Friday Night w/ Diet Coke

Last Friday I headed to Charlotte for an end of summer bash with Diet Coke. The party was full of creatives and bloggers from the Queen City & the Carolinas who all share a love for great style & of course, Diet Coke. The event was held at City Lights which is a pretty chic little joint with impressive views of the downtown skyline. There is an indoor bar and a huge outdoor space with rows and rows of couches and seating areas which was where the party was held. Guests snacked on sriracha tuna, fried lobster mac & cheese and a host of other apps & snacks as we mingled away discussing the latest Instagram editing tricks and playing my all time favorite party game “oh so you’re from ____ do you know _____”.  The weather was perfect, the beverages top notch and all in all the event was tastefully stylish, just like Diet Coke.

Since it was summer in Charlotte I didn’t really know how high the sweat factor was going to be. I always have trouble when dressing for outdoor events, especially when they are more casual in nature. A wedding or something with cocktail attire is easier because you just throw on a dress and you’re done. However, for all those normal nights of grabbing dinner or meeting up with friends I’m constantly living in the place of I want to wear jeans but I don’t want to have upper-lip sweat. I found this sheer top that is actually so perfect for these muggy pre-fall southern nights that I’ve worn it several times in 2 weeks. It’s long sleeve and blousy but not hot at all because it’s completely sheer. I know that “sheer” is a scary word especially when you have a new mom body but this is the best kind of sheer because the pattern is so busy that it provides amazing coverage. You could wear a bralette or a tank top under it just like the top from this post.

Top (or here) | Jeans | Sunglasses | Shoes (Similar) | Bag (Similar) | Bangles 

Once I got over my nausea from taking those photos in the middle of a party where people could see me I set my sights on mingling. My confidence level was at an all time low after I discovered a plastic fork in my Tory Burch crossbody earlier in the evening. I mean what does that say about me that I’m the kind of girl that carries around disposable cutlery in my bag? I gave myself a little pep talk and ventured out into the world of talking to strangers. One thing led to another and I was actually able to meet some new blogger friends and meet in person a couple of girls I’ve chatted with via e-mail and connected with socially. We discussed all the important things in life like how many kids everyone has / wants, who exactly our husbands are since they are rarely seen on our social profiles and of course what we were wearing and how we could collectively rise to internet fame and retire from all the ad revenue generated from our massive pageviews (sidenote if you know the answer to that last one hit me up). But on the real it was so fun to hang out with some gals that share my love for style, shopping and putting it all out there on the internet for people to enjoy as well.

From L to R: Dress Your Guests | Me! | LC-Steel | Simple Stylings | Every Chic Way | Coffee Beans & Bobby Pins

A special thanks to Paige Winn  for the photos and Diet Coke for sponsoring this post. And thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible!