Blazers and Palm Trees

Sunglasses: Marc by Marc Jacobs

Sweater: H&M

http://www.hm.com/us/subdepartment/LADIES?Nr=4294928033

Blazer: Forever 21

http://www.forever21.com/Product/Category.aspx?br=f21&category=outerwear_blazers

Shorts: Vintage

Belt: American Apparel

http://store.americanapparel.net/subCategory/index.jsp?subCatId=cat33275

Heels: Thrifted

This past week has been a whirlwind… I’ve been feeling a little knocked down, and was getting absorbed in my own self pity. Life if stressful, and always packed of challenges, and that goes for every single human experience on the planet. It’s simply all about perception.  I’ve learned over the past year that when life explodes and what remains is less than pleasant, that’s when it’s time to put the blinders on and take a step in forward, not behind. Just focus on yourself, press on, be kind, and above all, don’t even consider comparing your life progress to what others are doing. So those are my wise words for the week, that I need to listen to myself.

Today’s outfit is inspired by a rather lovely Australian woman who has some mean style. She constantly rocks the short distressed denim with a sharp heel and blazer. Elle Ferguson, a fashionista, stylist, and co-owner of They All Hate Us. See her style here: http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/elle-ferguson

I paired some old denim shorts with a simple creme sweater from H&M, and put on a black blazer to dress up the look a little. then lastly, adding a classic pointed heel to tie in the blazer. This a great look for crisper autumn days, when the sun is still out. It’s great for lunch dates or to get some good work done-such a versatile outfit.

Photography: Ashley Jean

Post Processing/Photoshop: Chelsea Den

Classic 1978

Plaid: BDG. Bought at Urban Outfitters

http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/category.jsp?id=M_APP_BUTTONDOWNSHIRTS

Top: H&M

http://www.hm.com/us/subdepartment/LADIES?Nr=4294962278

Necklace: Rowsden

http://chelsea-den-photography.myshopify.com/collections/jewelry/products/red-leather-tassel

Trousers: Forever 21

http://www.forever21.com/Product/Category.aspx?br=f21&category=bottom_pants-trouser&ir_clickid=3Wfxz0Ue6RUgSutUSYwAtxnvUkWQKtW28TafwE0&ir_cid=1873&ir_affid=10078&utm_source=affiliatetraction&utm_medium=ir

Since the sun was going down when I was shooting this, I wanted to do a quickish post-so I decided to shoot at the Organic Market that I live across the street from. About halfway through shooting the most beautiful hunk of a car pulled into the parking lot…a 1978 corvette that just rumbled. One thing you should know about me is that I have a deep, deep, deep, love for old classic cars…And strongly believe they should only be driven with a stick shift. Now, don’t get me wrong corvettes are beautiful cars, and if someone wanted to give me one, I would have no problem accepting :) but they’ve never been my favorite. 1978 though, was definitely a good year for chevrolet. The wonderful man driving was much obliged to let us shoot with his car, and as you can see from my genuine smile in the last photo, it made my day, and this post. 

As we progress into Fall and the days get colder…shorter, I find myself getting more and more excited to break out the wild prints for Autumn/Winter. Being from Colorado, I’m used to pants once summer ends…But last winter in Santa Barbara I discovered the wonderful joy of tights. Pants are no longer a must, in fact, I hardly wear them now…My winter will be full of loose printed trousers, lots and lots of leggings, and of course tights on tights. I’ve been waiting to do a post with these pants for some time now- I found these a couple months ago at Forever 21. I don’t go there too often, but every once in a while I pop in there and happen upon a great find. These pants were one of those. I love how comfortable they are and the fact that they have pockets makes me so happy- the simple joys you know…I paired them with a simple cotton tank from H&M and black booties. Then lastly, layering a BDG. Men’s Plaid flannel to add a pop of color, and to tie in that awesome leather tassel necklace. 

Photos by: Ashley Jean

Retouching/Post Processing: Chelsea Den

Chelsea + Chelsea

 

                                   

Not that long ago a very talented Photographer friend of mine did a shoot of me and a very dear best friend, that I met here in Santa Barbara a few years back. Her name is also Chelsea, she is also from Colorado, and we were born only a day apart…Besides all of that we have tons of things in common and instantly got along the second we met. A regular Yin and Yang. After living together for a year, we just recently got our own places, so this shoot was definitely a great reason for us to get back together (along with our pups that have missed eachother) and go up to an old burnt down castle in the mountains of Santa Barbara. 

These photographs were done by the very, very talented Saskia Koerner. She is an amazing photographer that has such a breathtaking skill for capturing light and the loveliest of moments. She has done awesome work in fine art, portraiture, and fashion (and she also made that scarf I’m holding in one of the photos) Just really beautiful, timeless work. Make sure to check out her art Saskia Koerner Photography

Creamy Leather Studded Heels

Leather Jacket: TCBC (bought from Tobi)

http://www.tobi.com/women/jackets

Blouse: H&M

http://www.hm.com/us/subdepartment/LADIES?Nr=4294929524

Shorts: Boy Scouts of America, thrifted

Backpack: Vintage Fendi

I don’t know if you noticed, but the photos for my post today are pretty rad…I wish I could take the credit, but alas moving around my tripod and standing in front of a lone camera has slightly deterred me from taking on such photographic feats alone…No, these photos today were taking by a very near and dear friend of mine named Ashley Jean. She is a great photographer/illustrator/artist/creator of sorts. We met in College (Brooks Institute of Photography) here in Santa Barbara, and she has decided to be my own wonderful fashion blogging photographer. I can’t tell you how grateful I am for this…But! I’ll give you a few specific reasons as to why this is going to be oh so grand. Those being; I will now have more regular posts, with more content, more often. Frankly, I’m thrilled. So this being our first kick off to a new blogging start-we took to the beach.

I wanted to do a more feminine “light” look that could work for the day when it’s still warm here in Santa Barbara, but then goes with a heavier jacket for night for when the temperature drops. I chose a chiffon blouse from H&M that has the most wonderful lace detailing around the neck, with just a poof of a shoulder, and 3/4 length sleeves. This is a great staple piece to have in any girls closet because it is so effortlessly pretty, but goes with everything. I paired the blouse with my Boy Scouts of America shorts that I thrifted and mended at the beginning of this year. These shorts were such an amazing find, and by far some of my favorite shorts ever. I then added my creme leather jacket which goes with the feminine style of the blouse. I paired the whole look with nude heels that have some silver embellishing on the back. The silver embellishing goes really well with the shorts and gives the look just a slight touch of military to contrast with the girliness. And lastly, I added my vintage Fendi backpack that is the perfect balance between casual, classy, and  feminine. This backpack, as I’ve mentioned before, was my first designer piece bought for myself, years ago. It’s around 45 years old, and the age is definitely shown on the wear and tear the bag has gotten, but I love, love, love it solely for the meaning it has to me. 

Jet Black Tub With the Gold Trim

Hat:H&M

http://www.hm.com/us/product/13811?article=13811-A

Top: Tobi

http://www.tobi.com/women/tops

Leggings: Bought in LA

Necklace: Rows + Den

http://chelsea-den-photography.myshopify.com/collections/jewelry

I have been trying to hold off wearing these leggings for a post, because I wanted to save them for an occasion of some sort. But today I woke up and the air felt different-maybe crisper..sweeter…Today is the first day I felt a hint of fall :) I adore Autumn with every fiber of my being. The way the sunlight just looks different during the day. And the air feels a bit softer even though it’s getting colder. Mmm the Fall takes my heart. So the leggings had to be broken out as my first introduction to Autumn look. It’s a bittersweet thing living here in Santa Barbara around this time. On the one hand I have a deep love for shorts, and Santa Barbara makes it possible to wear them into the later months while still getting a little chillier. On the other hand, the lovely weather here allows the trees to hold onto their leaves year round…which makes for a slightly nonexistent Fall. Either way, I can’t wait for the next months to come in this wonderful season. I shall be wearing leggings and tights like it’s nobody’s business. I’m not going to lie the printed legging is such a wonderfully comfortable trend that I used to judge. Because (and I will still stand by this) I’m not sure leggings really suffice for pants. Not for regular day wear at least, but I love how they look and plan on wearing long tunics and such with them quite often. I paired these ones with my “gypsy” top. I bought this top a while ago and loved the off the shoulder sleeves, little did I know it would be rather difficult to pair with everything until I found these leggings. I paired the top and leggings with some black ankle boots to add balance out the heaviness of the black top. and lastly put on a chunky necklace to break up some of the skin that’s showing and threw on a hat for style. This is a great outfit for going out at night.

Oh and I almost forgot to talk about this awesome Coca-Cola truck that pulled up next to me as I was shooting. I was just about to walk away when he pulled up :) I got some great photography that I will be working on later and posting on my photography site. I also snapped some quick photos before he left. ‘Merica