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?

Collar Game Changer

Hello, and welcome to my regularly scheduled "once every couple of weeks" post! Now that it finally is starting to feel like fall some days, I'm in full cardigan mode. Most importantly, though, I added a couple of collars from Magnus Clothing Co. to my collar collection, and I feel like they've really helped step up my wardrobe. I've been following Magnus on Instagram for a while, and I was so excited to see her launch the line recently. As a self-proclaimed collar obsessive, a line of detachable collars is a dream come true for me. I'm constantly putting my collared tops under my dresses, but having detachable collars is a total game changers. I have quite a few pieces that are too thin to wear shirts under, so it's seriously helpful to be able to just add a collar easily. This post is in no way sponsored, I just really love these collars. I got two, but I definitely plan on getting more. 

I wore this to go see my brother's new place on Saturday and work on a project with him that I'm super excited about. I can't wait to share more soon hopefully. The rest of my weekend was relaxed and filled with watching Bob's Burgers and going antiquing with Jon, which is pretty much my ideal weekend. Everything else is business as usual: working a ton, rewatching Futurama, and still thinking about Stranger Things. Things are boring around here, but in a good way. As usual.

Olive

It's kind of funny; I spent so long wearing darker and neutral colors, but now that I've been wearing so many brighter tones, I've actually been struggling with how to wear the less colorful items in my closet. Case in point: this olive Apricity dress. It's one of my absolute favorite pieces, but I hadn't been wearing it lately at all. I adore this olive green color, but for some reason, I had really been struggling with styling it. Suddenly, none of my cardigans or shoes seemed to go with it, and I was letting it collect dust. Despite the fact that's been 80-90 degrees every day, I decided that now that's it's "fall," it was the perfect excuse to put this dress to good use again. Turns out, this cardigan was made for it all along. Of course, it doesn't hurt to see it against one of my favorite colorful walls...

I wore this to go to my parents' house with Jon and my siblings last night, and it was great to be able to be there after the fires that happened last week. My parents live extremely close to wear the Orange County one was happening (where I grew up in Anaheim Hills), and they got evacuated for a day. They were fortunate enough to be safe and have no damage to their house, but many near them and far too many people in Northern California were not quite as lucky. While I'm extremely grateful that no one I know was hurt or lost their house, it definitely puts things into perspective.

Other than seeing my family, it was a pretty laid back weekend. Our friend, Greg, was in town from Washington for a wedding, and he stayed with us for a few days. I got to see some old friends when he had a little get together at a local bar, and it was nice spending some quality time with him before I dropped him off at the airport. He's technically Jon's best friend, but he and I have been close since high school as well, so I'm so happy that Jon and I share a place now that we can offer to our friends when they need somewhere to crash. I often hate that we still live in Orange County, but I have to admit, it works out pretty nicely that all of our friends who have moved away will always end up coming back to visit.

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!

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.

Latte Cappa Thing

Oh yes, here I am wearing a silhouette that is NOT A-line. I can hardly believe it myself. But since I've been trying trends that I previously wasn't sure about lately, I figured that it was time that I - 

Okay, fine. I'm lying.

I did not purposely go out of my way to try a shape that was not in my comfort zone. Save your awards and applause for someone who deserves it. I bought this dress off of Poshmark and the seller's photos were cut off so I stupidly assumed that it was an A-line cut. If you saw these pictures, you would assume as much too! Or maybe it was just wishful thinking and not seller's fault at all. Either way, I chalked it up to my own inability to pay attention to listings and accepted the dress. 

That said, I did decide to try it anyway, so I guess I deserve some sort of praise? Right? Probably not, but I am pretty proud of myself for wearing it anyway, even if it still is pretty flattering and super tight as I had feared. Turns out, I like it! A lot, actually. I'm not a big fan of puffy sleeves (hence the cardigan), but the shape? You know, I think I can get behind it.

I also paired it with this new Larry David enamel pin that I scored from Bee & Mae, so that doesn't hurt either. I had been eyeing this pin for months, and I finally decided to just get it. I only watched through all of Curb Your Enthusiasm last year (before that I had just seen an episode here or there), but I obviously loved it enough to know that a Larry David is necessary. Bee & Mae must have the same exact taste in pop culture as I do because every single pin she makes is right up my alley. I may have also gotten the Bob's Burgers/X-Files one too. It's too good. Side note: Bee & Mae's shop is closed right now, but it will be reopening this week if you want to snag one of these pins too! This post isn't sponsored (I'll always make that clear in the outfit details if it is), I just really like her pins and have a feeling you will too.

A Belated Women's Day

Happy belated International Women's Day! I originally had this post scheduled for Wednesday, but I decided to participate in the "social media blackout" part of Day Without a Woman. Okay, fine, I definitely still checked social more than I intended, but I successfully refrained from posting. I did go to work, like I think most of the women I know did. I do agree with the sentiment, and I wish I could have taken part, but I'm not surprised that so many women couldn't do so either. I love my job and work for a small company, which means that when someone takes the day off, it makes a big impact. I'm also fortunate to work for a company that empowers me and values me rather than putting me down. So while I didn't take the day off, I did take the day to appreciate the amazing, strong women in my life and only spent money supporting women-run independent businesses. I also wore red in solidarity. If you did strike, or celebrate in some other way, or really just existed as a badass woman, way to go!

In other news, I don't have too much to say about this outfit other than I love this top and these shoes. Like I mentioned in a previous post, I've done a little bit of impulse buying lately, and these items were my recent Modcloth purchase. They work well with the more vintage-inspired direction I've been going in, and they're both quite versatile too. Plus, the skirt is perfect for celebrating International Women's Day, even if it is a day late. Hell yeah.

Red Top + Ballerina Skirt

Short post (as has often been the case lately) today, as I forgot to write this when I meant to. I've been busy working, doing holiday things, and most importantly, gearing up to go to Vegas this weekend. I am definitely not a Vegas kind of person, my parents offered their fancy time share right off the strip to me, my brother, and our significant others. While it's usually not my thing, it was hard to pass up a free room and a weekend away with some of my favorite people. They're the perfect group for me to go with, as none of us are into clubbing and all just want to drink, eat, people watch, and maybe see a show. I actually used to go to Vegas a lot as a kid when my parents would take me, but I haven't been back since I was 14, meaning that I've never actually been there while of drinking age. Wish me luck. 

Like most people, I definitely get caught up wearing darker colors once winter hits, but I'm trying to brighten it up every so often. Obviously a bright red top and a skirt covered in ballerinas is the way to go. I sure think so.

ThredUP Skirt + Thrifted Cardigan

For part two of my collaboration with ThredUP, I wanted to get a staple piece that I knew I would get a ton of use out of. I'm committing to shopping smarter, and buying versatile pieces that will last me is a key part of that. So instead of getting yet another polka dot skirt or another cream lace dress (though trust me, I was this close), I went the safe route and got a gray skirt. Some may say boring, I say smart. Turns out, it was a great decision, as this gray H&M skirt fits seamlessly into my wardrobe. It goes with virtually everything I own, and its a-line shape makes it ideal for fitting with my vintage-inspired, feminine aesthetic. It also was a good excuse to bust out this Modcloth burgundy top and thrifted cardigan, both of which I've neglected for quite a while. Thank goodness for (affordable) basics, right?

It was raining the day that Jon and I took these photos, so we improvised on our deck. Luckily, our apartment as at the very end, so we didn't have to deal with people walking by us, and we somehow managed to take two sets without any nosy neighbors coming out to shoot us weird glances. I'm surprised at how well this location ended up being for a last minute fix, and I wouldn't mind using it more often for days when we're too lazy to walk any further than our front door (which, let's face it, is all the time). It's nice to be able to enjoy the rain AND take outfit photos.

Don't forget to use the code HANDM50 off first time orders up to $50 on H&M pieces at ThredUP. If you're lucky, you'll score a skirt just as cute as this one.

Cropped Sweater + Lady Tie

With all of the times I've moved in the past year and a half (if you've lost count, it's four), it was inevitable that I would lose some things. I've given up all hope up finding my dark green cardigan that I once wore to death (did I sell it? Is it still in a box somewhere?). I'm still holding out for my tan sunglasses -- I swear they're just hiding underneath something that I've yet to look under. With all of the times I've boxed up items, donated things, given them away, or moved them from temporary home to temporary home, I knew that this would be a byproduct. What I've forgotten about, however, is that it also means that I'll find items that I had once forgotten.

Hence, the lady tie.

Back when the adorable Etsy store Flapper Girl was in existence, it was pretty common to see these colorful lady ties on every blogger. I got mine in 2013, and while I was still figuring out my style and didn't wear it too often, I treasured it in all of its preciousness. Somewhere in between then and now, it ended up in a box stored in my parents' basement. I finally took a couple of boxes out of storage there recently in hopes of finding some art prints for my walls, and I pulled this beauty out in the process. It had been so long since I had seen it that I actually had to look up my old post to see if I was gifted it for a product review by Flapper Girl or if I had bought it (I was gifted it). Finding it again (and my old blog post) was not only a nice bit of nostalgia, but it was pretty fitting as I feel like my style has been heading in more a direction to wear this tie regularly. More than ever, I've felt confident in my ability to nail down a mix of modern, affordable styles with vintage inspired pieces, and I think a lady tie incorporates into that quite nicely. At the very least, it's a nice reminder that losing items while moving isn't always a terrible thing.

Remix Friday: J. Crew Peter Pan Collared Top

Collar, Cardigan, and a Cool Skirt // Ballerina // Love in the Time of Collar-A

For such a versatile piece, you'd that I would have styled this J. Crew collared top differently over the years. But, no. All I've ever needed is a high-waisted skirt and maybe a cardigan to make this one of my most worn pieces. For this week's Remix Friday, I thought that it only made sense to show you a top that you're probably sick of seeing. Ever since I got this gem in a J. Crew Factory sale, it has been on constant rotation. I'm honestly surprised that I was only able to find six ways that I've styled it for the blog, although the fact that it pops up on my Instagram so much (like here and here) would explain that. I have a feeling by this time next year, I'll have six more to share. Did I just challenge myself? I believe I did. Challenge accepted.

Which look is your favorite?

But First, Coffee // Peter Pan Collared Top + A-Line Skirt // Tread Lightly

Remix Friday: Red Modcloth Dress

Red-y to Go // Modcloth Collared Dress + Gingham Skirt // Red Modcloth Dress + Gray Lace Cardigan

Oh, man. Has this dress taken me through the seasons or what? I got this dress a few years back while on summer break, and it stayed with me through my senior year of college in Illinois and back to California. I still have it and wear it regularly, which is usually a good test of a lasting piece. I can't imagine getting rid of this one any time soon, and looking through all of my old posts has truly solidified that for me. Looking through all of my old posts also reminds me that I used to live in a place where it snows, and I also was very excited to start my customer service job that I later couldn't get out of soon enough. Ah, nostalgia. 

I usually cringe when looking through old outfits, but I actually still really love all of the ways I styled this dress. I'm of course partial to my most recent attempt, when I wore it as a top with a gingham skirt. However, I also loved wearing it as a skirt with a sweater over it and just on its own when I first got it. 

Which look is your favorite?

It's Snow Problem // Back to Layers // Red Collared Dress

Blue Polka Dot Collared Top + Chelsea Crew Heels

It's real cute that you guys are all talking about fall and sweaters and whatnot, but we're melting over here in Southern California. As everyone is posting on social media about fall starting, we're experiencing some of our hottest days of the year. It honestly was a little unbearable even wearing the sleeves pictured here. My apartment doesn't have air conditioning, which is the only downside and something we're willing to live with, but it's been pretty bad this week. 

Even so, this shirt was worth it. It's one of my recent thrift store scores and it's easy to see why I love it. Peter pan collar and polka dots? Come on. This is my holy grail. 

Other than wearing cute polka dot things, everything else is pretty much as usual over here. I've been spending time with friends and focusing on the new apartment. I know I keep talking about it, but it's still too good to be true. I'm having so much fun decorating and making it feel like home, so forgive me if I can't talk about anything else. I think it's pretty understandable. 

Modcloth Collared Dress + Gingham Skirt

I'm going to be honest with you; I'm really, really excited about this skirt. When I hear that Ruche was closing, I was devastated. I was less devastated when I realized that meant a closing sale. Okay, the sale could never really make up for the loss of my favorite store, but it sure helped. I had been eyeing this skirt for some time, and the sale finally gave me the push I needed to justify it. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen that I took it out for its first spin while I was in New York, but I finally got to take some proper outfit photos in it over the weekend. It's the most perfect addition to my wardrobe, and I loved how it paired with this red dress worn as a top. Dresses worn as tops are always a good idea.

This weekend was nice and relaxing, filled with plenty of food and family. I went to an adorable donut shop with my friend Nicolette on Saturday before hanging out with Jon and our friend Adam and having dinner with Jon's family later. My family met up for Mexican food for dinner on Mother's Day, which is really just the best way to celebrate any holiday. Now, if only the weekend could last forever. 

Polka Dot Dress + Peter Pan Collar

You know how you really don't need another polka dot dress, but then you see one and you just decided to go for it anyway? Just me? I swear I'm constantly selling and repurchasing various polka dot items. I suppose I'll do so until I'm completely satisfied with my closet. Or maybe I'll just drown in a sea of polka dotted items one day, and you'll never see me again. Who's to say?

I picked up this dress while selling things to Plato's Closet a couple of weeks ago, and despite the large stain that I later noticed, it feels like we've always belonged together. This Modcloth top is one of those things that I always kind of forget about, which is a shame. It works perfectly as a layering piece. Also wonderful about this outfit? The record player pin from Lisa's shop, Color Theory. The lighting is kind of weird in these photos so it's a bit difficult to see, but Lisa made it, so it's pretty obvious how adorable it is. Can my life just be as adorable and colorful as hers please? It's really all I want. 

Peter Pan Collared Top + Chunky Heels

What a relief is to have my sister-in-law, Elyse, taking my photos again. I love my camera, and I always like how my pictures turn out with it, but it's always nice to have someone who actually knows something about photography helping me rather than me just pretending like I do. I still miss my college days of having my photographer friends help me, so whenever I get to take advantage of Elyse's skills, I jump at the chance. I wore a similar version of this outfit last weekend when it was raining, but now that it has finally warmed up, I was all too excited to break out these Hello Holiday heels for the first time in months. Hello again, bare legs and chunky heels. I've missed you.

This weekend was a special one, as Jon and I celebrated our one year anniversary. It's kind of crazy; we've been close friends for about eight years, so it's hard to believe that we've only been dating for a year. I feel so strange getting sappy on the Internet, but it honestly has been the happiest I've ever been in a relationship. Everything is so easy and natural with him, and I've become that giddy girl who I've always ridiculed by being with him. It's disgusting. All of my cynicism is gone. Someone slap me.

Red Modcloth Dress + Gray Lace Cardigan

Not that it happened very often, but this is officially my last outfit post set around my old apartment. I stopped by on Saturday to get the last of my things and to sell my shelving unit to an adorable couple from Craigslist. There was, of course, a terrible interaction with my old roommate who decided to stay and fill the rooms, but what can you do? I made Jon stop quickly to take pictures on the next street over right after, and then we were finally done with the place. Good riddance. It's such a relief to never have to go back to this crazy place.

As I move everything yet again, I am faced with the giant bag and box of clothes I've been meaning to sell. I gave a bunch them to my best friend, but there's still too much. Before I try my hand at selling again, though, I think I'm going to try to make some of the stuff work. I go through clothes so quickly, but as I'm on a serious shopping ban, it makes sense to pull out some of the items I got tired of to see what I can still use. Take for instance, this cardigan. It was sitting in box for who knows how long, and for no real reason at all. I think I possibly got bored with it? I have no idea, but it's back in my closet for now. This belt on the other hand, is about to fall apart. It's adorable, but it's being held together by a thread on the side. This one, sadly, must meet the trash.

Plaid Collared Dress + Purple Cardigan

Okay, everyone. It has been decided. I am officially going to get serious about blogging again. I've been lazy and have been letting my schedule get in the way, but I'm done making excuses. I miss having this project as a creative outlet and, more than anything, I miss the beautiful online community of inspirational people whom I have met through doing this. ...It's going to be really embarrassing if I get busy and don't post again for another month, but hey, at least I'll have tried.

As for real life things, if you follow me on Instagram or have spoken to me at all in the last seven months, you'll know that I've had a bit of a roommate situation. Long story short: I met my roommates online, they seemed normal for a while, and they both turned out to be truly crazy. One was very aggressive and had a husband who had just gotten out of prison; the other was a real hoarder and lied about her dog being house trained. I wasn't home much and quietly kept to myself, but as luck would have it, my attempt to hide out in my room couldn't solve the fact that they hated each other. The final straw to get me to move out was when I got a text from one saying that the other accused her of threatening her with a knife and called the cops, and when I got home, there was a hole in one of their doors that had been kicked through. Meanwhile, I had been innocently out enjoying Star Wars. And the final final straw was when I came home and one had completely moved out with no notice, taking with her the Internet router, shower curtain, trash cans, water filter, and other items that I generally enjoyed. I have yet to have her answer any of my texts.

This is all a long way of saying that I moved out and am renting a room in a house with a very nice family. Early 20s life, am I right?

Ballerina

Could this skirt be any dreamier? I've been eyeing it online for too long, and I finally got it with a discount from work a month or so ago. Kling has become one of my absolute favorite brands, which I've spent far too much time stalking when I'm supposed to be working. I spend all day drooling over expensive clothes at my job so it's always nice to distract myself with brands that are at least a little more in price range. Of course, my price range is nonexistent now that it's essentially the holiday season. With my family (including three brothers, two sister-in-laws, parents, and five nieces and nephews), plus best friends, Jon, and gift exchanges, I have too many people to buy for. Add in that I'm paying more bills this year than ever before, and I may just be in deeper than I can handle. The worst part? I still insist on buying everyone thoughtful gifts. I can't break the habit. I even signed up for the Reddit Secret Santa because I love the idea of buying a random person a gift they'll love, even though I can't afford it.

...would it be weird to crowdfund my Christmas presents? I think people would donate to Kickstarter devoted to buying my nieces and nephews awesome toys, right? 

Louie

If there's any outfit that's a good example of my uniform over the past couple of months, it's this. This jacket and top have become the true MVP's of my closet. The collared top has proven to work with just about anything, and the jacket has been my go-to piece for those California "winter" days. It's not too heavy, it looks good with most things, and the hood makes it perfect the rainy days we've been having lately. The most special part of this outfit, however, is the ring. As you probably know, I recently spent four years in Illinois for college and have had a hard time being so far away from my friends and family there ever since I moved back to California. For Christmas, my brother and sister-in-law (who were visiting from there) surprised me with this adorable Illinois ring, with heart over the town I lived in, to remind me of my time there. It's thoughtful and perfect, and I can't thank them enough for it.

But enough of the sentimental junk. This is what I wore to see Louis CK perform last Sunday, which was just as amazing as I had hoped it would be. I consider Louis CK to be the best current comedian and a true genius, but he doesn't tour very often. I was fortunate to see him headline at Oddball Comedy Fest in the fall, but when my friends and I saw that Los Angeles was on his list of three cities he was performing in this month, we jumped at the chance. He actually came straight from the Golden Globes to the show, which was kind of a fun thing to figure out when I got a text that said "Louis CK is definitely at the Globes" from a friend who was watching while I was already at the theater. He made one joke about it at the end of his set about how he lost at the awards and then immediately changed out of his tux into a T-shirt before he went onstage. Everything about him is perfect. It's normal to have to wait for a comedian to leave an awards show before the show you're at can start, right?