Heat Wave

September 9, 2013 Kelly Donohue

September 9, 2013

Poinsettia Park. West Hollywood, CA

A prolonged period of excessively hot weather (relative to the usual temperature in the area) is what is known as a heat wave, and in good old Southern California, that is exactly what we’ve been having. I realize that even if you don’t live in this area, and you keep up with my blog, you’re probably as painfully aware of the heat as I’ve been because it seems to be all I can ever talk about in my entries lately. I just can’t help it! I blame the heat- it’s stifling my creative brainpower!

Wait… where was I? Oh yea, it’s hot! And my across-the-hall neighbor/pseudo roommate has been singing “The Heat is On” for the past two weeks and as hilarious as it is, (she brings a smile to my face in even the crummiest of situations) it’s actually become quite the fitting theme song for our apartment complex these days. So in order to escape the sauna that has become our home, we have been spending lots of time outdoors. Late night chats on the fire escape, cold glasses of champagne, catching up on reading under big shady trees at the park, and sneaking into our neighbors pool have become our go-to activities this past week and I have to say- it’s been pretty great. So even though it may sound like I’m complaining about the weather, I’m actually not. It’s more like bragging.

I’ve been living in clothing that is light and airy, which is why this breezy number from Social Butterflies has been a dream to wear all weekend. The skirt, a piece from the boutique’s newest collection, is perfect for warm summer days like today but also, when paired with a different top and shoes, will transition seamlessly into the fall. Don’t you love it when that happens?

Until it cools down a bit, you can find us doing summery activities, singing, “The Heat is On… The Heat is Ooon…”

Crop Tank: c/o Social Butterflies

Skirt: c/o Social Butterflies

Sandals& earrings: Forever21

Photos by: Jennifer Biswas

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!