paris is always a good idea.

Lovelies,

Nowhere is more magical than Paris. 

Although I visited Paris in November of 2009, I felt great sense of confidence and excitement entering Paris for a second time. Equipped with four additional years of french floating around in my mind, as well as a year's worth of knowledge from an AP Art History course, I couldn't wait to explore and immerse myself in the culture.

I split my time between exploring the city with Marie, and visiting museums with my parents. During my time with Marie, we communicated in a mix of French and English (occasionally Franglish). Without question, I saw a huge improvement in my communication and listening skills; I even picked up on some trendy french slang! 

Because I spent 10 days in Paris, I was fortunate to see a great a lot of the city. Some of my favorite places included Place de la Vosges (a lively spot for local Parisians), L'île Saint Louis (the smaller and more quaint of the two islands located in the Seine), Rue du Faubourg Sain Honoré (one of the very fashionable streets lined with ateliers and haute couture) and Musée Marmotton (a gem of a museum that holds a great deal of Monet's works). Other favorite memories include trips on the Metro, tea service at Laduree and relaxing in gardens near Notre Dame. 

These photos were taken outside of Le Musée D'Orsay, my favorite museum. I actually visited twice; once with Marie, and once with my mom. On both occasions, I served as their personal tour guide. I really love art, so elaborating on the symbolism of Millet's The Wheat Gatherers or Van Gogh's Portrait of Dr. Gatchet was a lot of fun.

Not surprisingly, I planned out this outfit months before I left for Paris. The combination of a light silk summer dress and a colorful denim jacket turned out just right; I felt comfortable yet stylish while exploring the city on a humid summer day.

xoxo,

emily

notes on the outfit:

madewell dress, jacket and sandals

j. crew bracelet

dooney and bourke bag

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

The City of Brotherly Love

Lovelies,

Without question, this outfit is one of my favorites for the summer. Lately, I've had fun combining different textures to create a multi-dimensional look. I especially love the chiffon skirt, as it is both youthful and gives the outfit added movement. The leather accents add an earthy and polished touch.

These pictures were taken at Logan Square in Philadelphia, near our hotel. Since it was my first time visiting the city, my mom and I decided to explore several "districts", including Rittenhouse Square and Museum Parkway. I loved Philadelphia's unique charm and historic nature. 

Rittenhouse Square, which gives a nod to Manhattan's Upper East Side, houses trendy boutiques and restaurants, both of which surround a green and luscious park with fountains and walking paths. I was especially impressed with The Dandelion (a trendy and innovative gastropub with an entire room dedicated to man's best friend, lovingly nicknamed the Dog Room), as well as the four story Anthropologie situated in the historic Drexel house.

Museum Parkway is home to many of the city's premier museums, including The Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Barnes Foundation and The Rodin Museum. I spent nearly an entire day in the Museum of Art, exploring the fantastic Impressionist collection as well as the extensive number of european and asian artifacts. My favorite piece in the museum was a panel of stained glass taken from Saint Chapelle in Paris. 

Happy Fourth of July! I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday,

Em

Notes on the outfit-

- J. Crew Baseball Tee

- American Apparel Chiffon Skirt 

- Madewell Shoes and Ring

- Longchamp Long Handle 'Le Pliage' Tote

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

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

Old Town

Lovelies,

So begins the documentation of my summer vacation to Europe!:)  I was really looking forward to this trip because I saw it as a way to expand the content of my blog; while continuing to post outfits, I want to start focusing a bit more on the things I experience while exploring a new country. Luckily, my first stop was Prague, a city who's vibrant and artistic community faced communism and World War II several decades ago. 

 We arrived at the airport after spending around 24 hours traveling to our final destination. IT. WAS. EXHAUSTING. I somehow always think I'm going to miraculously outsmart jetlag and feel happy as a clam when I get off the plane...but unfortunately, it never works out. :/ The combination of policeman riding segways all over the airport (ONLY in europe!) and the unreadable Czech signs made my brain swim just a tad. After finding our luggage, we drove into Prague's city square. The buildings, although somewhat shabby on the outside, are absolutely dazzling on the inside. (Think chandeliers, rare woods, pastel colors and gorgeous lighting.)

These photos were taking outside of the Jewish Cemetery, located just a few blocks away from the city's square, known as the Old Town Square. Prague itself is divided into five sections- Josefov (Jewish Quarter), Old Town, New Town, The Castle of Prague and Malá Strana. The Jewish Quarter is also home to the oldest Synagogue in Europe, which is rumored to hold this mythical creature known as the Golem in its attic. Mysterious? Definitely.

I really liked the atmosphere around the Jewish quarter in contrast with my choice of clothing. I bought the shirt on a Forever 21 run with my dearest girl, Elsa. To me, the construction of the sleeves and the collar seems to reference the 50's. I increased the femininity of the outfit by adding the J. Crew necklace. After a year, I finally wore it! :) I topped it all off with my vintage Dooney, Ray-Bans, Henri Bendel Bracelet and J. Crew flats that I bought in San Francisco.

The pants? They're a story in themselves. Originally, I bought a pair of ripped tomato colored jeans while I was at Forever 21 with Elsa. Just as my heart set on them, I realized the zipper was broken...but, being me, I wouldn't put them down. I told myself I could just sew some hooks and eyes on them, turning them into wearable and ridiculously fantastic pants. With the bonus 5% discount Forever 21 gave me, I felt like I was getting them for a bargain. (Insert LOADS of sarcasm here). Unfortunately, my three hours of sewing while Elsa watched Midnight in Paris didn't exactly work out so hot. The fly gapped strangely, and I felt really awkward in them. In panic mode, I flew to Gap and found these. They're not exactly what I'm looking for, but they'll look great in Winter. (You bet I'm going to find a way to make those pants work, though). (:

XOXO,

Em

769 Madison Ave.

Lovelies,

J. Crew on Madison Ave. has to be one of the best stores I've ever stepped into. The cashmere sweaters on the racks hang in this gorgeous, airy way.... The leather flats are supple and brightly colored.... There's even a whole floor downstairs dedicated to bridesmaid and bridal attire. I honestly don't know how I survived an hour in the store without spazzing like a fool, but it all worked out in the end! ;)


This J. Crew boasts the famed "J. Crew Collection", a higher-end branch-off of the label. Although the shoes and jewelry can be found at other J. Crew's, the clothes are exclusively sold at this store and online. I asked my mom if we could make a quick stop here after we passed it in a taxi a few days earlier. Fortunately, we had a few hours to kill on the last day and I got my wish! Unfortunately, I barely had enough money to buy any article of clothing in the store. (I already did work at Louis Vuitton, Bond no. 9 and Bendel's a day beforehand). Luckily, I had just enough money to purchase a pair of coral classic leather ballet flats.


I. Love. Them.


They're probably the most outlandish impulse buy I've ever made (the color is practically neon), but I surely don't regret buying them. I've already worn them a couple times and have received tons of compliments. So, in the long run, they were worthwhile. :)


XOXO,


em