WHAT WE WORE...IN CHARLESTON

I didn’t go crazy with the outfits, but I could’ve, LOL! I was proud of being several pounds under on my weight limit, (nutcase, NOT body, lol)! If you listened to my Instagram walk and talk a while back you know, lol! Besides what I shared in my post with the dresses last week, I wanted to share some of the other things that mom and I wore on our trip to Charleston!

Farm Rio and Spanx

The Brand Farm Rio is stealing my heart. So many pretty prints on their blouses and dresses. This Colorful Top was so fun to wear, add in the beloved Spanx cropped white pants and loving this outfit!

Colorful Wide Leg Pants

I am absolutely in love with these pants from Petal & Pup! They have such a fun color pop. One of the restaurants we went to for brunch re-shared a photo of this outfit because they said they loved it so much. I think I will wear these a lot when I want to give off a serious color vibe of fun!

Dress...oh the BACK

This dress..the back steals the show. It’s from the Aura line at Red Dress and I just love the color!

Mom in Lavender

I got this beautiful billowy Lavender Top from Target and it matched mom's sandals perfectly so I told her she could have it and look how she styled it fabulously with the flowy white gauze pants!

Free People Jumpsuit

I am so in love with this Utility jumpsuit from Free People, I cannot even tell you! It is a linen material, the belt is soft rope it is so flattering and easy to get up and down, I got so many compliments on this!!

Dona Jo Activewear

Pickle ball or tennis anyone! It’s going to be the time of year to get even more active than ever or just wear this cute outfit around town doing errands! The Breathe Tank and Jo Jo Skirt are cute as a button! I was so excited to be introduced to this Dona Jo Brand, her stuff is so high-quality and so active adorable! And again, another cute back. Even found a Hair Scarf to match and of course, Stan Smith Sneaks!

Mom in Linen Pants

And speaking of linen, doesn’t mom look great in her navy blue pants! Add some crisp white jacket and her darling fedora and it’s Charleston perfect! No one wears a fedora like mama!

Comfy & Cute Travel Home Outfit

This is the outfit I showed you that my kids got for me for my birthday! It is from the Who What Wear line at Target, comes in a bright yellow too and was perfect for traveling home! The hooded Top and wide leg Pants are soooo soft!! I just put a jean jacket on it for the plane and I was

good to go! Wore my Vionic Mules everywhere and my tootsies were comfy and My Favorite sunnies I wear all the time HERE.

All these looks are also linked up on the FREE LikeToKnowIt app, search Livingoncloudnine9 and follow me for all the clothing, outfits and decor I link up.

Hope your week is being SWEET!!!

LINKING-UP with Style on the Daily // Metamorphosis Monday // Thursday Fashion Files // Love your Creativity // Hello Monday  //Fancy Friday // Trend Spin

xoxo

CHARLESTON CHRONICLES

Last year for my 50th birthday my mom told me I could have a trip to go anywhere that I wanted. She had a trip planned that included Charleston that got canceled due to the darn pandemic in 2020. I’ve been itching to go there for a girls trip so I thought that would be the perfect spot for some mother daughter time. And what a great time it was! Charleston is an absolutely beautiful city and seeing as we both love architecture and great food along with beautiful weather, it was the perfect city for us. AND this was the first flight for my mom and I since the pandemic so we did it right! 

Here are just a few of the highlights.

We arrived on Easter and thought that two of our days were going to be a rain washout but the only time the weather was a little bit sprinkling was Monday morning. Sunday was so gorgeous so we packed in lots of sightseeing. We were enamored with the beautiful homes, hotels and flowers!

The well known Pineapple Fountain by the Water

The famous Rainbow Row of houses, they are an average of $3 Million 

This trip was planned just three weeks ago so we did not have a lot of options for accommodations are where we wanted to stay but one that kept popping up to us was the Mills House because that is my mom‘s last name; my maiden name. How adorable does my mom look in these pictures.

I do want to note that the best thing about this hotel was the central location with the walking distance to everything. The lobby and courtyard was gorgeous but the rooms are extremely dated, small and the staff not very knowledgeable. My mom even asked for a little something in our room to celebrate it being a birthday trip and they said the best they could do was order champagne from the restaurant and charge it to the room, lol! However, if you do want to be century located to be able to walk everywhere you probably would want to check it out.

 

Dessert kind of came first for the evening we walked by Carmella's Dessert Bar with the most beautiful desserts in the case. Just look at this cannoli cake.

That night we had dinner at a restaurant called Eli's Table and should not have ordered the duck, lol! F-ing Duck mom called it, lol! I have never had duck and I probably will not have it again but Charleston is known for the fried green tomatoes and the fried green tomato stack was delicious!

Churches

Speaking of architecture in the homes and hotels; the churches are absolutely magnificent so I’m sharing a few of those for sure!

As we were walking around the historic district, we came upon a large camera crew, a local told us they were filing Outer Banks 3 and yes, John B was on the top porch!!

 

Our favorite spot for brunch was Millers All Day. In fact, we loved it so much from the food to the retro vibe to the fact that it was a two minute walk from our hotel that we went two days in a row. Highly recommend this place if you were in Charleston, it was our favorite meals.

Poogan's Porch is also quite delish. Funny story too, the waiter brought me  straw for the chafe of mimosas because mom only had one, so guess who drank the rest, lol

Cute mama with her one mimosa, lol

Me, with them all, lol

And another great must try restaurants is Hyman's. There are pics all over the wall of famous people who have eaten there. We were at Neal Diamond's table, lol.

A Carriage Ride! 

What a fun way to see the city and Old South Carriage does it right. Highly recommend the hour tour if you're there. The walking tours are great too.

 

After the carriage ride, we made out way to King Street for lots of shopping. This store, Spartina 449, was our favorite and I got the cutest linen jumpsuit there!

The last night we found an amazing hotel lobby to explore as well as it's rooftop bar. We love Hotel lobbies and many in Charleston are great. This one, The Venue, was all modern with lots of white and red. And how funny is this big gorilla. I teased it was Mr. Nine's competition, lol.

Look how Beautiful Mom looks.

My Dress HERE

CHECK out some of the dresses I wore HERE

(more on what was worn in Charleston 

in a dedicated post soon)

Sunset from the rooftop

Last stop was Kaminsky's Dessert Bar, voted the best desserts in Charleston for 24 years in a row. I was in heaven with the dessert martini's as you know my fav is Key Lime and of course I had to get a slice of bourbon Pecan Pie, YUMMY!

I will say this; unless you’re planning on staying on one of the nearby islands at the beach, this is not a laid-back relaxing vacation. In order to see Charleston right, there is lots and lots of walking and you will be tired in the evening, lol! It’s really somewhere where you don’t need more than four days so pack it all in. Really the only two things that we missed doing was the pink Champagne bar which we went to on Easter but it was closed and seeing a couple of the plantations and flower gardens but it was hard to plan everything when we thought the weather was going to be rainy a couple days. As you know, we also go on a trip every five years for mama‘s milestone birthdays; seeing as one is this year, we just might shoot for somewhere relaxing come this Fall. All I know, is that I am extremely lucky at my age; when many people I know have lost their parents, that I get an opportunity to enjoy sweet vacations like this with my beautiful mama!

Have you ever been to Charleston?

HUGS to you all!

LINKING-UP with Metamorphosis Monday// Love your Creativity // Hello Monday  // Inspire Me Tuesday 

xoxo 

 

VICTORIA DUNN DESIGN & THE TEA ROOM

Can you see me grinning ear to ear? You know how giddy I get when I’m excited about something. And I am over the moon excited to share the beautiful designer, Victoria Dunn with you all. This sweet and talented beauty from Charleston, South Carolina is a gem I tell you!

I was honored to wear one of her designs, the Kiawah Dress to The Parker Grace Tea Room last week for a birthday luncheon my mama took me to!

Pearl Handle Rattan Purse HERE

So you are getting a two for today: not only sharing the delightful afternoon tea details but the beautiful Victoria Dunn Designs as well. I mean when you think about it, a delightful tea house and beautiful feminine eyelet just go hand-in-hand! And of course the twirl factor.

Just look how pretty the sweet Victoria is! She is wearing her Sully's Mandarin Collar Dress in Passion Fruit which is on my Wish List!!

She graduated from college in Canada with a degree in finance. She fell in love with Southern design and fashion when she married a true southern gentleman. and moved to the United States. They reside in Charleston, South Carolina where all her designs are inspired. Coastal and southern living is so fun, feminine, and vibrant. Victoria only designs pieces that bring her joy and carefully and purposely designs each collection.

 

This Kiawah Midi Dress is one of her fabulous PETITS BLANCS DÉLICATS or shall we say "whites,” which to me is the quintessential color for spring and summer! It features a high mandarin collar, scalloped sleeves and scalloped bottom. And oh there are pockets!! The fabric is specialty eyelet fabric from Jaipur, India, 100% organic cotton and the dress is lined!

I'm also eyeing her King Street Maxi in Azalea as I will be traveling to Charleston soon...eeek...so excited!!

 And the perfect place to wear a Victoria Dunn Design: 

The Parker Grace Tea Room

The Parker Grace Tea Room began in 1994 when the original owner had a dream to open a tea room with a scratch kitchen and a romantic, charming overall experience.

Nestled in historic and beautiful Roanoke, the Parker Grace Tea Room is filled with gorgeous artifacts that not only create an elegant and charming atmosphere, but also communicate rich story and history. Built in 1855, the home has transformed the oldest existing home in Roanoke into an enchanting get-away. Surround yourself with china, crystal, story, and good company.

Such a wonderful spot to enjoy scrumptious, homemade food served with grace and elegance!

The food and tea was some of the best I've had at 

a luncheon in a long time..delish!!

Had to have my pinky up a bit, lol

Often credited with the famous quote, "Let them eat cake," their unique Marie Antoinette dessert stand holds all kinds of our favorite goodies. Antoinette was the last queen before the French Revolution and was known for her choices in wardrobe and jewelry. I went crazy for this stand!


Mom and I had no idea our pink and white would match the aesthetic.

The Spoonful of Sugar Candy Shop upstairs was a treat as well!

I truly felt like Royalty...a dress and tea room fit for any Birthday Princess. Thank you, Mama, Thank you Victoria and Thank you staff at The Parker Grace!

As you can see, this was the perfect place for a lunch for my beautiful mom and I! I wish I could take each and every one of you there as I said if I lived close, I would probably be there weekly! And most likely wearing a 

Victoria Dunn Design!

xoxo