Outfit of the Day: Preppy Profesh: Metallics and Neutrals

I wouldn't normally post OOTD's this fast, but everyone was wondering where this outfit was from! I have good and bad news--good news: it's all VERY affordable, bad news: it's all a little bit old...

Sweater: H&M (similar here)

Skirt: Target Merona (similar)

Flats: Target (similar)

Multi-Strand Pearl Necklace: J. Crew (similar)

One of the great things about an internship is practicing for a real job. Not only practicing work skills like computer programs or networking, but practicing what to wear. Some days are a hit, some days are a miss. Today was both. My boss told me that I looked great--total plus! I didn't realize though, however, when I was getting dressed that it was chilly outside! I had bare legs when covered legs may have been more suitable.

I also work for a relatively conservative non-profit, so I tend to always dress conservatively. I also almost always have a cardigan because where I work is ALWAYS cold. Our office building is huge and they keep it cold ALL the time. On the days I forget I'm always telling myself, "DON'T FORGET NEXT TIME!!!!" because it's so chilly! I sit and work at a computer for the majority of the time that I'm there so a cardigan is a great addition to have!

This outfit was definitely good practice for dressing for an office. While it's not "business professional" (to me that's a hard and fast SUIT rule), it's definitely more "business casual" or my new name for it "preppy profesh"!!

What do you usually wear to your work or internship?

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: Double Duty

August 24 by letsbepreppy featuring j crew shorts

I wore this outfit yesterday! I was at work for a little to fill out some new-hire paperwork, had class, and had an Ambassador function last night! We're starting our Recruitment process for our new cohort of Ambassadors and we couldn't be more excited! Last night got us SO excited (complete with a group version of Rock, Paper, Scissors that I'm so game for playing again) to bring in the new crop and start giving tours again!

I had two days worth of outfits squished into one! I had my class/work/run errands outfit that I was in until about 6 and then my visitor center/University Ambassadors/tour guide outfit that I wear (a different version of) once a week, for football recruitment, and special events that the University hold that require the aid of student volunteers!

I get a lot of questions about what I typically wear to give tours in so the second outfit is common. We have pretty easy rules to follow: it has to be garnet and black, have Carolina on it somewhere and bottoms must be fingertip length or longer. You also have to wear shoes that you're comfortable giving tours in! This is a pretty common outfit for me to wear until it starts to get colder out here!

Be sure to enter Tuesday's Sassy Palmetto GIVEAWAY too!!

Is it still hot as heck by y'all? I can be in tops like these for the next few months!!

xxKatie

Outfit of the Day: Boots ON

August 15 by letsbepreppy featuring frye boots

I wore this outfit to my friend Jill's birthday on Monday night! It was the first night out of my junior year AND my boots' debut in the South! I loved pairing them with a fun skirt and they were super comfy to wear out and walk around in! 


Everyone was pretty casual so the boots were perfect! It was great to see everyone finally back and relaxed before school starts tomorrow!! As fun as this summer has been, I can't wait to be back at school and in classes so that I finally have a real schedule! I just worked on updating my planner/agenda and calendar so that I can stay organized for the semester! The big calendar I have sits on the wall RIGHT next to my door so that if I forget anything, I can check it as I run out the door!


What do y'all wear to parties or birthdays? Do people dress more casually or dressier at your schools?


xxKatie

Outfit of the Day: Pink & Black

Typically whenever I think of pink and black together, visions of teenage girls in punk rock outfits comes right to mind. Claire's baubles, shiny plastic and ripped jeans--all of which should be left in the stores--flood my outfit making mind, anyone else?

I rarely pair pink and black together in the summer. Heck, I rarely wear black in the summer (minus swimwear) because it gets so hot! A few days ago though, I wore a new J. Crew outlet skirt that I got awhile back (see here) with my Lilly Wynne top! I typically will wear my Wynne the one-shoulder way (Tip: in your Wynne, slip your arm through the smaller side, the ruffles fall just so as to "shut" over the arm hole!! Voila, a new one-shoulder top!!).

July 24 by letsbepreppy featuring a folding tote bag

I toned down the pink and black with fun pink McKims and my white top!

I would totally wear this skirt in the fall and winter with tights and a different warmer top! I really like it and when I initially bought it I wasn't positive how to wear it! I'm glad I've found at least one alternative way to tone down the colors!

Do you ever get confused with some of your purchases? Do you ever find them downright hard to match things with?

I sure hope I'm not alone!!!

xxKatie

Summer Purchses

My summer purchase list is quickly being filled out! I haven't done much shopping between school and work, but a girl can online browse right? I got about an hours worth of shopping in while I was at the beach, and snagged a new dress from the store but here are a few of my summer snags:

Lilly Pulitzer Ramona Dress

J. Crew Printed Mini (I got another one of these but I can't seem to find the print anywhere!)

J. Crew Carson Short Printed

Lifeguard Press Croakies in "Floaters"

Nike Tempo Running Shorts--ON SALE! I also got another pink/black pair that are very different but equally as fun! Find other colors of this polka dot pattern on sale here too!

I got a lot of summer staples and I have a few extra items on my summer wishlist! I also have a few absolute LUST items on my mental list...those are the real "wishes" that I want! Some also happen to be awfully impractical, but that makes them all the more fun right...? 

What's on your summer purchase list? Any big wishlist items? Let me know!

xxKatie

Severn Skirt: Reverse Buyer's Remorse

For anyone who knows me personally, I'm not talking about THIS Severn skirt:

We had really ugly uniform skirts at my high school. I tried getting a photo of the navy blue, gold, maroon assembly dress combo that we had to wear, but no such luck. Apparently even the internet didn't want to see it, either!

This J. Crew Severn skirt seems to be sold out everywhere and I TOTALLY missed the boat! A skirt (maybe) named for my high school/they have the same name, and I totally missed it! I'm going to the outlets while we're at the beach and I'm crossing my fingers that I might be able to snag one while we're there!! Much to my dismay I got this note on the J. Crew website: We're sorry. This item has been so popular, it has sold out. We've got other great ideas--just call us 800 562 0258, we're here to help. As good as your "other great ideas" may be, I wish I could grab a Severn skirt! How fun are they:

Although an interesting look, I'd probably style my outfit a little differently!

I'm sure I could pretty easily find something sooner, but it's cool that this skirt has such a GREAT name! I'm calling it "Reverse Buyer's Remorse" (RBR for short haha!)  because I'm oh-so-disappointed that I didn't get it!! Did anyone out there grab this skirt for herself?? Anyone ever catch a bad case of RBR? 

xxKatie

Christmas Recap

The fam and I had quite the Christmas! First, Christmas Eve rolled around. We went to 6:00 mass (which was packed more than I've ever seen in Church).

My sis and I got pretty dressed up (excuse my no shoes...) and I wore a ruffle top from J. Crew and a shirred metallic skirt from H&M--they're having FAB sales so hop over there ASAP. I wore tall black heels (the ones I've worn for birthdays) that have trendy little zips on them. After Church we went to dinner with some family friends (and a future Gamecock!!) that lasted until almost 11, so we were all pretty tuckered out from it being Christmas Eve and all!

On Christmas morning, we got up around 9 and everything was unwapped by 9:30! All of us were extremely excited with our gifts! Here were some highlights:

Monster Mile NASCAR Tickets for Daddy!

+

Nook and matching Lilly case for Momma

My sister and I got some great stuff too! I got sunglasses (Tortoise shell Wayfarers and Costas!), a Patagonia fleece, the cutest retro bathing suit from VS, Lilly (of course...), pajamas, a VV shift and tote and long sleeve t-shirt and croakies, and lots of other stuff! I was so thankful for all of it and can't wait to add it to my existing wardrobe! 

After the unwrapping process, we headed North to New York for (what we thought would be) three or four days. We went straight to the family Christmas party at my mom's oldest sister's house (there are 7 sisters and 1 brother...) and met everyone there. It was a blast to see everyone, all the aunts, uncles, cousins, and all the relatives. We crashed at another sister's house after hearing all about the snowpocalypse that was about to hit the entire east coast. 

We woke up and heard that Long Island could be getting up to 16 inches of snow and decided to high-tail it back South to MD. My dad and sister left early early early on Sunday and my mom and I stayed until about 11am and then left. What normally takes between 3.5-5 hours took us almost 7 hours driving through snow and icy and slush (dear NJ, please start salting your roads.). It was scary and very nerve-wracking, so I'm glad we're finally home!!

I hope everyone had wonderful Christmases this year and are looking forward to the New Year!! Just a few days left!

xxKatie

Fall & Winter Skirts on a Budget

I'm getting very into skirts for fall and winter. I'd much rather wear a skirt or dress with tights than pants. Sometimes it's not as warm and cozy, but I like the way it looks a lot! Here are a few of my choices for super cute skirts that won't kill your budget!

Forever21: $24.80

I love the mauve color for fall! It's so feminine!

Target: on sale for $17.48

I think this skirt looks way more expensive than about $18. Cute shoes too!

Old Navy: on sale for $25.00

Think of all the different tops that you could wear with this. The ruffles make it so much fun and festive!

Forever21: $19.80

How great would this be for the holidays? Lovin' that color with a black turtleneck or something!

Old Navy: on sale for $22.99

Corduroy is so great for colder temps. I have an awesome VV pink one and I wear it all the time! This brown is so versatile too! 

Forever21: $22.80

I'm such a bow fan and I this this looks great with those black pumps. Definitely an fan of this one!

Forever21: $15.80

I actually own this one and I love it! If you purchase this one though, be careful about what you wear under it (like tights) because the edges of the skirt pull a little on the material that tights are made of.

Target: $26.99

I think the basketweave in this is fabulous for winter time. I was out shopping with a friend of mine over the weekend and we saw a great jacket like this too at White House Black Market.

Agree? Where do you snag cute skirts?

xxKatie

Big Clean and a Glimpse of My Closet

It's officially November (and we're still in shorts...) and so I did a HUGE clean of my room and organized my closet. I brought out my fall-winter-ish stuff and hung it all up. I had to make my way over to Target to get some hangers and hanger clips for skirts and stuff. I've never done one of these posts, but this is what my closet looks like:

(sorry about the graininess it's from my phone...my camera's downstairs and I'm pretty lazy tonight)

Everything is finally hanging up. I think I have over 100 hangers in there. In order:

1. Black dresses

2. Fall dresses

3. Lilly dresses

4. Knit dresses (mainly VS and American Apparel)

5. Summer going out tops

6. Summer skirts (VV and Lilly and some Target)

7. Fall skirts

8. Fall going out tops/turtle necks/rugbies

9. Blazers

10. Oxfords

11. Sweaters

12. Work/VC Clothes

The bottom of the closet is my accessories holder and my laundry (sorry...that's a little gross that I included that), and then my shoes are in my storage closet. That also has my coats, workout clothes and pajamas! I thought I'd do my own closet post since it's quite popular!

xxKatie

Outfit of the Day: Traveling Home

October 13 by letsbepreppy featuring a duffle luggage

I know I just did an OOTD post, but I couldn't help this one. I wore this coming home on Wednesday and it was quite a comfy travel outfit. I never know how cold or how hot a plane/airport will be, so there's always a lot of variability. Not to mention, Maryland weather is just as volatile as South Carolina weather, so packing was an entirely different nightmare. Although, when I was packing, I realized I needed a different bag, to then discover that I packed Wellies to bring to school with me:

Foolish me forgot that I brought any with me! Anyway, I'm typing as I listen to my new Darius CD that I still love (it's very rare these days to find an entire CD that you like in the age of singles, but I'm loving jammin' out to this one).

Back to the OOTD, I love this skirt. My mom picked it up for me YEARS ago from Vineyard Vines and I wear it all the time! I love it paired with black tights and black polos especially (as you can see). It's a super fun salmon color and I must seem like a walking billboard with my tote as well. It was a good choice for traveling since traveling in a dress isn't always the best option. I was comfortable and looked appropriate to be in an airport. I don't think people realize how much goes on while you're in an airport and how many people you come in contact with. There's no need (unless you're going on vacation) to look sloppy in a t-shirt and workout shorts. There's also no need to be wearing anything low-cut because there are so many professionally dressed people all around. Also, you'll be going through security and being searched sometimes and that's no time to have a wardrobe malfunction.

I'm ready for the real fall temps to drop a few degrees so that I can break out the tights and fun boots! I'm already thinking of what I can do with my wardrobe! 

xxKatie

Outfit of the Day: Target Skirts

Awhile ago, my mom picked up this great Target skirt for me! I think it was toward the beginning of the summer and I hadn't worn it until today! It's a little dressy for class, but I paired it with a great white polo from Southern Tide (only the best!! And three people have asked me about the polo TODAY!) and as usual I had my backpack, so that really took the outfit down a few notches. I would probably have preferred to wear this with a plain white shirt, but I've only done half my laundry and that didn't make it in yet (oops!!) so I'll have to wait for that outfit. I paired my outfit with silver Jack Rogers and a big ol' Carolina sweatshirt because some of my classes (and sometimes the Visitor Center) are absolutely freezing! It's too funny to see all the girls in my classes in summer clothes and then big hooded sweatshirts!

August 30 by letsbepreppy featuring thong sandal

Today is the beginning of our second full week of classes. I'm very excited to catch a minor break since we have next Monday off AND our first football game Thursday (expect a BIG Gameday post!!). I've already had 2 exams and I have a quiz in my next class (and another quiz tomorrow followed by an Ambassador test Wednesday...yikes!!!!) that I studied for last night...logic...yuck! It's tough stuff so far, but I'm managing and I have a really nice TA in my logic lab who has been more than willing to help me with all my computer issues and stuff. Off to continue studying for my next two classes an maybe squeeze in a nap before my last class!

xxKatie

Outfit of the Day: Cool Seersucker to Beat the Heat!

August 15 by letsbepreppy featuring Longchamp bags

This Izod Seersucker skirt is one of my favorites in my closet. My mom actually has a matching one, and we tend to pack them whenever we go on vacation. Even at home, (mostly on Sundays before church) I'd come down the stairs dressed in something and she yells, "But I got dressed first!!" This most recently happened two weekends ago when I wore my Worth Shift in the Not So Crabby print, and she wore a blue plaid crab shift too!

I love this skirt because it's actually a skort! It can be worn with white, green, or pink and the khaki adds a nice touch to make it great even for early fall. It is so comfy and washes decently. Seersucker is so great for the summer, and has always been one of my favorites. I have a seersucker dress, a pair of pink seersucker shorts, two seersucker skirts (this one included), a blue seersucker belt, and I used to have a pair of seersucker pants! Plus, I had to be on campus and I wanted to look a little nicer than usual, so I added a (Southern Tide) polo actually but couldn't find a good photo of it online to include in my polyvore! I LOVE those polos as I've said before, and the white still looks very crisp even after wearing it through the summer! 

Anyone else a fan of seersucker? Clearly I am!

xxKatie

The Lilly Warehouse Sale Results Are In!

Today, as I told you all a few days ago, my mom, sister, friend Emma, Emma's friend Catherine, Emma's mom and I all went to the fabulous LP Warehouse sale in King of Prussia, PA! It was a wonderful time that we all shared together!

We all got up very early so that we could drive in the morning and make it a pretty fast shopping trip. And when I mean early, I mean it-was-still-dark-out early. After hitting a little bit of traffic (which we learned was from an accident that temporarily shut down I-95), we finally made it to the craziness that was the Valley Forge Convention Center. Our very first sight was this:

That my friends, is the complete lack of any line to get in. We couldn't believe it!! We then shopped till we dropped and all came back with purchases (my mom included)!! It was freezing cold the entire time, but we all managed to enjoy the trip. Minus the awful "fitting rooms" which is really just one huge awkward area where all ages of girls and women are trying on LP clothes. It feels like a massive locker room, but everyone managed to stay semi-private, and I was certainly warned by both blogworld, and Emma's mom who is a LP Warehouse sale veteran. Emma and her mom have been going since Emma was 9 and she's now entering college.

That's my sister Grace (who designed the new blog layout if you remember) with one of her purchases! She looks adorable in this top when she's actually wearing it, but here she's being a total camera goofball and posing while we waited for our shopping companions to finish up! 

Here she is again showing off purchase #2. Purchases #3 and #4 were a tote bag and cosmetic case respectively. Neither were introduced to LP stores, but instead (we think) were cut for the sale! I know some people were complaining about the prices of this year's sale, but look at this unbelievable deal that Emma got for a friend of hers:

She got this Charles Blazer for:

$29.00!

Can you believe that!? From $595.00 (which is crazy to begin with) to $29.00!! This was a GREAT deal no matter what anyone has to say!!!

Now I naturally had to save the best for last! My own purchases!! We certainly didn't go wild at the sale, but I managed to grab the equivalent to 4 new outfits for myself:

I got two dresses, a halter top and a skirt!

I am LOVING this strapless dress! I never saw this in-store and I'm not sure if this Betsey Dress ever went into true production, but I'm now the proud owner of this one!

I also never saw this top in production, but at $39 I couldn't resist. It was the perfect length on me and fit me in the top, so really I couldn't put it down. Those two are a RARE combo for me, plus it'll look really nice with a few pieces in my closet!

I also snagged a Nadja dress which I know exists because it's actually in the store that I work in! I love my red Nadja dress from last year, and I had to grab another one. I couldn't find any weird things wrong with it, it still has the sash and both of the sash holders are working, so I kept this gem too!

Last but definitely not least, I got this skirt too! It's called Simple Skirt, and I don't think I ever saw it before at the store. It's made from a great polka dot material that you can see faintly in some of the pink areas in this photo. It is an awesome summery material that will get many, many uses!!

Please post the things that you picked up at the sale!! Were any of you there today?! I'd love to see how everyone else did at this crazy sale! Best of luck to the rest of the shoppers this week!

xxKatie