NYC: stella mccartney superstellaheroes

{striped polo sweater and superhero pants} Stella McCartney {green bomber jacket} Dion Lee {handbag} Proenza Schouler PS1 {black heels} Maje {photographed by} Jovana Obradovic

SuperStellaHeroes was part of one of my all-time favorite Stella McCartney seasons.  I have so much love for these super fun trousers with superhero masks embroidered on them.  I get so many compliments on them.  Even on the day these photos were taken while wandering around SoHo, a lady stopped me and asked if the mask characters were Luchadores or Strong Bad.  I had forgotten all about the Homestar Runner web cartoons and Strong Bad- who one of the masks does kind of resemble.  One of my fave things about fashion is how it can be an ice breaker and start conversations.  Success with this outfit!  

winter style NYC: statement coats

{plaid coat} MSGM {floral dress} Zara {handbag} PS1 mini, Proenza Schouler {sunnies} Karen Walker Number One in Crazy Tortoise {black jeans} Reformation {black booties} Schutz  {photographed by} Jovana Obradovic {NYC lower east side}

Winter, especially in New York City, can get gray and drab rather quickly.  Pretty soon you've fallen victim to purely utilitarian dressing (which sometimes is a necessity)  The black on black on black- wool, down, thermals routine, gets boring quite fast.  My favorite solution is a statement coat that is both functional and cozy.  Offering a pop of pattern and color with an out-of-the-ordinary ruffle.  Having fun with outerwear is a sure fire way to spruce up your winter wardrobe.  Granted I've layered some thermals and a thin down jacket from Uniqlo underneath (tricks of the trade).  Adding a bold contrasting blouse or dress underneath will keep the "daydreaming of spring vibe".  I love a dress over trousers in the cold winter months.  It's a fun bit of layering, and your legs will thank you when the wind chill sets in.  Ps. How cute is itty bitty baby Proenza?

NYFW: fashion week look

{dress} DVF {long trench coat} Manrepeller x VEDA {clutch} Tenoversix {heels} Zara {photographed by} Jovana Obradovic

My fave look from NYFW was this mixed print DVF Diane Von Furstenberg dress paired with a long green duster from Manrepeller's collab with VEDA.  It was perfect for dramatically crossing the street and letting it gallantly billow in the wind just-so.  But that is the beauty of fashion week, you get to be extra extra- hence my fave weeks.  Every week is fashion week in my book, if only because I believe in dressing however you feel the most empowered.  For me it's in dramatic outfits that wave in the wind. Proud of myself for not tripping over any of those cobblestones, haha.

Fall is one of my fave seasons in NYC.  The vibe of the city really changes with the weather shift, there's something so charming about hot coffee and pumpkins and the return of coats and cozy things.  As always, I'm so in love with that SoHo architecture.  Don't forget to look up when you're walking South of Houston, so many beautiful details to take in.

days are getting shorter

{embellished sweater & skirt} Altuzarra {camo jacket} Zara {handbag} Zac by Zac Posen {sunnies} ACNE Studios {photographed by} Jovana Obradovic

The end of summer transitioning into fall always feels like a mad rush to wear skirts and dresses sans tights, all of your fave booties, and anything in remotely fall colors but in fabrics too flimsy for the chill of impending winter.  Particularly true on the East Coast.  In Los Angeles, this would be my winter wear, or rather year-round wear.

One of my favorite things about NYC is wandering aimlessly.  The streets are all on a grid, so it's near impossible to get lost.  I try to take a different route each time to the same places.  Taking in new architecture, street art, shops and cafes I hadn't known existed.  Every block is packed to the brim with something new to discover.  I remember when I first stumbled upon this park on Elizabeth Street.  It was a magical space to happen upon.  Green and lush, filled with time-worn statues and concrete.  A small respite from towering skyscrapers and the hustle and bustle of the city.  This is where you catch your breath.     

NYC: summer trench coat in the city

{short sleeve trench coat} NSF from The Real Real {top} Marco de Vincenzo {fur clutch} Shrimps {sunnies} Karen Walker Number One {pink suede bow mules} Zara {boyfriend jeans} ACNE Studios {photographed by} James Emmerman

Late spring transitioning into early summer is the perfect time for pieces like this NSF short sleeve trench.  I'm a huge trench-a-holic, always on the lookout for an updated detail.  So finding this jacket with unexpected short sleeves that can be worn rolled up for warmer temps or elbow length was such a score in my book.  Breaking out some bold colors, textures, and details, as well as my favorite happy fur clutch from Shrimps, updates the classic denim and trench look.  An easy way to have fun with basics!

baja + bcbg

{baja sweater} BCBG Max Azria {pleated leather skirt} Le Fou by Wilfred, Aritzia {pvc clutch} Peter Pilotto for Target from Netaporter {sunnies} Karen Walker Number One in Crazy Tortoise {photographed at} Laguna Beach, Orange County

Few articles of clothing are as synonymous with the bohemian beach lifestyle, or California surf culture as the baja sweater or jacket.  Also known as a Mexican Threads Hoodie, sudadera de jerga, or in the cannabis sub-culture- a drug rug.  The sweater garnered it's name since it was popularized in 70's era California, by surfers returning from wave-riding excursions to Baja California, Mexico.  Today, the style has remained classic, still retaining it's associations with laid-back beach life, and well granola hippies living in VW vans along the coast of Santa Cruz (hey, there's nothing wrong with that, Santa Cruz is beautiful this time of year).  I love the reimagined fashion version by BCBG Max Azria.  In a super soft knit, with a more tailored shape this sweater is my new go-to.  Excuse me while I get sentimental, I'll be wearing my hoodie and listening to Brian Wilson's "Surfer Girl" while I chill on Laguna Beach.  

Remember that time I went to Newport Beach, I was heading back to my car and the sun was setting.  The only other vehicle in the lot was a beat-up old RV.  A dude appeared on one of the beach trails and approached me.  He asked if I had a light, explaining he was eager to "light one up".  I shrugged apologetically.  He headed over to the RV and knocked on the door several times.  Suddenly the door creaked open and a voice bellowed, yelling furiously "why would you knock on my door!!!"  The dude scurried away confused by the angry man in the RV.  This folks, is how episodes of CSI start.  And there is your random story of the day.    

silverlake + sandro

{dress} Sandro Remini mesh yoke tunic dress {sandals} Loeffler Randall {sunnies} Karen Walker Number One in Crazy Tortoise

Silverlake is one of my favorite 'hoods in LA.  It might be the closest doppelgänger you'll find out west to my New York neighborhood, the L.E.S and East Village.  Both have that hip, artsy vibe with vintage shops, tons of artisan organic cafes, and coffee spots lining the street.  Granted it's easy to poke fun at these "hipster" standards, but when you're just out here livin' life there's something to be said about a nice cup of coffee, and a corner succulent shop.  Not only did Forbes name this THE coolest neighborhood in the U.S. (I'm still unsure of the criteria used to determine such things..."cool" is subjective, no?) but all of my NYC Lower East Side friends who have moved out to LA have settled right here.  Maybe it's the urban legend surrounding nearby Echo Park Lake, supposedly once a favored dumping ground for...well, severed heads.  That sort of gritty edge is untouched by any level of gentrification, or sump pump.  "What a lovely park!"  "Remember when people used to dump heads in the water?"  "Oh."  To set the record straight, I'm pretty sure that was all urban myth.  Pretty sure.  The public restrooms in that park are still worthy of a fright though.  Speaking of the dirty "g" word, gentrification- the area was also once subjected to real estate developers who wanted to turn the reservoir into a hipster resort.  Yeah, that happened.  They wanted to call it "Hipster Beach".  Sooo glad that never saw fruition.  We're in LA folks, there's a real beach just due west.  You will have to cross the 405* to get to it thought, which I know for many is a deal breaker.  (*Inside LA joke, the 405 divides the east and west side fairly far to the west, westsiders often refuse to go east of the freeway divide and well eastsiders loathe going too far west.  What?!  We're ridiculous in this city, that's already been established.) 

Here I am going off on my Silverlake tangent and forgetting to even talk about this look.  Here's a wrap tunic dress from Sandro.  It has a perfect black and white pattern reminiscent of those composition notebooks we all had in school that we scribbled bored musings and doodled little hearts into.  Yeah, those books we were supposed to be taking chemistry notes in but instead divulged our deepest darkest secrets and sketches into- that composition book.  These cut out bootie style sandals from Loeffler Randall give the elusion of a more substantial shoe, since it is fall, but in LA it's still summer.  Sometimes you have to just pretend to be seasonally appropriate.