If you ever find yourself in a style rut, find the kitschiest pattern possible from Forever 21 and buy it on complete impulse. Then style it proudly and ignore anyone who questions why you're wearing a men's buffalo print polo.
Rinse & repeat.
P.S. Am I the only one who wants everything from their Men's section right now?
Forget florals...I'm seriously on board for these popsicle and cactus prints.
If I wore every outfit I pinned, I'd have really fabulous mom jeans, probably live in Stockholm, and magically look put together riding my fixie bike around all day. But the reality is (like most things on Pinterest) I very rarely recreate my style inspiration boards in real life. Except when Kate Bosworth makes '90s flannel look cool again...then I'll reconsider.
To an outsider, style blogging is weird. And when I think about it...maybe it is a little strange that I genuinely enjoy taking outfit photos on a tripod in a stairwell after work. But you know, everyone needs a thing and I guess this one's mine. Another thing of mine is blogging in bars. (I swear—I'm going to make this trend happen. The era of laptops in Starbucks is coming to an end!)
I'm currently blogging at a wine bar in Santa Monica while eavesdropping on people chatting about their reality TV connections. Because...LA. I love the West Side in every way—but thought-provoking conversation isn't its strong suit.
I was lucky enough to spend last weekend in San Francisco after heading up to the city for a quick business trip earlier in the week. A few of my best friends have recently moved up there, so it's becoming a home away from home for me. Plus, it helps to always have a place to stay if you're like me and would rather spend money on brunch than boarding :)
One thing I'm slowly learning is how to pack effectively for short trips like this. I can proudly say I was not the girl carrying ten different bags around the airport. Would you be surprised if I told you I usually was? Probably not. Instead, I broke out my beloved Ryanair-approved (miss those travel days) suitcase and strategically packed five days worth of mixed-and-matched outfits. There's something fun and kind of mathematical about creating outfits from a limited selection and this funky look (yes, those are purple boots and I'm going to love them forever and ever) was a product of such an equation.
P.S. These photos were taken on Fillmore Street after a great day of brunching and thrifting.
When you're a postgrad and don't have an endless clothing budget...sometimes you've got to get creative. Especially if you're like me and live in LA where it's "winter," but you can still get away with wearing a summer dress under a sweater and calling it a day. In my opinion, weird transitional weather like this makes getting dressed more fun. If this analogy makes any sense, I'd like to think of layering as some sort of (budget) fashion crossword.
If Wednesday Addams suddenly turned girly, I feel like she would wear something like this. So...I suppose you could say this outfit was subconsciously inspired by her. But, this look was consciously inspired by a number of these Refinery 29 style videos. Usually, I'm not one for watching online tutorials (very short attention span), but they cleverly managed to cut them into 30 second clips on Facebook that held my focus. Plus, their Senior Style Editor is a layering queen that I've been taking a few fashion cues from lately.
Continuing my green-obsession...I picked up this leather crossbody from Fossil a couple weeks ago. I would never have thought to invest in a little green bag, but good old T-Swift has already pioneered the trend so I've convinced myself it was a good idea. I've been wearing it non-stop for the past two weeks and it's somehow managed to match with almost everything. I feel like the Girl In The Green Scarf Handbag.
You can only wear a button-up so many ways, but I think I've maximized the number of ways to style this Equipment blouse that I got on major discount at their on-site store a couple weeks ago. I don't know if I actively make an effort to not wear form fitting clothes, but the button-up + dress combo is the perfect way to create the illusion of a shift dress with two pieces. I've also found that I can create the illusion of being "fancy" by simply buttoning the top button on said blouse. I briefly considered belting my "fancy" combo but actually prefer the loose, flowy look instead. My days of belting anything and everything are long gone. Replaced with the notion that everything I wear can and should feel (but, hopefully not look) like pajamas.
I will definitely be recreating a similarly comfy look like this for Thanksgiving dinner. Also, not to sound like a broken record/girl without a calendar but WHEN did it become the end of November? I'm tragically unprepared for the holidays and still haven't dry cleaned my party dresses from 2013 (wish I was kidding.)
As I've mentioned before, one of my favorite parts of traveling involves running off on my own to take photos. On our second day in the city, we headed down to the Marina for a massive crafts fair in one of the port buildings (not sure what else to call them, I could use the google-machine but am too lazy/on a blogging roll). The crafts fair was pretty much my dream. Overpriced chachkies everywhere. But crafts aside, the view of the Marina was too good to pass up so I spent most of my time walking around outside snapping photos. The pictures pretty much speak for themselves and SF really knows how to make a killer sunset.
The second I saw this pin from Madewell's spring catalog, I knew I already owned very similar pieces to recreate the look. So, yay for Pinterest actually helping me shop my own closet for once! Knew it was good for more than just "healthy" dessert recipes...
The Caffeinated Closet contains some affiliate marketing links that may result in a small commission for my site if items are purchased through them. Any items I receive free of charge from a company I mark as "courtesy of" (c/o) on my outfit details. I only endorse brands that fit my personal preferences and style, and my blog content is never influenced by advertisers.
