Like most of the world, I've been using the last few months to catch up on movies and TV shows that I didn't have time for in my pre-pandemic life. One such TV show that my husband and I are watching during this time is Mad Men. We started a tradition of having cocktail happy hour in the evening while watching an episode or two. With 92 episodes in total, it takes some time to get through the series but we are now almost done with only a few episodes left. Let me just say that it has been quite the wild ride through the 1960s! Well, I am now pretty much obsessed with not only the show but also the fashion of the 1960s. It's been interesting to watch the characters, culture and fashion trends change throughout the decade span of 1960-1970. Speaking of which, this matching jacket and skirt suit set reminds me of something that would be worn in the latter half of the decade. In fact, it could have even been a costume used by one of the extras of Mad Men if it wasn't from J. Crew!
This is definitely the type of outfit I would love to wear when I finally go back to work, which, unfortunately, isn't at Sterling Cooper. In this styling of the suit, I decided to add an extra dose of color by wearing a colorful striped tee underneath. In the future, I might pair it with just a plain white tee underneath for a more subdued look if such a thing is possible considering this is a suit that's bright orange and pink! I'd also love to wear the jacket with just a pair of jeans for a more casual look. The possibilities are definitely endless! Speaking of which, now that I'm almost done with Mad Men, any suggestions for what to watch next?
Jacket: J. Crew here
Skirt: J. Crew here
Tee: J. Crew here
Shoes: Christian Louboutin here
Earrings: c/o here (Save 25% with code KATIE25)
While I have claimed this about other dresses in the past, I really do think I have finally found the perfect summer dress, which would be this colorful rainbow stripe maxi dress! This dress has everything I look for when it comes to a summer dress: color, comfort and the ability to keep me cool! Last year, J. Crew came out with a similar style of maxi dress, which I also purchased but I think I like this one even better! (Come to think of it, I think the title of that post was also "The Perfect Summer Dress" or something along those lines!) Also, I think I finally got the fit right on this one thanks to reading the reviews and consulting a friend on Instagram with the same dress. These dresses seem to run a little big so I sized down to a size XS in this and the fit was perfect!
While this dress might be perfection, one thing that was less than perfect was this location, although you probably can't tell from the photos. When my first choice for a location failed due to less than ideal lighting, I opted for this one is in front of a building, probably from the 1920s, that I sometimes use for photos. On this occasion, someone had dumped several mattresses that looked very old and very dirty against the side of the building. Luckily, my husband was very careful not to get them in my photos! When we were driving away, a man was eyeing them and looked like he was thinking about taking them with him in his truck. I guess one man's trash is another man's treasure! I think I'll just stick to pretty dresses!
I'm a couple of weeks into my summer vacation and while normally I am ecstatic about this time of the year and the freedom that it brings, there is something a little bit sad about this summer in comparison to summers past. Usually, summer is filled with concerts at the Hollywood Bowl under the stars, eating out, and exploring new neighborhoods but many of these things can't happen this year due to the pandemic. So, in order to get over my summer blues, I'm trying to find some off of the beaten path places that I haven't been to yet in order to pass the time. For example, last week we visited the Newport Beach Civic Center to look at the amazing sculpture garden they have on the premises!
One of the things that I noticed about the Newport Beach Civic Center Park before visiting is that they have these amazing blue, geometric bridges in several locations. Not being one to miss an opportunity to dress to match my location, I donned yet another Marimekko creation, this time a blue and white shirtdress. This shirtdress proved to be the perfect match, color-wise, for the bridge, not to mention it seemed like the type of "arty" thing one might wear for a stroll of the grounds of a sculpture garden!
Dress: Uniqlo/Marimekko here
Bag: Prada similar here, here
Shoes: Kate Spade
Earrings: c/o Zenzii (Save 25% with code KATIE25) here
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My favorite thing about the sculpture garden at the Newport Beach Civic Center was the numerous bunny sculptures that can be found in a couple of locations in the park. The most famous, or perhaps I should say infamous, scuplture is referred to as "Bunnyhenge" and it consists of 14 large white bunnies sitting around in a perfect circle. (Who knows what they are up to!) I mentioned that this sculpture is infamous, which is mainly due to the fact that my research about it uncovered that it was quite costly and many residents took issue with the money the city spent on it. While I think it was money well spent, I will admit that the bunnies are a little mysterious and creepy but since I love rabbits and I love odd art, it proved to be right up my alley!
(I think this singular bunny pictured below is a little bit more friendly and
approachable!)
Below, you will find a handful of other sculptures that are located at the Newport Civic Center Sculpture Park. I thought the
mirrored
stop sign that, ironically, says, "START" instead of "STOP" would be a great place to start...haha! While my photos don't showcase all of the work that can be found in the sculpture garden, hopefully it will whet your appetite to explore this park on your own if you find yourself in Orange County or if you are in Los Angeles and, like me, are looking to get out and do something unique. It's a fun way to spend the day and take some spectacular photos!
For those of you who want to visit the Newport Civic Center Sculpture Park, feel free to check out the city's website here for more information! Between the fresh ocean air and views and lovely art, you won't be disapointed!
When I saw this cute rainbow tote, which is under $10, I knew I had to get it to add to my collection of all things rainbow! One of the things I like about the bag, in addition to the price, is that it comes with a small pouch (also in the same rainbow print!) that you can stuff the tote in so that it's small and compact. This feature makes the bag great for shopping, beach trips, or travel. I plan on using it on rainy days (not that we get too many here in Southern California) and using it to protect my leather bags if I get caught in a downpour. This tote also turned out to be a perfect match for my rainbow earrings (double the rainbows!) and new mini skirt but, then again, what doesn't go with a rainbow bag?
I wore this outfit for a very small family birthday party. (Don't worry, it was under 10 people and everyone has been social distancing!) Even though it was just a lunchtime BBQ, I thought it would be fun to get a little dressed up, especially since I haven't really had the chance to do so in a while. At first, I was hesitant to wear this white ruffle blouse, fearing that it might be a prime target for a spilled condiment or grease, but it came out unscathed, thankfully! The bag is much better suited for BBQs, as it can easily be washed and cleaned, which is another thing I love about it!
Marimekko, which is a brand that's known for it's playful and modern textile designs, has a lot of cool prints from which to choose. If I had to pick the design house's most iconic print, it would either be this black and white dot print or maybe its signature floral print but since I'm wearing this tunic in the dot print, I'll choose it as the most iconic! I've been posting a lot about the Uniqlo x Marimekko collaboration, which is probably due to the fact that most of my new fashion purchases over the last couple months have been from Uniqlo and this collaboration. Honestly, I very seldomly shop at Uniqlo but whenever they do a collaboration with Marimekko, they just seem to create so many affordable, unique pieces that it's hard to resist!
I actually wore this outfit to go to the grocery store last week. While we've been getting out a little more due to things opening up here in Los Angeles, we are still mainly home bound with the exception of a weekly trip to pick up groceries or the occasional trip out to pick up lunch from a nearby restaurant. I just kind of threw this outfit together with the white pants, tassel sandals, and pink headband. I think the pink headband, which has been getting a lot of use this year, really ties the whole look together! Plus, it has been a while since my last haircut, so it hides the fact that my bangs are now way too long and I have split ends!
A couple weeks ago I took a road trip to Joshua Tree with my husband and a couple members of his family. Because I've been cooped up for the last three months, getting out of the house was an exhilarating experience, which was only amplified by the astounding beauty of the natural splendor of Joshua Tree! Before we got to the park, I made the request to stop by the World Famous Crochet Museum located on the outskirts of the park in the town of Joshua Tree. Both my husband and his family members asked me "how do you find out about these weird things?" Well, I guess I have a nose for sniffing them out and keeping up with where all the hipsters on Instagram like to go in the area doesn't hurt either!
If you are planning on going to Joshua
Tree, I would highly recommend visiting the World Famous Crochet Museum and the artists'
community that surrounds it. Be forewarned, however, that the museum is small...very small...as in one person can go in at a time small. But its quirky charm makes it well worth the visit. Case in point, my husband's father and uncle, who joined us on the trip, almost seemed to have more fun looking around and taking pictures than I did! Below you will see some of the other fun things that are located near the World Famous Crochet Museum including a vintage beauty salon and an out of this world art installation!
After we finished taking photos and gawking at the sights in the town of Joshua Tree, it was time to get on the road and get to Joshua Tree National Park. There was actually a line of people in cars waiting to get in so clearly we weren't the only ones who were eager to get out into nature for a while. Once we got past the park gates, we were greeted by a forest of Joshua Trees of varying shapes and sizes. We got out of the car to explore the vast expanse of trees and rocks a number of times. (You will notice that I changed my footwear from sandals to sneakers, especially since I have the misfortune of always getting into an altercation with cacti when we go to these types of places!)
Speaking of what I wore on our road trip, I decided to wear this bright colored tee from Uniqlo's collaboration with Marimekko in addition to my cactus earrings from Zenzii. (You can save 25% on them with code KATIE25.) I know, my love of cacti is ironic due to all of the times I've had cactus needles stuck in my foot or hands! Luckily, it turned out to be the perfect, comfortable, cactus proof outfit to wear combining both a pop of color with a dash of practicality. Yes, believe it or not, I can be practical when need be!
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One of my favorite things that we did in the park is go to the Key's View lookout where you can get a view of the Coachella Valley, Mount San Jacinto and Mount San Gorgonio, in addition to the Salton Sea if it's a clear day. It's truly a beautiful, albeit somewhat windy, location. My husband insisted that he take the photo below of me standing near the view. He actually took a few and for most of them my hair was completely in my face or I looked like I was afraid of being blown down into the valley. The one below, however, didn't turn out too badly! We also discovered a smattering of wildflowers in this location, as you will see below.
Last, but not least, wild animals were not all that visible on the day that we visited Joshua Tree due to the heat. Because I love animals, I was really hoping see a tortoise or maybe even a big horned sheep up in the mountains. Luckily, towards the end of the trip my father in law spotted a black-tailed jack rabbit. I was able to zoom in on it and get some good photos without scaring the poor thing off.
I am ending this post with a picture of me back in the World Famous Crochet Museum to give you a sense of the scale museum. While some of the things found in Joshua Tree, like this museum, might be small, they are big in terms of impact! The park itself, with it's sprawling miles of desert scenery, other worldly rock formations, and majestic vistas also has a big impact and can't be missed if you're in the Palm Springs area! If not, I highly recommend just getting out in nature or finding your own quirky treasure like the World Famous Crochet Museum to explore, as it will help you to get over the quarantine blues of the last few months!
