Dynamic Duo: Sail Away

Jen and I are finally back with a new Dynamic Duo post! I can't believe this is the first one of 2012! We've both been so busy that we even missed our second anniversary in February, but hopefully we'll be on a roll from here on out. We decided to remix an old item while we're waiting for our new item to come our way. I had a lot of fun finding a new way to style this top by pairing it with a striped skirt for a subtle pattern mixing. If you're new to my blog, Jen and I started DD a little over two years ago when she won my first giveaway (a bow hair clip) on my blog. Inspired by the Delightful Dozen, we decided to start styling up same items and posting them together on our blogs. Since then, an amazing friendship has blossomed and we've styled so many different items from necklaces to shoes to dresses to rompers. We're both really excited for the next item! It's weird because normally I hate it when someone has the same clothes as me, but when it happens in the blogosphere, it's so much fun to see the different takes on a dress/shirt/skirt/etc. I'm really happy and lucky I get to purposely wear the same items as Jen though. She has become one of my favorite people in my life. We're hoping to visit each other during the Summer because this long-distance friendship really sucks!

You can see the other ways we've styled this item: here and here. Look out for a new DD item soon! Have a wonderful weekend! I'm hoping to go to the flea market tomorrow morning.

Until next post,

Jasmine

top - urban outfitters

skirt - gap

belt - gap

shoes - swedish hasbeens x - h&m

ring - hautelook

All Aboard

It's been Spring for over a week now, and I'm really enjoying all the sunshine! I actually wore this on the first day of Spring last week. I thought I'd start the season off right with my new favorite skirt and some pattern mixing. This has been the first outfit in a really long time that I felt really good in. I just can't get enough of this skirt! This is the skirt that I also splurged on at Francesca's Collections, and let me tell you, I'm going to get my money's worth by wearing it a lot. It's outfits like this that remind me why I like dressing well--because of the way it makes me feel. I've been in better spirits lately. It could be because I impulsively bought the first two seasons of "Friends" at Target. Of course now, I have to shell out the money for the other eight seasons, but it's one of my favorite shows that I'll re-watch for years and years to come. I've also been attending Step and Piyo Strength classes at the gym. They've been a good way to unwind and let out some of my aggression, anxiety, and stress.

I hope you're all having a wonderful week so far!

Until next post,
Jasmine

cardigan - gap
striped tee - forever 21
skirt - francesca's collections
belt - gap
loafers - charlottle russe
purse - coach (vintage/thrifted)

The Elephant Dress

Even though I've never actually, physically met Maggie, I consider her one of my very good friends. It's really amazing how blogging gives you so many opportunities to "meet" so many wonderful people. Through long emails and tweets, we have gotten to know each other and I've really grown to adore her! During one of our twitter conversations, we both realized that we were shopping in Francesca's Collections over the same weekend, though in different parts of the country. I discovered Francesca's a while ago, but I didn't really fall in love with it until recently. Though it's a wee bit over my price range, I caved and bought this dress and a skirt--both not on sale, which I rarely, ever do. I went back to try on this dress a few times before splurging. But after a shopping rut, I was just too excited, and the fact that Maggie had just bought this dress too just gave me too many reasons not to have this dress. So here we are doing a post together. I hope one day though we'll be in the same picture. I love that we both styled it with a mustard yellow belt and a cardigan. I can already tell that at least I will be wearing this dress a lot this Spring and Summer. Also, I think my default, go-to styling for a new item is to pair it with a bright yellow belt and a red cardigan. It's like an initiation of some sort to my closet. So welcome elephant dress, I cannot wait to style you some more!

Until next post,
Jasmine

my outfit:
cardigan - gap
dress - francesca's collections
belt - gap
watch - nordstroms
purse - coach (vintage/thrifted)
shoes - swedish hasbeens x h&m

Sitting, Waiting, Wishing

I wore this during the last days of Winter when I wanted to say a little goodbye to sweaters. I'm so happy that it's officially Spring now. The weather has been gorgeous, well more gorgeous than usual here in SoCal. Even though lovely weather is enough to make me happy usually, I've been feeling a little down lately. It just seems like everyone around me is moving forward with their lives, and I'm still waiting, worrying, and wishing. I know I've been so blessed to have been working for a majority of my post-undergrad life, but I want to take the next step in my life. People are starting to hear back from schools and hearing about their acceptances only makes me that much more anxious. This combined with my renewed diet of fruits, veggies, and lean meats has just left me really mopey. Robert has been great in trying to cheer me up with tea and shopping, and in reminding me that I just need to focus on myself and all the wonderful things and people I have in my life. He is right. I hate being that person who resents others for their success, but selfishly, I must admit that I can't stop doing that until I know my own fate. Until then though, I'll continue drowning myself in peach teas and new clothes, which isn't such a horrible thing really.

Until next post,
Jasmine

sweater - brandy melville
necklace - brandy melville
skirt - urban outfitters
belt - charlotte russe
flats - gap
purse - coach (vintage/thrifted)

Keep on Dreaming

This is what I wore to my first graduate school interview on Tuesday. I surprised myself by choosing to wear pants to the interview, especially because I feel dressier in a dress or a skirt. But time was running out. These trousers were more comfortable than all the pencil skirts I had tried on combined. They feel a lot like leggings, and they were on sale. Finding pants like these make me want to find more like it and wear them more often on the blog. I rather liked the outfit I ended up with though, and by switching out my heels for loafers and untucking my shirt, it made for a cute casual outfit to go shopping in after my interview. I'm so glad I stuck to wearing something that made me feel comfortable and showed a bit of my relaxed personality. I'm pretty sure if I had gone in with a full pants suit, I would've been fidgeting and not as confident as I was in this outfit. I was pretty scared I was going to fall flat on my face in heels though since I wear flats 99.99% of the time. It looks like I broke two fashion faux pas in this outfit: black and brown, and black and navy. To be honest, I didn't even know about these faux pas until I started blogging. I think they're a bit silly really. If I find myself admiring outfits that mix odd patterns like florals and plaid, then I see no reason why black cannot be with navy or brown.

Until next post,
Jasmine

jacket - urban outfitters
oxford shirt - gap
trousers - gap
belt - gap
shoes - steve madden (thrifted)
purse - coach (thrifted)
headband - forever 21
ring - brandy melville

All Your Life

This is the outfit I wore to the spontaneous beach trip over the weekend. When I go shopping, I tend to wear outfits that are easy and non-fussy to take off and put back on in the dressing rooms. This dress was perfect for that and for the beach trip afterwards. Even though I was there just Saturday, I miss the beach already. Thank you all for the well wishes on my interview. I think it went fairly well, apart from not knowing my ID# and leaving the paper I had written it on in the car (I had to email it to my interviewer right after, but at least it gave me a chance to thank her). Now the waiting game begins and it looks like I'll be anxious until April 30th waiting for a letter.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Until next post,
Jasmine

cardigan - gap
dress - forever 21
necklace - american eagle
belt - topshop
bag - madewell
sunglasses - raybans

Early Spring

Spring has arrived early here in Southern California. All the trees are practically green and lately, I have had to decide whether I want to go bare legged or put on tights for the day. I've had this top for a while now, but I don't really know why it has never made its appearance on my blog, especially since I wear it almost weekly to work. One of my students even asked me if Vanessa Hudgens was the girl on my shirt (no, it isn't). I wore this last weekend for a lunner (meal between lunch and dinner) date with Robert.

I am obsessed with this cardigan. I even have it in grey too. It's so soft and comfy! It's light so it'll be perfect for those chilly Spring and Summer nights. I bought it about two weeks ago from Gap. I also opened a Gap card that day, which is totally playing with fire with how often I shop there, but I figured I might as well get some benefits to my Gap addiction right? Right. Good timing too because this past weekend I bought clothes for my first graduate school interview today. I've been so stressed about this interview. I even had a meltdown in an H&M dressing room looking for interview clothes over the weekend, but ultimately, I just went with something that might not be as formal as I probably need to be, but makes me feel comfortable. I scored an oxford shirt that I had been eyeing and a pair of comfy cropped trousers--both on sale. If I'm not too distraught after my interview today, I'll be sure to take some outfit photos since one of my resolutions was to wear more pants on the blog.

Until next post,
Jasmine

cardigan - gap
t-shirt - nordstrom
skirt - forever 21
necklace - brandy melville
belt - cotton on
loafers - charlotte russe

Weekend Photo Diary IX

Over the weekend, after I finished shopping for interview clothes, Robert and I took a spontaneous trip to the beach, which was much needed because I was so stressed and cranky from the month of fieldwork and the anticipation of my graduate school interview tomorrow. The beach never fails to lift my spirits and remind me of just how lucky I really am. Even though the beach is within 15 minutes of me, I've never taken it for granted. It will forever be my favorite place. I must've seen hundreds of sunsets from this same spot at this beach, but sunsets are different everyday, and so hundreds more will never be enough.

Do you have a favorite place to go? If yes, where is it?

Until next post,
Jasmine