All Rainbows, All the Time!

It might be hard to believe but there actually was a time long ago when I wore a lot of black and more muted colors in my wardrobe. Now that I've gone over to the colorful side of the wardrobe spectrum, there's no going back! I've purchased a lot of rainbow print items this summer but this sheath dress with its wide swaths of rainbows just might be one of my favorites! It was also a very difficult dress to get, not because of scarcity but because of an issue with Lord and Taylor, which is the store from which I purchased the dress. Before I go on a rant about this, you can find the dress at other retailers and it's also currently on sale here.

So, while I may look happy in the picture above, the journey to purchasing this dress was a very tedious one. You see, I placed an order at the beginning of summer for this dress and it was supposed to arrive around the Fourth of July, however I never received any shipping confirmation. Finally, I called up Lord and Taylor and they said they canceled the order because they thought it was fraudulent. I reassured them that it was not and then tried to place another order and yet again it didn't go through. The company said that the security department would call me on three separate occasions, which never happened. To make a long story short, I finally got the dress by opening an account in my husband's name, much to his chagrin, and now, a month later I have my rainbow dress! My husband said that because of all this difficulty, perhaps this dress wasn't meant to be part of my wardrobe, however I prefer to see a different moral in this whole saga: with hard work and perseverance anything is possible!

Dress: Trina Turk on sale here and also available here and another rainbow dress option
Shoes: Target similar here
Bag: Louis Vuitton similar bag here

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Stripes are a Hoot!

You can never have too many stripes! For this reason, I didn't hesitate to add another striped dress to my collection! There are a few things I love about this belted striped dress from SheIn, namely, the fit and cute tie waist but the best part is that it has pockets! I don't know why pockets are such an asset when it comes to skirts and dresses but I am always thrilled about them! To be honest, I never really use them but I guess it's just nice to know that they are there! So, I guess, I will add to my previous statement and say that you can never have too many stripes or pockets! The other great thing about this dress is that it's under $20 and you can save 15% off this dress and your entire purchase with SheIn by using code Q3KATIEGIRL.

Another thing that I can't get enough of are colorful murals and walls! I found this one at the beginning of summer on Oh Joy's Instagram feed and did a little homework to find its location. It's actually the store front of a former Owl drug store that is now hipster bookstore in a newly gentrified area of Los Angeles. Unfortunately for me, the panels that feature these delightfully colorful owls and cacti are rolled up during the hours the store is open. I was unaware of this on my first visit to the location and therefore I made a point to get to the store an hour before its opening on my next visit! I know that I've teased this before but I'm thinking of doing a Los Angeles mural guide and posting it on my blog in the future! I know other wall guides exist but mine would also include helpful hints about visiting these walls based on my experiences, in the hope that people don't make the same mistakes I did! So, maybe by the end of the summer, I can make this a reality!

Dress: c/o SheIn here save 15% with code: Q3KATIEGIRL
Shoes: Kate Spade similar pom pom sandals here
Bag: Mansur Gavriel here
Earrings: J. Crew Factory similar raffia earrings here

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A Tropical Print from H&M

A great print can take something from ordinary to extraordinary. This is the case with several of the pieces that I've purchased recently from H&M, including this pleated skirt. I love the rich tropical print featured on the skirt because, not only does it depict some pretty amazing palms and flowers, it also has butterflies and a parrot! (The vibrant parrot is clearly my favorite thing featured on the skirt and was probably the main thing about the skirt that convinced me to purchase it! Never underestimate the allure of animals!)

To play up the wildness of the flora and fauna featured on my skirt, I took out my trusty leopard clutch to go with the outfit. I also went for just a simple tee and a wide belt. To bring out the orange of the parrot, I styled the skirt with some chunky orange sandals. It turned out to be the perfect look for a casual lunch out in the very hot weather we've had lately! In the upcoming weeks, I'll be featuring some of my other finds from H&M because this isn't the only print that I fell in love with, so stay tuned!

Skirt: H&M here
Sandals: Target similar orange sandals here
Belt: Target similar wide belt here
Clutch: Clare V. here
Sunglasses: Prada

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Restyling My Kaleidoscope Skirt

When I post on my blog or Instagram, it's sometimes hard to know what's going to be a hit or a flop. Sometimes I think a picture of an item of clothing is going to be a real winner and it turns out to be a dud and sometimes I'll post something that I think might not get much attention and it's a hit. I knew this Ratti Kaleidoscope print skirt was a winner when I first laid eyes on the print (the print was love at first sight for me, which is why I paid close to full price for it when it first came out!) but it also turned out to be a hit this summer on my blog as well! Because it was so popular and because it's now on sale (and available in all sizes!), I thought I would restyle it and do another post featuring this amazing, colorful skirt!

It's no secret that I love pattern mixing, so instead of going for just a plain button-down shirt like I did in my original styling of the skirt, I opted for stripes. In my opinion, adding stripes is one of the easiest ways to pattern mix. Just add a classic striped tee to a floral or busy print, such as I've done here, and you're good to go! I guess you could say that stripes make everything better or at least instantly chic! There are so many colors of stripes that could go with this skirt: navy, pink, mustard yellow etc., however, I decided to go with a greenish blue color to pick up the turquoise in the print! The options are truly endless because, as the name of this print suggests, there is a kaleidoscope of colors to be found in this skirt!

Skirt: J. Crew here
Tee: Forever 21 similar striped tee
Shoes: J. Crew here
Bag: Mansur Gavriel here
Sunglasses: Celine

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Road Tripping in Palm Springs

I can't believe I am only now getting around to posting the pictures of my trip to Palm Springs but I guess late is better than never! Near the beginning of June, we took a short day trip to Palm Springs. My original reason for visiting was to see the famous Moorten Botanical garden before the weather became unbearably hot. Unfortunately, however, it just happened to be closed on Monday, the day we chose for our excursion! Lucky for us, there are a million other things to do and see in Palm Springs, so the trip was not a total waste.  To be honest, though, I would not recommend going on Mondays in the summer, as many restaurants and even stores are closed. The fact that the botanical garden was closed just gives me an excuse to go back some time, although maybe not during summer because the temperatures in Palm Spring this time of year are scorching hot!

One of the things that we did on this trip to Palm Springs was visit some of the older iconic hotels that have been reimagined, such as the Saguaro Palm Springs featured here. I've driven past this hotel and, of course, seen it on numerous Instagram photos but I've never stopped to look around its colorful grounds. I also thought the Saguaro would be the perfect place to photograph my orange dress because it matches with the colorful surroundings perfectly!  Since the drive to Palm Springs is about two hours for Los Angeles, there's really no reason to stay at a hotel but if I were to choose a hotel in the area, I very well might choose this the Saguaro because it's a color lovers dream!

I already have a list of other things that I would like to do on our next trip to Palm Springs and maybe at some point I will do a more comprehensive post on things to do and see in there but that's going to have to wait for a later date (i.e., when the temperatures cease to be in the triple digits!). So, perhaps look for that post sometime in the fall or winter!

Dress: Target here
Bag: Zara similar round straw bag here
Earrings: Forever 21similar colorful earrings here
Shoes: Kate Spade similar here

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Also, on a side note, no trip to Palm Springs would be complete without a trip to to see the Cabazon Dinosaurs. I definitely love to stop by the Cabazon outlets too (we did this on the way back) but I always have to take at least a few pictures of these dinosaurs, which I think bring me back to my childhood, as I was obsessed with dinosaurs as a kid. Be forewarned, though, the weather is always very windy in this area and skirts and dresses will fly up and hats will blow off your head...which is exactly what happened after the picture below was taken!

Safari Style

I feel like I am on a safari with this cute dress from Old Navy! The dress' print features an adorable mix of giraffes, zebras and flamingos! It's everything you might see on a wildlife safari or a trip to the zoo! Speaking of which, that reminds me that I still need to tackle my list of things that I want to do this summer before it's too late! One of those things is taking a trip to the Los Angeles Zoo. I was planning on going but the hot weather that we've had lately makes it less than ideal for long trips outside. If I do end up going, at least I will have something cute to wear!

Old Navy also makes a top in this print in addition to a shorter black dress featuring the same adorable animals! In my opinion, these pieces look more like something that you might get from a more expensive retailer like Anthropologie. With Old Navy's low prices, you can afford to get a few pieces in the same print without the guilt and damage to your wallet! I suppose you could parlay the money you saved into doing something fun like visiting the zoo!

Dress: Old Navy here and black version here
Shoes: J. Crew here
Bag: Mansur Gavriel here
Sunglasses: Prada

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