Golden

I've got a couple more weeks of this Daylight Savings golden light and I'm going to take full advantage of it. I've always liked playing with light in my photographs and I'm actually planning on taking a photography class on it soon (key to getting out of ruts = hobbies). I loved how the warm colors in my outfit played off the evening light.

Maybe it's the change in season, but I've been feeling a lot more stylistically inspired lately. Nothing better than pulling out some of my fall favorites and pretending they are brand new. Aaaand buying things that are actually brand new is fun too. I may have gone on a slight online shopping binge after a 6+ month shopping fast. I know I've said this before, but I live for the drama of online shopping. Coming home to a package and having things fit perfectly is another one of those "little things" that makes me happy.

____________

Outfit Details:

T-Shirt Dress—Madewell

Paisley Scarf—London flea market

Sunglasses—Ray Ban

Leather Watch—Nixon

Brown Ankle Boots—Madewell

Flower Girl

Get the look:

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 :)

____________

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)

Saturday Rambles

Get the look:

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 :)

____________

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)

Just Belt It

Get the look:

Don't let the belt deceive you—this dress is a full on muumuu without it. But, I would be lying if I told you I bought it without knowing that :) Like I've mentioned before, I haven't been doing too well with the summer heat, so I've been gravitating towards loose, flowy pieces. And when I saw this dress on ASOS, I figured it fit the bill as a comfy (work-appropriate!) summer dress. Maybe next time I'll get crazy and wear it sans the belt to let its true muumuu colors shine through :)

____________

Outfit Details:

Dress—ASOS (shop)

Necklaces—(similar)

Belt—thrifted (similar)

Bag—Fossil (shop)

Clogs—Target (similar)

Birthday Boy

Get the look:

Even though Andrew's 21st was two weeks ago, we only finally got around to celebrating his birthday this weekend since he unexpectedly came down with a fever on his actual birthday :( We got dinner and cocktails at Upper West and it was nice to dress up and go out even though finals are right around the corner. I wore this breezy summer dress because it was both comfy (perfect for post-meal food babies), but still a little fancy when paired with my new favorite ZARA heels. It's also paisley and polka dot—two of my absoulte favorite prints that, when paired together, make an unexpectedly good combo!

Overall it was a great night with delicious food—I highly recommend their veggie burger! I can't believe the first birthday Andrew and I celebrated together was his 17th...my oh my how time flies! Happy (belated) birthday my love ♥ 

____________

Outfit Details:

Dress—Anthropologie "Top Dot Mini Dress" (shop)

Earrings—Nordstrom (similar)

Bag—Fossil "Explorer Tote" (shop)

Shoes—Zara Mid-Heel Sandals (shop)

Victoria Street

One of my favorite parts of Edinburgh was the colorful thoroughfare of Victoria Street. There were so many neat shops to explore, and we found an adorable used bookshop at the top of the street. Andrew, being the book lover that he is, was in heaven when we walked in, and managed to snag a couple vintage copies of his favorite novels. The shop also had tons of one-of-a-kind of vintage maps and prints, so we were able to spend a good chunk of time browsing its many shelves.

I decided to wear my comfortable striped dress, and layered both under and over it since it was so cold and rainy. You can't really tell from the pictures, but I layered a chambray shirt between my coat and dress. I think it helped add a little more color to my outfit when I wasn't wearing my black coat. Although I do like dressing for the cold, I have limited winter clothing options, so a lot of my outfits tend to look bland unless I add layers or accessories with pops of color!

____________

Outfit Details:

Dress—Anthropologie "Two-Button Sailor Chemise" (similar // remixed) | Coat—VILA (similar)

Scarf—Galway market (similar) | Hat—(similar) | Bag—Fossil (shop) | Boots—M&S (similar)

20 Days of Summer

{What I'm Wearing: Dress—Anthropologie "Silken Pathways Dress", Chambray—Urban Outfitters (shop), Earrings—Anthropologie (shop), Satchel—Anthropologie (similar), Booties—Target (shop)}

Last week, Andrew and I had plans to go see Red at the Mark Taper Forum in LA (which by the way...was amazing and I'm so glad Andrew insisted on getting tickets or I would have never gone!). Since we haven't been to LA since school ended, we decided to make a little day trip out of it and spent some time in Downtown before the play. Luckily, the Mark Taper Forum just so happens to be right around the corner from our favorite eatery, The Pie Hole, so we had an early dinner there and ate our weight in key lime and apple pie. We then had a couple of hours to kill, so we ventured over to Angels Knoll park (somewhere I have been bugging Andrew to visit with me for the past two years!) to ride the trolley and visit the 500 Days of Summer bench. 

The story behind this photo as told in four parts: 1. Wait for random tourists to get off the bench (they were there for 45 minutes) 2. See the tourists leave and run downhill in heeled boots to claim the bench 3. Wait 15 minutes to find people that didn't look like they would steal our camera to walk by (just as we were about to give up, a young couple about our age walked by and we asked them and then offered to take their picture) 4. A very happy Melina (and an indifferent Andrew).

P.S. Please excuse the punny blog post title, but the countdown begins. I officially have 20 days left of summer in America. Eek!

Summer Staples

{What I'm Wearing: Top–Anthropologie "Petal Window Tee" (shop),

Skirt—Forever 21 (remixed // shop similar), Necklace—Dogeared (shop), Flats—Anthropologie}

A cotton tee + breezy midi skirt = two of my favorite summer staples ♥  

P.S. Happy Monday...I can't believe it's already July!

One of Those Days

What I'm Wearing:

Blouse: Nordstrom Brass Plum

Vest: Forever 21 (remixed)

Maxi Skirt: Nordstrom Brass Plum (remixed)

Earrings: Anthropologie (shop)

Watch: Michael Kors

Flats: Anthropologie

I wore this semi-bohemian outfit to my internship yesterday. It was about 80 degrees outside, so I figured I would go with a breezy maxi and sleeveless top in an attempt to stay cool. Unfortunately, I forgot the little known fact that polyester is very conducive to sweating and is no match for humidity.

In all honesty, I was kind of a hot and tired mess the whole afternoon. Partly because of the heat, and partly because it really was just one of those days...

Paisley Prep

What I'm Wearing:

Top: H&M (similar)

Mustard Skirt: thrifted (similar)

Paisley Scarf: vintage (remixed 1 & 2)

Belt: Nordstrom

Flats: Anthropologie (similar)

Something about this outfit makes me feel like I just walked out of a J. Crew catalog, and I kind of like it. 

So, here's to feeling preppy, and embracing my strange obsession with anything and everything paisley. We all know how much I love paisley...

Happy Monday!

Bestie Borrow: L.A. {Part One}

What I'm Wearing:

Sweater: c/o ShopMamie (here)

Skirt: Forever 21 (remixed)

Belt: vintage

Necklace: self-made

Heels: Seychelles (similar here)

I was so excited when the ShopMamie girls chose my blog to participate in their "Bestie Borrow" style challenge! They sent me this unique dolman sweater top, and I had a lot of fun coming up with ways to style it. Plus, thanks to my boyfriend, I had the perfect event to wear this outfit to. After taking these photos in a nearby parking lot, Andrew and I ventured into Hollywood to a special press screening (one of the many perks of dating someone who works for the university newspaper!) of Wanderlust—which is hilarious and definitely worth seeing!

Anyway, the way that the "Bestie Borrow" style challenge works is that after I styled this sweater, I had to send it off to my best friend and have her style it as well. So, I decided to send it to my best friend Hayley, who is currently going to college in Seattle. Considering the huge differences in culture and weather between Los Angeles and Seattle, I thought it would be fun to see our different ways of styling the same item. Plus, who doesn't love an opportunity to send snail mail?

{source one & two}

Check back soon for Part II of the "Bestie Borrow" style challenge: photos of Hayley's styled outfit in Seattle. (p.s. the skyline in her photos is far more impressive than the attempt I made at capturing the L.A. "skyline" in these pictures...)