Late Summer Flare

Crochet Crop Top: MinkPink 'Cotton Fields' (on sale here from $62 to $37)

Flared Pants: Others Follow

Heeled Sandals: Jeffrey Campbell 'Encase' (on sale here from $160 to $49)

Necklace: Vanessa Mooney

Hat: Vintage

Summer may technically be over, but I tend to stretch my summer wardrobe for another month or so til SoCal temps drop lower than 80 degrees. 

One of my favorite summer items that I've been wearing quite often for the past couple months are flared pants! They're perfect for the scorching hot temps because of how thin and lightweight they are! Plus, they always come in fun colors and prints. Below are a few simple tips I always use when styling printed pants! Hope you find them helpful! 

TIPS:

1) Pair your printed bottoms with a solid colored top. Typically, I'd choose a top in a color that's also found in the bottom. This will help bring your look together and make it cohesive.

2) Choose a fitted top if your bottoms are looser and flowy. And choose a looser top for the more fitted bottoms. This will help balance out your whole look.

3) I would suggest wearing printed bottoms with some sort of heel to elongate your legs. The busy prints can make your legs appear shorter so throw on some heels to finish off the look.

Easy Does It

Silk Sweatpants: LnA "Lucas Silk Pant" (on sale from $264 to $210 here)

Crochet Top: Mink Pink "My Dream Crop Top" (for $54 here)

Shoes: Dolce Vita 'Elka' Heeled Sandals (on sale from $170 to $118 here)

Wool Blazer: Joe's Jeans 'Meredith Blazer' (on sale from $278 to$139 here)

Leather Backpack: Stela 9 ($224 at Revolve Clothing here)

I have never been a sweatpants type of person...until recently! I always thought that sweats were reserved strictly for gyms or lounging around the house but boyyy was I wrong! With the proper styling, sweats can actually be chic! Luckily in the past couple years, designers have really redefined sweatpants in a whole new way and I'm lovin' it! Now we don't have to sacrifice comfort for fashion! We can be both casually chic and comfortable when stepping out in public.

Below are some tips on choosing and styling the new and improved sweatpants.

1) Choose sweatpants in a thin & lightweight material to keep it from looking like you're ready to hit the gym. I personally choose them in silk because I like wearing my comfy sweatpants year round.
2) Make sure the pants are a slim fit and tapered. If it's too loose throughout the leg and ankles, it probably won't be too flattering on your body. 
3) Accessorize strategically. Sweatpants are easy to dress up or down with accessories. If you're going for a chicer look, choose a hemline that sits at the ankle and pair them with heels. If you're going for a more casual look, choose a hemline that hits just below the knee. Instead of heels, you can keep it casual with some cute slip-ons, d'Orsay flats, or sneakers. I personally prefer heels because I just prefer heels :) 
4) Top off your sweats with a structured fitted top or a crop top. 

Other ways that I've styled some of my other silk sweatpants: 

Don't Mesh With Me 

Cream of the Crop (Top)

Seas the Day!

Dress: Jen's Pirate Booty Durban Top worn as a dress (here)

Bird Cuff Bracelet: Torchlight "Thunderbird Cuff" (here)
Turquoise Cuff: Vanessa Mooney "Roxanne Cuff Bracelet" (here)

Dainty Opal Ring: Vanessa Mooney "The Femme Fatale Ring" (here)

Midi Ring: Torchlight "Triangle Midi Ring" (here)

Bangle Bracelets: Vanessa Mooney "Fight the Power" Collection on sale (here and here)
Bodysuit: Nightcap Clothing Dreamcatcher Crochet Bodysuit (here)

One of the best things about living in Southern California is the short drive to the beach. When the weather gets unbearably hot (like this past week), it's nice to have the option to escape and head to the beach for a few hours.

Eddie and I are certainly guilty of not taking advantage of the beach enough over the past year or so because of our conflicting work schedules...but no work on the weekend means seizing the day and spending quality time together in the beautiful outdoors. I simply whipped up some caprese pasta salad, sliced up some watermelon for our picnic, and off we went to Point Mugu State Park for some fun in the sun.

Lazy Lacey Days

After a nice week of somewhat decent weather in the valley, it's back to the high 90s and 100s. I was feeling particularly lazy, uninspired, and just plain blahhh this weekend because of this crazy heat. It's really too hot to wear clothes, but we can't all just walk around in public wearing nothing. So instead of something sloppy like sweats and a t-shirt (not that I'd wear sweats in 100 degree weather or anything), I opted for the next best thing...a white A-line lace sundress that really doesn't require any styling time or effort. I paired my dress with some brown lace up ankle boots for comfort and a brown hat to hide my disheveled bed head. I threw on some gold accessories like my favorite vintage horse necklace (that I scored at a flea market for $5) and some gold bracelets.

I wore this outfit to breakfast with one of my best friends this weekend and as we were walking from the car to the restaurant, we passed by this mural and felt inclined to snap a few shots. The catch is that the mural was about 6 or 7 feet off the ground so it require a bit of effort to capture some pictures. I was directed to hop on a table and climb the wall so that's exactly what I did without trying to expose myself to the world lol. Enjoy the pictures of my struggle!

Hat: LF Stores

Dress: Vintage

Boots: Seychelles

Necklace and Bracelets: Vintage and Vanessa Mooney

Ring: Charlene K

Wallet: Prada

"O geesh. I can't believe I'm doing this...especially in a short dress!"

"Phewww...made it successfully."

"Hmmm...maybe the pictures would be better if I stood on the wall..."

 

"O crap! It's really high up here!"

"Ok maybe I'll stick to the ground instead"

Finally enjoying breakfast! Yummm!

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.

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.