BEST OF BOTH WORLDS

wearing: vintage southwest cardigan {$3/sample sale}, black Roxy tank top {$10/TJ Maxx}, black high-waisted BDG skinnies {$40/Urban Outfitters}, free ImBoyCrazy tote, gifted black Dolce Vita booties

/ outfit total: $53 /

My first week in Paris was unbearably hot, like ridonk a donk hot. Like sweating through my shorts and have to take two showers to feel normal kind of hot. I'm a Bay Area girl, which means that I love my "sunny but not all that sunny" days. I don't dig humidity, like not at all. Luckily for me, the gods have answered my prayers and given me exactly what I wished for: fall weather. I love my sweater weather, both literally and in The Neighbourhood's way.

And, as it turns out, black is my life. Most of my wardrobe is of the darker variety, who knew when that happened. The possibilities are endless when everything is black. I just love the way it looks against each other, black on black and even black on black on black. Everything matches or maybe I'm just getting lazier. That makes me love this crazy multicolored cardigan all the more, it adds just enough color and it feels like a cozy blanket. You get the best of both worlds with this outfit, as Hannah Montana once said.

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DOWNTOWN

{Photos by Laura Nguyen}

wearing: Lovers+Friends lace top {$5/sample sale}, ikat PacSun shorts {$5}, gold Lucky Brand bracelet {$3/sample sale}, Lucky Brand beanie {$3/sample sale}, thrifted Coach satchel {$15/Savers}, gifted To Be Announced burgundy wedges {Solestruck}

     // outfit total: $31 //

I'm in Paris! Sure, my vocabulary is limited to bonjour, merci, and je suis but I am falling in love with this city with every passing minute. Everything is beautiful. I finally understand why people say Paris is the place to fall in love, it's hard not to. I am in a perpetual state of awe and amusement, much like a little kid in a candy shop. Always on the go and seeing different face and places, I can't believe I'm actually here.

These were taken a while back in DTLA by my favorite photographer ever, wink wink. This is probably one of the cheapest and most colorful outfits I have worn in a long long time. Sample sale finds and contest wins pretty much make my life and my wardrobe for that matter. It's good to break out of your comfort zone every once in a while, a little dash of color and lace never hurt anyone!

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THE HERE & THE NOW

{photos by Laura Nguyen}

wearing: Fashion Exchange crop top {$6}, yellow printed skirt {$12/Crossroads Trading Co.}, gifted Dolce Vita booties {ModCloth}, borrowed black waist belt, vintage Coach Satchel {$15/thrift store}

These were taken at the infamous Urban Lights at LACMA on my last night in LA. I'm always one to record different parts and pieces of my life, I like carrying around my memories with me at all times. It's comforting in a way, being able to think back on the good and the bad. Some may call me a romantic and others may think I'm a hoarder, but it's a big part of who I am. 

I fell in love with LA this summer, like really really completely head-over-heads in love with the city. 2013 hasn't been the easiest year for me, it has actually been one of the hardest year by far. Life has a way of throwing curveballs at you when you least expect it, but that's what great about life, isn't it? Being young and resilient, bouncing back is in our DNA. We're constantly being reminded how beautiful and transient life can be and is. 

That's a little backstory about my new tattoo. People have been seeing glimpses and peeks of it on instagram, and here it is, just two days after I got it done. I won't go into the long explanation and story behind it because I think it speaks for itself. I love looking down and seeing this beautiful lotus flower, it brings the biggest smile to my face. It reminds me where I've been and where I'm going; it keeps me grounded and looking forward.

P.S. A huge thank you to Craig J at American Electric Tattoo for making my second tattoo experience even better than the first! Completely obsessed with him and his chill shop, I am so looking forward to my next one.

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GYPSY ROSE

{photos by Laura Nguyen}

wearing: lacy Ladakh shrug {$25/Wasteland sample sale}, black Lucky Brand tank top {$3/sample sale}, American Apparel corduroy circle skirt {$24/Poshmark}, black flatforms {$30/Free People}, thrifted black one-shoulder bag {$5}, gold Lucky Brand necklace {$3/sample sale}

Traveling has always been my first love, with food and fashion tied for a close second. I've always had the attitude of calling anywhere I lay my head, home. Stemming from my rather nomadic childhood of bouncing around from house to house and school to school, I used to hate it but it's a bit of a blessing in disguise. I'm more fluid now because of it and I feel at ease almost everywhere I go. To see the world is my one running goal in life, it will always be #1 on my bucket list. For a summer, L.A. has been a home and soon enough it'll be Paris. Maybe I was a gypsy in a past life and the wandering heart is something that just never left.

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THE SACK

{photos by Laura Ngyuen}

wearing: Lovers+Friends chambray dress {$20}, Jeffrey Campbell x Free People cowboy boots {$100}, Chloe Sevigny x Opening Ceremony black cat-eye sunnies {$120}, Forever 21 necklace {$7}, thrifted Coach Satchel {$15}

Most people would be mad if you described their dress as a potato sack. I on the other hand gladly named my new Lovers+Friends dress just that. Oversized by nature, I am in love with this airy chambray dress I picked up from the Lovers+Friends sample sale for $20. Not the most flattering design, but it covers up a post-dinner food baby perfectly. Sometimes a sack is just right, for the right occasion of course.

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SIMPLE ADDITIONS

photo credit: Laura Nguyen

wearing: H&M embellished tee {$10}, thrifted Levis cutoffs {$7 via Buffalos Exchange}, Chloe Sevigny x Open Ceremony black cat-eye sunnies {$120 via Poshmark}, gifted leather hobo

A year ago, I would never classify myself as a simple girl. Accessories? Pile them up my arms and all around my neck. Color? The more the merrier! Drama? You best believe that I've got 99 problems and a bitch IS one. But as I grew and my style evolved, I trimmed down the accessories and the flair and just stuck with the bare basics. I now love my blacks and my whites and I love my denim sans rips and designs; it's the core basics that I'm a slave to.

That's not to say that I don't love little add-ons here and there. That's why this embellished H&M top is so beautiful to me, I love the sheer simplicity of it with the added sparkle and shine. It makes even the most basic outfit a tad more appealing to the eye. For now, in a period in my life where I never know what the next few hours of my life will take me, comfort and versatility comes first.

In going with the newly appointed "theme of my life," I changed my blog to reflect my love of the simple things. Just black, grey, white and a little mint. Because really, who doesn't love a good mint? What do you think? Let me know in the comments!

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