glam travel wear

I used to travel exclusively in clothes that made me look a little homeless. It made sense to me that since I was going to nap for an entire flight, I might as well wear something jammies-equivalent. I usually wore sweatpants and a hoodie, and on one particular transatlantic flight, a horrible stocking cap that made me resemble a robber. And then I watched Tim Gunn's Guide to Style. He has a list of ten essential elements for a successful wardrobe. Among them is a "sweatsuit alternative": something comfortable and casual that doesn't look sloppy. He made me realize how easy it is to step it up in the cute-but-comfy department. And when you run into an ex-boyfriend on a connecting flight, you can be this put-together traveler who looks kind of glam even though really you were snoozing with your mouth open on your travel pillow.

Maxi dresses are amazing for this. They are breezy and stretchy, and you can sit however you want on the plane and stay covered. A hair wrap makes a messy bun deliberate, and wedges are a great item to travel with, but take up too much room in your suitcase (so you have to wear them ;). Top it off with a jean jacket and one piece of jewelry (you don't want to take off ten accessories to go through security), and you're jet-set!

dress, jacket, hair wrap, necklace, belt, wedges

Outfit total: $122.94

lemonade and flamingo

Can you tell I'm pumped about summer? A lemon yellow bustier, a polka dot chambray shirt, an orchid pencil skirt, topped off with a flamingo necklace is basically the equivalent of a frozen lemonade at a theme park. Refreshing and delicious. 

yellow bustier, chambray shirt, linen skirt w/ belt, tusk necklace, flamingo necklace, sandals

Outfit total: $101.40

engagement shoot: lessa and josh

My sweet friends, Lessa and Josh, are getting married this fall, and they're about to take engagement photos. Los Angeles has lots of beautiful photo ops, and this couple has picked two really great ones: for a day shoot, the desert gardens at the Huntington Library and for the evening, a shoot at LACMA's Urban Light installation. 

The desert gardens are full every color of green you can think of, so I kept green out of the color palette altogether. Corals still feel like a part of that world-- it's the color of desert flowers--so that is what I was drawn to put on Lessa. I layered her with a pale blush blazer, taupe accessories, and one pop of contrasting color. I like in engagement photos when it looks like the couple fits together, without wearing matching Barbie-Ken ensembles. I found a navy and coral plaid shirt for Josh, to tie him into Lessa a bit. Cuffed chinos, a shawl collar cardigan, and slip on sneakers finish off his casual day look. His shirt is short sleeved and her dress is sleeveless, so if those top layers come off, there is another variety of summery photos to be done as well. 

lady: dress, blazer, necklace, belt, wedges
gent: shirt, cardigan, chinos, sneakers 

For the night shoot at LACMA, Lessa wanted to wear this long pleated chiffon skirt in black. Because the exhibit is all about light, I wanted silhouettes for both of them that would be striking. To balance Lessa's floaty skirt, I kept her top fitted with a belt to cinch at the waist. I like that this look is kind of bohemian in print and accessories, but the silhouette looks classic and fancy. With Josh, I wanted him to also have a classic look: really simple black blazer on white shirt, but to stay with Lessa's more boho look, I kept him in dark jeans and black sneakers. His gingham tie gives a little nod to her corset's black and white print. Can't wait to see how the photos turn out!

gent: shirt, blazer, tie, jeans, belt, sneakers
lady: corset top, skirt, belt, sandals, earrings, bracelet 

  

stripes: two ways

I love horizontal stripes, so of course I love this little Old Navy tank dress. I also just read an article about how horizontal stripes make you look thinner than vertical stripes, so I'm going for it. To break up the stripes a bit, I've added a canvas funnel neck jacket and a sheer waterfall vest. Both of these pieces minimize how much bust and hips have stripes wrapped across them, and I think this contributes to a slimmer look. When styling stripes, I tend to want to make things really nautical or French Kiss-y, so I went against that with a large feather statement necklace and a dangling chevron chain necklace. Finish off the look with a cool pair of oxfords or a kicky pair of wedges, and you've got two new ways to wear stripes. 

(l): striped dress, jacket, necklace, brogues
(r): striped dress, vest, necklace, wedges

Left Outfit Total: $92.78

Right Outfit Total: $94.59

dressed down chinos

A friend of mine says he has been stuck in a jeans-only rut, despite the fact that he has this sweet pair of grey chinos calling out to him from his closet. He says he only pairs them with dressier shirts, so I told him I would dream up a few casual looks to mix up his jeans uniform. To add a little pattern to a solid henley and jean jacket, I threw in some patterned tanks. A note about the man tank: even if it isn't your thing as a stand-alone piece, they are great as layers that can add an accent to an otherwise solid look. 

(l): green henley, tank, chinos, sneakers
(r): striped tank, denim jacket, chinos, espadrilles

Left outfit total: $91.21

Right outfit total: $141.34

summer textures

I recently came across these awesome espadrilles in Aldo. Because my job has me out shopping all the time, I really have to be careful not to treat it as a personal shopping trip as well because I'd never make any money. So for now, I'll just blog about these shoes, and see how long I can hold out. I love the perforated fabric, which gives a slightly less girly look than the crochet Toms and other slip ons out there, while still having some texture to them. I paired them with a few other textures-- lace, rope, and leaves-- for a fun, springy-summer day look. (And look at those little BEES!) 

blazer, leaf tank, lace shorts, espadrilles, rope necklace, bee earrings

Outfit total $170.93