Just Go with It.

February 13, 2014 Kelly Donohue

February 13, 2014

Hancock Park, CA

It’s February, and while we’re still in the thick of winter, and snow is beginning to pile high in most parts of the country, it was 80 degrees today in LA. I mean, if I had a pool, I’d be laying out right now, that’s the kind of weather I’m talking about here. And while I had all intentions of wearing a totally different, much cozier, and seasonally appropriate outfit today, I’m not sure whether the glare from the bright sunshine or my glistening sweat would’ve made those photos more distracting. Either way, I decided to be true to my current spring-like climate. I threw on this breezy, mint polka-dot dress from Maison Jones and took a walk over to some of the beautiful gardens in Hancock Park.

By the way, do you notice that when the weather gets beautiful, everyone seems to be in a better mood? I feel like people were just a tiny bit happier everywhere I went today and I, personally, couldn’t stop laughing during the whole shoot this afternoon. My photographer, Jennifer, kept cracking jokes and we just couldn’t keep it together. Oh and the best part is that these photos are right in front of someone’s beautiful home (sometimes you have to do weird things when taking photos) and she came home in the middle of the shoot, stared at us for a second, and then went along with her business inside the house… sending us into yet another fit of laughter! Probably not the most mature moment of our lives but I’m going to go ahead and blame it on the sun.

Oh and speaking of getting into hilarious shenanigans with your friends, did you guys know that today is officially called Galentines Day?! When I learned this, I was basically thrilled and embarrassed at the same time. Not only am I not the only gal who enjoys taking a moment to celebrate her girlfriends around Valentines Day, but in fact, there is an actual HOLIDAY dedicated to it. And here I was thinking all this time that I was so clever, dedicated an entire blog post talking about the idea, and low and behold, there is a GALENINTES DAY (by the way how creative is that name?- AMAZING) invented for this very thing. Ha! At least now I’m in the loop… and so are you guys- unless you already knew but didn’t tell me (how rude).

I just got this retro-inspired dress and it’s perfect because it combines everything I love: polka-dots, mint, flare and it feels oh so girly. I hope that this outfit today inspires you to get excited about spring and all the sunshine that we have to look forward to. And don’t worry snow-bunnies- I’ll be back in Boston next week, where it’s sure to be chilly and cold too!

Dress: Maison Jones/ Macy's

Heels: Aldo

The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter. – Mark Twain

Photos by: Jennifer Biswas

Girls.

February 10, 2014 Kelly Donohue

February 10, 2014

Los Angeles, CA

Well, Valentines Day is just a couple days away and this year it falls on a Friday-yikes! That means in all likelihood you are going to have do something with your night. Well I guess you don’t HAVE to, but why not do something? If you have a date then lovely, but if not- I say, spend time with your friends who you probably love more than that random person you met on Tinder last month anyway (seriously though). Have a girl’s night out and get all dressed with your best ladies OR stay in and watch movies and eat delicious homemade food. Don’t get me wrong I am thrilled to have an amazing Valentine nowadays, but it’s taken me a really long time to find him and if I’ve learned anything in my many years of dating before Eric, it’s that if the guy is not AMAZING- it’s always more fun to have a girls night.

That being said, since a lot of us won’t be available on Friday and we have a tradition of doing a dinner around Valentines Day, my girlfriends and I are all headed out to our favorite Mexican spot tonight. It’s BYOB and it is always an absolute blast. As important as it is to foster a romantic relationship, I think it’s also necessary to take time to appreciate the girls in your life who are also there to make all your days brighter.

I love this floral dress from H&M for a winter date night. It's affordable, romantic, and it just may the perfect dress for your Friday night festivities. If you follow me on Pinterest, you may have noticed that I have developed a bit of a new obsession with florals and so it probably doesn't come as much of a surprise that this is one of my favorite picks for Valentines Day.

I hope you all have a lovely night!

Dress: H&M

Booties: ALDO (Similar)

Clutch: Borrowed from my friend Jennifer (she got it in India)

Tights: Forever21

"Friends are the family you choose" - Jess C. Scott

Photos by: Jennifer Biswas

Time.

February 7, 2014 Kelly Donohue

February 7, 2014

Beverly Hills, CA

After a beautiful weekend in San Diego, an interesting time in court serving jury duty, and a tearful goodbye to the comedian I’ve grown up with and come to admire- Mr. Jay Leno- it’s been quite the week! And while I know it may sound like a lot, I truly cannot believe an entire week has already flown by. Where does the time go these days? All I know, is there just never seems to be enough.

On my twenty-first birthday, (yes this was actually on the top of my list) my friends and I attended a taping of the TONIGHT SHOW with Jay Leno. And let me just tell you; it was everything I could’ve hoped for and more! Jay met us before the show, took pictures with us and of course- found ways to poke fun at all of our majors at UCLA. It was during the writer’s strike and so the show was relying much more on guest interaction because they were not able to get as many celebrity guests/ write as many bits as usual. Lucky for us though, he came to us to participate on the show and then after that, his hilarious guest, the “Fruitcake Lady” (have you ever seen her?), baked a cake for him and he came over and gave his piece to me for my birthday. Pretty much the nicest guy ever- right?

Growing up in Boston, my parents adored him and had him on our television every night. If I had to be up late doing homework or if my Mum and I were up late chatting, we’d always have Jay on in the background. I’ll never forget how relieved I felt when I finally got a TV in LA after I first moved out here because it meant I didn’t have to feel so alone at night. His show has always been so comforting and it was like taking a piece of home with me. Thus, I made sure to tune in for last night’s final show. It was wonderfully touching and candid – leaving me once again wishing that there was simply more time.

Today’s outfit is inspired by today’s break in the rainy weather we’ve been having the past couple of days. It’s still on the chillier side here in LA but it’s nothing tights and a sweater can’t fix! I adore the Peter Pan collar on this dress- it adds so much to what is otherwise a quite simple piece. I dressed it up with this belt from the Melrose Trading Post and voila! A neutral classic outfit, put together for under $100, that is perfect for this Friday afternoon.

Happy Friday!