So I have legit taken two weeks off from blogging for a perfectly good reason…balance.
I have been trying to figure out how to get a handle on school, have a life, and write. I haven’t found the perfect balance of any of it, but I kind of took two weeks off from my blog to work on having a social life. It was amazing people, there’s a world outside of my library and apartment! Honestly, as this term is coming to a close I find myself feeling slightly emotional over how quickly this is all going. Like for real, I feel like before I know it I’ll be walking across the stage, wondering where the time went.
The day of the BBSA conference was rough and took me back to my pageant days…being in full hair and makeup before the sun is up, spending all day in heels, and coming home to possible nerve damage in your feet.
I will admittedly say the first day was a serious miss, like when I put the picture on my snapchat I immediately got a text from my mom asking, “What are you wearing?!?” But my favorite hit of the week came courtesy of my new obsession, my super deep burgundy MAC lipstick. I’ll share the color another day, but its an amazing color that I adore. It looked nice with my hair back and down, it just adds the perfect amount of drama.
So if nothing else, learn from me that some days will be hits and others will be serious misses…but you get an A for effort.
First off, pardon WIW coming to you on a Monday…I had finals and midterms all last week and the idea of blogging and posting seemed painful to deal with.
So you are getting this post several days late, but at least you are getting it…so let’s get some clothes…
All Gap loungewear from head to toe and Ralph Lauren Grey flats
J Crew plaid shirt and camo vest, Citizens of Humanity jeans and Rachel Zoe cowboy boots
Gap leather vest, Gap black pants, Peter Pilotto for Target flats, Gap Sweater and H&M beenie
Forever21 sheer “flannel” top, Citizens of Humanity jeans, H&M beenie, and (eventually) Jimmy Choo flats
You can tell these outfits where during finals and review sessions…because everything is varying degrees of comfort. My rule when dealing with review weeks and tests is if I can’t comfortable cross my legs and sit on the floor in it, than I will spend my whole test/review fidgeting with what I have on.
The flannel/camo combo was inspired by a suggestion I got on my Stitch Fix account. By the way Stitch Fix is amazing (that’s where I got my awesome new jeans from!), and no they aren’t paying me to tell you that they’re amazing. If you want to check the site out, follow this link. That same day I had to take the club photo for the Black Business Students Association. I wore a gorgeous David Meister dress and Jimmy Choo heels, however I wasn’t feeling particularly girly lugging my backpack while wearing it, so I changed out of it in under 30 seconds and never took a picture (maybe I’ll do a post of all the outfits I’ve worn and never talked about).
Hopefully something on here inspired you to add a little umph to your super casual wear…or maybe buy a beenie for bad hair days (they’re a lifesaver for bad hair days if you have a giant head).
I love buying clothes, but that has it’s downsides…my closets (yes plural) get a little like an episode of hoarders.
I realize I’ve posted some pieces on the blog that I would love to share with you all! So I created a Poshmark page. Some of the stuff on my page is brand new with the tags still on, and I think its a shame for a gorgeous piece of clothing to go unloved. As things go up on Fridays I want to make at least 1 or more of those What I Wore pieces available.
First day of school: Marc by Marc Jacobs top, Topshop Skirt and J Crew shoes
I just posted the Marc by Marc Jacobs top I wore for my first day of school (half off from the original price).
Keep an eye out for links to pieces featured on the blog, and happy shopping!
Midterms…the bain of my existence and a reality right now.
Last week (honestly I don’t know what week it is now), I had two midterms (managerial statistics and corporate strategy), and I did my best not to fall in to the sweatpants, ponytail, vortex of stress.
I know that when I’m most tired and down, I have to try and fix myself up and get dressed up. Because in the words of Dion Sanders, “when you look good you feel good, when you feel good you play good, and when you play good, they pay good,” or in my case grade good.
So here’s to trying to keep it classy when you just want to lay down.
Black and leather…H&M perforated faux leather peplum top, black levi skinnies, and J Crew Sandals
First touch of fall calls for layers! H&M White tshirt, Forever 21 sweater, J Crew Minnie pants, vintage belt and Cole Han shoes
M by Missoni wrap top, black minnie pants, and burgundy velvet splippers
Camo J Crew vest, Lululemon camo moto pants, Mossimo black sneakers, and James Perse white tshirt
Juicy Couture track pants, hanes white tshirt, and jcrew heels…keeping it super comfy for the midterm
Playing around on a Sunday before heading to church…H&M shorts, J Crew Baseball tshirt and almond milk latte
I also had the joyous fashion challenge of dealing with bloating, cramps and all the other fun of my monthly visitor. I kid you not, dressing for stress and PMS is no fun! But I think I did a decent job, and it helped me not feel like a ball of frazzled emotions or a Cathy cartoon rolling around school.
I challenge you, when you aren’t feel your greatest, make a little extra effort, you’ll surprise yourself with how much better you’ll feel, when you look in the mirror and don’t see a reflection of how you feel staring back.
This week has been so intense I didn’t even have time to write, let alone stay on top of my weekly posts.
So this weekend you are in for a treat…back to back weekend posts to make up for the missed content. So you will get new posts today, tomorrow, and Sunday. Here’s hoping I don’t forget what I want to write about!
Now to the clothes:
Jason Wu for Target dress, vintage belt, and Christian Louboutin wedges
J Crew jeweled collar top, Levi skinny black jeans, and J Crew metallic penny loafers
J Crew baja top and shorts, and metallic birkenstocks
This was an interesting week. There’s no Monday outfit because it was Labor Day, and I genuinely stayed in my pajamas all day. Also, I had a lot of club kickoffs, and wanted to go into them by making the best first impression that I could.
I’m a huge fan of mixing high/low pieces, so this week in particular there were a lot of under $60 pieces mixed with high end jewelry or more expensive accessories (those Louboutin wedges are so high but soooo comfortable). And whenever I can, I like to wear a belt or nip in the waist in some way. With broad shoulders, a big chest, I have to make sure that I take the waist in or else everything looks gigantic. I played with a little menswear inspiration on Wednesday with the penny loafers and the white button down. Not surprisingly, I hear more from the guys in my class when I wear metallic menswear shoes than anyone else. If I were to say I have a style staple/uniform it would be pencil skirts. For my shape and daily routine, a pencil skirt adds a little sex appeal to an otherwise blah day.
The pink silk dress was my nod to Casual Friday Hawaiian shirt day, it also looked like I was wearing my pajamas. Saturday was when I got to see Amazing Grace with LeeLee, and I was ecstatic because I finally got to wear a coat somewhere (don’t even get me started on how much I adore fall, and layering). And the last outfit was from a marathon learning team session. I went from church to 3.5+ hours of library time on a SUNDAY. Thankfully J Crew continues to make clothes that feel like PJs so I was at least comfortable.
Yesterday I survived a statistics midterm, so if you see a girl around Manhattan lugging J Crew, TopShop and Sephora bags with FitFlops on, yea it’s probably me.
The first week of school was a blur of excel sheets, learning team meetings, and attempting to stay sane.
Now that I’m wrapping up my second week, I long for those days of orientation when my biggest concern was turning in one homework assignment every day…rather than 5 every day.
But honestly, it took my stylist at DryBar yesterday to remind me, there are people who wish they could have gotten in and would gladly trade places. Thank you kind hair sage…now for the clothes.
Hamptons Week Reunion Brunch and Church: wearing Jason Wu for Target and vintage flats
First day of school: Marc by Marc Jacobs top, Topshop Skirt and J Crew shoes
It was exceptionally hot, and I decided to walk 3 miles to school from my apartment: Levi 310s, TopShop shirt (you can’t see that the side are completely cut open for heatwave ventilation), and silver metallic birkenstocks
How closely can I get to wearing pajamas to school, without actually wearing pajamas, the answer: Burberry men’s pajama top and Burberry white terry cloth track pants
Bejeweled collar J Crew Top, H&M Boyfriend shorts, and Sam Edelman shoes
Wanted to try something different and go a little grunge glam to end the week: J Crew shorts, purple flannel, and shoes, and James Perse white t-shirt.
EZoo Bound (and surprisingly I went to church in this too): Rich and Skinny shorts, J Crew Top, Forever21 hat, and Rachel Zoe boots
By the middle of the week I was all about comfort and staying cool, so it was a challenge achieving that goal without going straight to my yoga pants and workout clothes. Don’t worry, athleisure will find it’s way to posts once the weather gets cooler.
Also, if you’d like to know how EZoo went, I can’t tell you, I bailed at the last minute because I couldn’t pretend to like EDM any longer!!!!
To see more OOTD posts as they happen during the week, you can also follow me on Instagram.
I’m coming to the end of my first official week as a full time MBA candidate.
As I get into my routine, I’m sure every day will start to feel like Groundhogs Day. One part of my routine that I actually enjoy every morning is snapping a picture of my outfit and posting it to snapchat. It’s quick, convenient, and gives me a chance to see what I look like before I fall apart my the end of the day (stupid heatwave).
Since one of my loves is style, and part of this blog is dedicated to style and fashion, I wanted to share some of the outfits here.
CBS Dream Hotel Happy Hour (Herve, YSL, and J Crew Jewelry)
1st Visit to Hillsong Church (J Crew Tank Dress, Belt, and Vintage Italian Flats)
CBS Orientation Kickoff Happy Hour (Jason Wu for Target Dress and Sam Edelman Shoes)
1st Day of Orientation (James Perse Tank Dress and Vintage Italian Flats)
2nd Day of Orientation (Haute Hippie Shirt, J Crew Minnie Pants, and Vintage Italian Flats)
Day 3 CBS Cluster Competition…and sick as a dog (Norma Kamali Skater Dress, J Crew Shoes, and Cluster C Swag)
End of Week 1 Orientation (Forever 21 Grey Tank Dress, J Crew Shoes, and J Crew Jewlery)
Week 2 Orientation (Forever 21 Turban, J Crew Pants, Zara Bejeweled Sweatshirt, and Coach Shoes)
CBS Connect Event (Zara Peplum Top, Vintage Ferragamo Shoes, and Black Pencil Skirt)
Finals Review (Elizabeth and James Grey Top, J Brand Black skinny jeans, and Vintage Italian Flats)
I adore mixing high/low pieces. I’m also taking this time in business school to further refine and define my personal style philosophy. Some of the outfits are missing because I was either very sick or dealing with a very sick dog.
I will admit that business school is a test of mixing comfort with style. Many of my classes are almost 2 hours with minimal breaks, so my new style requirements have to accommodate sitting for a long time and being able to maneuver the subway easily. Flats and chunkier heels have a more solid place in my repertoire than I expected. I will keep posting outfits, not just because I like sharing some style inspiration, but it also helps me. It’s like rereading an essay looking for subtle (or huge changes) that can improve it.
Also if you would like to follow my OOTDs in real time (among other things), follow my snapchat at bapsupreme17
My dream for Miss USA to MBA is to see it evolve along with me. I’ve had a desire to move the blog over to WordPress for a while.
For those that are just discovering the blog let me introduce myself. My name is MacKenzie Green. I’m a former Miss DC USA (2010) and currently a Columbia Business School student. This blog originally started as my Miss USA blog, took on tons of different incarnations, and finally settled on what it is now. This blog is every bit of me, style, beauty, lifestyle, business school tips, and random thoughts.
If you want to see any previous posts, go to this link to see the former home of Miss USA to MBA.
I look forward to this journey at our new home, and I hope you enjoy this crazy right right along with me.
Miss USA to MBA 