An unusual DIY, taking an abstract thought and putting it into action.

Dream Big: Think of the unthinkable, tell the world of our hopes, document your dreams (collages or Pinterest)

Sparkle Always: Simply smile!

Shine Bright: Be unique, be you.

Here's Your Fix

The "Winter Blues" & "Post Holiday Crash" are both in full swing, so what's a girl to do?

My solution- a jam out with your girlfriends, dance in your room, sing-your-heart-out playlist to lift your spirits.

Here's a playlist that will surely leave you feeling fashionable and ready to take on whatever challenges lie ahead.

Speak Softly

Love this- Showing strength and power in simple and stylish ways.

Sweet Southern Dreams

We are almost half way through June and people all over the country are celebrating the return of summer! Hot days, warm nights, barbecues, sweet tea, thunderstorms, days spent at the beach, and overall a relaxing sense and carefree attitude. I too am celebrating this magical season, but unfortunately classes and school work will be consuming my summer for my university is year round. But as I sit in at the library to write papers and study for exams, my new interest in country music is causing me to day dream endlessly of being in the south. As I day dream of carefree days spent in the south and reminisce of previous summers spent in South Carolina, I dream of the wardrobe I would be wearing, hence the inspiration board you see above.

I may not be making a trip down south anytime soon, but I'll be using my wardrobe, music selection, and attitude to transform my outlook into a summer and southern state of mind.

The Inspirational Playlist

1. I Don't Want This Night to End Luke Bryan

2. Back Down South Kings of Leon

3. Toes Zac Brown Band

4. The Age of Worry John Mayer

5. Drunk on You Luke Bryan

6. Summertime Kenny Chesney

7. We Own the Night Lady Antebellum

8. Barefoot Blue Jean Night Jake Owen

9. The Way You Love Me Faith Hill

10. Up Shania Twain

11. Love in a College Town Luke Bryan

The Inspiration Board

(from left to right)

shorts: Lilly Pulitzer

sandals: American Eagle

luggage: Vera Bradley

skirt: Nordstrom

 bracelets: Nordstrom

dress: Lilly Pulitzer

clutch: Lilly Pulitzer

shirt: Gap

sandals: DSW

dress: Lilly Pulitzer

tote: Lilly Pulitzer

boots: American Eagle

hat: Franchesca's

bangles: Nordstrom

floppy hat: Nordstrom

shoes: Sperry Topsider

A Thoughtful Idea

I recently made a trip to Target with a friend to go grocery shopping (if you do not already know that I love Target read this). On this trip I had to buy flashcards, but I was looking for a particular size, color, and possible box to hold them. When it was difficult to find the particular style I was looking for, my friend questioned what exactly I was using them for. I immediately became bashful, hoping to avoid opening up as to what I was secretly up to, but then,I thought, why not be honest about what I was doing. So I am going to share with the readers of Fashion Matterns exactly what I was doing.

Since April 22, I have been writing down my thoughts on these notecards that I purchased from Target. One notecard per day, with one simple thought per day. My plan is to do it for one year; resulting in 365 notecards with 365 thoughts that will allow me to look back and reflect on my year. 

I have never been fond of keeping a journal, I find it to be too time consuming and I can think faster than I can write, therefore I become quickly frustrated when trying to sort my thoughts and write them down at a speed that keeps up with my thought process. But, I do strongly value writing and reflecting on one's thoughts which is what lead me to devise this plan.

My thoughts each day are different. Sometimes I write down the best part of my day, or something personal that I need to work on, I even write down song lyrics that I love. There are no rules to what I write down as long as its meaningful and it must be limited to one thought. I decided to share this personal project that I am working on because growing is all about reflecting and as people striving to live a fashionable life, we should all be looking to grow!

Your Own Enterprise

You know when you have one of the moments where you feel very inspired and uplifted and you have to share your intense feelings with the world immediately- well that’s how I feel right now, as I am writing this post.

Each year the college I attend, Drexel University, has a distinguished speaker come and give a lecture to students of the Design and Merchandising program. I just came from this year’s presentation which was an insightful lecture given by the Chief Executive Officer of Burberry, Angela Ahrendts. Everything about this woman- her diction, her intelligence, her heartfelt and contagious passion, and overall sophistication was stirring. In her presentation, she gave an overview of the company, as well as the direction that Burberry is moving. But she also gave insight into how she runs the company and her business philosophies. And you may be wondering, why would her insight in particular be significant? Well did you know that Burberry is ranked #4 in the top fastest growing companies globally; just after companies such as Apple, Google, and Amazon. Personally I was astounded by this detail.

One of the concepts that she spoke about that I appreciated the greatest, and would like to pass on to readers of Fashion Matterns is the importance of looking back. When she took over as the CEO of Burberry, she established Christopher Bailey as chief creative officer. As a two-person team, they reflected on how Burberry came to be and what makes them worthy or significant as a company. It was from this thoughtful reflection that they established the company’s values and were able to decide what direction the company should take. With this new vision for the company, they were able to transform Burberry into the 13th most innovative company in the world, as well as mentioned before the 4^th fastest growing company. So if it worked for them, it can work for you!

If you are like me, and are looking for ways to grow and improve, model your own life in a strategic way similar to what Burberry has done. Look back on your experiences, decide what has and has not worked for you. Look back at where you came from and how you came to be who you are. Reflect on what values are important to you and what direction you want to move in. Set goals for yourself and create a mission. Essentially, reflect, establish, and move forward.

It may seem silly, but try thinking about the concepts mentioned above and create a set of values you want to live by and a mission statement for yourself. Every established and well thought-out company or organization has one, so why shouldn’t you as an individual enterprise have one as well?

You can expect a set of values and mission statement from Fashion Matterns soon! Let me know how yours goes as well.

Always Dress to Impress

You never know who you are going to come across- your rival, your future husband, the President, or even Dakota Fanning!

While sightseeing in Washington D.C. this past weekend, I spotted a young woman in a stunningly chic outfit complete with a fabulous Celine handbag. Now, you have to be someone to have one of these bags, or quite a bit of money for they are the "it" bag right now and there are waiting lists to purchase one. My immediate thoughts were...

1. Wow, I should have dressed up more.

2. She must be someone famous if she has that bag.

Turns out, her handbag hinted at who she really was. This stylish young woman, observing the memorials through the National Mall beside me, turned out to be Dakota Fanning. I was star struck, delighted, and inspired to be in the presence of such a fashionable person.

Her stylish presentation reminded me that no matter what the occasion, you should always dress to impress. Just because you are sight-seeing or taking on the roll of a tourist does not give one the privilege of dressing like a careless slob, concerned only with comfort.

Take pride in yourself, your appearance, and it will enhance your abilities to make the most of any situation.

My well dressed roommate with Dakota Fanning at the National Mall.

Dakota Fanning pictured with her well known Celine handbag.