Extra Magic with Extra Magic Hours

A little extra Magic goes a long way, especially at Walt Disney World! As a guest at any Walt Disney World resort or hotel located on property you gain exclusive access to Extra Magic Hours. Extra Magic Hours are select times prior to park opening and following closing when guests are able to explore the park with limited attraction wait times.  

A planner at heart, our vacations revolve around Extra Magic Hours. Understanding that being at the parks late into the day exhausts us, my family always makes sure to take advantage of early and late Magic Hours to be able to ride all of our favorite attractions without large lines and still be able to spend time pool side in the afternoon. 

As with anything related to a Disney vacation, there are some tips and tricks when tackling Extra Magic Hours at each park. The strategies I use for specific attractions and parks are below! 

Magic Kingdom

Growing up and even now the magic of Walt Disney World has always lived in Magic Kingdom. Splash Mountain, The Haunted Mansion and Prince Charming’s Regal Carousel are all timeless attractions that continue to create the most memorable experiences. The best part about Magic Kingdom is there is an attraction for everyone, but this can also make it difficult when trying to strategically plan your Extra Magic Hours. 

The moment we arrive and moments before we leave you can find us at Magic Kingdom! Soaking up every ounce of magic, we love to take advantage of any additional time in the park. Due to the amount of attractions, planning out this extra magical time can be helpful and we organize this time differently for both early and late Extra Magic Hours.  

Early Magic Hours offer a fantastic opportunity to take advantage of riding those rides at the top of your list that you may not have a FastPass+ for. This usually means that we start at Space Mountain and work our way over to Pirates of the Caribbean, depending on wait times of course! Usually, Splash Mountain will be skipped until later in the day to avoid being drenched. The reason for beginning at this side of the park for early Magic Hours is simply by preference and feeling as though covering ground (and riding as many rides as possible) is easier based on park layout and the number of guests in that area. This may differ for the time of year you visit. 

Late Magic Hours are the best! The crowds at night and those taking advantage of late Magic Hours are significantly lower than in the morning. There truly isn’t anything like walking around the park at night with barely anyone around, unbelievably magical! Every time we have gone we were able to ride every popular ride in the park with no wait at all! Again, this probably varies based on the time of year, but regardless of when you visit heading over to see the castle at night is a must do! 

Epcot

Epcot is an absolute favorite at Disney! The shopping and culinary experiences are phenomenal as well as the attractions! Each year we go, we always say we don’t spend enough time there. This year, we took a different approach and spent about two full days there and utilized the Extra Magic Hours. 

Similarly to Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios, depending on the time of year, Extra Magic Hours are held in the morning and at night. Based on the park hours and the time in-between when the park opens and World Showcase opens I prefer to take advantage of the Late Magic Hours. This way, I don’t feel like I have to rush out in the morning to wait in a crowd of people for bag checks and then rides with an awkward gap in between park openings. 

At night our strategy usually is as follows: get a spot to watch IllumiNations: Reflections of the Earth on the bridge right after Mexico. Then, as the Fireworks come to a close make our way pass the Odyssey Center straight to Test Track. At this point in the night, the wait is typically about 20/30 minutes including the queue to create your own sports car. After this, we make our way to Soarin'. Once we have hit our favorites we make our way back to the Grand Floridian just after the onslaught of people have already exited. Timing is everything in having the whole visit flow together and Extra Magic Hours help so much! 

Hollywood Studios

Jam out with Aerosmith on the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, travel to the twilight zone with the Tower or Terror, become a Rebel spy and fight the Empire on Star Tours or ride on Slinky Dog in Toy Story Land, the options are endless! Hollywood Studios has so many action packed rides that it taking advantage of Extra Magic Hours is a must! 

Traveling with kids, friends or your other half will all determine how you decide to tackle Extra Magic Hours at Hollywood Studios. Those of you who are bringing kids, I suggest rushing over to Toy Story Land to get in line for Slinky Dog Dash and Alien Swirling Saucers. They are both kid friendly and typically have long wait times as they are brand new. Any one seeking some thrill should head over to the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror. Since Tory Story Land has opened it has taken away the demand for these popular attractions making it easy to ride either of these rides, three, four or five times before the park opens. 

Animal Kingdom

Animal Kingdom is full of exciting new attractions that you can take advantage of during Extra Magic Hours. In my experience, AK typically has Extra Magic Hours during the morning. If this is the case for you as well I would suggest taking the following steps to make sure you can get on all the major attractions before the park opens and is flooded with guests. 

Early Magic Hours begin at 8AM and end once the park opens at 9AM. A trick to taking advantage of Magic Hours is to arrive before 8AM, probably around 7:15AM and immediately head over to The Flight of Passage to get in line, there will be a line so just prepare yourself. As soon as it is officially 8AM they will open rides and because you’ve arrived early you will be some of the first people on The Flight of Passage so once you have finished there walk across the pathway to the Na’vi River to get in line before it gets too long. At this point, it should be no later than 8:30, which leaves you with a couple of options. (1) head over to Expedition Everest and ride about three or four times until the park opens or (2) get a spot on the Kilimanjaro Safaris. The best choice for us has been to do a little of both! Grab a quick seat on Everest and haul butt to the safari! The pace you feel like best suits your vacation style is the one you should choose. Either way, you have hit the three top attractions in the park all before 9AM! 

Disney Style Highlight:

A Disney Wardrobe wouldn’t be complete without a Haunted Mansion tank top! Typically, I won’t purchase Disney clothing merchandise because I don’t want to match with everyone in the parks, but when it comes to the Haunted Mansion, I just can’t help myself! 

The Haunted Mansion attraction at Magic Kingdom has been my favorite since I was little. Surprising, I know, since I’m the biggest chicken when it comes to anything remotely spooky, but I simply can’t help loving it. Due to the fact that I just can’t get enough, I couldn’t help but to add this tank to my Disney collection! 

My specific tank top can only be purchased at Memento Mori. The classic wallpaper print lines the front and back of this Racer back tank top and the back has an additional bit of black lace. There is a similar tank top available online if you download the app shopDisney. When you are looking make sure to search “The a Haunted Mansion” and it will come up about half way through the product list. As always, my shorts are from Madewell and are my absolute favorite, especially paired with traditional white converse! 

Animal Kingdom Travel Guide

Disney’s Animal Kingdom brings nature to life with the most brilliantly designed park and nature reserve around. Travel through Africa or Asia, make a pit stop in Pandora, the culturally immersive park shares the ways of life of those across the country (and on a different planet).

Spanning 580 acres, this vast zoological park leaves endless entertainment and attractions to uncover, but due to its size having a plan is important. Check out my Animal Kingdom travel guide below that showcases the best dining experiences, strategies for scheduling for all of your FastPass+ reservations and stylish attire to make it through the day comfortably. 

1. FastPass+

Last week I shared my ultimate Disney World planning guide, where I talked at length about scheduling your FastPass+ reservations strategically to ensure you were able to ride all of your favorite attractions without dealing with long wait times. If you missed it, make sure to check it out here! These tips and tricks will help you organize your FastPass+ reservations for Animal Kingdom as well as other parks.

Animal Kingdom opened Pandora last May and there is no doubt that the attractions are out of this world (literally! haha) making them the most popular and for a good reason. Ultimately, this means they have the longest wait times in comparison to other attractions around the park, which means it’s important to get a FastPass+ reservation. The Flight of Passage is always my number one reservation, it is the first one that I make and I take any time available. The queue for Pandora is a whopping 240 minutes when it’s full and that time usually never waivers. The FastPass+ offers you the ability to wait no more than ten minutes before being suspended in the sky riding a Banshee! 

Even once you have booked your reservation to travel to Pandora you can also pick an additional (2) FastPass+. Personally, I would select Expedition Everest and The River of Lights performance. 

Expedition Everest is a favorite! Each time feels as though it is my first time riding and the quick wait is completely worth it as part of the queue is located outside in the sun. The River of Lights performance is also available in a FastPass+ reservation and is both a time saver as well as offers a beautiful view. During the non-peak times at Animal Kingdom the park closes at 8PM and if you plan to have dinner at the park and would hope to eat at 6PM and not rush to find a seat at the show the best route to take is a FastPass+!  

2. Dining

Animal Kingdom offers a wide variety of culinary choices for all meals that highlight many different cultural cuisines. There are dining options for everyone, but there are two favorites that I always recommend. 

The Yak and Yeti located in Asia is a delicious option for lunch. The past two years we have dined here and have had a great experience. The Lo Mein is to die for and tops anything I could possibly find at home! 

Tiffins, a fine Disney dining experience, is wonderful! The menu is always changing based on seasonal availability. The pairings of both food and wine is impeccable with service that is unbelievably attentive. Wonderful for a date night out in Disney I will always find my way back to Tiffins for dinner without a doubt! 

Disney Style Highlight:

As the largest Disney Park, Animal Kingdom requires a lot of walking, which means you want to make sure to dress as comfortably as possible. A mix of heat, humidity, the possible thunder storm and a full day’s worth of walking can be a dangerous recipe for a DMD.

Avoiding an absolute melt down, nobody likes a DMD, I chose to wear a cute pair of comfortable denim shorts with a lace detail flutter sleeved top. Each piece compliments the Animal Kingdom theme (who doesn’t like to match the park they are visiting?!) and are both versatile pieces that you can mix and match with other items on your trip or back home as the seasons change. 

**The Kailana Top is also available in Tangerine, which lends itself to the cooler months ahead!**

Shoes are the most important when dealing with a day full of walking and I know I can always rely on my Tory Burch Sandals to keep my feet comfortable. A sandal may not be the most comfortable for everyone so I also linked my Keds below which would be equally cute! 

PS. My bag is from Epcot and can only be purchased from Morocco! When I purchased it last year it was $89.00. The leather is a wonderful quality and it is hand made.

Taking Advantage of Disney Springs

Disney Springs is an adult playground with luxury shopping, live entertainment and culinary experiences to die for! Each visit will always encourage you to try something new and our visit this year was nothing less than spectacular! The entire night we indulged in some much needed retail therapy, delicious food and went on a virtual reality adventure. All the details are below! 

Shopping

Shopping in Disney Springs is simply endless. Lilly Pulitzer, Kate Spade, Tommy Bahama, Free People, Lucky Brand, MAC, Anthropologie and of course The World of Disney, there is a store for everyone! 

During our visit we had the most luck at Anthropologie and Free People. Trying to build my fall wardrobe I only wanted to purchase pieces that would keep me warm as the seasons change although I’m always tempted to buy that beautiful sundress! Also, Anthropologie is currently having a sale, 20% off clothing and home if you needed a little extra convincing to buy that item in your cart!

Entertainment/Attractions

Live music at Disney Springs has always been a favorite, but this year we wanted to check out something just a little different and went to The Void. 

The Void is a virtual reality experience that focuses on Star Wars. As I’m clearly not a gamer, I will try to explain this the best way I know how. My understanding of virtual reality is the transportation to another location via VR Goggles that can be paired with all of the popular gaming sets, (PlayStation, etc.). When you play at home you are stationary to make sure you aren’t bumping into walls as you go on a mission to complete the game, but at The Void this experience is brought to a whole new level! 

When you first arrive at The Void you complete all of the logistical aspects of the experience. Once all the paperwork is complete you begin to get fitted for your gear, which includes a vest with electronics and an attached headset. The Void staff is extremely helpful with making sure your gear fits you perfectly regardless of size. After you are all geared up and ready to go you will begin to test the equipment and this is where the amazement begins. As you close the front of your head gear you and the three other people in your party are transformed into storm troopers. Reach out your arms and you will see storm trooper armor, it’s truly unbelievable. After this, you are briefed for your mission, which I won’t share much about other than it is action packed! You place your mask down and you walk through and interact in a video game. There is no crazier feeling than trying to escape from Darth Vader or be part of the rebellion. Each aspect of the mission is interactive, walking on platforms, pulling down handles and pressing buttons to open doors and navigating to different areas of the base you are at. There is no better way to describe it than, it was crazy and you have to try it for yourself! 

Dining

As foodies, we have never had a meal at Disney Springs that was disappointing, but I do have a few favorites! 

Bongos Cuban Cafe: The Cuban inspired restaurant is a favorite for their silver margaritas and steak. If you are looking for a meal that is seasoned perfectly and a strong drink you’ve found the right place and you can’t miss them, they are located in the Pineapple on the strip! 

The Boathouse: On our previous vacation to Disney we weren’t able to make it to Disney Springs because we were tight on time so we missed our traditional meal at The Boathouse. As a favorite of ours, we always come for the amazing take on sea food and the unbelievable service. Each visit is special and always makes us want to come back again and again! 

Disney Style Highlight: 

The Lynette Floral Romper from Anthropologie was hands down the best purchase of the summer and was the perfect chic yet comfortable romper for a night filled with walking, dinner out and interactive entertainment. There was no doubt that I was going to be spending all night on my feet so I chose to wear my most comfortable sneakers, Keds. They paired perfectly with my romper and with a jean jacket I was ready for a night out. 

When I originally purchased this floral romper there were a few left in stock, but it seems like they are sold out so I have linked some of my favorite rompers from Anthropologie that I think would be perfect for the Florida heat! 

The Happiest Place on Earth

“Welcome Home!” No two words sound sweeter than your very own personalized greeting once you enter the most magical place on the planet, being a Disney Vacation Member sure does have its perks! 

Walt Disney World has been a favorite destination since my first visit nine years ago and every time we come back it is even more magical, especially as an adult!    Not always as frequent as I would have wished, our visits have become more regular over the past four years since my mom and stepdad decided to become Disney Vacation Club Members. Now, my mom and I have a girls vacation every fall and the parents get a magical getaway every winter. 

The next two weeks will be filled of Disney magic, fashion and pixie dust! They will also be full of blog posts sharing some Disney inspired fashion, tips and tricks, favorite attractions and a few extra surprises so I hope you all will follow along! Each blog post will have a Disney style highlight for all of my #ootd! Each outfit will be link in the below Disney Style Highlight section for purchase! 

Disney Style Highlight: 

“Let’s match”, my mom said, and when your in Disney and twinning is completely acceptable the only reasonable response is, “Obviously”! Matching in Disney is different for the frequent traveler, while I love Disney merchandise and spend my fair share of time Disney shopping for home accessories, designer handbags and trinkets I usually never can bring myself to purchase clothing. The reason being, then I’m twinning with every Disney traveler in the park, and that’s not so magical. 

Preferring to stand apart from the crowd, I love to shop the cutest Disney T-shirt options on Etsy. There are so many different shops offering a variety of unique  tops. With so many options I always find myself torn between two punny shirts that leave me giggling. I want them all! Being quirky and always up for a laugh, when I came across this, “Oh Mickey You So Fine” I had already mentally purchased it! 

Knowing immediately that this would be worn on our arrival day at Magic Kingdom I chose the soft pink color and paired with comfortable denim shorts and Keds. The fabric was extremely light making it perfect for the hot Florida sun and completely breathable as you walked around the hot parks. We both received numerous compliments and it will only be a matter of time before I’m back on Etsy making my next Disney T-Shirt purchase! 

 Outfit Details: Disney T-Shirt, Shorts, Keds

The Ultimate Disney Planning Guide

A Disney Vacation is one of a kind with character dining experiences, FastPass+ for your favorite attractions and special photography services that have a little extra dose of pixie dust! These services add even more magic to your vacation, but making sure you have everything planned out can be overwhelming. There have been countless times in the park where I have seen couples, parents and kids alike in the midst of a DMD (Disney Melt Down!) because they were overwhelmed (I am equally as guilty of this!!). A mix of heat, magical emotions and being on your feet all day can be rough! Over the years and the many trips to Disney, I have perfected my planning technique to ensure those DMD’s are few and far between. These are my life saving, DMD avoiding, planning tips to help you make the most out of your Walt Disney World vacation without being overwhelmed!

1. Timing is everything!: Ensuring you are staying in the hotel of your choice, are eating at your favorite restaurants and are riding the coolest rides can be tricky, but utilizing a booking timeline can be helpful to keep you on track when planning your trip so that you don’t miss important booking slots. Important dates to remember when booking are as follows:

499 Days: Accommodations at Disney World become available at 499 Days, which is great to allow you to save for your big trip! While it’s not always necessary to book so far in advance make sure to check what time of year you are traveling at, reservations can be tight around peak times of the year and you should take this into consideration! While you may not want to book your accommodations 499 days out remember to book them before 180 Days out to be able to have access to book Advance Dining Reservations.

180 Days: Advance Dining Reservations can be made at 180 Days out from your arrival to the most magical place on earth and it is important to make a list of places you would like to dine at. Typically, Disney will release their park hours a few days before to allow you to schedule your dining reservations in conjunction with what parks you will be at during that time.

60 Days / 30 Days: FastPass+ reservations become available for all of your favorite rides for those staying at a Disney resort at 60 Days and for those who have other accommodations you will be able to make these reservations at 30 days. ! Make sure to review your dining reservations before to see what times you will be available.

3 Days: This is the perfect time to purchase Memory Maker, Disney’s magical photography service, if you haven’t already done so and if you purchase 3 days or before you can save money!  

2. Managing Expectations: Timing is two-fold. Timing doesn’t only refer to solidifying your reservations, but also talks to how many activities you plan to pack into your day. A Walt Disney World vacation for anyone is very expensive and I can completely understand wanting to soak up as much magic as possible while you are there, but if you try to pack in too much it often leads to feeling fatigued and cranky (DMD Alert!!). To avoid those DMDs, I suggest finding time within your day to relax. Whether it be by the pool, sleeping in, or coming home a little early these breaks allow you to recharge and get ready for the next bit of magic in your day! Personally, I know that in the middle of the day I need a rest so we will plan our vacation around Extra Magic Hours to utilize those times to fit in our favorite attractions and have time in the afternoon to take a nap by the pool. A win-win if you ask me!

3. Strategically Booking Dining & FastPass+ Reservations: Strategically Booking Dining and FastPass+ reservations is important because there are some dining experiences and attractions that are more popular than others, making them harder to book. Prior to the dates you would need to book these reservations I make an itinerary for each day that includes, ideally, where we will dine and what attractions we will ride. This is planned out to the exact time I am hoping to book them for. Once I have completed this, I rank them by popularity. Those reservations that are harder to obtain I try for first, those being: Be Our Guest Restaurant, Chef Mickey, Cinderella’s Castle, Avatar Flight of Passage, Na’vi River Journey and Slinky Dog Dash. If I am unable to book these (Be Our Guest Restaurant I have been trying to book for two years at the exact time reservations open with just no luck – clearly this is still upsetting) I continue to move down my list and add in attractions or dining reservations to fill those slots afterwards. An important change to be noted is that in booking your FastPass+ reservations you will need to reserve them individually. You can no longer select three to see which rides can be paired together. This makes things a little slower, which is why going after those more popular attractions first can make a huge difference.

4. Trip Itinerary: The MyDisneyExperience website and phone app will hold all of your reservations as well as select entertainment, such as Fireworks or shows available throughout your day. Having this information at the tip of your fingers as you travel the park is invaluable, but even so I find that there are times where I have forgotten about an experience that wasn’t necessarily listed to save to your itinerary until I am already on my way home. To avoid missing a special shopping experience for DVC Members/Annual Passholders or seeing a hidden gem at Magic Kingdom I make my own itinerary. Not only does it help to take a look each day to remember those special events or experiences but its memorable to have one for each year we’ve been there to remember all the magic! These are personally made by me and because they have become popular with friends and family, I will be opening a Etsy Shop so you can enjoy them too! Make sure to be on the lookout for when I launch in 2 weeks! I’ll make sure to let everyone know!

A Disney Vacation doesn’t have to be stressful if planned properly and I hope that these tips and tricks will help your planning go smoothly. There are so many moving parts to keep track of, if you need any additional help making your Disney adventure extra magical, just ask away!

Vohana Salon

Hair decisions can be some of the hardest to make! Struggling with what to do with my hair is constant. “Should I cut it short, grow it out long, do I add color or keep it natural?” The questions go on and on and I pine over them because I don’t want to make the wrong decision. As someone who has had awful experiences with making some of these decisions, mainly because I entrusted less than qualified people to take on the job, I wanted to make sure I got it right. There is nothing worse than leaving the salon with a new hair color or style that you just don’t love. After what has seemed like years of trial and error, testing out various different salons, I have finally found a place where I leave feeling like a new beautiful person every time I get my hair done. 

Vohana Salon is located in the heart of downtown Mystic in the cutest little building. Whether you are a local or stopping through for business/travel I can’t recommend them enough. The styling staff is unbelievably knowledgeable and they do an amazing job with color! My last visit was about a week ago and I have been seeing Victoria since February. This past winter I had been toying with the idea of adding color to my hair to incorporate some texture, but was concerned that it wouldn’t look natural. Weighing all of my options I decided to go to a salon in Boston to get balayage, if you aren’t familiar with this hair coloring technique it’s when a color stylist hand paints highlights onto your hair. This creates a more natural sun kissed look verse a traditional highlight. To ensure that these highlights kept their natural look I was hoping for a shade of brown just a tiny bit lighter than my own. Unfortunately, the stylist had something different in mind and it turned out much more blonde than I had hoped. 

Always thinking positively, I thought I could rock these blondish highlights even with a paler complexion, but have you ever gone to have your hair cut and you are okay with them cutting two inches (really not a lot) off and then you go home and you’re in tears because it just looks so much shorter? That is exactly how I felt. I went home, looked in the mirror and thought to myself, “Oh my gosh, I have to fix this!” Knowing these feelings would not turn into love of my new hair style I search all over locally to find a salon with a wide range of experience with color to regloss my hair. Vohana was one of the top searches with services including balayage and with a huge sigh of relief I called and they were able to fit me in that day. As soon as I arrived Victoria knew I was looking for a lighter brown and that blonder tone was not for me. She also added some additional colored strands to tie the color together. After she worked her magic, I couldn’t have been happier. Returning to my brown roots with a beautiful light brown tone was exactly what I wanted!

One experience, makes a difference when you walk out of the door completely confident with your hair and was all I needed to continue to come back again and again. Have you all had an hair horror stories? I’d love to hear!

Transitional Stripes

Stripes are great for transitions and I know that I own at least one striped top for every season. Timeless as always, stripes are a great way to add sophistication to your outfit while keeping things casual, which I have needed lately!  

As I get ready to go away and leave Chris in the middle of our renovation project (my goodness what was I thinking?!) I have had a couple of days where I have been out and about running errands. The weather has been so sporadic, pouring one second, freezing cold, hot as hell so I have been utilizing all of those pieces in my closet that are great for anything New England weather might to throw my way!

A favorite, as we transition from summer to fall has been this J. Crew Tunic. The material is breathable for those warmer days and with an extra layer is just right for a cool night, the perfect top for a day of target runs and grocery shopping! Keeping things casual as we head out with a long list of things to do, I paired this striped top with white denim, sandals and a jean jacket if I get cold (not really an “if” more of a “when”). New England weather I’m ready for you!

Hope you all have a great Sunday and are ready to tackle the week!

Incorporating Color into your Wardrobe

Color can be scary and up until a few years ago I always stuck to safe neutrals. “No need to call more attention to myself,” I thought, but over the last year or so I have really started to incorporate color into my wardrobe. The thought of adding a bright fuchsia dress to a sea of whites, creams, browns and blues can seem super overwhelming, but there are ways to incorporate pops of color into your wardrobe that won’t overpower your neutrals, just compliment them.

When I first began incorporating bold hues into my wardrobe to remain comfortable when wearing them I stuck to these three tips:

1. Simplicity: There are colorful pieces out there that have simplistic styles. The simple style allows you to add color to your wardrobe without changing your style drastically. Ease into purchasing pieces that are bold in color but still resemble your style so you can feel comfortable showing off that neon dress or bold pair of pants.
2. Colorful Accessories: Integrating color into your day-to-day outfits doesn’t always have to mean a piece of clothing and can be done through accessories as well. If you aren’t sure bold colors are for you, you can always try it out with a pair of statement earrings, a handbag or a hair styling piece. The options are endless!
3. Incorporate Neutrals: Favorite neutral pieces from your closet don’t have to disappear when you wear that bold sweater or dress because they often make the best complimenting pieces to an outfit. Your favorite pair of white denim may look amazing with the lavender sweater and your nude pumps may allow that red dress to pop. Incorporating these styling pieces can help to tie the outfit together.

When it comes to purchasing bold pieces there isn’t any specific right or wrong way to go about it and at the end of the day it truly depends on your comfort level. These tips helped me immensely because I wanted to remain true to my style and avoid feeling uncomfortable in other pieces.  After being on the fence about adding color to my wardrobe, I couldn’t be happier with how comfortable I’ve become wearing my new favorite pieces!

Check out some similar pieces below!

Cozy Sweater & Puffer Vest

The cold air and chilly days have arrived, which means it is time to turn off the A/C and pull out all of those fall staples!

Transitioning my closet this year has been a little funky because in a week I am headed to sunny Florida and when I come home it’ll be time to pack up our home to switch sides with our tenant so we can renovate. Packing up my closet is always a big to do no matter where we have lived or how organized it was, there is just so much stuff! Even though I know I definitely won’t be wearing any sweaters in Disney I couldn’t resist pulling out a few (I mean what’s one more piece of clothing to pack up anyway, right?!)

During these cooler months, you can always find me in a sweater, a vest, a blanket scarf and a pair of booties, I’m extremely predictable! The number one reason for having this outfit on repeat is comfort level and who doesn’t want to walk around feeling like they are in their pajamas all day, especially all while looking extremely cute?! A win-win for sure! As a firm believer that white can be worn all year long I wore a pair of camel booties, a camel sweater with a blue vest and a blanket scarf and white denim. The white denim ties together the outfit to make it look crisp and sharp.

This combo of pieces, is one I fall (pun intended!) back on each autumn when I’m staring my closet and have no idea what to wear. My indecision can lead me to trying on a variety of different outfits only to revert right back to the pieces, which I know can carry me through my entire day, from work to date night. Are there pieces in your closet that you find yourself grabbing for during this seasonal transition time?

Outfit Details: Booties (Click the Link - ON SALE!) See Below: Puffer Vest, White Denim, Tote, Similar Camel Sweater, Similar Blanket Scarf, KJP Bracelet, KJP Necklace, Watch

Rain Essentials

Outfit Details: Joules Right as Rain Print Waterproof Hooded Jacket, Joules Tall Printed Rain Boots

As one of my favorite places to find the cutest rain gear, Joules never disappoints. Each season there are classics that can be found time and time again as well as some fun new prints and textures. Being able to mix and match patterns is what I love best about each item because they flow so seamlessly together. 

The Right as Rain Print Waterproof Hooded Jacket has been a staple in my closet and if you remember this past spring it kept me warm and dry all throughout the season. Now that the weather is getting cooler it is the perfect weight for those chillier rainy days. The additional liner inside is a life saver during these months and is a beautiful etched floral print, which is so fitting to pair classic stripes with floral rain boots! The tall Printed Rain Boots are equally as cozy and match perfectly bold stripe. 

The Versatile Denim Jacket

September is here! This summer has flown by, I can’t believe we are already approaching Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas! Oh, so many fun festivities ahead of us and how could I forget about all the pumpkin and apple picking a girl could dream of! Pumpkin spice late, pumpkin beer, apple pies (yes, please!)!!

All the fall clothing, home décor and seasonal eats have me longing to take my cashmere sweaters, flannels and warm dresses out of storage, but is anyone else feeling a little confused with this weather?! Personally, I find that transitioning my wardrobe can be really difficult when the summer heat has stuck around. As soon as September has arrived and we say goodbye to summer I am ready for cool days and comfortable nights, but the truth is, it’s still 90 degrees and I would over heat in any fall outfit (where are my shorts?!?). 

Obviously, cozy sweaters and corduroy overalls will have to wait, but until then I am slowly incorporating some of my fall staple items into my day to day outfits. The number one, being my denim jacket. My denim jacket travels with me through the seasons, making its appearance in early spring and sticking around till late fall. My denim jacket may be the most versatile piece of clothing I own. Perfect, for those cooler summer nights, and the beginnings of autumn, I have already begun pairing this jacket with dresses and white denim as we make the transition into fall weather.

Lately, due to the heat I have been wearing dresses that I could easily pair with a bootie once it gets a little cooler and grabbing my jean jacket to add an additional fall feel. While I don’t always need it during the day, I definitely tend to want it once the sun starts to set. Check out my favorite denim jackets below in a variety of price ranges, each can carry you from season to season with ease! 

What fall transition pieces are your favorite? I’d love to hear!