Well, it’s officially Fall ya’ll, but in North Carolina that means absolutely nothing, LOL. Us North Carolinians don’t begin to see hints of Fall until right around mid October, sometimes even late October. We have second summer here so I don’t get too excited until it’s time to start wearing a light jackets. I literally feel all weird inside trotting down the street in shorts and tank sipping on a pumpkin spice latte. There is something wrong with that whole situation, LOL. Until it cools down I’ll be rocking transition outfits like this cord mustard yellow skirt with summer tee and platform sandals.

In any case, I’m rounding up some pretty fun fall looks as it is my fav season of the year but of course when Fall actually gets here in NC, I’m never really ready, so I’m trying to get ahead of the game and start planning early. Below I’m sharing a few tips on how I’m gearing up for the Fall season. Hope you like.

CLOSET RE-ORG

I never wear all the outfits I plan on wearing or envision myself wearing simply because I’m never organized. I usually end up settling for an outfit that was thrown together with no thought. So this year, I’m organizing that disastrous closet of mine and figuring out what staple pieces I’ll wear often and put away or giveaway the things I don’t. Mini skirts and tights, sweaters and turtlenecks, plaids, and jumper dress, a few pairs of denim and simple jewelry are what I’ll take out and hang up for wearing this season. I want to be able to just grab my look, throw it on and go instead of shifting through clothes in my closet that don’t make sense for the season or for work (which is where I’m at 40 hours a week).

CLOTHING AND BEAUTY PRODUCT HAUL

There are so many things just sitting around my house and not being put to good use, so I’ll be posting a video of all the stuff I’m not currently using and I’ll host a giveaway to anyone who wants it. I’m blessed beyond measure and I don’t mind sharing. Tis the season too.

GET A COLOR THEME

Fall is about the mustard yellows, the blood orange, the deep purples, the creams and browns. I’m going to sift through this closet of mine and get these colors out and start re-working a few of the clothing pieces I’ve been neglecting for years. Fall yellows, orange, purples, creams and maroons are my fav colors. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good neon color in the summer but when Fall comes around, my deep bold colors get me all excited and get me in the mood for yummy comfort food and spending time with family and friends. All my clothes need love and need to come out and play. I have a mustard yellow sweater I’m dying to rock with a cute plaid mini skirt. Just thinking about this look has me drooling. If I’m feel really OCD, I’ll color coordinate the closet so I can style for the day based on the color I feel like wearing. In other words, get a color theme going and stick with it.

START WITH THE BOOTS

I’m a pretty simple girl with about 3 good pairs of boots in black suede, black leather, and brown suede. Unfortunately, these boots have yet to see daylight. In past years, I would pick my outfit and then shoes came last. This year, I’m making an effort to organize my outfits around these boots. Sometimes your best looks start with a good shoe.

STAPLE ACCESSORIES

Because your large coats and sweaters can really cover up a cute look, I really make up for it by rocking the cutest accessories. This year, I want to focus on fun tights, berets and scarfs. I plan on cutting my hair very short for the fall so berets will be a great way to keep my head warm and I’ll finally be able to wear a beret with less hair on my head. I love a good scarf too, it keeps your neck warm but the right color can really set off a blah outfit. Lastly, when it’s too cold to go bare leg in my mini skirts, I always play it up with fun colored tights.

What are you doing to get your wardrobe fall ready? Any tips for the CCC readers out there for planning a fall wardrobe? Drop your comments below.

Sincerely,

Deidra Marie

Sometimes you just gotta put on some red lippy and deal with it, or accessorize your shoes and walk it out like a #girlboss. Seriously though, up until a few weeks ago I was terrified of red lipstick, it’s not so bad after all. On another note, I’m trotting stylishly around town with my new Alterre Horse Shoe Charm. What’s better than bedazzling your shoes with a cute horse shoe charm? This charm is a great way to re-work a great pair of shoes and change things up a little. For those who don’t know about Alterre Shoes, they are an innovative shoe company specializing in interchangeable shoe charms/accessories and shoes that can interchange into over 500 different combinations.

Is your mind blown? ….I thought so…

I’m excited to have partnered with Alterre Shoes to show you how I style my shoes with their horse shoe charm accessory, which by the way comes in gold as well. Lately, I’ve been trying to wear some of the shoes in my closet that have been collecting dust, and my new shoe charm is a great way to rework some old shoes and even style some of my newer shoes in my shoe collection. Up until my partnership with Alterre Shoes, I never thought about accessorizing my shoes, but this cute little horse charm worked so well with my red t-strap pumps and was the  perfect piece to complete my vintage 50’s inspired look. Moral of the story: it’s all in the details.

For those who’ve been reading along these past few months, you know I’m competing in a pageant this October. I haven’t found any shoes to go with my gown or any of my other looks for the big day, so I’m shopping Alterre shoes to see what they have in store. I have my eyes on these cute numbers and these too.

If you’re on the hunt for shoes that can take you from day to night and can accommodate your ever changing style, check them out! Use code: CCC10 to get 10% off your Alterre purchase! You can thank me later.

Till next time good people!

Sincerely,

Deidra Marie

Sponsored Post

We’ve all been there, we go to put on our favorite tee or our favorite pair of denim jeans and BAM, the tee has lost it’s shape and those black denim jeans are not so black anymore. Fabric wear and tear is inevitable. This bright mustard yellow jumpsuit got me thinking about all the ways I could damage this fun color and I began thinking about the wash and dry plan for this fun look. Yes, believe it or not, I have a wash and dry plan for my favorite looks, including this yellow jumpsuit, because I don’t want to ruin my fun clothing simply because I washed it wrong. Don’t have a wash and dry plan for your fav clothing pieces? Well, there is something you should know! You can slow down the wear and tear on fabric and I’ve got just the right tips and tricks to make it happen. So today, I’m sharing my 7 ways to keep your fabrics lasting longer, even your not so great quality fabrics from stores I won’t mention. I’ve worked in retail for over 10+ years and it was only 5 or so years ago that I starting picking up some tips and tricks to keep my clothes from breaking down so quickly. I know, I know, clothes aren’t made to last forever, but I do want them to last as long as they can, particularly because I do buy thrift and vintage, a lot and these clothes already have some miles on them, so it’s important to take note of the best fabric preservation practices. With that being said, below are some of the ways I keep my fabrics in tack and ready to wear:

WASH INSIDE OUT AND COLD

Color fade is one of the most annoying fabric wear and tears. I like my blacks black and my dark denim jeans to maintain that deep blue they had when I first bought them. I try to hold on to the rich color as long as I can by simply gentle washing the items inside out. You’ll still loose some dye but not as much if you gentle wash it all inside out and wash it with cold water. Hot water is very harsh on rich blue and black dyes. Keep it cool and look cool in clothes that aren’t faded

INVEST IN A QUALITY IRON

Yes, irons can get pricey, but you know what else is pricey? Having to replace your clothes every year. There are plenty of iron options out there that have a steam setting, a setting for your silk and satin fabrics and a setting for your cottons and polyesters. Iron the right way and watch your clothes last a whole lot longer.

LINE DRY/ INDOOR OR OUTDOOR

This is old school but this is really one of the best ways to protect your clothes from fabric breakdown. The dryer is harsh on clothes and breaks down fabrics quickly. When fabrics break down, you experience color fade, holes in the fabric, tears in the seams, and for some fabrics they will pick and the fabric will ball up. Line drying the fabrics uses less energy, protects the fabric from harsh breakdowns that dryers typically cause and if you’re line drying outside, depending on where you’re at, they have a fresh outdoor smell and less wrinkles.

HAND WASH

Another old school method for protecting those fabrics. Yes, I know, I know, hand washing is so time consuming, but you can save time and waste clothes or you can spend a little bit of time caring for the pieces you’ve spent your hard earned money on. Hand washing is not so bad, depending on how you look at it.

WASH SEPARATES

If I’m going to use the washing machine, to avoid staining and dyeing my light colored clothing, I wash everything separate. I know, this seems like a no brainer, but I wash these types of loads: my regular lights/whites, my regular medium colors, my regular darks, delicate whites/medium lights, and delicate darks. Doing this seems anal and borderline OCD, but this method helps me avoid dye stains on my lights and whites and separates the dedicates that need extra care and handling. My husband and I do our clothes together so it’s not that rigorous of a process as I’m sure you’re probably thinking.

SPECIAL CLOTHING DETERGENTS 

While I can’t speak from personal experience on using special detergents to preserve my clothing, I have many friends and family who swear by Woolite for Darks and Woolite for Lights, which apparently preserves the color of the fabric, keeps the color intact and reduces color fade. If my tips above stop working, I may consider purchasing a special detergent, but for now, the process I have going will suffice.

STOP BUYING CHEAP CLOTHES

Honestly, this one doesn’t even need to be listed but I’m listing it because understanding your fabrics is important, LOL. As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve worked in clothing retail for 10+ years and have purchased, worn, and trashed an array of clothing brands. One simple practice I’ve picked up over the years is learning how to detect quality. There are just certain fabrics or fabric mixes that don’t hold up as well as the years go by. I’ve learned there are certain company’s who use quality textiles like cotton and mix it with modal and nylon to cut cost. Just like I look at the ingredients in my food, or the ingredients in my hair and skin care products, I take the same effort to look at the fabric tags usually located on the inside part of the clothing. If you’re asking why a piece is so expensive, check the fabric label, it may say 100% cotton or 100% silk, these fabrics are not cheap and require extra special care and usually last a long time because of the quality. I find clothing that has a large mix of fabrics breaks down easier and I get less wear out of them. There are a lot of fast fashion brands out there that want to cut cost on clothing production and mix an array of cheaper fabrics together to mass produce and create more of the product. Most of the time, these items don’t last long in your closet.  If you’re concern is wanting your clothes to last longer, take the time to read the labels and feel the clothes. Yes, sometimes, simply touching the clothing can help you determine if a fabric is cheap and not worth the buy.

Whew, okay I hope this info was helpful.

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Scroll down for a little pageant update and deets on this cute look.

Shoes | Jumpsuit

This past weekend we had a blast shooting photos for the cover of our pageant program. If you’ve seen my IG stories, you know the theme was red, baby! I got a funny for you, apparently, all my hard work at the gym is paying off and the red dress I wore was practically falling off of me, but I’m a clever gal and snatched that dress in the back with a duckbill clip and rocked it out #resourceful. In other pageant news, Tickets for the pageant are NOW on sale. Click here and purchase a ticket under my name, Deidra Craig. Hurry, tickets are only on sale until August 31st! If you’re unable to attend, but would still like to support or would like to purchase a ticket another way, please reach out to me here.

Shoes and mustard yellow jumpsuit are linked above for your shopping pleasure.

Welp, that’s all folks.

Hope everyone has an amazing week!

Sincerely,

Deidra Marie