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09.28.18
#coffeetalk

1. What are you fave graphic/band tees or sweatshirts that are under $50?
There’s so many good ones right now! Love this one, this one, this one, and this one!

2. I love all the recipes you share on your insta-stories! Wondering what your favorite crockpot and soup recipes are? I need some new ones for fall!
Meggan: Jalapeno popper chicken chili
, roasted cauliflower and brussels sprouts soupThai chicken curryturkey chili taco soup, roasted butternut squash soup, salsa verde chicken, and cheesy turkey chili mac (soo good!).
Brooke: Harissa ChickenBahn Mi Rice BowlsChicken Enchilada SoupTacos Al PastorChicken Enchiladas(I do most of this recipe in the crockpot…until it’s time to bake the enchiladas. Super easy!), and I really want to try this Turkey Pumpkin White Bean Chili – sounds so good for fall!

3. Piggy backing off of last week’s question about blogging misconceptions. I have to admit, I was one who thought bloggers got everything for free. Obviously not everything, but like you said…most. Can you share more?
Bloggers definitely get sent a lot of things for free (press mailers, makeup/beauty products, and sometimes clothes), but most of the clothing and accessories we have/share, we buy ourselves. Also, regarding sponsored posts…when we work with brands like Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, Nike, Sephora, etc, we are required to purchase our own pieces for that collaboration. Yes, we are getting paid to share what we have purchased/are wearing, but we are required to make those purchases with our own money. A lot of brand collaborations do not include free/gifted clothing, which (we think) is a big misconception.

4. Last season I bought a pair of brown, suede, over the knee Stuart Weitzman boots (they have a low block heel) and have NEVER WORN THEM. I can’t figure out how. With fall in full swing, I’d love to know how you’d suggest styling them with skinny jeans or leggings and also with a dressier option like a skirt or dress. I don’t know why I’m so intimidated by them!  HELP!
Girl those sound amazing, get them on your feet ASAP! Wear with a gray sweater dress (like HB did here – love!), with skinny jeans (we would do dark denim) and a blouse like this one, black leggings and an oversized black sweater like this one, or with a plaid skirt and a solid sweater. All sooo cute and easy to wear, hope this helps!

5. What do you gals do with all your clothes that you don’t wear anymore?
We donate 90% of the items from our closet cleanouts to our local women’s shelters, and sell/give our friends the rest. Since we are getting new pieces every week for work, we try not to hold on to anything for too long (unless it’s a closet staple), otherwise it just gets to be too much!

6. What did you ladies order from the Shopbop sale?
Brooke:
I ordered this blazerthese bootsthese boots (going to decide between these and this pair), and this sweatshirt and these sweatpants.
Meggan:
I splurged on these Stuart Weitzman boots (the color is so good) and got these sneakers and this robe.

7. What is a good perfume to wear to work and after? Sometimes I’m with women and their perfume is so noticeable but in a good way! I’m looking for something good for work and happy hour ;).
Meggan:
I wear Skylar Capri or this Chloe one – both smell amazing and last all day!
Brooke: I think my favorite, non-offensive perfume is B. Balenciaga. I love sooo many different perfumes, but I think this is my favorite of all time.

8. Wondering if either of you have tried out the Allbird shoes??? I’m thinking about getting the loafers to wear to work by want to hear an opinion from someone who’s worn them!
Yes! We both have the sneakers and omg they feel like clouds on your feet…amazing! We didn’t even know they had loafers now, we need to check them out!

9. Could you do a roundup of fuzzy pullovers and teddy coats?
Yesssss – love this one, this one, this one, and this one!

10. Me and couple of my friends gathered some money for another friend’s birthday party, it’s around $450. What do you suggest we can buy with that from a designer brand? It can be from a bag bag to a bracelet!
This wallet
is amazing and would make an amazing gift! Other ideas we love – a nice necklace, a Gucci belt, or a new pair of fun heels!

11. Kinda early but I don’t want to procrastinate 🙂 My SIL and I want to get matching Christmas pajamas for ourselves and our kids (ages 9 months- 5 years) this year.  Where can we find cute monogram ones for the babes and pjs for ourselves?  Hoping to find something cute and good quality.
HA makes the best matching pajamas for the whole family! The quality is so great, and the prints are to die for! Obsessed with the green and red stripes, and the fair isle! As far as monogramming, not sure you would need it with the HA options, but these are fun also!

12. How can I style my Spanx leather leggings for work in an affordable way? I love the leather leggings/chunky sweater/white blouse tunic look, but can’t seem to find affordable top options.
We found a bunch of cute tops for under $70: this tunic (lots of colors and on sale for $28!), this sweater, this poncho, this turtleneck sweater, this button down and this sweater.

13. Looking for a cute little black leather backpack to use for a trip to Seattle next month, any suggestions?
A few cute options: here (on sale!), here, and here!

14. My husband and I are going to Turks and Caicos (Gansevoort) in November to celebrate our 5th anniversary (sans kids!). Any easy outfit ideas? We have 2 babies under two and I am in such a wardrobe rut.
Ugh Turks is the best!! Some easy/cute things to pack are this maxi dress, this jumpsuit, these sandals, this dress, these shorts, this top, this hat, and this dress. Have fun!

15. Brooke – Can you share restaurants for brunch & dinner near the Ambassador Theatre or near The St Regis in NYC? Going in December.
Some of my favorite restaurants around that area are BG (restaurant on top of Bergdorf’s) – try to get a window seat and overlook Central Park, Upland, Quality Meats, Sarabeth’s (brunch), Nerai (gorgeous interiors), Avra (also beautiful), and The Polo Bar. The Plaza Hotel also has a really great food court downstairs. It’s not your typical food court tho, it’s really nice and every place I’ve eaten there has been delish! Great for a quick lunch or brunch!

16. I am attending a wedding in Nashville in mid October. The dress code is “country chic” and I am lost on what to wear. Can you provide me with a few dress options?
Hmmm that is hard lol! A couple dresses we think could work are this polka dot onethis velvet onethis floral one, or this grey plaid dress.

17. My girlfriends and I are going to New Orleans Oct. 4-8 and we have not idea what to pack! We are all feeling the fall vibes….but it is 86 degrees there. How can we get some cute looks that resemble fall-ish but we aren’t sweating our butts off. What do we wear!?!
You could do shorts and/or skirts paired with a lightweight top and booties or sneakers – something like this outfit, this outfit, or this outfit. It might feel a little cooler at night so you can bring a moto jacket or cardigan to layer! A few pieces are these shorts, these booties, this belt, this tee, this cardigan, and this top!

18. I know you ladies have touched on this before, but can you share about how your style or where you shop has changed since you started blogging?
Meggan:
We were actually just talking about this the other day! When I first started blogging I was basically living paycheck to paycheck (hello early 20’s) so I didn’t have a ton to spend on clothes. I pretty much only shopped at Forever21, Nordstrom BP, H&M, Target, and the sale rack at Akira (is that store still around?! lol). And my style was all over the place – I always bought a lot of super trendy pieces, some classic, and a lot of boho-ish inspired clothing (probably because I went to music festivals every weekend haha).
Brooke: Lol yes! We were just having this conversation. Same. I would take a small amount from each paycheck (I think it was $30-$40) and use that for clothes/accessories. The stores I shopped were H&M, Forever 21, and sometimes Zara if I had saved enough (still love H&M and Zara), and my Nordstrom & Shopbop type purchases were more like 1-2 times/year. I was lucky because I worked from home as a recruiter, so I didn’t have to spend money on my work clothes. As far as my style, I don’t think I really knew what it was when we started. I pretty much loved anything that was trending, and tried to make it work on a tight budget. I still like a lot of trends, but I also feel like I have more of a sense of my own personal style now than I did 5 yeas ago.

19. I’m doing my Christmas photos a bit different this year, and it’s indoors (trendy loft, cozy, red brick wall, leather couch, etc.) I would LOVE your help picking out a top to wear (I’m thinking jeans?), as well as a coordinating shirt – not cheesy – for my son who is 11 (he can wear kids XXL or mens small).
You could do a cozy sweater like this one, this onethis one, or this one. Shirt options for you son a pullover like this, a button down (big selection here) or a sweater!

20. I’m going to Hawaii in November with my husband, toddler, and my side of the family and would love some suggestions for cute outfits to wear during the day and for dinners 🙂
Some things to pack: this dress, this jumpsuit, this maxi, this blouse, this OTS dressthese shorts, this romperthis cover-up maxi dress, and this jumpsuit.

21. Have either of you ever been to Napa?! Looking to plan a somewhat last minute trip in November with just my husband and I are we are kinda clueless. There are so many options and we don’t really have anything specific we want to do besides the obvious…..drink wine!
Brooke:
I’ve been, but not for a few years so I’m probably not the best help. It’s so pretty! Besides the obvious wine drinking, some of my favorite things were taking a bike tour through vineyards (and a run if you’re up for it…so peaceful!), walking around downtown Napa – we ate at Morimoto, and it was some of the best sushi I’ve ever had, and this looks like a really great guide! I would love to do a hot air balloon ride there, would be amazing! I forget every vineyard we went to, but my favorite was Nickel & Nickel! I loved the charm of the older & rustic wineries versus the new/modern ones, but they are all pretty amazing! 
Meggan:
I haven’t but hopefully going next year!

22. Going to Vegas in November. I would like to wear the “shiny” Spanx Leggings, but don’t have a top, bodysuit, or shoes to go with. Any suggestions ? Also I’m open to not wearing the Spanx, but postpartum belly 😉
Lol they are perfect for sucking everything in 😉 A few pieces you could pair them with: this leopard top, these heels, this cami, these pumps (love the dotted mesh), and this lace top.

23. Any suggestions on camis or tanks that look cute under blazers and cardigans that are work appropriate? Also, any suggestions on fall boots that pair well with work pants?
Cami options: here, here, here, and here. Boots: here, here, and here!

24. What would you wear to a NFL game if you were headed to one in Oct? I don’t love team shirts!
Something casual/cute/comfy like a cardigan (love this one), a tee, skinny jeans with sneakers or flat OTK boots!

25. Can you link a few medium/dark wash flare jeans?
Loving this pair, this pair, this pair, and this pair!

26. Here’s a fun one. What’s the most annoying part about sharing your life on Instagram and IG Stories?
Brooke:
Hmm…probably the fact that someone, somewhere, has something to say about ev-er-y-thing. So many experts lol. When people tell us what we should and shouldn’t post/discuss, how we’re not allowed to have certain opinions, etc. It’s annoying, but thankfully doesn’t bother/get to us. 99.999% of you are super kind, amazing, and helpful and I love chatting with you every day!
Meggan: Posting on IG stories can be draining and not fun sometimes because like Brooke said, someone has to make a comment about everything. Comments about what we eat (someone once said “noo don’t eat bananas they make you fat” and the comments about what I should be eating during pregnancy OMG no thank you), what we give our kids, don’t do that, misinterpreting things, etc. It would be nice to post and not have defend ourselves but luckily there’s wayyyy more nice/fun comments than annoying haha.

27. Can you post your top picks for black or grey wool winter coats? Brooke – I saw you post that grey JCrew coat and I love it on you and was about to just buy it instantly but then thought I’d love to see other ideas you both have.
A few other gray or black coats I love are this one, this one, this one, and this one!

28. Looking for a L-shaped couch under $1500.
Love this one (looks so comfy!), this one, this one, and this one!

Please leave your questions for next week below or email them to brookeandmeggan@somewherelately.com with #coffeetalk in the subject! xx

M&B