Stretch Utility Skinny Ankle Pants

I hope you had a wonderful weekend! Today I want to share a casual outfit with you that I recently wore during our South Africa vacation. If you missed my Capetown Travel Log, be sure to check it out here to learn more about how we spent our time in this coastal city. When we visited South Africa, it was technically winter but the temperatures were very similar to fall in Seattle with a mixture of sun, rain, and temperatures in the 60's and low 70's (F). I only took a small carry-on suitcase with pieces that were easy to mix and match, including these Stretch Skinny Utility Pants that are perfect to style for fall. The neutral color goes with just about everything, and the stretch cotton fabric makes them comfortable for all day wear. In today's outfit, I wore these pants with a chambray shirt, navy merino sweater, my go-to saddlebag, and ultra-comfy ankle booties for an afternoon of exploring Capetown's V&A Waterfront. These photos were taken at the Camps Bay Resort, where we stayed and would absolutely recommend. This rope bridge separated the main building from the property's additional villas were we stayed--a fun adventure crossing back and forth!

Pants: exact here (available in regular and petite)
Chambray: J Crew (old), similar here
Sweater: current versions here and here
Booties: exact here, I also have the same booties in leopard which are available here
Saddlebag: find exact here

Check out my picks for more skinny utility pants that are perfect to style this fall.  My picks are priced for a range of budgets between $35 and $258:

How would you style a pair of skinny utility pants this fall? Thank you for visiting my blog today, and I hope you have a great week!

Travel Log: Capetown, South Africa

I am excited to share the first of my South Africa travel logs with you today! We recently returned from an amazing ten day vacation in South Africa that included time in Capetown, wine country, a Wildlife Reserve, and Gansbaai (known for shark cage diving). South Africa is located at the southernmost part of Africa with diverse terrain and many exciting things to do. This first travel log is all about our adventures in the coastal city of Capetown.  Please read on for highlights, links, and more photos from our three days in this exciting city on the southwest coast of South Africa.

Knit Midi Dress + Faux Leather Jacket + Suede Booties

Visiting South Africa was absolutely amazing, and I enjoyed every day of our trip. However, one area that blew me away was wine country. I knew that South Africa's dry climate made it a great wine growing country, but I did not realize that there are over 300 wineries spread out over 26 regions. Our friends arranged for a driver and minibus to take our group on two days of wine tours in the two main wine regions: Stellenbosch and Franschhoek. It was amazing to drive up into the mountains and see such gorgeous views! Today's outfit is what I wore on day one of wine touring in Stellenbosch: a lightweight knit midi dress with a faux leather jacket, suede booties, and saddlebag. This outfit was perfect for South African winter temperatures of mid-60's to mid-70's (F), and is also a perfect outfit for the summer to fall transition. Please scroll through for my outfit links and more of my picks for knit midi dresses. These photos were taken at Hidden Valley Wines, located on the slopes of Helderberg Mountain with a gorgeous building and sweeping views of the surrounding valley. 

Distressed Skinny Jeans + Tie-Front Buttondown

First, I apologize for my lack of posts in the last couple of weeks.  If you follow me on Instagram or Twitter, you probably saw that I was on vacation in South Africa and had the most amazing trip! South Africa is now in my top favorite places I have ever visited, and I am looking forward to sharing more about our vacation with you here on this blog.  I packed light for our ten day trip with one 19" (international standard size) carry on suitcase for the majority of my things and one weekender bag to hold my purse, headphones, jacket, and makeup/toiletries for the plane rides. That means you will see quite a bit of mixing and matching of outfits in my South Africa travel logs, and today's outfit is a great example.  I purchased these distressed skinny jeans during the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, and they have quickly become my new favorite denim. These jeans run true to size, but I purposely sized up for more of a boyfriend fit and am so glad that I did. The fit is exactly what I wanted! This tie-front buttondown shirt is a new and flattering take on a classic white blouse that I purchased right before we left and I know I will wear over and over again. Please scroll through to see two slightly different ways that I styled these jeans and blouse together, links to what I am wearing, and more of my picks for distressed skinny jeans and tie-front blouses.

Travel Log: Hilo/Pahoa, Hawaii

Today I am sharing part two of our Big Island adventures! You may have seen my Kona Travel Log last week, if not you can read it here. We visited the Big Island of Hawaii in May, celebrating my dad's birthday and recent retirement. We spent five days in Kona and three days in Pahoa, on the Hilo side of the Big Island. In today's post I have highlighted our activities from the Hilo side of the island as well as provided links where applicable. During this part of our trip, our focus was visiting the Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park to see and learn more Kīlauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes. Please read on for more photos and details of our time on this beautiful island.

Faux Suede Skirt + Bodysuit + Lace-up Pumps

Now that it is August and many of us have started fall or back-to-school shopping, it is the perfect time to start to think about transitional outfits. Of course we want to start wearing our fall purchases, right? While it is too warm for full-on layers just yet, there are pieces that can be incorporated now for the summer to fall transition. Today's outfit is a great example of this, consisting of three pieces that are right on trend for fall: a faux suede miniskirt, bodysuit, and lace-up pumps. While my skirt is sold out, I have linked to nine current styles all priced under $50! This bodysuit is a recent find from H&M, and although I couldn't find the exact one online I found one that looks almost exactly like it and linked it below. The lace-up pumps are a Nordstrom Anniversary Sale purchase, and they are so comfortable! The heel is about 3.5" and are very walkable, I have worn them out twice so far and am very happy with them. I finished the outfit with a Michael Kors version of the "wallet on chain" and my Paris bracelet c/o Ashley Bridget (there are 12 different cities available). Be sure to scroll down for my outfit links as well as links to nine faux suede skirts that are available in a variety of colors and all currently priced under $50!

Caseapp Custom iPhone Case

I don't know about you, but I cannot effectively get through a day without my iPhone. Whether I am keeping up with emails and meetings during the work day or social media and life events outside of office hours, I would be lost without my phone.  Since my iPhone is an essential part of my day, I look at it all the time and I like to have a phone case that fits my personality and style. When Caseapp approached me for a collaboration (see my first collab last winter here), I happily accepted.  This time, I wanted to customize my case with photos from my travels to highlight my wanderlust gene and my passion for exploring the world. Please read on to see just how easy it is to design your own custom iPhone case (or Samsung Galaxy) that matches your lifestyle, and use my promo code NC8MGI to save 20% on your Caseapp.com order!

Travel Log: Kona, Hawaii

This post is about three months late! In the beginning of May I flew to the Big Island of Hawaii with my boyfriend, my dad, my sister, and her boyfriend for a wonderful week-long vacation to celebrate both my dad's birthday and recent retirement. It feels like a lifetime ago because work has been keeping me so busy, but I wanted to take the time to create posts highlighting my favorite parts of our trip in case you are thinking of visiting this beautiful island at some point. I have visited Oahu and Maui before, but this was my first trip to the Big Island and I was blown away by how beautiful and expansive it is. The Big Island is the largest of the Hawaiian islands and is often referred to in two parts: the Kona side and the Hilo side. We spent five days in Kona and three days in Hilo; today's post is all about our Kona adventures. Please read on for details and some links to specific companies and activities we chose.

Transitional Piece: Plaid Tunic

Have you entered the $200 Nordstrom giveaway?  If not, be sure to check out my original post for details on how to enter for your chance to win. One of my favorite purchases from the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is this plaid tunic. This top is my new go-to weekend piece because of its super soft fabric and oversize boyfriend-style fit. It definitely runs large: I purchased an XS (one of my usual sizes) and you can see it has a nice, roomy fit. I liked it so much that I went back and purchased a second color! There are still a few colors/sizes available online at the sale price of $28.90 if you like it too--just don't wait too long because the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale sale ends this weekend and prices go back up Monday August 8th. In today's outfit, I wore this plaid tunic with white shorts, Converse sneakers, and my new go-to saddlebag for a neighborhood walk with my #1 guy and pup.  A plaid tunic is a perfect piece for the summer to fall transition: you can layer it over shorts and a tank now, then switch to jeans and a jacket or vest later. Please scroll through for my outfit links and more of my picks for plaid tunics to style this summer and all the way into fall.

Wedge Converse Sneakers + Culottes

First, have you entered the $200 Nordstrom giveaway?  If not, be sure to check out my original post for details on how to enter for your chance to win.  Today's casual outfit contains a couple of summer staples that you have seen me style before: these wedge Converse sneakers (seen before here) and these navy culottes (seen before here and here).  I love that these sneakers are both stylish and comfortable, and I have been wearing them on repeat this summer.  These culottes were purchased from Banana Republic back in April, and although this specific style is no longer available there is an almost identical style now available at J Crew and currently on sale.  To finish this weekend ensemble, I added a striped crop top, denim vest, and a perfect neutral Kate Spade satchel that is currently on clearance!  I do love all of the sales this time of year--they are a perfect opportunity to pick up items that you can wear for the next few months at bargain prices!  Scroll through for my outfit links and more options for comfy sneakers that are perfect to style the rest of the summer and into fall.