Thursday, January 2, 2014

The Rose Parade and a Whole Lot of Bows

If you didn't have a raging hangover yesterday, or even if you did, you might have caught the Tournament of Roses Parade on TV. If you live in the LA area maybe you even camped out overnight to witness the parade in person. Well I kind of did a little of both minus the camping. I watched the parade on TV and since it's sort of in my backyard, I also went to the post-parade where you can view the floats parked along the roadside for a glimpse at all of the little details.

I thought I would start the New Year off by looking stylish and clad from head to toe in what else but J.Crew. For my stroll down the streets of Pasadena to observe the floats I chose my new J. Crew mini-bows sweatshirt and my J. Crew collection flame floral jacquard skirt which is from last year but I actually came across it here at Outnet.com at a great price! I thought the skirt would be quite appropriate given the fact all of the floats in the Rose Parade must be made out of flowers and/or other natural components, such as grass, seeds, moss etc. I could almost camouflage myself amongst the flora!



So the post-parade was quite a busy place. We went around dusk and it was wall to wall people trying to catch a glimpse of the floats up close and personal. In the shot below you will see not only a bug-eyed fish of some sort, but also the lovely smoggy haze that Los Angeles is so famous for.


Below are a few glimpses of my favorites from the parade. It was hard to choose because everything was so lovely, not to mention vivid and colorful. I have a weakness for color, you know. I was also very partial to anything involving animals. There were a lot of sea creatures and exotic animals featured on many of the floats which were definitely amongst my favorites.



The picture below of the church and Beverly Hills' City Hall were really cool because at first glance you might think they were actual buildings, blending into the foothills. 



If I remember correctly, the float below promotes the wonders of LA. Can you identify the landmarks? From what I can see there is Universal Studios, Grauman's Chinese Theater, Griffith Observatory, the entrance to Olvera Street and my favorite, the Watts Towers.







Well, I hope you enjoyed this virtual stroll through the Pasadena Rose Parade. It was certainly a fun and colorful way to kick of the New Year!


11 comments:

  1. That bow top is so darling!! Happy New Year xo

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  2. I second the comment by Laura on the bow top! :) Also, those are some really pretty floats!

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    1. Thank you! The bow top was one of my favorite purchases from 2013. The floats are even more beautiful in person!

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  3. How lovely! We watched most of the bowl game on TV. My husband's aunt is in Pasadena and she posted a photo on FB on NYE of everyone lined up camping out for spots along the parade route - crazy!

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    1. I watched some of the game of TV too! Although I know nothing about football! The parade route is crazy. I went there last year on New Year's Eve and all the stores (including J. Crew) were boarded up.

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  4. Love that outfit - that skirt is gorge! Happy 2014!

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  5. LOVE all of these photos of the floats and your outfit, of course! I've been reading for a few months but this is my first comment. Thank you for all of the fantastic posts!!

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    1. Thanks for following me amscpa! Happy New Year!

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  6. I have done the float walk a few times since I moved out here. It's fun, but a little too crowded for me!

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