Holiday Style with Armoire — The Color Floral

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This is the longest stretch I think I've gone between blog posts. A lot has happened in the past 5 weeks, so I'll open up with the usual life updates. GREG GOT A JOB!!!!!!!! Woo!!!! Just in time for the holidays. It's like a giant weight has been lifted off of us. He now works for PitchBook and he's been there almost a month now. He's really liking it so far. We were both surprised at how long it took him to find a job, but we were told by others out here that his job search time (with limited experience) was about average. I've tried to be very open on here about our moving situation...in that we took a risk moving without jobs. We basically had been living off of savings up until like 2 months ago. That made us both uneasy, so now that he's found a role that he's enjoying, we're both happy and relieved.

In other news, my sweet Grandpa passed away last week. He was 96 and died in his sleep. He lived a long and full life and for that, I am so grateful. He was always the kindest and most positive role model for me. He served in WWII and received a Purple Heart. The ceremony happened when I was young and I remember thinking it was a big deal and I was proud of him without even knowing what a Purple Heart was. Also, I remember when my sister, Whitney, and I would be home in the summer off of school and we didn't have anything to do...we would call Grandma and Grandpa, who lived like 45 minutes away, and we would, like, sneakily get them to come pick us and take us to lunch. And we would always go to Long John Silvers or Steak 'n Shake. They would drive all that way just to take us to Long John Silvers for lunch! Thinking about that now makes my heart so full. And it makes me chuckle. (My mom would NEVER let us get Long John Silvers.) Hahaha Goodness. Anyway, that's just one of the happy memories I have with my grandparents. The memorial for my grandpa was today, and it's days likes this that it's hard being away from my family across the country, but I'm content because I have my fond memories to reflect on.

NOW. I feel like I have sufficiently updated you guys with what's been going on. I'm back on the fitness train. Almost a month in and am really starting to feel fit again...so that's the only other new thing.

On to the meat and potatoes of this post........HOLIDAY STYLE!!!!!! WOOT WOOT!!! As you guys know, I am a stylist for Armoire. And in case you're new to TCF... Armoire is a high-end clothing rental subscription service. Basically, you fill out a style profile with your sizes and preferences and then you will view a curation of around 15 items that are selected specifically for you. You view the items, pick 4 that you want to rent, we ship them to you....you wear them for as long or as short as you want, and then you ship them back and get ready to select your next set of 4 items! We pay for the shipping both ways and the dry cleaning, so no need to worry about that. You just pay a flat monthly fee and you can swap out your packages as often as you like....4 times a month or twice...maybe just once...it doesn't matter. It's totally on your schedule. So my role in that is I am the one that is making the virtual curation of items for you to view and choose from. We call it your virtual closet. Also, I do in person style appointments where you can come into our space and try on your virtual closet and we can talk through how to style the items with what you might already have in your closet. SO that's the kind of how the service works.

The regular monthly cost is $149, but if you are reading this and want to sign up you can use the promo code tcfholiday and get your first month for $99! You can try the service for a hundred bucks and get up to like 16 designer items if you swapped your case once/week? That's how much you would spend on like, one dress, or a pair of shoes regularly right?

Rental clothing is the future guys!!!! The fashion and retail industry is responsible for so much waste in the world, it's awful! We don't need to have closets with hundreds of garments.....especially things that we are only going to wear 1 time? That makes no sense...plus it's expensive. I truly believe in this concept. I know this is ridiculous, but once I'm photographed in something, I won't wear it again for a long time...or if I just wear something to a big event. And so on....how many of you are the same? Rental is the best solution to this!! And also, you get to try out new trends without being tied to them. It's just makes so much sense to me.

My boss Brittany, and our Director of Merchandising and Styling, did a little shoot with me showing some holiday inspiration and looks that we have at Armoire. You could rent any of these pieces for your holiday parties and/or NYE. The faux fur is so huge this season!!!! I love our vests. They are so soft and easy to throw on over any sweater for a cute/casual look. Sequins are always perfect for New Years...I mean seriously, you can only wear things like this for the holiday season, or maybe a birthday, so why not rent them? The simple little navy and LBD are perfect for ALL occasions and can be dressed up or down. If you want more styling advice check out the Armoire post about these looks here.

Side Note: If you know someone who you think would love to try Armoire, you can gift them with a free month here! I just did this for my sister and she loved her first case!

It's so funny because I do not consider myself someone who is a born "seller". That's never been something I've wanted to do or been interested in. However, I am someone who wants to tell the world when they discover a new amazing trick or hack. And that's what I feel like Armoire is. My own shopping has decreased so much because I have Armoire now...like why do I need to shop? I really believe in this idea of a rented closet and I like how Armoire differentiates itself by curating for you.....so you aren't just scrolling through pages of inventory and you save so much time that way. And also, you're eliminating retail waste from the environment. So guys, I promise I'm not just like trying to sell you on this. I really believe that it's an awesome way to be stylish, eco-friendly, and also cost effective. Give it a try and tell me if you disagree!!! (And also, you'll look ballin' for the holidays.) Enjoy the 3 looks below and if you have any questions about Armoire, comment below or email me!! #happyrenting

And Happy Holidays to all of you!!!

(Photos were taken by our Creative Director Miriam Subbiah.)