Sassy Southern Blonde - A Fashion & Lifestyle Blog by Kelsie Bynum

NYFW Outfit Roundup + Schedule

September 19, 2019

SHOP MY OUTFIT (Dress: Size 6, Needed 4. Heels: Size 7)

SHOP MY OUTFIT (Top: XS, Skort: XS, Heels: 7)

SHOP MY OUTFIT (Blazer: SM, Tank: XS, Shorts: SM, Booties: 7)

SHOP MY OUTFIT (Top: XS, Pants: SM)

SHOP MY OUTFIT (Vest: SM, Bodysuit: SM, Jeans: Size 25)

SHOP MY OUTFIT (Bodysuit: SM, Skirt: XS, Boots: 7)

SHOP MY OUTFIT (Dress: Size 4, Shoes: 6.5)

SHOP MY OUTFIT (Blazer Dress: SM, Shoes: 7)

SHOP MY OUTFIT (Overall Dress: SM, Top: XS)

SHOP MY OUTFIT (Top: XS/SM, Skirt: US 4, Shoes: 7)

SHOP MY OUTFIT (Top: SM, Pants: XS)

THURSDAY

My day started EARLY because I had to wake up at 4am and drive to the New Orleans airport! I caught my flight at 9am and made it to NYC at 2:30pm after a short layover in Atlanta. I headed straight for our hotel, NOMO in Soho, to meet up with my friends (Tanner, Aubrey, and Kristin) and freshen up for the fun parties that night! Our first stop was the Tula event where they were celebrating the launch of their new Rose Glow and Get It Cooling & Brightening Eye Balm. The dress code was pink, so that’s when I wore my tutu dress! By far my favorite outfit of the week! The last party was thrown by Victoria’s Secret, and it was incredible! We saw Angels, Housewives, and reality tv stars aka the best combination! Lol. I won’t lie, Thursday night turned out to be the best part of NYFW! It was just a great start to the trip!

*Use KELSIE for 20% off any products at Tula*

FRIDAY

Friday’s schedule was INSANE if I’m being honest! I’m so happy we were able to meet with amazing brands, but it was a hectic day and the endless rain didn’t help! Haha. We started off the morning at Kendra Scott viewing their upcoming lines for 2020. Next, we went to the Bollare showroom! This is a PR company that reps brands like Keepsake The Label and L Space. Aubrey and I scheduled a last minute meeting with Marc Fisher that afternoon, so we caught the end of the Tula meeting with Kristin and Tanner! As much as we thought we gave ourselves enough time between meetings, we did not! Hahaha. The final stop was Alison Brod which is another PR company that carries makeup and beauty brands like Urban Decay, Bliss, and L’Oreal just to name a few. We got so many amazing goodies from there! 🙂 We also ran into Stephanie Hollman from Real Housewives of Dallas! SO cool. I didn’t watch RHOD closely before, but I just started it this week!

SATURDAY

Luckily, Saturday wasn’t nearly as crazy as Friday! We attended a brunch event with EVEREVE x 7 For All Mankind with delicious cotton candy champagne and free jeans! We had to leave early though because I was NOT missing the Rebecca Minkoff show! There were a ton of people there, so thank gosh we actually arrived on time! While we were heading out, we ran into Paige DeSorbo from Summer House on Bravo! I FREAKED. Y’all might not know who she is, but I’m obsessed with her! I legit followed her when she had 7k on Instagram, and now she’s almost to 200k! Any who, she has amazing style and was actually the #1 person I wanted to run into during fashion week! 🙂 We ended Saturday shopping around Soho and dinner with our friends!

SUNDAY

With no plans on the schedule, Sunday became our shoot day! The top spots I wanted to visit were Brooklyn Bridge and the Dumbo area, so I was thrilled we had time to go and take photos there. Afterwards, we shot a few more looks in Soho and then headed to 5th Avenue to do some window shopping! Talk about perfect timing because we ran into Ashley Bell and Hilary Elrod at Saks 5th Avenue and ended up hanging out with them the rest of the day! 🙂 We went to Central Park and had the most relaxing afternoon just talking, walking, and spending time together! This was another favorite moment of the trip for me. I consider many of these girls I’ve met through blogging real friends! I love being able to catch up with them and find out what’s going on in their lives. And in true New York fashion, we did dinner at a popular pizza place in Soho that night! It was the perfect end to the trip, and I cannot wait for next year! September 2020, where you at?!

XOXO

Kels

PS: Don’t miss my first NYFW post HERE and my NYC travel guide HERE!

NYFW 101 + 8 Tips For Attending :)

September 15, 2019

PART 1

Several of y’all asked how I was able to go to NYFW and the process I went through to make it happen! I know it’s kind of surprising, but anyone can attend. I will say it’s easier for people with jobs in the fashion industry! Finding invites to all the events is the trickiest part, though! The group of girls I went with brainstormed and researched for months to prepare accordingly. We created our schedule based on the brands we work with, want to work with in the future, PR companies who send us products, and fashion shows happening on the days we were in town! Flying in on Thursday afternoon made it difficult to schedule meetings with showrooms/PR companies because we only had Friday. (Most are closed on the weekends) Next year, I want to arrive on Wednesday so I can have two full days to meet with brands! We definitely overextended ourselves this year! But it’s okay because we still had an amazing time and made it work!

Another common question asked was if the trip was sponsored, and it wasn’t at all! I paid for my hotel, flight, Ubers, etc. Although expensive, the experience and networking made it worthwhile for me along with seeing my blogger friends from all over the country! 🙂

As far as invites go, some brands will email you directly to invite you a few weeks prior, but most require you pitching yourself to score a spot on the guest list! I still don’t know how I found half the contacts I did on the World Wide Web, but it was very beneficial! Only one fashion show couldn’t get us in because they were full! I do wish I would have emailed more brands with fashion shows going on. I’d love to attend several next year! I will share my NYFW schedule in the next blog post with outfit details, but today I wanted to tell you guys some tips that I found helpful or wish I would have known!

-Create a dream list of brands/fashion shows/PR companies you want to connect with

-Give yourself enough time between meetings and shows so you aren’t late

-Wear comfortable shoes or bring a cute bag to put them in

-Step outside your comfort zone with your outfits

-Travel with a group of girls you are comfortable with/have similar schedules

-Book your hotel/flight 1-2 months prior because prices will only increase

-Start emailing brands at least 1 month prior so spots aren’t full

-Don’t get discouraged if you aren’t able to meet with every brand or if people never email you back! You’re going to hear no a lot more than you’ll hear yes, but that’s okay! 🙂

PART 2

And here were other questions asked that I wanted to include at the end lol:

Q: What are some new trends you loved?

A: So this NYFW was technically for Spring 2020, but I will list the fun Fall trends I loved since that season is the one approaching! My favorites were snakeskin print (obviously), suit sets, PUFF SLEEVES (favorite one), satin, plaid, and fun feathers!

Q: Which celebrities did you see?

A: I personally noticed way more Housewives/reality tv stars than anyone else, but that was quite alright! (I’m a reality tv junkie lol) We saw Melissa Gorga (RHONJ) at the Victoria’s Secret party, Stephanie Hollman (RHOD) at a PR showroom, Paige DeSorbo (Summer House on Bravo), Sofia Richie and Victoria Justice all at Rebecca Minkoff! I’m sure there were more, but these are the main ones I remember! Haha.

Q: Do you have a New York City travel guide?

A: YES! I went last Christmas with my mom, so we did a lot more tourist things than I did at NYFW! Linking the travel guide HERE!

PS: My next blog post will be recapping outfit details from NYFW, so stay tuned for that coming later this week! 🙂

XOXO

Kels

BEST LABOR DAY SALES

September 1, 2019

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XOXO

Kels

CHICAGO TRAVEL GUIDE

August 27, 2019

WHERE TO EAT

Lou Malnati’s: Apparently the two most popular places for deep dish pizza in Chicago are Lou Malnati’s and Giordano’s, so we ate here Thursday night and it was delicious! We ordered the small pepperoni deep dish and split the Malnati salad (which was my favorite)! Read about our Giordano’s experience further down 😉

The Hampton Social: The #1 place I wanted to eat was The Hampton Social after seeing people post the hot spot for years! I’m happy to say the food is as great as the vibe. I took my photo in front of the Rosè All Day sign and devoured my lobster roll! It was my first time eating one, and I can’t imagine there are any much better than that!

Portillo’s: I had high hopes for making fancy dinner reservations, but we were so tired at the end of the day and just wanted something good and quick! My Uber driver insisted we try Portillo’s since Chicago is known for their hot dogs AND pizza. I loved it! My favorite thing was the chocolate cake, though. It’s a must if you’re going!

LondonHouse: LondonHouse is on my list twice because it’s great for brunch or just grabbing a drink during the day! I ordered the french toast, and it was very rich. I wish I would have stuck with the avocado toast!

Stan’s Donuts: Another place that was highly recommended, and I’m glad we stumbled upon it Saturday afternoon! I got the red velvet donut with Oreo cookie crumble on it. SO YUM!

Giordano’s: Again, we were tired on Saturday night and decided to try Giordano’s since it was another popular pizza place. I personally liked the deep dish here better than Lou Malnati’s. And don’t get me started on the buffalo wings! They were incredible. Top 3 best wings I’ve ever had! Haha

Fisk & Co: This restaurant was in the Kimpton Monaco where we stayed, and we got a late-night snack here! I ordered the truffle fries with garlic aioli, and they were devine! I was sad I wasn’t more hungry to try their cheeseburger because the ones I saw looked bomb!

WHERE TO PLAY

Shopping on Michigan Avenue: This is pretty self explanatory, but shopping on Michigan Avenue is amazing! I took full advantage of the Zara and Nordstrom since I live nowhere near the two! Lol

Sky Deck at Willis Tower: Another thing my Uber driver told me was to not go to the Sky Deck at Willis Tower when it was cloudy, but the sun was so bright that the photos we took in our allotted 90 second window SUCKED! Hahaha. I recommend the morning or late afternoon.. NOT 2 pm!

LondonHouse (Drinks): I wish we would have went back to LondonHouse for a drink and watched the sunset, but I am happy we made it there at least once! 🙂

Architectural Boat Tour: I saved the best for last in this section because the architectural boat tour is a MUST! No doubt about it. You learn some much about the history of Chicago and all the gorgeous skyscrapers!

WHERE TO STAY

Kimpton Monaco: Kimpton Monaco was the BEST place to stay! It’s a boutique hotel, so it was never crowded. The decor was gorgeous, and there are window seats in most rooms with a gorgeous view of the Chicago skyline! My favorite part was the location, though. It was walking distance to basically everything- boat tour, Michigan Avenue, LondonHouse, etc!