Simplygailg

A Fashion and Lifestyle Blog

My New Favorite Jeans: An Unexpected Surprise

Jeans / Cardigan, similar / Camisole / Necklace, similar / Shoes

Remember those jeans that you always passed over because the style just didn’t work for you? Fast forward to 2017 and you’re still a bit iffy about them. Well, I’m here to tell you that you need to give those jeans another try. You may actually be surprised. That’s exactly what happened to me with these A.N. Designs jeans. I tried this style of jeans years ago – you know the straight cut capris – and they looked terrible on me. Why, because my legs were so skinny, they looked like broomsticks (no lie). So when I got the opportunity to try jeans from this brand, I overlooked this style of course. But, I was asked to choose a few different styles and I made them my third choice. Sure enough, they were the ones that the brand chose to send to me but boy, am I happy they sent them. I am absolutely in love with these jeans! Of course, it’s years later and I’ve filled out some (amen to that!) so the jeans fit me like a glove and no more broomsticks. Not only do I love the high-waisted fit but I also love the faded blue color. I don’t own jeans in this color so this is definitely a nice addition to my collection. The exact pair is linked here.

What I love about A.N. Designs is that their jeans come in a wide range of sizes from 2-16 (I’m wearing a size 2 for reference) and they’re made in the U.S.A. They have styles that fit the college student to the young professional alike.

Since I’m embracing wearing hats more and more these days, I decided to class the outfit up a bit with this hat from the Brooklyn Hat Company’s spring/summer line. If you haven’t heard of them, the company was founded in a small studio in Williamsburg, NY and it revitalizes the new and the old by offering styles that blend both the past and the future. Brand manager, Ben De Luca’s vision for Brooklyn Hat Company is “to bring back the days when you tipped your brim with a smile before walking out the door…back to those days in which class, style, and that certain panache was an essential standard in every wardrobe, no matter the gender or generation.”

This particular hat was sent to me for road test sampling and although I like the hat, I do feel like it’s a little stiff and it could get damaged quite easily. However, I do love the style and I can’t wait to sport it more this summer. The hats can be found at select retailers such as Fred Segal, Kitson, Free People, Rue La La, Urban Outfitters, etc. I’ve linked several styles below.

The camisole that I’m wearing with the jeans is from H&M, get the exact one here. The cardigan is from Old Navy, similar styles linked below and these Dolce Vita sandals. The necklace is from Forever 21, similar styles linked below.

Photography by Alexis Damen Photo

Thank you to A.N. Designs + Brooklyn Hat Company for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.

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Floral Tank | Shop Sunday Brunch

Hey hey hey, I’m finally back from vacay and that means back to the blog. As some of you know, last week my family and I spent spring break in Montego Bay, Jamaica. It felt sooo good to get away and we had a fabulous time. But of course, I’m more tired now than when I left so I’m playing catch up! I’m hoping to do a post on the trip itself but for now let’s talk about this top.

This top that I received from Shop Sunday Brunch could not have presented itself at a more perfect time. It was the perfect addition to my Caribbean vacation wardrobe. I just adore the floral print and the flounce hem detail. I also love how lightweight it is AND a big plus is that it doesn’t wrinkle much so I didn’t have to iron it before wearing. The weather was really warm during the day so the top worked out perfectly but it cooled down a bit that night so I threw on a sweater for dinner.

I wanted to brighten the outfit a bit especially since I was on a tropical island so what better way than with yellow? These sandals were the perfect addition for an evening dinner as well as my favorite yellow Gigi New York bag.

I finished off the look with this necklace that I purchased last year and I love how it accented the top. It’s sold out but I found a really cool one here that would go just as perfectly.

Check out Shop Sunday Brunch’s site by clicking on this link. They really have the cutest pieces. Receive 20% off your order at checkout by entering code GAIL20.

Shop the exact top, here.

I hope everyone had a great Easter and wishing you a great rest of the week!

Thank you to Shop Sunday brunch for sponsoring this post!

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Tweed Dress +Birthday Ramblings

It’s my birthday today! Woo hoo! Last year, I wasn’t quite this excited but I’ve moved on and decided to accept the fact that nothing slows down Father Time. With each year that passes, so comes another birthday and another year older and wiser. So, to celebrate my birthday, I decided to write a post to share things that I’ve learned over the years and what this birthday means to me at this present time.
Below, I’ve listed 10 things that I’ve learned and am still learning as I get older.

1. Everyone tells me that age is just a number, I would believe that if I didn’t think feel that my body was falling apart. As you get older, the aches and pains are real! I should probably work out more…hmm.

2. I truly believe that you get wiser with age and I don’t know if that’s the case for everyone but things that used to bother me in the past don’t bother me quite as much now. I also choose my battles – let the little things go.

3. What you give is what you get. Hard work takes sacrifices and I know that I don’t work as hard as I should because frankly, I’m always tired. But when I do work hard, I get back what I put in.

4. To love deeply is to open oneself up to vulnerabilities but it’s totally worth it when you get that love back. Being a wife and mother has taught me how to truly love and be selfless. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still selfish in some ways but my family comes first, no matter what.

5. I’m my best self when I get 12 hours of sleep (yes 12!). My husband does not understand this but my brain and body do not function on little sleep. I don’t usually get that much sleep but I’ve been this way forever and I don’t see any changes so I accept it.

6. I’ve learned that not everyone has to love me or love what I do but as long as I love myself, I’m content with that.

7. Blogging is my savior. I would be bored otherwise.

8. I love helping others, it’s in my DNA. I feel joy when I can lend a helping hand, give advice or just be there to listen.

9. I have flaws and I know my flaws. I work on bettering myself everyday.

10. I do wish time would slow down a bit – these birthdays are coming way too fast for my taste but they do give me a reason to celebrate. So I will have my cake and eat it too!

My son has his school spring concert on my birthday (he plays drums and the saxophone) so I told him to think of me when he plays. That will be his special gift to me. I will also be celebrating in Jamaica next week and I am super excited. I’ve been packed since Monday; that’s how excited I am. Lol.

The dress that I’m wearing is from Shein. Not sure about my tweed obsession lately but I absolutely love this dress. The moment I saw it I was like I have to have it (you all know that commercial, hehe). Though I checked the sizing info on the site and my size was a small, I chose to get it in medium so that it would be a bit looser and I’m so happy with my decision. It zips up easily and I can move comfortably in it so I would definitely recommend sizing up. The dress is absolutely gorgeous and I have officially made it my birthday dress! The bow and lace detail at the neckline is stunning! I’ve been MIA from social media this week because it’s been crazy hectic but I hope you all are having a fabulous week so far! Thanks for visiting.

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Effortless StreetStyle – Houndstooth Ruffle Dress

How do you rock your streetstyle? Do you stick to the basics like jeans and tennis shoes? If that’s the case, today I’m showing you how you can rock streetstyle while looking effortlessly chic. But first, let’s talk about this houndstooth dress. I apologize in advance if it makes you dizzy. It made me dizzy a few times. But how cute is it though? I got this dress from Romwe and it’s my first time ever wearing this print. Where have I been? I love it! First of all, the dress fits me like a glove and hugs my “curves” in all the right places and the ruffles are so darn adorable! But, the one issue I had with this dress is that I had a difficult time putting it on and taking it off, and because I need to be completely honest in my review, I’m keeping it real with you. I was fighting with the dress and I heard a little rip rip when I was putting it on. So once I got it on, it wasn’t coming off until I really needed to take it off. It wore me out! Another issue is that the threading was shedding or unraveling in certain places due to the raw edges. Uh, not so good, but surely not a deal breaker. I just love the dress! Now, in hindsight, I probably should have gotten the medium and I may not have had that issue but it is what it is.

Now to my formula for creating the perfect streetstyle look. Keep scrolling down…

To create the most effortlessly chic streetstyle look. First, grab your favorite, most comfortable, most street chic dress…

Second, throw on a backpack…

And third, your favorite pair of kicks (I’m wearing Adidas kids 5.5, I’m usually a women’s 7.5)…

And finally, strut your stuff with confidence.

And there you have it, an effortless (or maybe not so effortless in my case but you get my meaning) streetstyle that anyone can rock! And don’t forget to grab your favorite drink while you’re running around the city. I picked up my new favorite drink from Starbucks – a peach green tea lemonade to help keep me hydrated. It is so refreshing! Try it the next time you’re in Starbucks and let me know what you think. I even linked it for you here, hehe.

So, how do you rock your streetstyle?

Thank you to Romwe for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.

To visit Romwe’s website click on this link

To shop this fabulous dress, click here

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Cropped Designer Jacket At A Fraction Of The Cost via ThredUp

Happy Monday! I took a nice break from social media this weekend and it was wonderful! I took the opportunity to work on things that I’ve been putting off like getting paint samples for the kids’ room and exploring paint options for our master bedroom. I’m so terrible at decorating and picking colors that it takes me forever. But it needs to be done so I’m going to take my time and make sure it’s done right. We also booked a trip to the Caribbean so I got a head start on that and did a little shopping so that I’m not doing everything last minute. I don’t know about any of you other moms out there but living with all males, my kids and hubs, they leave everything up to me so I’m always the one running around like crazy. Anyway, I hope you all had a productive if not restful weekend.

Now, let’s talk about the outfit.

Cropped jackets have always been a favorite of mine because they add a certain amount of edge and class to an outfit. It also can easily take you from the office to an evening out in an instant.

   

Here I’m wearing a jacket that I got recently from ThredUp with this v-neck dress from H&M and a button-down ruffle shirt, similar here. I would classify this as more of a work look but could totally wear it to an after work dinner. When I saw the jacket on the ThredUp website, I was immediately drawn to it because I’ve been looking for another cropped jacket and this one was just perfect. The one thing that I love about ThredUp, it’s all about buying secondhand first and you can find amazing designer brands for a fraction of the cost. This is a Theory jacket and I got it for more than 80% off! That’s just unheard of and although it’s a secondhand piece, the jacket looks brand new. The material is more of a tweed feel with speckled spots of blue and white, and the quality is amazing! I can’t wait to wear it more this spring and it will certainly take me into fall and winter!

To complete the look, I added these patterned tights from Berkshire which were sent to me for “road test sampling” and my favorite Vince Camuto booties (here in leather).

Photography by Alexis Mera Photo

Have you ever scored amazing designer pieces from ThredUp? Let me know in the comments below. Since items from ThredUp are secondhand, the jacket is no longer available but I’ve linked some really cool cropped jackets below.

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