Back to the Wall

This week was my first week back to school so that means back to the wall for me in terms of my photos! It's been a grueling week and I am tired, but at least I tried to look good, or as good as one can look when getting up at 5:30 in the morning and standing on her feet all day.

For my first day I wore this kate spade "Tanner" dress with a white button-down underneath to add a little "polish" to the look. I had my school ID photo taken in this outfit and I sort of felt like it was a scene straight out of Napoleon Dynamite when Deb is taking Uncle Rico's picture. She has him hold his hand just so under his chin and then asks him to imagine he is swimming weightless in the middle of the ocean surrounded by tiny little sea horses. That is what they did for a school photo, I kid you not! (I must say the picture did come out pretty good. I might hire her to do all my photos!)

During summer the weekends were essentially meaningless, which is a privilege few people get to partake in. It sort of reminds me of when the Dowager Countess of Grantham in Downton Abbey asks, "What is a week-end?" not understanding that some people work and need a break at the end of the week, as opposed to her life which is free of the work and stress of the "common man".

So to make a long story short, I am super excited that it's not only a weekend, but a long, three day weekend! I am truly going to savor every day and every extra hour of sleep I catch up on. I hope you also have a wonderful, relaxing weekend until it's back to the wall again! (Well, in the shot below I am facing the wall, but that's just so you can the cute bow detail on my dress.)

Linking up today with Passion for Fashion

Dress: kate spade "Tanner"

Shirt: H&M

Shoes: J. Crew ballet flats

Bag: J. Crew "Tartine"

Necklace: J. Crew Factory Fan Fringe

In the Realms of the Unreal

When I first started this blog I mainly just stood in front of one the orange trees in my backyard for photos. It was just easier that way, especially since I took most of my pictures after work. This summer it has been fun to find some more dynamic and interesting backdrops. This colorful mosaic tile wall is probably one of my favorites, as it makes me feel like I am stepping into a surrealist dream or a bad Klimt painting or into a movie such as What Dreams May Come featuring the late Robin Williams.

On my last week off before school I did a little "back to school" shopping, which was also sort of surreal. The idea that summer is over and work is beginning still hasn't set in. One of my shopping destinations for "back to school" was Forever 21. Sometimes I feel too old to be shopping there and I always have this fear that I might run into a student, eek! Well, last week I picked up a few things at the store, including this graphic black and white top. It was definitely an impulse buy, as I spied it on my way to the cash register and I therefore didn't try it on before I bought it. Luckily it fit like a dream!

Shirt: Forever 21

Pants: J. Crew "Campbell" Capri here

Shoes: kate spade "Chris"

Bag: J.Crew Envelope Clutch 

Bracelets: J. Crew

Glasses: Prada Baroque 

The Little Things

It's sort of interesting to reveal some of the mystery that takes place "behind the blog" so to speak. For example, how do most fashion bloggers take their pictures? I know some bloggers take their own photos through the use of tripods or quick iPhone pics, while some go great lengths and even hire a professional photographer. As you may know, I use my husband (he's pretty good, not to mention patient I think!) and the photos are me in real life situations. The things I wear in my blog represent what I wear out to lunch, shopping, exploring or in the next few days (it's almost back to school time), what I wear to work.

My blog is far from being professional and my pictures are not without flaws. I am not always the most conscious person either when it comes to the details. What I mean is I often get home and look at the pictures and find things that I didn't notice like one sleeve rolled up more than the other, strands of hair out of place, wrinkly clothes, eyes closed, a hair elastic still around my wrist or an intrusive shadow. So here is just a little behind the scenes commentary about my photos and their flaws. 

The picture above was my husband's idea. I thought it would look stupid, especially since this bench is technically outside of a restroom, but it turned out okay in my opinion, and if I didn't just mention the bathroom thing you might think it was a park. Sometimes I think my husband has a better eye than I do when it comes to these things. Although I just noticed while editing this that there is a cigarette butt by my foot. I thought this one was close to perfect. Rats!

In this picture I had my bag turned around.  I didn't notice this until after I took about five pictures this way. Truth be told taking pictures in public sometimes makes me feel self conscious and a little flustered. This usually results in a gaffe like this!

In this picture my bracelet is up too high and turned around, but at least my bag is facing the right way! This is one of the problems with wearing statement jewelry I guess. The more you wear, the greater chance of something going awry.

 Above, correct placement of watch, bag and statement bracelet! Phew!

Yes, this picture is supposed to be askew. I always ask my husband to take one or two slightly off pictures because I've seen it on other blogs and for some unknown reason I sort of like the way it looks. Usually my husband tilts the shot a little too much for my liking, but I think this one turned out okay.

Well, thanks for letting me ramble on about my photos and the little flaws I observed. The little things can truly drive you nuts. For those of you who are fashion bloggers, is there anything that drives you crazy about your photos?

Linking Up With Confident TWOsday

Shirt: J. Crew Factory printed classic button down shirt in "Dark Cove" here 

Skirt: kate spade "Barry" skirt

Shoes: J. Crew J. Crew "Evie" Metallic Mid-heel Sandals here 

Bag: J. Crew "Edie" in Casablanca Blue 

Watch: kate spade "Carlyle" bow watch

Sunglasses: Prada "Baroque"  

Checking It Off!

She's making a list and checking it twice, and checking things off of it too! Last year I posted about my "to do list" that featured various sites and destinations around the Southern California area that I wanted to visit. Now that summer is winding down I am trying to pack in everything all at once and get some destinations checked off of my list.

Taking a look through my list I realized that there are a couple of patterns that emerge. Most notably, many of the destinations on my list are either food or art related. Take for example my trip to Westwood last weekend. During this trip I visited the Hammer Museum (as seen in my previous post), P'tit Soliel for poutine (a yummy French-Canadian dish of French fries, gravy and cheese curds) and Stan's Donuts for, you guessed it, donuts!

Another theme that pervades my list is that many of the locations that I aim to visit were featured on Huell Howser's show California's Gold. If you're not from California you've probably never heard of the show. If you are from California and you have heard about the show, you know it's mainly for older people, but I guess I am an old soul.

Stan's Donuts is one of the places that Huell visited in his TV series. After his visit they named a chocolate and peanut butter donut after him. Since I love chocolate, peanut butter and of course Huell, this was going to be the one donut of the many to choose from that I brought home. I was a little too stuffed after the poutine I ate for dinner, so the Huell donut made a nice midnight snack!

For more SoCal donut destinations (also featured on Huell) check out my post Do You Know the Donut Man? If you have for whatever reason an inclination to check out my "To Do List" feel free to glance at the post, Where Will My Taxi Flats Take Me? The list has grown since this post and many of my destinations have been checked off. Also, many of the places are really dorky, but it's kind of fun to look at especially if you are from the Los Angeles area!

Getting Hammered

No, this post is not about getting drunk. Rather, it's about art and the Hammer Museum in Westwood, Los Angeles, although perhaps a drink or two might have helped me to understand some of the rather esoteric artwork on display! The Hammer Museum was founded by Dr. Armand Hammer who was a former chairman of Occidental Petroleum Corporation. He died before he could see his vision completed in 1990. Two years later, the operations of the museum were taken over by UCLA.

The exhibit we saw at the museum featured art from emerging L.A. artists entitled "L.A. Now". The outfit I am wearing features a new skirt from H&M which sort of makes me feel like a flamenco dancer. Also, how is it that whenever I go to a museum, the sticker that they give you always matches my outfit? The pink of the sticker is the perfect complement to the pink in my skirt!

So the next part of this post is something that I am just going to call "Art or Not Art?" A few years back when my husband and I went to the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego in La Jolla, we came across a portable phone mounted on the wall in the museum. My husband insisted it was art (and he hates contemporary art) while I scoffed, assuming he was being flip. My response was "of course it's not art, it's just a phone!". Well, much to my surprise, it turned out to be part of the exhibit. Go figure!

So take a look at the photos below.  Do you think I am standing in an art installation bellow or just a pile of crap, I mean Styrofoam? Art or not art? What say you?

If you guessed not art, you would be correct. I honestly thought this was part of the exhibit as it had a little sign telling you that you had to consent to having your likeness video recorded if you entered. Well, it was not really anything, or maybe it was the beginning of something not fully formed? Whatever it was, the security guard told us we couldn't take pictures here, so shhhh... don't tell anyone.

I hope you enjoyed my trip to the Hammer in Westwood. If you would like to see some interesting art and installations, or ponder the mysteries of "what is art?" this is the place to go!

Linking up with Lena B. Passion For Fashion 
Simple Sequins Fashion Item Friday  

Skirt: H&M 

Shirt: Forever 21

Bag: Louis Vuitton Epi Speedy in Grenade

Shoes: J. Crew "Lillian" Mirror Metallic low wedges here

Belt: J. Crew

Sunglasses: Prada "Baroque"

Walking With Pink Elephants

If I had my druthers, I would have "shot" this post outside of Pink Elephant Liquors, which is a liquor store in Hollywood where author Charles Bukowski bought all of his booze. I haven't, however, had the opportunity to get there lately, so here I am in this preppy pink elephant skirt on my way to get pizza with my husband in a neighborhood closer to home. This cute, hometown atmosphere is probably a little more appropriate for this look, however, than a gritty liquor store in the heart of Hollywood.

This elephant skirt was an Etsy find from designer Hannah Everly. She makes super cute skirts with stripes, bows and yes, even elephants as seen here. I was lucky to get what I think was the last skirt in this fabric from her, as they are now sold out on her website. I love that Etsy allows you to buy from local artists and designers who hand make items here in the U.S.A. This skirt was about $45 and I think it's a great deal. I'll probably be back for more skirts, as an elephant never forgets, especially when it comes to adorable skirts!

Linking up today with:
 Pinksole
Trend Spin

Skirt: Hannah Everly here

Shirt: J. Crew Factory Printed Short-Sleeve Oxford Popover here

Shoes: Ann Klein 

Bag: J. Crew "Sophie" Crossover in Henna here

Belt: kate spade bow belt

Pageant of the Masters

If you want to literally see famous works of art come to life, the Pageant of the Masters, held in Laguna Beach, is just the show for you. Every year the show features various tableaux vivants or living pictures in which famous works of art are recreated using actual people. Thanks to exquisite costuming, makeup and scenery, these tableaux look like the real thing.

I chose to wear this red dress from Forever 21 to the pageant. I picked it up for about $15 and I was surprised that my husband really liked it; he liked it even more when I told him the price. It features some artistic cutouts around the neck and a quasi tropical print.

Getting back to the show, I was excited that this year the theme of the show was "Art Detective". It revolved around the Nazi's plunder or acquisition (aka "stealing") of many valuable pieces of art during World War II. While the show was entertaining and breathtaking in its construction of various masterpieces, it also was very informative, talking briefly about each piece of art, exploring other notorious art thefts, delving into the lives of the artists' models and muses, and raising questions about the ownership of art.

While I didn't take any pictures of the works featured in the Pageant, I would highly recommend checking it out, especially if you are an art lover. The works of art covered range from that of the ancient Egyptians, to Dutch Masters, to pop art, and even movie posters from the 1940s. Below you will see an advertisement for the pageant featuring Rembrandt's The Night Watch looming larger than life over patrons.

Dress: Forever 21

Belt: kate spade bow belt

Shoes: J. Crew J. Crew "Evie" Metallic Mid-heel Sandals here

Bag: J. Crew Sophie Bag in "Henna" here

Watch: kate spade "Carlyle" bow watch

Bracelets: Forever 21 and J. Crew Factory

Aloha From the Beach

Summer is winding down, so it's time to be in denial about the whole going back to school thing! Instead of facing reality, it's time to fool myself and go to the beach and perhaps throwback a Mai Tai or two! I think I may have found my a new tiki bar hangout in Huntington Beach called Don the Beachcomber. While we actually didn't step inside its Polynesian interior on this visit for a drink, I think coming back to try a flaming bowl of something or other might have to be added to my list of things to do!

The skirt I am wearing is my only purchase from the Nordstrom anniversary sale. I already own a white skirt, but I wanted one that was a little longer and fuller. This one just happened to fit the bill. With summer coming to an end. I am trying to wear as much white as possible. 

In addition to walking around the harbor and looking at some boats, I also tried out a new accessory. You probably already know how attached I am to my Papaya colored Prada tote, but how about a new orange accessory?

For example, an orange electric bike! Truth be told I am not in the market for one of these, especially since the sticker price is more than what my Prada tote cost, but my aunt is, so we took this one for a test drive. These electric bikes are really peppy and you can rev them up and go flying, which is what I think I am probably doing in the picture.

At sunset we watched the "super moon", the second of the season I think, from the patio. It was a nice way to end the day and take your mind off of summer coming to a close!

Linking up with Mix and Match Fashion summer style linkup

Skirt: Nordstom/Chelsea29 White Midi Skirt similar here

Shirt: J. Crew Seahorse Tee last seen here

Shoes: J. Crew Evie Metallic Mid-heel Sandal here

Bag: Prada Saffiano Tote in Papaya 

Bracelet: J. Crew Beach Ball Bracelet 

Watch: kate spade "Carlyle" Bow Watch