Bougainvillea Season

Last weekend, we went to the historic Irvine Ranch Historic Park in Orange County where these photos were taken and a couple of things were made clear to me. First, it's the beginning of bougainvillea season! For those of you who don't live in California, bougainvillea are these gorgeous pinkish red flowers that grow in large clusters almost everywhere out here. (I absolutely love how colorful and fragrant they are, but I hate spelling the name of the flower!) Second, it's also the official beginning of shorts weather here in Southern California, as the temperatures are starting to get rather warm here. In fact, last weekend was the first time in a while that I opted for shorts and I chose these cute seersucker ones. I must say that it felt good to get some warm sun!

I decided to pair these seersucker shorts with my new floral blouse from Old Navy. I love anything floral (if you couldn't already tell!), especially this time of year with all of the gorgeous flowers that are everywhere here! This shirt especially caught my eye because, after all, who doesn't love a bright and cheery yellow floral print? Below, I have linked to this shirt, along with some of my other favorite floral shirts from Old Navy, which are all great deals and fabulous additions to anyone's spring and summer wardrobe!

Shirt: Old Navy here
Shorts: J. Crew Factory
Bag: Zara similar round straw bag here
Shoes: Old Navy here
Sunglasses: Gucci

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The Perfect Spring Jacket

Springtime is wonderful with its flowers and warmer temps but, let's face it, sometimes the weather can be all over the place or just downright unpredictable. I probably shouldn't talk because no one knows about the unpredictability of weather better than the people living in the Midwest who were hit with a massive snowstorm this week! Luckily, all I have to deal with is the fluctuation in temps ranging from "somewhat cool" to "a little hot". Well, in order to deal with this, I've taken to donning a light jacket in the morning, my favorite being this pale blush moto jacket from Old Navy. I have a ton of denim jackets but the styling of this one and the color makes it a unique addition to my wardrobe.

Not only am I excited about my new spring jacket, I'm also pretty excited that there's a new wall in town. Nothing gets me more excited than a wall that's close by and this one that just recently went up is by one of my favorite bookstores, Vromans in Pasadena. So now I can shop for books, take a blog photo and there's also an incredible wine store right next to the bookstore too, so it's pretty much one stop shopping with all my various interests covered!

Jacket: Old Navy here
Dress: Marimekko/Uniqlo here
Bag: c/o Red Dress Boutique here
Shoes: J. Crew here

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Tyger, Tyger Burning Bright!

Everyone knows that I prefer skirts to pants but now that silk pajama style pants have become all the rage, I just might have to rethink my preference! These silk tiger print pajama pants are the newest addition to my growing silk pant collection and I am head over heels in love with the tiger print they feature, not to mention the color scheme!

One of the things that makes this particular style of pant so appealing is that they are incredibly comfortable and easy to wear but don't be fooled: they can be dressed up or down for any occasion! I saw so many lovely ladies style these tiger pants on Instagram that I had a ton of ideas to draw from for inspiration. I decided to go the more casual route with just a loose fitting light purple tee and some gold loafers. J. Crew also shows the pants paired with a matching silk blouse in the same print, which might sound like a lot, but looks stunning, although maybe I should say fierce because, after all, it is a tiger print!

Pants: J. Crew here
Tee: Old Navy similar here
Shoes: J. Crew similar gold loafers here
Bag: Louis Vuitton

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Topiary Dress at Greystone Mansion

This spring break we revisited Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills for a tour of the historic 50,000 square foot house. It's definitely a grand estate, with a very sordid past involving the murder of oil tycoon Edward Doheny's son. In addition to the very scandalous back story of the mansion, it's also a popular filming location, which you've probably seen as the backdrop to at least one movie or TV show, my favorite being The Big Lebowski. I thought this topiary shirt dress would be the perfect dress to wear while exploring the house and strolling around its stately grounds!

If you look closely, the print of this dress features the most adorable animal topiaries! From lions to giraffes, these animal topiaries would probably feel right at home in the beautiful gardens that grace Greystone Mansion. I definitely wouldn't mind living at Greystone Mansion either and I suppose if I did, I could have the gardeners create topiaries to match my dress! That would definitely make for an epic blog post! Well, maybe if I start playing the lottery, that dreamscould become a reality but, for now, I'll just have to settle for the dress!

Dress: Kiel James Patrick here
Shoes: Old Navy similar here, here
Bag: Mansur Gavriel here
Sunglasses: Celine

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Spring Break Style

It's hard to believe that spring break was just last week! Now that I've been back to work for two days, it definitely seems like a distant memory! This spring break, I did a little bit of relaxing, a little bit of sight seeing and, of course, a little bit of shopping! One of the things that I purchased on my break was this cute ruffle sleeve grid print top that I stumbled across at Marshalls. I actually got it specifically to go with this bow skirt because, just like the wine and cheese I had over the break while visiting Temecula, I knew the two would make for a lovely pairing!

This skirt, with it's cute bow detail and lovely sorbet orange color, is actually from SheIn and is one piece that I am truly happy with in terms of the quality and "cute factor", especially given the price. It's currently selling for just $21 but my readers can save an extra 15% off this skirt and your entire purchase at Shein with code FEST235 at checkout! It's the perfect way to kick off your spring with some cute new looks or to get an outfit for "festival season" if you're into that type of thing! Personally, I'm not really into festivals like Coachella, as I'm just happy strolling down Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena and doing some shopping!

Skirt: c/o SheIn here
Top: Vineyard Vines
Shoes: J. Crew
Bag: Charming Charlie

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One More Floral Skirt

I love floral prints but not all floral prints are created equal! Some floral prints are just okay, while others seem to have that certain "wow" factor. This floral skirt from J. Crew featuring a print from their Liberty collection definitely has a "wow" factor, mostly due, I think, to the exquisite color palate that is used for the flowers. (There's also butterflies on the print!) I purchased this skirt recently at J. Crew during one of their promos on full priced items and I am happy to say, at least for the sake of my readers, that it's now on sale! Since this floral pattern is also featured on a shirt and a dress, I'm now tempted to get all three because that's how much I adore the print!

One of my favorite things to do with a floral print is pattern mixing. Lately, I have been loving the gingham and floral combo that, I think, is very reminiscent of J. Crew circa ten years ago. It's a way to make the floral print really come alive, in my opinion, and also a way to have some fun with the print!

Since I am dedicating this post to floral prints, I would be remiss not to point out that I have been really enjoying all of the real life flowers in the Southern California area lately. For those of you who have been keeping up with my blog and Instagram, you probably will have noticed that I've hit all of the super bloom locations in the area from the poppy fields to the desert flowers; Los Angeles has never looked lovelier! Even on the freeway, there are flowers galore! So, yes, it's the perfect time to wear a floral skirt and to take in some real flowers!

Skirt: J. Crew here
Shirt: Target here
Shoes: J. Crew mint pumps here
Bag: J. Crew similar lavender option here
Sunglasses: Gucci here

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