With November officially coming to an end, I wanted to give you guys a glimpse of my birthday weekend through my looks! I know it seems like forever since I've made a blog post, and while I went through a creative funk, I'm also balancing my career as a fashion writer and create at my own pace. Before I continue, I want to say thank you for all of the birthday love! This year, I went to D.C. for the first time with my best friends to ring in my special day. While I was fortunate enough to have unusual, yet amazingly warm weather during my trip, I still made sure to pack fabrics and pieces ideal for the season. In today's post, I want to give some fall outfit inspiration — whether it be for a birthday or just because! With that in mind, keep scrolling for all of my looks, along with shoppable links.
PUSH BOUNDARIES: For my birthday eve dinner, I wanted to start the festivities in a dramatic way. So, of course I HAD to bring this one-shoulder metallic silk dress decorated with multicolor stripes throughout. To make it modest, I threw on a mint mesh top, which was a color in the dress and paired it with my pink Alexander Wang heels.
Top: Missguided
Dress: Adriana Iglesias via The Real Real
Shoes: Alexander Wang via REVOLVE
CASUAL: When packing for trips, I always pack extra pieces no matter how long the trip is. So, for one of my "after dinner" looks, I threw on a renaissance themed dress with my Alexander Wang pink heels.
Dress: Zara
Shoes: Alexander Wang via REVOLVE
CLASS IS IN SESSION: For the big day, my friends and I had a full day of adventure ahead, including a trip to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, to further tap into our roots. So, I wanted to wear a look that featured some of my favorite black-owned brands, while being cozy and stylish. I wore a classic 'DAP GAP' hoodie with a grey and blue plaid tennis skirt and my denim bandana boots. To accessorize, I wore a blue clear sunglasses, along with a knit, striped heart tote for a nice contrast with the prints in my boots and skirt.
Sweatshirt: GAP x Dapper Dan
Skirt: Uniqlo
Boots: Nicolette Nichelle
Bag: NAYR Studio
Sunglasses: Christianah Jones
CUFF IT: In past years, I've worn more fitting silhouettes that show off my curves, so this year I wanted to mix things up a bit, and explore further outside of my comfort zone. As soon as I saw this dress, I fell in love, just like Beyoncé's "Cuff It" hit said. One of my favorite colors is pink, so of course I had to wear a pink piece on my birthday. For the big night, I wore a puff sleeve metallic pink bubble dress with diamond lace up heels. Both pieces made a statement, so I kept the accessories to a minimum with a metallic pink box clutch while achieving the ultimate luxe vibe.
Dress: Nichole Lynel
Shoes: Fashion Nova
Bag: ASOS
FLY: As my style evolves, I'm developing a love for streetwear and I couldn't help, but play into the cargo trend that's been dominating all of our social media feeds this Fall. I wore my pink hoodie dress as a top, and threw on a black, drawstring cargo skirt with a tan quilted vest. For the ultimate street vibe, I threw on my double bumper Rick Owens x Drkshdw sneakers, along with the coolest accessories — a pink, quilted large tote, and clear 90s sunglasses. Plus, I wanted to be comfortable, yet fly for the day's activities which included axe throwing!
Hoodie: Matte Brand
Vest: International Concepts (vintage)
Skirt: Motel Rocks
Sneakers: Rick Owens
Bag: Mary Imaj
ALL ABOUT THE DRESS: If you've been following me for a while, you'd know that I love a good, statement dress. So for one of the nights out, I wore a blue sparkly, two-toned dress with pink diamond heels. I'll just let the dress speak for itself.
Dress: Naked Wardrobe
Shoes: Alexander Wang via REVOLVE
BRUNCHIN' IN COLOR: Now anyone who knows about D.C., knows that weekend brunch there is a whole experience, so of course I had to dress accordingly. Besides pink, my other favorite color is blue (it's my birthstone), so I wore the daring "NAOMI" dress from one of my newly favorite black-owned brands, Fumi the Label. To complement the dress's flattering silhouette, I wore my denim banana boots. For an extra oomph and pop of color, I wore the mini yellow heart bag from NAYR Studio.
Dress: Fumi the Label
Boots: Nicolette Nichelle
Bag: NAYR Studio
THE MATRIX: For the last fancy night out, I wanted to remain in the same vein of pushing boundaries with my looks. I wore a black, latex top and skirt set. For a pop of color, I threw on my fuschia, pink booties and racer mirror sunglasses. To add a classy touch, I wore a black and grey metallic mini bag.
Top: Naked Wardrobe
Skirt: Naked Wardrobe
Shoes and Sunglasses: Balenciaga
Bag: Jumz Accessories
I hope you guys enjoyed these looks as much as I did! Here's to another year of success and looks! Stay tuned for more on the Eli-Nay blog.
Much love and peace,
- Nay.