IF YOU WANNA FIND LOVE THEN YOU KNOW WHERE THE CITY IS

Dress: STYLEWE

Socks: Target

Sandals: Teva 

So this is a funny story. For the past year, my mom has been sending me links from this site called STYLEWE. Her method of indirectly telling me I should ditch my weird sense of style and adopt a more Swiftian (as in Taylor Swift; not Jonathan Swift who I'm more sartorially akin to) way of dress. I opened one link, saw formfitting dresses and swiftly (ha) clicked out because, as you know, potato-sack chic is more my thing. From then on, I chose to ignore the flood of STYLEWE links in my email and texts. Sorry mom. 

8 months later, I get an email from STYLEWE asking me if I'll wear one of their products and feature it on my blog. Not making the connection that the STYLEWE that contacted me was my mom's beloved STYLEWE, I said sure because I'm a yes person. Scrolling through the site, I still didn't make the connection because they had all these gloriously kooky dresses. I sent my best friend Ronnie a milli links because I couldn't choose. There was a voluminous gray sweater dress. An adorable pink wool dress with stitched floral embellishments and a Peter Pan collar. This elegant powder blue midi dress. SO many options! I finally chose the above black number because it's versatile with ruffly flair! I can wear this to work, to a fancy schmancy event and to a lazy brunch with friends. 

When I got the package in the mail, I showed my mom and she was like, "OMG, it's STYLEWE, my favorite!" And I was like, "Que?" And she was like, "I send you links from them all the time! I check their site every morning!" And I was like, "HAHAHHAA, oops I stopped opening those links." So yeah, my mom freaked out and I laughed for an entire week because what the what. I don't know how they found me. Maybe the power of my mom's fandom created some sort of cosmic catalyst that resulted in this blogpost. So random. So hilarious. 

The moral of this story is that STYLEWE doesn't just sell tight, Taylor-Swift dresses. They also have dresses that fit my eccentric taste. Since the dress I chose is pretty tame, I decided to spruce it up with polka-dot socks and my iridescent Tevas. I felt like Man Repeller, which is always #outfitgoals. Some dude in the drive-thru of In-N-Out was also a really big fan of this get-up, so I'm not sure it succeeded in the literal man repelling sense...oh well, ya win some, ya lose some. I love it and that's what really matters. 

If you want to turn into my mom, you can voraciously consume STYLEWE's blog here and lurk their Pinterest here. My mom's going to be so stoked about this post. That is, if she reads this. She definitely reads STYLEWE's blog more than mine. It's ok. I'm not offended. Love you mom! 

:) 

Music

The 1975 all day errrrday

xx

Lucerne Valley

Photos: Nicole Toczauer

saltwhipped soarings

a lightless dream

all components of

a particle adventure!

a-rolling down the Baptismal dust

incessant mismembered holy incantations

played during the crescendo flight

flowers fall

faded on a kind of destiny

chrysanthemumscatteredinjuries

welcome, babydoll, welcome

xx

On the Run

Beret: Vintage

Dress: Zara

Socks: Betsey Johnson

Shoes: Target 

Sunglasses: H&M 

I drove from Los Angeles to Yuma with nothing but a beret, a pair of sunglasses and a copy of Virgin Suicides. I drove for miles and miles and miles until I reached nothing but sand and sky. The kind of place where you find eternity in endless hills of gold and the deepest blue. Remember when we were 17 and you weren't ready to leave the familiarity of our small town and I was ready to be everywhere but Carlsbad? Now it's the opposite. Well, at least for me. I don't know what you think anymore. But I always end up returning to familiarity even when I'm running. 

I drove from Los Angeles to Yuma in an attempt to forget you. I drove from Los Angeles to Yuma because there are ghosts in Carlsbad. I drove from Los Angeles to Yuma and came here. Where no memories exist. Where you can walk forever and ever and ever and still be in the same place. Because that's the thing about places. You can drive for miles and miles and miles and still feel haunted. 

I still remember everything.

Circle Circle Dot Dot

Sweater: Esprit

Dress: Wholesale Buying

Flats: Nine West 

Ate brunch with one of my dearest friends at Bottega Louie today (check my Insta for the respective snap; the food there is amazing and don't get me started on the interior decoration). She told me my style has evolved. More refined, she said. I explained to her that I was, indeed, trying to become more Man Repeller meets French-girl-cool in attire. Replacing trends with more timeless patterns (polka dots, stripes) and adopting a strong affinity for the turtleneck sweater as well as (gasp!) basics. I know, I know. I never thought I'd be into basics either, but here I am, a young twenty-something in search of the perfect crisp white button-down and pointy-toe ankle boots (cough cough these ones from Acne Studios). I also, believe it or not, wear denim jeans with a V-neck at least once a week now. Ah, adulthood. 

Thus explains my outfit of the day: a creme turtleneck sweater from Esprit teamed with a polka-dot pinafore dress from Wholesale Buying and Nine West flats. I felt like a British librarian in the best of ways. 

If this look has inspired you to pursue the pedantic way of dress, the pinafore I'm wearing above is only 6 bucks from Wholesale Buying. You can pair it with a turtleneck, cable knit sweater, button-down or even a casual tee. The options are endless! Style it in whatever way you please and then scurry off to The Last Bookstore. It is so, so cool. Went for the first time today and plan to spend most of my LA weekends there, especially since it's literally down the street from my apartment. 

Music 

(Because I forgot how much I love Enrique Iglesias)

Hero

Escape

Do You Know

xx

When We Were Young

Beanie: eBay

Sweater: H&M

Jeans: Wholesale Buying

Shoes: Target

From middle school to college, boys would ask me, "Did you pay full price for those jeans with holes in them?" And I'd respond, "Yup, I did." And they'd shake their heads in flabbergasted confusion and chortle a bemused, "I don't get it." Needless to say, I've been befuddling the opposite gender with my choice of denim since the early 2000s. 

For some reason unbeknownst to me (and clearly to the myriad of men who take it upon themselves to question my sartorial decisions), I've always had an affinity for destroyed denim. The sight of abrasions make my eyes sparkle and my bank account weep because "jeans with holes" are ironically quite pricey and no I can't make them myself. Believe me, I tried and epically failed.

But sometimes. Sometimes, the retail gods decide to #bless us plebic consumers with a pair of distressed denim in the perfect fit with the right amount of tears that (gasp!) don't cost an arm and a leg. 

The ones I'm wearing above, for example, are only 9 bucks. No, that's not a typo. They're 9 dolla dolla bills y'all. (See for yourself here.) Like...when does that ever happen? Well, I can tell you it happens all day errday on this Chinese e-commerce site called Wholesale Buying. They sell all the latest trends for basically pennies. Go take a peek for yourself if you don't believe me: wholesalebuying.com

On an entirely separate note, this article from Man Repeller was exactly what I needed this week. Given the alarming number of senseless and heartbreaking acts of violence occurring around the world these days, I think we all need some positive words in our lives. Let's also remember to try to understand and listen to different perspectives with peaceful empathy. Everyone has their own truths. Spread love, not hate.

Music

When We Were Young by Adele

Water Under the Bridge by Adele

Coffee by Miguel 

xx

Speaking of Dreams

"We're so young. We can't, we MUST not lose this sense of possibility because, in the end, it's all we have." 

Violet Issue Four is out. 

Plunge into sartorial dreaminess here. 

xx