Best in Swim

Now that summer is officially here (and the heat index is through the roof!) I thought todays post should be "Best in Swim". As a Floridian, I have scouted stores from Destin - Pensacola and noticed each store has different quality of swim, styles/prints, and price points. Below are some swim styles each store carries (and my personal favorites) with the links to view online. I'll also include takeaways + any store promos too.

Target - I was surprised at how many prints and styles of swim they had. The design team has really stepped it up and is paying attention to 'hot trends' of swim 2018.

Price - $

Quality - Good.

Takeaways - tons of varies of colors - styles - prints - fits, every size possible + plus size, cartwheel app coupons often on swim.

Ruffle One Piece "Sugar Coast"

Shade and Shore Palm Print

Tilly's - This is the 'go to' store if you want the trendy brands that the surfers wear (Billabong, Roxy, TAVIK, Hurley, O'Neill, and more). The swim looks super cool, is built for the surf, and quality is top mark. 

Price - $$$

Quality - Best. 

Takeaways - Surf brands, bold prints. Sizes range from XXS-XL. Promo: Buy one get one 40% off.

Tavik Juliet Bikini

Rip Curl Palm Beach

Abercrombie & Fitch - I love visiting Abercrombie cause the brand has done a major image overhaul. They also have this cool 'mix and match' collection for their swim. The number of looks you can make is endless ( purchased the knot front bralette top and high waisted cut out bottoms). I also really dig the one piece swim. 

Price - $$

Quality - Very Good/Best. 

Takeaways - Tons of colors, fast shipping if needed to order in store/online, fits are flattering and made for adult body. sizes XXS-XL. Promo: Sale up to 50% off.

Knot Front Bralette Swim

Strappy One Piece

Forever 21 - This is the store is the cheap thrill items that I don't expect to last long. Shockingly, I have a one piece swimsuit that I purchased last year that still fits and hasn't fallen apart! F21 is carrying some nicer quality clothing items (including swim) the prices reflect the nicer quality.  

Price - $

Quality - Hit and miss. I would examine the item before purchasing because the swim is non-returnable.

Takeaways - lots of fun colors and prints. Swimwear reflects the biggest trends. Great affordable dups of designer swim. Sizes XS-L & plus size! No Promo.

Striped One Piece (Looks like one from Revolve and its a fraction of the cost!)	Fringed Crochet Bikini Set
Ribbed bikini	Striped High Leg One Piece

H&M - The swim at the Pensacola H&M is near the registers which means it's a very crowded area but I could tell they're channeled the simple designs. But you could easily dress the swim up with accessories (straw bag, hat, sunnies). 

Price - $$

Quality - Good/Very Good.

Takeaways - classic H&M feel (simple but able to dress up nicely). Sizes are XS-XL but I recommend trying on before purchase. Mainly basic colors and some tropical prints. No Promo.

Bikini Set

Shaping Wear

Everything But Water - This store has so many different style of swimsuits as well as high end designer brands too. Its a fun store especially here in the Destin because they're getting in new looks all the time. If you want a unique swim suit or a designer brand this store is the place for you.

Price - $$-$$$

Quality - Very Good/Best.

Takeaways - Constantly new styles. Lots of name brand swim and literally any style you can think of. Sizes vary depending on the brand (Mostly XS-XL). They have a line call B. Swim that's very affordable and available in many colors. No Promo.

B. Swim	Gottex Carnival
Red Carter	L. Space

Trip to Daytona Beach Florida!

Hello darlings! I hope everyone is having a wonderful start to this week. I must touch base on my next summer trip; a weekend at Daytona Beach, Florida! I’ve traveled all over Florida but this is one of the few spots I’ve never been. The reason for this trip is my Fiancé/Husband (we’ll be married at the end of September but we’ve been together so long its like we’re already Hubby/Wifey) ANYWAYS, we’re traveling for the CEO Fighting Game Championship that my Fiancé is taking part in. Kinda geeky/nerdy, but for him it’s good for his Twitch following and he could win some amazing cash prizes + the ability to be noticed for sponsorship opportunities. 

The best part is we'll be staying at a Oceanfront Hilton Resort. Holly and I plan to relax by the pool while Dad is doing his thing. We’re not flying which has its pros and cons. And any down time I plan to get some great swim + style shots for the blog. 

We’re considering visiting: Kennedy Space Center, Disney (depending on how the CEO goes), Daytona Lagoon, Daytona Boardwalk, Downtown Disney, and hit up a few shops too.
I’ll make a blog post all about the weekend trip to Daytona and places we visited, how our resort was, foods we ate, etc.

If anyone has been to Daytona and have recommendations drop a comment! 

-Pompandpalms

4th of July looks

With a little over a week away from America’s Birthday, everyone is busy planning where to go, what to do…. OH and what to wear! 

I adventured out to Destin and searched the shops for some affordable + stylish looks to wear this 4th of July! Below is a great list of items that have major 4th of July vibes. PS: I made sure these items are available in store for quick purchases so no stress on paying for 2 day shipping!

My 4th of July plans? My fiancé’s family always does a "Fun 4th Cookout" at Papa’s house on the water. After a few burgers and dogs we roll the boats out to Crab Island. A bonus is this year my Mom is flying in from North Carolina to visit my little family (Holly is going to be SO excited to see her Nana!) so we get to do some fun activities with her too! 

Live today like its a soirée!

- pompandpalms

Abercrombie & Fitch - Seriously the most Americana clothing line in the US. This store is loaded up with some classic looks. Wear this Knot Front Romper + use the bandana scarf in your hair, around your neck, or tie on the tote! This store is currently doing a great Summer Sale too!

Knot Front stripe Romper	Red & White bandana scarf
Canvas Tote with rope straps	Darling bow flats (comes in 8+ colors!)

American Eagle - Another classic "Americana" store, but surprisingly when I shopped there, AE wasn't really promoting 4th of July looks. I did some creative work and found this fun Red-White-Blue one piece that also comes in a 2 piece set! And the perfect cover up! 

Apron top style 1-piece	2 piece swim
Mesh Tank (Perfect Cover up top!)	Denim Tie Shorts

Forever21 - This is my go-to store for outfits I plan to only wear only a few times. The price is marked cheap and the trends are popular. Here is a simple and fun look from this fast fashion store. PS: the Straw Crossbody is beyond cute!

USA denim shorts	scoop back body suit
patriotic flip flops (only $3.90!)	Straw Crossbody

H&M - I have been very mixed about this store (their sizing seems to not work with me well). But I know a lot of people are huge fans of the brand and at the end of the day this blog is made for you! I was happy to find this cute striped top that can be worn multiple ways, high waist denim, and BEAUTIFUL swimsuit + simple cap! This look is great for any 4th of July event! 

Striped Red & White Top	Twill High Waist Shorts
Beautiful Cut-Out Swimsuit	Cotton Cap

Wedding Blog Series: Dress Shopping 101

When it comes to dress shopping, it's a world of its own! Today I hope to make that world a bit more easy to navigate.  

Reflecting back on my relationship with Bryce; we've been engaged since February 12th 2017. I never tried on dresses until 4 months before my wedding. For some this might sound scary, but for me it was perfect! It’s all about what timing is best for you.

The way to get a good general idea of what wedding dress I wanted I asked myself these questions you'll see below. 

When?
- Where is the wedding location? What season? Is it this year, next year or longer?
- Are you wanting a custom dress?
- Any changes in the near future on your health/body? (Example: If you’re pregnant you need to prepare for the weight and shape change which could be a costly alteration if you’re not prepared).

- For my military brides; is there a chance your significant other (or yourself) might be deployed for work?
- Are you a very indecisive person when it comes to your dress?

For the bride who wants a custom look or is very indecisive I recommend 1-1.5 years before the wedding. This will give the designer enough time to do a custom dress (which will most likely need some altering) and the indecisive bride this will give lots of opportunity to try the dresses on again and again.
For the body changes event location/work brides; you can plan on selecting a dress .5-1 year before the big day. With pregnant brides you will need to size up a bit and be prepared to have random alterations that might be costly. You will also need to have a alteration specialist with the ability to alter quickly and in a short notice and is REALLY GOOD at altering. For the event bride you can always accessorize to make the dress fit the location and season; also many bridal shops sell dresses for all seasons and accessories for all seasons too. If you're a bride with the possibility of deployment, you will need to be able to select a dress that's available quickly (no custom orders) and has simple alterations. 

Next is to figure out what I needed for my bridal dress fittings.
First and most importantly, make a bridal appointment EVEN if you don’t want a stylist. I was turned down at many bridal shops because I didn’t have an appointment. The only time an appointment isn’t needed is if it’s an outlet warehouse or closeout sale event.
Other items needed:
- Nude underwear
- Nude tub top bra
- The shoes you plan to wear or a heel height that is close to what you plan to wear.
- A hair tie (this helps with putting a veil on)
- Any photos or Pinterest blog with images of styles you like.
- Someone (mom, friend, maid of honor, etc) who can take photos of you in dresses so you can reflect on which you like the most; also they can help clear the smoke and mirrors on if the dress looks best for you.

Major tips!!!!!!  

- When trying on dresses keep an open mind. I thought I was a "mermaid dress girl" but when I tried one on I was uncomfortable and didn't like the look. I also hated those bright white wedding dresses (I swore I was a cream-ivory kinda girl)…. but GUESS WHAT, I bought a legit white dress.
- I can’t stress this enough!!! If you have a stylist make sure she’s going in the right direction. If you try on 3 dresses she’s selected and NONE are speaking your language let her know. Its terrible to have an entire appointment and no positive outcome. 

I hope these tips help for your dress shopping! Below I'll post a few photos of dresses I loved for a beach wedding and some I tried on. 

Have a sunny day!

- Pompandpalms

Wedding Blog Series: To Hire a Wedding Planner or be Your Own Planner

I mentioned on my Instagram page (Not following, why not? Click Here & follow!!) I’m going to start blogging some of my Wedding Planning! My focus for instagram/blog is style + lifestyle. My fashion posts I’m all about being affordable & authentic. So of course I’m taking wedding planning with the same approach! I’m planning a destination wedding (wedding on the Emerald Coast)on a price conscious budget.

Wedding blog posts will be a "Mini Series"and within this "Mini Series"will be:what I’ve encountered, tips on planning your wedding, tips on planning a wedding here at the Emerald Coast, some fun DIY stuff I’ve came across, etc!

Todays post: To hire a Wedding Planner or be your own Wedding Planner?
When preparing for a wedding this is the first step! Definitely not an easy decision either. Cost of a planner versus doing it on your own. Yes, planning on your own will save you a good amount of money that you can invest somewhere else in the wedding.

But what brides need to ask themselves is:
- Do YOU have the time? 
- Do YOU have the mental, physical, and emotional strength to handle everything within a wedding? 
- Do YOU have the proper tools to blueprint an ENTIRE wedding?

When approaching this first step "Time"  I wrote down a weeks worth of what I do everyday to give myself an idea on how much daily free time I have for possible planning.

What to write down:
- list job shifts(don’t forget to add in your commute time especially if you commute to a big city that may have rush hours)-  weekly events you attend(hobby classes, church, clubs, volunteer work, etc)
-  If you have a child don’t forget to key in the times you do major child-parent bonding(bath time, school time, sports/REC activities, meal time, how long it takes you to put your little one to sleep, etc).

Once a basic week schedule is mapped out, you can see the space you have to invest in planning. Consider, Venue research. This is a long process of online searching, looking at photos, reading reviews, contacting venues for tours, and so on.
Then approaching my "Strength". I considered the daily stress of a baby + getting myself back into shape and constantly building my relationship with my fiancé. SERIOUSLYa wedding is a stressful task on your body. Luckily, I have a very strong work-life balance and great time management skills from past work experiences which I plan to execute during my planning. But I remind myself “there’s a reason why people become wedding planners cause its (literally)a job!”
Lastly considering the investment of "Proper Tools". It's not just a few Google searches + a Pinterest board and you’re done.

It’s creating:spreadsheets, menus, invitations, decor, maps of the venue setup, a vision of how you want your bridal party to look, to walk, to be photographed, a “Plan B” in case your wedding starts to fall apart from unexpected events, etc. That's the tip of the iceberg.

For me, I’m now the owner of a binder that is literally a Wedding Planners binder. I also have a clip board, 2 notebooks, 3 spreadsheets: costs, inventory, guest list info (that’s updated daily), I constantly have a window on my Mac dedicated to wedding research (currently it has 15 tabs of websites, contact pages, and DIY projects), even an email account JUSTfor my wedding contacts!
Other things to consider:Is your wedding going to be small + easy to handle or large where you need a planner to find ways to accommodate the large guest list? Are the venue locations requesting a Wedding Planner (This is something I ran across when looking at Venues)? Do you know the area and have a good contact list of businesses?

Ultimiately, I decided to plan my own wedding. So far it’s great! My past work experiences + my fashion degree has gave me amazing skills in work-life balance, time management, organization, and visual/design. My business degree has become useful for creating spreadsheets, sending proper emails inquiries, and handing a budget. I have struggle moments when Holly is a teething or wants to cuddle with mama. It’s hard putting the planning books down but my little girl is #1. My wedding has a VERYexclusive guest list that’s small and easy to manage. I’ve live in the Emerald Coast and know the whereabouts + my future in laws have some connects which is helpful. Therefore, I feel I have the tools to be my own wedding planner!

Overall, I strongly believe anyone can achieve a goal if they set their mind to it. I gave myself this goal to plan a beautiful wedding in the Emerald Coast. And yes, it's hard but I know it can happen.

Let's Make Style! #2

Get excited! One fashion piece worn different ways! If you want a refresher of how this is done; check out Let's Make Style #1! What you'll see today is a “HOT trend” item. For about a month now fashion influencers are rocking high waisted tie shorts. These soft + comfy shorts are perfect for summer but seem to fall into the category of only being worn once or twice. 
And I’m going to be honest with you, most of the influencers I follow only wore these shorts once and ALL wore the shorts the same way WITH the same color top?
 Have no fear! I am here! Here to reassure you these shorts CAN be worn multiple ways and into some stylish outfits! It just takes some time and digging in the closet to find some pieces you already own.
REMEMBER: I'm using what I already own in my closet. Sometimes I'll mention items/ideas I would do IF I owned that particular clothing/accessory. I'm not going out and purchasing new items for this. I will link inspo ideas along with the links of the exact items I already own OR similar pieces to the items I'm using.
These lovely shorts are the fashion piece that will be styled into different looks! Below you can shop the look!

My exact shorts (PS: They come in 6 different colors!!), Similar pair: Francesca's Boutique  , Similar pair 2: Shein Tie Front Shorts , Similar pair 3: Nordstrom Tie Front Shorts, Similar pair 4: Loft Tie Front Shorts.

Look one (its actually a combo look!): Crop & Fabric Detailing.

This is a super adorable look for summer. I paired the tie front shorts with a cropped lace top (The combo part is to show BOTH crop and/or detailed+textured fabric looks adorable with these shorts!). The top even has a back zipper detail (which makes the crop very fitted). I own the top in black and white and both look darling with the outfit.

 For accessories throw some silver jewelry to match the zipper detailing, a super trendy straw tote which is perfect for shopping or for the beach + some thick band sandals.
Shop the Look:Similar lace with zipper back top , My Yurman style bracelet, Similar Quote Bracelet , VERY similar sandals, Another similar sandal, Similar bag (has same rope handle detailing!).

Look two: V-Neck Tee + Fun Accessories 

This look is very simple which is why I’m not going much into detail about it. In fact this was one of my #ootd’s that I thought would add to the list to show how versatile these shorts are. Any color neutral tee would look great tucked in these shorts. I would even throw a deep red or pale yellow top with this too. For accessories I'm wearing a bright Lilly Pulitzer charm bracelet and some gold Jack Rogers. 

If you want to see the #ootd post you can view it here!!!
Shop the Look:Exact Tee , Exact Shoes , Similar earrings , Exact Bracelet, Exact Straw Tote,  Jack Rogers sandals , Lilly Charms, Lilly Charms 2.

Look three: Bare Shoulder Bodysuit. 

 This look is beachy meets sexy. This off the shoulder ruffle bodysuit gives such a sexy feel. The straw sunhat, fun Kate Spade clutch, gold cuff (that ties in the gold metal detailing of the clutch), and the Cognac woven flats is GOALS.

 This is what you wear on your resort trip, honeymoon adventures, or to a late afternoon concert. I’m so excited to wear this look out one night and putting this together helped me realize how much of a fashion staple these shorts are!
Shop the Look:Straw quote hat , "Wish You Were Here" hat , Gold Cuff , Exact Shoes , Exact Bodysuit, Similar Bodysuit, Purse is no longer in stores but here it is on Ebay.

Look Four: Mauve & Turquoise.

This is another amazing look I’m so pumped to wear out. The Mauve silk-like texture of this deep V tank is romantic and dresses these shorts up for a good dinner-date look.

The necklace has sliver & gold chains with Turquoise stones that POP!(PS: the necklace is a 3 in one; so you can remove chains if desired!). 

My go-to straw bag and gold pineapple sandals add a fun twist to this romantic look. The only other thing I would do for this look is grab a bottle of bronzing lotion to give my skin a glow.

 Shop the Look:Similar style top, Similar style Deep V-Top in many colors , Exact Shoes , Similar Necklace (but same exact brand!) ,Similar necklace with Turquoise details , Exact Straw Tote,  Similar Shape Bag.

Vola! Here's hoping I helped inspire some ideas for when you want to vamp up the High Waist Tie Front Shorts! As always I leave asking: Is it interesting to see what I find in my closet to create new looks? Should I just go buy all new things to go with this or is it fun to see the similar items I search for online/finding the original items? Is there a particular look you want to see on? Is there a fashion trend you want me to see/style in other ways? DM me on my instagram (click here for the link to my page) or drop a comment here.
Have a sunny day!
- pompandpalms