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    Outfit

    Sweater Weather

    November 17, 2014

     

    Photos by Sarah Veyna
    Outfit Details:
    Forever 21 Felt Hat
    Madewell Shirt
    Ruche Sweater
    Madewell Skinny Skinny Crop Jeans in Tempest Wash
    Suede Booties from Piperlime
    I’m so happy that the weather is finally starting to cool down in California! I was getting a bit tired of my summer wardrobe and couldn’t wait to pull out my jeans and sweaters. I recently bought these jeans at Madewell when they were having one of their extra 40% off sales, so they were less than $50. I was hesitant to buy them at first because, believe it or not, $50 seems kind of a steep price for me since I’m working with a nonprofit salary. But, I had my last pair of jeans for 5 years before they fell apart, so I figured that buying a new pair of jeans was a good investment. These were the perfect replacement for my old jeans because they fit like a glove–the quality is great, they have just enough stretch, the rise of these jeans hits at just the right spot on my hips, and I like that they’re cropped because I didn’t have to get them hemmed and they look great with all of my shoes.
    In addition to me finding a great pair of jeans, life has been great. I was a bit sick last week, but I’m feeling a lot better after having some time to rest this weekend. I’m also really excited about the upcoming week because I’m going to go see Cold War Kids on Thursday! It’s crazy to think that it’s going to be the first concert that I attend this year, especially after all the concerts that I saw last year. For a period of time, I’m sure that I was going to see a band every other week. Of course that was when my friends/concert buddies Carly and Candace were still in town, and we would encourage each other to spend all of our money on concert tickets. It was a really fun year, even though I was constantly broke. Funny enough, the first concert that I saw last year was Cold War Kids. I’m hoping that seeing them again will help me, once again, kickstart the habit of going to shows, especially since it is one of my favorite activities.  I also really need to get on that because how else am I supposed to fulfill my teenage dream of marrying a guy in a rock band? Haha!
    xoxo,
    Helen Grace
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    Outfit

    Sewing Lessons

    November 3, 2014
    Photos by Sarah Veyna
    Outfit Details:
    Forever 21 Clutch/Wallet
    H&M Top
    Handmade Gingham Skirt
    White Mountain Loafers via DSW
    Some of you might remember that two months ago, I had set a goal to learn how to sew and start making my own clothes. When I first set that goal, I kind of underestimated how challenging it would be to learn a new craft. I just had this vision in my head that I was going to sit down in front of a sewing machine, and that I was going to magically crank out a whole new wardrobe in a month. Well, it’s been two months since I started learning how to sew, and I finally finished my first piece just last week. I made the gingham print midi skirt that I’m wearing in the picture–complete with pleats and everything–and I’m so happy of the way that it turned out. Of course, I have to say that I couldn’t have finished this skirt without the help of my Mom. She was very patient in teaching me how to do everything, and I have to give her credit for attaching the zipper. I bought an invisible zipper when I went to the fabric store, and didn’t realize that it would be much more challenging to attach.
     Another reason that I’m so happy to have finished this skirt is because I feel like I’m participating in a family tradition. Since my Grandmother was a seamstress for a living, and my Mom also has amazing sewing skills, I have always felt obligated to learn the craft so that I can pass it on to future generations. It’s actually kind of surprising that I don’t already possess the ability to sew, especially since I used to dream of being a “dressmaker” as a child. I even remember trying to make dresses for my Barbie dolls out of scraps of fabric that my grandmother would give to me. Although I still have so much to learn before I can say that I really know how to sew, I hope that eventually I’ll be able to make the jump from making clothes for dolls, to making clothes for real people.
    I hope you all had a fantastic Halloween. Even though it isn’t my favorite holiday, I made the effort to to be festive and ended up dressing up as Mary Poppins for work. Surprisingly, I actually ended up having a lot of fun, and I guess that sometimes it pays off to try out new things. I ended up staying in that night, though, because I was planning on taking my 11-year-old brother trick-or-treating, but he wasn’t in the mood to go out this year. That probably means that he’s getting too old to hangout with his older sister, which makes me kind of sad. But, I guess that he’s going to have to grow up at some point in time!
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    Outfit

    Layering for Fall

    October 30, 2014
    Layering for Fall

     

    Long length cardigan / Black button blouse / Holiday top / ModCloth Skinny Bookmobile Volunteer Pants / Seychelles leather booties / Cognac tote / Rhinestone jewelry

    I have been a fan of ModCloth for many years, so I was super excited when they asked me to put together a fall layering look using items from their current collection. Although it was very fun to put together an outfit, it was also very challenging because ModCloth has so many awesome cardigans and sweaters to choose from.
    Ultimately, I came up with a look that I feel is appropriate for what is considered fall in Southern California. During the fall and winter months, we tend to get very cool mornings but the weather warms up throughout the day. For that reason, the pieces that I chose for this outfit are very light and make it easy to add or take off layers throughout the day. I also aimed to create a layering look that is casual, but that can be easily dressed up by using the right accessories, such as the cute necklace pictured above. My favorite part of this outfit, though, has to be the checkered cardigan that I chose for my look–I love that it is structured like a blazer, but still has a very relaxed and versatile print.
    I hope you enjoyed this post, and that it gives you some ideas of how to layer for fall. And, as always, thank you for stopping by.
    xoxo,
    Helen Grace
    —
    Note: I deleted my previous collage because I realized that it did not completely showcase all of ModCloth’s awesome layering options, which is what they invited me to do. However, if you want to know what ModCloth sweathers I have my eye on, you can check it out here.