End of Summer Floral with eShakti

If you've followed me for a while, you'll know that my love for eShakti is nothing new. I did my first ever collab with them, and since then, I've had the pleasure of working with them multiple times and have gotten some of my absolute favorite dresses from their site. 

If you're just reading for the first time, or maybe you've somehow never been introduced to eShakti, you're in for quite a treat. eShakti makes gorgeous clothing that is all customizable, meaning that you make sure that whatever you order, it looks and fits exactly as you'd like. 

As usual, I had a tough time deciding between all of the adorable dresses that they offer, but when I saw this one, I knew it was it. It combines all of my favorite things: a collar (of course), my favorite color yellow, purple flowers, and a shirt dress. I customized the sleeves to make them cap sleeves because not only do I like the style better on myself, but I've also found that they are easier for layering under cardigans. The dress was everything I ever wanted. It even came with a slip, which is SO rare with dresses that tend to be a little sheer. Living in SoCal, I always look for thin dresses so that I can wear them in the heat and also layer them easily. The downside is that they tend to usually be a bit sheer, this getting a slip with this one was such a nice surprise.

I've already worn this dress twice, but I first wore it on Saturday to get coffee with my friend Whiteny at Morning Lavender. I'd been wanting to try this coffee shop for a while since I've been seeing people sharing photos of it, and it was even cuter in person. I did feel a *little* judged when I made a big mess with my croissant, but whatever. I can't be classy ALL the time, right?

Four Outfits With Novelty Vinca Jewelry

T-Shirt: Daisy Natives via Hello Holiday / Skirt: Modcloth / Ice Cream Earrings: c/o Vinca (exact)

When I was in jr. high, I had a strong obsession with big earrings. I lived for pairs from Claire's, and the longer they were, the better. Of course, I eventually got older and the trends I liked when I was 13 no longer seemed cool. Over the years, my taste in jewelry has gone through a number of incarnations. I went through my "pile on as much possible" phase, my "wear a million rings at all times" phase, my "statement necklace only" phase, and my "dainty gold jewelry" phase, among others. Lately, I haven't been wearing much at all and have been leaning more toward scarves and such, but I think I'm finally ready to jump back on the big earring train.

Of course, it helps getting the opportunity to try it out with adorable pairs from Vinca, an awesome women-run small business out of Austin. They kindly let me choose some AMAZING jewelry, and I couldn't help but style them all immediately. The ice cream earrings are clearly my favorite (especially after seeing them at the Museum of Ice Cream), but keep reading to see how I styled my other pieces. It's not every day you get jewelry that matches all of your true passions: ice cream, eggs, dogs, and french fries.

(P.S. Don't forget to check out my Orange County photo locations guide!)

Rainbow Stripes

Is there anything better than this dress? I posted a picture of it on Instagram that didn't show it in full, and I probably got more comments and messages asking about than I have about any other dress I own. I ended up browsing eShakti last month and somehow found three dresses in my cart. I'm really excited about all of them, but this is by far the best one (you can find it here). I mean, you can't really blame me. I've been doing a lot of closet cleanout (I still have some stuff up on my Poshmark!) and focusing on shopping smarter lately. I've actually been doing a lot of reflection on this in general. There will be a longer post coming soon (I mean it!), but basically, I've been really looking into what clothes make me happy. I think we're all guilty of overthinking things, and I've definitely been worried about liking things just because they're trendy or what I see a lot of people wearing on Instagram. It's impossible not to worry about these things, but I've decided to just not care. Yes, I've been more inspired to dress more colorfully because that's what I see on Instagram all of the time, but it's understandable that that's where I get my inspiration from now. The reason why those people who I follow inspire me is because they look like they're having fun with their style, and that's how I want to feel. Ever since I started looking for more colorful pieces, fun prints, and more vintage-inspired pieces, I've felt so much happier and comfortable in what I've been wearing. And that's what clothing should be about.

My style may be getting louder (and who knows, maybe more pin-up inspired in the future?), but it certainly hasn't changed that much. Case in point, this dress definitely needs no accessories, but I still had to put a Peter Pan collar under it. Some things will never change.

Dresses and Giggles

Can you tell how much fun I had taking these photos? This is the second set that I took with my friend Hanna, and she had me laughing and making silly poses the entire time. I will happily trade in awkwardly making the same three poses in all photos for goofy laughing ones any day. 

This plaid dress was sent to me by eShakti in the fall, and it has to be one of my most worn pieces ever. I wear it at least once a week. Picking out this dress is an example of one of the few times in my life I've actually had decent foresight. The dress actually originally had adorable 3/4 length sleeves that were perfect for fall, but I knew that I would only get so much use out of it living in California. I customized the dress to be sleeveless, and I'm so glad I did. It works perfectly for in-between days (like when I took these) where it's unbearably hot during the day and paired with a cardigan when it gets cold at night. Also perfect for every day wear are these dreamy sandals from Lands' End. I can't stop wearing them, they're so comfy. 

Other than talking too much about my clothes, I'm just ready for the weekend. I'll be having breakfast with a friend, taking more pictures, celebrating my mom's birthday, and lounging around the apartment with Jon. Hurry up, weekend!

Remix Friday: Purple Gingham Dress

Ah, this dress. What a beautiful, perfect dress. eShakti sent it to me a few years ago, and it has served me well. Unfortunately, I haven't taken the best care of it. After many, many wears, it's slightly ripped and a little short from shrinking in the wash. Oops. Even so, we shared enough good times for me to not be too heartbroken.  

For as many times as I've worn it in real life, I've actually worn it very few times on the blog. I wish I had taken a few more sets of outfit photos before it died on me, but I'm happy with how I've worn it the few times I did. I think my favorite, though, is paired with the extra long cardigan. Which way is your favorite?

eShakti Dress + Beaded Collar

Ever since I started blogging four years ago (has it really been that long?), I've been lucky enough to work with eShakti. They sent me my very first item for a product review back in the day, and since then, I've gotten some of my best dresses from their site. Naturally, I was beyond excited when the opportunity to work with eShakti came up again, and I think I may have chosen the best piece yet.

As I'm sure you're all aware by now, eShakti offers a beautiful range of clothing, all customizable by size and style. Being able to input custom measurements is one thing, but the chance to change that one detail you can't stop thinking about and get your ideal piece as a result? It's the best. I immediately fell in love with the Windowpane Check Buttoned A-Line dress because it seemed perfect for fall. However, as someone who lives in a place that's warm essentially all year, I find it hard to justify owning too many pieces with longer sleeves. I end up gravitating more toward sleeveless pieces that can work well under cardigans when the weather does drop below 70 degrees. And so, I stuck with this perfect fall color and pattern, but I removed the sleeves and chose a boat neckline so that I could easily wear collars underneath it - which is exactly what I did right when I received it. This dress could not be any more perfect, but how it could it not? It's as if I designed it myself. I know this all sounds so hokey and too much like a paid advertisement, but eShakti in no way told me what to write, and I really do mean what I'm saying. I'm pretty pumped about this dress.

Purple Gingham and Denim

Whenever I'm feeling uncreative or just want to feel good about myself, this dress is my go-to. I feel like I write a love letter to it every time I wear it on here, but it never stops being perfect. It's one of my all-time favorite pieces to put on, and I don't feel even a little bad about how much I gush about it. I wore this outfit on Sunday to visit my parents, meet that adorable puppy I mentioned, and grab a drink with friends later. Typical weekend shenanigans. 

Things are pretty busy right now, but exciting. My job is going well, I just finished writing stories for my freelance gig at a local paper, and a work friend and I decided to start looking for an apartment together. I think I've finally had enough time to figure out my budget, so I can't wait to start looking for places and be on my own finally. That's right, adulthood. I'm actually coming for you for real this time.

Best Week Ever

I'm having one of the best weeks of my life, so this is how this is going to work: I'm going to ramble about the cool things I've gotten to do this week, I'm going to make some pop culture references that you probably don't care about, the post is going to be way too long, and at the end, I might mention something about the outfit. Sound good? Good.

As I mentioned in my last post, on Tuesday I went to a show in LA where I got to see one of my favorite musicians of all time, Jenny Lewis, plus Sarah Silverman, Tim Heidecker, The Everyday Visuals, and more. The event was a night of comedy and music, and the tickets were ridiculously cheap for what it was. I went with my two best friends, Whitney and Adam, and we got there early so we were a few of the first people in. While we were waiting in line, Mark Duplass and Katie Aselton (who are married and both star in "The League," plus Duplass has been in/created some really fantastic films) walked past us, but I wasn't sure if they were just walking down the street or getting in line. Turns out, they were getting in line, and they ended up standing right next to us at the bar. I'm not brave at all when it comes to approaching people I admire, but fortunately Adam tapped Duplass on the shoulder for me, and I got to meet him. He was ridiculously nice, and graciously acted genuinely flattered as I stumbled over my words to tell him how much I love "The League" and his movies. He was also kind enough to take a picture with me, and he insisted that I hold my drink during so everyone could see what a fun time I was having, so I'm counting that as having a drink with Mark Duplass. Then, even though we had gotten drinks and met Mark Duplass, we still ended up in the second row for the show. The venue, The Echoplex in LA, is pretty small and standing room only, so were right by the stage. Every single act was fantastic, but nothing compared to seeing Jenny Lewis. First of all, Adam Scott (who you may know as one of my biggest celebrity crushes) ended up coming on stage and introduced Jenny Lewis. I had known there was a chance of him being there, especially since I found the event through his Twitter, but I still think my heart stopped when he came on stage and I realized how close I was to him. Plus, having him introduce Jenny Lewis to the stage was a dream of mine that I never knew I had until it happened. And oh, God. Jenny Lewis. She brought most of Rilo Kiley with her, so I saw three members of Rilo Kiley + Jonathan Rice play. She sang an acoustic version of "Silver Lining" solo. I might have teared up during it. She seriously was just incredible. I can barely put it into words. Getting to see her live in any setting would've been emotional for me, but getting to see her in such an intimate venue and so close to the stage was an experience like no other. 

Temporary Resident

If you're friends with me on Facebook or if you follow me on Instagram or Twitter, you've likely seen this outfit and/or these photos. It's a quite simple outfit, really, but I'm obsessed. I've been in love with this dress nonstop ever receiving from eShakti a few months ago, but it's hardly left me since the weather turned warm and I could wear it without tights. I'm sure I'll describe it like this every time I wear it, but it's pretty much my dream dress. Lavender, gingham, fit and flare...Sigh. Of course, my love for it is only enhanced by how perfect it looks with this necklace. I got this piece from a J. Crew outlet at an insane discount. I've lusted after J. Crew statement necklaces for ages now, but I've never been able to afford one. When I saw that all of the necklaces at the outlet were 50% off, plus a nifty 10% student discount, I couldn't resist. However, the J. Crew gods were even kinder to me than I was expecting. It must have been a different price than the $54 it was marked, because it ended up being $15. Somehow, I actually get to call a gorgeous J. Crew necklace mine, and I didn't even have to dip into my savings to do so. Not like I have much in my savings (broke recent grad and all that jazz), but still. You get the point. 

Life lately has been all about starting my internship, slowly unpacking (still), and hanging out with old friends. I'm enjoying the work that I'm doing for the internship so far, and getting to work from home or Starbucks is an added bonus. I feel like I haven't had much time to read blogs, but I'm enjoying having things to do. Not having a set schedule every week or being able to plan everything is weird for me, so keeping busy helps. I'm not used to not being in control of everything, so I'm having just a little bit of trouble adjusting to this point in my life. Post-grad life, man. It's weird, in an exciting yet terrifying way. 

P.S. I'm having a flash sale at my shop my closet! Most things are $5 or $10, so you don't want to miss it. 

Dream Dress

Ah, back to tights and boots for the time being. I still have a couple of sets of photos from California where I'm soaking up the sun sans tights and jackets, sand between my toes, and daisy dukes permanently on (you know me), but I'm holding off on posting those for now. It's not that any of those outfits are really that great, it's just that this dress deserved to be shared immediately. 

This is my third piece that the eShakti has sent me, and it's by far my favorite. As usual, there were a million things I wanted to choose, but the moment I laid eyes on this purple gingham number, I knew that it belonged in my life. As I'm sure you all know by now, eShakti has options to customize all of its clothing. I contemplated a couple of changes (such as adding sleeves or changing the neckline), but in the end, I decided that I actually the loved the dress as is and just opted to adjust the length. It ended up fitting like a glove, and I may never take it off. Gingham, lavender, AND fit & flare? It's basically my dream dress. It's been a while since I've worn this Brag Vintage blazer, so I figured this was the perfect opportunity to bust it out again. This was definitely one of those outfits that garnered a few "why is that girl so dressed up for class?" looks, but I don't care. Why would I wear sweats when I have such a pretty dress like this in my possession?

Something Creative and Witty

You know, I really wasn't expecting to like this outfit so much when I put on, but I think it's a new favorite. This dress really just never fails to be the most flattering thing I own, and I like the fact that it was the first item I was sent to review for the blog more than a year ago. For some reason though, I always forget how versatile it can be, and it wasn't until I thrifted this cardigan over the weekend that I got the inspiration. I also got some new dainty jewelry, like this necklace and scalloped ring, while in Chicago, so I think the outfit gods just had good things in store for me this week. 

I'm also loving this set of photos that Mary took for me on the way home from a food run during work with our friend, Brittany. I need to stop by this abandoned diner more often because it's one of my favorite spots in town. I love having my own dslr, but I never pass up the chance to let Mary be my photographer. The perks of being friends and coworkers with a photo staff.

Things are still just as busy around here (I'm fairly certain that all of my professors are conspiring against me and decided to assign every test, quiz, and paper in the same week), but they're good. Mostly though, I'm excited for my brother, sister-in-law, and nephew to come into town tomorrow for a five-day visit. My brother who lives here had another baby (bringing me to two nieces and two nephews) in August, so my family has been making their rounds out to our tiny Illinois town. It's too bad that it took an adorable baby to get them here, but I'll take what I can get.

Why Not?

Ever since I received this dress from eShakti back when there was still snow on the ground, I've been waiting for this moment. All I've wanted is to wear this dress without layers on a warm summer day as it deserved, which I did, multiple times. Yet, somehow I forgot to take pictures for the blog. Wearing my other eShakti dress recently reminded me that it had been a while since I've worn this dress on here as well. Not only that, but I had never been able to wear it in all its glory. I didn't really have anywhere special to wear it to, but why not?

There's something about yellow dresses that just make me feel happy. If I'm being completely honest, sometimes I get embarrassed to tell people that I'm a fashion major, especially at school. I've known what I wanted to do since I was 13 or 14, and I have no regrets about my major, but that little glint of judgement some people have in their eyes when tell them always gets to me. I understand why it seems like a shallow or vain industry to some people. I get why people assume that I'm just going to be picking out clothes (which is why I usually follow up my answer with an explanation of my journalism minor). And it makes sense to me that some people just don't "get" fashion. But the moment I put on a dress like this, I don't question it anymore. The idea that just putting on a piece of clothing will instantly make me happy makes it worth it. There's something wonderful about knowing that even if I'm having a bad day, I can put on a feminine dress and it'll give me the motivation to be positive or productive. Knowing that fashion has the power to change people moods, give them confidence, and give them an outlet of self-expression that they might not get other places is what makes me want to pursue it. It's cheesy, sure, but it's true. I'll take my happiness in dress form, please. 

Forgotten

Dear dress,

I can't apologize enough for how I've neglected you over the past six months. It wasn't you, it was me. You see, somehow I had forgotten about you, tucked away, waiting patiently to be worn in my closet. It's no excuse, really. How could I have ignored how flattering you are? How was I so blind to to what a standout piece you are? I'm obviously not worthy of your beauty, as I've proved with the way I left you untouched for so long. 

That said, I hope you'll accept my apology and that we can turn over a new leaf together. I'm ready to start giving you the use you deserve. I'm looking forward to pairing you with just about everything, and these peach oxfords seem like a good place to start. They too are versatile, yet unique, and I think you're hitting it off splendidly so far. Mark my words, dress, this won't be the last we see of you for quite some time.

De-stress

For the first time in months, I finally feel like I can stop stressing out about things. I still have finals next week, but in all honesty, I'm not really that worried about them. My last presentation, last article, last project and last production night at the paper are all finished and I finally just put on pretty clothes and be happy. It was the most perfect spring day when I wore this a few days ago and it almost makes up for the rain we're getting now.

The best part of it feeling like spring was that I finally got the chance to give this eShakti dress the bare legs and warm weather treatment it deserves. My knot in my shirt came undone while I was taking these pictures, but who cares? It's all cheerfulness and joy around these parts right now.

You know what else is something to get happy about? Flock Together is hosting a giveaway for a $75 Modcloth gift card right now! We're all excited to give back a little something for our readers and, as usual, I'm bummed I can't enter myself. I'll win a giveaway one of these days. In the meantime, get yourselves over there and enter.

Wishful Thinking

I've never hated the never-ending winter more than when I took these photos. Like many other bloggers right now, I'm incredibly excited to be sharing another eShakti sample they sent me from their new spring collection. The only problem is, well, it doesn't exactly feel like spring here. It's almost a shame to wear this dress with a cardigan and tights. This dress is made for picnics in the park, walks on the pier, sunglasses and bare legs. Unfortunately, I had to deal with the hilarious sight of it peaking out from under a winter coat all day, but I was happy to be wearing it either way. And while it made me sad to cover it up with a sweater, I still had fun with the challenge of styling such a spring-like dress for cooler temperatures. Plus, I even toughed it out for a few pictures to show you all the sweet ruffled straps.

As most of you know by know, eShakti is a wonderful online store that offers a great selection of feminine pieces in modest cuts and has the added bonus of customization. For a small fee, customers can put in their measurements and have their items perfectly tailored to their liking. Each item also has other customization options like adding or removing pockets (though why would anyone want to do that?), changing necklines or length, and removing embroidery. For this dress, I opted out of the custom sizing, mostly because I'm impatient and didn't take the time to measure myself. I kind of regret it now though since it's a tiny bit big, but nothing too noticeable. I did do custom length though, and I'm extremely happy I did. I could never pull this off in the below the knee length it originally came in and this length is perfect.

As for what else I thought of the dress, other than the sizing, just click though to the jump. Also: Ilana from My Modern Vintage is featuring me as her blogger of the month today! I was so excited when she approached me about it, she is so sweet and has amazing style. Make sure to check out my interview!

Dress Me Up

I think most bloggers can relate when I say that I absolutely did not go into blogging with the intention of getting free clothes, but there has, of course, always been that hope in the back of my mind. Can you blame me? Somehow, by some holy power, I was contacted by eShakti last week who asked if I'd like to review one of their products. It only took a full 10 seconds of looking at the website to become impressed and reply with a resounding "YES." 

And let me tell you, impressed is an understatement. Click through for my full review.