Author Archives: Jenn

My Travel Preparation Routine

Hey everyone, today I’m sharing how I spend my last day at home before I leave for a trip to make my return home a more stress free experience.. As most of you know, I travel at least once a month, which means I’m away from home a lot and causes me to feel homesick and super unorganized. It’s hard to keep track of everything when you feel like you’re living out of a suitcase. After a while, my crazy work and travel schedule started to become super problematic and caused me to feel a lot of anxiety so I realized I needed to do something about it if I was going to continue working in that capacity. So I decided to come up with routine that would help me feel more relaxed and organized while preparing for a trip as well as unpacking from a trip.

Here is my travel preparation routine, which I highly recommend you follow if you want a more stress free travel experience.

Two things that I always do to make my packing process run smoothly and efficiently is following a packing guide and trying on all of the outfits I plan on packing and taking photos of them to keep in my phone. As for the packing guide, I created packing list based on my daily routines and I can always refer to it while packing to make sure I have all of my essentials.

When do I start packing?

I start packing three days before I actually leave so the day before my trip, all I have to do is double check my bags and zip them up. This allows me to narrow my outfits from all the things I want to bring to all the things I actually need. For example, I always overpack my shoes and don’t even get around to wearing half of them during my trip. So I line all of the shoes up that I want to bring next to my bag and then add them as I decide I need them for a specific outfit. While it’s fun to pack all of your sassiest shoes, I highly recommend bringing mostly neutral pairs with go with multiple outfits. These tan sneakers from Vince Camuto are perfect for any upcoming warm weather trips. Because of their neutral color, they’ll go with all of your casual outfits plus they’re comfortable enough to wear on the plane all day while traveling.

| Shop My Top 3 Flat Shoes from Vince Camuto |

When it comes to heels, I usually only end up wearing two to three different pairs throughout my trip. So I always make sure to pack three to four different pairs with two of them being neutral colors knowing that they’ll both go with all of my outfits. I like to take one dressy pair and then a second pair with a block heel or wedge that is more comfortable for wearing for long periods of time. I love these new Knot Vamp Sandals from Vince Camuto with the block heel. I got the blush color, which is a beautiful neutral color, but they also come a in a sleek tan leather too. Vince Camuto is always one of my go-to brands when picking out shoes for each new season. You can always count on them to have the top shoe trends for every season along with versatile and classic styles that you can wear for years to come!

| Shop My Top Neutral Heels from Vince Camuto |

What I do the day before I leave:

The day before I leave is all about making sure that my return home is as stress free as possible. It’s the worst when you return home to loads of laundry, a messy house and an empty fridge.

Laundry | This way I know I’ll have enough clean undergarments and pajamas to pack. Plus it’s one less load that I’ll need to do when I return.

Tidy up my house | I don’t want to return home to a mess, which will immediately make me feel stressed and overwhelmed.

Stock the fridge | I like to make sure my fridge is stocked with coffee, cream and breakfast for when I return so it’s like I never even left!

Double check my bags | I never leave packing until the last minute anymore. Everything is pretty much done and all I have to do is zip them up.

Relax | I used stay up until 2 am the night before a trip packing and trying to get myself together, which always made me feel guilty because instead of spending time with my husband I was running around the house like crazy person. That’s why I’ve started packing three days out so I can enjoy dinner and time with husband before I leave.

Do you have any tips for making your travel preparations a more stress free experience?

This post is in partnership with Vince Camuto, a brand I love. All opinions and selections here are my own. Thank you for supporting the affiliate posts who make this blog possible.

How to Throw a Great Gatsby Themed Party

January 15, 2019

Hey everyone, as promised, today I’m sharing all of the decoration details from Blake’s 30th birthday party. This was our first year planning a themed birthday party and we thought it would be fun to choose a 1920s theme to help him say so long to his 20s and hello to 30! We ended up going with the Great Gatsby theme because “a little party never killed nobody,” right?

Blake is actually a New Year’s Day baby and we always celebrate on New Year’s Eve, but I also like to throw him a separate birthday gathering as well just to make him feel extra special. However, I did combine the birthday invitation with a New Year’s card since we sent out the invitation during the holidays. You can read all about our unique birthday party invitations here—>New Years Holiday Card Idea

How to throw a Great Gatsby Themed Party:

Party Planning Details:

To plan the perfect party, I created a spread sheet in google docs and shared it with Meribo, my two assistants and my best friend so everyone would be on the same page. I put together an extremely detailed list with descriptions of how each table and area should look and we met at the location the day before the event for walk through. I even made a detailed schedule for all five of us so that everything would be finished in time for the party and I found that it helped the whole decor process run very smoothly.

The best part about hosting the party at a restaurant is not having to worry about catering. They took care of everything and did a pizza bar and served delicious pastas and hors d’oeuvres.

Decor Details:

Happy Birthday Balloons with Champagne & Glass Balloon | Gold Sequin Table Runners | Silver Ostrich feathers | Gold Confetti Balloons | White Ostrich Feathers | Gold Foil Curtains | Gold, Black & White Balloons | Pearlescent Gold Balloons | Plastic Champagne Glasses for champagne tower | We rented all of the black table cloths through Meribo and we also rented a helium tank from Wesco to blow up all of the balloons.

| Shop Our Great Gatsby Party Costumes |

Jenn’s Outfit: Dress similar to mine—> Gold Sequin Dress | Gold Sequin Dress 2 | Sam Edelman Yaro Ankle Strap Sandal | 1920s Gatsby Flapper Feather Headband 20s Accessories Crystal Beaded Wedding Headpiece | Similar Faux Fur Stole (similar faux fur stole) | Gatsby Pearl Necklace | Fake Cigarette Holder | Loren Hope bracelets | Hair by Courtney Graham and Makeup by Meggan

Blake’s Outfit: Vintage Suit | Hat | Men’s Boots | White Dress Shirt

See more on our outfits here—> Great Gatsby Party Costumes

Signs:

For the photo photo booth table sign, I bought a small gold framed chalkboard from Hobby Lobby and wrote on it in gold paint pen. | Great Gatsby Custom Photo Booth Backdrop | “Welcome to the speakeasy” sign | Outdoor Party Sign | “A party without cake is just a meeting” sign | Dollfaces & Old Sports bathroom signs | A Little Party Never Hurt Nobody Sign (To make the sign, I ordered the PDF from Etsy and then had it printed onto foam board at a local print shop. Then I found a large 16 x 20 golf frame from Hobby Lobby and placed the foam board inside of it and then set it into a wooden easel covered with a gold sequin table cloth. I did same thing with the cake sign except I had to spray paint the frame gold to keep with the theme. I also framed a black and white photo of me and Blake in our costumes for a cool vintage look. I even bought mini gold frames for black and white wallet sized photos of Blake as a baby for the centerpieces.

Cake Table:

“A party without cake is just a meeting” sign | Cake by Sucre in New Orleans | Gold dipped feathers for cake | Decorative Cookies by The Little Oven | Gold Sequin Table Runner

Centerpieces:

For the centerpieces, we spray painted 20 liqueur bottles metallic gold and stuffed a small piece of floral styrofoam in the opening to the hold the ostrich feathers up. I found a variety of different ostrich feathers at Hobby Lobby and on Amazon and Etsy. To complete the center pieces, we filled Coupe Cocktail Glasses with gold beads and strings of pearls and placed them next the gold liqueur bottles along with mercury glasses candle holders. We also added gold framed black and white photos of Blake as a baby for a few of the main centerpieces.

Champagne Tower Table:

“Welcome to the speakeasy” sign | For the champagne tower, we ordered plastic champagne glasses from Amazon and hot glued them down to a foam board covered in gold glitter for a fun display. Don’t worry, we made sure to provide our guests with plenty of real champagne glasses filled with bubbles!

Find my Instax camera here!

Photo Booth Table:

For the photo photo booth table sign, I bought a small gold framed chalkboard from Hobby Lobby and wrote on it in gold paint pen. | Vintage Handheld Feather Flapper Fans | Flapper Headbands | Photo Booth Props Kit | Instax Camera

| Shop Great Gatsby Party Outfits |

Location: Meribo in downtown Covington

Cake by Sucre in New Orleans | Gold dipped feathers for cake

Decorative Cookies by The Little Oven

Thanks so much to Haley, Marnee and Cami for helping me make this party possible!

4 Tips For Organizing Your Closet

January 9, 2019

Hey everyone, Blake and I officially finished putting away our Christmas decorations this morning so our house is finally starting to look normal again. I even purged my closet and organized the guest bedroom too. Speaking of closet organization, today I’m sharing a few tips on how to organize your closet. However, please know that I didn’t do everything all on my own. I had the help of my assistant and friend Rachel from The Elizabeth Chronicles who is a closet organizer mastermind. Rachel has a way of making everything she touches look beautiful and perfectly placed.

Shop My Barrington Gifts Captains bag here!

Find my large Kendra Scott Jewelry box here!

4 Tips For Organizing Your Closet:

1) First, assess your closet and decide on what you want to keep, donate and throw out. I know that it can be hard to let some things go, but if you haven’t worn it two years, that probably means you don’t need it. Let someone else enjoy it instead. Also, condense your doubles. I’m famous for having the same item in multiple different colors or slightly different styles. For example, when I was purging my closet I noticed that I had five different green utility jackets in my closet, which is totally unnecessary so I narrowed it down to one and sold the others.

Find my gold shelf here!

Outfit: Beaded Skirt | Gold Mule Sandals | Cropped Sweater (I love this ivory cropped sweater too)

2) Next, organize the remainder of your shoes, bags and accessories by color and occasion. That mean display all of your fancy shoes & accessories together up high on a shelf since you don’t use them that often and put all of your everyday shoes lower to the ground where you easily throw them on. As for your jewelry and beaded accessories, think of them as decorative pieces for your closet. Not only can they dress up your outfit, but they can also elevate your room.

You can find my lucite clutch organizer here—> The Glam Divide

My exact gold and white shelf is old and sold out, but you can find a similar one here.

3) Once you’ve purged and decorated your closet, put outfits together with all of the remaining pieces to see what your wardrobe lacks. Then compile a list of what your closet need to help you complete your outfits so that you don’t end up buying more things you don’t actually need.

You can find my gold beaded floor mirror here and my cream rug here.

4) Last but not least, drop off your clothing donations to a place you trust to give to a person in need or pass it down to a friend who doesn’t currently have extra shopping money in their budget. When it comes to your nicer pieces, create a Poshmark account or drop them off at a second hand store that sells gently used clothing so you can get back a little money to purchase items your wardrobe still needs.

Find my tall gold shelf on sale here and here!

I lined my drawers with marble printed contact paper for a clean and chic look.

| Shop This Look |

Outfit: Candy Dress in Silver | Lindsay Sandal | Disco Ball

Closet Built-ins:

For those of you who asked how I installed my closet and shoe shelf built-ins, I had our house contractor install them the week we moved in. Prior to installing the built-ins, I sent him photos from Pinterest of exactly what I wanted. Then he built shelves in his shop and brought them to my house to install them. The whole closet system is removable so I can take them with me when I move. If you’re looking for a more affordable option, you can order the closet system from IKEA and put it together yourself. You can also purchase clothing racks with top and bottom shelves to create your own makeshift closet like I did in my second closet room. I could only put builtins in one room because one day, we’ll need the other two rooms for kids.

See more on my Zebra rug here.

My exact clothing racks are old and sold out, but you can shop similar clothing racks here! This rolling rack is very similar.

See more on my monogram luggage here!

Find a similar desk here!

Find my jewelry organizers here!

| Shop Kendra Scott Jewelry Organizers |

I also made my own vanity with old white desk I had and beautiful vintage looking mirror.

Activewear & Loungewear:

I keep all of my activewear and loungewear clothing in the closet in my bedroom. I like to hang everything on hangers instead of keeping them in drawers so I can find everything more easily and quickly in the morning.

Who remembers my closet post from my old house a couple years ago? I love reading my goals from 2017 and seeing what I actually accomplished. You can check it out here—> Haute Off The Rack Office Closet Tour

What to Expect from Haute Off The Rack in 2019

January 7, 2019

Hey everyone, I was supposed to get this blog post up last week, but I learn more and more every day that I can’t always expect myself to finish everything when I set unrealistic goals for myself. I feel liked I’ve failed when I don’t check everything off of my daily lists. I’ve been writing daily lists for myself since I was just a kid. It helps me feel organized and on track. So one of my goals this year is to do a better job of creating more attainable lists of daily tasks instead thinking I can do everything and spreading myself thin. Do not mistake this for me saying that I’m not going to dream big or work even harder than last year. I’m just going to focus on doing my best on fewer things instead of giving half of myself to more things.

| Shop This Look |

Outfit: Candy Dress in Silver | Lindsay Sandal | Disco Ball

As far as what you can you can expect to see on Haute Off The Rack in 2019, I actually polled all of my followers on Instagram to learn more about what you want to see. After gathering everyone’s feedback, I have decided to continue sharing travel reviews, but with an equal amount of home decor posts too. Also, I will be sharing more try-on sessions on Instagram stories along with my goofy side with Blake that you asked for. I will of course continue to share my everyday looks and special occasion outfits, but I’ve also gotten quite a few requests for workwear outfits. I’ve never technically worked in an office before, but I’ll find a way to incorporate more work appropriate looks here and there.

| Shop This Look |

Bellamy Turtleneck Sweater Dress | Philips 90ct Christmas LED Dewdrop Fairy String Lights – Warm White | Mar Vista Matelassé Duvet Cover | Lantern Candle Holder – Gold

For those of you who are newly engaged, you’ll be glad to know that I plan to incorporate wedding content back into my weekly posts since I still get so many questions about details and decor. You can expect to see them on Wedding Wednesdays. I will also make sure to post all of my DIY projects for parties and showers that I throw.

Most importantly, you can expect to feel confident, empowered and inspired to live your best life after visiting my blog or any of my social media platforms in 2019 because that is my #1 goal with Haute Off The Rack this year. I want the photos and stories I share to help women feel beautiful and encouraged to be their absolute best self. I am not perfect by all means and I’m not striving for perfection in 2019 either. Instead, I am striving for happiness and happiness comes with doing and feeling your best. It also comes with doing more of what you love and achieving your dreams and goals. So please feel free to stop by Haute Off The Rack anytime you need some inspiration and encouragement. And never hesitate so shoot me an email for more insight on a specific subject that I’ve covered on my blog. You can even email me with blog post requests. I am happy to answer your questions.

| Shop This Look |

Outfit: Express One Eleven Fleece Quarter-zip Sweatshirt | Nike Air Max 270 Metallic Women’s Shoe | Alo Airbrush Tech Lift High Waist Capris | MZ Wallace Quilted Rose Gold Metallic Metro Backpack |adidas Originals Relaxed Debossed Cap

Okay, now who wants to know where I’m traveling to this year? So far, I have Cuba booked with a group of friends in just a couple weeks. We also have Hawaii booked for May with my whole family, which we’re super excited for. I have Positano on my list for spring, but I haven’t booked it just yet. Blake really wants to visit Turks and Caicos Islands, which I am all for, but I know nothing about! Have you been before? I’d love to hear your suggestions.

Where are you traveling to in 2019?

| Shop My Dining Room |

Furniture: Wood Leona Farmhouse Extension Dining Table | Neutral Linen Paige Dining Bench | Natural Linen Paige Round Back Dining Chairs | 3 Tier Rolling Bar Cart | Flatware & China c/o Simplee Gourmet |

Last, but not least, Blake and I are highly considering renting an apartment in New York for a month this fall. We’ve never lived anywhere else together and we thought it would be fun to try and live in a completely different city for a month. Blake would of course have to take his work with him, and work would actually be even easier for me in New York because that’s where most of the brands I work with are based. We have no intention of actually moving there. We have all of our friends and family here in Louisiana that we could never leave so we thought this would be the perfect way to just get a taste of living somewhere else. I think it would be a great experience for us. Have you ever done something like this before?

My 5 Personal Goals For 2019:

Try harder to be on time!
Make healthier choices and stay active because I always feel happier when my body is healthy.
Put more in my savings account and less in my closet. Don’t worry! I will still be adding to my closet, but I will be a little less frivolous
This should be my lifetime goal, but I want to work on being a better wife and friend.
Do more adventurous activities. I’m such a scaredy cat, but I want to face my fears if it means having a little more fun.

What are some of your goals for 2019?

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Recently On Haute Off The Rack

Author Archives: Jenn

My Travel Preparation Routine

When do I start packing?

What I do the day before I leave:

How to Throw a Great Gatsby Themed Party

Party Planning Details:

Decor Details:

Signs:

Cake Table:

Centerpieces:

Champagne Tower Table:

Photo Booth Table:

4 Tips For Organizing Your Closet

4 Tips For Organizing Your Closet:

Closet Built-ins:

Activewear & Loungewear:

What to Expect from Haute Off The Rack in 2019