Harlequin Skirt

T-shirt: Nordstrom Rack
Skirt: thrifted
Bag: Tignanello
Shoes: Urban Outfitters
Lipstick: Revlon Fire and Ice

When I found this vintage skirt at Goodwill a few years ago, I didn’t think I’d wear it as much as I do, but it’s now one of my favorites. (It was longer when I first found it, but I had it hemmed to just above the knee.) Lately I’ve been wearing it like this repeatedly to work and on the weekend. I like how the red lipstick, silver bag and turquoise shoes look together and pick up colors from the skirt.

School Supplies

Dress: Target
Bag: thrifted
Shoes: Aldo
Lipstick: Revlon Fire and Ice

When I put this outfit together, it made me think of school, and then I realized why. It has the colors of a no. 2 pencil, and the striped dress looks like notebook paper. So I guess it’s a good fall outfit. I saw this dress on a sale rack at Target a few months ago and couldn’t resist it even though I’ve really been watching my money. It was marked down to $10 and there was only one left. Walking through Target is so dangerous.

Black and Denim

T-shirt: Nordstrom Rack
Skirt: American Apparel
Shoes: Aldo
Lipstick: Revlon Fire and Ice

Like a lot of people, it seems, I’ve been leaning toward simpler outfits lately. A black t-shirt and jeans has always been one of my favorite combinations, so I really liked wearing this skirted version of that look. I used to wear plain t-shirts a lot when I was a teenager, but I have hardly any now. I think I need to get back into pairing them with skirts.

A few months ago, I finally bought American Apparel clothing for the first time, this chambray skirt and a chambray shirt because they do plain chambray basics so well. I wish this skirt was long enough to wear to work (maybe it would be okay with tights), but at least it’s great for the weekend.

Short Haired Hippie

Top: Nordstrom Rack
Shorts: thrifted
Shoes: Urban Outfitters
Lipstick: Revlon Kiss Me Coral

This is about as boho as I get. Although I used to love dressing like a flower child when I was in high school, my style swung in the opposite direction once I hit my 20s. However, I was strangely attracted to this tank top, especially because it has a back cutout high enough that I can wear a bra with it. What is with all the dresses and tops where the back is totally cut out? That’s another reason I really can’t be a hippie. I can’t stand going without a bra.

These shorts are a recent addition to my wardrobe too. After seeing rolled shorts everywhere for way too much money ($50 even at J. Crew Factory??), I decided I had to find a thrift shop pair, and here they are, straight out of the ’90s with a high back yoke and awesome button fly.

Labor Day Look

Top: thrifted Banana Republic
Skirt: thrifted Corey Lynn Calter
Shoes: Miz Mooz
Lipstick: Revlon Kiss Me Coral

It’s been really hot and humid lately in Southern California, so I just want to wear cotton all the time. The most annoying part of this weather is that there haven’t been any thunderstorms where I live, even though it keeps raining in the mountains and deserts nearby. Pasadena has some of the most boring weather on earth. Generally I like it because I hate wind and couldn’t live with snow, but a little rain would be nice.

This skirt was a pretty amazing find at ACTS Thrift Store. I think it was priced at $4.99 and in new condition, plus it’s machine washable. I should wear it more. I keep thinking it’s too cutesy with the polka dots and shirred details, but now that I look at it in these photos, I guess it’s not that childish.

Etsy Update

With the long weekend, I finally had a chance to add more items to my shop! There's still more waiting, but here are a few of the latest additions...

90s Polka Dot Dress - S

80s Abstract Sweater - M/L

90s Express High Waist Denim Shorts - XS

Tribal Print Knit Midi Skirt - S/M

90s Floral Slip Dress - XS/S

NWT Pleated Wool Skirt - L

Levi's High Waist 512 Slim Fit Jeans - S

Another Sundress

Dress: Nordstrom Rack
Shoes: Naturalizer
Lipstick: Revlon Love That Red

I like how this dress has a somewhat dropped waist but not too much because a true drop-waist silhouette doesn’t flatter my body type at all. This was the perfect easy thing to throw on for dinner in Downtown L.A. at Cole’s, which is an old-timey (I think it’s been in operation since 1906) french dip restaurant. I’d heard that some people dress in 1920s attire to go there, mainly for the “speakeasy” type bar in back, so I wanted to wear something with that feeling while staying comfortable in the heat and not looking like I was in costume.

Into the Sunset

Top: thrifted
Skirt: Banana Republic via Buffalo Exchange
Shoes: Urban Outfitters
Lipstick: Revlon Love That Red

I found this appliqué tank top at Quality Thrift a few weeks ago and thought the combination of its peachy color and my salmon skirt would be pretty. It reminds me of a sunset. I also love how it has wider straps since I don’t do the spaghetti strap thing. I just don’t like them for some reason…they seem unproportional on my shoulders.

Jasen and I have been watching Twin Peaks on Netflix, so maybe the whole orange-red tone of that show influenced me to wear these colors together too. This is the first time either of us has seen the show and it is so good! Not to mention that the whole ’80s-does-’50s style is right up my alley. I seriously want to own everything that the Audrey Horne character wears, in particular. Donna Hayward’s costumes are pretty amazing too, and I’m jealous of Lara Flynn Boyle’s hair in that role.

Summer Saturday

Dress: Forever 21
Shoes: Urban Outfitters
Lipstick: Revlon Kiss Me Coral

I’m pretty sure I’ve worn this exact same outfit for the last three Saturdays. It’s just too easy and comfortable, and I like how the turquoise shoes look with the coral in the dress. Lately work has been pretty stressful, so when the weekend comes, I just feel like throwing on a dress and some comfortable flats.

Meow Hiss

Top: thrifted
Skirt: Forever 21 via Buffalo Exchange
Shoes: Aldo

Hey, I’m back! I ended up taking a blogging break because our 6’2” muscled paranoid schizophrenic neighbor was going through a kind of scary, violent phase and hanging around outside all the time shouting at people, so Jasen and I basically were just leaving the apartment to go to our cars as fast as possible. I guess we could have driven somewhere else to take photos, but neither of us really has time for that between work and errands. Our neighbor apparently has moved away now, though, I think to stay with his family.

So, the outfit…well, I found this top at Savers, which I visited for the first time recently. I went to one in Anaheim with my mom because she was on vacation and staying with my aunt nearby. I’m not sure if the print on this top is supposed to be cheetah, snake or some random combination, but I like it, especially because it’s kind of cropped and boxy without looking too baggy.

Aaaaand…we’ve adopted two more cats, Boris and Sascha!















A family living in an apartment building near us was just letting a bunch of kittens run wild, so we decided to take these two since they’re bonded to each other and have been hanging out together all the time. They are so sweet. I guess we’re kind of turning into crazy cat people with three now in a one-bedroom apartment. But how could we say no to those faces?? Boris is the black and white one, and Sascha is the tabby and white.

Mint and Lemon

Blouse: thrifted Forever 21
Skirt: Banana Republic
Shoes: thrifted Naturalizer
Lipstick: Revlon Fire and Ice

I’ve been meaning to put this blouse and skirt together forever and finally got around to it. I really love how mint looks with yellow. This skirt used to belong to my friend Natasha, but I acquired it from her in one of our swaps. She has such a great eye for colors and prints! (Well, she is an animator/cartoonist/illustrator after all.)

Is it weird that almost all of my closest friends are artists? It kind of drives me crazy sometimes. They can all draw and paint so beautifully and I absolutely cannot! If I try to draw, the result looks like one of Napoleon Dynamite’s sketches. My mom and, I think, at least two of her sisters can draw too. My job is kind of artistic, I guess (I’m a fashion copywriter), but come on: I write to make people buy things. Hopefully someday I’ll write something that actually matters.

Tiki Night

Top: thrifted Chaus Sport
Jeans: J. Brand
Shoes: Miz Mooz from Nordstrom Rack
Headband: Urban Outfitters
Lipstick: Revlon Love That Red

On Saturday night Jasen and I went to another tiki bar in North Hollywood called Tonga Hut that’s been around since 1958. This place is pretty rad. Everyone talks about how Tiki Ti is the coolest tiki bar in L.A. but that place is way too tiny and trendy. I mean, I’m sure it’s cool if you can get there at 4 pm on a weekday, but Tonga Hut has big booths, all kinds of awesome décor, strong affordable drinks and a super fun crowd. Plus, it’s easy to get a seat if you arrive by 8 pm, they let you bring outside food in (some of our friends ordered a pizza) and around 10 pm a taco stand opens up in the parking lot. When we were there Saturday, an Australian guy bought rounds of these sweet little shots for the entire bar four times! I just had one of those and a mango Mai Tai, though.

One of my favorite things about tiki bars is that people do not take themselves seriously, so it was perfectly fine for me to wear this Hawaiian print top and leopard headband. But if you don’t dress “tiki” it doesn’t matter either…it’s not like everyone is in costume or trying to adhere to some scene look. Tiki bars rule.

What a Circus

Top: Cotton On
Skirt: American Apparel
Shoes: MIA from Nordstrom Rack
Lipstick: Revlon Fire and Ice

There’s definitely something circus-y about this outfit and it’s probably inappropriate for a 31-year-old, but I like it anyway. I think I need more lime-colored clothing in my life. It looks pretty good on ghostly white people with dark hair for some reason.

Have I ever mentioned that my uncle used to be the singing ringmaster of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus? Well, he’s an actor and singer in New York City now (this is his website), but we used to see the show whenever he was in town back in his circus days. It was pretty cool/creepy to me as a child. (You know, the clowns, and if you go backstage at a circus, it’s kind of weird in general. Oh, and yeah, performing animals in captivity, that’s disturbing.) The costumes were amazing, though. One year my grandma left home to live with him on the train, so we used to tell everyone she ran away to join the circus.

May Favorites

A la Mode Wearhouse

A Walk in the Park

Fashion Forestry

Feathers and Freckles

It's Not Her, It's Me

Just Another Wardrobe Experience

Miss Green

1 Skirt 4 Ways

I decided to do another one of these posts today since I haven’t in a while and I was totally undisciplined over my four-day Memorial Day weekend and didn’t take any outfit photos. When I first found this skirt at Goodwill it was a maxi skirt, but I decided to get it shortened because…I’ve just never been into the maxi thing. I might change my mind at some point, but I prefer shorter lengths and I don’t own a single maxi dress or skirt despite their being really trendy right now.

So here are four ways I’ve worn my cameo-head skirt. It was one of the best thrifting finds I’ve ever made. I need to find more ways to wear it in hot weather, though.

Villains

Just Roll It

Mint Before Labor Day

Which Came First?