Tropical, Even Though It's Fall

 

They say that social media makes people envious of what they don't have, which, I think, is more or less true, depending on how much you let it get to you. I have to say, I have been very envious lately of a lot of people on social media but I guess you can say that it's more of a "seasonal" envy. You see, Instagram is filled with people apple picking in sweaters or romping through leaves donning heavy coats. Here in Los Angeles, it was over 100 degrees last week, which makes such things impossible. Now that it's October, I am really ready to experience some cooler fall weather! Fall weather here in Southern California usually fully kicks in when December comes, so I will have to put up with the heat here for a little while longer, which is why I am in a tropical print sleeveless blouse for today's post. In my defense, I think the black background on the print makes it a little bit more fall appropriate!

 

 

I guess you could also say that the grass is always greener on the other side because I know plenty of people who would kill to be able to have warm weather and no snow during the winter months. As someone who grew up on the East Coast, I do miss the differentiated seasons but, at the same time, I think I would also miss the mild temperatures here on the West Coast. Clearly, there are pros and cons no matter how you look at the situation. I guess one positive regarding our warm temperatures is that you wouldn't be able to wear cute pink mules like this in the middle of a rainy fall season or a winter snow storm! Now that I think about it, I guess I really don't have that much to complain about!

 

 

Top: J. Crew here

Jeans: Old Navy similar here

Shoes: J. Crew here

Bag: Clare V. here

Sunglasses: Prada

 

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Anthro Tag Sale Finds

I've been shopping at Anthropologie for a very, very long time now! When I first fell in love with the store, they very rarely had sales, so if you wanted something you were most likely going to pay full price. Now, it seems like they have sales on a fairly regular basis and then on top of the sales they offer an extra 20 to 40 percent off. I'm not sure if that speaks well of how they are doing as a company but as a consumer, I have to say that I love these sales! Last week, I placed an order with Anthropologie to take advantage of this sale and my order included this fun abstract skirt!

The way the skirt was styled on the Anthro website was with a vintage looking statement tee. While I didn't purchase the exact tee that the skirt was paired with on the website, I did find a tee that I already own from J. Crew that I think looks just as good, if not better! This tee is also supposed to look a little vintage, which, perhaps, gives the outfit a slight retro vibe. The tee also highlights different attractions in Italy, which reminds me of a trip I took there years ago in college. While I would have liked to have shot these pictures in Italy, sadly, that was not possible at the time, so I opted for a location that was decidedly less glamorous. Maybe one day I'll be able to go back to Italy and, if I do, this would definitely be the perfect tee to bring!

Skirt:Anthropologie here
Tee: J. Crew similar here
Shoes: J. Crew similar gold sandals here
Bag: Clare V.  here

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Seeing Spots

With fall right around the corner, I'm always looking for fun pieces that have an autumnal aesthetic yet are still lightweight and perfect for summer. These spot pants from Madewell definitely fit the bill! It was probably about 100 degrees outside on the day I wore them and, to be quite honest, I'm surprised that I don't look more sweaty in the pictures! Well, since these pants are loose fitting and lightweight, they were perfect for hot weather but I can easily see pairing them with a chunky sweater when things cool off a bit!

The other thing that I like about these pants is that the spotted print is definitely reminiscent of an animal print, be it cheetah or leopard, however, it's not too literal. They are, in my opinion, an abstract interpretation of the animal print trend, which I think makes them fun and fresh! To add to this vibe, I found some fun accessories, namely my tassel sandals and earrings, to pair with the pants for a pop of color. To be honest, this outfit doesn't really need too much color because that's been supplied by the wall in the background, which just happens to be one of my favorites! (It appears in a lot of my posts!) Like the wall, I am confident that these pants will soon become a favorite that I can return to time and time again!

Pants: Madewell here
Shirt: Target similar chambray shirt here
Shoes: Kate Spade
Bag: Clare V. here
Earrings: Walmart similar tassel earrings here

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Like a Colorful Mermaid

I'm always up for trying new things, especially when it comes to fashion! This smocked rainbow striped skirt is definitely up my alley in the color department but the silhouette, which can only be described as looking a bit like a mermaid's tail, is new to me. I ordered this skirt about a month or so ago when J. Crew released some of their new fall arrivals and I'm glad I did because it quickly sold out, however it does pop back up now and again, so it's worth trying to snag it by checking the website. (I find that things tend to pop back up on the website between 10:00 and 12:00pm at night, PST.)

One of the things that frustrated me when I ordered the skirt was that the reviews regarding the sizing seemed to indicate that it ran big. Since I ordered my normal size, I panicked that I made the wrong decision. For those of you who might have the opportunity to order the skirt and are wondering about sizing, I would offer the following advice: it does run a little big and there is some stretch to the fabric, so you can definitely size down, but I wouldn't exactly call it "big". In fact, I was quite happy with my regular size. Also, it does pucker a little bit on the sides, due to the smocking of the fabric, which may give the appearance of it being big. This didn't bother me too much and I think it can be eliminated to some extent by adjusting the fabric and pulling it up some at the sides.

Overall, I really love this skirt and find it to be a perfect seasonal transitional piece. I wore this outfit last month with a short sleeved sweater and these gingham yellow sandals for somewhat of a summer look. With the addition of a denim shirt or a heavy sweater, however, the skirt will definitely work for the upcoming fall months. So , while it's not exactly something I would go swimming in (like a mermaid would!), it is something that will help me to swim seamlessly through the seasons!

Skirt: J. Crew here
Sweater: Target similar style here
Shoes: J. Crew here
Necklace: J. Crew
Clutch: Clare V. here

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Now and Later

I know it's still August but this seems to be around the time when everyone starts thinking about fall. From back to school to a new fall wardrobe, signs of fall are everywhere you look, whether you like it or not. I say this because the temperatures are still hot here (it's almost 100 degrees) and I'm going back to school this week, so thinking about fall is not my favorite thing at the moment. Well, one thing I do like about fall is that J. Crew is already rolling out new arrivals for the upcoming season and they're pretty great! What I specifically like about J. Crew's new arrivals is that they feature pieces that you can wear "now or later", as it says on their website. This gives you the option of buying pieces that are versatile and will work for both summer and fall or, as I like to call them, "transitional pieces". One such item is this stunning tiered dress in Ratti Grandi Fiori print.

Obviously, what I love most about this dress is the print! (By the way, this print also comes in a shirt version!) Yes, this print is another stunner from J. Crew and the colors are colorful enough for summer and yet still very appropriate for fall. I can definitely see how this dress could be worn now or later because you could just roll up the sleeves and pair the dress with a pop of color like my pink patent leather pumps or for fall you could throw on some black tights, boots and a denim jacket. I think the latter sounds pretty cute and I'll have to give it a try at some point once the temperatures cool down but here in Los Angeles that may not be for another few months!

Dress: J.Crew here
Shoes: Christian Louboutin similar pink pumps here
Bag: Clare V. here

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A Tropical Print from H&M

A great print can take something from ordinary to extraordinary. This is the case with several of the pieces that I've purchased recently from H&M, including this pleated skirt. I love the rich tropical print featured on the skirt because, not only does it depict some pretty amazing palms and flowers, it also has butterflies and a parrot! (The vibrant parrot is clearly my favorite thing featured on the skirt and was probably the main thing about the skirt that convinced me to purchase it! Never underestimate the allure of animals!)

To play up the wildness of the flora and fauna featured on my skirt, I took out my trusty leopard clutch to go with the outfit. I also went for just a simple tee and a wide belt. To bring out the orange of the parrot, I styled the skirt with some chunky orange sandals. It turned out to be the perfect look for a casual lunch out in the very hot weather we've had lately! In the upcoming weeks, I'll be featuring some of my other finds from H&M because this isn't the only print that I fell in love with, so stay tuned!

Skirt: H&M here
Sandals: Target similar orange sandals here
Belt: Target similar wide belt here
Clutch: Clare V. here
Sunglasses: Prada

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Two Way Tuesdays: Pink Gingham Skirt

I thought I would start a new limited series of posts about how to wear a particular item of clothing in two different ways. This occurred to me because I will often wear an article of clothing once for my blog and photograph it once but after that I never feature it again to show how I restyle it for subsequent wearings and different occasions. Today's post is meant to remedy this and it features this beautiful gingham pencil skirt from J. Crew styled in two different ways.  In other words, this is my first Two Way Tuesdays post! Today's post is dedicated to this pretty pink/purple gingham print skirt, which is one of my favorite patterns for spring. In fact, I just recently purchased the trench coat version of the print as well!

Because the weather has been unseasonably cool lately, I decided to pair the skirt with my new cashmere star sweater and a leopard clutch for this first look. The pink in the stars is the perfect match with the skirt and it also offers some playful pattern mixing! I adore this star sweater, which is another recent purchase and I was happy to have the opportunity, thanks to our cooler weather, to wear it before storing it away for next winter. The addition of the springtime gingham definitely makes the sweater seem more appropriate for spring!

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Next, you will see my second styling of this gingham skirt with a floral print blouse. As you may have noticed, I am very much into pattern mixing with this skirt! This was actually the outfit that I wore a few weeks ago for Easter, which now seems like a very distant memory! I thought the pastel colors and the floral print would make for the perfect spring/Easter look, although it was a little restrictive when it came to participating in our annual family Easter egg hunt! (I still was able to win!)

These vibrant purple flowers were vividlly in bloom for these photos a few weeks ago but, sadly, have lost much of their colors in the last couple weeks. It was really spectacular to see the "super bloom" that took place this year in the early spring months! They did, however, prove to be the perfect complement to my floral top!

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