Winter Pastel Accessories

Happy Black Friday, Friendz!!! Did you guys shop till you dropped? Bae and I went out for a couple hours and I made it out with a cute pair of wedge boots! Mitch had a larger haul with a couple sweaters and a bunch of express button downs. The mall was packed and we decided to ditch it for a showing of Interstellar (mindblowing, BTW!). Currently, we are parked on our couch waiting for pizza and getting some last minute online deals in. You may or may not be in a similar situation yourself :)

Today I have something special to share with you! I've teamed up with a brand new affordable boutique, Hazel Vintage Co. to bring you an extra sweet discount on their site. Use KIM10 to get 10% off at checkout! HVC has a great mix of casual pieces that are just dressy enough to help you feel put together. Y'all know that I am super partial to all out glam but that doesn't quite accommodate the cold weather as well. So it's delightful to find a boutique like HVC that has a great selection of cute pieces that can be layered. Is it awkward to use your own discount code to make purchases? Haha, I don't think so! I've been eyeing this super cute tartan plaid cashmere scarf, this adorable red plaid dress and this basic black sweater with a twist.

I think my favorite thing about Hazel Vintage Co. is that it is owned and operated by a regular girl just like me, Hope. Hope works a full time job and runs HVC in her spare time. It's awesome to meet other amazing ladies that are pursuing their passion for style. She was sweet enough to let me take this darling lavender chevron infinity scarf for a spin. I saw these everywhere last spring and have always been attracted to the pretty pastel ones.

I was playing around with a couple different outfits, but nothing felt super great. Whenever I'm struggling, I call in bae for backup. It is ridiculously awesome having a boyfriend that has an eye for style. Mitch asked me what sort of look I was going for and gave me some feedback on my choices. Then he disappeared into my closet and came back with this jacket that I had completely forgotten about! I was trying out a whole bunch of mint/lavender combos but the contrast was too stark. But this pretty sage jacket with gold accents was a perfect backdrop for a pop of color. Add some cool pointed boots with their own gold buckles and BAM! I'm thinking of starting a feature called, "Styled by Bae". Seriously, if developing software doesn't work out for this guy, he could totally go into personal styling. Although, I doubt he'll be leaving the coding industry anytime soon, Mitch is a certified genius. I guess I'll just have to keep on benefiting from his talents :) The Cena to my Katniss? I think this is going to be a thing!!

Jacket Forever 21 | Scarf Hazel Vintage Co. | Jeans Gap | Shirt H&M | Shoes Forever 21 |

Holiday Metallics

Happy Hump Day, Friends. I hope you guys are getting your Thanksgiving plans together without too many bumps on the road. I've spent a lot of time cleaning, visiting the grocery store and honestly, a lot of thinking these last couple of days. This is a fashion blog. It's meant to be a fun, creative outlet for me to share with the infinite interwebs. However, sometimes it can be awkward to write about something so silly and seemingly meaningless when there are so many insanely more important things happening in our world (yea, sorry, fellow fashion bloggers.... I love you all, but I said it). I try my best to be aware of my privilege and am grateful for my lot in life. My empathetic abilities are a bit off the charts, bae might sometimes argue I'm too empathetic. My heart is heavy with the events from the past few days and I feel a bit paralyzed with the feeling that I can't really do anything to actually help. However, I did come across this article that helped a bit. And yea, although I'm not white, I still think I'm pretty damn privileged. At the end of it all, I realize that all anyone can ask of you is to try your best. You need to keep going and you gotta continue living your life. For me, part of that means putting on clothes and getting myself ready to take on the day. Sorry not sorry for kicking this post off with such somber thoughts, but it was something I needed to address for myself.

If anything, these last few days have made me infinitely more grateful for my family, friends, the bae and my loving community. Seattle is special and I am fortunate to be living here. This season, I will celebrate the health of my loved ones and I'm going to do it wearing booty hugging metallics. (Yea, see, awkward. Need to work on the serious to fun transitions here, note to self!) For reals though, I have been enjoying all the opportunities for holiday sparkle and shine so of course I had to share one of my favorites the day before Tofurkey day. Don't worry, Mitch won't be eating Tofurkey. He's going to be wolfing down chicken.

Ya, not gonna lie. I am super into how my booty looks in this skirt :) so shiny! This was yet another impulse buy from a forever 21 run. Actually, I think every buy for me is an impulse buy. There is no rhyme or reason to how I select my purchases. I typically comb through the store and reach out to things that speak to me. I guess I'm acting on instinct. Seems to have worked out okay for me so far! I'm also pretty stoked about this beaded cropped sweater. It's comfy and I predict will end up being quite versatile this season. I haven't been able to find a link to it online yet but I have seen it in both of my local forever 21 stores. Last but not least, these shoes are so fierce and totally set the tone for this outfit. They were a peer pressure buy with my one and only, Katrina. We're both enablers and convinced each other to buy a pair. You can see how she fabulously styled them here. They hurt like a bitch to break in but for reals, they have been worth it. I love the gold detailing on the bottom. Complete wow factor. We found them in Target stores on clearance for $20! The link online is still full price though.

Thanks for stopping by, friends. It really means a lot that you took a bit of time out of your busy day for my little blog :) Happy Thanksgiving to you and your loved ones! See you again on Black Friday!

Top Forever 21 | Skirt Forever 21 | Shoes Target | Purse from China |

Burnt Blazer Remix

Happy Monday, party people! Did y'all have good weekends? Mine was filled with good food and good friends so nothing to complain about over here. I didn't end up rocking that floral print set on Friday because let's be real, it was just too cold, but of course I had a wonderful time anyways with mis amigos! Alain had an INCREDIBLE spread from whole foods and not gonna lie, definitely spent most of my time hovering around the food table. On Saturday, Mitch and I enjoyed our (mostly) weekly brunch date at Portage Bay Cafe. We always get our own entrees (they're so great about making vegetarian/vegan substitutions) and then split the vegan pancakes so we can take advantage of their AWESOME breakfast bar (which includes unlimited home made whipped cream, toasted almonds, a variety of fruits and THE BEST maple syrup EVER). Saturday night we met up with friends at an Ethiopian restaurant in Central District called Chef Cafe. I was still full from brunch, but I had this bomb appetizer that I can't remember the name of. It was basically Injera filled with a spicy chili paste and then lightly fried. OMG SO GOOD. And if that's not enough food talk for you, on Sunday we got together with friends for a home cooked Nigerian meal! Vegetarian Nigerian food isn't really a thing, but my friends were super sweet and accommodated my dietary restrictions. They made vegetarian stew that I poured over rice and a heaping serving of fried plantains. It was SO SPICY I thought my face was going to fall off, but so good. Whoa, sorry for the weekend food summary. It was just.... so... good. And I don't have any pictures to share! I'm a terrible blogger!!!

But anyways :) today on the blog I want to mix it up from the usual and give you an extra good deal. TWO outfits in ONE post!!! Here are two different looks I created with the same centerpiece, a burnt orange blazer. When I saw this in stores, I was immediately attracted to the color. I thought it was perfect for fall tones. I've been in search of adding a new blazer to the rotation. They're a great alternative to oversized sweaters or cardigans. I personally tend towards more dressed up than down and blazers help me up the anty on outfits that would feel too casual to me otherwise. Evidence below! The blazer pulls together this basic sweater plus jeans combo. I love how the burnt orange in the blazer frames the orange and red from the tiger. I'm digging the preppy cool vibes here. RAHR!

Thanks to my sweet friend, Hector of Geek Q for taking these photos for me!

Blazer Forever 21 | Sweater, Sunnies Forever 21 | Jeans The Gap | Shoes Carlos Santana |

For my second round with the blazer, I used it to top off a slightly more polished look. Skirt plus circle skirt combos are a very easy go-to in the warmer months. You guys know I love me a good A-line silhouette and it's harder to create this shape as it gets colder. Adding a cardigan or layering up to stay warm muddles the silhouette. A reliable, tapered blazer is just what the doctor ordered! I'm also happy to break out these black boots for fall! I bought these babies a couple years back on super clearance at Urban Outfitters. Actually, there are 3 pairs of boots that have that exact same storyline from various years. You'll see them peppered throughout the blog in the coming months :)

I hope you guys are getting your ducks in a row without a hitch for Thanksgiving! See you guys again on Wednesday!

Blazer Forever 21 | Shirt Forever 21 | Skirt, Sunnies Forever 21 | Shoes Urban Outfitters |

Holiday Party Prints

OH HEY HEY, FRIDAY FRIENDS! We made it to the end of the week! The holidays are officially here! Tonight I'll be kicking off the weekend by celebrating a birthday with some wonderful friends that I haven't had the chance to see in a while. Not gonna lie, I'm also excited to have a good excuse to rock one of my favorite holiday party looks! This matching print set from Forever 21 is from their spring/summer line and I was a bit hesitant to pull the trigger because I wasn't sure how the top would fit. However, once it went on clearance, I snapped these pieces up! I was able to find each piece at different F21 stores across the country while on travel. So lucky! You can still get the skirt on clearance online right meow for less than $15! And don't forget the shoes! They complete the outfit and you can get the ones I'm wearing here for less than $25! Links below!

+100 for barbie pink holiday accessories! I bought this clutch a couple years ago on super duper clearance (~$3) at H&M. I love breaking this out every winter to add a little sparkle to every outfit. It's thick enough to accommodate my card case, cell phone and point and shoot. I like to always be ready to capture festive memories! I'm also rocking a new type of hair accessory that I discovered this summer. As you might have noticed, I wear my hair simply. I part my hair and let it air dry every day. Forehead headbands are an easy way for me to change things up! The trick is to find ones that fit your head to avoid discomfort. I love these gold rosettes!

Once again, this vest came in super handy and surprises me with it's versatility. Whether it's to add a a menswear edge to a glitzy work outfit or add slight sophistication to this fun party outfit, this vest has been invaluable in my closet. Still blows my mind that this was really a random impulse buy.

I hope to use some of this weekend to find more staples! Have an AMAZING weekend, you guys! I'll be spending a lot of time working on bloggy things. Can't wait to continue sharing on Monday! Love y'all!

Top, Headband Forever 21 | Skirt Forever 21 | Vest Pitaya | Clutch, Rings H&M | Shoes Milanoo |

Bloglovin!

BLOGLOVIN! Hi Friends! I'm trying to get my bloglovin reconnected. Sooooooooo here's a phantom post :)

Perfect Sweater Dress

Another Happy Hump Day, my friends! I am SUPER EXCITED to share this post with you because it features a lot of my favorite things for the season. You'll find links to almost my entire outfit at the end of the post! First, let's talk about the clothes! I couldn't wait to highlight this amazing sweater dress that was an impulse internet buy from Forever 21. This dress is everything. It's fitted, but flattering and perfect for layering. It's also beautifully knit and I love the patterned detailing that gives this dress extra points. And at a price tag of $22.80, this is a must have in your winter rotation. I feel mighty fine strutting around in this thing. I couldn't wait to pair it with my fur vest, one of my seriously favorite season staples. This look a bit too va-va-voom for work, but all you'd need to do is add a nice pair of tights and you're good to go!

Lol guyz, I didn't mean to have my RBF on for these photos above but I also think they're kinda hot so.... yeaaaaaaa. It's been said again and again, the accessories make the outfit and in this post I wanted to highlight two brands in particular. The first one is this beautiful Victoria Bekerman necklace. It's simple, sleek, and adds just the right amount of sophistication to any outfit. This piece really elevates my look here. You may recognize this jewelry studio from the swoon worthy Red Dress post, which features a necklace from the same collection. Similar to the last post, I used both Victoria Bekerman jewelry and Meta Ink flash tattoos to uniquely accessorize this outfit.

Most of the marketing I see for flash tattoos typically features socal/coachella/beach inspired looks. I absolutely loved using these in the summer, but living in a region that doesn't exist in an endless summer, I wanted to figure out how to continue my flash tat addiction into the cold weather months. Katrina gave me the idea for the leg band and I think I've found my new favorite way to rock Meta Ink. Thanks for reading and letting me share all the things with you! Only one week until Thanksgiving!!!!! We can do it!

Dress Forever 21 | Vest Forever 21 | Flash Tats Meta Ink | Necklace Victoria Bekerman | Boots Urban Outfitters

BFFERBOO

Good Monday Morning, friends! Do you guys ever find yourself adopting the styles of the people that you spend the most time with? This is happening a lot with my fashion love, Katrina, and after spending the weekend with Kasey, I'm craving pretty A-lines and sweet silhouettes. Kasey has always been excellent at understanding her body shape and what looks best on her frame. It's this same eye that allows her to solidly deliver figure flattering outfit photos for me in under 5 minutes flat! She's also super smart about using this knowledge to her advantage when making decisions about morning outfit choices and clothing purchases. Count on Kasey to spot the one dress that has the perfect band that will highlight your natural waist and frame your swoon worthy body! She also applies this when she gets ready in the morning. She's able to make quick decisions by having go-to combos. Example: Boots + leggings + shift + vest. Or in this post, A-line + cardigan + flats!

I adore both of these looks. They're different enough that Kasey can rock them in the same week and it doesn't seem like she's wearing the same thing. This pretty yellow number is one that we picked up in Austin at one of the many vintage boutiques in South Congress. This mint dress is from Lindy Bop, a modern day, UK-based company that produces high quality 50's style dresses at unbeatable prices. Link to the exact dress on Amazon here. I've been phantom carting the floral version for the past several weeks. I just seriously need to pull the trigger. Ever since my Holiday Housewife look, I find myself wanting to commit to these type of dresses even more.

I also need to give Kasey a shout out for being an amazing friend, especially today. There are so many incredible benefits to having a best friend who is a kick ass lady engineer. And because we work at the same company, I get to take full advantage of her amazingness and parade her around my schools. We were in Durham this weekend to present to the girls of HackDuke. Kasey captivated the audience with her passion for using tech to pursue her philanthropic endeavors. Her most recent one being Hello World University. Kasey and I have done quite a bit of travelling together and we're pretty good getting ish done. We enjoyed a dinner and movie date night and were planning to visit the Lemurs, but alas, Delta had different plans for us. Long story short, due to a whole bunch of FUBAR happenings, one after another, Kasey ended up being stranded in Baltimore. Delta had sent us both confirmations for our BWI > SEA flight, but only I had been issued a ticket.

You want to know what true love is? Without discussing it beforehand, I knew I was going to get on that flight because I knew Kasey wasn't going to expect me to stay with her. She was happy that at least one of us was going to make it home that night. Not gonna lie, we were both desperately trying to return home to get some quality time in with the boyfriends before the work week started. And she sent me off with a chipper "Enjoy your time with Mitch!" Like seriously, when you find friends that for reals want you to be happy and do everything in their power to help you be happy, you hold on to that shit like your life depends on it. I've learned many lessons in kindness and how to be a good friend from Kasey. I will admit, I have had some serious BFF fail moments in this past year but I am so grateful for Kasey's unconditional love and thankful to be experiencing life with such a beautiful soul. Okay, sorry not sorry for getting kind of mushy there. Until Wednesday, my friends!

Friday Fun Prints

Hello, Friday Friends!!! Currently snuggled up in my hotel in Durham, visiting my favorite blue devils for Hackduke. In celebration of the end of the week, I wanted to share an extra fun outfit. At first glance, this outfit is just plain crazy. Mixing two bold prints together is usually an instinctive no-no. But I just can't help it, I really like the look of these two pieces paired together. I think this pairing works because the tones of each piece are fairly well matched. Sometimes I feel a little self conscious walking around in outfits I think other people might find a bit weird. But then again, I also believe that you shouldn't take the clothes you wear too seriously and it helps me YOLO in my crazy outfits with my head held high (with help from the top knot of course!)

Actually, now that I think about it, the last time I wore this outfit, I attended a Duke career fair! Very professional, I know :) Kasey and I have a great weekend planned which includes a dinner/movie date at The Melting Pot (first time!), a semi-private Lemur tour and High Tea at WaDuke (one of my favorite things to do while in Durham!) I'll try my best to document and share! I am so glad I have amazing schools that are surrounded by incredible food and interesting activities. It always makes my work trips extra exciting. Hope you guys a very enjoyable weekend. STAY WARM! Thanks for stopping by!

Top, Skirt Forever 21 | Shoes Seychelles | Accessories H&M, Forever 21 |

Staying Warm

Happy happy Wednesday, friends! It's gotten downright frigid in the PNW, y'all. I'm usually pretty stingy with heating, but even I've caved in to turning the thermostat up! I know fashion bloggers are always like, "YAY, FALL! LAYERS! SWEATERS! CAN'T WAIT!!!" Not gonna lie, I am really not about cold weather dressing. When your go-to combo is fab A-line dress paired with your fiercest high heeled shoes, you end up spending time in the winter freezing your fanny off between the walk to your car and office, or you spend minutes, HOURS, thinking about how you're going to manage to look cute and stay bundled up. Of course, a coat helps (unless you forget like this day!). I still stay on the struggle bus though. Over the last couple of years, I have gotten kind of terrible at dressing casually. So, I am determined to get better this year!

One thing that helps A LOT is a super solid sweater or cardigan. I'm obsessed with the one I'm wearing here. It fits nicely, has an interesting pattern, and is neutral enough that it goes with almost everything. This time of year is also when I break out all of my scarves and pashminas. I'm still not quite sure how I feel about the way this scarf fits within this outfit but eh, you can't take these things too seriously, can you? If anybody has any go-to uniforms for looking super cute and staying warm in the cold months, I'd love to hear them! Have an amazing rest of the week, friends!

Dress, Cardigan Forever 21 | Boots from LA Fashion District | Tights H&M | Scarf from Thailand

Holiday Housewife

Hey friends, heeeeyyyyyy! An easy indication that I'm home from travels is that I'm posting a lot more regularly :) Katrina and I were smart this time around and shot multiple looks in one day, making it extra easy for timely posts. With holiday festivities right around the corner, I wanted to style a couple party looks. There are multiple reasons to be excited for the holidays, but glamming up for special occasions is definitely one of my favorite reasons! I picked up this beautiful vintage piece while Kasey and I were gallivanting around Austin. I LOVE 50's style dresses. This was my first time wearing a petticoat underneath and WOWZA does it make a difference. I feel like a cupcake. It is AWESOME. Can you believe that ladies back in the day used to wear a dress like this to do housework? WHAT? My skirt was bumping into everything! Not gonna lie, I felt pretty fabulous. Also, this pattern screams Christmas to me. All I need to do is hide a jam box under my skirt and bump some holiday tunes. lol.

It's getting colder in the PNW, y'all! It's going to be hard to continue rocking the dress and heel combo, but I'll hold on for as long as I physically can! Are you getting pumped for falalalala season? I'm excited to see fancy and fun holiday photos pop up on my newsfeed. Hope you guys got your week off to a great start! See you again super soon!

Dress Vintage | Shoes Forever 21 | Belt H&M | Bag from China

The Red Dress

I'm honestly not sure how to start off this post. My veins are still buzzing with creative energy from shooting with Katrina earlier today. These photos were shot this morning, in a chill, PNW mist. Kat had this clear vision for a lady dressed in red surrounded by the deep green forest, adorned in metallics and gold. I would say we pulled it off with flying colors! It is incredible what two people can achieve when they play off each other's creative strengths. I've never experienced a partnership like this before in my photography and styling and I don't think I'll ever be able to work in any other way ever again.

You've seen Meta Ink featured on my blog before, but never like this! Katrina had the brilliant idea of using lines of dots to make a trail along her spine. It seriously took me less than 5 minutes to apply the tats and the result is INCREDIBLE. I love how unique and delicate these dots are as an accessory. It was a bit challenging for me to envision flash tats for Fall season since most of the imaging and marketing is very much geared towards a summer coachella beach lifestyle. But I love Kat's idea and we were inspired to shoot a few more Fall Meta Ink looks. Watch out for those posts later this month! So, flash tats for a surprise accessory in the back, but what about the front? I know you were checking out that gorgeous necklace that Kat has on. You can catch the lovely Mila necklace from Victoria Bekerman on their website here. Their pieces are a beautiful mix of modern design with vintage materials. The type of jewelry that you invest in for it's timeless qualities. And of course, if you're looking for the dress, scoop it on Lulu's site before it's gone! I'm seriously thinking about picking it up in both colors!

No joke, I've been running through this album set on repeat and I can't stop looking at this photo set. These are my favorite photos that I have ever taken to date. I think today marks a turning point in my blog world. Meeting Katrina has changed my view and understanding of fashion blogging. My outfit photos have improved by ten fold and I always feel extra style inspired each time I get ready for one of our meet-ups. But for reals, after collaborating on a project like this and feeling the rush of partnering with such a creative human being, there's no turning back. Exciting things are ahead for us and I can't wait to share them all! Thank you for reading, I appreciate all of your love and support and can't thank you enough for believing in my little blog.