Sweater Weather

 

As I mentioned in my last post, sweater weather has finally hit Los Angeles and I am celebrating with some of the sweaters that I recently purchased in anticipation of the fall and winter months! One of my favorite types of sweaters is a colorful striped sweater, and even though I have way too many of these in my closet, I end up wearing them all the time, so I suppose they are a good investment! This coral stripe sweater from LOFT is one of my more recent striped sweater purchases. I really think it has some great fall colors in it! Below are some other striped sweater options that I also love.

 

 

I paired this colorful sweater with a corduroy mini skirt and some tall brown boots. Wearing boots is another thing that I truly enjoy about this time of year! I think it's a shame that I live somewhere that only allows for fall/winter dressing for such a short period of time, because I really do love wearing sweaters, coats and boots!

 

Sweater: LOFT here

Skirt: Target here

Boots: J. Crew similar boots here and here

Bag: Clare V.  here

Shop the Look

 

A Lust for Lemons

I don't think I could count on one hand, or even two, how many posts I've done featuring lemon print items! Well, here's another one, this time in the form of a slightly abstract lemon print skirt. Since lemon prints are traditionally worn in the spring and summer months, I hesitated featuring this skirt now that it's officially fall but my love for lemons is strong, so I thought that, perhaps, lemons can transcend seasons. Why not?

Today was actually our first day here in L.A. that felt like it was fall; we had overcast skies and even some rain! Despite weather that looks like fall, the temperature is still somewhat warm and muggy (Yuck!). Because it was somewhat gloomy out, I thought that a little bit of yellow, bright green, and a pop of pink in the form of my bag would be perfect to brighten things up. I guess that just goes to show that when life (or the weather) gives you lemons, make lemonade or, in this case, wear a lemon skirt!

Skirt: c/o ChicWish here
Tee: H&M similar striped tee
Bag: Coach similar pink bag here
Shoes: J. Crew similar gold sandals here

Shop the Post

Three Day Weekend Look

It was really, really nice having a three day weekend this Labor Day to catch up on sleep and just relax! This colorful shape skirt and striped top is one of the looks that I wore over the weekend. The skirt is from a new designer I really like called Emily and Fin. I discovered this brand last year when I purchased one of their skirts from Anthropologie. I just discovered that the brand has their own website and they also sell many items through Modcloth. Emily and Fin's colorful and quirky designs are right up my alley and I'm looking forward to featuring some of my other pieces from them in the next month or so on my blog!

I'm starting to notice more and more bloggers featuring fall outfits on their blogs or Instagram. Be it plaid, sweaters or boots, the signs of fall are cropping up everywhere. Since it's pretty hot here, actually hotter than it's been all summer, I'm not going to be one of those aforementioned bloggers anytime soon, however, I am trying to find my own way to incorporate a fall aesthetic into my wardrobe. One easy way to do this is by wearing lighter fabrics but ones in more muted colors and fall tones. Take this skirt for example: while it's colorful, the rust tones do give it somewhat of an autumnal vibe. Also, these suede shoes are great for the transition between seasons!

Skirt: Emily and Fin here
Shirt: H&M similar striped tee here
Shoes: J. Crew here
Bag: J. Crew similar cobalt blue bag here

Shop the Post

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

Shop the Post

California's Gold

There are lots of things that I love about California. First and foremost, the weather is great! There's also so much to do and see, especially if you like art, culture and amazing food! Plus, geographically speaking, it's one of the few states where you can easily have quick access to the ocean, mountains, or desert, depending on what you're in the mood for. Given my love for the state, I felt obligated to get this California print skirt, plus it's pretty cute!

As you can see, this skirt depicts an outline of the state of California along with some of it's famous landmarks like the Golden Gate Bridge and the Hollywood sign. It also showcases the diverse geographical regions of the state with illustrations of palm trees, cactus, flowers and sailboats sailing though the ocean. It definitely needs to be in the wardrobe of anyone who lives here or is truly is head over heels in love with this state or maybe just someone who wants to be considered an honorary Californian!

On a final note, how beautiful are these yellow wildflowers? I've done several posts about the beauty of this year's epic super bloom and I have to say that, of all of the super bloom locations I've visited, this one is probably my favorite. Why? Because there was no one there! Perhaps that highlights one of the main problems I have with California: it's very congested! When you have a state as beautiful as ours, everyone wants to live here and that creates high density living situations and horrendous traffic. Take, for example, the poppy fields I visited a month or so ago. On just one weekend last month, over 50,000 people descended upon a few acres of orange hills! (There were almost more people than poppies!)  As for these yellow wildflowers, it was nice just to have this park almost all to ourselves, proving that California has some hidden treasures if you know where to look!

Skirt: Anthropologie here
Tee: Old Navy similar red and white tee here
Shoes: Old Navy similar here
Bag: Zara similar round straw tote here

Shop the Post

Stripe and Floral Love

This month, because of all of the rain, we are experiencing what's known as a "superbloom" of flowers here in California. I can't wait to share some of my photos of actual flowers soon here on my blog but, for now, here's evidence that flowers truly exist all over and in many forms! I'm referring to this incredible floral mural by the artist DABSMYLA, which is actually the moniker of an Australian husband and wife artistic team. This mural is truly a tribute to "Flower Power" or, perhaps, more accurately, "Cosmic Love", as the mural reads.

Just like my immense love of all things floral, I also love stripes, as you probably already know. I have striped everything, from shoes to tees to dresses and even bags because, let's face it, like flowers, stripes are a staple that will never go out of style! This particular floral dress was a steal at only $10 last winter at H&M but I've linked to some other fabulous floral options below because, if you're anything like me, you can never have too many stripes in your life!

Last of all, in the accessories department, I had to top off my look with, what else, but a floral statement necklace! I noticed that I haven't been wearing that much in the jewelry department as of late but the simplicity of this striped dress called for a bit of color to liven it up. Also, as I stated before, you can never have too much floral! Speaking of which, stay tuned for some of my upcoming posts featuring the superbloom here in California because, much like this wall, it's going to be epic!

Dress: H&M similar striped dress here and here
Shoes: Christian Louboutin similar here
Bag: Mansur Gavriel here
Necklace: J. Crew here

Shop the Post