June 18, 2014

UCLA.

I remember the first time I walked around the campus at UCLA like it was yesterday. Some of the things that immediately stood out were: the pristine palm tree-lined walkways, Bruin-Walk’s never-ending flight of stairs that led to some gorgeous views of Los Angeles, sorority houses similar to some of the mansions I’d seen on that MTV show, Cribs, large iconic brick buildings that seemed to take up even more space than the small New Hampshire town that I grew up in, and a lawn that was suitable to layout on in between classes. It certainly was the most beautiful campus I had the opportunity of visiting during my college search, and although I eventually acclimated myself to my surroundings, I really never quite got used to it. Perhaps it was simply because it was so different from the world I had grown up in, or because it’s the college that I’d seen depicted in so many movies growing up- either way, UCLA was a place that was and always will be very close and dear to my heart. I’m a proud Bruin and always will be!

That being said, while pretty buildings, warm weather and tall trees certainly make the living easy, the real beauty of college, aside from the world of knowledge you are intending to gather, of course, is the friendships you make. While I was at UCLA, I was lucky enough to meet the beautiful, talented, and brilliant ladies pictured in today’s post, and I’ve been even luckier to call them my friends. All UCLA alums, we each have unique stories and backgrounds, but this campus has unified us all. Since graduation, while we remain close, we’ve continued to follow our own creative paths: Alisha is a wildly talented singer and is well on her way to stardom (her EP just dropped a couple days ago- check it out here!), Lauren is about the tie the knot with her longtime love in a couple months, Espi just got back from staring in a film in New Mexico last month, and Sylvia, a fellow fashionista, is the creator of one of my favorite fashion boutiques and blogs, Mickey’s Girl!

It has been way too long since we have been back on campus and we figured, in honor of UCLA’s graduation weekend, we’d make this a perfect excuse to finally get back to our old stomping grounds, pretend we were new graduates, and pickup some leftover diplomas. Ha! I’m kidding about the diplomas, but it was really great to get back there. And the best part was that because everyone else was graduating, they thought we were taking an obscene amount of photos because we were graduates too! People walking by congratulated us, cheered us on, and I think we even got a couple high fives, which only added to the fun of the day. Who doesn’t love a little time machine action, right? We just took a quick ride back to our heydays of college graduation and we enjoyed every second of it. Can you blame us?!

Mickey’s Girl is an adorable boutique with clothing and accessories that stay ahead of the current trends. Today for our UCLA reunion, the whole gang is dressed almost exclusively in clothing and accessories from our pal, Sylvia’s shop. Like our differing personalities, we’re each able to exude our own personal style, which shows the versatility of these pieces from her latest summer collection. Collaborating with Mickey’s Girl for this shoot was a dream. Not only was it great to work with a dear friend, but I also love how the clothes maintain a touch of Sylvia’s Southern California vibe, one that represents where we all met, and a place that we’ve all come to love.

Sylvia's Look:

Blooming Jumpsuit: c/o Mickey's Girl

Neon Tassel Necklace: c/o Mickey's Girl COMING SOON! (Keep an eye out for this new summer item!)

Alisha's Look:

Slit Chiffon Skirt : c/o Mickey's Girl

Sun & Moon Crop Tank: c/o Mickey's Girl
COMING SOON! (Similar tank here)

Espi's Look:

Pocket Button Down Tank: c/o Mickey's Girl

Black & Neon Print Pants: c/o Mickey's Girl COMING SOON! (Keep an eye out for this item!)

Lauren's Look:

Neon Embellished Bib Necklace: c/o Mickey's Girl

Chambray Crop Top: c/o Mickey's Girl

Ivory Lace Wide-leg Pants: c/o Mickey's Girl

Kelly's Look:

Peach Baby-Doll Dress: c/o Mickey's Girl

COMING SOON! (Keep an eye out for this new summer item!)

Photos taken by: Courtney Locks

Courtney, who usually takes all of the photos for my blog, is our dear friend and fellow UCLA alum, and even though she insisted on remaining behind the camera for today’s shoot, I managed to steal this quick shot of her. She too is clad in Mickey’s Girl, sporting this adorable grey and white striped maxi-dress from behind the lens.

June 13, 2014

Los Angeles, CA.

Happy Friday everyone! After a long week of travel, I woke up today not feeling like doing much more than throwing my hair in a big knot on the top of my head. Sometimes the week just catches up to you and today feels like one of those days for me. But instead of letting it get the best of me, I let my lazy hairdo inspire today’s summery get-up.

This whole look took about 15 minutes to put together! I found the dress, thought “Oh these shoes would be perfect”, and somehow it all just seemed to fit together just right. How great is it when that happens? And even though I simply intended for a “passable” “get-me-through-the-day” sort of look, I ended up really loving what I came up with here. I grabbed this adorable daisy print dress I’ve been wanting to wear from Forever21 and paired it with my go-to staple necklace from Ruche. To add to the retro look that I was going for today, I added a bold red lip, my round rimmed sunglasses, and bandeau headband. The bold lip also helps to distract from sleepy eyes and the headband helps to hide the bumps in my not-so-perfect hair, so you see, it’s a win-win!