Take a Ride with Me: The Petersen Museum

License and registration? While it's no fun being pulled over by the cops for speeding, (luckily this hasn't happened to me for a while) it is fun to play one on TV...or in a museum. At the Petersen Automotive Museum in L.A. along the famous Miracle Mile, you can live out all of your car fantasies, including being a cop (or in my case the fashion police) or driving through the country in your Ford Model T or speeding down the track as a race car driver.

As you can see from the pictures above I had a lot of fun in the children's section of the Petersen Museum, but the museum truly has so much more to offer for car lovers and indifferent wives (such as myself) alike. I don't know much about cars, but my husband is, to put it mildly, a car fanatic. Regardless, we both equally enjoyed the museum.

We actually visited the museum last month for a special event celebrating the Ford Mustang's 50th anniversary. My husband has a Mustang and loves the car so we had to check out the festivities and the exhibit to commemorate the anniversary. Below is a picture of the museum's exhibition celebrating the Mustang in all its glory.

The museum's permanent collection takes you on a tour through the history of the automobile by illustrating how cars evolved over each progressing decade. My favorite decade would most certainly be the 1930s, a decade in which cars were truly icons of style and glamor in my opinion, as evident by this mock set up of a Packard dealership below. I can just imagine myself traveling back in time to purchase one of these beauties.

In some of the museum's special exhibits, visitors are given a glimpse into the unique, rare not to mention bizarre world of cars. One exhibit on Town Cars and Chauffeurs featured Liberace's Rolls Royce. (This is where the bizarre comes into play!) It was like a gigantic disco ball threw up on a car. However, I found myself strangely transfixed by its gaudy elegance. I guess it's because I gravitate towards shiny things!

Luckily the exhibit on Town Cars offered some more sophisticated and tasteful cars. They also offered some sage advice for drivers found in a manual for chauffeurs written back in 1906 when there was a real art to the profession.

 I also found myself also enamored with things that are related to cars, but not quite cars, in the museum. Here are just some of the other random things I enjoyed from the museum including a tamale stand in the shape of a pipe smoking dog, a Roy Lichtenstein-esque back drop to futuristic car, and some random artistic photos of the museum that suited my fancy.

I hope you enjoyed this ride through the Petersen Automotive Museum with me. One of the best parts of the museum was a tour given of the museum's vault and its vast collection of cars, which I could not show here because cameras were not allowed due to the fact that they don't want security, entrances and exits to be shown in case someone is planning a heist! I can understand the need for safety and the paranoia because some of the cars that the vault houses are worth tens of millions of dollars. It was fun to be up close to such exquisite cars and also famous ones. For example, Magnum P.I.'s  red Ferrari was down there, as well as cars owned by Elvis and other notable celebrities.

So check out the museum for yourself! It's worth the trip, especially if you know someone who loves cars, or if you are a novice such as myself and want to learn a little more about the topic. But don't speed or dress unfashionably or else officer Katie might give you a ticket (while ridding side-saddle on a motorcycle)!

Pink and Pineapple

Have I mentioned lately that Target has some really, really cute, not to mention affordable things for summer? They are right on "target" as usual with all of their trends including plenty of stripes, polka dots and nautical themed items, not to mention a new theme that I see emerging for summer which I would simply categorize as fruit. It may sound funny, but fruit themed items from pineapple button downs and tees, dresses with groves of oranges, and wicker handbags in the shape of lemons among other fruity offerings seem to be everywhere for summer.

I actually Googled this pineapple shirt to see if I could find inspiration from other bloggers regarding how to style the shirt. Some bloggers paired it with a striped pencil skirt (as I did with the whale version of the button down, also from Target) but I decided to go for a pop of pink to play up the tropical vibe of the shirt.

I personally can't get enough helpings of this citrus/fruit theme, especially living in California where fruit is plentiful. What "themes" are you liking this summer?

Shirt: Target/Merona (here)

Skirt: J. Crew no. 2 pencil skirt

Shoes: Nine West

Bag: J. Crew Factory Vero Clutch

Belt: J. Crew

Channeling Dorothy

Today I couldn't help but to feel just a little like Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. I didn't really think of it until I was putting the finishing touches on this outfit with my Red Valentino's that could easily be mistaken for ruby slippers. Between the red shoes and the gingham shirt,  I am just one Toto shy of being a modern interpretation of Dorothy. I guess this was all somewhat fitting because it was my husband's great aunt's 98th birthday today, and her name just happens to be Dorothy. At lunch to celebrate some family members even made the joke about my shoes being ruby slippers. I guess they perceived the resemblance too.

Blue gingham? (Although not a dress like Dorothy.) Check!

Clicking my ruby red heels and repeating "there's no place like home, there's no place like home!" Check. 

My new J. Crew Sophie bag, I guess, could sort of be like a wicker picnic basket in order to continue the resemblance! By the way, I really love this bag, as I was looking for quite sometime for a sturdy saddle bag type satchel. While it's not made here in the USA like J.W. Hulme or Frank Clegg it was a fraction of the cost and the quality is really superb for the money. It will serve as more of an everyday bag from me due to the fact that it can fit quite a lot of stuff in it. Down the road I think I will invest in one of the above mentioned bags.

Thanks for taking a trip down the yellow brick road with me! I hope you're all having an excellent Memorial Day! If you take away the yellow skirt I've got my red white and blue on here too!

Shirt: Ralph Lauren

Skirt: Charlotte Taylor for Anthropologie Hummingbird Skirt

Shoes: Valentino Couture Bow Pumps

Bag: J. Crew Sophie Crossbody Bag

Necklace: J. Crew Factory  Pearl Twisted Hammock  here

Factory Girl in Floral

Whenever my inbox shows an email announcing new arrivals from the J. Crew Factory it's always a little bittersweet insofar as I know I am going to love something (okay, many things) but because of that I will have to make a purchase. (You would think from this description they were pointing a gun at me and telling me to take out my credit card.) I probably should just click delete and call it a day, but I sadly lack the willpower to restrain myself.

Last month the Factory re-introduced the "Punk Floral" print in dresses, sweaters, shorts and skirts. I bought the scoop back shirt in this print last year, so I didn't feel the need to indulge in more "Punk Floral" items, although it was tempting. I did, however, cave for this button down shirt in "Dark Cove". It is a variation on the punk floral print, simply replacing the green background with navy.

Initially, I ordered the shirt in my usual size xs, but found it to be very tight in the shoulders and bust. I exchanged it for a small which fit just right. It is a nice lightweight silk/gauze material that is just perfect for the warmer summer months. As you can see, I paired it with some neon colors, but I think it would look equally great with an army green or something more subdued. But you know me, go bright and colorful or go home! Perhaps at a later date I'll venture to try a different pairing.

Shirt: Factory printed classic button down shirt in Dark Cove here

Skirt: J. Crew no. 2 in Citron 

Belt: Kate Spade Bow Belt

Bag: Vince Camuto Louise Clutch

Shoes: Nine West

Bracelet: J. Crew Wildflower 

Watch: Kate Spade Carlyle Bow Watch

An Octopus's Garden

Every summer the nautical theme finds its way back into stores and with it comes an array of nautical creatures from the sea. Well, move over seahorses and lobsters, here comes the octopus, tentacles and all! This particular octopus tee shirt is from the J. Crew Factory. It's one of their "collector" tees and I was instantly drawn to its quirky, yet still nautical subject matter. I gave this inky eight-legged creature a bit of an 80s feel with the addition of a graphic midi skirt from ASOS and a few pops of neon.

I would certainly rather look at an octopus on a shirt, see one in an aquarium or hear a song about one in its garden (what is that song about anyway?) as opposed to eat one. At our favorite Japanese restaurant, my husband often orders a sushi combination plate that includes one pieces of octopus sushi. He's never thrilled about eating it, as it is pretty rubbery, but the last time he ordered it, it was simply inedible. The good news is that our dog, William, loved it. I guess he's a big fan of octopus!

It was only after putting this post together that I realized that I actually have another piece of octopus related garb, which is my Marine Mural dress dress from Anthropologie. I realized that I also called that post "Octopus Garden". Oops! If you are so enamored with Octopi and just can't get enough of them here you can check out that post here.

Tee Shirt: Factory Octopus Collector Tee here

Skirt: ASOS Midi Skirt in Abstract Print here and in orange/pink here

Shoes: J. Crew Lilian Wedges in Mirror here

Bag: J.Crew Envelop Clutch

Looking Back: A Retrospective After Two Years

It's been two years of pounding the keys, snapping pictures and putting it all together into posts for Hello Katie Girl. In other words, it's my two year "blogiversary" today!

I first started blogging right before getting my dog William. I was surprised I was able to do it (blog) because I am an idiot when it comes to technology.  I envisioned my blog as a mash up of all of the things I love including style (aka my shopping obsession), cooking, culture and raising a new puppy. While it turns out that most of my posts are about fashion, I try to to infuse some culture and commentary into many of my posts, even if they are just about clothes. I hope it offers a little bit for everyone, although to be honest my blogging is more of a creative outlet for myself, but I am happy to take others along for the ride.

Below I have compiled a handful of pictures from my favorite posts. Starting with fashion posts with some of my favorite outfits from the last couple of years. I really enjoy looking back at what I wore. It's a great learning experience to see how my style has evolved and changed over time.

In addition to helping me define and experiment with my style, blogging has also been the impetus to get out and do more things around the Los Angeles area. I have had for years now a list of things that I would like to do and see (sort of like a bucket list) and having a fun adventure to write about is sometimes just the motivation I need to get up, get out and explore. Below you will see some of my favorite places. This summer I am looking forward to more adventures to come!

Above pieces of Americana along Route 66 including Roy's Cafe in Amboy and the Tee Pee Motel in San Bernardino. I love odd examples of architecture!

Gorgeous Mission San Juan Capistrano. It was really tough just picking one picture of this place!

I love museums, but the MOCA (pictured above) is one of my favorites!

The marque above is from Broadway in Downtown L.A. 

There are also a lot of fun places to go at night in L.A. One of my favorite spots is the Sky Room in Long Beach. It has a great view of the city as the name suggests. 

While you could go out and get some yummy dishes from one of the numerous exquisite restaurants in L.A. (such as the Sky Room) it's also fun to eat in. I've tried to develop my skills as a chef, but usually I don't blog too much about what I make. I do like to blog about things that are relatively simple to make like quick desserts and appetizers. Below you will find some of my favorite food photos from my adventures in the kitchen.

Last of all, here is William, one of the inspirations for starting my blog. He is where the "fur" part of my title comes from. He is best known for looking incredibly handsome and partaking in many of the numerous happy dances in my posts. 

Won't you come and join William and me for a happy dance to celebrate my Blogiversary? Thanks to all of you who have taken the time to follow along on my journey, leave a comment or just taken a peak at a post of mine. I thank you for being apart of my Hello Katie Girl world!