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!

Leather Jacket on the Trail

I'm so excited to share these photos that my friend Hanna and I took over the weekend! I've known Hanna since high school, but despite the fact that we always had a ton of mutual friends and got along well, we never really hung out for some reason. Fortunately, she and Jon are good friends, so when she moved back to Orange County last year, we were able to "reconnect." As luck would have it, Hanna happens to be an amazing photographer, and we finally got around to taking photos together on Saturday. She took me out of my homebody comfort zone and into some trails in my old hometown, where we had a blast. It's always so wonderful to have someone helping me with photos who actually enjoys it as much as I do, and I can't wait to do this regularly. If you're in Southern California, I highly recommend checking out Hanna's website and working with her!

Also exciting? This skirt from Lands' End, which I can't get enough of. I honestly didn't think I'd like the items Lands' End sent me as much as I did since their audience tends to skew a little bit older, but I'm in love. I've been stocking up on midi skirts for summer, and I've already worn this one twice. I wore this outfit with a gray cardigan for a client meeting with a high-end clothing brand, and it felt perfectly professional and stylish. I also decided to go to my favorite thrift store on a whim before taking these photos, and this jacket was the first thing I spotted. It happened to be half-off (for $5!) and in my size. Thrifting never lets me down.

Tan Dress + Old Navy Lavender Sandals

I definitely forgot to take photos this weekend, so this outfit is the result of me forcing Jon to get out of bed and walk outside in his pajamas to help me take this set before I left for work this morning. I know, I know. I'm terrible. I would have been okay without any posts this week, but I like my routine. Even as blog readership dies out, it's still my favorite hobby and I feel lost without it. Fortunately, I not only have a very supportive boyfriend, I also have a live-in photographer now. He knew what he was getting himself into when he agreed to live with me. 

I picked up this dress at a thrift store recently, and even though the color possibly washes me out, it's so comfy and lovely that I don't mind. The faux lace collar was hard to resist, but then again, all fit and flare dresses are hard to resist. The Old Navy sandals have become my go-to pair of shoes lately. While I'm bummed that I won't get much of a chance to dress for fall, I'm okay with making these shoes last all year round. I'm also happy to get any chance to throw some pins on a jacket, and this time I pulled out the one I got from the Wilco concert I attended a couple of weeks ago and this donut pin from Honey and the Hive. 

Green Plaid Button Down + White Dress

I'm finally moving into a new apartment on Thursday, and I can't even begin to describe how happy I am to get to say that. Actually, I can. This will be my fourth time moving in the past year and a half or so, and it will be the first time since then that I'll feel completely comfortable where I'm living. When I graduated college, I moved back home with my parents, as most do. In February of last year, my parents sold that house and moved to the house on the lake an hour away from Orange County that you see in so many of my photos. Still struggling to find a full-time job after my internship had ended, my brother and sister-in-law kindly took me in temporarily, and I moved into my brother's office, which they had converted into a bedroom with a pull-out couch for me. Right as I was moving in, I was lucky enough to get hired for a full-time job, and I started planning to get an apartment. Three months later, none of my friends were looking for roommates (and frankly, I wasn't sure about the prospect of ruining a friendship by living with a close friend), so I searched online when I had saved up a bit. I found two roommates through Reddit, and we moved into a fairly nice three bedroom. Finally, I thought, a place of my own.

If you've followed my blog or my Instagram posts, you know how that turned out. One of the girls turned out to have a husband who had recently gotten out of prison and made a scene whenever he showed up; the other was a slob and a total hoarder with a dog who wasn't house trained (by that I mean, he peed on my bed and she never offered to help clean it). As luck would have it, they both hated each other after not long. The cops were at my apartment more than once, and I did everything I could to mind my own business and be home as little as possible. After I came home one night to find that the cops had been called and one of them had kicked a hole in the other's door, I searched for a way to get out. With what little money I had, I found a room to rent with a very nice family and the intention of staying for a short time. They've been wonderful, but it's not my home and their dogs bark loudly every time I enter the house, making it difficult to be in the kitchen without drawing too much attention to myself. 

Nine months of saving money later, I'm finally finding a real home. No living with scary roommates, being in someone else's way, feeling like a burden, or finding ways to avoid being at home. This time, I get to live with my best friend who I'm in love with and in a place that's just ours. It's impossible to talk about it without getting ridiculously cheesy or sentimental, but as you can tell, things have been a whirlwind for me since the start of 2015. The idea of settling into a place with my favorite person and getting to put my own things in the kitchen and living room is impossibly dreamy to me. We found cute one bedroom in a safe area, that's fairly central to Orange County and the perfect distance from our friends and work. Am I avoiding packing to write this? Yeah, of course I am. Is it worth it to get to gush about my excitement? Absolutely it is.

Black Collared Top + Gingham Skirt

This week is...not my week. You might remember that I recently had to pay to get my car's rear window replaced when I found it shattered. That was only two weeks ago, but I now find myself having to pay even more for my car. It had been making some weird noises and when two different lights went on indicating that something was wrong with my brakes, I took it in to get checked out yesterday. Turned out some wire had broken (possibly "chewed by a small animal" they tell me) and two tires need to be changed, which means that I'm out another $500. So that's fun. That also means that all of the money I've been saving for an apartment is gone and all the money I made from selling clothes is, well, not going toward new clothes.

This all a very long way of saying that I'll be seriously remixing my wardrobe going forward as buying new is definitely not an option. Luckily, I could wear this skirt every day until I die and I'd be happy. The same goes for this top. Maybe I've actually done a better job at buying versatile pieces than I've been giving myself credit for? We're about to find out. Stay tuned. Also, if you'd like to send me money and/or clothes, I'm just saying that I wouldn't be opposed to it. Not that I'm desperate or whining. Me? Never.

On a much brighter note, have you seen my latest giveaway? Luella is an absolutely adorable store that's giving away a pin and T-shirt of your choice. Don't forget to enter!

Gingham Headband + Apricity January Dress

There's one problem with perfect weekends: they end. This past weekend was one much-needed, relaxing, and, you guessed it, perfect. Jon and I spent the weekend in San Diego, where we stayed at his aunt and uncle's condo near Little Italy. They live in the Midwest and only spend a few months of the year there, so they were kind enough to let us use it free of charge. Jon and I both have been stressed out with various "adulthood" problems, and our schedules are a little conflicting, so we don't get to spend much time together during the week. We had been trying to plan a little getaway for months, and it turned out to be exactly as wonderful as we were hoping. We went to a farmer's market, got sun burnt walking to the harbor, ate as much brunch as we could, and lounged for hours. And by lounged, I mean we accidentally got more hooked on a teen Chopped marathon than any person should, but still. Worth it.

While we were at the farmer's market, Jon indulged me by getting some $2 flowers to make my pictures cuter. I finally got to break out this Apricity dress, which so unbelievably comfortable. I've also been using every chance possible to wear this coffee pin from Hello Holiday. The woman working at the gelato shop could not get over how much she loved it, which I think means it's a winner. Plus, I've discovered that I like headbands. I borrowed one from my best friend last week just to see how it looked, and it turns out, I think I can pull them off. This is at least what I'm telling myself, but let me have this. I immediately ran to Target to get one for myself, and it was love at first sight when I spotted this gingham one. I guess I'm a headband person now. I barely recognize myself.

Polka Dot Shirt Dress + Coral Sandals

Dear thrift gods,

Thank you for bringing this dress and these sandals into my life. I will forever be grateful for them both. You, sweet thrift gods, know as well as I do how difficult it is for me for shirt dresses that fit my boobs. We've all laughed at my constant struggle as I've tried on dresses that fit perfectly in the waist yet leave gaps in the chest. But not this one. No, this one is perfect in all of its $7 polka dot glory. 

And these shoes. These shoes! Now that spring is essentially here, I find myself reaching for sandals to throw on and splashes of color. Was it a coincidence that these beauties happened to appear right as I was about to leave Savers? Or a coincidence that they happened to be in my size? I think not. I can't wait to make every sundress a little bit brighter all throughout spring and summer.

Striped Tank Top + Pleated Midi Skirt

I should apologize in advance. I'm doing that thing again where the only time I have to write this is late at night, and I'm half asleep. In fact, I just wrote "assleep," but I have enough dignity to correct my typos as I deliriously move along. I'm sure I'll find that to be untrue when I go back and read this in the morning, though. Keeping a full-time job, a freelance job, a blog, and remnants of a social life is tough work. By that I also just mean that I'm an old lady trapped in a 23-year-old's body and just want to be in bed watching Frasier and falling asleep before 9 p.m. Is that too much to ask for?

This is another one of my "casual Sunday" looks that I threw on this past weekend before grabbing breakfast with my friend Nicolette. We ate this cute place in Costa Mesa where you can still feel the ocean breeze. A comfy tank top and midi skirt were perfect for stuffing my face with an omelette and coffee until I could eat no more. Both of these pieces are two of my all-time favorite thift finds. The top is Madewell, which I scored for $2, and the skirt was one of the last things I thrifted while I lived in a small town in Illinois. Ah, memories.

Current Uniform

After months of shocking amounts of self control and determination, I finally broke down. I online shopped. I tried not to, I really did. However, when all of my favorite websites are having massive sales and I'm feeling uninspired while looking at my closet, I don't think I'm really to blame. Okay, I'm definitely to blame. I bought a few things recently, and I really shouldn't have, but I got good deals and I'm actually not broke after paying my first month of rent. I'm not really sure if I'm justifying this to you guys, myself, or my mom, but regardless, I don't feel THAT bad. How could I, when my Ruche purchase consisted of this absolutely perfect dress by Kling and equally perfect sandals? This is basically my dream dress, and it was made for summer. Plus, I've been searching for a pair of simple brown sandals for too long.So yes, I did find my new summer/year/life uniform. Thank you for noticing.

Office Space

Oops, I didn't mean to take that little blogging hiatus. I'm finding it difficult to figure out when to take outfit pictures with my new work schedule, but I finally was able to snap some this weekend. 

Today marks week three of my new job, and I'm loving it so far. I never imagined I'd like customer service, but considering I get to deal with e-commerce and designer shoppers, I'm enjoying. I love there's a lot of problem solving involved, and mostly, I love the people I work with. All of my coworkers are wonderful, and the office is such a supportive, encouraging environment. I also just love having an office to go into in general, complete with the schedule and routine that I had been missing in post-college life. I feel like a real adult finally, and I'm loving it.

I also was extremely busy last week since a group of my friends from Illinois road tripped out here for their spring break. It was wonderful, and I'm so sad that they couldn't stay longer. Some of my friends and I took them to The Pantry in LA their first morning, which is a famous breakfast place with some of the best pancakes and bacon I've ever had. We also made a trip to The Last Bookstore, walked around Sunset Boulevard, and took them to Balboa Island later in the week. It was fun playing tour guide for a couple of days, and it definitely made me feel like I need to plan a trip back to the Midwest soon.

Jeff Winger

Whenever I write posts late at night, it's usually because I've been doing something awesome that has kept me up. Okay, oftentimes, it's really just because I've stayed up too late watching a TV show, but last night was was of those rare times when I actually had a reason to be kept awake. I went to another taping of the Harmontown podcast, which is starting to become a regular thing with my friends. It started as something I introduced to my friend Adam, and we've been to two tapings ever since we realized that Meltdown Comics (where it's taped) isn't that far of a drive and that it's only $10. Since the last one we went to, we've gotten a few more friends into the podcast, and a small group of us went last night. Harmontown is always unpredictable, since you never really know what Dan Harmon will talk about or who will end up on stage, but it's not every time that a huge celebrity drops in. Sure, there's always that hope that someone famous will make an appearance, but it's certainly not expected. That said, I was shocked when a guy in the front row started freaking out at someone backstage, Harmon said that he had told a friend to stop by, and Joel McHale ran out and did a lap around the room. As a giant "Community" fan, and a fan of McHale's comedy in general, I was elated, especially when he sat down on stage and stayed for the entire show. He was just as funny and charming live as you'd expect, and watching him play Dungeons & Dragons will likely be one of my favorite experiences ever. Harmon & co. often make jokes about how busy and famous McHale is, so I never once expected to see him there. The great thing about the Nerd Melt showroom is that the theater is tiny (I think it only seats about 100), so we got to be fairly close to him. And might I add, he was just as attractive in person as one might hope. And by "one," I mean that's what I was thinking about.

Enough humble bragging ("Community" reference!); let's talk about the outfit. Ruche sales at any time or place are dangerous, but they're especially dangerous when you realize that you live 20 minutes away from Ruche's warehouse and that the website offers warehouse pickups (so no shipping cost) and 10% off your purchase if you do. I ended up getting two dresses that I've had my eye on for a while, including this one, for less than $30. Even though I'm craving fall, I love that I can still buy summer dresses and wear them all year round. This one in particular has me swooning over the print, and the cut is just dreamy. At some point I hope to layer it over tights and boots for a fall or winter ensemble, but for now, I'm happy wearing it with a light sweater for an afternoon out with my sister-in-law and nephew. 

Cry Baby

In an attempt to remix more items in my closet rather than shop, I decided that I should play around more with print mixing and unexpected color combinations. When it comes to print mixing, I figure that nothing really works better than stripes, and I was excited at the prospect of making a striped tank work over this floral dress. I could be wrong, but I'm quite pleased with the result, and the addition of my utility vest made for a perfect summer look for babysitting my adorable 4-year-old nephew last week. Also in this outfit is the blog debut of my new sandals from Threadsence. My other black sandals were falling apart (RIP), so I've been on the hunt for a pair to replace them. Luckily, my girl Leeds from At This Volume hooked me up with a 20% off code for Ruche and Threadsence, so I was able to get these for a steal. They're exactly what I was looking for, only slightly more unique that I was imagining (in the best possible way). I will most likely be wearing these suckers with everything from now on. By the way, the discount code is still active, so if you want to get a great discount at Ruche and/or Threadsence, and if you want to help Leeds win a contest at her awesome place of work, just email me or her. 

For anyone who cares about my non-outfit related life, I had a really good weekend. I went to a comic book shop on Friday evening with my friend Adam and his girlfriend partially to support my friend Whitney (who was throwing an event to promote "Transformers" for her Paramount job) and partially to get some suggested for what comics to read next. Adam has been lending me some graphic novels lately, and I've really been enjoying getting into it so far. Other than work on Saturday, I got to see my lovely friend Nataly, who I met through blogging a couple of years ago (she's since gone on blogging hiatus, but I'm hoping she comes back soon), who I hadn't seen since last summer. Nataly, her sister, and I went thrifting for a little while and came out fairly successful, and then got ice cream after. I spent Saturday night with five of my closest guy friends watching a ridiculous movie and trying not to fall asleep while they all yelled at the screen. It's always very exciting in my world, isn't it?

Blossoms

Easter weekend is always kind of strange for me. Since most people on campus are actually from Illinois, unlike me, a majority of the student body goes home and my school becomes a ghost town. On one hand, as someone who just generally doesn't like most college students (we can all agree that most people my age are obnoxious), it's nice to have a little peace and quiet. On the other hand, being thousands of miles away from Califonia, I don't even have the option of going home. Even though I'll be back there indefinitely in three weeks (holy crap), it's still difficult to not get just a little homesick. Fortunately, most of my friends were still in town on Friday night, so I wasn't completely alone and had people to hang out with.

On Saturday, Mary and I were left as two of the only people still here, so we decided to get out of town for the afternoon. We went to Quincy, a town about an hour away. Quincy is certainly not the most exciting place in the world, but it has Starbucks, Panera, and TJ Maxx — basic luxuries not found in the town I live in.We did a little bit of shopping (mistake), and explored downtown a little bit to take some outfit pictures. I'm in love with this set, which is why there are so many in this post. It finally looks like spring is here to stay, so I felt like polka dots, mint, and sandals were appropriate. I was also slightly obsessed with these trees, and I decided to include a few of Mary's photos of them as well. What am I ever going to do with Mary and her photography when I move? Actually, I don't want to talk about it. 

Bygone

Well, I definitely stuck out like a sore thumb on campus in this one. This was my second Persunmall piece, and it's a beauty, isn't it? I'm not very good at hiding my obsession with white dresses and things with collars, so getting out of my comfort zone wasn't really an option when I saw this one on the site. I'll admit that it fits a little weird, but not enough to make me dislike it. I think I'll wear it as a top tucked into a skirt next time I wear it, which I'm pretty sure will be immediately. It should be noted that I managed to make it almost the whole day without spilling anything on it. It was a Dairy Queen run that eventually got me though.

As for real life things, I had an eventful weekend attending the wedding of two of my close friends, Steve and Liz. I know both of them from college, but weirdly enough met them separately from each other. Liz was a fashion major (who graduated last semester) and Steve is an editor at my paper. They're two of the most wonderful people I know — not to mention one of the most genuinely happiest couples I know — so I couldn't be happier for them. The wedding was lovely, and I apologize to anyone who follows me on Instagram for the overload of photos. Worth it. 

Also, it goes with saying that my friend Mary took these photos, right? I don't know how I got so lucky to know such great photographers who accept payment in the form of friendship.

Sweaters and sandals

Hooray for free time to post! I wore this on Monday (I think? Sure, let's go with that) when the weather was being weird and couldn't decided if it was a going to be warm or cold. I decided to compromise and went with a sweater and sandals. Strangely enough, it ended up working out. Also of importance: my skirt, which I got in Modcloth's Last Hurrah sale, has sailboats. Adorable or what?

I'm beginning to take back every complaint I've made about going to such an un-stylish school. I'm slowly starting to realize (three years in) that even the smallest amount of effort I put into my outfits will garner compliments from random strangers who aren't used to seeing someone in something other than sweats. I had multiple people stop me to tell me they loved this skirt and it was an instant confidence booster every time. Is this slightly vain of me? Sure, but who doesn't look the random compliment here and there? One of my professors actually stopped me yesterday as I was leaving class to ask, "So Elana, I was wondering, why so classy today?" I explained I was a fashion major and that seemed to clear things up. He said he was just so used to students showing up in whatever they could throw on in the mornings that it was nice to see someone make an effort. I basically get dressed like this every morning for my professors' sake. I'm that a good a student.

Is it the weekend yet? I suppose this week could have been worse considering not one, but two of my classes were cancelled, but I'm still burnt out. I'm looking forward to the weekend as I'm finally getting to meet a friend's baby and I'm spending Saturday with my club. We're going on what we've dubbed a "store crawl" which is the fashion lover's version of a bar crawl. It's essentially an excuse to all go shopping together, support local businesses, and feel like we're clever. I'll take any excuse I can get.

Sweater: Buffalo Exchange

Skirt: Modcloth

Shoes: Modcloth

Necklace: Ebay