Wedding Guest Style Guide with The Black Tux

April showers bring May flowers, and May flowers bring? Well weddings! I love the spring time, even though our spring in Texas consists of 40 degree mornings and 80 degree afternoons. With today's technology, it's almost effortless to shop for the happy couple. Just order from their registry. Couple's often block off hotels, so lodging is no sweat either. No, the hardest part of being a wedding guest always seems to be finding an outfit! There are so many aspects that come into play. Is it black tie formal? Indoors? Outdoors? What are the color schemes? You don't want to match the bridesmaids too closely. And of course--no white! This wedding guest style guide will make choosing your attire easy as pie--or, errr, wedding cake. 😉

Ladies, I know you probably have all of your favorite, go-to shops in mind now, but for the fellows it can be a bit more challenging! Check out this page to rent a suit for all your wedding season needs! This is an easy, quick, and affordable way to rent a suit for all of your wedding season needs! I hope you found this post useful! What would you like to see on the blog next?

XXXX

Lindsey 

OTK Boot Dupes

I think we can all agree that over the knee boots are one of the biggest fashion trends of fall/winter 2016. I know that I already have snagged three pairs...oops. Besides choosing what color you want and if you want one with a heel or not, there is the decision of what brand to get. I know we all love our name brands, but I often find that the cheaper versions end up being better! I recently got Steve Madden black OTK boots and thought they were the bee's knees. They are so beautiful on but after wearing them once I realized I had made a huge mistake. Aprox. $90 for the top of the boot to constantly slide down, the heel to be too tall and steep, and the MOST uncomfortable shoes I have ever worn in my life. I wore them for one night and half my toes were numb for a WEEK. I am not even exaggerating. I was so disappointed because I love the look of OTK boots. But then, Target came to save the day (as usual) with an amazing selection of boots! I got these OTK boots from Target in black for less than $40! Right now they are online for $59.99 but you can get 30% off with the code COLD at checkout. I chose these with no heel so that I can wear them to both work or play and be comfortable. Plus I am already almost 5'8", so height is not something I often want to add. These are pratically twins of the very popular Stuart Weitzman OTK boots at Nordstrom that run for a (insane) $798. I don't know what human has $800 to spend on one pair of boots, but that human is not me. So if you are looking for an affordable pair of OTK boots that are both stylish and comfortable, look no more! The specific ones I linked come in black, grey, and taupe/brown. However the taupe looks more like a cream to me online. I did not see that shade in person so I can't say exactly how that color looks. I am normally a 7 or 7.5 in boots and I got the 7.5 in these and they fit perfect. I also linked some other styles I love for great prices! Happy shopping. Btw, in the photo I am wearing the boots from Palm Tree Boutique! They are going fast!

XXXX

Lindsey  

Under $100

Target OTK boots, no heel
Target OTK boots, with heel
Target OTK boots, wedge heel
Target OTK boots, chunky heel

Don't forget to use code COLD for 30% off today!

Under $50

Dottie Couture OTK Boots
Shop Hopes OTK Boots, with heel in olive 
Palm Tree OTK Boots, taupe
Palm Tree OTK Boots, tan
Palm Tree OTK Boots, black 

I have the Palm Tree boots in taupe and my mom has them in tan (pictured at the top) and we both love them! They have a low heel and are very comfortable. I am a size 7.5. They have limited sizes right now and are selling quick! I really hope they restock soon. :)

Thomas Rose Boutique T-Shirt

Today I wanted to share my favorite new t-shirt from Thomas Rose boutique! I wore this to an Aaron Watson concert this weekend (which was amazing! He puts on a really great show and has awesome chemistry with the crowd) and I got tons of compliments and questions about it. The shirt reads "I Love Jesus But I Drink A Little". It is so soft and comfy! I got this shirt in a medium and it fits true to size. Thomas Rose is a newer boutique, and is currently online only. You can order from their Facebook and Instagram pages! Just comment your size, email, and state on the photo of the item you want to order. I know you ladies are probably doing a ton of Cyber Monday damage today, but don't forget the importance of shopping and supporting local, small businesses! Check out Thomas Rose's pages below to see all the cute apparel! And of course I had to have my model, Buddy our Maltese, in my photos! ;) Thank you ladies of Thomas Rose!

I also wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who reads my blog posts! I was so surprised over the weekend to hear from people of all walks of life who said they read my blog. I had friends of my Nana, my old teachers, and even GUYS I went to high school with tell me they read it! I started this with the expectation of my friends and maybe mom reading it, but I have gotten really awesome  support, so thank you all!

Thomas Rose Facebook

Thomas Rose Instagram

 

 

Thanks for reading and I hope everyone has a fantastic week!

XXXX

Lindsey 

Rocksbox

What is Rocksbox?

Rocksbox is a jewelry membership service that makes your life easier and more stylish. You just create an account with Rocksbox and add the pieces you love to your wish list. Then Rocksbox sends you three pieces of jewelry to wear for as long as you like. Love the pieces and can't part with them? Buy them at your discounted member rate! Ready for something new? You just send the pieces back, with the pre-paid shipping to get new pieces. Honestly, it's genius! 

I love keeping up with trends and trying out new styles, but this can cause my jewelry box to get cluttered fast with pieces I only wear a few times. Not to mention it's just now in my budge to go out and buy every new Kendra Scott set I fall in love with. Rocksbox carries brands I love like Kendra Scott, House of Harlow 1960, and Loren Hope. So basically, you have a personal stylist, hand-pick items fit to your person taste that you get to wear until you're ready for new items. All for only $19 a month including the shipping, both ways. So you could buy one Forever 21 necklace that you wear to one event and toss in the bottom of your drawer, or you could get three designer pieces, to switch out whenever you please! 

If this sounds like something you would be interested in, but you're not sure about making the commitment, you can try Rocksbox out for yourself for FREE for one month with my promo code:

-------> southernactualityxoxo <------

 

For my first set I received this gorgeous turquoise Perry Street Leandra statement necklace, dainty Slate Climb the Ladder Ear Crawlers in gold, and Loren Hope Cabachon Reverse Cuff in powder blue! I honestly love all of these pieces, but I think the Loren Hope bracelet may be my favorite. I love the look of bangles but have tiny wrists and can never find any that fit. Loren Hope's cuff is adjustable to give the perfect fit. I can't wait to show y'all how I choose to style these pieces. Thanks for reading, please feel free to email me from the sidebar if you have any questions, or comment below! And don't forget to suscribe!

XXXX

Lindsey

In collaboration with Rocksbox. All opinions are my own!

Fall Footwear

When I did my post on fall trends on Monday, I really had to refrain myself from adding too many shoes. I love boots and booties and they make SO many styles now. I seriously want every pair, but my bank account would not be too happy with me if I gave in to the temptation of every cute shoe I laid eyes on. Sooo, I decided to do a post strictly on fall footwear! I narrowed down my favorite styles that are really big for this coming fall and then picked my favorites in each category. It saves you the time of looking through pages and pages of shoes without getting overwhelmed. Obviously, your tall boots and over the knees are going to be a little pricier than a pair of booties. Boots are definitely an investment piece because tall boots always come back in style and can be worn for multiple fall and winters. Which of these are your favorite? Or do you have a favorite brand? Let me know in the comments or shoot me an email! Don't forget to subscribe in the right-hand menu so that you never miss a post! All of the headers are direct links to the boots.

XXXX,

Lindsey

Fringe

Peep Toe

Lace Up

Wedge Sandal 

Zipper

  Western

Slits 

Minnetonka

  Tall-Brown also comes in black & grey!

Tall-Black 

Over The Knee-Black

  Over The Knee-Brown

Tassel Earrings

Lately I am obsessed with tassels. On clothes, on pillows, on purses, but especially on jewelry. When I was a little girl, my great-grandma would let me go through and try on all of her jewelry. She had so much, but most of it was made with tiny colorful beads or colored gemstones. I've noticed this year that a lot of popular jewelry resembles the style of what my grandma wore. I think it's so neat how certain trends always seem to make their comeback. These chunky, white tassel earrings are so fun. They can be worn to work or out to play and can dress up a really simple outfit.

I will say that they are definitely on the heavier side. I have very sensitive ears and although the metal did not bother me, I would not wear them for an entire 8 hour work day just because of how heavy they are. One trick for wearing heavy earrings is to use Kendra Scott's Lobe Wonder stickers. You get 60 stickers in one pack and they can be reused if you don't wear them for very long. Basically you stick a clear sticker on the back of your earlobe and poke your earring through it. The Lobe Wonder's help keep the earring from weighing down your ear and hurting.

Every time I went to order these they were sold out, I finally ended up finding them at the Palm Tree Boutique. I listed all the places I found that carry these earrings or almost identical ones. Baublebar has the most options. Some colors may be sold out, but you can sign up for their wait list to get a notification when they are restocked!

 

Where To Buy:

Francesca's

BaubleBar

Nordstrom

Palm Tree Boutique

Kendra Scott Gold Roni Cuff 

 Chambray Lace Top

This top is almost sold out, I'm really sorry about that because I hate to link something not everyone can get! I tried to find it somewhere else but no luck! I linked two similar.

Similar Tops: 1, 2

 

Thanks for stopping by My Southern Actuality and spending a little bit of your day with me. Make sure you subscribe so that you never miss a post. And I love to hear from my readers! Shoot me an email or comment below. 

XXXX,

Lindsey

Fall Boutique Round Up

The first day of fall (September 22) is quickly approaching, and I'm having mixed feelings. I love summer weather and days by the water in a bikini. I'm the type of person who is always cold, so 80-90 degrees feels great to me. But fall means bonfires and hot caramel macchiatos instead of iced, football and flannels, hometown fairs and my birthday ;). But what I love most about fall is the clothes! I rounded up my fall favorites from all of my go-to clothing boutiques. Each header is a direct link to their website if you see something you like! 

Some trends for this fall that I'm loving:

Over the knee boots

Earthy colors: brown, camel, burnt orange, mustard yellow, hunter green

Camo

Flowy maxi dresses

Vintage, thin, buckled belts

Off the shoulder tops

Mauve or dusty pink

Maroon

Denim

Chunky bib necklaces and chokers

Printed or textured booties
Royal and ice blues

Long cardigans and flannels

Tassels

Bandanna necklaces

Peep toe wedges and booties

What fall trends are you looking forward to? What are you favorite boutiques? Share with me in the comments or email me! Don't forget to subscribe in the side bar so you never miss a post!

Thanks for reading.

XXXX,

Lindsey

 Dottie Couture Boutique

RIFFRAFF

 

 

Palm Tree Boutique

 

 

 

 

Hope's