over the top, but I LOVE how fabulous this hat is!!  

Anyway, when you have a black and white hat, it limits your dress options a little! I picked a few of my favorite Little Black Dresses to pair with a great hat like that one!

This length dress would be so classy and fun for Cup! You'd be able to wear this dress to so many different functions and it's so appropriate for tons of events!

Colorblocking is such a big trend these days! It would be easy to take a colorblock dress and add that wide brim hat to top it off! I'm sure everyone would LOVE that look! I'd pair that combo with black Jacks and you'd be good to go!

I can't do allll black dresses without adding an AMAZING white option in too! This white sheath would be gorgeous on a beautiful day out in Camden! You could easily take this dress from College Park to the Infields to all the hospitality tents, happily making the Cup rounds! The possibilities are endless with this dress and the hat!

Would you wear black or white to the Cup? I say it's TOTALLY doable!

xxKatie