That long overdue Coachella post...

COACHELLA (n.): theeee music festival of the year where anyone who is anyone can be seen, fashion icons, celebrities, musicians, you name it. Basically, it is a three day party with thousands of your closest friends, and you always have at least four options of music to listen to at the same time; may one of the hardest life decisions anyone has to make be which to see: Avicii or Snoop Dogg & Dr. Dre (I personally picked Avicii- and managed to push my way to the front row with my friends, so worth it).

I will admit: I was totally peer-pressured into going. The idea of Coachella pretty much represents a bunch of things I hate, including dangerously sweaty and rowdy crowds, tons of waiting in lines (security, bathrooms, food), hippies to the max, strange indie music, bazillion degree weather (although this year happened to be deathly freezing instead), and, my arch nemisis: PORTA-POTTIES. But, despite all of that, I had a faaaabulous time. I saw tons of super-stylish people, heard the most amazing music, and took tons of pictures (a major victory for a blogger such as myself). Moral of the story: If any of the above things scare or digust you, that doesn't necessarily mean that Coachella isn't for you. Although I must say, if I ever have the chance to go back, I will definitely try to hit up the VIP section, which is totally worth the money (no porta-potties and way fewer crowds--> I dig).

Now for the actual music: I spent the majority of my time in the Sahara tent, which is where most of the DJs play, making it a giant all-day rave. My favorite DJs were Avicii (who also happens to be a gorgeous human being), Kaskade, Afrojack and Calvin Harris. Some other faves of mine, not in the electronic genre, were Dragonette and Frank Ocean, both of which were amazing live.

And now for my fashion... You will see that I broke out of my typical style, posing as a somewhat indie kid for a few days. And I must say, it was pretty fun.

Here I am wearing a Brandy and Melville crop top, black American Apparel bandeau with silver stars, Levi's high-waisted shorts (seriously, who am I?), gray Converse, Raybans, my gold handcuff necklace, and a beige metallic LeSportSac backpack:

Here I am wearing a colorful bikini top under an orange knit Forever 21 crop top, with Free People high-waisted shorts, my friend's black high-socks, my brown AllSaints boots, and a neon yellow Kaskade sweatband (they were being given out for free- such an awesome find).

THE Kaskade sweatband:

Me in front of Coachella's infamous ferris wheel on day 3, wearing a white Brandy & Melville tank over a black bikini top, reversible Bleulab jean shorts, Raybans, (again) my friend's maroon knee socks, gray Converse, and a feather necklace from Forever 21, although I still hate that store:

 Afrojack had an amazing set; gotta love him:

 My fabulously fashionale friends and I at sunset. Golden hour + Coachella fashion= the best.

That's all for now, but stay tuned. Oh, and don't even read any other Coachella articles (besides Betches Love This which is super raunchy but entertaining)...but all the rest are super lame; it seems almost as if the media was completely absent from Coachella this year...

xoxo stylista

Italian Adventures

Bon giorno, everyone. I am not back from my vacation in Italy, which was fabulous beyond belief. I went with my friend and her family, and we traveled all over Tuscany, Venice and Cinque Terra, with our hotel being located in the heart of Florence, just a few steps from the Ponte Vecchio.

As far as siteseeing goes, we were quite successful in accomplishing a lot over the span of six days. As far as shopping goes, Florence was my mecca (I didn't visit Milan, although I am quite aware that it is technically the fashion mecca of Italy). I bought a pair of olive green jeans from a small store by the leather market; the color is amazing.

My main purchase of the trip, however, was a perfectly fitted brown leather jacket, that I bought from Massimo, the store owner, himself. Massimo's store was fabulous, offering a wide range of leather goods, from jackets to wallets to briefcases and purses, all genuine and smooth as butter. My jacket even smells authentic; it's the best part about it. I don't have any photos of it yet, though but stay tuned.

Here I am, in Siena, in a Brandy & Melville flowered tank, Citizens of Humanity pants, a gray AllSaints sweater, AllSaints boots, and, a black cross-body Prada bag, perfect for travel in its birth nation:

As you can see, the view from the top of Florence's duomo was fantastic. I am wearing a white cut-out t-shirt from Nordstrom, a vintage scarf (from my grandmother, of course), and yet another bag perfect for travel in Italy: a chestnut-colored, leather cross-body purse:

All I wanted out of this trip was a picture with a Vespa. So here it is, taken from Cinque Terra. I am wearing my newly purchasing Italian jeans, an Alexander McQueen skull scarf, a black cashmere sweater, silver high tops (see previous post) and the black Prada:

A couple of wannabe indie/cool pictures that I took myself:

Ciao about Italy, but brace yourself my style stalkers... Because Coachella is only a day away, and everyone who is anyone (including me) is going to be there, not just for the music, but also to check out the outfits of fashion's finest...

xoxo stylista

A little Dior and a lot of footwear

So I went on a long overdue makeup spree, and encountered pure bliss upon my arrival at the Dior counter of the Bloomingdale’s in Santa Monica. I walked away with the following: concealer, a compact with foundation and blush (both of which appear super fresh and light), a new eyebrow pencil, Hydra life eye cream and, most importantly, Dior’s newest mascara, Diorshow New Look. Its fabulous wand fans out the eyelashes to prevent clumps and has a narrower tip to access the tiny lashes toward the center of the eye…Needless to say, this mascara is a must-have.

Now for my shoes… Since I hadn’t blogged in a while (before my last post), I figured that I should decide a decent amount of blog space to the new pairs of shoes that I have accumulated over the past few months. My mom’s birthday gift to me was a pair of black zip-up Fiorentini & Baker mid-calf boots. Anyone who knows me knows that I wear these beauties about 1/3 of the time I leave the house; they epitomize the Italian minimalist chic look…aka they will definitely be accompanying me on my upcoming trip to Florence.

My latest shoes purchases (from left): Fiorentini & Baker boots, leather and suede Dolce Vita heels (which I snagged at Free People for the great sale price of $60!!), Jeffrey Campbell suede booties (see last post), silver Pour La Victoire high top sneakers, silver Steve Madden gladiator sandals, and gold Aldo sandals...

Stay tuned, because my next update will be all about Florence- and my fashionable travels in one of the most beautiful Italian cities. Ciao for now...

xoxo stylista

Back forever & always

I know, I know…The whole MIA blogger thing isn’t really cool. But those days are over, and I have a ton of new purchases and things to share.

First of all, I’ve had this vintage studded Levi’s jean jacket that I bought a while ago. Even though its really boxy, sometimes giving me a boyish looking build, I like pairing it with short shorts or a super feminine dress on those springy days where baring my arms would send shivers down my body. The studs make it unique; I like to think that the previous owner did it himself (“Brian” is written in pen on the inside of the pocket).

I wore the jacket with dark gray cut-off Brandy & Melville shorts, a white, lacy Free People tank, and silver Michael Kors wedges.

I must say, I’ve become a big Brandy & Melville as of late. All of their clothes are super soft and comfortable, these shorts included. The brand is primarily defined by its loose, flowy tops that can be dressed up or down, worn during the day or at night, for almost any occasion, but of course Brandy & Melville carries just about everything else too, dresses, shorts and accessories included.

That brings me to my next look. This flowery ruffled tank can be worn in so many ways. Here, I decided to pair it with dark green Citizens of Humanity skinny jeans, a BCBG belt, and my new suede Jeffrey Campbell high-heeled booties, yet another one of my favorite recent purchases. They are the perfect neutral color to be worn throughout the seasons and match quite an array of color palettes.

A better look at my Free People top, worn with a vintage Cameo necklace (a gift from my grandmother aka a true family heirloom):

Here is a closer look at my studded jacket as well as my springy hombre highlights. This lighting makes me look like I am basically half blonde:

A more earthy palette, complete with my favorite Jeffrey Campbell booties:
And, of course, this post wouldn't be complete without a close-up of the beauties, complete with a wooden heel:

And now for some spring trend updates…. From my most recent style/trend observations, I have noticed that the “it” jeans for spring all have a little shimmer to them. I personally love this look… I’ve seen everything from subtle sequins to shiny washes to give pants an extra edgy and re-vamped vibe. AllSaints carries the perfect ones; they have just the right amount of shimmer as not to be over the top. I also saw Seven for All Mankind’s take on this trend: they are showing a light wash with just a tad bit of shimmer that seems to be incorporated into the fabric itself (as opposed to being tacked on as an afterthought).

Another look that I have seen quite a lot lately is floral painted jeans. I’m a little undecided about whether or not I like them. It’s a great idea, but if executed improperly, can be a major fashion blunder, especially in a commonplace environment, such as school, where quizzical looks can be widespread, especially when one tries and fails at being “en vogue” to the highest degree.

I am currently vowing to revive my blog. I am ashamed of my past negligence, but I’m sure that my upcoming trip to Florence (yep, I said it) will bring Italian fashion and a ton of new purchases to the table, so be ready, my bellas…

xoxo stylista

New

I know I've been MIA for a while, but now I'm back (especially since the college app craziness and finals are over).

I spent some time in San Francisco over winter break, where I visited not only the Golden Gate Bridge and Chinatown, but also Union Square, the hub of San Francisco's shopping. Nordstrom, just a couple of blocks off of Union Square, was packed (understandably, considering it was just before Christmas), however I found this amazing long dress there, from the brand VPL.

Upon walking through Chinatown on my way to dinner, I could not help myself when I saw all of the fuzzy animal hats (complete with paw hand compartments)... I just had to buy a Hello Kitty one. Unfortunately, I was not in the mood to use my ever-helpful bargaining skills, so I was majorly ripped off on this purchase (especially considering I would never wear it outside my own home). But it's alright, at least I've gotten a couple of laughs out of it.

Here I am in my new VPL dress, black BCBG sandals and some silver jewelry:

A close-up:

Here I am in my Hello Kitty hat, most likely never to be worn again (except as part of a costume):

More to come, kitties; I can't give away allll of my new purchases in one post...

xoxo stylista

Parisian Princess & Supermodel Pooch

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I love this holiday, it's also so joyous, and brings everyone together, whether it's friends, family or even rarely-talked to acquaintances...

I've been in an especially artsy mood today, as I always am when faced with much-needed down time. This accounts for my creation of not just one, but two Polyvore collage masterpieces.

As for my fashion choices, I am wearing a Tiffany blue Wildfox cashmere shrunken sweater with a black Brandy & Melville maxi skirt (a little late to be blogging that trend, I know), black Belle by Sigerson Morrison flats, and silver jewelry.

This outfit & background (which is my bed) remind me of Paris (and my far-fetched dream of being some sort of Parisian goddess)... Maybe it's the "No. 1" on my sweater, which automatically makes me think of Chanel's numbered perfumes. Or maybe its the color scheme, reminiscent of the Hotel Castille, which is where I stayed when I visited Paris:

One of my dogs decided not to budge when I tried to move him out of the frame, so I instead took advantage of his cuteness and had some fun posing with him in the grass: In this next photo, which is a close-up of the last one, you can also kind of see my unusual-for-me make-up; My eyes are rimmed with black MAC liquid liner (winged, of course), with MAC's "Hint of Sapphire" eyeshadow (worn as eyeliner) around that:

Puppy love:

And finally, here are two sets I created on Polyvore, my favorite source of online creative satisfaction, aside from blogging, of course:

so...live a little by stylistah featuring turquoise gold earrings

Matthew Williamson long sleeve cocktail dress
$4,375 - ssense.com

Blue pumps
140 AUD - sirenshoes.com.au

Giuseppe Zanotti leather clutch
$1,135 - giuseppezanottidesign.com

Ippolita jewelry
$2,800 - net-a-porter.com

Irene Neuwirth turquoise gold earrings
$3,610 - ylang23.com

Munnu diamond flower ring
$38,000 - barneys.com

Popbeauty Cat Eyes
$16 - zappos.com

Victoria'S Secret Fragrance Mist
$12 - victoriassecret.com

Crayon Box / Sunday in bed
pinterest.com

i-D Editorial A Smile and a Wink Gets You Further Than You Think,...
myfdb.com

M·A·C Cosmetics |
maccosmetics.com

feather me crazy by stylistah featuring feather hair accessories

Silk evening dress
$495 - barneys.com

Jimmy choo shoes
$1,995 - net-a-porter.com

Gemma Redux earrings
$246 - gemmaredux.com

Feather hair accessory
$10 - bardot.com.au

Hypnôse Body Lotion - Perfume and Fragrance by Lancome
$45 - lancome-usa.com

I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday. And don't forget to stock up on Black Friday deals...But if you have to camp out in a tent, it's definitely not worth it...

xoxo stylista

Why aren't the leaves crispy yet?

Frosty windshield on my car, chilly air, skinny peppermint mochas in jolly burgundy Starbucks cups, layers of cashmere and wool, and early sunsets that fade into quiet nights... Besides the fact that basically every plant in sight is still green and thriving, it's finally starting to feel like fall/winter, in my opinion, the best time of the year.

Fall and winter fashion are also, of course, highly regarded. Designers never hesitate to pile on the fabrics, and on the coldest of days (which are few and far between here in L.A.), so do I.

In these photos, I went more for the fall color scheme as opposed to the bundled-up look. I am wearing a beige BCBG cashmere tube top, a sheer Lush button-down blouse, chestnut Rich & Skinny flared pants, a BCBG belt...and BCBG snakeskin heels (in the first two photos), but I changed to black strappy Dolce Vita wedges for the last two photos. For jewelry, I opted for my usual assortment of silver, plus a short strand of pearls as a necklace:

And why did I change my shoes, might my style stalkers be asking? Answer: to go with my brand new black patent Yves Saint Laurent clutch!!! Shared with my mom and sister, this timeless bag our latest purchase, and will undoubtedly be worn by one of us to any and every significant event in the next many years:

Here is a close-up of THE Yves Saint Laurent clutch, my silver Tiffany "kiss" necklace, an old pearl necklace, and my YSL mascara and WetnWild liquid eyeliner, both in shades of plum that also remind me of fall:

Get in the mood, fall into the chic and cozy seasons of bliss...

xoxo stylista