fall is here: frocktober recap

Autumn is...

birthday month pumpkin spice cutesie baby pajamas decorating hay rides kettle corn weekend trips sweater weather burnt orange scarves plaid changing leaves crisp mornings harvest festivals the state fair thanksgiving fireside evenings pumpkin patches pumpkin everything s'mores camping apple cider harry potter butterbeer baby's first halloween movie nights scented candles couch cuddles 

tights & boots spices hot drinks cozy socks caramel golden days

And... it's Frocktober. 

Oh, how I love this season. I am so excited to introduce William to all of the wonderful things about Fall. I know he won't remember his first Fall in the world, but I sure will. We're planning his first Halloween costume, we've decorated the house in Fall leaves and pumpkins, and we've had Autumnal candles burning for weeks now. I took him to his first pumpkin patch and I bought as many Octoberesque things I could find during Old Navy's baby sale. I just love this month. 

Of course, over the past few years this blog has been all about Frocktober. The collage above is a little recap of last year's Frocktober dresses. It was by far my favorite year to date. I had so much fun going through my closet to find things that could work as maternity wear, and being pregnant in the Fall and Winter is the best. Sweaters and leggings galore! 

I haven't officially posted anything about it here on the blog (I've obviously been a bit lax on here since Will was born), but I've decided not to do Frocktober this year. I still love it. But as it came closer, I realized that the thought of it was causing more stress than excitement. I am enjoying being a mom so very much, and my daily uniform is random and messy and wonderful. I want to focus this October on the many Fall firsts of my little boy. I know I will eventually get back to my creative style, but for now my heart is elsewhere.

For those of you who don't know about my Frocktober, you can read more about it here. As I said, the collage above is my Frocktober 2015 challenge. You can also check out 2014, 2013 and 2012. My main motivation for participating in Frocktober has always been to challenge myself to find new purpose and appreciation for what I already have - avoiding shopping for the month and bringing new creative life to my dresses and other accessories. It has been so much fun having other ladies join me in the challenge - the Frocktober Sisterhood is my favorite. If you'd ever like to join (it's not too late!) my challenge to you for the rest of October is to not only be creative and innovative with your existing closet, but to also try to avoid purchasing new clothes. Think outside the box. Have a clothes swap with friends, or go thrifting, or consider using your clothes budget to purchase from a company that gives back - like Krochet Kids intl. or another cause that really speaks to you. Take the month to be intentional with what you wear and how you wear it. It's such a great challenge and I have always had a blast doing it. 

I am hoping to still do a few special style posts this month in honor of Frocktober, perhaps on some great nursing mom dress options. I hope you all have a superb October, and enjoy all of the best things about this season!

#frocktobersisterhood

looking for a challenge

I've been brainstorming about a summer fashion challenge.

As you may know, Frocktober was my big endeavor last Fall, and was the driving force for my plunge into outfit posts and fashion ideas.
Ruche was having a "Frocktober" promotion, where they were releasing a special new dress every day of October. So in the spirit of dresses, I decided to wear a dress every day of October.
It was really fun.

I realized that I have a lot of dresses, and also that I tend to prefer wearing dresses. They're comfortable and easy to remix, they're versatile and also simple - a dress is a built-in outfit. Throw it over your head and slip into some shoes and you're good to go. If you have time for a cute hairdo and some accessories, that's just a bonus.

I enjoy giving myself challenges with my clothes because it inspires and motivates. It's exciting to look past my normal go-tos and say, okay...how can I mix this up?

Top/Shoes/Teacup: Ruche (shop shoes), Skirt: LOFT

These pictures/this outfit were for a little Instagram contest with Ruche. I love giveaways, I love contests and I definitely love Instagram.

All that being said, I need some ideas. I'd love to proceed into the last half of June with a new challenge to get into the spirit of summer. Maybe something along the lines of the 5to5 post, but on a bigger scale. Something that could last a week or two.

Any ideas?

favorites

I haven't been doing outfit posts for very long, but I was realizing the other day that it has actually been over a year since I first started being interested in fashion blogging.

My first outfit post was on my personal blog, on March 15 of last year.

I hadn't really started out dreaming of a fashion blog. I was just wanting to show off some clothes from Ruche that my husband had surprised me with, and then Frocktober happened, and it all went up from there!
But over the last 15 months, my husband and I have had countless photo shoots, conversations and silly moments in the name of "fashion". Or at least, my personal style/fashion.
So in the spirit of reminiscing, I thought I'd share some of my favorite photos/outfits over the last year!
In no particular order:

My goal is definitely to get to a point where I'm blogging regularly, posting interesting and reliable content. The more I blog, the more I like it. I would love to come to a point where I'm confident (and efficient) taking my own photos, having my tripod handy and being willing to be adventurous with when and where I take pictures.
I might even take a class or two on photography. Right now my camera is simple, but user-friendly, and it takes great pictures without too much fidgeting on my end.

If I was to put together a summer to-do list for Voguish, it would include:

1. Daily photos: even just a few shots after work
2. Improve self-portraits: be confident and able to take my own pictures
3. Set out outfits the night before: being more aware and intentional with my daily routine
4. Blog daily: working on the blog every day, perhaps even preparing posts in advance to publish later on
5. Creative settings: be active and explore the town, changing up locations and scenery

That's a pretty good start, I think.

Cheers to a great year of blogging, an amazing summer, and to constant adventures.