Nothing is more classic than a white T-shirt. Simple, clean, and versatile. It’s THE essential piece to have in your wardrobe because it can be paired with almost anything, and Queen Anna has the perfect versatile styling recommendations for you.
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Summer is finally here… FINALLY! If you live in the Midwest, specifically the Twin Cities area you know that it’s been a long road to get here after what felt like a winter that just wouldn’t quit (i.e. April snow storm). But that’s behind us now and it’s all sunshine, summer Fridays and “Out of Office” messages from here on out. Now, what to pack for vacation?
Whether you’re beach bound, heading up north or hopping on a plane for the 4th of July holiday break, these five summer travel essentials must make their way into your weekender bag.
1. Hat
Hats have quickly become one of our favorite summer fashion accessories. They serve so many purposes, all while looking oh-so-chic. Beach hair? Toss on a hat. Protect your skin from the sun? Yes, always - insert a nice, big straw hat. Accessory for an easy-breezy outfit? Top off your summer look with a hat.
If you’re looking for something practical to pack in your suitcase or to wear with your travel outfit, try a foldable Panama hat, like this beauty from Cuyana.
Folding Panama Hat, Cuyana
BAGTAZO Tulum Hat, Queen Anna House of Fashion
We love hats so much that we’ve taken it one step further and started accessorizing them. Try wrapping a bandana around the base of one of our new BAGTAZO hats for a pop of color. Voila!
2. Sunglasses
Now that you’ve got your head and face protected from the sun, it’s time to move on to sunglasses. We’ve recently brought in a new sunglass brand to our boutique, Established Eyewear from Australia. This season we’re gravitating towards versatile and timeless styles. Full of refined detail, the vintage-inspired AMOS frame is a top pick.
Effortlessly stylish, summer is not complete without sunglasses.
Established Eyewear AMOS "HAVANA FADE" Designer Sunglasses, Queen Anna House of Fashion
3. Sunscreen
The most important item in your travel bag. Before heading out the door each morning be sure to apply sunscreen. We repeat, apply sunscreen! An easy way to include SPF in your summer beauty routine is by swapping out your foundation for a BB or CC cream, or tinted moisturizer that offers SPF protection. One of our go-to's for summer beauty products and all around skincare is BeautyCounter.
We have a wide-variety of BeautyCounter makeup and skincare travel products available for purchase at our North Loop boutique.
BeautyCounter Countersun Sunscreen, BeautyCounter
BeautyCounter makeup and skincare products, Queen Anna House of Fashion
4. Coverup
Coverups have come a long way in the last few years. With brands creating dresses, jumpsuits and wide-leg pants in breezy summer fabrics such as linen and cotton, the coverups of today allow you to pop from the beach to lunch and back again without doing a full wardrobe change.
Mara Hoffman is known for chic resort essentials and the Sylvia Dress is just the thing to keep in your beach bag.
Sylvia Dress, Mara Hoffman
5. Carryall Tote Bag
Now you need a carryall to fit all of your essentials in! Straw bags and colorful woven satchels are at the top of our list. This straw bag by Draper James features a removable blue checked lining, very 4th of July fashion. It’s the perfect size to fit your necessities such as a water bottle, book, SPF, coverup and more.
Bonus, it turns into the perfect picnic basket!
Draper James Straw Tote, Draper James
Now that you've got your travel essentials it's time to bring on the BBQs, fireworks and red, white and blue. Where are you heading for the long Fourth of July weekend?
Show us your 4th of July style, packing essentials, vacation outfits, and overall summer style by tagging us @queenannaliving or #queenannamn.
Continue readingAs we continue our Silhouettes of a Woman series (post-fashion show!) we're delighted to share with you our stunning clients who shined so bright on the runway at Silhouettes of the City.
Name: Cheryl J. Winston
Occupation: Executive VP of Sales at Make It Simple Inc.
The Makeup of your Silhouette: Wife, Mother, Sister and Daughter
How would you describe your ideal style?
Anything that the stylists at Queen Anna pick out for me!
Now, what’s your style actually?...
Currently, it’s all over the place, but I’m transitioning to be more “Queen Anna.” It's amazing that I can get pieces for work, social and mom life. They make the shopping experience feel so much better.
Tell us, what’s one thing you love about you?
I love that I never give up when I set out to accomplish something.
What’s your favorite purchase from Queen Anna?
My Bano eeMee black leather jacket. I love being able to wear it for an important business meeting or to go out with friends.
What a month May has been! Since launching Silhouettes of a Woman we have hosted a women in small business panel, rolled out a client style profile series on our blog and social channels, and executed our first-ever in-store fashion show, Silhouettes of the City, during Fashion Week MN. But just wait... we're just getting started!
It's been three weeks since Silhouettes of the City and we wanted to flashback this Friday and relive the night all over again. Again, thank you to our models (our fabulous clients!), and generous partners who helped make this happen. We couldn't have done it without you.
Setting up for the big event!
The silhouettes creating a silhouette. ❤️
Gift bags are laid out and ready to go.
The Beauty Lounge Minneapolis prepping the models with hair and makeup.
Final pre-show run-though.
Ready and waiting for the show to begin.
Our amazing emcee for the evening, Roshini Rajkumar.
Scenes from the show. Our models showed off our latest spring and summer styles.
The finale featuring our queen, Nicole Jennings.
Post-show shopping and magic mirror fun!
How stunning is this group? Thank you, THANK YOU!
Looking for even more? Check out all the action on Instagram with #silhouettesofawoman
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Name: Lauren Kegley
Occupation: Creative Consultant & Business Owner
The Makeup of your Silhouette: Wife, daughter, sister, dog mom, friend
How would you describe your ideal style?
Anything Victoria Beckham wears
Now, what’s your style actually?...
A mix of so many things. It really depends on my mood and the occasion. I have everything in my closet from classic staples like blazers, trousers, and button downs, to sweet and feminine dresses, and even bold modern prints and neon hues. And I confess, I also have a healthy dose of athleisure wear.
Tell us, what’s one thing you love about you?
My heart. I tell my family and friends how much they mean to me all the time.
What’s your favorite purchase from Queen Anna?
My Wish blazers! They instantly elevate any outfit and I can’t even begin to explain how comfortable they are. A closet must-have!
Name: Talia Marie Johnson
Occupation: Digital Content & Marketing Strategist
The Makeup of your Silhouette: 23. Daughter, Sister, Shower Singer
How would you describe your ideal style?
Effortless, sporty meets professional, monochromatic. Something you can wear anywhere and everywhere.
Now, what’s your style actually?...
Still effortless, but probably not in the most fashion-forward way. I love a good pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Casual is my middle name. Forever wishing I had the confidence to don a fancy dress. Maybe one day...
Tell us, what’s one thing you love about you?
A physical trait that I love are my hazel eyes. A personality trait of mine that I love is my resilience in tough times.
What’s your favorite purchase from Queen Anna?
The Fifth Label pink bomber jacket. Anything from The Fifth Label is a look.
Sil·hou·ette
/ˌsilo͞oˈet/
noun
synonyms: outline, contour(s), profile, delineation, form, shape, figure, shadow, features, lines, curves, configuration
Just as a caterpillar transforms into a butterfly, we too transform within the silhouette of each of our female bodies. Any woman that stands before you is presenting the silhouette of themselves to you, as she wants you to see her at that moment. It is very possible that the core part of who she authentically is, may not necessarily be representative of what meets the eye.
Embarking upon my second year in business in a physical retail location, I have evolved on all levels including being a business owner. I went from being online only, to opening a store, buying clothes and hoping that the community of women like them; transitioning to finding out what our clients like or dislike, and adjusting accordingly.
Queen Anna has THE BEST clients ever, and I have had the opportunity to meet with many of them personally. Each woman is bringing her own genuinely amazing spirit along with them and each being from all walks of life. Even with their visible differences of shape, size, color or job title, they all had one thing in common, they all want to feel good wearing the purchases they have made, and we want that same thing for them.
Here at Queen Anna, we aim to empower, embrace and encourage one another cultivating a lifestyle that makes a woman feel supported enough to be comfortable with their authentic self, and letting their inner light shine - gracing the world with the fullness of their fearless and bold inherent selves.
No more of just sharing the outline of who you are - let's allow our inner beauty to flow out, to be unapologetically imperfectly perfect, and to be truly comfortable in that.
"Silhouettes Of a Woman" is a movement coined within Queen Anna to celebrate womanhood at every stage of life; tearing down the limiting barriers and mental limitations of shape, size, race, and roles.
It is easy to share a part of who we are with the world when we’re confident and comfortable with that particular reality including being a wife, mother, daughter and a friend who loves to get dressed up, even with no place to go.
But what about the other parts of me that can occasionally be uncomfortable to share or go unseen by the naked eye of those who know me by my everyday silhouette and not an authentic one?
Like the fact that my arms are a size large and the rest of my top half is a medium making it extremely hard to buy nice tops that fit right. Or how about the fact that as much as I love being an entrepreneur, and confident in my decision making skills to build a brand that positively impacts the world for years to come; I can still struggle with “mom guilt” for not being a stay at home mom like a lot of women I know.
And voila, just like that, someone much different than me in every way just read that and found out that she isn’t the only one who thinks like that and feels that way.
Whatever phase of life you are in within the inevitable evolution of a woman, Queen Anna has beautiful offerings that will fit the need of that particular phase in your life. Mom Boss, Caretaker, Plus Size, or Petite, whatever you identify with, so do we.
You read it here first. Queen Anna House of Fashion is a boutique lifestyle brand, based in the North Loop of Minneapolis, and we are breaking down barriers while simultaneously bridging the gap through fashion.
We are #silhouettesofawoman #inheritthelifestyle
Signed,
The carpooling, book reading, size 10, sandwich making, fashion loving, shoe-obsessed, occasionally hormonal, fearless, foodie, otherwise known as Nicole
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Upcoming Silhouettes of a Woman Events:
This movement was coined to celebrate womanhood at every stage of life continually. We intend to expose societal imposed barriers and mental limitations we place on ourselves as women. We aim to empower, embrace and encourage one another to be comfortable with our authentic self regardless of shape, size, race, and roles we fill every day.
What the world sees is just the silhouette of who you truly are. We are the #silhouettesofawoman
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