Flower Girl

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Last week, my coworker and I needed fresh flowers for a video we were filming, so we made a quick lunchtime flower run to the LA Flower District. Sometimes it's nice to get away from the office for a bit (especially on Fridays) and explore new parts of the city—definitely a perk to working in Downtown! I absolutely loved the rich purple color of the bouquet we picked up, so I made a point to take them home with me...and, of course, snapped a few photos with them before I left the office :) You'll be happy to know, they survived the photo shoot and now have a nice spot on my coffee table.

For some reason, the skyline in these photos reminds me of Seattle and it looks like I'm dressed for Pacific Northwest weather as well. However, in reality, it was a weird and smoggy LA day. On the plus side, I loved the evening lighting and the smog made for an absolutely gorgeous sunset—we're talking like a crazy hot pink and orange sky—on my drive home from work :)

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Outfit Details:

Paisley Dress—ASOS (shop)

Denim Jacket—Anthropologie (similar)

Scarf—Nordstrom (similar)

Belt—Target (similar)

Watch—GUESS (shop)

Tights—Anthropologie (similar)

Boots—Madewell (shop)

Schoolboy

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I normally avoid shoulder pads at all costs, but there was something about this blazer that convinced me to take a risk and buy it. I love how preppy it is, so I decided to go for a schoolboy look and paired it with my favorite gingham shirt. Something tells me that if I lived on the east coast I would wear outfits like this all the time.

Anyway, this weekend went by way too quickly. I'm just looking forward to Halloween and being done with midterms! Naturally, I have no idea what I'm wearing for Halloween and am hoping I can pull together some sort of costume at the last minute. Right now my costume choices include: girl wearing sequined dress or the (way overdone) "Gatsby-inspired" look. HELP.

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Outfit Details:

Gingham Shirt—Forever 21 (similar)

Blazer—ZARA (similar)

Skinny Jeans—Joe's Jeans (similar)

Key Necklace—vintage (similar)

Bag—Fossil (similar)

Boots—Madewell (shop)

Saturday Rambles

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I'd consider this outfit one of my fall "uniforms." As you've probably already figured out, I love layering summer dresses with scarves, tights, and boots to make them more weather appropriate. I'd say it's partially because I like the look of fun summer prints all year long...but it's also because I'm trying to save money and make the most of my current wardrobe. 

On another note, Saturday blogging is a little unusual for me but I was feeling particularly motivated this morning. Even though I should be studying for midterms, I'd much rather sit in a cafe pretending to study, but people watch/blog all day instead. It's definitely something I'm going to miss being able to do during the work week once I graduate, but also something I plan to take more advantage of on lazy Saturdays like this :)

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Outfit Details:

Chambray—Anthropologie (similar)

Scarf—c/o Momma and Sweet Pea Crochet

Dress—Anthropologie (similar)

Watch—GUESS (shop)

Tights—Anthropologie

Bag—Fossil (similar)

Boots—Madewell (shop)

Greyscale

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I haven't worn these brocade trousers in forever, but whenever I do my first instinct is to pair them with a chambray and call it a day. With heels, it's the perfect casual outfit for work. And it also inadvertently helps me camouflage myself into concrete walls...

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Outfit Details:

Chambray—GUESS (similar)

Brocade Trousers—Anthropologie (shop)

Watch—GUESS (shop)

Bag—Fossil (similar)

Heels—ZARA (similar)

The Outskirts

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As industrial as it is, I find the view from my office's parking garage weirdly beautiful. I love the way the sun hits the LA skyline when I walk to my car right before sunset. Sure, the orange and pink hues are most likely a product of LA's wonderful pollution, but nevertheless—it's pretty. Sometimes Downtown LA feels like a world away from the Westside. While I don't think I'd ever like to actually live in this part of the city, I still enjoy my view of the city skyline from the outskirts of town.

Also, if I'm going to be honest, I had a photography-nerd moment when I took these photos. I think I've finally (after a year with my DSLR) gotten the hang of this whole self-timer business. Plus, the golden hour lighting is my favorite and the warm skyline somehow matched my new lace cardigan. This piece is a little different from what I normally wear, but I can definitely see myself channeling my inner bag lady for the next month and throwing it over everything!

P.S. happy Monday :) also...where did October go? 

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Outfit Details:

Top—H&M (similar)

Lace Cardigan—Ruche (shop)

Necklace—Etsy (similar)

Watch—GUESS (shop)

Belt—Target (similar)

Boyfriend Jeans—Marciano (shop)

Ankle Boots—Madewell (shop)

Feels Like Fall

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I'm currently sitting in my favorite neighborhood café, wearing a beanie, and drinking a big Americano. Life is good. Maybe it was the bottomless mimosas I had earlier today, the game spent with good friends, or even the long, much-needed phone conversation I had with my mom this weekend...but things are looking up. Look at me being all optimistic—nice change of pace isn't it!?

Anyway, it feels like fall and I'm back at it with my layering ways. Also, can we just talk about how many times I've worn this mustard sweater? It's always those random impulse buys that turn into unexpected closet staples. Wouldn't it be nice if I could know what pieces these were while shopping. By now you'd think I'd be able to spot them, but unfortunately I have yet to develop that sixth sense. Adding that to my to-do list alongside "figure out life" (not kidding, that is actually on my iPhone checklist).

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Outfit Details:

Striped Top—H&M (similar)
Mustard Pullover—Urban Outfitters (similar)
Denim Vest—Nordstrom BP (similar)
Sunglasses—Ray-Ban
Watch—GUESS (shop)
Jeans—Urban Outfitters (shop)
Ankle Boots—Madewell (shop)

Refresh

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I was getting a little bored with the concrete staircase backdrop so I decided to go a little crazy and take photos where people might actually see me. In case you were wondering, this is what the parking garage of my work looks like. In the distance, there's a great view of a scrap metal yard and plenty of smog to go around :)

Initially I wasn't going to blog this outfit, but I love these boots too much not to share. It finally feels like fall over here (and I've got a nice change-of-weather cold to show for it...) so I've slowly been rediscovering the other half of my closet. Aside from just clothing, this summer seemed to drag on forever, so I'm hoping this change in weather will be a fresh start for me. It's about time I hit that refresh button. 

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Outfit Details:

Tee—Madewell (similar)

Jacket—Anthropologie (similar | remixed)

Necklace—Dogeared (shop)

Watch—GUESS (shop)

Jeans—GUESS (similar)

Bag—Fossil (similar)

Boots—Madewell (shop)

Mapping It Out

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This striped dress is seriously my favorite because all it needs is a printed scarf and you've got an outfit. My roomie bought me this map scarf for my birthday, and I absolutely love it. My two favorite things in one: maps + scarves—clearly she knows me well. Anyways, I love comfy fall outfits like this even though, per usual, LA has yet to make up its mind about the seasons. After a chilly week, it was 90 degrees all weekend. So, naturally, I protested by wearing fall clothing anyways (note: this was a bad idea).

In other news, things are a little stressful over here and I'm just trying to keep my head above water. I would like to amend my previous statement of "when it rains, it pours" to "when it rains, it pours, and just when you put away your umbrella...it's monsoon season." Forgive me for sounding like an emo preteen, but these past few months have been a little too reminiscent of my middle school days hiding in my closet listening to angsty alt-rock. For right now, I'm just trying to take it day-by-day. And if nothing else, I will hopefully remember to wear semi-attractive clothes and then (maybe) blog about them. Good plan?

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Outfit Details:

Dress—Anthropologie (similar | remixed)

Map Scarf—Urban Outfitters (similar)

Necklace—flea market (similar)

Sunglasses—Ray-Ban (shop)

Watch—GUESS (shop)

Bag—Fossil (similar)

Flats—J. Crew (similar)

Tough Balance

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I'm normally not the moto trend-wearing type, but I decided to step outside my style comfort zone with this jacket. To make my outfit a little more feminine, I paired it with a dress rather than jeans or pants. I always like to find a nice balance of different style elements to keep my outfits as classic as possible. Initially, I was a little worried about how to style this jacket. But, I'm happy with how it paired with my grey sweatshirt dress and I definitely think it will be a good piece for fall.

Speaking of balance, this is something I've been struggling with lately. Being the Libra that I am (yes—I'm secretly into horoscopes), I have a tendency to feel unsettled whenever I don't have a sense of balance or moderation in my life. I'm still catching up on sleep from sorority rush and there is so much going on since it's the first week of classes and no one is actually studying yet, that I feel like I haven't had a second to just relax. It also feels SO weird to be back on campus since I was working full-time this summer, so I think that might be throwing me off too. Like, I have to wear a backpack and study on weekends instead of just have fun? What? Anyway, honestly who knows where this ramble is going buuuut yeah, balance.

Ok that's all—happy hump day :)

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Outfit Details:

Moto Jacket—GUESS (shop)

Dress—Madewell (shop)

Belt—Nordstrom (similar)

Watch—Michael Kors (similar)

Handbag—Fossil (similar)

Ankle Boots—Target (shop)