Friday, June 28, 2013

Pretty in Pink and Pearls

If you're in search for yummy Chinese food, Monterey Park is the way to go. You almost can't go wrong with any of the places there. Since the city is saturated with Chinese restaurants, the portions are overwhelming and the prices are super competitive and low. No joke...you can typically feed a family of 4 for $50 or less and still leave with leftovers! Anyway, my family and I drove all the way there to get our grub on at this dim sum place and we all left extremely content. When we were on our way to our next destination, we passed by this kind of cute and kind of awkward fountain. I figured I'd snap some shots and post the outfit on the blog.

My outfit was put together with this pink 'Cecelia Kimono' from For Love & Lemons in mind. It's such a girlie girl piece of clothing with the bow details on the sleeves, the sweet pale pink color, the whimsical flowy fabric, and the asymmetrical hemline. I paired the long kimono with some high-waisted short shorts and a crop top to balance out the whole outfit. It's really all about playing with proportions to create the illusion of longer legs. Well I hope you guys enjoy the post.

Kimono: For Love & Lemons 'Cecelia Kimono' (here)
Lace Crop Top: Millau (LF Stores) also seen here on the blog
Corduroy Shorts: MinkPink 'Forever Young' Shorts
Shoes: Seychelles 'Stick to Your Guns' Flats (here) 
Clutch: JJ Winters 'Croco Leather Envelope Clutch'
 




  

 


Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Major PLAIDitude

In celebration of my friend's birthday, a few of us kids decided to make reservations for a 1930's themed murder mystery dinner in LA, which turned out to be more of a late lunch at 3pm than a dinner. Although I was a bit thrown off by the time, it worked out for the best because we had the rest of the night to just enjoy each others company. Our birthday girl, Mary, was asked to help play a role of Old Grandmother Gert, which will explain why she is wearing a silly hat and glasses in one of the pictures below. I'm not going to lie, we were one of the few tables that didn't guess the correct murderer but I think we were more distracted with everything else around us instead of focusing on solving the mystery lol. Also, I'll be the first to admit that I have the attention span of a 4 year old hahaha.  

After the murder was solved, we migrated to a speakeasy bar at Cole's in downtown LA where I discovered my new favorite drink, the Gin-Gin Mule. We spent a couple hours there and ended the night at The Edison, which is one of my favorite places downtown. This bar is tucked in a dark, scary alley but the inside of the bar is beautifully decorated with old mechanical artifacts and the ambiance of the place is absolutely amazing. Since there is a dress code, everyone just always looks so beautiful and put together (no lazy people in sweats and flip flops allowed!). We even got to enjoy a little show with the cutest dancers ever, which is pictured below.

When I found out that the "dinner" was set in 1937, I had to google what that meant exactly lol. I found a bunch of images online of women in tailored skirt suits with clean lines and hems that hit mid-calf. I searched through my work wardrobe for something along the lines of that and I found this Maggie Ward plaid pencil skirt. I then styled the rest of my outfit around this piece by adding a grey bowler hat, t-strap heels, and a mustard yellow blouse (matching the tiny bit of mustard yellow in the plaid skirt). Hope you guys enjoy the pictures from my time traveling excursion. 

P.S. Sorry for the poor quality of the pictures. It was taken with my iPhone 5 in some pretty dark rooms. This was just too much fun to not share...

 Let me seduce, tempt, and hypnotize you with my vampire eyes hahaha

Blouse: Olive & Oak (Bloomingdale's) also seen (here)
Plaid Skirt: Maggie Ward (Saks Fifth Avenue)
Shoes: ASOS
Hat: Urban Outfitters



Whatever...

I even ran into an old high school buddy that used to golf with on the school team! 
Undefeated Mission League Champs all 4 years I was on the team! 


Sunday, June 23, 2013

RAW Moonlight

This past Thursday night my boyfriend's beautiful sister participated in her first art showing at a RAW Natural Born Artists event. She showcased her amazing ceramics pieces and even sold quite a few items! If you like what you see below, you should definitely check out some of the pieces she's selling on Etsy (here).

When I was trying to figure out what to wear for this art show, the first thing that popped into my head was this little artsy fartsy kind of dress I had recently purchased from For Love & Lemons called the "Moonlight Dress'. I'm totally in love with the crochet detailing down the front with the cutouts on the sides because it really adds a little sexiness and femininity to this loose and flowy dress. I paired this little number with some simple ankle-strap black suede Jeffrey Campbell heels and a sterling silver purse I had gotten from Thailand awhile ago. Since the sleeves were so long, I really didn't need to accessorize much. I just threw on some earrings and rings and rushed out the door for a long drive to the event in Ventura with my man.
Dress: For Love & Lemons 'Moonlight Dress' (here)
Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell 'Hough' (here)
Rings: TomTom Jewelry 'Pyramid Spike' and "Chevron Mini' (here and here)
Amrita Singh 'Yasammez Antique' Ring 
Earrings: Nordstrom
 Sterling Silver Purse: vintage






The Artist, Amanda, is in the upper left and middle pictures.
My boyfriend, Eddie, is in the upper right picture.



Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Party Animal

There's been a lot of celebrating in my life lately. Celebrating birthdays, new beginnings, and life in general. I wore this outfit to one of my best friend's boyfriend's surprise birthday party, which was way too wild and crazy. I don't remember having that much fun or that much to drink since college haha. I snapped these shots before I headed out to Pasadena to hide behind a couch cushion for an hour or so (since the birthday boy was running late lol). My beastly pomeranian, Milo, decided to join me and pose for the camera too. I guess Milo and I are just a couple of party animals...
Colorblock Blouse: Olive & Oak (Bloomingdale's)
Shorts: Angel Biba (LF Stores)
Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell 'Hough' (here)
Clutch: Valentino
Necklace: from Italy
Rings: Amrita Singh, Banana Republic, and gifts
 
  

 

 

boys will be boys...

Sweet Summer Sherbet

The mind is a powerful thing...so I decided to conquer the warm day by dressing like one of my favorite ice creams, the crazy funky fun colored RAINBOW SHERBET! This look was too much fun putting together. All the bright colors just started off my day on a BRIGHT note.

I can't express how happy and excited I am that it's finally summer. This means going to the beach, eating ice cream everyday, and hanging out with my friends! Luckily, this also means that a bunch of my friends are migrating back to California to visit their families AND me! 

Yesterday a few of my favorite girls from UCSB gathered together for a potluck pool party in celebration of our friend, Danielle, coming back from grad school in Poland! We also just had to take advantage of the perfect California sunshine and lounge by the pool all day while sipping on beers and our "rum things". We spent the whole day catching up, celebrating, eating, drinking, swimming, and just having a bunch of fun! After about 5 or 6 exhausting hours by the pool, we decided to get dressed and hit up a bar that served vegan buffalo wings, which were surprisingly tasty! Don't ask me what it's made of because I have no idea! These vegetarian/vegan friends of mine have introduced me to a bunch of crazy things I would never typically eat on my own. Especially because I love me some steaks, burgers, and carne asada. Anyone that knows me knows that I LOVE food! Haha

Based off of the weekend I've been having, I have a great feeling about Summer 2013! It's always a fun time when you're surrounded by amazing people!
Lace Crop Top: Millau (LF Stores)
Bright Pink Blazer: Millau (LF Stores)
Bright Orange Silk Shorts: Millau (LF Stores)
Gold Necklace and Belt: Thrifted
 Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell 'Produce' (here)







Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Fashion + Music = Pure Happiness

This past May, I was lucky enough to be a part of music festival history by attending BottleRock in Napa Valley, CA. It was both BottleRock's and my first music festival ever and I must say that it was absolutely EPIC!!! I really didn't know what to expect and frankly I was pretty nervous. I don't consider myself high maintenance, but I do enjoy my personal space and a clean bathroom (which are not things you would typically find at a music festival as you probably figured). Although I was nervous, I couldn't imagine not going and turning down the opportunity to see so many amazing artists. Some of which included: Kings of Leon, Alabama Shakes, The Shins, The Black Keys, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, The Flaming Lips, The Wallflowers, Allen Stone, Bad Religion, Jane's Addiction, Grouplove, Rogue Wave, and so much more!!! I know you're probably jealous because I'm still a little jealous of myself, but no worries! BottleRock was such a success that it's coming back in 2014!

As you probably know, a big part of music festivals besides the music is the fashion. Since my boyfriend and I were traveling up to San Francisco and staying with my friend, Daina, I didn't want to be rude and over-pack. We all know what over-packing leads to...and that's an explosion of clothes all over the place so I planned my outfits using the same hat and shoes for 3 days. I only ended up packing 2 pairs of shoes for 5 days of vacation...which is a HUGE accomplishment for me! And to top it all off, I fit all of my belongings in 2 duffel bags!!!

Below are some snapshots of my outfits from BottleRock. As you can see, I opted for long sleeves and a wide brimmed hat to shield me from the scorching hot sun each day, boots to protect my toes from getting trampled on, and short shorts and a short dress to still keep things interesting! haha

Day 1
 

 

Blouse: Olive & Oak (from Bloomingdales)
Dress: Urban Outfitters (layered under the blouse)
Socks: LF Stores
Hat: UBI Hats & Accessories (from LF Stores)
Boots: Seychelles
Necklace: flea market

Day 2

 

 

 


 
Daina and I showing off our arm candy.

Maxi Cape: One Teaspoon (here in "Dirty Nude" color)
 Lace Crop Top: Millau (from LF Stores)
Corduroy Shorts: Carmar (from LF Stores)
Hat: UBI Hats & Accessories (from LF Stores)
Boots: Seychelles
Jewelry: Amrita Singh, Vanessa Mooney, Stacey Sterling, Charlene K, and flea markets

Day 3 

 

 

 

 Bell Sleeve Lace Top: Mystree (from Nordstrom)
Distressed Denim Shorts: Evil Twin (here)
Hat: UBI Hats & Accessories (from LF Stores)
Boots: Seychelles
Necklace: Stacey Sterling
Nail Art: painted by me

  A shot of a Sonoma Vineyard on our way to Napa.

The reason I'm bringing up the past is because I just attended another amazing day of music and fashion out in San Bernardino, CA at the San Manuel Amphitheater on June 2nd. When I initially bought these tickets to see Mumford & Sons, I had no idea that it was a festival style concert with food trucks and carnival game booths too. I later found out that there were about 30,000 people that attended the show. I had never heard of the other bands, but I am so glad I discovered Michael Kiwanuka and Mystery Jets! Obviously, Mumford & Sons was beyond amazing...but that's a given!

I decided to go with a boho inspired look for this fun-filled day of music. I painted my nails white to compliment my gold jewelry and really make them pop. Hope you enjoy my festival outfits!

What are some other music festivals that you guys would recommend? I think I'm addicted now...

Ran into my beautiful friend, Jacquelyn, while grabbing some food.

Hat: vintage
Necklace: Vanessa Mooney
Crocheted Crop Top: Millau (LF Stores)
Silk Maxi Skirt: Maggie Ward
Shoes: Jeffrey Campbell (here in "camel" color which is not pictured)


Jewelry includes: vintage Cartier, flea market finds, TomTom jewelry, gifts from friends, LF Stores.

Mumford & Sons Encore.

Snapped a shot of the beautifully designed stage as 30,000 people were clearing out.

The End.