When One Door Opens...

This is my first post of 2018, so I can officially wish all of my readers a Happy New Year! As the old adage goes: when one door closes, another one opens. This saying definitely holds true for the New Year. The door closing on the past year gives birth to a fresh start and a new beginning! Personally, I am not one for New Year's resolutions (let's face it, we never keep them!), however, I am excited for what 2018 has in store for me and my blog!

I am obviously using the aforementioned saying not only because it's applicable to the start of the New Year but it also relates quite nicely to the pictures in today's post! There is a great pink wall that adorns an Out of the Closet thrift store in Los Angeles. Recently, they painted a white door on the pink wall and I thought it would make for some fun pictures. Plus, it kind of ties into the whole New Year, new beginning theme, which was a happy accident!

I haven't yet said anything about my ensemble featured here! I would say it's one of my favorites of the year, but since this is my first post of 2018, that wouldn't be saying much! This sweater from Talbot's and my embroidered skirt from Boden came on the same day, much to the horror of my husband as pretty much everything I ordered for the month of December was delivered on the same day! Anyway, when I took both pieces out of the packaging, I noticed that they looked perfect together and thus an outfit was born! I hope it's a colorful and fun way to kick off the New Year at Hello Katie Girl!

Sweater: Talbot's rainbow sweater here
Skirt: Boden embroidered skirt here
Bag: Mansur Gavriel circle bag here
Boots: Nine West, similar velvet booties here, here, and here
Sunglasses: Celine
Earrings: Kendra Scott "Elle" earring here

Snapping Up Holiday Deals?

'Tis the season for holiday deals! This time of year is a great time to buy gifts for others (or yourself!) at great prices. Between Black Friday, Cyber Monday and everything leading up to Christmas, there are a lot of great sales going on! Unfortunately, the thing that frustrates me is that the sales change so frequently that it's hard to know when is a good time to buy something and when you should hold off and wait for a better discount to be offered by the retailer. It's sort of like the stock market in terms of knowing when to buy and striking while the iron is hot!

I actually didn't go out shopping on Black Friday, unless you count going to the grocery store for produce. Again, most of the sales that I saw offered on Black Friday didn't really seem any better than the ones offered recently and previously throughout the year. Instead of Black Friday shopping, I did some shopping the week before to avoid the crowds, which included getting this turtleneck dress from J. Crew in store for under $20! I bought it at the private sale they J. Crew held last Sunday, which, I think, was by invite only. Regardless, no one asked to look at my invitation, probably because, like most days, I looked like a walking ad for J. Crew! At the private sale, J. Crew was offering 40% off the entire store, plus free doughnuts and mimosas! A dress for less than $20 plus a doughnut and a mimosa (or two!) is a good deal in my book!

So overall, my conclusion is that shopping on Black Friday or Cyber Monday doesn't necessarily result in deals that are much better than those at other points during the year. Sure, tomorrow my inbox will be flooded by retailers begging me to check out their Cyber Monday deals and, possessing little will power, I'll probably cave, but I don't know how much I will actually buy. The good news is that I have everything I could possibly need (and more!), plus I've done almost all of my holiday shopping for others already. Maybe it's just best to turn a blind eye to all of the hype with the holiday sales.

Dress: J. Crew here
Jacket: Target similar denim jacket here
Boots: Christian Louboutin "Cate" budget version here
Earrings: Kendra Scott c/o Rocksbox (use code hellokatiegirlblogxoxo to get the first month free!)
Bag: Fendi  here
Sunglasses: Prada on sale here

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

A Jumpsuit to Suit Me

I never thought it would happen! Me, in a jumpsuit or a romper? Never! You see, I was very skeptical of the whole jumpsuit and romper trend that took the fashion world by storm this summer.  First, I didn't think they quite fit my style. Second, there's the whole issue about the inconvenience it might cause going to the bathroom! But I was wrong and this jumpsuit from Old Navy was what altered my thoughts about this trend!

It all started a couple months ago when I saw this jumpsuit on the Old Navy website. What I was drawn to was the floral print and the fabric, which is a fairly thick linen and cotton blend. I remember wishing it was a dress and not a jumpsuit but after seeing it featured on a few blogs, I started to think it was kind of cute. Well, I didn't pull the trigger to purchase it, as I just couldn't wrap my head around the idea of me in a jumpsuit. Then, last week while perusing the clearance section at Old Navy, lo and behold there was my jumpsuit! I tried it on and it fit perfectly, although there was no price tag on it. When I took it up to the register, it rang up at only $11, so I knew it was fate! While this piece is no longer available, I have linked to some other jumpsuits below that I wouldn't mind trying now that I have gotten over my jumpsuit fears!

So now that I am a jumpsuit convert, let me share a few things with you about them. First, maybe it's just this particular jumpsuit, but they are so comfy! I could truly wear this all day long, as it feels like pajamas! Also, it is very cool for the hot summer days in Los Angeles. Second, I wore this to a family get together and if you know anything about my husband's family, they (mainly my husband and father in law) like to joke about what I wear. Surprisingly, however, everyone loved this jumpsuit and I even received multiple compliments! So all around it was a big hit. Now I just have to talk my husband into getting a romp-him so we can match, although I'm sure the chances of this happening are zero!

Jumpsuit: Old Navy similar floral jumpsuit here
Shoes: Christian Louboutin similar here
Bag: Coach similar here
Necklace: Kendra Scott c/o Rocksbox here (get a free month of Rocksbox with code hellokatiegirlblogxoxo)
Sunglasses: Prada "Baroque" here
Watch: c/o Wristology (Get 10% of with code Katie10)

Baubles and Daisies

I wore this dress on two occasions in the last two weeks. (Even though I got it for under $100, which is a steal for most things Kate Spade, I still wanted to get my money's worth!) The first occasion was for my wedding anniversary. To celebrate, my husband had tea at the former Ritz Carlton, now the Langham, hotel in Pasadena. The second occasion, which was the first day of school, was decidedly much less glamorous!

On both occasions wearing this dress, I reached for my Kendra Scott "Rayne" necklace to accessorize it, because the necklace added a little pop of color to my look. This necklace was part of my latest set of jewelry that was delivered to me this month courtesy of Rocksbox. For those of you who might not have heard, Rocksbox is a jewelry subscription service that lets you try out three pieces of trendy jewelry at a time. It's really fun way to try new styles! If you happen to fall in love with something, you have the option to buy any or all of the pieces in your set! Normally, Rocksbox is $21 a month (this fee is credited towards any purchases that you make from your set), but for my readers they are offering a one month free trial with the promo code: hellokatiegirlblogxoxo

Obviously, the other accessories that I wore to my anniversary tea I definitely did not take to school with me, like this Chanel bag! It was swapped out for my beat-up tote from Target that I use to lug around stacks of papers, books and my lunch on a daily basis! In a way, going back to school made me feel a little bit like Cinderella when the clock strikes midnight at the ball and the party is over. Luckily, unlike Cinderella, I still had the pretty dress and the gorgeous necklace to remind me of my former glory!

Dress: Kate Spade similar daisy dress here
Shoes: Kate Spade
Bag: Chanel budget version here
Necklace: Kendra Scott here
Sunglasses: Prada "Baroque" here

Summer Shift

It seems like it was only a short while ago that I was excitedly writing about the beginning of summer vacation and my overwhelming joy of having a lot of free time on my hands. Sadly, I am now lamenting the fact that I am down to my last few weeks of vacation time. It's amazing how time flies when you're having fun and not working, but I can't complain because I am lucky to have so much time off.

At the beginning of summer, I wrote a post about my aspiration to be a "lady who lunches" or a lady who has essentially a life of leisure! Well, to bookend that post from the beginning of summer, I think this little shift dress also embodies the spirit of ladies who lunch. Plus, I went out to an extraordinary lunch of potato leek soup, filet mignon and a glass of Cabernet the day I wore it, so I was really "classing it up". Sadly, in a few weeks it will be back to microwavable frozen dinners for lunch (yes, I eat them most days at school), so I might as well enjoy the nice lunches with wine while they last!

The earrings I wore for my lunch date are courtesy of Rocksbox, which is a jewelry subscription service. The earrings were part of my three piece set of jewelry that I got for the month. I actually think they were probably my favorite thing that I received in the box because I am really enjoying wearing fun, dangly earrings this summer. If you would like to get a free one month subscription to Rocksbox, use code hellokatiegirlblogxoxo so that you too can try out earrings like these or any jewelry that suits your fancy!

Last of all, I think the picture below sums up my feelings of shock regarding the end of summer! I am not really sure what I was thinking when I took this, but a woman walked by the alley where I was shooting this photo and she probably thought I was insane! Maybe I would best qualify as a crazy eccentric lady who lunches?

Dress: J. Crew similar shift style here, here, and here
Shoes: J. Crew similar silver wedges here
Bag: Louis Vuitton Epi Alma similar yellow tote here
Earrings: c/o Rocksbox (use code hellokatiegirlblogxoxo for one month free subscription)
Sunglasses: Celine