The Perfect Game Day Dress! (+Giveaway)

Y'all I am SO excited to share this post with you today! It's no secret I'm a Clemson girl through and through (I even got engaged on the football field) and it's almost embarrassing the amount of hours I've spent searching for purple and orange dresses for game day. I know there are a lot of other southern ladies out there with me...

Stewart Simmons Ava Dress // Bourbon & Boweties Bangles // Kendra Scott Lee Earrings // Cowgirl Boots (bought in Nashville - love these Draper James though!) // Clemson Ring

Well fret no more ladies! Enter Stewart Simmons. Launched just this year, owner Shena Simmons has brought quality game day wear to the next level. Made in the USA (who can say that anymore?!) and actually based in Atlanta, this is the most beautifully made cotton dress I've ever tried on. Oh and stay tuned, because you can enter to win one yourself at the end of this post!

I think I died and went to college football heaven! The perfect purple and orange, the flattering v-neck, the flouncy skirt... bring on all day tailgating, yummy dips, the real kick off to fall and great time with friends!

We're headed to our annual Clemson lake weekend with our group of friends this weekend and we're bringing Miss Sully for the first little bit this year. I'm so excited to have her there now that she's older and can walk around. Here's a sneak peek at her sweet little outfit ;). 

How perfect are these outfits for game day?! I'm sure I'm going to love this Ava dress for years and years to come. You can find Sully's Vive la Fete smocked bishop at Best Dressed Child.

Now, time for the fun part, enter below to win a Stewart Simmons dress your own! If you're not a Clemson fan (that's ok I won't judge), they also have colors for you Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee girls too. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy game day y'all and good luck! GO TIGERS!

 In an effort to stay 100% transparent, my friends at Stewart Simmons did send this complimentary dress, but I hope y'all know my excitement over my Ava is oh so real and opinions are all my own!

How to Get to the Amalfi Coast

When Ryan and I finally whittled down our (very long) list of all the places we would like to go for our five year anniversary trip, it became pretty clear that the Amalfi Coast was at the top. Yet once the keyboard got to clickin' we realized it was actually pretty hard to even get to in the first place. 

What we did find out is that Rome is close enough to the Amalfi Coast and (from DC at least) flights were a bargain. So we bought the tickets and decided we'd figure the rest out later. 

In the meantime, I had made the executive decision that out of all the cities on the Amalfi Coast (Positano, Ravello, Sorrento, Amalfi, etc.), we were going to stay in Positano. Why? Well, the pictures of it on Google were freaking amazing for one :) and the rich and famous are fans, but overall it really seemed to exude the vibe we were going for - laid back, walkable, smaller than the huge European cities, a good beach, good food and plenty of excursion options if we got bored. 

A few months later when it actually came down booking everything, I realized that while there's no direct route, there are quite a few indirect routes from Rome to Positano. There's the train, there's the ferry (from places like Sorrento), there's the bus, there's renting a car, there's hiring a driver...

This website was extremely helpful when figuring out options. 

We ultimately decided to train from the Rome airport (FCO) to Naples and take a travel break there for one night. Then in the morning we woke up and had a car meet us which took us to Positano. This is usually about a one and a half hour drive, but we chose to take a detour by Pompeii which added a few hours to the trip. It was so worth it though you guys, Pompeii is a MUST SEE if you are anywhere near (more on that in a later post)!

Similar Dress (buying this one next); Gold and White New Balance (back in stock!); Kendra Scott Necklace; Ray-Bans

Although, I will say we didn't love Naples. We did find a good spot to eat which I mentioned in this post and it was nice to walk around, but overall it wasn't our cup of tea. That said, we really needed the travel break after so much time in the air.

Dress Old JCrew (love this similar one under $40!); Tiffany Necklace

A few things to note here, there is no need to buy your train ticket ahead of time. We flew into FCO and there are big yellow floor arrows and overhead signs that point you to the train. From there we just bought our ticket at the kiosk for the Leonardo Express train and off we went to Naples where we boarded that train.

Upgrade your train ticket to the silent business class on the Leonardo Express and there's a good chance you could get the car all to yourself! 

Booking the car service from Naples to Positano was THE BEST idea we ever had and I cannot recommend the multi-generation family owned service of Rainbow Limos enough! It was a super comfy ride (their fleet has VWs and Mercedes) which is saying a lot considering the windy hills. Our driver Julia even stopped above Sorrento for our first look at the Amalfi Coast. She took photos and let us try local treats like granita, it was like getting our own private tour! Especially a good idea if you're car sick at all. Plus, you don't have the uncertainty of having a ferry canceled for weather.

Ry's Shirt (similar); Ry's Shorts; Ry's Ray-Bans; My Outfit Details Above

I wasn't kidding when I said multi-generations, this is Julia's great-great-grandfather's transportation carriage in Positano! 

If you do get a car to drive you, grab some meat, cheese, plus some wine for the ride!

I'm 100% happy with how we chose to get to Positano on the Amalfi Coast! What questions do you have? Has anyone else ever been, how did you get there?

Luggage (on major sale!); Luggage Tag

10 Days in the Amafli Coast & Paris

Hi friends, long time no talk! 

We've been busy bees over here in the Phillips house with an upcoming close on our new house (yay!), celebrating weddings and of course a 10 day Euro trip to the Amalfi Coast and Paris.

I shared our trip real-time on Insta Stories and Snapchat (name: ephilli) and couldn't believe all the questions and love you were sending our way, thank you! I took note of what you were asking and flagged those as whole posts to highlight. For now, here's a high-level look at our itinerary for the trip. 

Keep in mind, this 5-year anniversary vacation was very much about relaxation for us with sightseeing falling more secondary. We decided to focus on only two places - Positano, Italy and Paris - and I'm so glad we did, it made things so much easier travel and stress wise! 

Don't forget to pin this image for later!

In Naples, where we took a break from travel, we stayed in this Airbnb and had a wonderful dinner at Fresco. We followed it up of course with our first taste of true Italian gelato and limoncello. If you've never used Airbnb before, you can sign up here and we both get $35 off!

Then it was off to Positano where we spent the next 3 1/2 days on the Amalfi Coast. It BLEW me away y'all, most beautiful place I've ever been. Here are the posts/topics I have planned around this part of the trip, let me know if there's anything I'm missing that you want to know!

• How to get to the Amalfi Coast
• Where to stay in Positano
• Where to eat in Positano
• What to do in Positano

From Positano we went back to Naples where we flew to Paris for the remainder of our trip, 4 days to be exact. For Paris, there's just SO much you can do, so I'll be putting together an official AtoD guide on where we stayed, our favorite meal and what was in that big Chanel bag I shared on Instagram ;). 

I also had a lot of stress around prepping and packing for this trip, so I'll share what I bought in advance and what I actually used. I've also had questions about euros and the language barrier, so I'll touch on those too. And lastly, fill you in on all the outfit details of course!

What else are you looking to know? What did I miss? Can't wait to share more soon!

#HolyCityChicks

Hello from the air! We're currently on our way from DC to Moscow where we have a layover until we get to Rome. Our travel does not end there though! We then hop on a train to Naples where we spend one night before we head to Positano on the Amalfi Coast. We'll then relax there where we have nothing booked or set in stone. Ah, vacation ...

While I've got some time on my hands (9 hours to be exact), I thought I would finally share a wonderful shoot that I did with some fabulous ladies, or #HolyCityChicks if you will. Big shout out to Liz of Charleston Weekender who put this together and styled the shoot and to Jennifer Collins who shot these great photos!

It was so great to get back to the Mt. Pleasant Pier where we just were not too long ago for our friend's rehearsal dinner and party (check out their gorgeous Boone Hall wedding here ). The minute I saw these perfectly petite gold studs from Gold Creations, located in the market in downtown Charleston, I knew I had to use them as part of the shoot. I also snapped up some gorgeous little bracelets that are perfect for layering!

I saw these awesome CHS hats out and about in Charleston and was so glad to get the chance to throw on the green one from Aviate. You can pre-order them on Liz's site if you want one of your own!

When I heard that Crab & Cleek was part of this shoot I got so excited! That meant another excuse to pull out my favorite ginger jar bag from Carolina Dandy which I monogrammed in a gorgeous gold thread.

I had such a good time with XOXO, I. Joelle, Thrifty Little Becca, Charleston Blonde, Charleston Brunette, Look Fabuless and Charleston Weekender!   

This shoot was such a good welcome to Charleston and great way to meet some new blogger friends!

Check out the hashtag #HolyCityChicks to see everyone's photos.

Outfit Details: Dress  (on sale under $ 20, also love this one ); Shoes ; Julie Vos Bangle

Also, follow along with us while we're in Europe on my Insta Stories and Snapchat (name: ephilli)! I haven't figured out which I'm going to use more yet, so this will be the ultimate test.

Have any tips for us on Positano or Paris (where we head for the remainder of our trip)? Or tips of navigating Europe in general (this is Ryan's first time!)?