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What’s In My Bag: Beach Edition

May 18, 2016

I picked up some fun new goodies for my trip to Florida this week from Vera Bradley and wanted to share how versatile their striped beach tote is as well as some of the items I keep throwing into said bag.

What Nicole Wore: What's in my Bag, Beach Edition — featured in this photo: vera bradley striped beach tote c/o

The bag is super lightweight, has a super fun double tassel charm and hangs from a 12″ drop strap that makes it easy to throw over your shoulder. As much as I love my leather bags, taking them near water never seems like the smartest idea, so it’s been nice to have this bag for anytime I’ve gone near water — like when we went on a river cruise to look for manatees.

I picked the natural stripe color because I thought it would give me more mix and match options, but the bag also comes in navy stripes and lilac stripes. Resisting the navy was super hard for me, but I’m trying to hold myself accountable and step outside my color comfort zone. So what are the essentials that you need in your bag?

I always carry one of my Vera Bradley beach towels with me when I go to the beach or pool, this trip I’ve been using my tassel beach towel, but I also have several of the printed towels too. They’re nice and thick and wash nicely too. I don’t usually need my full wallet and to cut back on weight, I’ve switched to a small card sized coin purse that I can stick my debit and credit cards into as well as my license and some cash.

I love my Instax camera to take fun snapshots with so I’ve been throwing that in my bag as well as my S’well bottle. I’ve told you all how much I love my S’well, but it has been a major key to this Florida trip. With the heat and humidity here, a refrigerated water bottle is room temperature in under an hour. The S’well keeps my water {or whatever I’m sipping on} cold all day.

One of the things that I love about Vera Bradley is that they have their classic styles {even for collections like Beach}, but they always work to incorporate the latest trends into said pieces. I love the fun double tassel charm on this bag.

Be sure to check out the rest of Vera Bradley‘s beach line here.

Thank you to Vera Bradley for partnering with me on this post. Working with brands I love allows me to continue to create fresh, new content for What Nicole Wore. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Beach Bike Cruiser

May 16, 2016

Happy Monday from the Sunshine State! I’m enjoying some R&R this week in southwest Florida and while it’s been absolutely beautiful so far, I can share that I was definitely not mentally prepared for the humidity. RIP straight hair, matte skin, dry bath towels, etc.

What Nicole Wore: Beach Bike Cruiser — featured in this post: old navy: high neck tank top + j crew: broken in boyfriend chino shorts {thrifted, similar | also seen here} + karen walker: sunglasses c/o DITTO {also seen here} + kohl’s: sandals {super old} + vera bradley: striped beach tote c/o {also seen here} + eBay: statement necklace + fossil: tan leather watch c/o {also seen here} + sage k and co: spiked bracelet {similar} + opi: nail polish + tarte: foundation + nyx: setting spray

As soon as we got to our rental on Marco Island, I immediately noticed these cute cruiser bikes and knew they’d have to make an appearance in a few photos this week. I’m looking forward to going for a few rides on this turquoise and white beauty as well.

I bought this high neck tank in this gray and white striped version as well as a solid and am really going to have to try hard to convince myself that I don’t need more. It’s a longer length, perfect for leggings, and very comfortable. I wore my fuchsia one on the ride down to Florida and it was comfortable enough to curl up and nap in the backseat in, but also was easy for me to throw my jean vest over and look presentable whenever we stopped.

I strategically planned my latest DITTO swap and opted to ask for something I knew I’d love versus a trendy pair of shades; I love the flexibility of trying a pair for two or three days, not liking them and sending them back. I also love that there’s no judgment when I ask for my tried and true pair again. You can try a free month trial of the subscription service right now when you sign up with code whatnicolewore; if you end up deciding the service isn’t worth $24/month, you can cancel at the end of your free trial.

I was originally in jeans on this day and quickly realized that if I didn’t want to continue to slowly boil, I should probably switch to shorts. Of course, I still needed something to complete the look so I threw on this orange and blue statement necklace that I snagged off of eBay. It’s a great dupe for this necklace from Stella & Dot and a fraction of the price — always a win in my book.

As much as I love swapping out my accessories, I knew for this trip that I wanted to try to minimize how many accessories I brought so that I could bring more swimsuits + beach towels. I own a few different watches, but I love that the tan leather strap on this one makes it so versatile. Want to bring more bold color in? Go with a colorful statement necklace like I did here or throw on a couple of your colorful bracelets.

This beach bag from Vera Bradley’s latest collection has me swooning. Not only is it super cute, it’s also very lightweight while still being sturdy enough to load up with towels and all your other beach or pool essentials. I own quite a few of their different beach items, but couldn’t resist this super cute striped tote {it comes in two other color options!} and I love the tassel charm that’s on the bag.

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IG Roundup

May 14, 2016

I’m so sorry that this post is a day late; I have been traveling and had some technical difficulties yesterday. I know there have been issues with some LIKEtoKNOW.it enabled posts, so I wanted to make sure to get this out ASAP so that you can shop all of the posts I’ve recently put out as well as some older ones from the past month or so.

What Nicole Wore: IG Roundup — featured in this photo: DIY gold sequin hanger + white fascinator + eliza j dress {major markdown!} + DIY derby hat + damask dress + kate spade clutch + mint cardigan + target style pineapple button down {old} + westwood leaning sunglasses c/o DITTO + rebecca minkoff love crossbody + dark blue skinny jeans

I’ve been wanting to try this restaurant since it opened and hadn’t had the chance, but luckily my friend Lindsey was down to go with me. While everything was super delicious, I can’t recall a recent time when I’ve been so full. Like – ‘unbutton your pants once you get to your car to drive home’ full. Still, I’d highly recommend, as the restaurant is on par with it’s sister restaurants {and the sangria is amazing.}

Still loving this outfit; I love the oversized top tucked into the high waisted, fit and flare skirt. You can see all the photos from this post here.

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Lace Wrap

May 11, 2016

I finally managed to shoot pictures during golden hour and while I wish I could claim that I worked hard and ad a strategy around it….I just happened to get home and take these pictures at the right time for the perfect lighting. It wasn’t until I started editing a couple days later that I realized how incredible they turned out. You could say I’m now a believer in the golden hour, but you won’t catch me waking up early to catch the sun rising any time soon.

What Nicole Wore: Lace Wrap — featured in this post: francesca’s: lace wrap c/o + romwe: blue cami {also seen here} + sts blue: distressed jeans {also seen here} + target style: leopard print loafers {old, similar | also seen here} + elizabeth and james: sunglasses c/o DITTO {use code whatnicolewore to try one month free of charge} + fossil: watch c/o {also seen here} + sage k and co: spiked bracelet {also seen here} + j. crew: pave link bracelet {budget friendly version, under $30 | also seen here}

I’ve been loving this new watch from Fossil; the tan leather strap can actually be changed out which is really cool and gives you a little more versatility. I love that the watch features windows that tell you the day of the week and month, none of the other watches I currently own have these features. Overall, it’s a really timeless piece {pun intended} that can be paired with all the items in my wardrobe. This watch can also be engraved, which would be perfect for any graduates you may have in your life. I’m a firm believer that watches are a classic, must have accessory; I know lots of people feel like phones have replaced them, but I’m always looking at my wrist for the time over my iPhone.

Francesca’s was kind enough to send me this lace wrap a couple months ago and I have to admit, I was pretty confused about how to style it. Is it a beach coverup? Is it a poncho? I wanted to wear this tank but still be a little more covered so I pulled it out and wore it as a wrap; I really like the lace detail especially how it contrasts with my distressed jeans. Mixing textures is one of my favorite ways to create juxtaposition in an outfit. This wrap is easy to throw on and didn’t snag easily — a major plus in my book.

These Elizabeth and James shades weren’t my favorite which is part of what I love about the DITTO program; I was able to try them out for a few days and then emailed my stylist and let her know that I was ready to send them back and try something new. Don’t forget that you can sign up for the optical or sunglass monthly subscription and swap out designer frames as frequently as you wish. My code {whatnicolewore} lets you try your first month free of charge — you can cancel at any point!

Linking up with Ada and Shea for this week’s Thursday Moda linkup!

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Don’t Worry Be Yoncé

May 9, 2016

There were so many things to celebrate this weekend like Oaks, Derby, Mother’s Day, the fact that I finally washed my hair {…okay maybe that last one isn’t necessarily a reason to celebrate.}

But, I wanted to share some photos of what I wore from the weekend prior when I went to Atlanta to see Queen B herself!

What Nicole Wore: Don't Worry Be Yoncé — featured in this post: shein: don’t worry be yoncé tank {under $15} + nordstrom rack: distressed jeans {also seen here} + shop adorabelles: buffalo plaid shirt {old, similar | also seen here} + aerie: black bralette + kendra scott: black druzy necklace {also seen here} + wristology watches: black watch {also seen here} + rebecca minkoff: mini mab tote {also seen here} + old navy: black fringe sandals {also seen here} + colourpop: red matte lipstick

This was my third time seeing Bey; I won floor tickets to see her during the Mrs. Carter World Tour and went up to Cincinnati six months later to see her during the On the Run tour. While I typically never am willing to spend this type of cash on a concert ticket {#cheapgirlproblems}, she puts on one of the best live shows and I always seem to leave the concert inspired.

With her dropping an album the week prior to the concert, I really wasn’t sure what to expect or if I’d be as thrilled {confession: I still haven’t listened to Lemonade in it’s entirety}, but as usual she did not disappoint with incredible visuals, seamless transitions and killer dance moves that made me want to take my booty to the gym ASAP. My only real disappointment was when the Georgia Dome refused to let me in with my purse because it was “too big.”

Not long after I had bought tickets and made plans with my aunt to come visit during concert weekend, I saw this shirt online and knew that I had to have it. Atlanta is typically warm by May + the concert was indoors so I wasn’t too concerned about being cold, but I did decide to tie on a flannel just in case {and for style points.}

{Please don’t mind the ugly bruise I’m sporting from running into the side mirror of the car next to me in the parking lot… -insert eye rolling emoji here-}

After my tank arrived, I was a little dismayed to find that a regular bra just wasn’t going to cut it for me. I hadn’t tried the bralette trend yet, for several reasons — the main one being that I’m already pretty small in the chest. Giving up extra support and a push is a no go for me unless I’m at the gym in my sports bra. But with how low the arm holes on this tank were, I knew I needed to figure something out so I went by Aerie after looking online at some of their bralettes. I was pleasantly surprised to find this style that has some padding and even better was “buy one get one free” the day I stopped in.

The verdict: these are SO comfortable. After I got home from shopping, I put this one on because XS-XL sizing for bras seems wrong post-training bra days, but was pleased to find that the small fit perfectly. I didn’t have to worry about anything I didn’t want showing hanging out and {best part} I could even sleep in these. The racerback features adjustable, elastic straps while the rest is delicate lace.

With the buffalo plaid and classic look of a white top + blue jeans, I decided on my spotted Rebecca Minkoff tote that I still love and black accessories. I own the Kendra Scott Elisa necklace in two different colors and have to constantly tell myself to not indulge in more; the delicate, short piece is perfect for layering with chunkier necklaces or wearing alone. My all black watch and fringe sandals seemed like the perfect finishing touches.

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