H&M 50 states of fashion contest

calling all you fashionistas out there...

today i have the privilege of announcing to you the "H&M 50 states of fashion contest." as you may have heard, H&M is launching their e-commerce here, in the states, today (!!!) august 1. with the launch of their online shop (now open at http://www.hm.com/us/),  you have the chance to win a shopping spree at H&M and a trip to NYC fashion week.

across the U.S. each state has their own H&M style blogger ambassador, and i am super excited to represent south carolina! i read a quote once (on pinterest, i believe): "fashion is a beautiful form of politeness"...i have to agree. the older i've gotten, the more i've come to appreciate fashion and it's expression in simplicity. this is one of the things i so appreciate about H&M...their clothes have an elegant simplicity about them. Plus, nearly all your fashion needs can be met at their store!

How to enter and win!... upload a photo of yourself wearing H&M clothing to instagram using the hashtag #HMShopOnlineSC. when you use this hashtag, your picture will be directed to the official microsite for the contest: hm50statesoffashion.com (if you are not from south carolina, you can go here to find your state's style ambassador). browse the gallery of entries on the site and vote for your favorite outfits by "liking" them. after the three week submission period, the 5 most liked pictures from each state will go on to the next round.

next step: a panel of style blogger judges will pick one semi-finalist from each of the five US regions: northeast, southeast, midwest, southwest, and west. from there, H&M will choose the ultimate grand prize winner. you can find the set of the official contest rules here.

for my first outfit, i decided to spice up a lace dress with a leather jacket. 

this outfit is just perfect for a night out on the town, especially as we get closer to fall and the nights get a bit chillier. I'll be honest, my friends and family don't typically think of me as a fierce person...i'm more prone to a smile and a giggle. but no matter who you are, a leather jacket just screams "fierce!"... add to that some aviators...(a leather jacket totally calls for aviators) and you've got ferocity in the bag! 

outfit details:

leather jacket: H&M c/o; lace dress: similar; black pumps: similar

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you can also follow along with my H&M outfits on instagram, here

don't miss this chance to express your own personal style. go ahead...start posin', and shop at H&M!