Retro.

April 23, 2014 Kelly Donohue

April 23, 2014

Santa Monica, CA.

A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to shoot with the brilliant Leo Jaramillo, with hair and makeup by the equally talented Kristen Koskella. Bright and early on a Saturday morning- I’m talking 7:30AM early- we all got together down at Leo’s place in Santa Monica to do a quick little shoot. Busy with additional shoots later in the day, my old friends who I met working on a film a couple years ago, were kind enough to take time out of their busy weekends to shoot with me and catch up over some coffee and doughnuts (and even some cronuts too!) Nothing wakes you up at 7 in the morning like a giant CRONUT!

Leo is able to make even the simplest things look amazing, while capturing the essence of a moment or place. From his charming green painted balcony a couple stories up, he is able to quickly take you to the neighborhood streets of Santa Monica: complete with tall palm tress, the quiet calm of the morning, and the serenity that life near the ocean immediately brings. His apartment is only a couple of blocks away from my boyfriend’s childhood home, and over the past couple of years, spending lots of time there, I have come to find these streets to be incredibly peaceful; an escape from the city and a bit of a home away from home.

I chose to show off my new favorite shades- these adorable and affordable retro round sunglasses from Forever21. I adore them. They complete todays retro inspired look! And what’s not to love about this floral wide-legged jumpsuit from Urban Outfitters? It’s honestly one of the most comfortable things I own and it’s effortlessly cool.

Sunglasses: Forever21

Jumpsuit: Urban Outfitters

Sandals: Marshalls/Steve Madden

Shop this outfit:

Photos by: Leo Jaramillo

HMU by: Kristen Koskella

Rest.

April 19, 2014 Kelly Donohue

April 19, 2014

Los Angeles, CA.

I’m not going to lie- I slept in until 11 o’clock this morning. Some days you just have to take a break and relax and I think today might be one of those days for me. While I plan on getting a few things done later- taking a stroll to grab some breakfast (lunch), perhaps even taking a trip to the farmers market, or catching up on a couple of episodes of Girls- it’s probably going to be a very restful afternoon for this girl.

I think this outfit captures my mood perfectly and is also quite adorable for a carefree spring Saturday. I paired a cropped blue sweatshirt with some colorful high-waisted tulip shorts and brought the outfit together with chocolate Steve Madden heels that I found for a steal at Marshalls. It’s a fun and comfortable look for a beautiful sunny day!

Happy Weekending!

Shorts: Urban Outfitters

Sweatshirt: Forever21

Sandals: Marshalls/ Steve Madden

Photos taken by: Courtney Locks

Friends.

April 16, 2014 Kelly Donohue

April 16, 2014

La Brea Blvd. Los Angeles, CA.

I live across the hall from one of my closest friends and it's nothing short of a treat. On rare days when we are both free- we walk to our go-to breakfast or juice spot, at night we chat about our day over a glass of wine, and sometimes she even drags me to a workout class or two. It’s our very own version of Friends over here! Often leaving our door wide open to chat across to one another as we work, stopping by each others place to grab last minute opinions on outfits, and kitchen ingredients, I am reminded almost daily, about how grateful I am to have her across the hall.

When I first moved into my own apartment, a friend of mine, who’s a little older, wiser, and also now married with a family, told me cherish the days of having my own space. She gave me the best advice: “Decorate as girly as possible and stay up late with your girlfriends at least once a week.” Anyone who’s been to my place knows that I have the first box covered and thanks to Courtney- my across the hall neighbor/friend - I’ve got the second one covered as well.

This morning we took a stroll to our favorite breakfast spot, Twist, and Courtney snapped a few of these outfit photos for me out our way. I cherish our carefree days together.

With all the Coachella talk that’s been going on over here, I’ve found myself inspired a bit by the festival style and added this turquoise fringe necklace from Urban Peach to my flared denim dress by Urban Outfitters. It’s on sale right now so grab one! Oh and I added a pop of color to my outfit with my pastel nails from essi’s spring collection- such great colors right now!