2023 Black Friday sales to shop

November 23, 2023

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Here’s a comprehensive list of the best Cyber Week sales of 2023.

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Easy, everyday outfits: no. 1

September 25, 2023

I’m back on the blog with easy outfits for early fall!

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What I Wore: Oct. 11 – 18

October 19, 2022

The weather is cooling down and the outfits are heating up. Here’s what I wore last week.

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Ask Me Anything – Skirt The Rules | NYC Style Blogger http://skirttherulesblog.com NYC Style Blogger Mon, 21 Dec 2020 01:21:04 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 We’re Expecting! + Pregnancy Q&A http://skirttherulesblog.com/2020/12/21/were-expecting-pregnancy-qa/ http://skirttherulesblog.com/2020/12/21/were-expecting-pregnancy-qa/#comments Mon, 21 Dec 2020 11:00:00 +0000 http://skirttherulesblog.com/?p=20098

We’re expecting our first baby next May!

James and I are over the moon to be starting this new chapter of our lives! We recently shared the big news on Instagram, but wanted to answer some of the questions that we received in the days that followed. From the bottom of ours, thank you so so much for all the love and well wishes. We can’t wait start this wild ride together!

When are you due?
May 23, 2021 – a very astute friend pointed out that our babe’s birthdate lands exactly in between James’ birthday and mine! It’s also a week before our wedding anniversary.

How long have you been trying?
For us, it only took two months of trying and for that, we feel really lucky! This can be a sensitive subject for a lot of people, but I’m normally open about my life – and I obviously put my life out there for my blog, so I don’t mind! Just remember, everyone’s journey is different and you never know when they might be in the middle of a challenging time.

Will you be doing a gender reveal?
Yes! During my 12-week checkup, I did bloodwork to test for any genetic disorders, which they can also use to determine the sex. I also had my first anatomy scan at 16 weeks, but told the doctor and the sonogram technician that we didn’t want to know yet. The doctor wrote the answer down on a post-it note and stuck it in an envelope for us, and we’re planning to find out over the holidays with my parents before sharing with more family and friends.

What’s been the most surprisingly pregnancy symptom?
I wouldn’t call this surprising, but it was definitely difficult to accept that I felt completely out of commission during my first trimester. I’m usually a 100 mph multi-tasker with 50 different windows open on my desktop at any given time. But about four weeks into my pregnancy, there were days that I could barely get out of bed – just to move to the couch and take another nap! It’s been a tough adjustment knowing that I can’t do as much in the day as I used to, but I’m also enjoying this slower period of my life. And I have more energy in my second trimester, although still not at 100%.

James: Navy Flannel Shirt / Medium Washed Jeans / Jen: Cropped Textured Cardigan (XS) / Black Lace Cami (XS) / High Waisted Skinny Jeans (26S, although not for long!)

What made you and your husband realize that you were ready to get pregnant?
James says he was probably ready two years ago (when we were 32), but I wanted a little more time to enjoy our most recent chapter of our lives together – which we definitely did with all the travels we’ve done together!

I think sometime last year we discussed 2020 being the year. Then the pandemic hit and I was thankful that we hadn’t started trying yet because homemade cocktails definitely got me through the first few months of quarantining at home!

In all seriousness, this year we really like we were in a good place in life to start a family — personally, as partners, financially. I wouldn’t call it 100% ready, but I’m definitely as ready as I’ll ever be!

Do you have a name picked out?
We have some contenders! Ever since we found out that we were pregnant, I’ve been saying every name I see or hear aloud with James’ last name – even if it’s something ridiculous. It’s been fun to experiment!

James: Quarter Zip Sweater (S) / Dark Washed Jeans / White Sneakers / Jen: White Mock Neck Sweater (XS) / Sequin Skirt (XS) / Nude Pumps (6.5 TTS)

Will you be giving your child an Asian middle name?
James is Filipino and I’m Vietnamese, but there aren’t names from either culture that have really stuck with us. I have a Vietnamese name (it’s Minh Tam), which I’m not particularly attached to, but I’m not too worried about it because there are plenty of other ways to honor and incorporate our heritage throughout the baby’s life!

Have you made any baby purchases yet?
Absolutely none! The only thing I’ve purchased is a pregnancy pillow, which is more for me, but we’re starting to build our registry soon and you better believe I’ll be looking for recommendations!

Do you plan to stay in New York City?
Yes, for now! We bought our two-bedroom apartment in Queens two years ago and don’t have any plans to move out for another few years. We currently use our second bedroom as an office / where I do all of my outfit try-ons, so we’ll definitely need to rearrange and make room for baby!

What are your plans for work when the baby arrives?
Unfortunately, I don’t get paid parental leave at my current job, so while I plan to take (I think around 12 weeks), it will be a mix of using my vacation days and taking unpaid time off.

How old are you? Did you feel “old” when TTC (trying to conceive)?
I’m 34, turning 35 next July. I’ll admit, I sometimes do the math in my head (e.g. when baby turns 34, I’ll be 68) and that can make me feel old. But for where I am right now in life, I don’t feel old at all – I feel like I’m just getting started!

Ever since James and I got married five and a half years ago, people have been asking the #1 questions: when are you going to have kids?! I’m sure the intentions are pure, but for a young woman who’s just trying to enjoy her life, it’s frustrating.

I love where we are in our lives and our careers. I love that we’ve gotten to travel around the world just the two of us and I wouldn’t rush into a major change just to meet someone else’s expectations or timeline. And now that we’ve arrived on our terms and at our own pace, I’m so incredibly excited to start this new chapter!

My advice: If you’re happy with where you are, savor this season of your life – it’ll make the next one even sweeter!

Have any more questions? Email me at jen@skirttherulesblog.com or DM me on Instagram and I’d be happy to answer!

]]> http://skirttherulesblog.com/2020/12/21/were-expecting-pregnancy-qa/feed/ 4 Ask Me Anything | How Do You Get Sponsors? http://skirttherulesblog.com/2019/06/19/ask-me-anything-how-do-you-get-sponsors/ http://skirttherulesblog.com/2019/06/19/ask-me-anything-how-do-you-get-sponsors/#comments Wed, 19 Jun 2019 09:00:17 +0000 http://skirttherulesblog.com/?p=17910

Today, I’m starting a new series called Ask Me Anything!

Red Floral Ruffle Dress (only $24 – also comes in blue and green) / Brown Leather Bag with Bamboo Handle / Gold Layered Necklaces (only $9!) / Canvas Espadrille Wedges

Over the past few months, I’ve been collecting questions from readers and working on writing out answers that require way a bit more than 15 seconds on Instagram stories. I actually love answering deep, personal questions – it’s much more interesting than just talking about what I’m wearing. So if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email me at jen@skirttherulesblog.com.

Today’s question: How do you get sponsors?

After eight years of blogging, I’m excited to say that this has been my best year of making income on my blog. Like ever.

Of course, it’s not even remotely close to matching my salary at my full-time job and I’m certainly not looking to become a full-time blogger anytime soon. But it is a nice secondary source of income, which I use to buy clothes, furnish our apartment, fund our travels and even help pay of my husband’s college debt. For me, sponsors are a nice to have (and I’m incredibly fortunate to have them!), but not a need to have.

That’s why my approach to “getting sponsors” is probably going to look a lot different than those who blog for a living (major respect to those who do!).

Truthfully, I wait for opportunities to come to me. I know, I know – there’s an inspirational poster out there that says: “Good things come to those who ~~wait~~ hustle hard.” To that I agree, but I hustle damn hard at work every day, giving 100% (and thensome) to my 9 to 5. Any blog-related activities is above and beyond that.

Sponsorships have never really been my M.O. I started this blog as a creative outlet when I was in law school and have grown it at a tortoise’s pace. For the first couple years of my blog, I was thrilled for a brand just to give me something for free! Then, I remember my first project came along – an opportunity to be featured in a promotional video for Cosmo (as in the magazine!). That was my very first pinch me moment.

But let’s be real, I still get giddy every time an opportunity lands in my inbox.

These days, I work with RewardStyle, ShopStyle and a few other PR agencies who approach me on behalf of the brands that they represent. I don’t actively pitch myself to companies anymore – not because I don’t want to, but because I don’t have time between balancing my day job and my everyday life. Agencies will reach out with the opportunity, I’ll assess if it’s a good fit and then we’ll discuss rates (which has taught me to stop undervaluing myself over the years, but I’ll save that for another time!).

My advice? Focus on the content you’re creating, not the money you’re making.

If you’re starting a blog for the dollars, then I don’t think it’ll be very satisfying for you in the long run. But when you’re in it to create beautiful content, people (and brands!) will start to notice.

Do you have any other questions you’d like me to answer? Email at jen@skirttherulesblog.com.

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