This was definitely a wonky but wonderful week. I spent the first half of it with friends and colleagues in Ojai at a little gathering we’re calling Girl Scout Camp, and it was so fun we’re definitely going to make it a yearly tradition. It did mean that I didn’t accomplish much on the work front, but I guess that’s part of what summer is for, right? Getting out there and having inspiring conversations in the sun instead of sitting behind a computer. Sometimes those moments are much more productive than crossing things off. My brain is a little scattered at the moment with an overflowing to do list, but I can’t complain. Hopefully I’ll have a chance to catch up a bit this weekend, even though I’ll be spending part of it in Palm Springs celebrating a friend’s birthday. But first here are some links for your Friday!
I finally pulled the trigger on this Rag & Bone blazer I’ve been eyeing since February. Waiting that long is worthy of reward, right? Now I just need the matching shorts. It’s also on sale at Nordstrom and Shopbop.
This video makes me giggle.
I’ve been laying awake at night thinking about these Ancient Greek Sandals.
White nails are the perfect staple color for summer when you have a bit of a tan, don’t you think?
These photos of suitcases found in an old asylum are a little morbid and creepy, but super fascinating.
Did you catch this awesome feature of Jessica Marx’s home on Glitter Guide? I want every single thing in her house.
Speaking of Glitter Guide, thanks to them for including my bar cart and bedroom in their top picks.
I can’t even believe how awesome this Tavik “Guns N Roses” bathing suit is.
Have a fantastic weekend!
When summer came this year, I realized I had a dire situation in my closet – LOMD. Lack of Maxi Dresses. I had one from a few years ago that was starting to make me sad when I looked at it on the hanger, so it was time to move on. Start fresh. This River Island version from Asos was my first new addition for the season and as often happens with maxi dresses, it has basically been on me nonstop ever since. It’s comfy, easy, affordable, and machine washable, not to mention long enough to not look awkward on me, which earned it extra points. Now I’m generally hooked on maxis and can’t stop perusing them online, so I expect to be adding a few more to the wardrobe in the coming months. So if you or anyone you know suffers from LOMD, you don’t have to hurt anymore. Asos can help.
River Island dress, Sam Edelman shoes, 3.1 Phillip Lim pouch, Tom Ford sunglasses, Forever21 necklace, Bracelets: ASOS, Forever21, Nixon watch (c/o Watch Co)
It’s officially wedding season and chances are we’re all either attending one or involved in planning one this year. I love weddings, especially helping couples find new and unique ways to express themselves through their wedding style. That’s why I’m super excited to be the professor of fashion in the upcoming workshop Wed Prep! Curated by the amazing wedding masterminds behind Bash, Please, I’ll be teaching alongside some of the top industry leaders of cool weddings – the awesome people who create the kind of weddings you want to be invited to. Whether you’re a wedding professional, a bride planning your wedding, or just a wedding enthusiast, we’ve got lots of valuable information to share! It’s a 2-day course that will cover everything – music, cocktails, beauty, florals, decor, even business and social media. So there’s lots to learn, and fun to be had!
Join us? You can sign up here OR try your luck at winning a spot! Just share your best wedding do or don’t on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram and tag @wedprep in your post. Don’t delay – they will pick the winner on Tuesday! Hope to see you there!
Will you look at that – it’s Friday! This week flew by because I’ve been a busy bee, and in my spare moments I’ve been rapidly catching up on both seasons of Scandal. Help, I can’t stop! Speaking of things I’m obsessed with, I’m starting a new series on the blog where I’ll be sharing a list of random things each week that interest me and that I think you might be interested in too. Little things that don’t necessarily fit into another post but that I still want to mention. It could be anything from a fashion trend I’m not sure about, an app that’s changed my life, a new recipe, a blog I’m into, etc. I love seeing what other little things people are noticing, considering, obsessing over, and I hope you do too! So here we go with Round 1…
I would be completely lost without Teux Deux, a daily list making app that keeps me in check everyday.
I’m contemplating Tom Sawyer suspenders for summer. Would you rock em?
This song is my guilty pleasure of late.
Everyone and their mother seems to be stock piling these minimal Zara sandals in every color, but I found them to be very ill fitting. Have you tried them?
Say goodbye to those stacks of magazines dating back to October 2010. I don’t know what I did before Next Issue. It’s especially nice for plane rides – my travel tote has never been so light yet full of fun reading!
Fascinating e-mails from Steve Jobs that show how to win a tough negotiation.
I have been searching high and low for long flowing caftans for summer like the ones by Camilla Franks (which are only available in Australia and very pricey) but there seems to be a national drought on good affordable caftans. It’s a problem. Anyone know something I don’t know?
I adore this tour of Max and Margaux’s nursery for little Dash. The baby elephant is too precious.
Enjoy this first official June weekend!
VPL bra, Ray-Ban sunglasses, Emi-Jay for Splendid hair ties, Synergy Kombucha, Forever21 Tank, Maybelline Baby Lips lip balm, Nike waistpack, Kiss My Face sunscreen spray, Stella McCartney for Adidas shorts, Asics sneakers
Morning hikes are my new jam. I’ll admit, I used to be anything but a hike person. I don’t have a good excuse, I just never felt like I could take the time, didn’t know where to go, and never really had the desire. But lately I’ve been up at at em at 6:30 every morning to participate in a little fitness effort called Fit 40 (#fit40), organized by my friend, neighbor, and insanely inspiring health guru Caley. It’s 40 hikes in 40 days with a group of awesome people and dogs. Anyone is welcome, and we’re hiking all the steep trails on the west side! Man does it hurt, but it’s the best possible way to start the day. New friends, a great workout, and stunning views. Every night I lay out my hiking outfit so I can get dressed while I’m still trying to wake up without thinking about it. While it’s not the most obvious time to think about fashion, I can’t help myself. I always tend to have some variation of black, white, a certain pop of color, and a fun detail of some sort – whether it’s a striped tank or graphic tee. It makes for fun and easy styling when you have strength, movement, and empowerment in mind!
Follow Caley on Instagram at @caleyalyssa for daily wellness inspiration!
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Clothes that are comfy and chic at the same time are like foods that are mutually healthy and tasty. In other words, the best joys in life. As I’ve mentioned before, I didn’t think I could pull off the silky harem pants until I tried on the Gold Hawk versions and fell in love. This pair wears a little bit slouchier, and the polka dots make them a bit more playful than the solid black. At the same time I found these, I instantly became obsessed with the silk pocket tee, another Gold Hawk staple that I simply must get in black and navy too. It’s comfy and soft, but so easy to dress up because it’s silk. In this case, I threw the two together to create the softest, loungiest, floatiest, yet sleek outfit I can muster up. Add in some Chucks, Rockstuds, gold bling, and you get one happy girl who’s ready to tackle a day of e-mails, lunch with a friend, or an endless list of errands.
Gold Hawk top and pants, Valentino bag (FINALLY back in stock!), Converse shoes, Prada sunglasses, Kate Spade earrings, Rings: H&M, Forever21, Bracelets: Jewelmint, BGBGeneration, Kate Spade, Nixon watch (c/o Watch Co)
Since I happen to be someone who’s overly obsessed with organization, it has been a challenge to find a wallet that doesn’t stress me out every time I open it. I tend to carry my life in big handbags, so space is in abundance. I don’t like to dig through stacks of cards squeezed into a confined pouch, so it’s important that everything have its own perfect place. Because of this, over time my wallets have grown drastically in size from one to the next. When I finally ditched the accordion style always-stuffed-to-the-brim continental wallets and graduated to a bigger version with more card slots and an all-access layout, my eyes were opened. So for those of you who are like me and love to have your cards laid out perfectly with plenty of real estate for everything from business cards to receipts, might I suggest you go big or go home. It’s all about the travel wallet ladies, and I promise you’ll never go back. I just picked up this Kate Spade version at the outlet near Palm Springs this weekend, and if the electric blue ostrich wasn’t enough to win me over, I couldn’t wait to get home and fill its many slots with every last card. I find it keeps my life in order while still having ample room to accommodate those extra cards and papers we tend to collect from the people we meet and the places we go, so they don’t end up sinking to the bottom of that black hole of a handbag. Keep in mind though, having a big wallet doesn’t mean we’re exempt from clean-out time, so you have to go through and purge the pile-up at least once a week so it doesn’t get out of hand. Wallets of this oversized, open fold design can be hard to track down, so I’ve pulled together a few of my favorite options for you. Many of them I have carefully tested and approved, so I can vouch for their obsession worthiness. Think about it.
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Don’t you love it when you make up a garment in your head and then learn it actually exists? That’s what happened with this blazer last spring, so when I found it on Shopbop I obviously had no choice but to splurge on it. I love it because the only way I can do florals is if they are a little bit futuristic, so the kaleidoscope effect is right up my alley. I enjoy dabbling in softer details and challenging myself to make them work without reaching too far outside of my natural edgier tendencies. That’s why my Moschino belt, blue mirrored aviators, and Free People cutoffs are becoming full-on staples for spring and summer. I can mix them into an otherwise classic or feminine outfit and instantly bring it to my happy place.
Rebecca Minkoff blazer (from last year but now I have my eye on this one) and bag, Forever21 top (old), Free People shorts, Aldo shoes (old), Moschino belt, Ray-Ban sunglasses, Michael Kors watch, Bracelets: Forever21, BCBGeneration, HRH Collection, Nails: Chanel Bel-Argus
We’re all guilty of it. You go to your closet to piece together an outfit that will hopefully make you feel like a new woman but everything seems to have a big red ‘X’ on it. You’ve been wearing the same four things in rotation (likely the last four things you bought) but you know you can’t reach for those yet again. It’s time to dig a little and give your old clothes a chance to reemerge. When you mix the old with the new, the old becomes new again. This bleached cotton jacket is the epitome of that. I have held onto it since I bought it in 2002 after I had come back from studying abroad in Italy and was obsessed with all things Diesel. It might be the oldest non-vintage thing in my closet. I used to wear it everyday to class with boot cut jeans, sneakers, and graphic tees – what a different time that was. Today it’s fun to reinvent it by pairing it with a more sophisticated, styled ensemble – a full mix of old and new. These 3.1. Phillip Lim shorts are a few years old and they’ve been through the ringer, but quality always lasts. I love them with a featherlight silk tee loosely tucked, a glam statement necklace to add texture, structure, and sparkle, and a lemon purse from Coach’s Legacy collection – their own nod to favorite old styles.
Diesel jacket, Gold Hawk top, 3.1 Phillip Lim shorts, Coach purse, Spike the Punch necklace, Shoemint shoes, Michael Kors watch, Low Luv ring
Fashion never ceases to surprise me. If there’s one thing that I never thought I could pull off with my pear shaped figure, it was harem pants. I’ve tried many times, but they tend to bring out all my worst features in every possible way. Don’t you hate that? For some reason though, these Gold Hawk ones manage to pass the flattery test by a hair, which makes me a happy (and shocked) girl. Of course, this means I have been wearing them tirelessly. How could I not? They are basically silk sweatpants – casual comfy and luxurious elegance combined. On this dreary day, I enjoyed brightening them up with not one but two sources of neon pink pop. I’d been wanting this fluro Cambridge Satchel forever and now that finally got my hands on one, I display it on my dress form’s shoulder and simply glance over at it whenever I need a mood booster. This top serves the same purpose but takes it one step further with its geometric line party and glammy silver glitter panel down the front.
Top from Esther (c/o), Gold Hawk pants, Cambridge Satchel Co. bag (c/o), Vince Camuto booties, Nixon watch, Bracelets: HRH Collection, H&M, J.Crew, Forever21, Nails: OPI You’re Such a Budapest
Thanks for stopping by! I'm Catherine Sheppard, a fashion stylist living in Los Angeles...
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