Polkadot Crazed.

June 20, 2014.

23rd St. Santa Monica, CA.

My mum has been in town visiting and it has been such a treat.  There really isn’t anything better than a houseguest who also makes the bed, cooks my favorite breakfast in the morning, and consistently reminds me that the city of Los Angeles (the same one that I’ve slowly learned to take for granted) is quite beautiful.  Taking in the sights that have become my everyday, she remarks at the beautiful tree-lined streets in my neighborhood, the lack of bugs in the evening (we tend to get a lot back in New Hampshire), and the tall buildings that tower over us as we eat dinner outside on a nearby restaurant patio.  Having my lovely Mum out here has been like hiring my own personal Tony Robbins mentor for the week and it’s really rejuvenated my soul!

Last night we got dressed up and went to dinner down on Montana in Santa Monica with some friends.  We made sure to do some window shopping, sneak a quick view of the Pacific, and relax with a couple glasses of wine- a perfect night out for a couple ladies like us!   

Although this outfit has quickly become one my favorite date night go-to’s (remember it from our anniversary post?) it was also quite fitting for my mom-daughter ladies night too.  It's fun to dress up with my Mum!  I put on some bold lipstick, she wore a statement necklace, and we were ready to hit the town.  And what was even better, since we ended up doing quite a bit of walking, I brought along my Oxfords and jean jacket and the outfit became a bit more casual/ appropriate for walking along the beach.  Thus this is really the perfect day to night dress! I love the sweetheart top of this dress and this adorable piece has only deepend my obsession with polkadots.  I can’t seem to get enough these days! 

Dress: Ruche

Heels: Ruche (got these a bit ago but here are some similar ones!)

Daisy Bracelet: Forever21

Lipstick: Sephora/ Rouge Cream VALENTINE

Earrings: Ruche (got these a bit ago but here are some similar ones!)

Shop This Look!

Photos taken by: Courtney Locks

A little Video.

June 19, 2014.

The very talented Michael Bromberg put together this fun little video from our time together back at UCLA and I love it!  It really captures all of the excitement and fun of the day and I'm so glad that we'll have this to look back on when we're even older friends at our next impromptu college reunion. Cheers to good friends! 

Reunited.

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.