The Professional Prep
See how a local fashionista has fun with her style - at work and play - and shows you how to do the same on her blog.
Looking to add excitement to your current wardrobe? Check out Kayla Parsley’s fashion blog, The Professional Prep, for women ages 20-35.
The name of the blog is a play on words. “You can take it as someone who is professionally prepping herself or someone with a preppy style who dresses professionally,” Parsley explains. In her blog, she features an outfit of the day, upcoming trends, and do-it-yourself projects. “I’m really big on not having to change from the workplace to the weekend,” she explains. “A lot of what I wear, you can wear all the time.”
From being an Account Executive for the Cincinnati Reds to a fashion blogger at night, Parsley is able to successfully translate her style from the workplace to the evening. During the day, her job consists of planning corporate outings and fundraisers at the Great American Ball Park. She also assists with special themed nights, such as Lauren Hill Night, Strike Out Stroke Night, and Girl Scout Night. At night, she works on her blog.
When Parsley puts her outfits together, she loves to add a splash of color. “I wear a lot of color, all year round, it’s not even just a summer thing,” she says. In her post, “Pretty in Pink: The Female Young Professionals’ Guide to Business Casual,” Parsley discussed her outfit of the day when she went to an important appointment with a company to purchase a suite for 10 Reds games at Great American Ball Park. She believes that adding a pop of color adds personality to your outfit. “I fully believe that you can embrace business casual/business professional in the workplace and still rock something that is fabulous and on trend,” she says.
Parsley also posts about trends that pique her interest. For example, a trend that she loves, especially in the fall, is discussed in “Fall Favs: Leather and Fur.” It fuses an “outfit of the day” with the fall fur trend where she wears a Michael Kors fur vest, along with an Ann Taylor leather pencil skirt. “It’s the perfect outfit that works for the office and can be worn for a night out as well.”
Parsley has experienced great success with her do-it-yourself projects as well. “Most of the time, it’s stuff that I think is really cute, but expensive and I wouldn’t want to pay for it,” she says. Her biggest project to date has been her Rebecca Minkoff inspired tassel bag and it’s her favorite blog post thus far. In fact, she had so many people message her asking if she would make one for them too that she opened her own Etsy shop. “I got so many people that I couldn’t even keep track of the orders,” Parsley says. To date, her shop has sold more than 100 bags.
Parsley began her blogging journey three years ago by following multiple fashion bloggers on Instagram. She gets the inspiration for her ideas from the people around her. “I might see another blogger trying a trend and I’ll try it out,” says Parsley. “Find things that I already have in my closet that I think I can put together.”
To learn more about The Professional Prep blog, visit www.theprofessionalprep.com or check out Parsley’s Instagram.
