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Spring Wardrobe Additions

May 2, 2015

I know they call it spring cleaning because you’re supposed to purge your closet of all of the cast-offs and overly saturated items from last season/year… But my typical approach to the tradition is when I take things out of storage, to keep most of what I already have (unless it’s stained, scratched, tarnished, or holey), and work it back in to the rotation, along with adding in some new pieces to jazz things up a bit.
I think it helps that I try to stay away from overly trendy pieces… You will not see me rocking a pair of culottes or a choker anytime soon. Mostly the last one because I like to have free range of motion of my neck, but I digress.. Some pieces you can just tell are going to be so short-lived, not to mention unflattering (have you seen what a peplum does to a girl with wide hips?!) A maxi dress, midi skirt, striped t shirt, ankle-strap flats, etc. will always be on-trend because they’re pretty timeless and classic. Prints and fabrics sometimes will date an item, but that’s when adding a fresh new piece comes in to play…
Below are a few things I’ve picked up recently to integrate in to my wardrobe which you will definitely be seeing more of in future posts 😀

These bad boys from Dolce Vita (another NordRack find) were already featured on my Instagram page, but I thought they deserved a second look. They’re so versatile in that great neutral brown/grey/beige tone and could easily add polish to a monochrome ensemble (I’m thinking all black or all white would be amazing!)

I first came across the leopard calf hair version of these ankle-strap flats at Nordstrom Rack, and thought OMG, these are perfect for work or for brunch or pretty much anything. And they’re $30 (!!!!) And then, I came across the black ones and knew there wouldn’t be much point in sitting there deciding which to buy because I would wear both of them constantly.

These caught my eye for the obvious reasons, but the thing that drove it home for me was that they reminded me of some lovely sandals that Alyson Haley of Sequins & Things had posted recently here. I loved the opal and bright stones mixed together, but they were a bit more than I wanted to spend at $110. These beauts were on sale for $40 and are a pretty close match.

Ok, so maybe I went a little overboard with my summer sunglasses stash, but I couldn’t help it! I found some great pairs at a steal ($20 each!) from Free People and Nasty Gal, and I’m constantly losing, breaking, scratching and otherwise destroying glasses so I need a bunch to choose from that I won’t cry over their demise.
From the top:
Free People Bel Air
Free People Abbey Road
Free People Kensington
Nasty Gal Deviant
Free People Bel Air
I also picked up these from Nasty Gal but I’m not sure if I’ll be keeping them.

This lovely vintage dress and the midi skirt below were picked up last weekend at the Artisanal LA event last weekend. I thought we were all done, after a couple hours of perusing pickled vegetables, goat’s milk cheese, painted truffles, etc. until I walked out and spotted the most awesome airstream trailer bursting with racks of shift dresses, pleated skirts and straw totes. The shop is called Blossom Vintage, and I chatted with the proprietor, Jamie, for a while about her traveling business. Read her cute store here. She made me an awesome deal on this dress ($30!!) and while I may have to have it taken in, I will get so much use out of it this summer.

This pleated midi skirt is perfectly on trend right now! It fits very snugly around the hips (it’s a size smaller than I normally wear), but if I pull it up a bit, it is wearable and so cute!

Look at these little zebra fellas! They’re so adorable and quirky!

I’m still waiting to receive my order from LOFT, but as soon as I found out about it, I knew I had to partake in their 50% off sitewide sale! Unfortunately, the sale ended yesterday, but I’m sure they’re have another one along shortly 😉
Clockwise, from top left:
Floral Midi Dress
Embroidered Tassel Blouse
Tropical Midi Dress
Swallowtail V-Neck Shell
Blouson Tee
Love Triangles Tee & Skirt
Swallowtail Sweater
Update, I just checked their site and everything is 40% with no code needed! So there ya go haha!

And last but not least, some more shoesies I found on a recent trip to Nordstrom Rack. I’ve already broken in the Louise et Cie and Tory Burch Eddie flats at work, and the Calvin Klein nude pumps running around town. I’m in love with the other two pairs, the snakeskin, ankle-strap pumps from Joe’s and the Matisse wedge sandals, but have yet to find the occasion to wear them.. With summer fast approaching, I don’t think that will be the case for much longer! I also picked up a Vince Camuto open-front cardigan, a couple of tops for work and a fun tank for yoga.

What have you purchased recently for the upcoming warmer months?
😀

Nordstrom Rack Opening

April 8, 2015

I’ve been a fan of Nordstrom Rack since I was about 16 years old, back when I had to convince my mom or sister to drive the 30 miles to our nearest outlet mall so I could scour the new finds. I still have some of the items from back then (a pink Skagen watch, a Charlotte Tarantola sequined cardigan), and fond memories of some of my first attempts at bargain shopping. My excitement was sparked again recently when I heard that they were going to be opening a NordRack about 3 miles from my house. I guess I wasn’t the only one looking forward to the new store, because about 600 other people had the same idea!

The lovely people working the “event” were kind enough to offer up some coffee and scones to keep everyone going.
Now, for all of the goodies I found! Disclaimer: I left the tags on just so you can see how fantastic the prices were 🙂

I’ve been a longtime fan of Dolce Vita footwear, and these snakeskin-print gold-tipped sandals called out to me, I didn’t even realize they were a size 7 1/2 until I got home, thankfully they are a perfect fit! And for $20, you can hardly find a better deal at Target, and these are much more well-made.

These guys I would consider my find of the trip.. They’re so comfortable and will actually allow my feet to stay cool at work this summer. They’re this gorgeous garnet shade that is unlike anything I’ve owned before.

It may not look like much here, but this top is super cute and drapey when on, with neon coral trim and a great graphic black and white print. And arm air vents for keeping cool 😉

I also fell in love with this print, with varied shades of roses that are so easy to pair with a statement necklace and skinny black pants or jeans or a black midi skirt and some delicate gold jewelry.

I also thought this piece would be pretty versatile, in terms of easy dressing up-and-down for different occasions.

I couldn’t get a decent shot of the seafoam/mint top shown at the bottom left, because it’s a very diaphanous and flowy crop top, but I will definitely be showing it in an OOTD soon! I’m mad about the fabric and color.

What stores are you most excited to see open in your area?
😀

CA Gift Show

February 8, 2015

A quick warning, this post contains a gratuitous amount of pictures that I shot recently in LA at the California Gift Show and the Reef. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, the Gift Show is not open to the public, but only to those who have reseller’s permits (the majority of sellers are offering their goods at wholesale prices). My mother owns a gift basket company and she frequently incorporates jewelry and décor in to her designs, which led us to our first gift show, 17 years ago.
A few things have changed since then, such as the name of the LA Mart (now, the Reef), but some are exactly the same.. Every time we walk in to the cash-and-carry portion of the show, I know it’s going to be a fun, exploratory time, and that I will leave with some great new pieces to add to my collection. This time around, I tried to take as many pictures as I could to capture all that the Gift Show (at the LA Convention Center) and the Reef have to offer.. I hope you enjoy!

Rows and rows of perfect layering necklaces for $5.

Clutches and miniaudieres in every possible creature and color.

This breathtaking art deco piece in the middle caught my eye and held it. Such gorgeous detail. It also happens to be made with real diamonds and thus the $25K price that’s attached to it is slightly outside my price range (OMMGGG).

Some pretty little displays at one of the Reef’s showrooms.

These stacks of enamel, leather and gold bracelets are such great inspiration for stacking!

We hit a wall around lunchtime (so much walking!) and were happy to discover food trucks waiting for us right outside the doors at the Reef! I went with shrimp tacos and guac & chips, yumm!

I would love to be able to say that D.L.&Co. are my favorite candle company, based on their scents alone, but alas, I am not rolling in dough and cannot afford the $85 and up price tag that they command. So pretty though..

In lust with this rainbow display of home fragrance goods.
I
Everything from this jewelry line was just calling out my name! Unfortunately, they had a minimum order (including how many of each piece you had to purchase) so I didn’t buy any of them, but a girl can dream!

House of Harlow Collection candle sets.

I love this bag! It’s fun and fresh and big enough to hold all the makeup and tools you’d need for a trip.

We finished our day with some sushi at one of my mom’s favorite spots. This is the schwarma roll (how they named it that, I have no clue!) but it has jalapeno, cilantro, and spicy tuna on top which make for quite a hot little bite!

Whew! I had so much fun at this year’s winter show and picked up some great little finds (such as my recent post on the necklaces I got from Kyle Chan!) and can’t wait for the next one in July… Who knows what that one will have in store for me!
Which leads me to the question I’m curious to hear your response on… Would you prefer just making a couple of multi-item or haul purchases a year (such as at a big sale or event) or do you prefer to make multiple small purchases throughout the year on random items?

😀

Kyle Chan Buys

February 7, 2015

This gradient sapphire necklace had been on my wishlist for months, and now that it’s mine, I’ve already worn in twice! Once was on a trip to La Jolla this last weekend, and I got lots of compliments on it! The varied shades of blue are just so pretty.

This pretty little stone (rainbow moonstone) caught my eye immediately. It’s delicate enough to mix with other pieces, but looks stunning when it catches the light.

When I came up to the Kyle Chan booth, I saw one of the salespeople wearing this necklace, and I knew that I would wear the hell out of it if I had the chance! The little black beads are so delicate and they give off just the right amount of shine.

These shots were taken with the work of Ruben Ireland as a backdrop.
View more of Kyle Chan Design’s work here.