Spring Style in the South

m- The past couple of weeks I've had the wonderful pleasure to sit my ass down for a minute. It has been sufficiently refreshing. Coming home to Raleigh, North Carolina has always had its ups and downs but this time around, it was nothing but ups. Joining me on this refresh, are my old Raleigh friends from High School and before. There really is nothing better than being home with old friends and enjoying life for a little while. With the weather being more than perfect lately, we have been enjoying it well. 

It all started with mimosas. Amy and I had a religious experience with bottomless mimosas in SF a few months ago and there has been no turning back. Every day has turned into mid-day mimosa day and there have been no complaints from the peanut gallery.

Mimosas lead to dinner nights. Wine and grilled goodness. We know how to do it. 

With good food comes good company:

Katie: Hostess and chef. Katie always serves us a big ole plate of hospitality and

 usually does it in a cute spring dress. 

Amy: Provider of entertainment. She's a good time folks.

 And she has a great card game for after dinner. 

Harrison: Makes sure the wine glass stays full and the person plays their hand in cards.

Sara: Also provider of entertainment. Sara keeps us smiling and is always dressed dapper and fresh.

Lucy is a frequent guest to our gatherings. She is ALWAYS fresh and precious. 

Pictures of her soon. 

Ya know.

Tessie keeps us on our feet. 

I've mentioned many times before that this crew is the perfect representation of classic American sportswear. Every time I walk into Katie's house, these guys look like they are out of a Tommy Hilfiger/ J Crew ad. I have so much fun going over to their house because I can dabble in preppy (but classic) attire. Harrison and Sara definitely have been contributors to my recent love for classic, menswear. 

Check out an old post showcasing their love of sportswear. Click here. 

I scored these wonderful vintage military shorts (right) at the Lucky Strike Boutique in downtown Raleigh and paired them with my staple denim shirt from American Apparel. My brown boots have sort of a combat feel when worn with shorts. Especially these military shorts. 

I always love to see what Sara has on when I meet up with the crew. Of course I love what Harrison brings to the table with his quirky socks and classic colors but Sara has this new found look that is really working for her. Harrison and Sara are like....fresh and precious, you know?

See what I mean by classic America? When it works it works. Bowties, short shorts, and polos. 

If it aint broke, dont fix it. 

Im obsessed with this shirt on the left. Obsessed. Trying to have it Sara...The black and white stripes with red detail....yum. Whats black and white and red all over?

We eat some food, y'all. 

Thank you for a great time, my stylish friends. I think we do America justice. 

God bless America and pour me another mimosa. 

Because we're obsessed.

Fresh and Precious

Summer Fashion Trends: Obsessed with Americana. (God Bless America)

m- God bless America. Welcome to our melting pot of red, white, and blue and all the colors in between as we sing our praises to the world's greatest country in which we call home. 

Courtney and I were all kinds of excited when Cassie and her talented photographer, Ryan, asked us to join forces with WTFashionai and venture to the pool for some good ole American fun. 

Summer fashion trends are so much fun...and so free. 

I am wearing these nautical, stripped shorts from American Apparel, polka-dotted shirt from Uniqlo, and an awesome American flag bow tie from a vintage shop in Asheville, NC. 

Courtney M-pire.  

There is nothing like these ladies. Cassie so graciously blessed some of our beauties with FANTASTIC throw-back hairstyles inspired by our musical idol, Lana del Rey. Keep up the good work ladies. 

Ryan is rocking a vintage bowtie from Brooks Brothers. There are little umbrellas on it. Fantastic. 

Ryan Budd. A new face to F&P but definitely not new to the crew. After getting together the girls of the group, I knew that Ryan would be perfect for our shoot. Ryan is an all-American. With styles of prep and...prep, Ryan totally encompasses the classic Southern gentlemen. This being said, I knew I didn't have to teach Ryan the ways of the bow tie. 

Jefferey Campbell's are Courtney M's newest flats. Courtney M and Courtney M are really a dynamic duo of greatness. I am so lucky to have such great, intelligent friends (and beautiful of course). Love these girls. Jefferey Campbell's Glitas were our sparklers for our Fourth of July picnic. Had to have a Lori Wyatt Vintage piece in the mix to ensure the perfection...this hand-knitted, American flag cardigan    has been within reach since I first saw it. (It's for sale) It will be hard to part, but ready to be passed down.

Summer fashion trend: knit bathing suits. 

More Jeffrey Campbell greatness. These are black and mesh.We can't get enough of the incredibly talented, Cassie Hunter (left). A Renaissance Woman, if there was ever to be such a term, this girl is a go getter. And get it, she will. Watch out for this one because she is already doing amazing things. DEFINITELY check out her phenomenal online magazine, WTFashionati and all of the greatness it entails. Love you Cassie. 

Courtney was rocking the pin-up-esque hairstyle with awesome bangs. And those eyes. Whew.

 Thank you again Cassie for the fantastic hair. 

Summer fashion trend: skin. 

Summer Fashion Trend: Nails. Nails with designs are all the rage this year. They're fun, and a great way to express yourself. I chose to go with a patriotic theme to celebrate the 4th.

Our new spunky Asian. Full of life, and beautiful from head to toe. 

Ashley Jane, a wonderfully talented artist and designer from Charlotte, North Carolina, hand-knit this AMAZING bathing suit. Crocheted with amazing shapes, these beauties are flattering on everyone.  We were lucky enough to have this pair of suits in our runway show this May. 

Thank you again Ashley Jane! 

Happy fourth of July everyone! 

Because we're obsessed.

Fresh and Precious. 

Rainy Daze

c- Cheese! It's been about a week since we've seen the sun in Wilmington. Though depressing, it calls for some killer pictures in the oh-so-perfect lighting!
We wanted to intertwine fall palettes with our idea of atmosphere.  Despite the fact the women featured on this blog are gorgeous, we need more male models to balance out the beauty.  That's when we decided to call the handy dandy Thomas!
He was styled by Fresh & Precious and the perfect addition to this beachy
 (or should I say moon-inspired) photoshoot.  

Sisterly love.

GAH! Talk about atmosphere. It's like this tire knew we were coming.

I am wearing a dress from Forever 21 I HAD to snag off the rack on my way to the dressing room. I immediately fell in love with the color. I have it paired with my Bakers combat boots and a shawl from a thrift store.  Michael is killin it in white suspenders and carrot pants from Topman.

Look at this huge jelly fish. So cool. We had the realization recently that Wilmington's aesthetic is extremely unique and we've been trying to capture as much of it as possible. Who else has giant jelly fish in their photoshoots? Oh, and the shoes are cool too.

Nestled on top of a sand dune at the north end of Wrightsville beach is this mail box that collects stories and notes from visitors all day long. This whimsical addition to the ocean atmosphere is yet another detail that adds to the aesthetic of our home.

These carrot pants FINALLY came in the mail from Topman

this week and I couldn't wait to get in them.

Also from Topman, this black patterned scoop neck goes

 great with these awesome boots from a market in Barcelona. 

Because we're obsessed.  

Fresh and Precious