Fall Favorites from the Style club

{all photos from thestyleclub.com}

I'm absolutely loving the fall pieces the are available right now from The Style Club!! The stripes and plaid and sequins and crop tops and sweaters!!!! AHHH! These are just a few of my picks!

I've updated my Style Club Closet with my faves for fall... which is pretty much everything!!! Hope you'll check it out!  The Style Club is a unique online shopping experience! You can watch your favorite tastemakers, shop the latest fashion trends, and share with your friends!

Let's be honest ladies!  This cold weather is a perfect excuse to stay cozy at home and do some fun interactive shopping online!  What are your favorite pieces?

affordable fall trends

On Friday night I was lucky enough to attend the first Fashion X Dallas runway show.  The show ran Thursday through Saturday but unfortunately my schedule only allowed me one night.  However, one night was more than enough to see multiple talented designers and enjoy Dallas fashion and nightlife.  

I choose to wear simple black and white... I mean really, it's my go-to.  I'm obsessed with high contrast and will just always love the combo.  It actually wasn't until after putting this outfit together than I realized how many fall trends it touched on, so I'd love to share my though process behind this look and a few really affordable ways to factor in some of these trends this season! 

 While on a hunt for faux leather leggings (another huge trend this fall... faux leather accents on clothing, great faux leather jackets and pants, even shorts and skirts), I found faux suede leggings from a Moto collection by Rock & Republic at Kohls.  Yeah I know, shocker!! I was shopping at Kohls! ;-)

They weren't exactly what I was looking for... they were better!  I love how soft they are and I love the seaming and interesting mix of fabrics.  The front is faux suede and the sides have mixed in accents of scuba-like material.  So these leggings are definitely stretchy and easy to pull on.  The seaming, especially across the knees, gives a great motorcycle pants feel without going over the top butch.

You may have noticed an abundance of faux leather (or real leather) "Moto" or motorcycle jackets this season.  And yes, this is a HUGE trend!  Especially when you take an edgy piece like that and mix it with a flirty skirt or lace or a feminine top.  But if you're not willing to invest in a jacket, which often times can be a pricier item, you should consider other ways to rock the Moto trend.  Enter, these leggings!  They are on sale right now at Kohls ($25 y'all!!!), and you know they always have extra coupons, so hurry and shop these FAUX SUEDE LEGGINGS HERE!

Obviously this outfit covers the black and white trend.  But what else?  Menswear for women.  It's really big this fall and honestly, it's really easy to achieve.  Who doesn't have a pair of black pants in their wardrobe?  Whether it's leggings like mine, or simply black dress pants, every women has (or should have) a black pant go-to.  Beyond that, all it takes is a simple white shirt and a tuxedo-inspired jacket.  I love this white blouse because, well first of all, it was on clearance.  Second, it's super simple and flowy and comfortable to wear.  I also love the zipper accent in the front as well as the pocket, giving it an edgier look.  (Have you noticed exposed zippers are everywhere?)

My tuxedo jacket is actually from a few season's ago.  It is LC Lauren Conrad from Kohls.  Since I can't link the exact jacket, I've rounded up a few similar looks below! Keep reading!  If you're not wanting to purchase a new tuxedo jacket, here's a few affordable ideas!...  check out upscale resale/ consignment shops and even thrift stores, shop garage sales and estate sales, pull a black blazer from a suit you already own, raid your boyfriend's/ husband's/ dad's/ brother's/ neighbor's/ friend's closet and borrow from them! ... it doesn't matter if it's oversized or a little boxy, that's another trend right now (I bet your mom or maybe even you have a shoulder-pad blazer in the back of their/ your closet.  Just make sure you pair it with more fitted and feminine items!  And don't forget, keeping the makeup and hair really fresh and girly will help balance any hard edges of the outfit.  I opted for a few soft curls accenting my straight hair and made sure to accessorize with lots of sparkle and big jewels.

 Here's my camera shy hubby... totally didn't want to pose with me until I made him... that's why I'm alone in the first pic ;-)  Such a good sport... you don't often see Marine Scout Snipers at fashion events!

The clutch and booties are other must-have items for fall!  Short black booties can be paired with so many items!  I love them with these leggings and since my booties (old, Issac Mizrahi) happen to also be faux suede, my leg-line was continued the entire length of my leg, which is a great trick to look a little taller/ more slender.  I'm also obsessed with pairing short booties with dresses, skirts and shorts this season, as you can clearly see on my Instagram feed!  I've tagged some super cute booties below!

 Working on my dreams!!

I loved the leggings so much, I decided to remix them again over the weekend.  Sunday saw my purple sweater, the leggings and my peep toes.  It's been a nice fall days of actual fall weather here in DFW!  Oh, there's that clutch again!

{Click the thumbnails below to shop these items!}

mad for plaid + a comfy crock pot recipe

I am MAD FOR PLAID this fall season!!  I've been wearing a ton of plaid flannel shirts lately... big comfy shirts to lounge around as well as more fitted items and dressing them up!  Plaid is everywhere!

I love mixing and matching multiple plaids.  But my favorite trend right now has to be mixing plaid with animal prints!  I love any plaid with a great leopard print clutch or shoes... pumps or flats.

Whether you're a classic flannel shirt kind of girl, or you'd like to incorporate plaid in an accessory or interesting way, there's something for every girl here!

{Shop these items by clicking thumbnails}

What's your favorite?? I really really love the cape and the backpacks!

So now that you've got some comfy outfits planned out, I also wanted to share a quick and easy, super yummy recipe!  This is great because it can be cooked relatively fast on the stove, or you can let it simmer all day in the crock pot!  I'm all about the crock pot in autumn!!  There's something so great about chopping fresh ingredients early in the day and smelling everything simmer slowly throughout the day!  Similarly, if you work outside the home during the day, especially in a cold climate, there's nothing like coming home to a meal that's already cooking and ready, that greets your nose at the door.

I really like making soups.  I've never been a big soup person, but then I got a crock pot and realized how much I loved just throwing a bunch of veggies in the pot and making an easy soup with whatever I have laying around!  It's the perfect item to pair with a salad or a grilled cheese or a baked potato, depending on how hungry you are.  And there's nothing easier to have leftover than soup because it's super easy to store, transport, and reheat.

One of my favorite soups to eat, but something I've never made, is Chicken Tortilla Soup.  My usual routine, when it comes to cooking, is looking up multiple recipes for the same thing, checking my home to see what ingredients I have, and then mixing and matching elements of the recipes into my own creation!

I am not a very experienced cook, but I do have to say that I've done a good job of catching on to seasoning by taste instead of measuring.  Usually people like baking OR cooking, but not always both.  This is mostly because they are two drastically different approaches... measuring everything precisely, or throwing things together sporadically.  I actually like both.  I love baking, always have... and now I'm loving cooking.  And cooking is a different kind of fun; it's an experimenting fun.

So, I basically found a recipe online with great reviews and pretty much followed it, but did just a couple of things differently.  I want to be clear that this is not my recipe, so please refer to the ORIGINAL RECIPE HERE from food.com and see below for my adaptation!

please note: The recipe I followed says 8 servings... I copied many of the measurements for ingredients, and used less chicken broth than the recipe called for.  I chopped and added all ingredients into my crock pot and then topped it off with broth, so I honestly didn't measure.  I have a very small crock pot (2 person) and this ended up making about 3-4 servings total

Like I said above, this adaptation was for me and my husband, in a small crock pot.  You may want to experiment with measurements and continually taste as you are going.  We ended up with a very flavorful, thicker soup and it was delicious!  Also, the original recipe calls for cooking this soup quickly in a pot on the stove.  I prefer cooking in the crock pot so that the vegetables really have a chance to soften and all the flavors are incorporated thoroughly.  My steps below are for my crock pot version, please follow the original recipe above for the quicker stovetop version.  

1. Sautee onions, garlic and celery in olive oil, season with salt & pepper.  Cook until everything is tender and add all ingredients into the crock pot.  I left out the carrots from the original recipe because I honestly don't remember ever having a chicken tortilla soup with carrots in it... am I wrong?  I don't know... but it just goes to show that you can use whatever you have and feel free to leave out anything you don't like.  I also used olive oil instead of corn oil because, well, I don't have corn oil and I really like to cook all of my vegetables in olive oil. You could really use whatever you have.

2. Add 1 can diced tomatoes and 1 can Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles to the crock pot

3. Cook chicken thoroughly however you like.  I recommend cooking the chicken in the same pan you just cooked your veggies in.  This way you are picking up all of those flavors left on the bottom of the pan.  (I opted to use my leftover chicken breast from a restaurant because I wanted to use it up.  Another great option is using a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken from your favorite deli), chop into strips or cubes, and add to the crock pot

4. Note: I had planned to chop and add some jalapeno but I forgot to buy one at the store.  This was divine intervention because after tasting this recipe, it definitely didn't need it.  The green chiles really add enough kick.  If you are making a larger batch of soup, you could consider adding some diced jalapeno if you like your soup extra spicy

5. Add taco seasoning and top off with chicken broth.  I honestly couldn't tell you the exact measurement of broth; I filled the crock pot to about 1/2 inch from the top)

6. Stir all ingredients together and put lid on crock pot.  Cook in low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.

7. Immediately before serving, cut tortilla into small strips and add into the soup.  I had flour tortillas on hand so that's what I used.  I would, however, recommend using corn tortillas since they are a little thicker and harder.  The flour tortillas immediately soak up the liquid, so use them sparingly.  They do get mushy which usually I don't like, but actually I really liked some soggy tortilla in this soup!  If you want crunchier pieces, definitely use corn tortillas, or simply use tortilla chips.

8. Top each serving with shredded cheese (and a slice of avocado if you like) and serve!

*Another note: I intended to add the sour cream from the original recipe and I forgot it when I was cooking!  So I expect that the soup would have tasted even better with it and probably would have been a little on the creamier side!  I am going to make sure to not forget it next time!

I was surprised at how good this soup turned out!  Chris and I both really enjoyed it.  We ate some leftover tortilla chips on the side (also takeout from a restaurant... seriously y'all, take everything you can in your to-go boxes!! It's food you PAY for so don't leave it behind!) and some store-bought salsa.  It was such an easy meal and I enjoyed the leftovers for lunch the next day.  

This is a perfect meal for fall, so I hope you'll try to out and let me know what you think!!  Hooray for comfy clothes and comfort food!!! Do you love Fall as much as me?