spring break - new york trip

day one

Yes, day one was all about food. My friend Melinda Ring suggested a Thai place called Land that was fantastic and reasonably-priced, where I enjoyed some delicious calamari. Tim and I walked around a nearby park and climbed on rocks, as well as browsed a Barnes & Noble. Lastly, we went to one of my favorite New York cafes, Cafe Lalo, where I had a latte and we shared a piece of chocolate cake (which was unfortunately so yummy that we gobbled it up before I got a chance to snap a shot). 

Photos by me

day two

(Scarf from Urban Outfitters, Thrifted shirt and sweater, See Kim necklace, Wilson's leather bag from Crossroads Trading Company, Naomi & Lavender pants, Topshop shoes)

The most comfortable socially-acceptable pants are back in style, and my legs are finally able to breathe. I picked this pair up at the Farmer's Market at the Grove in LA, and I've been adoring their perfect fit. In combination with the softest scarf in the world, I felt like I was wearing pajamas. 

My leather bag shown here was a by-chance find at the Crossroads in Studio City, and it's a perfectly sturdy, sizable tote. I don't have a close-up of it here, but the detailing of the metal in the strap is both lovely and functional for adjusting the strap whenever I wish. 

I really want to shout-out See Kim, an incredible brand that I discovered thanks to Blossom Vintage. Owned by designer Christine Kim, the jewelry is simplicity but abstraction. In other words, it's not like anything I'd ever seen before, but the designs compliment everything. I'm adoring this necklace because of the subtle blue coloring of the beads combined with the interesting shape of the metal stretch. I've found that the piece is extremely versatile, for I can wear it with both low-cut and high-cut dresses and shirts. 

Photos by Timothy Toda

day three

(Vintage blazer from Blossom Vintage, Thrifted red sweater, Free People necklace, Urban Outfitters dress, miscellaneous tights, Nine West socks, Topshop shoes) 

This blazer, which I acquired from Blossom Vintage's etsy shop, is everything I could want in a vintage piece, It has a hint of color, is extremely oversized, keeps me warm but not too warm, and can be easily layered. It's slightly itchy, but that's easily solved by a light sweater underneath. I mainly like to wear this blazer with simply dresses and a statement piece of jewelry so that the coat becomes the real center of the ensemble. When I saw St. Vincent perform at the Grammy Museum, I wore practically this same combination of pieces. I get a little bit of a preppy feel from this outfit as well. Make fun of me if you wish, but I sort of felt like a college student.  

Photos by Timothy Toda

early spring

(Free People hat, gifted necklace, dress from the Topanga Vintage Market at Pierce College, Dolce Vita boots)

My dear friend Hafsa and I travelled all the way out to Long Beach to visit the new Frida Kahlo exhibit at the Museum of Latin American Art, but the wait at the museum ended up being 45 minutes. They were also having a little festival, so we checked that out and vowed to see the pieces another day. Afterwards we went to a beautiful little coffee shop called Lord Windsor, and later walked around music store Fingerprints. These photos were taken by the pier, where we got ice cream after dealing with a complicated parking situation. 

At the moment, these adorable boots are pretty uncomfortable, or at least they are after two or three hours, but I'm still breaking them in. I balanced out this discomfort with this extremely comfortable dress and a rainbow beaded necklace that I should really wear more often. And to counter the constant LA sun, I wore my favorite little droopy hat.  

not from kansas

(Vintage sweater, Calvin Klein Jeans dress, Zara shoes)

Gingham is one of my favorite prints ever. It's wonderfully young and energetic, and I'm often reminded of picnics when I wear it. This is one of my go-to dresses because of it's simplicity and sweetness. I can pair it with everything, including these red shoes.

The combination of these two items are quite reminiscent of Dorothy, from the Wizard of Oz of course. By adding this green cashmere cardigan, I toned it down a little so that it wasn't costume-like, but still had that good girl attitude.

(Photos by Timothy Toda)

simplicity birks

(Zara shirt, Thrifted Gap denim dress, Bag from the de Young Museum in San Francisco, Birkenstocks shoes)

When my uncle gave me an Amazon gift card for my birthday/Christmas present, I was quite clueless on what to buy with it. I order things from Amazon occasionally, like certain books or gifts, but I don't browse around on a daily basis. As I started to look, I decided that a pair of Birkenstocks might work out well, especially if I could get them for a very good price. The result was these wonderful cream-soled Birks that I've been wearing everyday, for they're definitely the most comfortable shoes I now own.

This was a very casual outfit that I put together for a day out. I'm obsessed with this new shirt from Zara because it's one of the sweetest floral patterns I've ever seen, and the colors are wonderful. I wore it with the deeper blue of this denim dress, which has been one of my go-to basic pieces ever since I acquired it. Denim skirts are tricky business, and I feel like by wearing this dress as a skirt I avoid the possible tackiness of certain denim skirts on their own.

I intern at LACMA, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and it's important for me to have a larger bag when I go to work because I never know what sorts of materials I'll pick up there. This is my favorite tote bag because the color goes with everything and the art on the front is simple yet intricate. There's a cityscape with clouds, but the whole picture is composed of words, words that are actually artist names.

(Photos by Timothy Toda)

chubby lippy

(Clinique chubby sticks)

Recently my mom bought me a bunch of new make-up, and these chubby sticks are by far my favorite of the products. I'd never used a chubby stick before and I discovered that they're like a super great colored lip balm. I've found myself mixing these two colors together to create a color that's sort of a subtle, deep pink. Chubby sticks are heavier than simply lip balms but lighter than hardcore lipsticks. It's like applying crayon to my lips, and as weird as that sounds, it somehow feels fantastic. 

Pooh

(Hat from Forever 21, Gifted necklace, Sweater from the Topanga Vintage Market, Thrifted dress underneath, Disneyland bracelets) 

Whenever I go to Disneyland, I usually go for comfort considering the amount of walking and movement involved. However, Tim and I chose to go for a comfortable, relaxed Disneyland trip, so I focused an a cuter outfit. I found this sweater back in November at the Topanga Vintage Market at Pierce College, and I decided not to wear it until this adventure. That was a very difficult thing to do considering how much I love both Winnie-the-Pooh and sweaters. Although it did get warm later in the day, the sweater really was the perfect choice. I paired it with a beret to class it up a little, and even dressed my phone in the Pooh phone case I have. 

It was a wonderful day. 

(Photo by Timothy Toda)

fancy pants

(Thrifted shirt, Necklace from Rose Bowl Swap Meet, Pants from Urban Outfitters, Zara shoes, Marc by Marc Jacobs bag)

In all honesty, this shirt is totally my go-to lazy day piece. It's polka-dotted with little women doing various tasks, and is extremely large, loose, and comfortable. The length makes it the perfect over-sized shirt to wear with jeans, sandals, and a sweater when I'm going out for a quick coffee or something, but I also like to pair it with more unique things, like these pants. 

Bell bottoms are coming back. There's no denying it. And I love it. Skinny jeans may be flattering on some, but sometimes they're the most uncomfortable and inconvenient pants in the world. If the switch is happening, I'm totally on board. However, these pants are definitely not your typical bell bottom. I found these when I was shopping at the Urban on the Third Street Promenade. They were $9.99 on the sale rack, and when you find something velvet and possibly cute for that price, it's sort of obvious that you should try it on. I did, and I think it's really the slits that make these pants. If they were simple black velvet, they wouldn't be half as exciting. When I walk they move in what I believe to be the coolest way. They're pants with a little bit more exposure, which is nice for the warmer winter weather we've been having in LA. It also helps that they're high waisted. 

+1 for comfort. 

(Photos by Timothy Toda)