Blog of the Month: The Kentucky Gent

As style bloggers, our interests extend far beyond dresses and bows. We love to keep track of the ever evolving looks for men including everything from the modern navy tailored suit to the effortless hoodie and blazer layers. There may be more options available to females but we are endlessly jealous of the ease men experience when it comes to trying on apparel and getting dressed. 

One of our favorite style bloggers, Josh from the Kentucky Gent, is a perfect example of a guy that can look put together in just a t-shirt and jeans. It’s the little unique twists that make him stand out whether it’s the cuff on the jeans or leather sleeves on his crew neck.

We talked to Josh about how he got started as a guy in a passion fueled predominantly by females. Find out what he had to say: 

What made you decide to start a blog?

I was a buyer for an online company and traveling quite a bit for the job. People were always surprised that I was from Kentucky based on how I dressed and looked. Basically the main reason I started the blog was to show a different side of Kentucky life than the one people assume.

What do you find most challenging about being a men’s style blogger?

Honestly? The biggest struggle I’ve ran into is the lack of community in the men’s blogging world. We’re few and far between, and while I love my female comrades it’s hard to lean on them for help with referrals and collaborations.

How would you describe your style?

Laid back and casual.

What do you do when you aren’t working on your blog?

Working on the blog has turned into a full time gig for me. If I’m not working on a post or editing photos I’m scheduling out social media posts, replying to e-mails, or working on a side project. Otherwise I do work as a freelance writer and event planner.

We love that you’re setting the trend and opening the door for more guys to be comfortable sharing their style. What advice would you give to another man (or anyone) who is interested in starting his own blog? 

Just do it. You can plan all you want, but I can guarantee you’ll never be able to plan for what you’ll run into while trying to blog.

What is your favorite style to see on female fashion bloggers? Any girl fashion do's and dont's?

I actually love women’s fashion more than men’s, that comes from my years of working in retail and helping dress ladies for events, etc. With that being said my favorite style on women ranges from casual to formal, but I follow female bloggers that actually wear what they’re trying to sell. I think that rings true as far as do’s and dont’s as well. 

Wear what YOU want cause that’s what you’re going to look good in, and don’t wear something just because it’s on “trend” or because everyone else is. 

Be sure to stop by the Kentucky Gent and read more about Josh here.

What are your favorite men's styles?

Rocked it & Swapped it

We want to apologize say you're welcome for the amount of times we have already worn this bag on the blog. Let's just say, if this purse were a handsome man on match.com, it would be instant connection. It's as if everything in the accessory world aligned: color, shape, size, and feel are all just right. It's even almost better than two Fendi's and a Lexus. 

I love the way Lisa dressed it up for our theater outing but to mix it up, I took a more casual approach by wearing stripes, the ultimate pair of flared denim and a floppy hat. 

See a few other ways we have styled this oxblood beauty:

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6

Which one is your favorite look?

A Little Bit Biker, a Little Bit Boho...

Who says you can't mix two totally different styles to make one functional outfit? I love boho items but I also love more masculine clothing too. Why not mix them up for a "little bit of biker & a little bit of boho?"

I decided to kept the color palette all black, white, and gray to pull this outfit off. I think the chevron blouse and my jewelry items are very feminine but the jacket and boots make it more masculine. Then toss on the hat and there's my boho. Mix them all up and you get one biker chic (is that a thing?) look ;)

Jacket: Sheinside // Top: Express // Jeans: Loft // Boots & Necklace: c/o Just Fab // Bag: c/o ShopBop // Hat: Nordstrom // Sunglasses: Prada // Ring: House of Harlow 1960 

Do you ever pair these two styles together?

What do you think of my outfit choice here?

A Superbowl for Women...

It's the most wonderful time of the year...if you're a fashion-minded female, that is. Sunday was our annual family Oscar party (aka the Superbowl for women), hosted by the master entertainer, Lake House Lyn. For almost 10 years now, a group of us including cousins, friends, sisters (and now a few of our men who join in for the pre-show feast) gather to dissect our favorite (and least) red carpet looks, fill out our ballots and see who wins best picture (see last year's recap here).

Confession: I saw all but 3 films nominated for best picture and nothing made as big of an impression on me as Theory of Everything. I sobbed during the movie and cried during Eddie Redmayne's speech. I will never forget how I felt watching his performance.But I digress - There was so much talent this year so it made my "research" for the awards very entertaining.

Other than vying for the best ballot, the night revolves around food. AMAZING food. This year, everybody brought something totally different so we had quite an epic selection...please let me share with you:

•         Bacon-wrapped dates
•         Mini pretzel bun & cheese sandwiches
•         Stuffed Peppers
•         Caramel apple dip (with cream cheese!)
•         Homemade cinnamon chips and fruit salsa (similar recipe)
•         Mini hot ham and cheese sandwiches
•         Peanut butter cookies (recipe below)
•         Chocolate chip peanut butter waffles (Are you sick yet?)
•         Mini Oreo cheesecakes
•         THE Chicago popcorn mix
•         Avocado bruschetta
•         A make-your-own sundae bar 

Oh, and did I mention the mojitos were flowing? 

Now you can understand why it was hard to button my jeans for work today...#sorrynotsorry 

I brought over homemade cookies and waffles (I blame my Father for this sweet tooth. It's deadly). As a peanut butter enthusiast, I was elated to secure a jar filled with the perfect combination: Pb & chocolate. I thought using this for cookies would be a fun spin so of course, I turned to Pinterest and found this simple recipe. Hormel also has tons of easy and delicious ideas for peanut butter treats so if you're nutty over the spread like me, you're in luck.

There is no flour used in this cookie recipe so I actually ended up over over cooking mine because I was waiting for them to puff up (hence the sad shape you see here) but make no mistake, they were fantastic...especially in our ice cream sundaes. Ugh, God. I can't get to the gym fast enough...

After preparing my carb-filled desserts, I headed over the party where every inch was decorated in Hollywood decor starting with our very own red carpet,..

Don't forget the photo props...what is a party without them? 

Where did you watch the Oscars? Who was your vote for best dressed and best picture?

Sushi Sunday

Call me crazy for going exposing my legs in negative Chicago temps (because you'd be right) but I am OVER sweaters, skinny jeans & boots. Seriously, DONE. Every year I reach this breaking point (much like this) where our hometown weather suddenly seems unbearable and all I can think of are those endless summer days where the most clothing I have to wear is a swimsuit and cover up.

With that said, it's good to make sure you have things to look forward to on the calendar during these months...that's always what makes the time go faster for me. We recently celebrated my brother and Lisa's birthday (happy bday again, sister!) at Kona Grill, one of our favorites. Lisa and I ordered a few of our favorite sushi rolls and added avocado to each because it automatically makes everything more delicious ;)

Jacket: J.Crew (similar) | Blouse: Target (similar) | Skirt: Target (similar)

Booties: c/o Just Fab (almost identical!) | Bag: c/o Shopbop | Sunnies: Target

Gold bangle: Rocksbox | Red bracelet: Gift from Lisa | Lip color: Butter London

How do you make the last few months of winter more bearable?

Top 5 Podcast Picks

After becoming addicted to Serial, I started to have withdrawals once the case closed (especially since we are still left with many unanswered questions...) I found myself looking forward to Thursdays and suddenly my 5 o’clock commute home from work become much more tolerable, so I started researching other podcasts and realized there was a WHOLE world I had yet to dive into.

No matter where your interests lie (politics, pop-culture, arts, economics, sports, etc.) there is something that appeals to everyone. If you're a podcast newbie like me, here are 5 shows I recommend checking out:

For some other fun Podcast recommendations, check out Lauren's favorites! 

Rocked it & Swapped it

Kaitlyn got this amazing bag from Shop Lately and I have had my eye on it ever since it made its first debut on the blog. It's always great when one bag can be styled with everything from a holiday or NYE look and still look just as perfect with everyday wear! I mean, isn't that what makes the perfect purse? Versatility is key :)

As you can see, it really does go with everything from a casual outfit to dressed up preppy look. 

Do you have a bag that can be styled with anything from a sequin skirt to UGGS and distressed denim?

How often do you switch out the bag you are carrying?

Back in Black

I'm all for soft colors, delicate materials and feminine cuts but sometimes, wearing black on black just makes you feel like a bad ass and we all need that now and again. I styled this look around my shoes and beanie with Sincerely Jules as the inspiration. 

I've talked before about how I admire her ability to style pretty much anything with sneakers and still make it look chic (also, here and here) To me, there's just something so "cool girl" about this kind of look that comes off as approachable yet completely confident. High heels provide a certain tenacity as well but when you can rock gym shoes and make an impact, that's when I'm impressed.

Jacket: BISTM (Mary's Closet) | Striped T: Old Navy (similar) | Jeans: Old Navy

Shoes: DSW (similar) | Bag: Shopbop | Hat: ShopLately

Glasses: Ray Ban | Necklace: E Street Denim | Ring: T+J Designs