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

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

Gridlocked

This is totally unrelated to my outfit, but indulge me for a second while I rant about the traffic in Los Angeles. It is awful! It has always been bad, but each year the gridlock on the freeways gets worse and worse. As you can see, I am really sick of it, which is why I am desperately looking forward to my spring break coming up because that means I won't have to sit in traffic for two hours everyday going to and from work. Now that I've gotten that off my chest, I can proceed to my outfit, which features a grid print, thus also tying in with the title of this post. This grid print pencil skirt from Banana Republic not only features a fun graphic print, but it's got a lot of stretch to it, so it would make for something comfortable to wear while sitting in said traffic for two hours!

I love the color combination of green and pink! (Maybe because it reminds me of a watermelon?) I decided to utilize this color scheme to make the black and white print of the skirt really "pop". Originally, I was thinking of wearing bright pink shoes, but instead I opted for a pair of pink earrings. These pink tassel earrings have become a favorite of mine over the last month, plus they are also very light and comfortable just like the skirt!

Skirt: Banana Republic gingham midi pencil skirt
Tee: Target similar here
Bag: Fendi wallet on a chain here, blue version, pink version, red version
Shoes: Christian Louboutin "Simple" pump here
Sunglasses: Celine similar white sunglasses here
Earrings: Sugarfix from Target here

Linking Up With: Hello Monday, How I Spring, Shoe and Tell
Trend Spin, Turning Heads

Stripes and Chambray for Spring

When J. Crew rolled out this pop stripe skirt last month it was love at first sight! I love a good pencil skirt (although this isn't quite as fitted as your average pencil skirt), anything with stripes, and anything with vibrant colors, so it was a win all around! In fact, I loved it so much, it ended up being one of the pieces I sprung for at close to full price for fear of missing out on it in the event of it selling out!

I pretty much stole the styling idea for the skirt from the J. Crew catalog. In the catalog, they paired the skirt with a chambray button down, just as I'm doing today. I'm not sure if this shirt counts as Chambray or just plain denim, but I went with Chambray in the title because it just sounds fancier! Also, as you can see, my tassel earring collection is growing by leaps and bounds! I joked with my husband that even though these particular tassel earrings are not heavy, for whatever reason they sort of threw off my equilibrium when I first put them on!

Last of all, I usually do a Saint Patrick's Day post with a green themed outfit, but I'm not sure I'm going to get to this year. I figured this post, in a pinch, could count for St. Patrick's Day because there is a green stripe in the skirt and also the door behind me is green. So, I'll just wish you an early "Happy St. Patrick's Day!" to all of my readers.

Skirt: J. Crew Pop Stripe skirt here and here
Shirt: Target similar Chambray style here
Bag: Coach similar here
Shoes: Christian Louboutin Simple pump
Earrings: J .Crew here and here
Sunglasses: Celine

Linking Up With: Thursday Fashion Files,Fun Fashion Friday, On the Edge, Fabulous Friday, Flashback Friday, Weekend Wear

That Clutch Really Ties the Outfit Together!

My husband is usually inquisitive about anything that shows up in my closet that he hasn't seen before. Usually something new elicits the following two questions in this order: "When did you get this?" and more importantly, "How much did this cost?". It's always nice when the last question can be followed with a dollar amount that I think is reasonable or that I try to make reasonable through some creative rounding. Well, both these questions came up when my husband discovered this new tassel and pom pom straw clutch laid out next to my outfit on the bed this morning.

The good news was that this clutch was very reasonably priced, which is something that I can seldomly say for many of my handbags. It's also very practical, which is also something I can seldomly say for many of my handbags! This straw clutch perfectly fits a wallet, phone, and sunglasses with room to spare. Below are some other fun straw and pom pom options, as this seems to be a trend that's cropping up for spring.

The title of this post, if you didn't know, is an allusion to the film The Big Lebowski, which happens to be one of my husband's favorites. I just replaced "rug" with "clutch" and "room" with "outfit" in the famous quote said by Jeff Bridges' character "The Dude". My husband is ultimately the one responsible for this clever title because once I had assembled my final look for the day, he told me "that clutch really ties your outfit together". Actually, I think this colorful wall is what really ties everything together! The Dude abides, but Katie abides too!

Skirt: Banana Republic similar striped skirt here
Sweater: J. Crew Tippi here
Shoes: ASOS here
Clutch: T&J designs here and navy version here
Sunglasses: Celine
Earrings: Sugarfix / Target here

Linking Up With: Shoe and Tell, How I Spring, Hello Monday
Trend Spin, Turning Heads ,Oh Hey Girl ,Jersey Girl, Texan Heart