paris fashion week — Blog

Photos by Alastair Arthur

Happy Thursday! This is a fun post for me and seemed fitting for #throwbackthursday. I did a two week Europe trip last September and I've been reminiscing about the trip quite a bit lately. My heart literally aches when I see pictures of Paris or London (like physical pain, sometimes tears) because I just fell so in love with both of those cities and have such special memories from my trip. I wanted to share these pictures from Paris, as well as the story behind them.

My first day in Paris was a nightmare. How is that possible, right? Long story short my hotel was terrifying - like horror movie terrifying. In a panic to find wifi (yes, this place didn't even have wifi) and find myself a new hotel, I met a friend who at the time felt like an angel sent from the heavens. Spoke english, my age, and down to go exploring. We went to the Eiffel Tower and spent time at the park in front of the tower. Enter Alastair Arthur (coolest name ever, right?).

Alastair is a photographer and started speaking to us because he was doing a piece on hats, and my new friend was wearing a hat that worked into Alastair's piece. After we spent time talking I was gushing about Paris Fashion Week (yes, I was in Paris during Fashion Week - swoon) and how I was just dying to have a fashion moment in Paris (think bold lips, bold outfit, cool Paris background), with pictures as a keepsake. Well, Alastair offered to take said photo. Now I was just thinking a quick snap of a few photos on my iPhone and we'll call it a day. Oh but did I get so much more.

The next day I was ready for my fashion moment. Big top knot, check. Obnoxious fur vest, check. Bright pink lip, check. Ready to go! Alastair was kind enough to do a full on photoshoot with me. We met at and took photos at the Louvre, wandered around the Tuileries Garden and ended in front of a fashion show. I was in fashion HEAVEN. The photos, the buzz outside the fashion show, the fact that I was in Paris. These are all memories that I will seriously treasure forever and I'm so thankful to Alastair for taking these photos as a memory of this amazing day.

It's crazy how things happen. Had my hotel been tolerable I never would have met my friend, we never would have wandered to the Eiffel Tower that day, and I never would have met Alastair. These are all things I'm so incredibly grateful for and will cherish for the rest of my life. Crazy how fate works, isn't it?

Some photos before the Nina Ricci show.

Thank you for letting me gush. Until next week!

Photo cred: Jathan Campbell

Sweater: Tobi (on sale!) / Skirt (actually a slip): Nordstrom (similar) Other option: H&M / Boots: Ivanka Trump (on sale!) / Sunglasses: Ray-Ban

Finally! This was my absolute FAVORITE outfit I wore when shooting pictures with Jathan. I'm so excited to share this post with you!

I loooooove a good baggy sweater, and this, my friends, is a GREAT baggy sweater. Bonus! It's off the shoulder - aka my weakness. I typically pair this baby with leggings and some boots and call it a casual day. But every once in a while it's fun to find new ways to dress up traditionally casual pieces.

I saw two different outfits that I knew I wanted to recreate, and they both involve an oversized sweater with just a hint of skirt peeking out. So I gave it a shot and made it happen using this sweater. Spoiler alert! My skirt is actually a slip... gasp! I liked the subtle lace detail and the contrast the silk fabric added to the outfit. For a less daring option, this basic skirt from H&M would look just as killer (I have this skirt in 3 different colors). I felt surprisingly glamorous in this outfit. Something about the baggy sweater and thigh high boots, man I felt like I could take on the world!

Finding outfits you love and exploring different ways to recreate is one of my favorite things to do. And nine times out of ten it can be done by shopping your own closet and getting creative. If you've done this I'd love to hear about it! Share with me your outfit recreating stories - maybe we can inspire each other!

Inspiration photos: