Bucket List Item #16

 Lovelies,

 When I was ten years old, I wanted to be an architect. In part, I was inspired by the documentary on Frank Gehry, a quirky Canadian architect whose use of metal and glass turned the industry on its head. In the documentary, a few of his major works are highlighted, The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao being one of them. After waiting for years, I finally got to visit! I tried to take photos of the most interesting structural aspects of the building, including the varying angles of the sheet metal, as well as the glass panels in the interior.

The museum hosted several temporary exhibitions while we visited, one being the Riotous Baroque exhibition. This installation presented questionably- themed modern day pieces alongside Baroque-era pieces to emphasize the shock value of the Baroque pieces when they were originally released. This was unlike any other exhibition I had ever visited; the way the curator designed the layout of the floor was fascinating.

While visiting art museums, I like to look as artsy as possible. I attempted to do so by combining the colorful striped scarf with a basic striped shirt. I think it provides some great contrast and color to the monochromatic blue base (jeans and blazer). I finished the look with brand new Converse (there's something about the fresh, white rubber accents that makes me feel so pulled together), and my J. Crew schoolboy blazer.  

XOXO,

Em

Notes on the Outfit-

- J. Crew Schoolboy Blazer in Navy 

- Madewell Striped Shirt

- Michel LeBrun Scarf (I purchased this at a small boutique in my town. The designer is based in Paris and makes incredible scarfs! You can shop for some of them here. The site is in progress, but it should be back up soon).

- Abercrombie Jeans

- Longchamp 'Le Pliage' Tote

- Converse

- Dogeared Necklace

Southern California

Lovelies,

This past week, I spent some time in Southern California touring the Claremont colleges. I especially love college visits because they tend to renew my energy and drive.... after weeks of monotonous school days, little sleep and piles of homework, it's nice to get away. Claremont village, a quiet yet upscale town located about an hour away from Downtown L.A, is full of small restaurants and boutiques. I spent a lot of time exploring the downtown area with my mom when I wasn't sitting in on a class or attending an information session.

Not much to write about otherwise. Several Disneyland posts coming soon! :)

Notes on the Outfit-

Jacket by J. Crew

Shirt by Madewell

Shorts by Zara

Bag by Marc by Marc Jacobs

White Converse

-Em 

West Coast Blues

Lovelies,

Today, I had the wonderful opportunity to visit the deYoung Museum with my AP Art History class.  The exhibition, which featured a series of 'Dutch Master' favorites from the Maurithuis, specifically highlighted the famous work Girl with a Pearl Earring by Vermeer. Not surprisingly, the piece quickly caught my attention and was easily one of my favorite pieces in the exhibition. Vermeer's use of lighting is certainly prevalent in the piece, as well as the fluidity of his brushstroke and lack of definite line.

Although I had spent time in the museum prior to the trip, it was nice to be able to discuss the art with my peers...as well as eat Caramel Mystique in the café, and marvel at the giant safety pin sculpture next to the Japanese Tea Gardens at Golden Gate Park. ;) These photos, taken by the lovely Rachel, were snapped at the fountains in front of the deYoung Museum. In a way, the small gardens remind me of the Tuileries in Paris. I think the similarity must be affiliated with the green-iron and wooden benches located in the park, but I can't be certain. :)

I especially love piecing together outfits designed for city life and city adventures, simply because I feel the most inspired when it comes time to put the final look together. Currently, I'm really interested in pops of color, high buns and denim-on-denim. Obviously, these are all reflected in the outfit. ;)

XOXO,

Em

P.S. I was en route to San Francisco this morning when I decided to check my email. Scrolling through the countless number of junk messages, I opened a J. Crew email titled West Coast Blues. To my delight, the model featured in the advertisement sported an outfit rather similar to my own. Fittingly, I figured that the title of the email seemed perfect for this blog post. 

P.P.S I'm off to New York City tomorrow! Can't wait to document the adventures. ;)

Notes on the outfit-

Denim Jacket- J. Crew

White Shirt- Abercrombie and Fitch

Scarf- Boutique Scarf

Purse- Dooney and Bourke

Shoes- J. Crew

Suburbia

Lovelies,

Spring is approaching, and I'm beyond excited. Hello, sunny weather, iced tea lemonade and chiffon skirts. :)

Lately, I've been collecting pieces with vintage hues, yet relatively simple design and construction.  This Madewell shirt satisfies my desire for these vintage hues, yet it's simple enough to pair with an array of skirts, jeans and shorts. I love the silkscreened colored blocks on the front of the tee...they remind me of a screen on an old television set!

Although I didn't have much time this past week to follow the full reports on the latest NYFW (New York Fashion Week) collections, I made the decision to follow a few stylists and Teen Vogue on Instagram to get quick updates, right from the runway. Best decision ever...I especially loved the looks from Marc Jacobs A/W 2013/2014 Collection.

I'll be visiting San Francisco and New York City soon (CAN'T HOLD IN EXCITEMENT MUCH LONGER). I'll be sure to post all my adventures as soon possible. :)

Details-

Madewell Tee Shirt

Abercrombie Jeans

Steve Madden Shoes

Versace Glasses

Necklace from The Getty Museum in Los Angeles

XOXO,

Em

Saturdays

Lovelies,

 

I wish I could describe how truly uncomfortable it is to shoot a blog post in a bustling college town on a Saturday afternoon. If I could compare it to something equally mortifying, it would sort of feel like running around New York City in a giant ostrich costume. (Even though I haven't done this, I can imagine that it's probably pretty uncomfortable). Regardless of my discomfort, I asked my mom to grab her camera while we were getting coffee at Mishka's café and photograph this look. I might have gotten some crazy looks and inquisitive stares, but I'm so happy the way the photos turned out! :)

Although some may say that Davis is a boring town, I completely disagree. Although it's easy to feel trapped by the small town feel, there's still plenty to do downtown. For example, you can go see a indie film at the Varsity (past favorites include Silver Linings Playbook and The Artist), followed by a stop at Mishka's for chai and bready croissants. If you're into shops off the beaten path, you can visit Newsbeat for French Vogue and Choward's Violet gum. If you need to shop, you can rely off of Riki for suede black pumps and trendy french bags. Then, there's Zia's... my favourite sandwich shop and Italian deli on the planet (I especially love their rosemary panini).

 It's safe to say that there's never a reason to be bored Downtown. ;)

Lately, I've been incorporating a lot of color into my day-to-day outfits. At first, I was afraid color-blocking would look childish, but it has steadily grown on me. I especially love my lemon yellow jacket from J. Crew. With it's bright color and gold button accents, it has to be one of my favorite pieces in my closet.

Notes on the outfit-

J. Crew Jacket

Madewell Sweater

J. Crew Bracelet

Abercrombie and Fitch Jeans

Longchamp Bag

J. Crew Jelly Flats

Versace Glasses

XOXO,

Em

Just Peachy

Lovelies,

 

As of January 18th, 2013... I'm officially a Teen Vogue Fashion Click Blogger! I'm so honored and excited to have the opportunity to share my style with thousands of people across the country on Teen Vogue's website. To follow my posts and see what other bloggers are posting, click here.

If you're wondering why I look completely different from my last post, you're not the only one to notice. I got a haircut over winter break, as well as a new pair of glasses!! I guess you could say I got tired of mistaking strangers for friends (this happened several times...I hate being nearsighted), and throwing my hair up in a bun due to the unmanageable waves. While I wanted my haircut to resemble Karlie Kloss' latest tousled, shorter cut (photographed by Demarchelier), I wanted it to be relatively easy to manage. Meanwhile, I took inspiration from the variety of J. Crew models who sport wider, larger frames in the majority of their ads and look-books. I'm more than thrilled with how the two came together. I feel like a completely different person, in a good way. ;)

I received Classy as a Christmas present a few weeks ago. Although I had already read through the entire book at the bookstore (yes, it's that addicting), I simply had to own a copy myself. The book highlights the differences between a lady and a tramp, and how to act like a lady while traveling, decorating your house, hosting a dinner party and going to the gym. If you have the desire to reboot your image, I highly recommend this book. Ladylike behavior is clearly defined to avoid confusion for those who blur the lines between trashy and classy. I find this book to be so funny that I find myself dying of laughter while reading. Read this book; you will learn something, I promise. (Who knew sending out party invitations was classified as an art form?)

Notes on the outfit-

Glasses- Versace

Dress- Darling (via ASOS)

Cardigan- J. Crew Collection

Necklace- Dogeared's "Accomplish Magnificent Things"

Shoes- Sam Edelman 

XOXO,

Em