Never Fully Dressed but Always Overdressed!

If you're puzzled by the title of my post, let me explain. The first half of the title comes from the designer of my colorful spotted dress, which is Never Fully Dressed. In my opinion, the brand's name perfectly captures what went on with most people's wardrobe during the pandemic! While I can't speak for everyone, I spent most of the my quarantine life never fully dressed and wearing mostly pajamas, only getting dressed up for a video conference (trying to look good from the waist up!) or the occasional blog post. Well, truth be told, I actually like to be overdressed when I go out of the house! Luckily for me, despite its name, the brand Never Fully Dressed makes some amazingly colorful dresses that will definitely have you stepping out of the house in style if you are lucky enough to have somewhere to go!

The idea of having somewhere to go brings me to my next point regarding the dress. While, thankfully, many places are opening up here in California, I still feel like I have nowhere to go and, thus, getting dressed up won't really be a part of my daily routine for a while. While it is exciting that we are now free to dine in at some restaurants or shop at some stores, I definitely have mixed feelings about jumping back into my old routine. At this point, my plan for the summer is to ease into life as it used to be by visiting some interesting outdoor places (and hopefully chronicling my adventures here on my blog or on Instagram) and then maybe working up to other activities, depending on what unfolds. There are just so many uncertainties right now that it's hard to say what will happen or what life will be like over the next few months. One thing I do know is that when things do get back to normal, I'll be dressed (and most likely overdressed) for the occasion!

Dress: Never Fully Dressed here
Shoes: J. Crew similar blue pumps here
Bag: Mansur Gavriel here
Sunglasses: Celine similar white sunglasses here

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Rainbow Skirt

I posted the outfit I'm wearing in this post on Instagram this week and my caption alluded to the fact that my wardrobe contains a lot of rainbow skirts, which is an indisputable fact! I guess the rainbow skirt has kind of become one of my signature items over the last several years. While I'm trying to be more careful about what I buy in terms of not buying items that are similar to what I already own, I found this colorful striped skirt from Boden too stunning to pass up! (There's also a dress version here.) Between the color palette and the cinched bow belted waist, the skirt is somewhat similar to some of my other pieces, but I still couldn't resist! This skirt, due to the pandemic, took a while to get to me due to issues shipping overseas (you can read about the saga in this previous post) but it was well worth the wait!

One of the other pieces that I purchased in the last couple months is this straw camera bag from Kate Spade. I was debating between getting the bag in white or this turquoise color but I'm glad that I opted for the latter because it goes with just about everything in my wardrobe! Additionally, the color really makes it pop, making it even more of a statement piece than it already is! It's currently on sale at the moment at Kate Spade, so now is a good time to "snap" it up if you can!

Skirt: Boden here, dress version here
Blouse: Zara similar pink ruffle top
Shoes: J. Crew similar gold sandals here
Bag: Kate Spade here
Earrings: c/o Zenzii here (save 25% off with code Katie25)

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The Trapeze Artist

One of my favorite things about Anthropologie is the quirky prints they always seem to come up with. Take, for example, this blouse featuring a stylish trapeze artist! I love how the pattern has a vintage feel to it in addition to being adorable. I know I have commented on this in the past on my blog but Anthropologie was one of my favorite places to shop. Over the last few years, however, some of their clothes don't always seem to suit my style or, to be perfectly honest, they just seem to be somewhat boring. Thus, I just don't shop there nearly as much as I did formerly. I hope that this shirt, with it's whimsical print, means that they'll be producing more of these quirky styles in the future! (That might, however, be bad for my wallet!)

Originally, I was going to pair this top with a graphic black and white skirt but, at the last minute, I opted to go with something more simple like these light jeans. I believe this is how the blouse is styled in the Anthro Catalog and online. I think my new Alice + Olivia black and white sunglasses are bold enough on their own without adding another statement piece to the look! I picked up these fun sunglasses at the Alice + Olivia sample sale last month. They were a steal at only $29 on sale and I definitely recommend checking out future Alice + Olivia sales for great deals!

Blouse: Anthropologie here
Pants: J. Crew similar white jeans here
Shoes: Target
Belt: Target similar red saffiano belt here
Sunglasses: Alice + Olivia similar black and white sunglasses here

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The Perfect Party Pants!

Last week, we went out to pick up some lunch and I decided to revisit one of my mural finds from last year. This fun mural is comprised of giant license plates that come together to make a fabulous rhino (make sure to scroll down to the last picture to see it!). It can be found along the historic Route 66. I thought this mural, with all of the lively colors, would be the perfect match for my wide leg Uniqlo x Marimekko pants.

Over the last couple years, I have really been getting into wide leg pants. I guess I tend to like extremes because most of my pants have a really slim fit or have a really wide leg. I don't really have a lot that is in between when it comes to pants. Well, these pants are great for the hot weather, as the relaxed fit and cropped length makes them super comfortable. I also adore the color combo and the signature Marimekko polka dots in pink! They would be the perfect party pants if I could only attend a party! With social distancing still very much in place in California, particularly in Los Angeles, parties are definitely off limits still but I guess you could say I am having my own party with this Rhino!

Pants: Unqlo x Marimekko here
Tee: H&M similar here
Shoes: J. Crew similar green pumps here
Bag: Zara similar here
Sunglasses: Prada here

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Like a Summer Picnic

I hope everyone had a relaxing three day weekend for Memorial Day! It's hard to believe that summer is upon us but with a heatwave coming this week to Southern California, I am no longer in denial! I thought this cute tee featuring various fruits and vegetables and my check skirt would be the perfect thing to wear for the Memorial Day holiday because of the patriotic colors of red, white, and blue. I also think that this outfit looks like a summer picnic embodied in an outfit! The top, featuring all of the summery fruits, is a nod to what one might pack in a picnic basket and the skirt, obviously, looks like it could very easily be a picnic blanket! The park where these photos were taken would make for an ideal picnic location and, actually, a few people were there relaxing on blankets or sitting at picnic tables.

You might recall that I also have a dress in this fun print, which is from the Uniqlo collaboration with Marimekko. As you can tell, I purchased a lot of pieces from that collection. In fact, I even placed a new order from Uniqlo to buy some additional pieces that I missed the first time around! Luckily, this top was under $20, so it was a very affordable piece to add to my wardrobe. It looks cute tucked into a skirt but it would be equally cute in cooler months with a pair of green or blue pants. This particular styling of my tee will most likely have to wait until things cool off a bit, which may not be for a while, now that summer is in full swing!

Tee: Uniqlo here
Skirt: J. Crew Factory similar gingham skirt here
Sandals: J. Crew similar gold sandals here
Bag: J. Crew
Sunglasses: Celine similar here

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Lights, Camera, Action!

I think I've found my official bag for summer and it's this fun, wicker camera bag from Kate Spade! Usually, when you think of camera bags, you think of the iconic squarish crossbody bags that are so popular lately but this one is literally a camera! Okay, it's not literally a camera because it doesn't take pictures but you get the point! I actually have another camera bag that I purchased a couple years ago from Charming Charlie. The problem with that bag is that it's not large enough to fit anything in it, which is why I give Kate Spade credit for coming up with a bag that is cute and fairly practical. This bag comfortably fits my wallet and iPhone in it, so I can take it for a stroll wherever I go! It was also the perfect match for my pleated floral skirt for a vintage vibe!

I decided to pair my cute camera bag with a classic, yet colorful outfit. I purchased this pleated skirt from J. Crew a few weeks ago and I absolutely adore the print! Speaking of J. Crew, I haven't addressed this on my blog yet but I was a bit saddened to learn that J. Crew filed for bankruptcy a few weeks ago. (I guess my efforts of keeping them in business by buying just about everything from them failed!) Well, hopefully they will be able to get back on their feet soon while continuing to offer some great clothing! If not, I guess I will just have to find some other brand to fall in love with...maybe Kate Spade!

Skirt: J. Crew here, similar here
Blouse: French Connection similar here
Bag: Kate Spade here and here
Shoes: J. Crew similar here
Sunglasses: Celine
Earrings: c/o Zenzii here (Save 25% off your order at Zenzii with code KATIE25)

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Wander with Love

I'm back with another fun piece from the Uniqlo collaboration with Marimekko! This time around it's a wavy patterned striped skirt that I just adore! I decided to pair my skirt with a statement tee that reads, "Wander with Love".  While the skirt is new, I purchased this tee at least a couple years ago from Forever 21. Originally, I liked the message because I thought it would be perfect for all of the wandering I do around Los Angeles but, sadly, exploring the city isn't really much of an option right now. I did, however, explore a local park where I discovered these yellow wildflowers that I've never seen before. I also made friends with a Golden Retriever who wanted to show me his tennis ball and drool on my skirt! Luckily, since I love dogs, especially Golden Retrievers, I didn't mind. I guess this just goes to show that you can wander in your own backyard and still discover some amazing things!

In addition to my tee, I also decided to pair my skirt with some summery favorites like my straw circle bag and pom pom sandals! Whenever I wear these sandals, I always get a ton of compliments, which is understandable because they really do make a statement! The sandals are also super comfortable so I look forward to, hopefully, wandering with love in them sometime in the near future, perhaps even to someplace beyond the confines of a local park!

Skirt: Unqilo x Marimekko here
Tee: Forever 21
Sandals: Kate Spade similar here
Bag: Zara similar here
Sunglasses: Celine

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