Fall Frills and Thrills

Hello lovies,

I’m excited that its fall. After 20 days of traveling in Europe between Greece, Italy, and Paris I came home sincerely appreciating the art of staying home. Traveling and exploring is fun, but it can become a little exhausting. I never thought that I would be so happy to spend a night in my queen size bed in my little apartment on the Upper East Side. Five and four-star hotels are great, being able to be sucked in by breathtaking views and decadent settings day after day is enthralling, but at the end of it all, there’s no place like home.

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My favorite thing about this particular vacation was that I planned the entire thing myself. I’m not entirely sure if this is highlighting the narcissist in me or rather the empowered feminist. I’m typically an accomplice on fully planned vacations with everything from chauffeurs to a daily itinerary.  So it was very different to be in the driver’s seat for a change.

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It’s stressful to be the person everyone looks to, to decide where to go and what to do when you are traveling with friends. However, it further reiterated the fact that I can accomplish anything once I put my mind to it because we certainly had all the fun imaginable in Italy and Greece.

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This was my first time in both countries, so not bad for a newbie. Some of my friends and followers messaged me about my insta stories and sharing the details of my trip. I will ABSOLUTELY do this in upcoming posts with outfit photos from my travels. I’ll give you the 411 on where to go, where to stay and a bunch of travel tips for getting around in Europe.

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Now let’s talk about my recent hiatus. I’ve been using the time to figure out the next step for my blog and also work on the final samples for a new brand I’m launching.
One thing that I can share with you so far is that the content in my outfit posts will be a little different moving forward. I generally like to include lots of fashion advice on trends as well as references for my looks which turns into a long write up about my outfit.

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I’m unfortunately not always motivated to write about fashion as you can see from my last outfit post.
Thank you all so much for the emails, DM’s and messages on My American State of Mind. All of the messages I received were private, but please, I would like to REALLY encourage you to share your reactions to my posts in the comment section because you never know who else is thinking the same thing or would just like to chime in on the topic. I would like this blog to be a place where women or anyone, can share their authentic voice and opinions on fashion or any other topic and have an active discussion with my intellectual yet stylish girl gang.

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I love fashion and clothing, and I think about and create new looks every day in my mind, but they don’t always inspire me to write in detail about them.  I love writing; it’s my favorite way to express myself. I’m that girlfriend that will still send you a long ass love letter, text message or email, instead of just picking up the phone and calling.

IMG_1903I also love creating new looks and sharing them with you all and inspiring others. So from now on instead of hanging on to outfit posts until I can think of something to write about it, I’ll just post the look. The outfit post might just have some social commentary on things that are happening in New York or maybe just me venting about something personal in my life.
Outfit posts are no longer RESTRICTED to only talking about fashion and what I’m wearing.

IMG_2094There may also be some posts that are just a quick hello, my favorite quote at the moment followed by a series of photos from my shoot. Please feel free to let me know how you feel about this in my comments section below.

IMG_1922This outfit is a perfect example of me holding on to photos from a shoot until I have something to say about it. I shot this look in April, it’s now fall but surprisingly still very fashionably relevant. The oversized denim jacket is going nowhere; neither are socks and high heels.  You’ve heard of an Indian Summer well welcome to an Indian Autumn in NYC, and winter I hope. I really do not mind being trapped somewhere between summer and fall because my fashion mood board can run wild. This season lends the opportunity to juxtapose eclectic summer silks, against luxe velvets, shearling, and even denim to create an worthy autumn look.

IMG_1779IMG_1907This dress is from Patricia Fields, like circa 10 years ago. A very early Carrie Bradshaw find, and here it is today looking charmingly on trend paired with a few new updates.

IMG_2119The takeaway lesson from this look is to buy things you are drawn to, and you’ll find that you will always try to find a way to wear them. As easy as it is to gravitate to trendy and “now” items, it feels excellent to pull an old trick out of the bag and make it look brand new.

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I look forward to hearing your thoughts or questions on everything above.
Oh wait…..I’ve also been thinking about adding a page to my blog where you can shop the actual pieces that I’m wearing. I’m giving new meaning to the term taking the clothes off my back ….lol. This might be a sweet treat for those of you who are a size 2,4 and fluctuate between small and xs depending on the brand. The best perk is that you’ll be getting my exact look for less.

IMG_2122Have a great second week of October. xoxoSB

GET THE LOOK

( Unfortunately most of the items from this look are no longer available, so it’s much more of a fun inspirational post rather than shoppable post, xoxo )

Patricia Fields Dress

Gucci Belt

Gucci beaded dionysus bag ( Spring /Summer 2016)

Zara denim jacket

Topshop pompom socks

Christian Louboutin Hot Chick pumps

Dior Cat eye sunglasses