Ampersand

Don't ask me why, but I was immediately drawn to this Ampersand Pullover when I saw it at Madewell. Sort of a random symbol to knit onto a sweater but I really think that's part of its charm. It separates the ampersand from its grammatical functionality and presents it instead as a design. Bet you never took the time to think about how pretty the "and symbol" was, huh? (At least, I never did.)

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Outfit Details:

Sweater—Madewell (shop)

Denim Vest—Nordstrom (similar)

Cameo Necklace—Vintage (similar)

Watch—Nixon (shop)

Cargo Pants—Nordstrom (similar)

Bag—Anthropologie (similar)

Boots—Madewell (shop)

The Usual

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The usual go-to: denim vest + printed pants.

Anyway...TGIF! Is it just me or has this week been the longest?

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Outfit Details:

Top—Madewell (similar)

Denim Vest—Nordstrom (similar)

Necklace—Dogeared (shop)

Watch—GUESS (shop)

Pants—Nordstrom (similar)

Boots—Madewell (similar)

Pseudo-Holiday

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I found this dress at a recent trip to Wasteland and convinced myself it could work as a holiday dress, even though I'm pretty sure it's just a summer dress that happens to be black. Keeping my promise to myself, I have now worn this pseudo-holiday dress to not one, but two holiday parties—the last being a little office "holiday jubilee" my department threw on Friday. The only thing I can really recall from our party is that I probably ate my weight in peppermint brownies and then got rice krispy treat marshmallow goop all over the front of my dress...

In other news, I'm finally back home for the holidays and going to face the malls today since I just love the drama of leaving all my Christmas shopping until the last minute. For once in my life, I'm genuinely not excited about going to the mall. Happy American Consumerism Week Christmas Eve (Eve)!

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Outfit Details:

Denim Vest—Nordstrom BP (similar)

Dress—Tibi New York via Wasteland (similar)

Infinity Scarf—Nordstrom BP (similar)

Watch—GUESS (shop)

Bag—Fossil (shop)

Boots—Madewell (shop)

Shadow

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Well, say hello to me and my shadow. I decided to switch up my picture-taking spot, and was left with the harsh lighting of this empty parking lot. But somehow, I think it kind of works with this black and white ensemble. I was going back into my blog archives, and saw I wore some version of this outfit almost exactly two years ago. However, I think I like this dress a little better with a denim vest so you can see the sleeves.

In other news, this weekend was great and felt like it lasted forever. There was lots of celebrating with good friends and it was just what I needed after a stressful couple of weeks. And now...happy Monday!

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Outfit Details:

Polka Dot Dress—Urban Outfitters (similar)

Denim Vest—Nordstrom BP (similar)

Belt—Thrifted (similar)

Watch—GUESS (shop)

Bag—Fossil (shop)

Tights—Anthropologie (similar)

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)

Traction Avenue

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Working in downtown this summer, I've been able to explore more of Los Angeles than ever before. (In case you didn't know...there's a bit of a divide between the East and West sides of the city, mainly because it takes at least an hour and a half to get from one side to the other with traffic. At least.) One of my favorite spots in downtown has always been Traction Avenue in the Arts District. This street is home to The Pie Hole and a bunch of other fun restaurants and studios. Plus, there's some amazing street art along the entire road. On this particular visit to Traction Avenue, Andrew and I got sausages and beer for dinner at Wurstküche, a little bierhaus with a great dining area filled with long picnic tables. We then headed over to the Mark Taper Forum to see A Parallelogram. Which, by the way, is amazing and definitely one of those plays that really leaves you reflecting at the end.

I decided to dress up a little and changed into this halter and pair of trousers after wearing jeans and a tee to work. Believe it or not, this Forever 21 halter is from middle school. Back in the day, I originally wore it as a dress and thought it was the coolest piece in my closet. And I'm not going to lie, to this day I still think it has a pretty unique look! But really...let's all take a minute to imagine 12 year-old me wearing that little thing as a dress. Good, no, great times.

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Outfit Details:

Denim Vest—Nordstrom (similar)

Floral Halter—Forever 21 

Earrings—Target (similar)

Watch—GUESS (shop)

Pants—Anthropologie Charlier Trousers (shop)

Bag—vintage Dooney and Bourke

Heels—ZARA (similar)

(Almost) Summer Nights

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For most people, date night is typically Friday or Saturday. But lately, Andrew and I have gotten into the habit of going out on Thursday nights. Even though we both have class and work the next day, my Thursdays are usually free (unless I have a shift at Anthro), so it's nice to venture out of the house while it's still light outside. Also, side note: I have been loving these long summer spring days! Driving home from work when it's still light outside has been amazing and makes me feel like I have way more time to get stuff done during the day.

For our date night, I decided to break out my new lace top and paired it with my favorite denim vest to make it a little less girly. I'm not quite sure what decade I was channelling, but my whole outfit felt a little retro. We ate at CPK (I found a $25 gift card at the bottom of my wallet...which was great) and walked around by the beach. Luckily after dinner it was only 7:30, so we managed to catch the sunset and any ill-feelings I had been having about LA quickly melted away :)

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Outfit Details:

Top—Anthropologie "Gemma Lace Buttondown" (shop)

Denim Vest—Nordstrom BP (shop)

Black Skirt—Top Shop (shop)

Sunglasses—Ray-Ban (shop)

Bag—Fossil "Explorer Tote" (shop)

Sandals—Target (shop)

Downtown Layers

Before finding this striped Madewell skirt, I had been searching for something like it for the longest time! The only problem was, all the skirts I found at stores like H&M and Forever 21 were a little too short for my taste. I wanted a striped skirt that I could wear to school and work without having to constantly pull it down and fuss with it. So, I finally gave in and invested in this Madewell one after seeing Kendi of Kendi Everyday wear it a few times on her blog and convince me...

I decided to make my outfit more casual by layering a crochet sweater over my skirt, rather than tucking it in and wearing it high-waisted. I then added a little color to my ensemble with my denim vest, because I thought a full denim jacket would look too bulky. That's one great thing about this vest...it adds just enough denim to any outfit without overpowering it. Although, I'll be honest, I have attempted to wear it with a few outfits and it has made me look like a weird 90's pop star. So, MAYBE denim vests don't work with everything...

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Outfit Details:

Crochet Sweater—Loehmann's (similar)

Denim Vest—Nordstrom BP (shop | remixed)

Striped Skirt—Madewell "Striped Downtown Skirt" (different color)

Sunglasses—Ray-Ban (shop)

Ankle Boots—Target (shop)

The Vest

Originally, I was just going to wear my peplum top and black jeans to work, but I decided to throw on my vest at the last minute. Maybe it's just me, but I feel like this denim vest makes all my outfits a bit edgier. I also like that it made my simple feminine outfit a little more trendy.

P.S. TGIF! Even though I have a weekend of studying ahead, I've also got big plans to bake muffins and go to brunch as many times as possible (aka twice)...which in my book are plans worth looking forward to.

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Outfit Details:

Denim Vest—Nordstrom BP (shop // remixed)

Top—Anthropologie "Bloomfall Peplum Tank" (shop // remixed)

Jeans—Urban Outfitters (shop)

Bag—Fossil (shop)

Flats—Anthropologie (similar)

Simple Crochet

The weather in LA has been pretty strange, so I'm never quite sure how to dress on any given day. Ever since coming back from the freezing Irish weather, I figured I would be able to withstand the cold.  However, my body has quickly gotten used to the LA sunshine, and I get a cold chill anytime the weather hits below 70 degrees...what is wrong with me!?

 Luckily, this outfit was pretty versatile and worked for the sunny (but chilly) day we had yesterday. Even though I wasn't wearing a sweater, my denim vest and new crochet scarf kept me warm. I was so excited when this cute Etsy shop* offered to send me a handmade scarf. The one I chose is a great neutral color that will go with everything, and a perfect replacement for my old Forever 21 infinity scarf that I wore all throughout Europe.

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Outfit Details:

Striped Top—H&M

Denim Vest—Nordstrom BP (shop)

Crochet Scarf—c/o Momma and Sweet Pea Crochet

*P.S. enter the code "thecaffeinatedcloset" to receive 15% off until March 15!

Skirt—thrifted (similar)

Bag—Fossil (similar)

Flats—Anthropologie (similar)