Making Waves

 

I love any print that has a little bit of artistic flair to it! Anything that looks like paint strokes or splotches done by an artist is right up my alley! So, while I was glancing through the recent new markdowns at Anthropologie, I was excited to stumble on this cute pintucked blouse with a fun artistic print. Because the price was right, I decided to get the top. When it arrived in the mail, I was super happy with my purchase! This is a piece that could be worn alone, as I'm doing here with just a pair of colorful pants, or layered with a cardigan when the cooler weather finally arrives in California!

 

Speaking of art, I was also pleasantly surprised that there was a new art piece at the Lab Anti Mall in Costa Mesa. Because I didn't know it existed until I arrived, I actually wasn't planing on using this mural as a backdrop for these photos but, when I saw it, I immediately ditched the other location that I had in mind. I thought the wavy lines used to depict the mountains was a good match for the colorful wavy lines in my top. I love it when an outfit and art can come together!

 

Top: Anthropologie here

Pants: Old Navy similar here

Shoes: J. Crew similar pumps here

Bag: J. Crew similar envelop clutch here

 

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Sunflowers and Daisies

This weekend, we went to a sunflower field in Orange County. I actually spotted the field of bright, majestic flowers last weekend as we were driving on an overpass in Costa Mesa and, after doing some research, I realized that it was open to the public and that this weekend was the last weekend to visit. Upon visiting the field of sunflowers I realized why it was the last weekend to visit, as about 85% of the sunflowers were brown and dead. (It is the end of summer, after all, and it's also been over 100 degrees for weeks now!) Luckily, there were still some pretty patches of flowers to gawk at and and take pictures by. Unfortunately, I don't really have any sunflower print clothing (shocking, right?) but I did just recently get this daisy dress that I thought would be fun to wear on this outing! Below, you will find some other fun daisy print items that you can shop for as you plan your own jaunt through a flower field or wear for any occasion!

As I mentioned in this post already, it was quite hot this weekend, although I think I've been mentioning that in just about all of my posts lately because it's really putting a damper on getting in the spirit of fall! It was also pretty dirty and dusty in the field and there were a lot of bugs. In fact, my husband got several worms on him during this experience! So, while I might have a daisy dress on in these photos, with the sweat, dust and bugs, I wasn't' exactly feeling as fresh as a daisy afterwards, if you know what I mean!

 

Dress: kate spade here

Shoes: J. Crew similar here and here
Headband: Anthropologie similar yellow headband here

Bag: Louis Vuitton

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Forever Flamingo

 

I'm a fan of anything flamingo and will flock to anything featuring these fun pink birds! As you can imagine, when I found this flamingo print blouse I had to add it to my wardrobe! My husband, upon seeing it for the first time, immediately let me know that he didn't like the blouse. I guess he's not as big of a fan of flamingos as I am but, because he's not the one wearing the shirt (thank goodness!), I didn't really care about his opinion. Besides, when he told me his feelings about the blouse, I had already taken the tags off and it was too late to return! While this top would look amazing with jeans or black pants, I decided that because it's still technically summer, I would pair the blouse with some mint pants and a pink bag so as to have some fun with color!

 

It's hard to believe, but these pictures were taken on a day that was well over 100 degrees! Prior to this, the air conditioning broke in my classroom and it was 90 degrees inside! Given all of these circumstances, I did think twice about doing this photo shoot after work because I didn't exactly feel like my freshest self, but I'm glad that I decided to go through with it! I was especially delighted that I found some pink roses still hanging on, despite the fact that it's almost fall. I thought the pink in the roses complemented the pink of the flamingos quite nicely. Even my husband agreed on that point!

 

Blouse: Alice and Olivia here and here

Pants: J. Crew here

Shoes: Christian Louboutin similar here

Bag: Mansur Gavriel similar pink bag here

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An Artful Duster

 

It's almost September and fall is right around the corner. I usually don't get around to doing posts about fall wardrobe items until December because it's so hot here in Southern California but I was so excited to share this amazing, colorful duster coat that, despite the 100+ degree heat here this week, I just had to photograph it and share it with you before it sells out! There are certain items that I will wait for a discount or sale before purchasing and then there are items that I buy right away because I am head over heals in love with them. This duster coat definitely falls into the latter category!

 

While I only wear coats like this for a short window of time here in Southern California, I think coats are probably one of my favorite items of clothing to buy! I think it's because coats make for great statement pieces, especially if they have artful prints like this one! This coat is a pretty light, cotton fabric, so I hope it will be a fun piece to throw on for cooler mornings. With September almost here, I also hope those cooler mornings come sooner rather than later but I have a feeling I will be waiting at least a couple more months before I can break this coat out again and wear it for a longer period!

l

 

Coat: Anthropologie here

Jeans: Old Navy similar distressed boyfriend jeans here

Tee: Target here

Bag: Louis Vuitton similar yellow bag here

Shoes: Christian Louboutin similar pink shoes here

Headband: J. Crew similar pink heels here

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New Murals in Venice

 

Venice is one of my favorite places for mural hunting in the Los Angeles area. There's always a new, fun, colorful mural to be found, especially along the city's famous Abbot Kinney Boulevard. Unfortunately, there is also always traffic getting to Venice and it's often crowded and difficult to find parking, so we don't visit that often. A few weeks ago, we did make the trek to Venice and we lucked out with both traffic and finding free street parking near the places I wanted to visit. Although I knew exactly what murals I wanted to check out, I always try to wear something that is more monochromatic and neutral when going to hunt out murals there so that my outfit goes with whatever I happen to find. While this ruffle sleeve dress from Target can hardly be considered a neutral, the bright neon color definitely works well with the colorful murals found in this part of town.

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One unexpected find in Venice was this cactus mural, which can be found right in the heart of Abbot Kinney in Venice. Only a few months ago, this mural featured a heart motif, so I was surprised to find these happy colorful cacti in its place! Luckily, I think my dress, while not a perfect color match, looked great with the backdrop of cacti, so I was able to take some fun photos with this mural as well. We had to meet some friends for lunch in Santa Monica, which is adjacent to Venice, but if we had more time to explore Venice, who knows what other murals I might have discovered? Maybe next time!

 

Dress: Target here

Shoes: Kate Spade similar tassel sandals here

Bag: J. Crew Factory similar clutch here

Hat: H&M almost identical hat here

 

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A Sweet Macaron Top

 

While macarons are not my favorite dessert (although I certainly won't turn them down when offered!), I do think they are one of the most aesthetically pleasing desserts out there. I love how macarons come in so many pretty colors, so I guess it makes sense that they would also make for such a lovely print, which is exactly what Alice and Olivia did with this silk macaroon top! I'm a big fan of pastels, whimsical prints and, of course, desserts, so this top was perfect for me. I purchased it last week as an early birthday "treat" to myself and it was definitely worth the splurge!

Looking at these photos, I feel like this outfit and the background both scream "spring"! Between the pastels in my purple linen pants and my top, along with the blooming bougainvilleas behind me, it's definitely reminiscent of the long gone months of spring. With this spring outfit and the warm weather here, it's a little hard to believe that fall is right around the corner. I guess I'm just trying to hold on to the spring and summer months a little bit longer, especially now that I am back at school!

 

Top: Alice and Olivia here

Pants: J. Crew here

Shoes: J. Crew Factory similar mint shoes here

Bag: Chanel similar mint bag here

 

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Colorful Caftan

 

Last spring, I was gifted this gorgeous, colorful caftan from Frances Valentine. This is actually my first caftan and I was drawn to it because of the colorful embroidery. I first wore it on a day trip to Palm Springs and you might have seen some of my photos from this trip on my Instagram. It was the perfect frock to wear amidst the backdrop of the desert, palm trees and mid-century modern houses! In fact, I felt like I could have moved right in to one of those houses and fit right in! Below, you will find some other gorgeous caftans and dresses that would be perfect for Palm Springs!

 

 

 

I decided to wear this dress again to go out to dinner last weekend. The restaurant we went to was a French restaurant and we dined al fresco. One of the interesting things about our dinner was that, due to the wildfires we currently have here in California, it was raining ash on our table while we were eating! (Just one of the many perks of living in California, I guess!) Despite the hot weather and the ash, it was still a wonderful dinner! Also, even though this dress is made out of rather thick material, it was still pretty cool and comfortable. I look forward to, hopefully, wearing this caftan again in Palm Springs where it's even hotter than it is here in Los Angeles!

l

 

Caftan: c/o Frances Valentine here

Shoes: Loeffler Randall here and here

Bag: Nordstrom here

Sunglasses: Celine