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I'm Caroline, a lifestyle blogger who calls OKC home and basically everywhere else "on the list!" I'm here blogging about style, travel, and everything else between home and away!

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I threw a party last night and my Pinterest board was called “midnight macabre” and I would like to say that if I got to plan my wedding all over again I’d reuse this vibe x 100000 and my husband would NOT like it 👻🕯💀

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Currently sitting in a Little Caesars parking lot awaiting some Italian cheese bread. Here’s a pic of me wandering around actual Italy probably still in search of cheese & bread though. Outfit is @aceandjig rara + @mirandabennettstudio wrap top.

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I did wear jeans for ONE day in Italy and here’s proof. This was one of my favorite days because we were just exploring around Lake Como hopping on and off the water taxi and stopping gelato every chance we could get. We also stopped in this little shop in Bellagio that let you sample olive oil and balsamic vinegar and limoncello and we were able to find a small enough vial of balsamic to bring home with us in our carryon. This whole area was really beautiful and a nice change of pace from all the cities we visited in Italy. Wearing madewell jeans and a thrifted @brynwalker top with my trusty Clark’s slipons!

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Here I am pictured descending what I thought would be a little out-of-the-way staircase for a good cry in Manarola but what I’m pretty sure was actually a staircase leading to the Most Sought After Airbnb in Italy judging by the foot traffic it encountered. Don’t worry, this did not deter me from using this spot exactly as I’d planned.
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Traveling is such an amazing thing. It challenges you and astonishes you and opens you up in more ways than you ever thought possible. I think that being able to take the time and spend the money on travel is an incredible privilege and it’s one I never want to take for granted. But I also want to acknowledge how draining and exhausting it can be to take long (2 weeks is long to me!) trips to the other side of the planet while packing your anxiety and depression into your already-too-tight carryon.
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I don’t remember exactly what was going through my head when I was sitting on those stairs, but I remember that it felt all-consuming and like it was too much for me to feel all at once. I think it was a nice cocktail of the extreme crowds, endless hills to walk, constant sweatiness, and a double shot of body issues! But you know what? I got through it and the trip had so many more amazing things in store for me. I share this because this isn’t really something I hear others discuss. And when I’m on a trip and feel overwhelmed and sad and like I’d rather stay holed up in the Airbnb than out experiencing our amazing world, I feel isolated and ashamed. And I hope if anyone else has similar experiences, that they feel less alone knowing it’s not just them.
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Ok I know this is mostly a clothes page! Sorry! But this is just a fast fashion easy pairing of an Old Navy tank and ModCloth skirt so I figured I’d use this image to say something a little more interesting. Now back to my regular programming (probably)!
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If you read all this— thanks! Sorry I use so many hyphens! I love you!
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Ps peep my kleenex!
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#travelstyle #plussizetravel #travelitaly #mentalhealth #travelfashion #anxiety #depression #travelingwithfashion #travelingwithanxiety #travelingwithdepression

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Tuscan winery + climbing ivy backdrop + Ace
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#aceandjig #mirandabennettstudio #mbsinthewild #travelstyle #plussizetravel #travelitaly #sustainablefashion #slowfashion #ethicalstyle

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Another #aceandjigtryonstories post! This is the Liv Mini dress in Hero / Castle. I would definitely wear this as a tunic as it’s a bit short for how I like my dresses so I’ve paired it here with simple black leggings. The double gauze is so soft and luscious as always and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the earthy tones! The cut of this is quite boxy and I feel could also work belted particularly as a tunic (since belting would take a little more length from you). Head over to my story highlights for a more in depth video review and measurement details! #aceandjig 🧡

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It’s my first ever #aceandjigtryonstories y’all! I’m wearing the Gabe Culottes in Clove. I feel like this has been a favorite textile this season but I’ve failed to see what the fuss was about until I saw it in person! It’s so rich, but also muted? Anyway I think it works brilliantly with these culottes that are giving me 70s midwestern chic vibes! As I explain in my story highlights, I’d probably not choose this style for myself as it’s doing some weird things in Crotch Town but otherwise these seemed to be a good fit on me in a 2X. Paired here with a @jamieandthejones Blank Canvas top. Check my stories for a video review with measurements and to see how this piece moves irl! Thanks @aceandjig for letting me be a part of this! 💛

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Another day another duomo 💒 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I was dreading the outcome of this photo when the stranger taking it crouched down for a upward shot but damn if she didn’t nail it! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
👗 : @aceandjig
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#slowfashion #ethicalfashion #travelstyle #aceandjigfriends #sustainablefashion #plussizetravel #plussizeootd #travelitaly

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Italy travel outfit No. 1 ✨
Posing in my new all-time favorite travel garment in front of my new all-time favorite building. The @alicealexanderco Janis Midi Skirt was so comfortable and cute with literally every top I brought with me and the huge pockets allowed me to carry at one point two bottles of water and an extremely necessary fan, among other essentials. Paired here with the @powerofmypeople Philosopher Button Down in Wayward fit which I LOVE to wear tied up giving just a peek of midriff and let me tell you I was thankful af for breathable linen crammed on public transportation with no a/c!! I loved wearing neutrals most of this trip because pics like this look fabulous when the color pops come from the beautiful scenery. I couldn’t believe how beautiful this building was in all its pink, green, and white marble glory. The terra-cotta dome roof peeking out in the back made such a wonderful centerpiece from the bird’s eye view over Florence 🧡

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I just got back from a 12 day trip to Italy. This was the trip I’ve most wanted to go on my whole life. We got an amazing deal on flights, I worked on carefully curating my travel wardrobe (carry-on luggage only duh), and then I set to the task of fantasizing about all the things we’d do and see. And we did and saw so much! Beautiful things, old things, amazing things, famous things. But I think I may have over-romanticized my expectations for one of the most traveled-to places in the world. I wasn’t mentally prepared for the hoards of people or for the hilly cobblestoned streets that gave my calves an apparently much needed workout 😅 In the coming days I’m going to be posting a highlight reel because I want to celebrate this adventure and of course all the outfits that accompanied me each day. But I also want to preface the barrage of idyllic photos with the acknowledgment that some of the moments of the past two weeks were not highlight worthy. There were tears shed on a conspicuously busy alley stairwell in Cinque Terre. There was a fainting spell brought on by anxiety in the nosebleeds of an 80,000 person soccer stadium In Milan. There were mornings when exhaustion and self-doubt kept me in bed instead of out in that big, beautiful, bustling world. And you know what? Its ok. It’s ALL real. These places are real! My anxiety and my sore feet and my tired bones are all real. It all happened and I was really there even in the moments when I wished I wasn’t. And I’m very happy that’s the case. So I’d like to use this space to chronicle the clothes I wore and the things I experienced in those clothes on this amazing, beautiful, draining adventure. Thanks for following along!

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