Back to Life. Back to Reality.

September 4, 2013 Kelly Donohue

September 4, 2013

Santa Monica, CA

Well, it’s official, school is back in full swing, summer vacations are no longer an acceptable excuse to dip out of the office early, and I have had Soul II Soul’s “Back to Life Back to Reality” on replay in my mind since my boyfriend moved back to Boston on Friday to finish up his last year of MBA school. Ah yes, it’s a fact guys: Labor Day signifies the official end of summer so replace your whites with blacks because it’s about to get chilly (well in most parts of the U.S.) pretty soon. Bahumbug right? I agree. Call me Mrs. Grinch, but Labor Day is definitely not my favorite holiday. Now it’s quite possible that I’ve actually inherited these post-Labor Day blues from my Mom, who had summers off as a teacher and dreaded heading back to school just as much as me as a kid, or perhaps I just have a hard time letting a great thing go. Don’t we all? Either way you spin it, change is a comin’... and just like my Mom, who wholeheartedly celebrates every season (even the Fall her least favorite), I’ve decided to embrace it!

While we all can agree that it’s certainly tough to get back to the daily grind, the long distance phone calls, and the heavy layers of clothing, I’ve come to realize that while change is difficult, it is also quite exciting. Over the past couple of years living on my own, I’ve learned that while it’s much easier than taking a risk or trying something new, perhaps even uncomfortable, complacency will only get you so far.

So really, it’s time to do exactly what my little anthem says and get back to life, back to reality, because I’ve got too much to accomplish and it simply can’t all be done while daydreaming by the pool.

I chose this fun yellow striped dress from Ruche today because although it is still in the 90's here in Los Angeles, I still wanted to have a touch of fall in my look (in honor of all y’all who are headed back to school this week). This dress is great because it's light and airy enough to endure the heat but classic enough to wear just about anywhere! I paired it with this colorful necklace from Jewelmint and voila- ready for the day!

Here’s to looking forward to the great new season ahead, to football games, cozy fireplaces, and pumpkin flavored EVERYTHING. Here’s to hardwork, success and failure, and everything wonderful that only change can bring!

Dress: Ruche

Necklace: Jewelmint

Belt: H&M

Heels: Aldo (SIMILAR)

Kick Back... It's Labor Day!

September 2, 2013 Kelly Donohue

September 2, 2013

West Hollywood, CA

First off, Happy Labor Day! I hope that you have been enjoying this long lovely weekend and that you are soaking up the last bits of summer.

I’m definitely in denial about the fact that my favorite time of year is quickly coming to a halt. However, here in Los Angeles, it feels like we are in the peak of summer. The weather has been warmer than it has been ALL YEAR! I am capitalizing that because it’s pretty serious (I might melt away over here) and I want that to come across loud and clear. Sometimes I exaggerate…well, exaggerating is a strong word. Embellish would be more accurate. Sometimes I’ll say something like “that plane ride was INSANE! We literally almost crashed!”….when in actuality there were probably just a few bumps at take-off. But… I have to say, this tidbit is 100% free from exaggeration. I slept with ice packs on my face last night… seriously. I actually woke up by taking a cold shower and it was AMAZING. On a walk to get frozen yogurt yesterday, my friend and I walked into 3 air-conditioned stores along the way just to cool off. That’s the level of heat I’m talking about here. Now, I’m sure it doesn’t help that I don’t have a/c in my apartment, which is by the way not a great idea if you plan on living in Southern California, but that’s besides the point… the point is - it’s hot in LA. Very hot. Muy caliente. It’s as warm as it ever gets here. Period.

Thus, I’ve spent the majority of my weekend cooling off with friends and enjoying what’s left of summer. On Saturday night, I attended an outdoor screening of The Graduate at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. It’s the kind of thing you just can’t do in the winter. Now while I realize that watching a movie amongst a bunch of ghostly tombs may sound a bit odd, I can it assure you that… it is… a tiny bit, but it’s also a lot of fun (and that’s coming from someone who is definitely one of those easily scared types). For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, it’s essentially an L.A. community summer event, much like the Hollywood Bowl, dedicated to showing classic films in an unorthodox location. Trust me, on a warm summer night, there’s not a whole lot better than picnicking outside, watching Dustin Hoffman in his prime, and singing along to Mrs. Robinson. It’s warm, jacketless nights outside like that one, like that really make me appreciate the heat.

Today, I am headed to a cookout in West Hollywood and I thought this adorable dress from Tulle would be just perfect! It’s a great color, it’s light and airy, and it has a wonderful retro feel to it- just perfect for this Labor Day Heatwave. Oh and I got the black ballet flats this weekend at Steve Madden. They were having their Scratch and Save Sale and so I ended up getting these for a bit of a steal. Yahoo!

Dress: Tulle

Ballet Flats: Steve Madden

Enjoy yourselves today, perhaps go out and do something unconventional, but most importantly, absorb that everlasting summer sun!

Photos today by: Jennifer Biswas

No Shoes, No Internet, No Problem

August 28, 2013 Kelly Donohue

August 28, 2013

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Well, all the rumors are true: Cabo is AMAZING. Not only did we luck out with perfect, steamy 90-degree weather the entire time, but the food and accommodations were absolutely phenomenal. And trust me, I don’t use the word “phenomenal” lightly. (You’ll see what I mean when you see the pictures!)

Although there's an abundance of exciting activities offered in Cabo, what I appreciated most was actually all that it did NOT offer: no Internet, no television, no telephone, no alarm clock and no sense of time… just the sound of waves crashing against the smooth sandy shore to lull me to sleep at night. It’s the simplicity that I savored the most, realizing I need quite a bit more of it in my everyday life. It’s amazing how much more you experience, how much of the organic world you absorb, without a cellphone attached to your hand.

I spent most of my vacation laying out on the beach, snorkeling in the ocean with Finding Nemo-esque fish, reading good books, eating great food, cooling off after a dip in the salt water pool, drinking frozen cocktails and Coronitas, playing late night card games, and taking naps in a hammock. It was heavenly.

Now if only I could stop daydreaming about Cabo and get back to work, the trip would be a total success! (hence this late post)

This dress from Ruche is perfect for any warm getaway, especially my recent Mexican vacation. It’s dressy enough for an elegant dinner and casual enough to wear on a sunset walk on the beach.

Dress: Ruche(Similar)

Bracelets: American Eagle

Sandals & earrings: Forever21

Nails: Essie "Rock the Boat"