April Capsule

Palm Beach recap, White Lotus, why does everyone look the same, a note on personal style, sandals/white denim update, product launch

This is going to be a long one, but I as I sit down to type this, I am really excited to share everything I’m about to share. I tend to be wordy, but I’ll try to be succinct! In this post:

• I’m doing a 30x30 (30 pieces for 30 days) April capsule wardrobe and will document my outfits here weekly.

• My mom, sisters, and I spent a couple days in Palm Beach and it was a dream. I’ll share about our trip and what I packed.

• I’ll explain how The White Lotus ties into something I think a lot about pertaining to personal style.

• For my business thought this week, I’m talking about some of the strategic decisions behind launching new product.

• And finally an update on my new sandals and white jeans.

30x30 April Capsule

This is our last month in Naples (time flies!) before Tom and I head back to Chicago, and if you remember, we have moved around a bit while in Naples. We rented a home on Air B&B for Oct-Feb, moved into a different home for March because the original one had already been booked for that month, and for our last month we are staying at my parents’ place because they are back north, which is so generous of them. So when I was packing up for this last move, I decided it would be way easier to leave most of my things packed and only live out of one suitcase for the month…hence the 30x30 April capsule.

Below are the 30 pieces I’ll be wearing on repeat. It was actually really hard to decide which pieces to choose, but I feel pretty good about my choices. If you click here or on the image, you’ll find all linkable pieces on my ShopMy page. I left a wildcard space open because I packed a few extra items “just in case” and I wasn’t sure which one I’d need. :)

The weather in Naples in April is like the height of summer in Chicago. It’s in the mid-high 80s and the sun is hot. This may not be your current weather, but it may be good to save this for summer or travel inspo!

Here’s what I wore April 1st-3rd:

This was the first time I wore this dress and I loved it. The details on the back are so cute and I love the little fish print. I’m wearing the Big Sling here for size reference.

I needed to hit the easy button on Wednesday. It was a dirty hair, work from home kind of day. Super comfortable with these pants and I love the slides with the sand suede! Note - I swapped the tank I’m wearing here for a different white one because I need to get the straps altered as they keep falling off my shoulders. :)

I loved this outfit! These are the new “low slung baggy” white denim paired with this fun top from Mirth and comfortable platform wedges. This outfit was great for my video calls during the day and dinner out that evening! This is the original Sling Bag size, for reference.

Palm Beach

As part of the celebrations for my mom’s 70th birthday, my mom, sisters, and I took a girls trip to Palm Beach to stay at The Breakers. I think this hotel might be up there with the nicest hotels I’ve ever stayed at. The Hassler in Rome, The Lanesborough in London, Villa Gallici in Aix-en-Provence, The Biltmore in Santa Barbara…it’s up there with these gorgeous hotels.

Other than, of course, just spending time together, the highlight was the spa. It was the best massage I’ve ever gotten, hands down. And we all said that…which means all four massage therapists were incredible! If you go to the Breakers, a visit to the spa is a must!

Here’s what I packed:

Travel Day/ Day 1: Ozma dress, JL straw hat, JH slides, Sand Suede Midi Sling

Night 1: jumpsuit, caftan, LR wedges, Crochet Mini Bucket Bag (coming soon)

Day 2: swimsuit, the same caftan (as a cover up), flip flops, AA x NBD Basket Tote (coming back in May!)

Night 2: romper, yellow sweater, Crochet Mini Bucket Bag (coming soon), same LR wedges

Travel Day: white denim, JH slides, black tank, Sand Suede Midi Sling

The White Lotus/ Personal Style

If you’re watching The White Lotus and on social media then I think you’ve probably seen the chatter about the Aimee Lou Wood’s (Chelsea) teeth. At first glance you might in all honesty wonder why she didn’t/doesn’t get braces, but very quickly you come to realize she’s beautiful exactly the way she is and her teeth actually add to her beauty and uniqueness, not detract from it. And this reminded me of something I think about often - why does it seem like everyone is trying to look the same?

Whether it’s getting the “right” botox/ fillers or doing your makeup or hair in a certain way, it seems like we (the general we) are all starting to look the same. And it carries over to clothing as well. As someone who is on social media a lot for work, my feed is full of style and fashion. And it seems like everyone is wearing a version of the same thing. Have you noticed this? And then I have that moment, “Oh my gosh, am I doing it too?”

What happened to personal style?

Personal style is meant to be personal - it’s a form of expression and getting dressed can even be self care. But what happens when you have a closet full of pieces everyone else is wearing and you’re not sure why you even bought them? Can anyone relate to this?

I have a desire to feel in the moment and experiment with trends, but there’s a line that can be blurry where you lose yourself and end up with a closet that was determined by trends or influencers. The goal in my mind is to stay in the moment while maintaining my sense of self because getting dressed should always feel like you’re putting YOU into the world and there’s only one you!

When I see something online that looks so cute on someone else and I have the urge to buy it, I ask myself three questions:

1. Is it me/ does it fit into my personal style adjectives (see more on that here)?

2. What are three ways I’ll wear it?

3. Does it fill a hole in my closet?

Here’s an example of something that is literally everywhere on my feed and I think looks really cute on everyone I see, but it just doesn’t fit with my personal style.

Loafers. The classic penny loafer, to be precise.

At first glance, they actually could work with my personal style adjectives: they’re classic, should be comfortable/chill…why not?

I can’t think of one way I’ll wear them. Don’t get me wrong, I can think of tons of ways to style them with clothes I own, but I’ll always choose a different pair of shoes with every single one of those outfits. I’d rather wear sneakers or boots or Birks or sandals. Loafers just aren’t ME.

That doesn’t mean I’ll never own a pair of loafers - your style can evolve - as you evolve. But right now in this moment, it’s not an investment that will serve me. And speaking of Birkenstocks - they are not remotely “stylish” - but I like them and I’ll keep wearing them because they are comfortable.

What are those things for you that are so tempting because you like them on other people, but it’s just not you?

The bottom line is - you have to be able to answer the question: why do I like this? If the answer is you like it on someone else and you’re trying to square peg/round hole it into your closet, it’s best to appreciate it for what it is, but keep it moving.

Wear what you like, however you like because clothes should make you feel good.

Business Thought

We’re launching our new Sand Suede collection over on ABBY ALLEY on Tuesday, which is exciting, but always a little nerve wracking. Will people like it? Did I do a good enough job marketing it? Did I order too much/ not enough? There’s no perfect science, but two things have really helped guide me.

1. Create a waitlist. This really helps me gauge interest and minimizes waste. It’s not perfect, but short of doing pre-orders, it’s the best way to get a sense of how the launch will go.

2. Give ample time ahead of the launch for excitement to develop and for people to consider if the product(s) are something they want to purchase.

If you’re launching new product or a new collection and want to talk it through, grab a time on my calendar here!

Sandals/White Denim Update

Back in this post, I put up a poll of which sandals I should buy for the spring/summer season. I was so glad to see you all voted for the Jamie Haller slides because those were the ones I wanted, but was nervous about since they were the most expensive. I went for it - and I’m so glad I did. I’ve already worn them a ton and I’ll for sure be wearing them on repeat this month and this summer in Chicago. The comfort and design are perfection! Highly recommend! Note - I did size up, per JH’s sizing note on the website. I think I could have gone either way and been fine.

Ok I gave an update last week on my white jeans hunt - I had found the perfect pair and returned the rest. BUT, rather than just returning the low slung baggy pair, I exchanged them for a smaller size and they arrived a few days ago. I love them! They are a true white, which I was looking for. They are not as “low slung and baggy” as they were in my normal size, but I actually like the fit of them better in my smaller size. They are fitted in the butt and baggy through the leg and a good length for flats or heels. See above for photo!

xo,

Abby

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