Fancy Floral on the Hiking Trail

 

In case you haven't heard, the wildflowers are in full bloom here in California due to all the rain we've had. One plant that is almost everywhere, especially on the side of the freeways, are these mustard flowers. We found a gorgeous trail with these vibrant yellow mustard flowers that made for the perfect backdrop for my floral applique skirt because it too is in full bloom with all of the flowers your heart could desire! While it might be a little unusual to go hiking in heels with a Chanel bag and a big poofy skirt, I thought the backdrop of wildflowers would be perfect to show off this new skirt and the accessories match it perfectly!

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This floral skirt was so fun to style because the applique flowers are in an array of different colors, which is another thing that attracted me to it initially. I decided to pull out the purples and pinks with my bag and puff sleeve top. I also added a little pop of yellow in my shoes, which turned out to be a perfect match with these mustard flowers! Also, notice how my earrings are yellow flowers as well! Yes, it's head to toe flowers in my outfit to celebrate wild flower season!

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Skirt: Anthropologie here and similar

Top: Zara similar here and here

Shoes: c/o Alley

Bag: Chanel

Earrings: Zenzii similar here

 

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The Perfect Shirtdress

 

It feels like it was just a little while ago that I was blogging about getting into the swing of my summer vacation routine and now my vacation is ending! With going back to work in person weighing heavily on my mind, I'm also thinking about buying pieces in my wardrobe that are appropriate for work but still colorful, fun and in keeping with my aesthetic! This shirtdress from Zara definitely meets all of those criteria! While I'm usually more of a "J. Crew Girl", lately I've also been buying a few pieces from Zara. The dress I'm wearing here is also available at a fraction of the price from SheIn. While I'm not sure about the quality in comparison to the Zara version, the SheIn version is substantially cheaper and will likely be available for a longer time in case the Zara one sells out!

 

I actually have seen this shirtdress on quite a few people since buying it last month. One place where it was featured was on the reality TV show Crime Scene Kitchen. (This show was one of my guilty pleasures over the summer because I love both cooking and crime shows, although it had little to do with the latter!) Anyway, one of the contestants on the show wore this dress for the finale. I'm not sure that I would ever bake in this dress but I do think it will make a great dress for teaching or wearing at the office!

 

Dress: Zara almost identical version here

Shoes: Loeffler Randall here and here

Bag: Chanel similar purple quilted bag here

Earrings: c/o Zenzii

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Floral Pencil Skirt

 

When I first started blogging, I was obsessed with pencil skirts! At the time, as I recall, J. Crew was somewhat responsible for bringing back this classic silhouette with their no. 2 pencil skirt. While it's true that nothing gives you a polished look quite like a pencil skirt, over the years I moved on to more flowy skirts in my wardrobe. (It's interesting to see how your style evolves over the years!) Well, I'm back in a pencil skirt with this fun, floral pencil skirt! What attracted me to this skirt was the vibrant, colorful floral print that I thought would be the perfect addition to by spring wardrobe! After spending the last year living mostly in sweatpants (despite the fashionable outfits you see here on my blog!), I will have to say that it felt nice to be wearing a pencil skirt again!

 

After years of blogging, one thing I've learned is that you have to be prepared for any situation when taking photos! For example, these photos were taken outside of a florist that's located in an alley. While it's not shown in the photos, above this florist are apartments with small balconies that have wide open slats for the balcony floors. The reason I'm sharing this detail is that, as soon as we started taking pictures, someone above me on the balcony started opening up boxes and was throwing the around contents! It made me a little nervous because I thought something might fall and hit me in a head! Luckily, only some cardboard fell down through the floor slats, which scared me at first, but the blog photos must go on!

 

Skirt: J. Crew here

Top: J. Crew similar ruffle top here
Shoes: J. Crew similar blue pumps here

Bag: Chanel budget version pink quilted bag here

Earrings: J. Crew here

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Fall Floral Print

 

 

It's hard to believe that it's already November! October and Halloween seemed to come and go in the blink of an eye. Now that it's November, I feel that I have to dress in fall attire even though it's still pretty hot here. While floral prints might seem to be more appropriate for the spring and summer months, I think floral prints can be worn all year round, although some floral prints work better for fall than others. This liberty floral print blouse is, in my opinion, perfect for fall. It's colorful, yet the jewel tones in the print lend themselves to the fall season.  This is the type of blouse that I consider perfect for transitioning to the cooler months here in California!

 

 

With so many gorgeous jewel tone colors, it was hard to pick the perfect thing to pair this blouse with but I opted for some bright pink pants. Just because it's fall, that doesn't mean you can't be colorful! I also accessorized the outfit with these leopard print pumps. I tend to wear a lot of leopard print to accessorize in the fall months because the brown tones found in the print are perfect for the season. Also, no matter what anyone (mainly my husband!) says, I still maintain that leopard print is a neutral, one that works with almost anything even a fall floral print!

 

 

Top: J. Crew here

Pants: Old Navy similar pink pants here

Shoes: J. Crew here

Bag:  Kate Spade similar gold Kate Spade bag here

 

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Summer Floral

I love a good floral print but not all floral prints are created equal. Some floral prints can be dull or look dated, so you always have to be careful in selecting the right one to fit your style. Obviously I love floral prints that are vibrant and colorful, like the one that's featured on this dress from J. Crew! Because I already have a lot of floral dresses, I went back and forth about whether or not to get this particular dress but ultimately I decided that the print was different enough from what I already owned. Besides, the price was right so it was a no-brainer!

Another thing that factored into my decision to get this particular dress was that while this dress looks perfect for the summer months and when on vacation, it will also transition nicely into my work wardrobe (when I eventually physically go back to work!) due to the longer length of the dress. I also think this dress would look fantastic with a sweater or blazer over it, thus making it perfect for transitioning to other seasons as well, even though current temperatures here are nearly 100 and going to work in cooler weather is far from my mind right now!

Dress: J. Crew here
Shoes: Old Navy similar here
Bag: Louis Vuitton similar cross body bag here
Headband: J. Crew similar here

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Lights, Camera, Action!

It's no secret that I have a lot of bags but one of my new favorite styles of bag is the camera bag. I know this style is very 80s inspired but it seems to be all the rage right now and I am definitely smitten with it! Originally, I was tempted to buy a Chanel or Gucci camera style bag but since I feel that this style might be more or less a trend, I've opted for some more budget friendly options like this red, white and blue one from Forever 21. At just under $20, it gives you a lot of bang for your buck and, to be honest, if you didn't actually feel it, it might easily be mistaken for a designer bag!

I paired this fun camera style bag with a yellow floral cardigan and a striped skirt. It's a great outfit for transitioning into spring with a floral print. Also, I'm a big fan of the yellow and blue combination with some small pops of red. It's a great way to do primary colors without looking like you're a walking Mondrian painting! Certainly, this red, blue and yellow ensemble is ready for its close up!

Sweater: J. Crew similar yellow embroidered cardigan here
Skirt: J. Crew Factory similar here or here
Shoes: J. Crew similar here
Bag: Forever 21 here

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Floral for Fall

Floral is a print that tends to come to mind when you think of spring, for obvious reasons, but why can't it work during the fall as well? Sure, flowers tend to bloom during the spring and wither away during the fall, but why not keep a little floral in your wardrobe all year long? Also, just look behind me and you'll see that there are still trees and flowers thriving in these cooler months. (Well, it's not exactly cool here in Los Angeles, but still!) Regardless, floral is definitely a print that can be perfect for fall—you just need to pick the right floral print!

This silk floral skirt from J. Crew is one of my favorite floral prints! I love it because the colors are so vibrant and I've always been a big fan of yellow juxtaposed with its complementary color, purple. Purple is, in fact, my favorite color! Since the colors of this skirt are quite rich and saturated, it works nicely with the jewel tones that tend to start coming out in fall. While this skirt is from a few years back, J. Crew released an almost identical version of this skirt this month that is equally beautiful. I also love this lavender short-sleeved sweatshirt from Target. It's the perfect transitional piece to pair with my floral skirt for a fall look that is still full of life and color!

Skirt: J. Crew similar floral skirt here
Sweatshirt: Target here
Shoes: Banana Republic
Bag: Clare V. here
Necklace: J. Crew similar statement necklace here
Sunglasses: Prada here

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