Designer Spotlight: Elaya Vaughn Bridal

It's no secret that I have a little huge soft spot in my heart for Project Runway.  Although Tyler and I have cut back drastically on our TV watching so I've missed the last season or so of the show, I'll definitely be tuning in tomorrow night to catch my girl Kate Pankoke do her thing on All Stars!  As nice as she is gorgeous, Kate is sure to kill it this season and I'm really hoping that she'll finally take home the grand prize.

You may remember that around this time last year I had the pleasure of meeting Kate at New York Bridal Market and was so impressed with both her and her bridal line, Elaya Vaughn.  Her work is beautifully constructed and it's designed to fit a feminine aesthetic perfectly. I loved her collection last year and this year's collection, Behind the Gilded Veil, is not letting me down at all!  The looks are a little softer but equally as delicate with beautiful details including her signature off the shoulder drape sleeves. Take a look at my top dress picks from the 2015 Elaya Vaughn line..

Images via Elaya Vaughn.  This is not a sponsored post. 

You can see Kate on Project Runway All Stars every Thursday starting TOMORROW at 9/8c on Lifetime!

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Fall Florals & [Faux] Fur

 Anthropologie dress

Anthropologie fur collar (from this vest // similar // similar)

Versona Accessories earrings (similar)

Audrey Brooke shoes

Vintage belt

MAC "Angel" lipstick

Photographed by: Tyler Skiles

The rain sure got the best of me last week. Well, maybe not me per se, but it sure did not allow for any outfit photo sessions with Tyler.  We already have such slim windows to get them in and when the weather doesn't cooperate we're just completely out of luck.  I'm hoping to get some more shots in today so we can keep these outfit posts going as a regular thing! 

I could go on for days about the fur collar I'm wearing.  It's actually from this Anthropologie vest - it just buttons on-and-off to give you 3 amazing options for your wardrobe. I've worn it all 3 ways (as just the collar, with it buttoned onto the vest, and the vest without the fur) and am truly obsessed with it each and every way.  Unfortunately it is out of stock right now, but keep an eye out on my Facebook & Twitter pages because I'll let you know if they get more in stock!  

Oh and this dress. Ah, isn't it gorgeous?!  It was another love-at-first-sight moment for the two of us. I mean with that open back and rich Fall colors.. how could it be anything less than love?!  Do yourself a favor and check out this post from my Lexington friend Beth who blogs over at Seersucker & Saddles.  She's a hard act to follow but she wore this same dress recently and looked absolutely stunning!

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The Party Dress

Ahhh.. it feels so good to be back, guys!  Thank you so much for the warm reception as I jump back into this creative outlet that I have so dearly missed.  Wanna play a little life catch up?  Awesome - just keep on reading!

So I moved to NYC a year ago (9.1.13) and absolutely could not wait to immerse myself in the fashion and culture of NYC.  Bright eyed and bushy tailed as some of my fellow southerners might say.  However, NYC is tough.  I mean, I thought I knew what I was getting myself into but I still did not understand the depth of how tough it could be.  I'm currently on my 3rd NYC apartment, for example.  Yes, that's a lot of apartments for 1 year and no, I do not enjoy moving. Our first NYC apartment was a fully furnished Airbnb rental that we stayed in for a pre-planned 3 months while we explored the city and figured out what neighborhood we wanted to move to. Well, that was the plan anyway.  Turns out apartment hunting in NYC is the most stressful experience of life. I am not exaggerating - ask anyone else who has ever gone through it and I guarantee that they'll agree. One second you've found the perfect place in your just slightly over your budget and the next second the landlord is giving it to his nephew.. which of course he had planned to do the entire time but still let realtors show the place. Ugh, true story.  

So eventually we found a HUGE space for an amazing price.. which is where we lived for about a month before an upstairs neighbor reported us to the city.  Okay, I'll back up.  This apartment was only so spacious because it was a basement apartment.. with very minimal windows.  Like 2 tiny ones but no actual sunlight except for about an hour before I even woke up every morning.  I know you're freaking out reading this but I promise you it was fine.  Except it wasn't.  You see this apartment was a newly converted basement apartment which had a backdoor into the first floor neighbor's private backyard.  The neighbor wasn't a fan of this although I swear to you we never had any intentions of ever cramping this guy's space and hanging out in his backyard.  But the day after the cable guy had to go out there to install our internet, well, the city mysteriously got a phone call reporting our little huge basement apartment.  

 Kate Spade dress (rent it! // buy it!)

Steve Madden wedges (similar)

So we had to move, right?  Well, yes, but not so fast!  Our landlord had to set up visits with the inspectors and architects, then set up a court date, then go to court, and then 4 months later we found out that we for sure had to move. That's when the apartment search started all over again.  To cut to the chase, we got very lucky that we had an amazing realtor, super and landlord that took great care of us during the entire situation.  We ended up taking a much smaller space just 3 blocks away in another one of our landlord's buildings.  The best part, our super was sweet enough to gather up some help and they moved all of our stuff for us.  So now we are living in this adorable loft apartment that looks much more like the NYC apartment we always expected to live in - a 5th floor walk up with a nearly nonexistent kitchen and closet space.  

And that's just one of the stories I have to catch you all up on.  More to come, promise! 

So here's what you can expect from me on Opal & Violet.  New posts every MWF and, when possible, additional content thrown in on Tuesdays & Thursdays.  My focus will still be on personal style, fashion inspiration, and beauty. Just let me know what content you're loving or if there is something else you'd rather see and I'll make it happen! 

See you Friday!!

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The Summer LBD

Dress: Loft // Shoes: Gianna Bini (similar) 

Watch: Michael Kors // Bracelet: Versona Accessories

Earrings: Vintage // Lips: MAC LipGlass 'Russian Red'

Nails: Ulta 'Bam-Blue-Zled' & Sally Hansen 'All Fired Up'

Photographed by: Chelsea Lane

If you caught yesterday's post, you know that I'm 

searching for the perfect new dresses to refresh my wardrobe.

This Loft dress is my most recent purchase and I'm a little obsessed

with it!  We all know a LBD is incredibly versatile and this one has

already proven to be the perfect one to get me through the rest of

 these Summer months!  It can be dressed up or down so easily 

that it will definitely solve the many wardrobe dilemmas 

to come.  The best part?  It's on sale now!!

♥Jordan

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Dress it up!

My current dress collection has been completely boring me lately.  I've been seriously considering setting up a Poshmark account and clearing out some room for a few new goodies to liven up my wardrobe.  Scroll through these great finds for a peek at the gorgeousness my closet is craving! 

Just click the links to pick them up 

for yourself!  Enjoy!

♥Jordan

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Maxi Love

Somehow it's already Monday and my thoughts are still lingering around the idea of finding amazing maxi dresses like I posted about on Friday.  While I styled a great summer look for you on that post,  I couldn't help but take it a step forward and put together a little shopping list to make finding fabulous maxis a little easier. Scroll through the looks above and let me know which are your favorites!  I just might be adding 

a few to my shopping list, too! 

♥Jordan

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Prom 2013

Guys, my life has been crazy busy lately!!  As you know, I work in the formal

 wear industry and it's prom time! Between the hustle and bustle of working the 

long hours to help dress the countless guys and girls find their perfect looks, I 

had 4 coworkers who all had their same prom on the same night! So my staff

 created our own caravan around town on Saturday to creep admire the lovely

 ladies before they danced the night away.  Look how gorgeous they were!!

Arly (left) with her friend Jessica

Hayley

Sarah (left) with her sister Becca

Alyssa

Amazing right?! All the dresses were from Geno's Formal Affair.  We 

have such an amazing selection and the girls all chose perfect dresses

for their personalities!  Love them!! Oh, and did you notice how incredible 

their corsage's were?!  My friend Hunter created them for the girls.  If you're

 in the Central Kentucky area you should definitely check out his company

Sherwood Design and Events! They're so good at what they do! Very talented!

Hopefully, I'll get some sleep soon to recover from this past weekend but I've 

got a bachelorette party this coming weekend, 2 more weekends of proms, 

and then Megan's big wedding day!  I guess I'll sleep in June!! ;)

Have a wonderful week!!

♥Jordan

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Printed Neutrals

Dress: Tianna B. (old, seen here) // Jacket: Old Navy (hauled here)

Shoes: Steve Madden // Clutch: Vintage // Sunnies: Ray-Ban

Bracelets: J.Crew, Versona Accessories, Old Navy, Forever 21

Lips: Maybelline Color Whisper "Berry Ready"

Photographed by: Tyler

I'm sorry for blinding you with my bright white legs, but I just haven't

managed to break out the self-tanner yet! ;)  This is the look I chose for a 

couple's shower that Tyler & I attended over the weekend for our friends 

Megan & Lucien.  Their wedding is just over a month away and I am just

so incredibly excited for them and for all of the festivities!  My bridesmaid

 dress is pretty fabulous and I really can't wait to share it with you!

 I'm linking up with Peacoats & Plaid today for The Collective Blog Hop!

♥Jordan

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eShakti Discount Code!

one // two // three // four // five

Do you remember the fabulous ikat & pearl dress by eShakti
 that I featured in this post?  Well that same awesome company is offering 
a generous discount to Opal & Violet readers to help you transition your wardrobe
 into Spring!  Just enter the code PLNDVLET to receive 20% off your order thru 3/10/13!  Choose from any of their incredibly customizable dresses, tops & skirts to instantly
 give your wardrobe a lift!  Check out my picks above for some inspiration!

♥Jordan

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Code has to be entered in the 'Promotional Code' box. No Minimum Order Value. The discount code is not case sensitive. 

The code can be used any number of times until the validity period. This code can be clubbed with any other gift coupon or gift

 card in the same order. This discount code is not applicable on the Overstock category. Not applicable on previous purchases. 

Stripes.. Again!

Dress: H&M // Blazer: Mossimo (old) // Tights: Old Navy

Boots: Xappeal (old) // Belt: Burlington Coat Factory (old)

Bag: Forever 21 (old) // Sunnies: Xhiliration

Bracelets: J.Crew & Versona Accessories

Nails: Revlon 'Scandalous' // Lips: Nyx 'Chic Red'

Photographed by: Ricky Strong

Yes, I know I have a problem: I'm addicted to black & white stipes. 

You've seen them in a blazer here, a top here, and in another top here & here. 

I've even used them in my Friday's Fancies posts here and here.  Don't worry, 

there will be more where this came from - I just can't get enough!!

Hope you're all off to a great week!  

♥Jordan

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Friday's Fancies: Red Carpet Ready

                                                                                                                                               

Dress // Earrings // Clutch // Shoes

You may remember this post where I put together an evening wear look
based around the Pantone Color of the Year: Emerald.  Well, this week everyone is
 creating looks that are sure to be perfect for the red carpet!  Lucky for me, I work in the 
formal wear industry and never seem to get tired of it!  Today I've done my take on a 
fabulous Oscar dress that would be perfect for this weekend's big award show.  I realize
 that the Academy Awards are meant to be super elegant and glam, but I wanted to put
 together a bit of an edgier, more trendy look that I'd like to cause a bit of a stir in.
  Also, I just really want a great royal blue dress.  Sigh. 

Be sure to get more red carpet ready looks by heading over to Long Distance Loving
and checking out all of the other blogs participating this week for Friday's Fancies!

♥Jordan

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Friday's Fancies: Red + Pink

Row 1:

one // two // three

Row 2:

one // two // three

I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day yesterday!

Since this holiday happened to fall on a weekday this year, I trust that

many of you will be choosing to celebrate with dinners and dates this weekend. If so, there is no need to get in a tizzy about what to wear because this week for Friday's Fancies we're putting together fun outfits in the red and pink theme that will be perfect for your day!  I couldn't help but design my post around some fabulous dresses.  I'm a huge fan of dresses but have been in a bit of a rut with them for the last several months.  So in honor of Valentine's Day, dresses and the upcoming Spring season, I've put together my dream dress collection.  Go ahead, be inspired. 

 I know I am! 

Oh - if you're still in need of gifts to exchange on your dates this weekend, you can check out my gift guides: FOR HER & FOR HIM.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

♥Jordan

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Friday's Fancies: Dress Yourself

Dress // Coat // Polish // Clutch // Shoes // Earrings

This week's theme for Friday's Fancies is to 
dress yourself!  I easily picked pieces that screamed "Jordan!!" 
as soon as I saw them!  How perfect is this floral dress?!  The cut 
and colors are just everything I love!  I don't often see a great floral
print used in fall but the color palette of blues and tans are really
great to transition through multiple seasons.  Just make sure
you have some great layering pieces like this jacket or 
pop on a pair of tights for extra leg warmth! 

If you haven't yet, be sure to register for
the fabulous Hollywood Fashion Secrets giveaway that I'm 
hosting!  It's my very first giveaway and I'm so excited to pack 
the prize up and send it on it's way to YOU!  ;)

Have a fabulous weekend everyone!!

♥Jordan

Color Kick

  

Coat: Old Navy (old) / Dress: Old Navy (really, really old) / Tights: Old Navy

Boots: Fabulaire (old, Rack Room Shoes) / Bracelets: Versona Accessories

 Necklace: Versona Accessories (c/o LexWhatWear giveaway)

 Earrings: Charlotte Russe / Lips: MAC LipGlass 'Russian Red'

Photographed by: Hunter Sherwood

Okay, I'm going to go ahead and call it like I see it: I'm having a little

orange obsession.  I'm not quite sure when it started but I've realized that lately my

 go-to color for that little pop in my outfits has been this perfect deep orange hue.  We all definitely go through color phases.  I remember going through purple, red, turquoise.. okay, okay - I'm STILL going through the turquoise phase.  I mean, how do you say no to that beautiful blue-green goodness?!  But now that I'm on an orange kick, I guess it's safe

 to say I'm going to be on the lookout for some new pieces to keep my wardrobe fresh. 

 I guess we've just determined my weekend plans!  ;)

♥Jordan