What to Wear to An Elite Fashion Blogging Conference: #rStheCon!

If you follow @dosaygive on Instagram, you know I recently attended a fashion blogging conference here in Dallas. I’m so thrilled to tell you about what that was all about (and how I got the invite!), plus share a few of my outfits for this whirlwind, fashionista experience! For my new readers, I’m also giving a quick tutorial on how to use Liketoknow.it on Instagram. (It’s super easy, I promise!).

The idea for DoSayGive had been floating around in my head for several years (yes, years!) before a few things finally pushed me to actually put my thoughts into a website. One of those things was randomly stumbling upon the Instagram account of an L.A. fashion blogger.

I had never followed fashion bloggers before – and never set out to be one – but I realized that fashion bloggers had figured out the magic formula in making blogs successful. Not only with their pretty images, but also their ability to monetize their blogs through a company called Reward Style. (And when I say monetize I mean make their blogs into a business!). I thought that if fashion bloggers could do it successfully with clothes and shoes, then maybe I could do the same thing while sharing thoughtful ideas and gifts (and maybe a few outfits just for fun!).

Luisavaroma luncheon in downtown Dallas.

Fast forward two years later and out of 10,000 fashion bloggers I was one of 200 or so invited to attend #rStheCon conference (which in layman’s terms means “Reward Style: The Conference!).” I still can’t figure it out, really. How someone with 8,000 Instagram followers can be in the same gathering as someone with hundreds of thousands followers! Admittedly, it was quite bizarre being in the room with the top fashion bloggers of the world. When Louise Roe gave a talk on how to expand your brand into a book, and another blogger on how to start a clothing line, I felt like I was maybe in the wrong room!

#rsthecon party at the eye — Cocktail Party at “The Eye” in downtown Dallas.

I hate to sound like I am “tooting my own horn” (as my daughters’ former pre-k teacher would say!) but the reason I tell you all this is because it was thanks to you, DoSayGive readers, who loyally follow this blog, and share it with their friends and family (especially my Holiday Gift Guide last Christmas!), that I was included among such elite bloggers. It’s also a testament to the fact that I think women appreciate a little more depth and meaning in the blogosphere and I really try to do that with DoSayGive.

Anyway, I can’t tell you how flattered I was to be invited (still pinching myself, really!). It was fun to step away from reality (aka #momlife!) for a few days and learn so many helpful things about running and growing my blog that has been such a blessing to our family. I can’t wait to share what’s in store for DoSayGive in the coming months!

#rsthecon — Couldn’t resist the hashtag paperclips! Links to everything at bottom of post.

So what do you wear to a fashion blogging conference? I had 5 events to attend, not to mention brand meetings with some well-known fashion labels. (Hello, nerves!). Thankfully, Saint Bernard helped me get ready for #rStheCon. If you don’t know about this amazing store, Saint Bernard carries some of my favorite brands so it was super fun to find the perfect thing to wear for each occasion. Today I am sharing two of the outfits that I felt represented my style best.

Because I had several meetings with top brands, I wanted to look professional, but still chic. This tweed navy striped dress was the perfect thing.

Not only did I wear it to meetings but also to the luncheon held by Rodial Skincare. (Note: it runs true to size!).

(FYI, my nude strappy patent sandals are 50% off + free shipping today with code CYBER50 (along with everything else at Ann Taylor today!). Love the reasonable height on these. I wear them to church almost every weekend!)

For the Joe Fresh cocktail party that night I switched into this textured coral dress and was surrounded by (real!) flowers everywhere – even in the drinks!

This dress runs small, and is fitted, so I went up a size. Here’s a better photo of the texture of the dress.
Purchases over $49 ship free at Saint Bernard and they have free returns for easy shopping (from home!). Saint Bernard also has two stores in Dallas, one in Austin, and are opening a store in Houston this month! See their full list of top brands here.

So what is LiketoKnow.it?

Well, it is a way to shop my Instagram feed! I usually put everything I feature on Instagram on my blog eventually (most of the time, not always!) but liketoknow.it is a way to shop what you see in my Instagram photos before they hit the blog (or without even going to my blog).

Once you register with LiketoKnow.it (which takes about 10 seconds!) then any time you “like” a photo on Instagram with that strange #likeit hasthtag, within a few minutes you will receive an email with the product details. You can also go immediately to DoSayGive’s liketoknow.it page (bookmark it if you want!) to get the details even faster. It lists all past outfits/gift ideas I linked with liketoknow.it in one place!

One of the reasons this is helpful is because although I try to respond to each and every comment, sometimes I can’t right away. So if you want to know where that darling fishing shirt I posted on Instagram yesterday came from, you can find out super fast!

Now a lot of my friends apologize for not using LiketoKnow.it. Honestly, it really doesn’t bother me! It is a matter of preference. Whatever channel you like – Facebook, Instagram, DoSayGive.com, Twitter, or even my email newsletter – it is fine with me and is why I post on all of them! (A little tip on liketoknow.it, though: you can manage your preferences to have emails come just once a week or once a day if you don’t want to receive and mail every time you like a blogger’s photo!).

Stay tuned for more outfits (that were a little out of my comfort zone!), more conference details, including the top fashion bloggers who were super kind to this newbie and why my photo was projected onto a building in downtown Dallas (insert emoji of some sort!).