Yea or Nay?

 Today was gorgeous...

and lovely. I was able to spend all afternoon having lunch and strolling by the beach with my sis. This small leisurely break in day was just what I needed amid the craze of the holiday season. While out enjoying the sun, I was lucky enough to get in a few quick photos, thanks to my sis.

We had a great time, being back together, messing around with the camera, and shooting a new outfit. However, after looking over all the photos of the day, I decided that I'm actually not the biggest fan of the outfit I made for the day. I have worn this sweater countless times. When I first laid eyes on it, it was definitely the print that first caught my attention. Though I can be known to shy away from print, I felt like this one was a classy looking piece that could easily add a little fun to the right outfit.

Today was the first day I ever tried it with a belt. I am not sure if it was the belt or how the sweater photographs, but something wasn't sitting right with me when I looked over the final product. After I assessed all my photos, I felt that the belt definitely made the ensemble look a little more costumey... if that's even a word. I finally came to the conclusion that the look just wasn't "me".

Check some of the photos below. I removed the belt to see if I'd like the look better. Let me know what you think! To belt? Or Not to belt?

I love this necklace! A simple little bday gift to myself. Its so delicate and pretty. I am really simple when it comes to jewelry. I think this is a staple I can wear everyday. Much like my rings also seen in this photo. 

(Please disregard my unmanicured nails... I really should do something about that.)

I thoroughly enjoyed this day with my sis. Love every minute with her! So thankful for her and her love and patience for me. Not only are my photos way more fantastic when she's behind the lens, but I have so much more fun when we're together. What an awesome thing to have someone as wonderful as she is in my life... and to be able to call her my family. I am beyond blessed.

Just a tiny update! I realized that my blog settings were not allowing people to comment on my site unless they had a blog themselves. How lame! I went ahead and switched that, so feel free to to send your outfitting questions my way OR if you wouldn't mind let me in on some of your style inspirations... I'd love it!

Outfit Breakdown

Sweater Ross Vip $26

Black Mini Dress H&M $10

Leggings Gap $12

Boots Cathy Jean $35

Bag Marshall's Olive + Joy $24

Necklace TJ Maxx ??? $16

Closet Raid!

It didn't even know what was coming...

I recently had the chance to raid my next model's closet. And let's just say, it was definitely a successful mission. My mystery model was looking to do some purging, but more importantly, she wanted me to take the very clothes that stare at her from her closet every day and turn them into new outfits. Challenge accepted! I get that when we see the same clothes over and over, it can be a daunting task to try to imagine and come up with different ways to put these older pieces together. Sometimes, all you need is a fresh pair of eyes, preferably a pair that also has a love for outfitting ;)

That's were I come in. We started by pulling out items that were rarely worn. If it was something dated, uncomfortable, or ill fitting... it went in the bye-bye pile. If it was an article of clothing that wasn't her style, reasonable for her daily lifestyle, or something she hadn't worn in ages... it went in the "Bin It" pile. 

*Side Note: I just recently I received an exclusive sneak peak to this fantastic fashion swapping boutique called CottonBin. Instead of having take photos of your own clothing and then barter for cash, CottonBin will send you a prelabeled shipping bag so you can just pack up your clothes, send them in, and obtain points to shop in their online boutique. Simple & Brilliant! 
(Request your own exclusive invitation today! https://cottonbin.com/register)

After the purge, we moved on to the fun part. Outfit making! My beautiful model needed some casual work attire, plus some fun outfits for being out and about, while still looking put together.

Here is I came up with:

Casual Work or On Trend Fun.

The main piece to this outfit is the great fitting navy dress shown in both photos. Its structured and detailed beautiful so that it can be worn with heels and a blazer for a business meeting, or for a more casual work day as shown below.

In this photo, the dress and scarf are
 paired with a great kahki jacket and
cognac wedge booties.

Here the dress is paired with a plaid printed

scarf, a boyfriend gray blazer, and leather 

cognac boots.

Day Out or Night Out.

Here we have a fun tribal print skirt... one of witch was driving my model nuts! She'd tried this skirt with what seemed to be, just about everything in her closet. She wanted to wear it as a pencil style high waist, with a cute top tucked in. However, the construction of the waistline of this piece was just not allowing the look she was hoping for. So, we tried something different.

Here I paired the same skirt with a simple, yet
elegant ivory blouse, a black leather jacket,
leather studded heals, and Kate Spade
Christmas gift that was able to add
a little pop of color to the ensemble. 

The photo is a little blurry, but you can see
the violet and gold pattern b&w skirt.
First, I pair it with just the black top,
but it was in need of a little something extra.
The gold scarf did the trick without looking too
matchy-matchy.

Casual & Classy.

This next outfit is pretty much the same, except for the shoes. But notice, the shoes pretty much change the whole feeling of this outfit. The classic nude pumps make this classy outfit look a little more sleek, while the booties give a more playful, ready for fun, vibe.

Favorite.

This last outfit was never tried on, but while my model was sampling outfits, I eyed these key pieces lying on the bed, thew them together, and snapped a photo... voila! A fun chic outfit ready for a night out with friends. Love the patterns together and the pop of color in the scarf.

Had so much fun going through another closet and mixing and matching my way throw endless outfits. Hope you enjoyed just a taste of what was discovered. Maybe this will inspire you to see what hidden outfit ideas are just waiting to be found behind the closed doors of your own closet. Feel free to let me know what you discover and how you wore it! Love seeing individual style... I am inspired by it every day.

Happy raiding!

So Cal Christmas

Well, "sunny and 75" can pretty much describe our Southern California Christmas this year... except it was more like sunny and 80 degrees, but whatever. My immediate family still has yet to celebrate our "official" Christmas, because one key member wasn't able to be here on Dec. 25th this year. That's okay, days are just days, its when you have the ones around you that matter most that makes any day special. 

Now, on to the clothes!  

The weather has been way too warm lately and shouldn't even have the right to call itself winter! However, though we've faced temperatures ranging from 65-85 degrees during the day. The nights have gotten a little chilly. My choice outfit for this post is casual and comfy. It pretty much goes with what I have been doing for the past few days... lounging, watching movies, and hanging out with family.

These are night photos. So, they are not as pretty and bright as I'm used to, but they give you the idea of the look. Notice... layering darling! When warm days turn into cool nights, layer will be your best friend. Here, I have on a short white mini dress (which I usually use as a bathing suit cover in the summer. Summer to Winter... see what I did there ;). I paired the mini dress with black leggings and boots. As it got more chilly I just kept adding. A light sweater, a soft scarf, some finger-less gloves, and a cute hat (which you can see in the photos below). Easy, effortless, and comfortable. You can add or discard layers as the weather, or your environment (outside to inside) changes. If I were to be outside very long, I would have just added a black coat for extra warmth, but for the short period of time I was outside, this was perfect.

These finger-less gloves are a fave when cold weather hits.
 I have another pair in grey!
This hat adds a bit of color without drawing extreme amounts of attention.

Olive crossbody bag. Goes with pretty
much everything.

Stayed with grays, blacks and whites. I added
a little color with my hat and bag.

Accessories, even if subtle and simple, always add a little something special to every outfit.

So there you have it. Warm to cool all in a days work. I'll and post another trial later on with this same concept but change it from casual to more work appropriate attire. 

Hope you all reading this had a wonderful Christmas, whether you celebrated on Wednesday or haven't gotten the celebration in yet, my prayer is that you had people around you who love you and who you love.

Enjoy the rest of the holiday season!!

Outfit Breakdown

Hat: Gap $12

Sweater: Banana Republic $15

Scarf: Payless $10

Gloves: Gap $12

Mini Dress: Banana Republic $11

Leggings: Gap $12

Leather Boots: Cathy Jean $60
Bag: Marshall's Olive & Joy $24

Well now, these are few of my favorite things...

So, I was just going to put up a "winter outfit" post (as in Southern California "winter"), but when I put my outfit together, I realized I grabbed a few of my favorite cold weather pieces. So, I figured I'd just share these favorites with you! If you can't tell, I've been pretty excited about the cool weather. And that excitement, mixed with great accessory and clothing finds, can make for pretty fun outfit planning ;)

For those of you who do not know, last year I was on the constant hunt for a leather (sans the leather) jacket. 

Well, last year I found one! And a great website which made it all possible. Check out ideeli.com and sign up to check out what they have to offer. If you're looking for something special, or enjoy designer pieces, ideeli runs flash sales that last anywhere from a couple days to a few hours and will have great discounts on whatever they are promoting. 

The color looks much more "purple" in this photo than it does in real life.
Its much closer to a maroon color and it mixes well with earth tones.

For instance, I found this fantastic faux leather Kenneth Cole jacket in a lovely grape hue for $40 on ideeli. Fantastic! 

It's always a gamble purchasing items online, but  when I bought it, I fortunately had already seen a similar jacket to this one in the Kenneth Cole store. Thus, I had the chance to try it on. I loved it! (obviously.) And still do! I continuously find myself pulling it out of my closet to wear with everything this season. 

When looking for a leather style jacket, I had constantly looked for a black or tan one. However, when I laid eyes on this lovely grapevine color, my eyes were opened and my style horizon, broadened. ;) I think its great how the grape can go with subtle more earth tone hues that I constantly find myself wearing.

Oh... and did I happen to mention I love scarves?

Found this lovely scarf at Nordstrom for $20! This is a definite favorite from my closet. I feel like I'm daily pulling it out to throw it on with whatever I am wearing. (I guess I actually may wear it a bit too often... but shhhhhh don't tell! ;)

This infinity scarf always folds elegantly.

Always have on my favorite rings.

These BOOTS.

A fantastic Marshall's find! Rocket Dog... $39.99.

Love the laces. Love the color. Love the distress.

Super comfy. I pretty much wear them all the time.

 Well...

that's all I've got. Loving the chill in the air. Loving the layers. What are some of your favorite pieces that you just can't help grabbing out of your closet? Are they seasonal? Or just a must... always? Feel free to share your inspirations... or your comfort musts!

Outfit Breakdown

Jacket: ideeli Kenneth Cole $40

Scarf: Nordstrom David & Young $20

Top: Sun Diego Billabong $12

Jeans: Marshall's Nine West $25

Boots: Marshall's Rocket Dog $40

I feel pretty.

"No matter how plain a woman may be if truth and loyalty are stamped upon her face all will be attracted to her".

-Eleanor Roosevelt

I love these words. I want to be someone who is known more for her character and values, than success or appearance. Naturally, I appreciate and admire others who encompass these same traits. Though there is nothing that can sway my outlook on beauty being shown through inner character, lets get real here... what woman doesn't enjoy feeling physically beautiful/pretty/attractive?

I don't know many... or actually... any.

Last night, while chatting about life and all its complexities, my good friend and I hit on the subject of beauty and feeling attractive. I realize that this "feeling" can come and go, though we may never outwardly look any different to anyone else. There are so many things that can contribute to these feelings. One I idea we brought up, and one I find interesting, is the fact that most of us women have little rituals, for just ourselves, that  keep us feeling put-together or attractive... aka feeling like a real person, really.

Whether its keeping up with a workout routine, getting our hair done, keeping our eyebrows pristine, putting on makeup, eating healthy, or having our nails painted... we all have something. I've noticed that once I fall off the wagon with my "something", some of my feelings of attractiveness seem to run away with that wagon I've so slowly slipped off of.

So, what can you do when you've lost your mojo?

One thought is... take time for YOU.

Seriously. I know life gets busy... really busy. Sometimes it seems that all there is time for is to roll out of bed and just go until its time to crawl back into bed again. I get it. Sometimes I just don't feel like I have enough energy to keep up with my wagon. However, when you feel yourself slipping off, or already fallen off, I'd like to encourage you, or more-so, challenge you to find one or two things you can do for yourself, to make you feel good about you.

I know I've said it before, and I'll say it again... feeling good about you goes a long way. And even if it makes no difference to anyone else, feeling good about how you look can encourage that positive outlook toward yourself. 

When I was in college, I remember one of my professors telling our class to always wake up early on finals' mornings. No, she wasn't suggesting that we get up to make a nutritious meal, but that we should take time to dress up and make ourselves look extra nice for our test. Weird no? No! She mentioned the fact that when you feel confident in how you look, your confidence reflects in your work and your response to so many things in life. That being the case, I'll wore heels to my finals, thank you.

My tie into today's outfit with all this thought, is that I realized I wanted to start showing a little more care in my appearance. Even if it takes a little more time. Yes, I know that I'm the girl who puts outfits together for others... but most work days my hair is up, I'm sans makeup, and my outfits are easy, with not much creativity or thought put into them. So, I told myself that today would be different.

And so, this is what I came up with...

I fixed my hair, put on some lipstick and mascara, and wore a dress that I rarely wear. I wrote down a weekly workout plan in my goal book, and stopped for coffee by the beach on my way to work. I took time to visit with friends, and hopefully, I encouraged someone today. It was a good day. 

I don't need to have a certain look to bring out the best in me, but I do want to always remember to appreciate me, and if that's giving myself a little extra love every now and then, its a good thing.

Attitude goes a long way, not just in yourself but affecting others around you. Be good to yourself. Be good to others. 

Makeup-less or done up, you are beautiful. Just remember to keep shining your light.

Oh and I can't forget:

Outfit Breakdown

Dress: Loft $24

Cardigan: BR Outlet Banana Republic $19

Necklace: Banana Republic $12

Tights: Gap $7

Leather Boots: Cathy Jean $60