Pink Velvet Suit

 

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Did you shop any of the Black Friday sales or are you planning on shopping online for Cyber Monday? It seems like the sales are starting earlier and earlier every year. This year I started getting Black Friday emails a couple of weeks before the actual day! This pink suit comprised of a velvet pink blazer and matching pink velvet pants is one of the things I picked up on sale a couple of weeks ago from J. Crew for a pre-Black Friday special. Last year I got a similar pink velvet suit but it was a darker color. I really love the "Barbie" vibes of this particular shade of pink, which is why I couldn't resist it!

 

We took these pictures at one of my favorite murals in Pasadena. You probably have seen it at least a few times on my Instagram because it tends to be the perfect backdrop for anyone who loves color as much as I do! Anyway, as we were taking the photos my husband said that I looked like the female Willy Wonka in this particular suit! He always makes funny comments when taking my photos. Anyway, that's all I could think about during these photos and to be honest, he's kind of right! Well, I take that comment as a compliment!

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Blazer: J. Crew here

Pants: J. Crew here

Top: Nordstrom similar polka dot top here

Shoes: Ally Shoes here (Save $40 on your first pair of heels with Ally with code Hellokatie40 at checkout or save 10% on Ally flats by using code Katiegirl10 at checkout)

 

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Hi, Barbie!

 

With the release of the new Barbie movie less than a day away, it seems like everywhere you look everything is Barbie! Thinking more on it, Barbie-mania has been going on for months now, but who can resist indulging in all things pink in celebration of the release of the movie? So, in celebration of the Barbie movie, I am styling this pink and white striped button down top, which is definitely something I think Barbie would wear, with a few different skirts. This pink and white top is so versatile and goes with so much in my wardrobe that I can't choose which skirt I liked it best with!

 

As you can see, the skirts featured in this post all have a tropical theme with pineapples, palms, and flamingo prints. While I am featuring different skirts, I kept the same accessories for all of the outfits. I definitely think both this fun pink straw bag and my metallic pink shoes would be accessories found in Barbie's closet! You will notice that there are also several colorful murals that I am using for this post. The good news is that these murals can all be found at Dot's Cafe in Pasadena! Because the murals are all pink, or at least have some pink found in them, I think Barbie would approve of them too!

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Top: J. Crew Factory here

Pineapple Skirt: J. Crew similar pineapple print skirt

Flamingo Skirt: J. Crew similar flamingo print skirt here

Palm Skirt: Nordstrom

Bag: J. Crew similar pink straw bag

Shoes: J. Crew here

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Floral Blazer

 

This stunning floral blazer is part of an outfit I wore in the weeks leading up to Valentine's Day this year.  I purchased this blazer from Forever 21 and I wasn't sure about the fit and the quality, due to the fact that it was under $50. Luckily, when the blazer arrived in the mail, it was love at first sight! (So perfect for Valentine's Day, right?) For what I paid for the blazer, it was a hit in my book! I love that it looks quite reminiscent of something you might see from Dolce & Gabbana or Alice + Olivia. While you would probably know that it's not expensive when picking it up and inspecting it closely, it definitely has an expensive look, especially when paired with the right accessories, like a cashmere sweater and an iconic quilted purple bag!

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The only thing that I love more than this blazer is this cute location that I discovered near Downtown Los Angeles! We took these photos at a cute pink coffee shop called Boulon. This coffee shop has a fun floral mural and hot pink phone booth, both of which I adore! Sadly, we were running late for lunch and didn't have the opportunity to go inside and try one of their amazing (and, from what I have seen, colorful) drinks, but I will definitely be back for the cute photos and a cute drink sometime in the near future!

 

Blazer: Forever 21 here

Sweater: Macy's similar purple sweater

Pants: Zara similar wide leg pink pants here and here

Shoes: Christian Louboutin similar nude pumps here

Bag: Chanel similar quilted purple bag

 

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Hotdogs at Pink's

 

I feel like this post could be about me dressing up as Rosie the Riveter for Halloween or it could be about me checking more things off my L.A. bucket list by going to Pink's Hotdogs. Because it wasn't really my intent to dress up like Rosie the Riveter, I guess I will focus on Pink's Hotdogs instead! With that being said, if you want an easy Halloween costume idea, just buy a denim jumpsuit, throw a scarf on your head and strike a pose flexing your arm and you will have a pretty easy and awesome costume for Halloween! Plus, as an added bonus, you can use the jumpsuit all year round! Because this jumpsuit from Old Navy is currently sold out, I linked to some others below that are fabulous for any occasion, Halloween included.

 

Denim Jumpsuit Options

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So, getting back to Pink's Hotdogs, I have wanted to go to this retro hotdog stand that's been around since 1939 for the longest time! A couple of things gave me pause about visiting so I kept putting it off. One thing that I had reservations about were the crowds. I read in the reviews that you can wait for hours to get one of their hotdogs. A second thing was that many people said that the food is overpriced and not as good as it used to be. After seeing a Huell Howser show on Pink's Hotdogs, I decided I had to go. Besides, the food looked really good, at least on TV, so I decided it was now or never and I might as well bite the bullet and check it out!

 

Well, we picked a cool, overcast day for our visit to Pink's and arrived before noon. We discovered that there were no lines, although I did stop and take some photos of the awesome pink exterior and a short line did develop during that time, much to my husband's chagrin! When we sat down with our food, which consisted of chili cheese dogs and onion rings. We were pleasantly surprised that they were delicious! Yes, they are a little overpriced at around $7 a piece, but I suppose you are paying for the history, the name and access to the amazing pink wall with the Pink's logo on it! (Actually, you can take pictures here for free.) Also, now I can check another thing off of my L.A. bucket list, which always feels good!

 

 

Jumpsuit: Old Navy almost identical jumpsuit here

Shoes: J. Crew similar suede pumps here

Bag: Salvatore Ferragamo similar rainbow bag here

Headband: Anthropologie here

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National Pink Day

It seems like there's a day for everything lately. I'm not sure if it's always been that way or if it's a new phenomenon that is associated with the popularity of social media (I think it's probably the latter) but whatever it is, a day exists for every food, color, activity, animal etc. that you can think of. Well, Wednesday, June 23rd is National Pink Day and because pink is a color that I wear quite frequently, I thought it would be fun to celebrate by wearing something with pink in it for the occasion! While this look featuring a pink gingham short sleeve sweater and floral pencil skirt isn't entirely pink, I think it's the perfect way to honor this "holiday" and to show off some of my favorite purchases from the J. Crew Factory clearance sale that's going on right now.

 

As you can see, in addition to playing up the pink in this outfit, I'm also doing a lot with a classic gingham print. To match the gingham print of my sweater, I decided to go for these navy blue gingham espadrille sandals to play up the theme. I guess you can never have too much when it comes to both pink and gingham! Now that I think about it, when is National Gingham Day? If it doesn't exist, perhaps I could just pick a random day and be the founder of the "holiday"!

 

Skirt: J. Crew Factory here

Sweater: J. Crew Factory here

Shoes: Old Navy similar navy gingham sandals here

Bag: Chanel similar pink quilted bag here

Earrings: J Crew similar pink earrings here

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Pink Baby Doll Dress and Dolly Parton

 

Dolly Parton seems to have achieved renewed popularity as of late and probably with good reason for both her musical talents and philanthropic contributions. Most notably, last year she donated $1 million dollars to help fund the research for a vaccine for COVID-19. To pay tribute to this musical legend and humanitarian, the owner of the Strut Night Club in Orange County had this mural created to honor Dolly Parton as a beacon of "love and light." Well, I just had to check it out (my husband always asks me, "How do you find this stuff?") and I thought that a pink baby doll dress, such as this pink frock from Target, would be Dolly Parton approved! Below, you will find some other bright pink dresses that I just love! 

 

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Like I said, my husband always seems to be amazed that I am able to find these seemingly obscure murals and sights in Los Angeles but I guess I just have a way of sniffing them out! (Okay, it sometimes involves a lot of detective work using Instagram and Google Maps!) While Dolly Parton is known for being a musician and a humanitarian, she's also known for her ample "girls" to put it delicately. My husband had a few quips about this as I was posing for these photos, which made me laugh, so my smile might appear to be extra big in these photos... just like that particular part of Dolly's anatomy!

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Dress: Target here

Shoes: J. Crew similar bow sandals here

Bag: Chanel similar purple quilted bag here

Sunglasses: Celine

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That 70s Dress

When I was a teenager, I was enamored with clothing from the 60s and 70s. My mom, having lived through that era, would look at those styles with disgust, in great contrast to the reverence I had for those styles. Now I am seeing teenagers covet clothing from the 90s and I can totally understand my mom's reaction! Regardless, I think there are always things from every decade that can remain aesthetically pleasing. Take, for example, this far-out or even groovy floral dress from H&M. It's definitely retro but to me it still seems fresh! Perhaps that's because of all of the vibrant colors found in the floral print?

H&M actually carries other items in this print, so if you like the floral print but don't want to channel the 1970s with the bell sleeves, you can also get the print in a pair of shorts or in a midi-length skirt. (I actually own the shorts too!) On my most recent trip to H&M, I also picked up these scalloped sandals. I wasn't going to get them but I was only $10 away from being able to use an extra 15% off coupon if spending $75 or more, so I added them at the register so that I would qualify for the coupon! I didn't realize it at the time but these sandals just happened to be the perfect accessory to complete my dress! It was definitely a far out deal!

Dress: H&M here
Shoes: H&M here
Bag: J. Crew similar lavender satchel
Necklace: J. Crew Factory similar here
Sunglasses: Prada here

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