Pretty in Pink

My newest color is "Muchi, Muchi" by Essie and is definitely fueling a "Pretty in Pink" feel for today! I also am wearing quite the pink outfit too:

June 21 by letsbepreppy featuring a leather zip wallet

I love this Elsa top and didn't originally think that it would be a good summer blouse! It works great for South Carolina because it's light and airy and not heavy at all!

Pretty in pink is the thought for today!

OH AND GO GAMECOCKS!

xxKatie

Outfit of the Day: Summer Seersucker, Sails, and Scents

June 16 by letsbepreppy featuring leather sandals

I love summer because it means white shoes, seersucker (horrible but very funny typo: I OFTEN accidently type "seersucket" ahhhh!) and nautical sails and shapes! The Buttercup shorts I have in the pink seersucker from Lilly from this summer are at the top of my list a lot! I love these shorts! My only regret is that I wish I got the size smaller (I'm always between two sizes) size because mine have stretched a little, typical of seersucker, I shoulda known! The Paley cardigan is also one of my favorites and my Mom actually has it too! We tend to have a lot of similar things in our closets!

Everywhere in South Carolina during the summer seems to jack up the AC to keep everyone cool when it's so hot outside, so I've been bringing a cardigan with me everywhere I go! I probably look crazy at work to everyone who comes in to shop, but we actually get chilly--can you believe I'm even saying that!?

I also have just been using my wallet recently, all my bags seem to be too big or too heavy for summer, so I've just been grabbing the essentials before I head out the door: phone, wallet, keys and sunglasses and I'm good to go for the day! It's simple and easy--just like the summer months!

My summer go-to fragrance is "Beachy" by Lilly Pulitzer a few years ago!

While it has been discontinued by the company who was manufacturing it (they went out of business) you can still find it online (eBay, perfume outlets, etc.) and even at some TJMaxx's and Marshall's! Whenever I see a bottle of Beachy I snag it while I can--it's perfect for summer and lasts even if it's REALLY hot out!

What are your summer S's? Mine are seersucker, sails and scents!

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: Dress to Impress Social Media Style

May 24 by letsbepreppy featuring costume jewelry

Yesterday morning I went to my first official business networking event put on by the business school at USC! It was very informative and I learned a ton. I was invited by a former professor from the spring semester to attend a breakfast presentation about social media! I connected with my professor on LinkedIn after our class ended and he found me through there to invite me. I was extremely excited when he first mentioned it and looked forward to it!

I was TOTALLY nervous before I went, so I checked and re-checked, then scrapped, and checked and re-checked my outfit. Multiply that about five times, add in my roommate and her help and finally I decided on what to wear. Business dress is officially the hardest thing to dress appropriately for. Not prom, not the first day of school. But "business". Like really, what does that even mean? I figured my suit would be too stiff and dressy, but I didn't want to look like an amateur when I showed up.

Anyway, I finally decided on my navy blazer (remember that REALLY good deal I got awhile back? Yep, THAT blazer) and a new skirt I got at H&M. It must have been a good look because one of the ladies sitting at my table asked me if I taught at the University! Ha! I took it as a major compliment though, and an implied acceptance for my outfit. Clearly I was stressing about it!

When I checked in I must have looked a bit forlorn because the woman at the desk asked if I needed directions somewhere...oh boy! Then she realized I was actually in the right place and handed my official nametag:

Katie Rudder

Let's Be Preppy

Needless to say, I was obviously excited by that! I decided to register under LBP because that's where the majority of my social media skills come from! It seemed to make sense and ended up being a great choice!

What do you wear for these kind of events and presentations? I'm still learning and building my working wardrobe, and I'm totally open for advice and suggestions!

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

Outfit of the Day: Work Dress (round 2!)

May 9 by letsbepreppy featuring longchamp tote

This was the second outfit I wore to my internship, for one of the business casual days. Fridays are more casual, and when I go in on Wednesdays, it's dressier. Both times, I've gotten compliments on my outfits, so I think that I'm in the clear!

I wore this color blocked dress that I've posted about before and still love! It's GREAT for South Carolina heat because it's loose-fitting and stays cool. 

I wore the patent heels to work and changed into Jacks when I got home. I've worn Jacks before and it hasn't proved to be inappropriate, thankfully! I sure am glad I work at places where wearing Jack Rogers is acceptable! 

I'm off to work as y'all will be reading this! What do you wear to work?

xxKatie

Outfit of the Day: Bows on Bows

May 2 by letsbepreppy featuring leather tote bags

So last week, I started my internship! I am so excited to be working in an awesome environment very conducive to getting meaningful work done!

Monday-Thursday is business casual, no suits or anything. Personally, I think "business casual" is the most difficult dress code to stick to. You don't want to stand out by dressing up TOO much (read: I wore a suit blazer and structured dress to my interview...oops! Better to overdress and overprepare!) or look sloppy by being underdressed! 

I think for girls especially, the "business casual" line is tough. I wore this knit Target dress for my first day and it was appropriate for the office. It's a great length, and was one of those dresses I was iffy about in the store, but looking back, I'm SO glad I bought it! I added that black ruffle cardigan, BCBG bow wedges (that actually gave me about 4 blisters per foot...yikes!), and my Kate Spade bow earrings that my sister gave me as a Christmas gift a few years ago! 

I was asked to start posting more OOTD's, so I'll try to post more of my internship outfits! Our Fridays are casual Fridays and everyone wears jeans. In the marketing and communications departments, where I work in between, the ladies all dress up the casual a little with fun tops and cardigans. It's the perfect blend of casual and professional for a workplace!

I'm PUMPED and can't wait to share more about my internship as I work more! Here's to getting my feet wet in the "real world"!!

xxKatie

Outfit of the Day: Bargain Finds

April 6 by letsbepreppy featuring dooney & bourke handbags

So, I found this AMAZING dress at TJMaxx a few weeks ago, and my roommate and I decided that it's pretty much the "Traveling Pants" type of dress. My roommate and I have some of the most different body types that you can have, and we both ended up getting the dress!

You can't see it in this OOTD, but it has the AWESOME exposed gold zipper down the back that really makes it pop. The material is a very stretchy, very very comfortable polyester type fabric and is a great daytime AND nighttime dress! I wore it going out recently and also have worn it to get ready for a fashion show awhile back because it is so comfortable.

I'm a big fan! Does anyone else have any great go-to dresses that are tried-and-true reliable? This one is definitely becoming that for me!!

xxKatie

Outfit of the Day: Paisley

April 17 by letsbepreppy featuring Jack Rogers shoes

My mom picked up these shorts for me at the J. Crew outlet not too long ago! I wore them for the first time and got so many compliments on them! The colors are a lot of orange, pink, gray and even some dark green in there too! I wasn't exactly sure what top to wear, but I ended up picking a gray silk blouse from J. Crew too that I love! I think it looked pretty good together!

Other than Lilly Callahan shorts, I pretty much live in J. Crew chino shorts! Whether they're printed chinos like these, critter shorts like my anchor ones, or even the solid colors, I'm a big J. Crew shorts fan!

What about you? Do you wear J. Crew shorts? What inseam works best for your summer or shape?

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

Outfit of the Day: Ruffle a few Feathers

March 21 by letsbepreppy featuring a cuff bracelet

I have finally broken out one of my favorite tops from last summer, the Wiley Tube Top! (Good news: I know that Lilly is remaking this WONDERFUL staple of my closet this summer!) The Wiley features such a fun ruffle across the top and comes in a few other colors too! (A ruffle often helps us girls out who could use a little assistance up top...if you know what I mean!)

This week the weatherman had been calling for rain and high temps, but since we're in South Carolina, all we got was the hot weather! ...and pollen, but y'all have seen enough of my stuffed up tweets about my allergy issues! I was excited to rock my Wiley when it was 86 degrees on Wednesday if you could ever believe that! Late March and it's already 86 degrees! I can't imagine what the summer is going to be like, but it should be toasty!

The Wiley Tube Top is absolutely one of my favorite tops that Lilly has ever produced. I tend to go up a size, so it's not as constricting, but it also gives you the chance to tuck it in, which I did and added a belt! It adds a little bit of flare to your outfit and can make it look more polished. I like wearing the tube top loose with white jeans and when it's really hot out, that way it's not tight or too close to your body!

What are some of your favorite hot weather staples? I'm all about shorts and fun, frilly tops like this!!

xxKatie

Outfit of the Day: No Pinches Here!

March 17 by letsbepreppy featuring kate spade earrings

Ever heard of the St. Patrick's Day rule, if you're not wearing any green, you've provided ANYONE with reason to pinch you? Well you have now! Be sure to wear some green today so that you don't get any pinches--I'll be pinching people not wearing green (or at least the ones I know!!)!

Happy St. Pat's! 

xxKatie

Outfit of the Day: Pink Icicles

March 6 by letsbepreppy featuring frye boots

So, when I was packing to come home, I was NOT expecting as chilly weather as it's been! Yikes! I sure was in for a surprise! Thankfully, I keep my warmest pink North Face parka at home since it never gets cold enough to wear it at school. I've been donning it because of the chilly temps and wind! I also went to our local H&M (I desperately wish we had one somewhere close to school--while H&M isn't always the best quality, if you're in a pinch, chances are you can find something that will work for your occasion whether it's business-y, fun, or somewhere in the middle!) and picked up an awesome cardigan that I've seen floating around blogs:

Thankfully I did because I didn't bring any warmer tops home with me! I've been feeling like a total pink icicle though--so cold and in ALL pink! Kinda fun too! 

While back I also found a pair of Hunter boots on sale online for $50! I had a $30 credit and so my new fabulous pink Hunter boots (also pink) were only $20!

Unfortunately, I accidentally shipped them HOME to Annapolis instead of Columbia so I had to wait like a month to finally see them! They arrived right around Valentine's Day, so imagine my wait.

So here I've been, the pink icicle! Is weather perking up for you? I know in South Carolina, we're in shorts these days and I'm LOVING it!

xxKatie

Outfit of the Day: Out & About

People often ask if my Polyvore outfits are what I really wear! I just wanted to say that yes, they sure are! I document what I wear to work, class, events out, everything! I talked about that Posh and Panache event from a few weeks ago, and the photographer there was able to snap a few photos of us!

Earlier that day I was deciding what I was going to wear and I Polyvore-ed what I decided on:

February 11 by letsbepreppy featuring monogrammed travel bags

I try my best to make my Polyvore sets as accurate and close to the real thing as possible! Pretty close right?

I've been all over these days and my OOTD's range from my workout gear from Dance Marathon:

February 25 by letsbepreppy featuring NIKE

To dressier outfits for work:

February 24 by letsbepreppy featuring monogrammed bags

Do you like to Polyvore a lot? Do you do fun outfits or what you really wear? Fill me in!!

xxKatie

Outfit of the Day: GO GAMECOCKS!

February 20 by letsbepreppy featuring crochet tights

As I talk about a lot, I'm a tour guide at USC! I love it and it's my primary way I stay involved on campus. As a tour guide, rather University Ambassador, as we're called on campus, we recruit potential Gamecocks that are typically juniors and seniors in high school and their parents. We're gearing up for the busy season as the May 1st deadline approaches! Between now and May 1st the University hosts accepted students days, open houses and our usual campus tours that we give on a daily basis. In addition to all our tours, as University Ambassadors, we represent the University at Dance Marathon and Relay for Life as well.

I feel like the spring semester goes by SO fast between all these campus events and quick weekends. So far this semester, I've been to Clemson, Raleigh both of those events rapidly approaching. It's a very exciting semester and spring break is right around the corner--SO WEIRD! I can't believe how fast this semester has already been going! Next week I have to gear up because 1 day I have 3 tests--yikes! As I said yesterday to a friend of mine, ...here's to junior year?

Is that how you feel too? Are you ever overwhelmed by your classes? Does your spring or fall semester go by faster?

xxKatie

About.Me

Blogger

Tumblr

BlackBerry Messenger

LinkedIn

Foursquare

Yelp

Texts

Pinterest

Polyvore

Twitter

Google+

Klout 

Facebook

Wordpress

Emails

Social media, ways to connect, ways to build your brand, all of the above?

Ever question how to keep it all organized? Sometimes it's really hard. Actually, most of the time it's really hard. You phone can have about 90% of these apps if not 100% of them. I have a bookmarks bar chock full of all these different websites/applications that I maintain on an almost daily basis. Ask anyone with their own website, and I'm sure they'll say the same thing. We all have our own ways of staying organized, however, I've found a great new website to keep everything all together! Good news!!

Introducing About.Me! 

Imagine combining all your different webpages into one personal map!

About.Me keeps track of all your different applications that you might use to promote your blog, website, self, etc. It's s clean website that you can customize as much as you'd like! You can upload photos, change fonts, edit colors, and of course, showcase your social media prowess! I organized mine yesterday into what you see here. I crafted mine to be partly a resume (or similar to my resume in my bio), and partly an organization of social media. 

It would be really easy to list this as a website on a resume for a potential company to visit and see your social media exposure! You also can tailor it to exactly what you want people to see. For instance, there's no need for people to see my personal facebook page, so instead I linked mine to my facebook fan page instead! You can alter almost everything on your page...pretty cool! I encourage anyone who's spread their social media networks out online to take advantage of About.Me!

xxKatie

Outfit of the Day: Valentine's Day

February 13 by letsbepreppy featuring black ballerina flats

I love my Elsa Pintucks that I got for Christmas! It's the PERFECT Valentine's Day top! ...too bad I wore it yesterday! I worked for a few hours and I wanted to have a fabulous pink Valentine's shirt on for my shift! It was perfect. It's been so chilly these past few days here at school that a silk shirt may not be the warmest option but it was still a good pink choice! I think for Valentine's I'm going to wear something like this:

December 18 by letsbepreppy featuring animal earrings

I will, at the very least, be incorporating this dress into my look and maybe even adding my pink blazer HOWEVER, that could easily take it over the top! I've scheduled all my posts for this week since it's a crazy one (sorry in advance for all my economics tweets--we have a HUGE test Thursday--first of the semester!) so I'll be sure to update my Polyvore with the most up to date outfit choices!

Tonight I'm going to cheer on Miss Colleen (she just uploaded a BUNDLE of photos from my birthday and we just LOVED this one!) in a wonderful dating game show tonight! Isn't she so great for putting herself out there like that?! Here's to junior year... (#htjy). Anyway, those are our big Valentine's plans!

What are y'all doing for the big night? Have a great outfit? Let me know!! Happy Valentine's Day to you and all your Valentines!

xxKatie

Outfit of the Day: Bare Legs

January 28 by letsbepreppy featuring monogrammed canvas bags

Yesterday I was able to rock this little number! I couldn't believe how nice the weather is! Usually I have a conundrum with this dress. The sleeves make it too hot for the summer, and the length and color make it too summery for chilly weather. Yesterday, however, was PERFECT weather for it! I added my jacquard Murfee and Platinum Jacks to it for a BIG sidewalk sale at work! I know it's pretty early in the season to have bare legs, but hey, I'm trying to welcome the warm weather, right!?

Anyone else out there have a dress that's extremely hard to wear? What's the weather like by you?

xxKatie

Outfit of the Day: Pink Blazer

January 10 by letsbepreppy featuring faded jeans

Pink Blazers seem to be the "it" thing--they're all over Pinterest! I saw this blazer while we were shopping before Christmas at H & M. My jaw just about dropped! My mom wasn't as big of a fan as I was, but I knew of a few outfits that it would be PERFECT with! My first inkling was to pair it with a white button-down like this. Then my mind drifted to all the other combinations I could pair it with! One dress came to mind IMMEDIATELY:

Right?! How perfect is that?!

Anyway, I've been dying for nice weather and an event that warrants such a formal, structured dress and a blazer so I can pair them together!!

Do you like the pink blazer trend? Do you have one? If so, what do you wear it with?

xxKatie

OOTD: Christmas Eve

December 24 by letsbepreppy featuring fine pearl jewelry

In my house, the way Christmas works is that we do Christmas Eve mass at 6, dinner at one of our favorite restaurants and then have all day on Christmas to lounge around and cook our Christmas dinner. We get really dressed up for Christmas Eve Mass and spend all day Christmas pretty much in our jammies! I wore this dress that I LOVE for Mass with sheer black tights from Target and heels that I just got from Nordstrom Rack. (LOVE N-Rack! So many good finds there if you're willing to look!) I added my cream colored quilted Lilly coat which worked well since it wasn't too too cold for Christmas Eve!

Thankfully we didn't get any snow or slush like we have in years past. I'm NOT a snow fan by any means and I can remember one year when my Dad had to escort all of us ladies from parking lots to restaurants or inside Church...yuck! I couldn't have asked for a better weather situation this year!

I also curled my hair, which didn't turn out as well as I had hoped! Here's for more practice with that!! I wore it pulled back in a beige headband that I've had for a few years and just seems to match everything.

What did y'all wear for Christmas? Do you usually get dressed up or is it more casual? Do you do all the big stuff on Christmas Eve or Christmas?

xxKatie