summer simplified

It's still slow going on the old bloggy and this current LA heatwave is doing nothing to encourage me to make time for taking photos outdoors but I really wanted to do a quick post since August was so very slow here!

I've slipped into a bit of a summer uniform this year, particularly in the daytime, and that is: a cotton dresses paired with my trusty Swedish Hasbeens.  This dress is one of my particular favorites. It's vintage - if you consider the 90s vintage - and it is super comfortable which means I'm always throwing it on to run a quick errand, make a coffee run or walk the dogs.  I suppose it's my equivalent to jeans and a T-shirt and since life has been pretty hectic lately I have found that simple dressing helps me stress a little bit less. This is not to say that I've lost my love for dressing up! far from it.  At night, once it cools down, I'm back to my usual antics.  

outfit notes:

dress - vintage 

sandals - swedish hasbeens

hair clip - anthropologie 

How about you? What items do you find yourself reaching for in the hot months?  

 

summer dreams...

I've been trying to save my pennies for music related things and travel plans so, in the meantime, I've been doing a little online dream shopping. Here are a few summer themed outfits I wouldn't mind throwing on for an outing or three...

Daisy Dress - Topshop | Sunglasses - Linda Farrow for the ROW  | Sandals - Born | 

In the Garden Shadow Palette - Stilla | Tote - Madewell | Mac Lipstick in Flamingo (limited edition)

Floral Printed Playsuit  - Topshop | Melt-in Sunscreen Milk - La roche-Posay |  Sunglasses - MiuMiu  
 Straw hat - Helen Kaminski  | Wedges - Cole Haan x Jen & Oli | Mac Lipstick in RED

 Flamingo clutch - Tory Burch | Mini Skirt - Theory | Mary Janes - Bait  | Bowtie - TLO

Cardigan - A.P.C.  | Topshop Lipstick in Screen Siren 
Butter London Varnish in  Henley Regatta -  |  Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in Pale Pink

*Please note that a few of these items are quite pricey but that is why it's a "dream list"... that said there are cheap versions out there of most of these items!*

not for boys

I've been in hermit-mode ever since my Kickstarter ended last week.  It took A LOT out of this girl but I am still over the moon to get my album finished. Meanwhile, I've also moved into casual hermit-mode clothing territory particularly on the weekends. This, for example, is my new "jeans and a T-shirt" equivalent.  Pant-sightings are few and far between on this blog and fairly sparse in my day to day life.  I'd been looking for a pair of trousers with a fun print for ages and I finally bit the bullet when I fell in love with these odd high-waisted floral trousers from American Apparel.  I must mention that the Brit is still not 100% on board with these...ha... leading me to believe that they are one of those divisive items that girls love and boys are a tad befuddled by. None the less, they have been very nicely integrated into my wardrobe.

outfit notes:

trousers - american apparel 

t-shirt - h&m

sandals - swedish hasbeens

bow-tie love

Hello! and apologies for looking mighty ghost-like in these shots but I'm just this second starting to get over an awful flu bug that I caught last week somewhere between a Tom Petty show and Disneyland (both birthday festivities as my bday was last Tuesday :)  Truly an un-fun weekend / start to this week.  But I thought it was high time I did an real post over here so I made it happen!

This is more or less my work uniform these days - which, I must say, was incomplete before this marvelous creation by the Love One - the TLO bow tie - came into my life. I bought two about a month ago and never looked back.

outfit notes...
bow tie - the loved one
boots - roadside antique mall in Texas
skirt - urban outfitters
top - a gift 


I will be back soon with more updates but for now I shall bid you adieu - I think have another date with my bed!

another canyon lady

Just a couple of outtakes from a mini-photo excursion around the Canyon this past weekend.  "The Brit" is working on a series of photos for a show later this year and I tagged along, as usual!  It's old news to causal readers of my blog that I am in love with my little neighborhood tucked away in the hills of a city that even on my best days I feel a bit at odds with.  I am so lucky to have fallen into living in the Canyon, which is exactly how it happened four years ago!  Meanwhile, I've been reeeeally bad at taking photos with my beloved new camera (for shame) but I thought I would share these with you mostly because I looooove this new vintage dress I found over at Light Witch vintage a couple of weeks ago. I highly recommend checking the shop out!

back soon my dears...

xMeg

yellow & blue

*Hello! Just back from a mini-holiday and for some reason this scheduled post didn't auto-publish - so better late than never!*

 I don't know if spring fever has its hold on me but I'm so ready to wear some color! Our garden is in full bloom (as are my allergies) and as someone who grew up mostly in the desert, I am still blown away daily by the colors found in nature here in LA – particularly the trees currently blooming! Pinks, purples, yellows! Beautiful. I know I've posted some of this outfit before but I generally wear things way more than once so this is a remix of sorts!

outfit notes:
dress - xxi
shoes - vintage
necklace - gift 
bag - marc by marc jacobs 

 PS: I hope you had a nice holiday weekend!

all these poses...

I tend to be pretty simplistic in my poses on my blog - especially if someone else is acting as photographer! In that case it is really shyness more than laziness but even when I am taking self-portraits often when I try to pose it can come out looking forced. There are exceptions and if I am in a particularly experimental mood (or bored) I can be found dancing around in my garden trying to capture the silliness. I suppose that's where these photos come in. A lot of times these moods have everything to do with what I'm wearing; the fabric, how it moves, etc. I loved photographing this dress because of it's structured skirt and embroidered fabric. This was actually my birthday dress from last year (thanks, mama!) but I felt like wearing something fun to work today and this is what my tired paws reached for at 9am!

 

speaking of posing...

outfit notes:

dress: gift
blouse: xxi
belt: random shop in nyc
shoes: american apparel

music notes:

 The subject mater of this post reminded me of this lovely old Rufus Wainwright tune... "Poses"

reckless heart

Hello cats & kittens! I hope everyone in NY (and elsewhere) is enjoying their fashion week! I'm in LA this time around but definitely inspired by what I've been seeing online so I think I shall be posting a couple of NYFW related posts in the near future.  In the meantime, a quick reckless daughter wardrobe post!

Clearly, the secret to this time of year here in Los Angeles is layering - albeit a few less layers than you might need in many other parts of the country.  The weather here can be so schizophrenic... is it spring? is it winter? Heat on? AC on? It can get up to 80 degrees during the day and into the 40s that same night. Pretty exhausting!  The point being, I've been really into layering over sleeveless dresses lately so that I can quickly strip down (meow.) if the heating comes on full blast but I can also bundle up if I walk outside and suddenly it is winter again.  This little cotton cardigan/jacket (obviously Chanel inspired) is from Zara is perfect for layering most days and its thin enough to wear under a full-on coat. I wear it to work all the time.

outfit notes:

dress & necklace: vintage

boots: madewell

cardi/jacket: zara

music notes:

I thought I'd post another track from my EP in honor of my upcoming EP release show - which I have been tweeting about here and will post details about soon!

comings and goings

I know I've yammered on about this many a time but don't you love when you rediscover things in your own closet. Take this black coat for example, I've had it for years and because it's only "cold" in LA about a month out of the year I hadn't worn it much at all in the last couple of years. Probably because I had new coats to play dress up with and it took a backseat. Anyway, it's back with a vengeance and someone is going to have to pry it from my shoulders before it fuses to my body!

outfit notes: shoes: xxi sweater: mink pink dress: h&m (old)
There will be more coat-wearing in my very near future because I am off to Sundance tomorrow for work. You can keep track of me here for now! PS: I hope you like the new blog make over. I'd been wanting to change it for a while now but didn't have the time until this week but I'm pretty happy with it so far despite a few glitches I'm sorting out!

back to the grind

Yep. The party is over and it's back to work I go.  Luckily, I for once feel like I had a somewhat decent amount of time off from my day job...well, sort of... I still have so many non-work related things to get done but, listen... I'll take what I can get!  A few new pieces of clothing fell into my lap over the holidays and this cute little black dress was one of them (thanks, mom).  I've since dubbed it my Wednesday Adams's goes on summer vacation dress - a pretty accurate description, I think.  I'm a slave to peter pan collars - what can I say?

outfit notes
dress & scarf - gifts 
boots - madewell
socks - courtesy of "the Brits" sock drawer

PS: I'm about to embark on a little bloggy make-over so bear with me if it looks a mess in the meantime. 

keeper of coats

Considering the fact that I live in Los Angeles, a city that can barely lay claims to having four separate seasons, I do own a decent number of winter coats.  Sadly, they almost never get posted here because more often then not I only need them at night or in the early morning in LA and when I'm traveling to colder more coat-appropriate climates I rarely remember to document them.  None the less I do have them and this particular coat is an old favorite - mainly because it is simple, vintage-inspired and it goes with just about any ensemble.  It will almost certainly go with me on my upcoming holiday trips.  Speaking of that, I have to start thinking about what to pack.  I've decided to give myself plenty of time this trip to pack since we will have houseguests right before we leave town.  Normally, I'm queen of last minute packing which, admittedly, does nothing for my nerves(!!) so I am really going to try to be prepared this time around.

outfit notes: skirt/coat - xxi (both years ago) 

blouse & necklace – gifts 

brogues - american apparel

sing me to sleep tonight

Well, my dears, Thanksgiving came and went and I left my camera at home unfortunately so my few instagram shots are the only proof I have of the solo* roadtrip with amazing playlists, the veggie-friendly thanksgiving feast, and a much needed hang-out session with my family in Las Vegas.  Truth be told, t'was a quick trip.  I did my best to avoid the post Turkey-day traffic nightmare and headed back to LA with several bags of leftovers in tow for my dearest "Brit" who could not come with this year due to a crazed schedule. 

(*there were also small chihuahuas in the car with me :)

Speaking of crazy schedules - I am completely sleep deprived this week (if you could tell by my eyes!) and the copious episodes of Game of Thrones and Downton Abbey I've watched in the past few days might not be helping. Downton is an emotional roller-coaster this season! I can't take much more!

I'm sorry for the terrible job of photographing my shoes! They are sparkly old favorites purchased in London ages upon ages ago.  I realized I didn't take a close up on my way out the door then quickly  tried to snap one and...well..nobody is perfect.

outfit notes:
dress - freepeople
blouse - can't recall.?
shoes - office 
tights - target

musical notes:

 I love this song

xo djrd

creature of the seasons

It's Friday again. The end to another busy week in a series of busy weeks thrusting me closer and closer to November. And, let's be honest, November is more or less the holiday season which is more or less the new year.  But before we move on to all of that..please! I must carve a pumpkin! I must! There are few holiday traditions I love more than digging around in a mess of orange gunk and seeds up to my elbows - all in the name of "art". Definitely my idea of entertainment. Speaking of seasonal traditions, isn't it interesting that even our modern day wardrobes still tend to emulate what ever is going on with the foliage and sky in any given season. With the arrival of fall we begin camouflaging ourselves in layers of the rich colors of changing leaves and moody weather.  A little connection to nature even in the depths of the cities many of us inhabit. Of course, there is also the practical side to that coin - chillier weather obviously calls for more layers.  Something I always welcome!

details: 
jumper - pop vintage 
blouse - topshop

when the sun gets in your eyes

I vowed to myself I would start wearing tights once October kicked - heat or no heat.  I'm a sucker for leg wear and there is no stopping me now!

Our yard is beginning to recoup from the harsh summer which means hopefully you will be seeing some of it in the background again. Recently, to avoid squinty photos, I'd been secretly crouching into the small spaces of shade that remained after all of our trees were cut back in July.  One thing you may know about me by now is that I am, indeed, a squinter when it comes to direct sunlight (as evidenced above!). I try my best not to do so during photo sessions but sometimes... I fail.

                                                                 Lola photo-bombing ^

I've just realized that I have a mere two weeks to figure out what I'm going to dress up as for Halloween this year and I set my own stakes pretty high with last years get-up. Now I'm at a bit of a loss. Do you dress up for Halloween or do you consider it amateur night? Or... too adult for it (aka no fun at all ;) ?

there is a light

A somewhat over-used song as a post title, I know, but this poor blog has not been getting enough attention these days! And, there is hope! I think I can safely say that more posts will trickle in with the cooler weather we in LA have been promised by the weather people.  Part of my lack of posting (in addition to a hectic schedule which I touched on here) really sparks from a lack of motivation to take photos of my super basic (for me, anyway) summer wears.  Kids, it's really hard to get creative when it's 100 degrees out! Harder still to brave the sun for a half an hour to get decent post photos.  I really do hate complaining about the weather but I've been carrying a lot of "blogger guilt" recently and I needed to air my mind out!  I've always said, if I didn't feel inspired to blog I would take a break and I think that's whats been happening lately. So, mind aired... here is, hopefully, the last of the heatwave hampered outfit posts...

Back in late July, after quite literally 8 months of not buying anything from Forever 21, I caved in when I found myself at the Beverly Center and stumbled upon this cute light-weight blue dotted dress in the racks.  It was well worth the money but I still have a moral dilemma about places like that.  Still, it's a great dress and people are almost always surprised when they hear where it's from.  It would easily fit into the Madewell catalogue in my humble opinion. As you probably noticed, I am wearing the Ferragamo flats again but that is just a coincidence as I've been rotating many pairs of shoes lately, I swear! I also just bought a somewhat fancy pair from Anthropologie (yikes $... but they were too good!) which I will share soon!

In other news, a couple of recommendations for your viewing pleasure... The Brit and I watched this documentary on Bob Marley last week which was really fascinating (I knew very little about him and didn't realize he died so young, 36!). Check it out even if you aren't huge into Marley - it's so interesting. Also, while growing increasingly impatient for Season 3 of Downton to start I did what any sensible period-film-junkie would... found a temporary replacement in The Forsyte Saga ! Which turned out to be great in its own right (if not a teensy bit soap-opera-y, to be completely honest).  This mini-series was actually airing when I lived in London and I really wanted to watch it but we had no TV in our flat due to the fact that you needed a (very pricey) "license" to have a TV? File that one under: the many strange rules of Britain...but I digress... Both are great. Both are also on Netflix! so happy watching!

xdjrd