Staple This.

August 25, 2014 Kelly Donohue

August 25, 2014

Santa Monica, CA

Summer vacation may be coming to a close but that doesn’t mean your wardrobe needs to undergo a drastic shift. In fact, August and September often bring about some of the warmest days of the year. Having spent the majority of this past weekend sprawled out at the beach, sipping cold beverages, I can’t imagine that these temperatures will be going away anytime soon and that means, like it or not, you have to find ways to stretch out your summery attire for a bit longer.

I personally love the breezy, colorful clothing of this season, but I know that around this time of year, there are a lot of people who are antsy to switch over to booties, scarfs, and plaids. For all of you eager beavers out there, I have found that adding a simple staple, like this jean vest from the Gap, helps to quickly refresh your tired summer look. Not to mention, the vest adds a light layer of warmth for chillier days. Providing each outfit with an extra bit of dimension, there are so many ways to integrate a jean vest into your wardrobe.

I raided my closet to come up with three different looks for this vest, but as it is such a versatile piece, the possibilities were really endless. All of the outfits I chose are casual and comfortable and with the help of the vest, they’ve been given a bit of a facelift.

Look #1: Maxi Dress

For this first look, I paired a printed, flowy maxi dress with the fitted denim vest. While this look is hardly a new fashion trend, it’s always great to be reminded of classic pairings that work well together.

Maxi Dress: American Eagle (Similar)

Sandals: Franco Sarto (Similar)

Necklace: c/o Aplaya Jewelry

Rings: TopShop

Look #2: Florals & Stripes

I paired a striped tee with a high-waisted skirt and was able to tie the entire look together with the jean vest. In this case, the denim layer is essential to balance out the rest of the look. I’ve found that a great way to create fresh, new, stylish outfits is to mix prints with other prints, which is what I played around with here. Matching the long sleeve stripes with the bright florally skirt also creates for a great outfit for transitioning from the summer to the fall.

Purse: Kate Spade

Floral Skirt: American Eagle (similar)

Striped Long Sleeve Tee: Joan Vass via Marshalls (similar)

Sandals: Franco Sarto (Similar)

Look #3: Denim on Denim

This fun and simple denim look is improved with the addition of more denim! Once a fashion faux pas, I love playing around with mixing denims. The key is the pair different weight and washes, and keeping accessories simple. I added some stripes to this look as well but I feel it adds a nice balance.

Boyfriend Jean Shorts: Urban Outfitters

Striped Tee- Michael Stars via Marshalls (Similar)

Seacoast Canvas Sneakers: Sperry Topsiders

Get These Looks Here!

Photos Taken By: Art Voskonian

Mum's the Word.

May 13, 2014 Kelly Donohue

May 13, 2014

Los Angeles, CA.

Once again, I have my Mum to thank for the majority of today’s outfit. In an incredibly thoughtful little care package, she’s managed to pull off a look that is wonderfully me. While there is certainly no one on the planet that knows me better than her, I am always still amazed when she’s able to find clothing that is so classically me. It may be because I talk to her on the phone more times a day than is probably healthy to speak to anyone, or because I tell her everything that is going on in my world- what I currently find interesting, the latest trends, what restaurants I’ve been enjoying lately- and because she is and perhaps will always be, my number one fan on this little fashion blog, I guess it makes perfect sense that she would be up on my sense of style, but still she always amazes me.

Even though I’m too often miles apart from my Mum in distance, I feel so lucky to have someone as wonderfully thoughtful, caring, and loving as her to call on every day. There is no one like her and I am thankful for her each and every day that I get to pick up the phone and hear her smiling voice on the other end. So while it’s a couple days late, I’m keeping the spirit of Mother’s Day alive this morning. Here’s to you Mum for all the care packages, dance parties, FaceTime dates, late night phone calls, unwavering support, and love you’ve always given me. You are the very best.

My mum sent over this adorable light denim dress and coral boho necklace, both from Forever21. Denim dresses are absolutely essential for this season and this one is great because it is so lightweight (and also light in color) that it’s perfect for a hot day like today. However, there are also a ton of other options that you should check out that I’ve included at the end of this post so be sure to do that! I decided to let my hair air-dry today so apologies for the mess but as I mentioned, it’s become quite warm over in LA again and so using a hairdryer in my non-air conditioned abode was not feeling like an option this morning. I finished this airy outfit off with some chocolate wedges from Steve Madden which I got for half the price at Marshalls and also an adorable clutch with nautical stripes from the GAP. Oh and guess what? The outfit is juust a hair short of fitting into my Under $100 Look so I put it in there anyways!

Hope you all had a Happy Mother’s Day!

Juuuust Over Kelly’s $100 Look:

Dress: $22.80 Forever21 (SIMILAR)

Clutch: $39.95 GAP

Belt: $5.00 Melrose Trading Post

Sandals: $34.99 Steve Madden via Marshalls

Necklace: $9.80 Forever21

Close enough right?

TOTAL: $112.54

Shop Essential Denim Dresses & These Accessories Here!

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!