Well hello Monday, we meet again. Per usual, I'm like 3 weeks behind in posting this outfit from Vermont - but what else is new, I'm just embracing the latency at this point. Furthermore, it's too good to get left behind and as much as I envy all you "in the moment" people, I work best when I've had time to collect my thoughts. Like, 3 weeks time. Okay, exaggerating -- but if you've been following along you know this is nothing new this year.
Anyway, with Thanksgiving right around the corner it's time to shift gears towards all the comfy yet cute outfits that let you fill your tummy until it can't be filled anymore. I like to call this one "room for leftovers." I mean thank god for yoga pants and elastic waistbands. A poncho is also the perfect disguise for that food baby Thanksgiving always likes to bestow upon us. I know you know what I mean! It's also incredibly warm without being restricting, which is key in my opinion. Having lived in Florida for eight years, means anything below 60 degrees feels cold to me. It also means, I've never been a big jacket person - so a poncho is the perfect happy medium. I wore a simple thermal like this one underneath it, and paired it with my all time favorite leggings. I own 3 pairs of these leggings and they hold up perfectly. If you don't own a pair, do yourself a favor and snag them here. You'll see what I mean when you put them on. Worth it!
Shane and I took a trip down to Windy Hill Orchard and indulged in another apple cider donut with friends this weekend. Not on the wedding diet, I know. But if you're local to Charlotte and want something fun to do on a Saturday, they play live music and have a cute little outdoor seating area! Both of us love all things fall, so we've basically been chasing all the fall vibes our little hearts can take on the weekends until it's too cold to be outside anymore!
This top and these jeans are everything, ya'll! I wore this outfit back in Vermont, and got a ton of compliments on it but the top sold out almost immediately so I'm just getting around to talking about it now that it's been restocked! The top is super stretchy and tucks into jeans perfectly! The sleeves are what truly brings it to life for me, and it's under $60. I'm also really excited that flare jeans are back. These are inexpensive and perfect to pair with pointed toe heels. My scarf is from last season, but due to it's popularity and price point - it's back again this year! Yay! During fashion week back in February, I was on the hunt for a belt that looked similar to the Gucci one everyone raves about but at a less expensive price point. Insert this one! It comes in two colors, and is half the price of it's designer version. Yes, it's still expensive but if you sign up for e-mails or purchase from the Tory Burch store - you can get $50 off around your birthday month! If you can't wait that long, it's an investment piece. A belt is somethig that's never going to go out of style and can be worn with any outfit. Treat yourself!
On another note, I've come down with a cold! I'm pretty sure my entire bridal party is down for the count with the same thing after this past weekend in Miami. I tried out the Medicine Ball drink from Starbucks which helped me feel better for a little while, but it was short lived! Do you guys have any other home remedy suggestions for getting over a cold? I try to avoid the doctor as much as possible, so any tips are appreciated! xoxo.
Monday after a bachelorette trip is always a long one, but Monday after your own bachelorette party is just torture. I had more fun this weekend than I think I've ever had in general, but boy am I feeling it today!
This is one of my favorite outfits to wear on the weekends! Velvet is one of the biggest trends for fall, and my closet is filled with it. I love the contrasting textures this outfit has by adding the denim jacket! Unfortunately, my jacket is from Madewell last season and I haven't seen them bring it back this year. However, they do have a few that are very similar! My skirt runs true to size. I read in the reviews that it ran a teeny bit big, but that was inaccurate in my case. It also comes in a beautiful midnight navy color that would look great with a mustard or black colored top and over the knee boots! Side note, I've had the top I'm wearing since last season, but they brought it back again this year due to it's popularity. I wear them to work constantly with a pencil skirt and have almost every color they make. You can't beat a good basic top for $17!
Anyway, I've traveled to three different cities in the last three weeks and I'm exhausted! We are looking forward to finally being home for a little while. Hope everyone had a great weekend!
What a trip this was! Ya'll if you haven't been to Vermont, I highly reccommend penciling in a stay at Stowe Mountain Lodge. If you follow along on social media, you've probably noticed that I love all things fall. It's my favorite season, however, it's an inexcusably short season in North Carolina. With that being said, Bailey Schwartz from Here's The Skinny and I set out to find the perfect fall getaway destination. After a little bit of research, it became apparent that Stowe Mountain Lodge was the perfect place for this. Below you will find a complete review of our stay at the lodge.
The Rooms:We stayed in a classic guest room with a view of Mount Mansfield. Our room was a little over 450 sq. ft and had a beautiful marble tiled bathroom with a separate tub. The room was plenty spacious for two people (we had two doubles but rooms with just one King are also available), however Stowe Mountain Lodge also offers studios, junior suites, one, two, and three bedroom suites, residences that you can rent out, and cabins! So if you're planning to come with a larger party, there is an option for everyone. Bailey and I actually got to tour some of these rooms and the amenities were fantastic! My personal favorite, the fireplace. I also want to take a second to talk about the decor. When I think of Vermont, I think of the mountains, skiing, fall, and being cozy. Each room embodied these feelings perfectly! Everything looks and feels brand new, but has that cozy lodge feel to it - right up my alley!
Dining: I've mentioned this in my reviews before, but food can make or break a trip for me. I'm a foodie, and if I'm going on vacation I like to experience better food than I could cook at home. We experienced two different restaurants at Stowe Mountain Lodge, the coffee shop, lobby bar, and in-room dining. All were exceptional, but I will break down the details for you here:
Solstice Restaurant:We had both breakfast and dinner here and both were delicious! Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, so I was exceptionally excited to try it! I ordered the superfoods egg white omelet which came with spinach, turkey, tomato, avocados and potatoes and it was excellent! Typically I would've gone for the stack of pancakes, but our wedding is only two short months away so you know how that goes. I also decided to splurge a little and order the banana bread which was warm and amazing! You need to order it if you go! I kept craving steak while we were visiting, so for dinner at Solstice I ordered the 10 oz Bistro Steak which was also really delicious! Overall, the quality of the food at this restaurant is excellent - you really can't go wrong with anything on the menu!
Hourglass Lounge: Before dinner, Bailey and I were both ready for a drink after a long day of exploring so we grabbed a seat in a cozy little nook at the Hourglass Lounge and tried out their Vermont flight of beer! I'm not a big beer drinker so I had a specialty cocktail (strawberry margarita) that was to die for! However, Bailey said the flight was excellent as well. We grabbed the crab dip as our appetizer, which again, you can't go wrong with!
The Cottage: The Cottage is up at the golf course in the clubhouse! It's a beautifully built building with a cozy fireplace in the center of it surrounded by tables and chairs. We just had a light lunch here before checking out, but the food didn't disappoint. If you're looking for something a little more simple like a burger, dog, or wrap - I would reccommend hopping over here.
In room dining: Our flight getting into Burlington was delayed by an hour, so we arrived at the hotel rather late and hungry! We decided to try out the in-room dining and had a Kale Ceasar Salad with chicken, charcuterie board, and the pulled pork nachos! We reccommend them all.
The Pantry & Beanery: Coffee is my thing. Okay, I have a lot of things I know - but this is the one thing I couldn't live without in the world. So when we found out that Stowe Mountain Lodge has it's own little coffee shop, I was thrilled! I couldn't wait to try a Maple Latte as I had heard they were super satisfying, and I heard right. I reccommend giving one a go if you're visiting! We didn't get a chance to check out The Pantry, but it looked like they offered lunch items like deli sandwhiches, wraps, and salads!
Something else worth noting about the food at SML is that they grow their own herb garden. So all of the herbs used in the food around the lodge are snipped directly from their property. Additionally, they mentioned many times that some of the offerings on the menu were from locally owned farms, which I appreciate as I'm a big supporter of local businesses.
Service: In today's world, finding good customer service can be challenging. This is a sad statement, but all too often I find that customer service is not the main area of concern for businesses anymore. A few things that stood out to me in terms of service at SML were as follows:
The lodge offers a complimentary Mercedes during your stay for up to two hours in case you would like to leave the grounds.
A lady by the name of Diana checked us in upon arrival and was absolutely delightful and welcoming! It's always nice to be greeted by an employee whose as happy as you are to be there. Ask for her if you're planning a stay!
Valet was exceptional in helping us get situated, coming and going from the lodge, and making sure we never had to wait for anything.
We enjoyed a spa experience that was above and beyond - I will talk more about this below.
Grounds: We chose Vermont as our destination in leui of it's natural beauty. Mount Mansfield serves as the backdrop for one side of the lodge, and in the fall, the mountain looks like a sea of color! Its spectacular. The grounds were perfectly manicured, very clean, and walkable. Something I found interesting about the lodge itself was that it is made out of the trees that were cut down to build the property. For instance, the hostess podium at Solstice is made out of a tree trunk taken from the property during building. I found this to be a really nice touch! We were also told that most of the art and decorations within the lodge came from local artists.
Spa: We had the opportunity to experience the spa during our stay, and boy it didn't disappoint! As mentioned before, we were in search of a fun filled fall weekend, so we chose the Stowe Cider Uber Scrub and Massage as our treatment. Let me just start by saying that I get massages regularly, but I've never actually done a scrub before. So this was a first for me. This is a 110 minute treatment beginning with 50 minutes of a local cider scrub for exfoliating and smoothing your skin. After the first 50 minutes, you take a shower within the room while the therapist steps out to allow for privacy, and then you begin your 50 minute massage. My skin has never felt softer, ya'll! I got out of that shower, and my skin felt like a babies bottom - completely rejuvenated! Upon completion, we were escorted to a relaxation room (the sanctuary) where our therapist gave us a cold can of Stowe Cider to enjoy. This was all around such a "must" experience! I can't rave about it enough. Additionally, the facility itself was state of the art. The spa manager gave us a little tour prior to our experience, and mentioned their scented shower heads are so popular they actually sell them in the shop after customers requested them so often! The spa manager was also full of little beauty secrets and tips outside of services the spa offers, which I really appreciated! She had a wealth of knowledge in the health and wealthness field and was delightful to talk too.
Overall, I highly reccommend a stay at Stowe Mountain Lodge. In fact, Bailey and I have already talked about coming back with our hubbies next time! We'd like to re-do this trip during the winter and experience some of the amazing cold weather activties the lodge has to offer. Everything we experienced was top of the line, and superb in terms of customer service. I can't imagine ever having a bad vacation here! Wether you are looking for a family vacation, a romantic couples trip, or a weekend with the girls - this property has something for everyone. Two thumbs up!
Nothing screams fall to me quite like an oversized sweater. When I think of fall, I think of all things cozy and burnt orange, and this sweater is just that. I'm also one of those people that just doesn't love jackets, so the thicker the sweater the better! I wore this outfit with booties earlier in the day for a more causal look at the Cold Hollow Cider Mill. Later on we had a dinner reservation in downtown Stowe, so I added my leopard heels to spice things up a bit and take my daytime look into the evening. You can easily pair sweaters like this with skinny jeans, skirts and OTK boots, or leggings for a variety of outfit combinations. I'm also a firm believer in investing in quality sweaters. You can wear them over and over again every year, and they never go out of style. Because of that, I actually went back and purchased the cream version which you can find here, and it comes in 6 total colors here.
I hope everyone had a great weekend! Shane and I were in his hometown visiting family, and his mom hosted a bridal shower for me! I can't believe we are only two and a half months away from the big day!
