Ready for Fall with Mata Traders

We love a brand that does some good. 

I've talked before how much I love Mata Traders, so I was so excited to work with them again to share one of my favorite pieces from their new fall line. In case you're unaware, Mata Traders is a fair trade company that partners with organizations in India and Nepal to create gorgeous handmade clothing and jewelry. The company focuses on gender equality and women empowerment (I highly recommend reading their story here), so it makes sense that all of their pieces are flattering and comfortable, in addition to being cute. 

It's definitely a little too hot to be wearing sleeves right now, but I didn't want to let that stop me from wearing this adorable dress. I'm obviously a sucker for anything rainbow and striped, so I was immediately drawn to this multi-colored dress. It's so comfortable and it has pockets - which I am required by law to mention any time a dress I wear has them. 

Because I wear so so much vintage and reproduction, I'm always trying to find pieces that are a bit more comfortable and easy to throw on for work without sacrificing my personal style. This dress is definitely one of those pieces. I had fun styling it up with some chunky earrings and a straw bag here, but I also know that I can wear it with little no accessories on a day when I'm running late, and I'll still feel good in it. 

Feel Good, Dress Better

If you're anything like me, you have a long list of bloggers/Instagrammers who you love, and then a handful who you essentially stalk and spend a borderline creepy amount of time looking at. Nicole from Writes Likes a Girl falls into the latter for me. While I'm guilty of not reading nearly as many blogs as I used, Writes Like a Girl is one of the few of which I still read every post. Nicole is such a captivating writer, funny, relatable, and has essentially my ideal closet, and I feel so lucky that I've been able to connect with her through the Internet. I've been on the edge of my seat waiting for her style workbook to come out, and I somehow managed to snag an advanced copy. I'm so excited to share with you a few of my takeaways from it! 

If you somehow don't obsess over Nicole's updates like I do and are unfamiliar with her workbook, Feel Good, Dress Better is a comprehensive guide to transforming your closet to better reflect your personal style. Filled with tips and worksheets, the guide is a helpful way to start looking at your closet as an extension of how you feel. I always stay away from style guide books because most present a set of rules that are impractical and don't take personal style and preferences into account. Feel Good, Dress Better is more about using your clothing for self-expression, body positivity, and confidence. This honestly could not have come at a better time for me, as I've mentioned that I've been doing a lot of thinking about this. I've been struggling with defining my style, gaining weight, and spending an obscene amount of time on Instagram comparing myself to others. Some days I feel like I'm letting people down if I'm not "on-brand" and wearing all thrifted clothes. Other times I think that I look like I'm trying too hard by dressing in a vintage style. I also find myself wanting to define my style by who I follow and building my closet around what will get me close enough to looking like them. But what I've finally decided doing lately is just saying: fuck it. I'm going to wear what makes me happy. Feel Good, Dress Better's closet cleanout section proved to be a huge help in this. I started getting rid of clothes that I don't feel good in or don't fit (which meant being more honest with myself about my weight gain). I stopped saying that certain trends weren't for me or being worried that people were judging me for anything, and I've started buying things that make me happy. 

In this process, I've been wondering how I define my style. It hasn't exactly strayed far from what I've always worn, but I've felt so much more confident in what I've been putting on lately. Feel Good, Dress Better has a great section on creating your personal style ID that proved helpful. I took a list at Nicole's word bank and chose a few that I felt like I identified with: colorful, consistent, feminine, modern, and vintage. To sum it up: colorfully feminine with a vintage-inspired twist. In all honesty, choosing a style ID felt so silly at first (why do I even need to define it?), but actually has really helped me think about it while I'm shopping. Does this fit with my style ID? also translates to will I actually wear this? or will I feel like myself and/or confident in this? 

More thoughts below the jump!

On-Trend Parisian

I am fully aware that this outfit is very un-creative, but I still love it. Despite the fact that I feel like I've seen a million different bloggers wearing essentially this same exact look, I hadn't worn this on the blog yet and I couldn't resist. This was actually my first time trying out the bandana scarf look, and I'm pretty pumped with how I managed to pull it off. Naturally, I couldn't help but look to blogger babes Devinne and Nicole for inspiration. Those two have been rocking the neck scarf since before it was trendy. In all honesty, I look to both of them for inspiration on a daily basis so if I can look even half as flawless as they do, I'm happy.

I took these photos with my friend Hanna again, and even though scheduling forced us to take them during the brightest point of the day, we still managed to get some great shots out of the afternoon. The Orange Circle is forever one of my favorite places in Orange County (you've surely seen me share photos taken in the area before), and the backdrop of Old Towne antique stores never fails. As for the rest of the weekend, my family got together on Saturday evening to celebrate my mom's birthday, and Jon and I stopped by our friend's apartment to hang out for a little bit after. We're trying to make exploring new places a regular thing, so we took a little drive to Laguna to visit Crystal Cove for a bit on Sunday. I complain about living in Orange County often, but the multitude of gorgeous beaches in the area is hard to dislike. Living 20 minutes away from my hometown isn't so bad when I live in a place like this. 

Striped Shirt + A-Line Skirt

I know I start many of my posts with a story about the magic of thrifting, but today is no different. This skirt was sitting in a Goodwill a few months ago, and I'm sad to say that I keep forgetting about it. It's such a beauty, though, and I almost can't believe how good of condition it was in for $7. I always drool over the skirts my Instagram friends wear from Pinup Girl and Unique Vintage, but I can't justify spending that kind of money right now. I'm lucky to be able to find some stellar alternatives in second hand stores, but I have to admit, I also just like knowing that I have the ability to recreate similar looks for so cheap. It's just one of my many talents.

This weekend was so wonderful that I'm having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that it's over. My brother Lucas and I left for Oceanside on Friday afternoon to meet our parents for the night. My parents are cyclists and rode a 50 mile bike ride on Saturday, and Lucas and I were lucky enough to join them at the beach. We cheered them on, grabbed some pierogis, and then visited two breweries in the area. It was some really wonderful sibling time, and it was great to learn from Lucas' beer expertise. After such a nonstop couple of days, Jon and I just had an extremely lazy Sunday. I really just wish every day was a lazy Sunday.

Thrifted Striped Dress + Leather Jacket

If there's one good things about being bored with my closet (and trust me, there's only one), it's that I get encouraged to try new styles. I've been popping in and out of thrift stores to find some inspiration, and last week I stumbled upon both this cotton trapeze dress and leather/utility bomber jacket in perfect condition. I've tried these dresses before, and I'm still conflicted. On one hand, they're extremely comfortable and I feel very chic when I leave the house. On the other, once I look at photos of myself in them, I can't help but think that I look pregnant. Not really the look I'm look I'm going for. I'm still glad I got this dress because it feels like I'm wearing pjs, but I don't know if it's really my shape. That's what having curves does to you. This jacket though? This is one piece out of my comfort zone that I'm more than happy to be trying. A leather bomber jacket with utility style sleeves is not really what I think of when I imagine the perfectly feminine style that I've created for myself. That said, I'm really digging this piece. I can't wait until it gets cooler so I don't feel insane for busting it out every day.

Is this weekend really over already? I got to see two old pals, both of whom I met through blogging. I grabbed breakfast with my dear friend Nataly (who sadly no longer blogs) on Saturday, and I met up with the lovely Erica of Sweets and Hearts and the Melrose flea market in LA yesterday. It had been far too long since I had seen either of them, and it's a great reminder of the bonds I've formed through the internet. It's crazy to think how comfortable I feel with them even though we originally met online. Whenever I consider quitting blogging altogether, it's great to see the relationships that I've gained through it.

Creative Rut

Despite the fact that my lack of opportunities to take photos and my broken laptop have made it difficult to plan outfits posts, I've been happier with my wardrobe than ever. I'll never be 100% satisfied with my collection of skirts and dresses, but for the time being, it's treating me well. This is another entirely thrifted outfit (save for that fantastic necklace that my friend Nataly made and gifted me forever ago), which I'm always proud of. This shirt and bag are two of the finds I picked up in Burbank, and I couldn't believe my luck when I found this Madewell tank top for $3 and this red satchel in perfect condition. Nothing beats these shoes, though, which I found the next day while thrifting with my best friend. They are the best.

Other than beautiful cutout oxfords, I'm not sure how I can go large chunks of time without posting yet still have nothing to talk about. I'm in a bit of a creative rut, I suppose. I'm feeling uninspired and motived, which of course just happens from time to time. Everything is really good right now (other than dealing with roommate issues), so it's not like I have anything to complain about. I'm really just working a lot and watching TV with Jon because neither of us can afford to do much else. And also because we love TV. Okay, it's mostly just because we love TV.

The good news is that I just got Emily V. Gordon's (my role model) new book, Super You. I haven't started it yet, but I am convinced I will feel fully inspired the moment I open it. That's how it works, right?