Polka Dot Sweatshirt at the Broad Museum

When I saw this polka dot sweatshirt online at Target, it instantly made me think of the artist Yayoi Kusama, who recently had a show at the Broad Museum, which is where these photos were taken. Kusama does a lot of installation art with dots, hence the connection between my sweatshirt and her art. Last week, we were in Downtown Los Angeles, which is where the Broad Museum is located, so I thought it would be the perfect occasion to wear the sweatshirt. I guess you could say the sweatshirt could be conceived of as a work of art, albeit a very affordable work of art!

I wanted to pair my fun polka dot sweatshirt with another pop of color, such as this wool pencil skirt from J. Crew. The pencil skirt is actually sort of a dark pink color but it looks a little more red than pink in photos. I also opted for a cute pair of navy velvet boots to pick up the navy dots in the sweatshirt. Last of all, there's my colorful tassel bag, which, to be quite honest, I haven't worn that much since summer! When I wore this outfit last week, it was a very cold and rainy day, so, I guess, breaking out the bag was my way of wishing for warmer weather and sunnier days in the near future!

Sweatshirt: Target here
Skirt: J. Crew similar here
Bag: Rebeca Minkoff similar here
Boots: Nine West similar blue velvet boots here

Shop the Post

Party People

It's been my goal for quite some time to get to this colorful people wall. (I'm not sure, however, if they are actually people or if they are strange and colorful creatures from another place!) Regardless, I finally made it to the wall! Last Sunday, we went to a concert in Downtown Los Angeles and this wall turned out to be precisely a 12 minute walk from the theater. (What did I do before Google Maps to plan all of my adventures?) It was the perfect opportunity to visit the colorful party people/colorful creatures!

I wore this fun blue dress from J. Crew to the occasion. J. Crew says this dress is a "no brainer" on their website and I can see why, as it offers a fantastic style paired with a lovely color that goes with everything. I decided to add some more color to the look in the form of tassels on both my bag and earrings. I love these tassel earrings that were sent to me courtesy of Rocksbox.They are dramatic and make a bold statement, just like how I am theatrically posing like a damsel in distress in these photos! Best of all, the earrings are super light weight. I love how every month I get to try new styles in jewelry thanks to Rocksbox! If you want to switch up your jewelry game, you can use code Hellokatiegirlblogxoxo for a free one month trial!

Well, I hope you enjoyed my colorful journey to this part of Los Angeles! You never know what you might find around any given corner in Los Angeles. It might be a colorful creation like this wall, a cool dumpling place (like the one we ate at before the concert), or a beautiful historic building that you never noticed before. These are some of the many reasons I love Los Angeles so much!

Dress: J. Crew ruffle neck dress here
Earrings: Rocksbox use promo code Hellokatiegirlblog
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff Sofia tassel bag here
Shoes: Marshal's similar mint flats here
Sunglasses: Celine here

Llama Mama

Llamas...they're so hot right now! I feel like over the last year or so, llamas have been inching their way up the ranks as the latest "it" animal in fashion. They are, after all, pretty cute and there are a lot of funny things you can do with the name llama (just look at the title of this post!), so I guess it makes sense that they would be appearing on T-shirts such as my llama tee from Old Navy and accessories like wristlets or even socks!

When styling this outfit, I turned to my husband with these colorful Baublebar earrings in hand and asked "are these too much with this tee?". To this my husband replied, "no, they match the llama's earrings!" and indeed they do! I guess that's another reason to love llamas; just like me, they apparently really love to accessorize!

Tee: Old Navy here
Skirt: J. Crew Factory similar here
Shoes: J. Crew similar here
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff "Sofia" here
Earrings: Baublebar "Sandbar Drop" here
Sunglasses: Celine

In Portlandia

A couple of weeks ago, my husband, some members of his family, a family friend and myself all took a trip to Oregon. (We were all in one van if that gives you any idea of what the trip was like!) Well, I'm currently in the works of putting together a post on the experience featuring my travel recommendations for Oregon. For now, however, I thought I would post me next to one of the most iconic walls in Portland. Yes, even while traveling, I'm on the look out for colorful walls!

I wasn't sure if we would be able to get to visit this wall, which is located in the Arts District of Portland and right outside of the city. In fact, I wasn't sure if we would be able to get to Portland at all because no one had much of an interest in visiting the city on our trip. Luckily, the family friend we were with expressed an interest in going, so while everyone else was doing some hiking we ventured into the city to see some of the different neighborhoods and get a feel for the city. In my mind, I was expecting the adventure to be a little bit like an episode of the show Portlandia. Let me just say that I was not disappointed by how accurate the show is in depicting the city and its inhabitants!

Even though I have a good laugh at the show Portlandia, I could easily see myself being a character on the show. I would probably be the stereotypical blogger girl who is constantly looking for the perfect wall or backdrop for her Instagram posts and making her poor husband/boyfriend do all the photography. Luckily, no one in my family or my husband's family knows this! Due to this, I think our family friend probably thought it was a little strange that I was making my husband take a bunch of pictures of me in front of the wall, but then she started getting into it and was even telling me how to pose! (Imagine a 70 year old woman yelling "you go girl" at me!) It actually turned out to be kind of hilarious! That's one thing I love about finding walls: there's always a good story behind them, which makes them worth the hunt! (Also, there was a great ice cream place down the street from this wall too!)

Shirt: J. Crew eyelet top with tassel trim here, here and Factory version here
Jeans: J. Crew "Reid" jeans similar here
Shoes: J. Crew "Emma" flats similar red flats here
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff "Sofia" crossbody here
Sunglasses: Celinesame style here,  similar here

Changing It Up With Rocksbox

As I've stated before, I'm prone to getting stuck in ruts when it comes to my wardrobe. Take, for example, what I'm wearing today. How many times have I worn a check shirt with a floral skirt and a leopard belt? Too many times to count! Getting stuck in a rut isn't always a bad thing, but it is fun to change things up once in awhile, which is why I was so excited when Rocksbox contacted me to try out their jewelry membership service that allows you to try out new, trendy pieces of jewelry every month!

Rocksbox is a fantastic way to try out new jewelry before you buy or to just try some styles that you might not normally wear. Basically, the way Rocksbox works is that you fill out a profile about your jewelry preferences and choose a wish list of jewelry from their extensive collection. A personal stylist then selects three pieces for you based on these preferences. When you get your first Rocksbox in the mail, it's a little bit like Christmas morning, because you don't quite know what to expect in the box! I was pleasantly surprised by the three items pictured below that came in my first Rocksbox set.

As you can see, today I am wearing the pink Kate Spade bangle from my first Rocksbox set. I don't currently have anything like it in my jewelry collection, so it was fun to style it with some different looks. I'm also consider purchasing it, which is a great option that Rocksbox gives you with pieces that you fall in love with!

If you would like to try Rocksbox for free for one month, you can use this promo code: hellokatiegirlblogxoxo

This promo code allows you to try Rocksbox free for one month! After that, the membership is only $21 per month, which allows you to treat yourself to three pieces of jewelry at a time with free shipping both ways. If you decide to buy any of the pieces from your set, they will credit the $21 towards that purchase.

Skirt: J. Crew Factory here
Shirt: Ralph Lauren similar here
Shoes: J. Crew similar gold sandals
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff similar here, here
Belt: Target here
Sunglasses: Prada

Pom Poms and Tassels? Check!

I had my eye on this Kate Spade pom pom sweater for months, but I never pay retail for anything Kate Spade because their prices are a bit steep. Plus, everything inevitably goes on sale, so I had to wait a little while to get it. The waiting payed off because I was lucky enough to get this sweater not only on sale but also with an extra 25% off, which, according to my husband, was still too much to pay. Regardless of his opinion about the price, this is a piece that I felt I would get a lot of use out of, so I reasoned that my purchase was totally justified!

I actually wasn't sure if I'd be able to wear this these colorful pom poms until the fall, as it's technically a sweater, albeit a light one. Luckily for me, we have a thing here in Los Angeles called "June Gloom" and last weekend provided some overcast weather and cooler temperatures that were just perfect for a light sweater. I paired my multi-colored pom poms with an equally colorful tassel bag and my new check mini skirt that was a steal from the J. Crew Factory. The under $20 price tag of the skirt, which is what it ended up being when I purchased it in store, helped to make up for the steep price of the sweater. Considering that, the cost of everything seemed to have balanced out, or shall I say "checked" out, in the end!

Sweater: Kate Spade pom pom sweater here, here, and here
Skirt: J. Crew Factory printed linen-cotton sidewalk mini here
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff here, here, budget friendly version here
Shoes: J. Crew similar gold sandals here
Necklace: Kate Spade similar cupcake necklace here
Sunglasses: Celine here

Linking Up With: Jersey Girl, Texan Heart, Midweek Inspo,What i Wore, TBB Style,Style Me Wednesday ,Oh Hey Girl! ,Thursday Fashion Files

Fun in the Sun

I think when you live in California, especially L.A., it's mandatory that you own at least a few things that feature palm trees. Since palm trees are so iconic in the state in which I live, I naturally gravitated to this fun J. Crew Tippi sweater with its cheerful sun and palm tree illustration. One thing that many of the people who reviewed this item online noted, and to which I can attest as well, is that it appears in person to be much brighter than in pictures. In fact, my husband asked if I was going hunting in this, since its neon orange color does evoke the image of some hunting gear that you might find in your local sporting goods store!

The weather here in Los Angeles has been all over the place as of late. Some days are overcast and cool while others, like the day these pictures were taken, foreshadow the hot, bright summer months ahead where there's not a cloud to be found in the sky. To go along with the bright, sunny day, I paired my outfit with some equally bright accessories, such as my new yellow suede pom pom shoes, turquoise sunglasses, and colorful tassel bag. So while I may not be on a hunting expedition, as you can see, I am constantly on the hunt for bright, colorful accessories!

Sweater: J. Crew Tippi in embroidered palm trees here
Pants: Old Navy linen blend pixie pants here
Shoes: J. Crew Gemma suede flats with pom poms here
Bag: Rebecca Minkoff same style in white, black
Earrings: Bauble Bar here, similar here
Sunglasses: Stella McCartney here

Linking Up With: Weekend Wear, Fun Fashion Friday, Fabulous Friday, Flashback Friday, On the Edge, Passion for Fashion