Throwback Thursday.

November 14, 2013 Kelly Donohue

November 14, 2013

Los Angeles, CA

So far the highlight of my week, and quite possibly my year, has definitely been the Q&A session I was able to attend on Monday night with Julia Roberts, George Clooney, Juliet Luis, Chris Cooper, & Dermot Mulroney. It was after a screening of August: Osage County, a truly phenomenal film, adapted from the play (which I never saw) but it’s honestly been a while since I’ve felt so truly excited about a movie. It’s the definition of a dark comedy and I loved every second of it. Perhaps it’s inevitably phenomenal because Meryl Streep is once again brilliant as is my girl Julia and the rest of the Oscar-deserving cast.

Hearing them all talk about their days of shooting together so candidly afterwards, just a few feet away, was just another reminder of why I love living in Los Angeles and it’s times like those that I feel so grateful for my time here. Although it was certainly exciting to see the studly George Clooney, I nearly had a mini-heart attack when I heard Julia Roberts speak for the first time. I grew up idolizing her and in many ways decided to pursue acting because of her. Whether you think that’s corny or not, it’s truth and I adored hearing her speak, it was an absolute treat!

The screening took place back in my old college town of Westwood, where they still have many of the old beautiful theaters intact. These gorgeous theaters are able to house thousands of people for screenings and premiers similar to the one I attended this week. It’s been a while since I walked around what was my “college town” and it was great to be back. It brought back a ton of wonderful memories and actually inspired today’s outfit!

Usually, I’m wearing outfits that are comprised of articles that are current and new. However, in honor of my return back to UCLA’s stomping grounds, I started looking through some old college photos, and my closet this week and realized that reinventing old classics can actually be more fun than wearing new pieces all the time. And let’s be honest, it is simply unrealistic and not cost effective to be buying new clothes all the time.

While some items undoubtedly go out of style over the years, there are some articles worth hanging on to. The other thing to keep in mind is that fashion is never perfect. This outfit I put together today is made up of garments that are all at least 3 years old (besides the purse) and hey, maybe you think it looks silly, but I definitely had fun reminiscing and putting the outfit together. Check out this picture from my junior year at UCLA wearing this H&M top ha! (I hung onto the shirt, and my pal Arthur, who's still one of my best friends, for six years! I'm telling ya, when you find the good ones, you have to keep them around.)

I realize that this look is a bit summery for this time of year, but it’s well into the 80’s today in Los Angeles so you could do something similar with tights and a jacket if you live in a colder part of the country but like the look.

Top: H&M (throwback)

Skirt: Forever21 (throwback)

Belt: Boutique on Melrose (throwback)

Boots: Aldo (throwback)

Purse: Marshalls

I hope this outfit (and my back-in-the-day go to pose) inspires you to dig through your closet and get a little creative on this throwback Thursday!

Photos taken by: Jennifer Biswas

Feeling a Bit Festive.

November 12, 2013 Kelly Donohue

November 12, 2013

The Grove. Los Angeles, CA

I hope that you all enjoyed the long weekend.

I went on a nice long hike, caught up with some girlfriends I haven’t seen in a while, and even did a little pre-holiday browsing over at The Grove. For those of you who aren’t local to the area, The Grove is a beautiful outdoor shopping center with great restaurants, a local farmers market, and grounds that are groomed so well, they may actually be able to rival those at Disneyworld! Oh yea, and did I mention, it’s already decorated for Christmas? It is! It’s pretty magical over there and it’s basically walking distance from where I live so I try to pop over whenever I have free time.

Just so you know, I am not one of those over-eager holiday people -not that there is anything wrong with that- who already have the house decked out in Christmas lights- but I certainly do love the holidays. I’m more of an after-Thanksgiving decorating kind of gal and when it comes to shopping, I’d even call myself a procrastinator. Ok and not I’m not proud of it, but if I’m being totally honest, I’ve definitely spent a Christmas Eve or two scrounging around the mall for last minute finds- oops! But in an effort to be more on top of things this year, I’m getting a head start- finding my go-to holiday outfits and gifting ideas ahead of time. I’ll let you know how it goes, but so far, I have a good feeling.

I also got a new haircut. Sometimes a healthy chop can make you feel a thousand times lighter! (Oh and lightening your hair can also make you feel lighter). I decided to add some highlights, which are certainly subtle yet newsworthy since I’ve only died my hair one other time in my life. So I decided to live a little and go with some honey-blonde tones! Even though we’re heading into winter and most people tend to go darker this season, I think with my paler skin and darker clothing, I could use a little lift now more than ever. What do you guys think?

My outfit today has a touch of a holiday party feel to it, but I’ve been wearing this black and white number for the past couple of months. This adorable peplum off-white top from Forever 21 is so easy to throw on (it never wrinkles) yet it dresses up your jeans for a night out on the town with the girls. I added the beautiful white big pearl necklace that I just got over the weekend from Loopsway. This unique take on the classic pearl necklace adds that extra festive, holiday look to the outfit. I just discovered this boutique online and the jewelry is gorgeous yet remarkably affordable- my kind of place! If you haven’t already, you should go ahead and take a look at the adorable pieces they have to offer!

Necklace: C/OLoopsway

Peplum top: Forever21 (Similar)

Black Skinnies: H&M (Old)

Hope you’re feeling festive on this Tuesday morning! Although it may not quite be time to decorate just yet, it's certainly never too early to get in the holiday spirit.

Photos taken by: Jennifer Biswas

Jet-lagged

November 9, 2013 Kelly Donohue

November 9, 2013

LAX--->BOS & Back.

I had every intention of blogging on my six-hour redeye back to Boston last Wednesday night… But instead, I had a glass of wine and chatted the night/morning away with a very interesting Boston lady about life, love, and happiness.

While grateful to have added a couple more must-reads to the ever growing list of books I someday must find time to read, I accomplished very little (nothing) on the blog front. Oh, and I also didn't get a wink of sleep. To be honest though, this delusional, wired, up all night look is becoming my go to of sorts upon my arrival (I have a lucky boyfriend huh?). I hop off the plane, looking like I belong on an episode of The Walking Dead, and I usually crack a couple of strange jokes that only a delusional person running off no sleep would find amusing--it’s quite a scene. Then every time I land, I vow to never take the redeye again, but the next time I book a flight, the thought of wasting a day flying quickly erases any memories of my zombie-like behavior and so I repeat the cycle all over again. It’s quite comical really, but also counter productive.

Then the excitement of getting ready for Halloween took precedent as Eric and I whipped together a fun little couples costume- Johnny Cash and June Carter. I wanted to be able to wear this gorgeous vintage dress my friend gave to me and I figured this would be a great opportunity! We ventured around the streets of Boston, went out to dinner in costume, hit up a couple MIT parties, and I ate about nine Reese’s cups by the end of the night.

The weather this past weekend in Boston was simply outstanding! It was in the sixties, and for late October, I think that’s something to write about. It’s truly fall in New England, so that means the trees are all shades of reds, yellows, and oranges- which is something I’ve grown to appreciate now that I don’t get to see much of it anymore. Therefore, we took the long way on our walk to lunch through Harvard Square, enjoying every minute of it. It’s likely that next time I’m back, it’ll be blisteringly cold and color will be stripped from all the big beautiful trees that line the streets.

This look today is one of my go-to airport outfits. When transitioning between Boston and Los Angeles, it’s important to be able to wear clothing that will transition well between the warmer and cooler climates. Also, this outfit is comfortable enough to be able to survive a lengthy flight with ease and also stylish enough and be able to head to a lunch or dinner without having to change. Not to mention, this look is very affordable! I hit up Marshalls before my trip and found this scarf, shirt and purse- you really can’t go wrong when you’re spending twenty bucks on a purse that’s this cute can you?