Dress Like You're Already Famous

The Oscars are rapidly approaching, and all the talk about the nominees has me daydreaming about what I would wear, with an unlimited budget and access to every collection, EVER. Below I've collected some of my favorite dresses ever released, from this season and several seasons prior. Beautiful dresses never go out of style. I doubt I'll ever make it to the Oscars, but any ball with a full blown jazz band and champagne will do. The day shall come, and I need to be prepared. Never say never, #amirightladies?!

both: Atelier Versace Spring 2016 Couture

left: Elie Saab Spring 2014 RTW right: Versace Spring 2015 RTW

left: Elie Saab Spring 2012 Couture right: Elie Saab Spring 2012 RTW

left: Elie Saab Spring 2014 RTW right: Elie Saab Spring 2013 Couture

left: Chanel Spring 2016 Couture right: Zuhair Murad Spring 2016 Couture

both: Giambattista Vali Spring 2016 Couture

left: Alexandre Vauthier Spring 2016 Couture  right: Giambattista Vali Spring 2016 Couture

Transition

It's finally feeling like fall, and I love it! My little nugget, aDr, and I mixed our summer favorites (her pastel jean shorts, my tank top, and my sandals) with fall essentials (jeans and a white sweater). 

top: madewell // jeans: j brand

sweater & shorts: urban outfitters

shoes: soludos

School is getting INSANE right now, and it was nice to be able to relax with friends! Homecoming is coming up (with that comes spirit week, my absolutely favorite thing ever). It's so weird to think that this will be my last spirit week, but I will have tons of parties to dress up for in college, so it's not the end of that.  One thing I am in the midst of planning now is the pep rally dance with the seniors of the volleyball team, which will be solo embarrassing because I absolutely cannot dance. And my first college application is due so soon! I need to get working.

Happy October! XOXOXO,

Summer 2014 is Here!

Today was my last exam and my last day of junior year. Does that make me a senior now? That's actually kind of terrifying.  Coincidentally, it's also the one year anniversary of this blog. That is sooo crazy. 365 days later, I am still learning my way around this whole blogging world. (and still loving every second)

I decided to celebrate this coinciding special day with my first photo shoot of the summer! The weather is so gorgeous outside!

dress: american apparel // shoes: converse // bracelet: madewell

Now I have to pack for this mission trip that I am doing extremely soon. It's going to be amazing, but a lot of hard work. I hope everyone has a relaxing day!

#seniorness

XOXOXO,
Kels

Spring Summer Happiness

Every year as soon as the weather is nice, you cannot keep me inside. At school, it becomes so difficult to be able to concentrate! One day during our shared study hall, my friend kHr and I decided to have a little photo shoot for a project we had to do for our English classes. I am a very awkward model person, it's something that I need to work on...

Dress: Urban Outfitters  | Flower Ring: Forever 21

This summer I will try to post more pictures of my everyday clothing and more of my own photography. If you have any ideas for blog posts, or any questions, leave a comment or email me!

THREE MORE DAYS OF SCHOOL!

XOXOXO,

Kels

Coachella Obsession

Somewhere that I have always wanted to go is to the Coachella Music Festival. Its the perfect combination of fashion, music, and great weather! Here are some of my favorite looks from Coachella, both this year and in 2013! (Courtesy of Vogue and Harpers Bazaar)

And Coachella would't be Coachella with out the... music (of course!) Here are some of my favorite videos from Coachella!

Bastille: Things We Lost in the Fire

Bombay Bicycle Club: Luna

Disclosure: Latch

Enjoy lovelies!

XOXO,

Kels

Georgetown University

I visited Georgetown University this weekend!

I honestly had no idea what to expect with Georgetown. It has 6,400 undergrads and 8,200 graduate students, so it is a medium sized school with a large graduate student presence. It is a jesuit school, with D1 Athletics, and 12% of the student body is International. It's a lot different from a lot of the schools that I have visited. The area is stunning around it, and the campus is okay, but I think that Georgetown would be a better place to live than to go to college, for me. The area of Georgetown has so many shops, the cutest buildings, and is obviously located in Washington, DC so it's close to everything political! The school is really selective and very challenging. (They have a 16% acceptance rate) There are so many amazing things about the school, but unlike some of the other schools I have looked at, it really didn't "wow" me!

Wish List Observations:

1. Study Abroad: I think they said that 60% of their student body studies abroad. That's an amazing number. I really want to study abroad in England I cannot even describe my obsession with the country. Jack Wills, one of my favorite clothing brands, has a location in Georgetown and one of the people working at the store was British and I just about flipped out because he was just that perfect. We talked about the differences between Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, where there are Jack Wills locations on each island!

2. Small Classes: Their class size is a lot bigger than some of the schools I am looking at, with "small" classes considered to have 25+ people. Still, the classes are not ginormous, so that's not a huge problem.

3. Traditions: There was a seal which is forbidden to be stepped on, which I think is pretty funny. I feel like a lot of colleges have something similar to this, and I am not a very superstitious person so I think it's funny. Attending athletics is a huge thing at Georgetown, so I guess you can consider that a tradition as well!

4. Honor Code: No one on my tour or info session mentioned an honor code, so I am assuming it does not exist! If they do have one, I really think that they should be highlighting it.

5. Liberal Arts Education: They have some core classes that are supposed to follow the "liberal arts tradition," but overall Georgetown is a research university, not a liberal arts one. More emphasis is placed on what you want to study than immersing the student in multiple subjects.

6. College Town (with trees!): I love Georgetown, but I would not really say that it's my idea of a college town, because in my mind college towns are places where everyone really appreciates the students and everything is about that college. Washington DC has tons of colleges, so it's not like my idea of a "college town." Again, I'll emphasize how obsessed I am with the area of Georgetown, though! I would be interested in living in Georgetown after college!

7. Greek Life: There are no official greek organizations affiliated with Georgetown, which was one of the biggest problems that I saw from my perspective. I would love to be involved in Greek life wherever I go to college, and I think that having Greek life would have provided more of a community feel to the school.

I have not decided if I will apply, but I am glad that I visited because I am learning more about myself the more college visits that I attend!

I wore this dress on my college tour! I bought it in Georgetown, and I wore it on easter as well!

See y'all later!

Kelsey

La Vie en Rose

Coucou! Greetings from PARIS. Oui. Paris.

I have been in France for fifteen days and I leave tomorrow. This trip has gone by absurdly fast and I honestly am really sad that I will eventually have to leave this place and at the same time I am excited to once again experiences the comforts of home. One thing that I am really dreading is going to not only school but also lacrosse practice THE DAY AFTER I GET BACK. And did I mention I will get home late at night? Did I mention the 5 hour time difference? Oh I didn't? Yeah so there's that...

So what have I done in France you ask? For starters, Eat. Eat a lot. Basically 90% of my food intake has been bread and nutella. I love both, but even for me it is becoming a little bit absurd.

I feel like this represents my time in France perfectly. (I took this photo as a French woman was yelling at me "NO PHOTOS". I agreed with her, and ran out of the store.) Literally this country is obsessed with their bread, cheese, and wine. But hey, why not?

 

I have had so many different amazing French desserts. This country knows how to bake. Like I can't even. Crepes are amazing and literally so easy to find in France. I find it funny that there are literally so many cafes and boulangeries in France.Tonight (my last night!) someone in their family went to a bakery and literally got every kind of dessert they had. I had an amazing cheesecake with berry topping and this berry mouse/cake. SO GOOD. Some of my other favorite desserts have been macarons (which I ate sitting on the steps of the Opera), and the macarons filled with ice cream that I got at a restaurant with my corres, her sister, and my French mom. Also, something that I love in France is that they have these refrigerated creme brulee in little glass containers that you can buy. (Kind of like how you can buy jell-o in america). I have had, well let's see..... 6 of them here?

And literally I am so happy that I went out on a limb and ate a falafel. We went to the Marais district just to go to L'As Du Falafel, the "best place for falafels". I really had no idea what to expect, but now I am obsessed with them and I have been researching where to find them at home!

Every morning and practically every afternoon, my corres Hannah and I eat a baguette with nutella or occasionally jam and butter. When I get back to the good old US of A, I think I will try to do this more often. I will definitely try to buy more bread from bakeries and less bread from the grocery store. I know that some of the bread we have in America is just as good as the bread in France, but its just not as convenient. However, I definitely will try to make this a priority.

SO many people told me that I needed to try the best ice cream in Paris, from a place called Berthillon. One of my chaperones lived in France for about a year so she knew that she had to take the whole group. We really were all so excited, and it was amazing! I had salted caramel and vanilla in a cone and I wish I had gotten more! So amazing. A great memory.

My host family was so amazing to me in so many ways. I cannot express my gratitude enough. My corres let me sleep in her room for 2 weeks, while she either slept in her brother's bed (when he was away on a class trip) or shared her older sister's bed. They made all of their meals vegetarian. They only had a small meat side dish twice. TWICE. I cannot believe how good their homemade food was, either. Literally tonight we had this great radish and potato soup, french cheese, and later caprese salad. For lunch it was this absolutely amazing Oriental dish that was made from carrots, raisins, onions, and apricots. Literally their whole family are amazing cooks.

One of the most random things that happened to me here in France was that I met someone from my state the first day in France at Mont St. Michel. He said, "Hey UVA", as I was walking, because I was wearing my camo UVA hat. Turns out he goes to VMI (right near Washington and Lee), and is in the middle of studying abroad. I love when things like that happen.Its such a small world!

Yesterday was our last time riding the metro as a group, two days ago was the last tour we took! Today I took my final bus and metro ride I am so sad this is all coming to an end I don't even know what to do with myself. I really need to finish packing, but all I want to do is reminisce about my amazing and exhausting time in this country. I am crying because I don't want it to end. Now all that I can do is be thankful that I was able to go to this country and meet the people I did. 

Bisous,

Kelsey "Kelsea" (my new name according to Starbucks in the quartier latin)


P.S. In the upcoming days I will try to share more pictures and thoughts about my trip.

Packing for France

I am headed to France soooo soon! My parents and I have been brainstorming what I should bring, and this packing list was kind of the product of that! 

I have been working on this for a while, and I thought it was funny that my friend from "the Belle in Pearls" posted something similar to this recently! #France2k14

I am planning on bringing...

PANTS:  
- My tried-and-true skinny jeans
- Two pairs of black leggings (and maybe my grey pair as well)
- 3-4 pairs of my black Urban Outfitters high rise skinnies. (I swear by these. They're not too expensive, stretchy, and warm.)

OUTERWEAR:
- black vest (So versatile, I can wear basically any shirt I am bringing with this)
- Barbour jacket (my actual obsession)
- rain jacket

TOPS:
- 4+ long sleeve shirts
- Oxford shirt
- Patagonia fleece
- 2+ sweaters
- 2+ long sleeve tees for sleeping and running (I have to stay in shape for lacrosse)

SHOES:
- Riding boots (the perfect walking shoes for when it's cold outside)
- Wallabees
- rain boots

DRESSES:
-black sweater dress
-2 party dresses

Literally I am so excited and scared! Wish me luck!

XOXOXO,
Kels

Dream Gowns Off the Runway

Even though prom is a long long way away (4 months!), but I have already started looking for my prom dress, but not intensely at all; I know I would change my mind if I got a dress now! However, if I had an unlimited budget, here are the dresses that I would kill for! I have collected them on my Pinterest page after hours sorting through collections over the past few years. Although these are probably more suited for an award show (it is, after all, award season!), these are some dresses that I just adore!

Check out more amazing runway looks on my pinterest page (there's a link with the tabs above!)

XOXOXO,

Kelsey

It's So Cold! Winter OOTD

It's freezing! Here is the gist of what I wore yesterday around town to keep me warm.



I recently got my red L.L. Bean vest (find it here!) and I have been wearing it everywhere! I recommend it to fans of J. Crew's excursion vest, for sure! It's a great pop of color in the winter. I have a green coat that I also love to wear from L.L. Bean that is great. I highly recommend their outerwear!

I love putting baseball caps on when I am having a lazy day (or a bad hair day)! I have been eyeing this J. Crew hat for a while now. It comes in a lot of great colors, I might get it with some of the money I received for Christmas!

I didn't have a lot of time tonight (school night woop woop) to link everything. If you have any questions about where things are from, just put them in the comments and I'll help you out!

Hope everyone is staying warm in this national FREEZING week! I am in the process of receiving my midterm grades and semester averages! Very stressful few days. Only three days left!

XOXOXO,
Kelsey

New Years Eve 2013

Hey y'all! I cannot believe it is the last day of 2013. This year, I am thankful for my family, and especially for my grandfather's improving health. This year has been very tough for him. He had multiple infections that led to depression and him almost losing his life. However, he has been improving gradually over the past six months and my family is much happier as a whole thanks to this.


What have I been up to?

-My family took a short vacation to one of my favorite places, the Homestead. It's a beautiful resort in Western Virginia! We went skiing, played board games, went skeet shooting, ate WAY too much, and really relaxed, all of which we really needed.

-Studying for the SAT!

-Watching my new obsession, Bones, on Netflix. I'm very addicted to Netflix in general at this point.

- Online shopping for things to buy with money I received at Christmas!

- Hung out with my cousins from Pennsylvania, who I only see a few times a year!


I'm not sure what my plans are for tonight, but usually my family has a huge party, which we aren't having this year, just because we have been so busy! Maybe we'll have a small gathering of our closest friends, but I'm not quite sure!

Even though I'm not going to a New Years party, here are some of the things that I would wear, if I did!

I think that New Years parties are all about sequins! I can see someone with a preppier style wearing this to a fancy dinner with family or friends, or a slightly less formal party! I love this maroon color for new years, but I also think a forest green would work nicely!  (necklace from Madewell, dot tights from Revolve Clothing, shirt from American Apparel, shoes from J. Crew, shirt from J. Crew Factory)



I can see someone who dresses with a boho style wearing this on New Years! I actually have this tank in black and its really nice for warmer weather. Because of that, I can see someone wearing this to a party in someplace like Australia or California! I think the sequin bralette would look so cute popping out from the sides of the maroon racer tank, and tucked into the black maxi sequin skirt. The leather cutout clutch gives it more of an earthy vibe! I think that these sandals would look best with the outfit, but I always have a hard time deciding which shoes to wear with maxi skirts! (necklace, tank, and bralette from Free People, skirt and shoes from Revolve Clothing, clutch from Anthropologie)

Although I would love to dress up, I think tonight I will just be wearing what I am now... an oversize tee, running tights, and toe Christmas socks!


I hope you have a healthy and happy 2014!

XOXOXO,
Kels


 

Homecoming and Senior Night

This month has been so crazy! My French girl through school, Hannah, is at my house and is leaving Saturday. Yesterday was Homecoming, and the dance was literally 100 times better than last year. Last year barely anyone danced, but this year everyone was dancing! It was so much fun. After, I went to my friends house and we just had a really fun night! We won the football game too, so it was a great day! Friday was Senior Night for volleyball. At my school, Senior Night is the last home game for Seniors, and so the team celebrates by making posters with embarrassing pictures of each senior, and decorating them up in a theme! We dressed our seniors up as Disney Princesses, and I dressed up my senior as Sleeping Beauty. The day before Homecoming we also have a Pep Rally where the seniors from every fall sports team have a dance competition, and the volleyball team's dance was literally amazing. (So sad they didn't win!)

I got my dress and shoes from Free People. Loved them both!

I really like my French girl, Hannah. She's really chill and has great fashion sense. I will be sad to see you leave!

XOXOXO,

Kels

My Fall Clothing Favorites

Fall Essentials by kelswills 

Free People oversized white sweater | Free People top | J Brand jeans | Patagonia | BDG black stretch jeans | Clarks shoes | Scarve | Frye Women's Shoes, Billy Pull On Boots

This is just a collection of what I wear literally everyday in the fall, and in the winter too. I cannot wear jeans to school, so the black denim skinnies from Urban are my to go to pant in the colder months. The Free People sweater is so soft and its long in the back, so thats mainly why I am obsessed with it! The wallabees are great to wear when I am sick and tired of wearing boots, but still want a confortable shoe that covers my whole foot. The patagonia fleece is amazing. I sleep in it, wear it to school, and wear it everywhere on the weekends. Its the best thing EVER.

Adios! Gotta get ready for school. I ordered a different homecoming dress than I said I would, and it comes in today! So excited!

XOXOXO,
Kels

Junior Year Craziness!

Even though I have only had four weeks of classes, I am so stressed out already! Along with going to a very difficult college prep school, I play volleyball, am a yearbook editor, and an officer on two community service clubs. It's been really hard getting everything done. I'll just fill you all in on everything that is going on in my life right now!

Volleyball:

I don't really get play, but I try my hardest. This is my second year on the varsity team, and I really love the girls on it. It just sucks that I never get to play, but I am hoping that next year I finally will play more! Some of my best friends are on the team with me, so that has made the team so fun!

As you can see, we obviously have a lot of fun together before the games! We have jeans days every month that you can pay for, and the money will go to one of our charity clubs. Another one of my school's traditions is that everyone on a team will dress in a theme before a big home game. We dressed up as cowgirls, although by the time we took this pictures we were all in a state of undress.


School:

PreCalc BC is literally killing me, and my planner is literally SO FULL of homework assignments, games, meetings, social events, I can barely squeeze anything else in. French III this year is so hard as well. I really like my Physics teacher, that's my favorite class so far! I am literally in the library everyday working on homework due that day or the next, or studying for a test.


College:

I have recently attended a college info session for Johns Hopkins, and I loved it! I have only been there for a lacrosse tournament two years ago, when college was not even on my mind. Now, I wish I had taken more notice of the school and it's surroundings! Other info sessions that I want to attend are University of Georgia, University of South Carolina, Davidson, Sewanee, Vanderbilt, and William and Mary. Sadly, I don't think I will be able to go to all of them because of Volleyball and some classes that I cannot switch around in my schedule. I also recently sat in on college info sessions for UVA, McDaniel College, and Franklin and Marshall. I really liked UVA, but couldn't see myself at McDaniel or F&M! I cannot wait to finally have an official visit to Washington and Lee this fall.

My favorite colleges so far:
-Davidson
-William & Mary*
-Wake Forest
-Johns Hopkins
-UVA
-Washington and Lee*
-Vanderbilt

Other ones I like are:
-Georgetown*
-Boston College
-University of Georgia
-Sewanee

(* Denotes Legacy Status)
Let me know if there are any others that I should check out!


Clothes:

I have started getting sweaters, long skirts, and jeans that I will be wearing this fall and winter.

I am almost positive that I will be buying this dress for homecoming! I love the leather detailing, and I love even more that it is vegan leather! Just in general, I love blacks, reds, emerald greens, and royal blues for homecoming. I couldn't find any other ones that I loved, so I think this one will be the one that  I'll end up getting.


I am so excited for fall. I love pumpkins! I actually had my first pumpkin thing of the season today, pumpkin pie frozen yogurt from my local fro-yo joint. I put pie crust and pretzels on it and it was amazing!

This fall I know my tumblr will be filled with pumpkins, leaves, and sweaters. However, I also have another tumblr where I basically post pictures like that year round! Check out my fall/interior tumblr HERE for fall inspiration! It makes me feel so cozy just reblogging pictures onto it.

I never really thought I would say that I'm excited for fall, but I definitely am!

See y'all later!
XOXOXO,
Kels