JOY FACTORY

ahhh, i hate not being able to update as frequently as usual! this moving thing is getting old- this has got to be the 50th time i've moved since college. no joke. i don't do well with permanence of any kind...

on another note, this little vintage dress is killer- and it's up for grabs at disarming darling vintage.

s.h.o.p.

xx

KILL CITY

i found this entire outfit while in los angeles last week- the top is an amazing cropped number from KILL CITY- the lightning bolt sold me (my cat’s middle name is Lightning Bolt…) and i found the skirt at WASTELAND… who doesn’t love an elasticized metallic silver skirt with huge pockets?! this thing is honestly going to be one of my summer staples, it’s so versatile, surprisingly. or maybe that’s just in my head- but either way i love it. the shoes again… you’ll be seeing a lot of these. i always wear my new shoes over and over until i get tired of them and then find a new pair to obsess over. the accessories i found in LA are amazing… i’m completely enamored by this vintage silver chainmail necklace i found at the swapmeet, and i am all about this absurd spiked bracelet from H&M.

and... let me introduce you to my new place of residence! this magical garden cottage is located in the echo park hills in los angeles, and i have never been so excited to live somewhere before (and i have lived in A LOT of different places). the first picture is the front entrance and the second picture is the view from the communal garden, steps away from my front door. anyone who knows anything about LA knows that it is chaotic, stressful, and certainly not peaceful. i am so happy to have found my own little sanctuary where i can escape from the madness and watch the sun set from a lounge chair in a garden.

i also got a package in the mail yesterday from REVLON with some of their new false lashes to try out! they've kindly offered me products to use for a GIVEAWAY, so stay tuned for that! i'll be trying these babies out in the next week and posting about how much i love them (i wasn't blessed with natural thick and voluminous lashes, so i am way too excited about trying these).

time to finish packing!

xx

GOLD WAVE

this entire outfit was found while in LA (except for my beloved tiger necklace from Byron Bay in Australia). i've been wanting a pair of vintage leather shorts forever and finally found the perfect pair! paired with my strappy black aldo wedges and this amazing metallic gold blazer that will be added to the disarming darling vintage store later this evening.

SHOP VINTAGE // BLOGLOVIN // TWITTER

xx

INSANITY.

first of all, let me apologize for the atrocious angle of the photo above. i'm only slightly embarrassed to be posting it on my blog for thousands to see, but i need to get over all of my insecurities at some point. this was my absolute favorite part of the event- it was such an adrenaline rush being on the red carpet with cameras flashing in your face and people yelling in every direction. it was so much fun that i actually wasn't even nervous- it felt very natural but very fast-paced... it all seems like a blur now!

anyway, on to the interesting part. i just got home from spending a week in los angeles, and in that time i searched HIGH and LOW for the perfect dress. i mean high and low literally- i tried on $500 dresses to $40 dresses. i'm not really a fancy kinda girl... getting this dressed up felt very unnatural for me, so i wanted some element of "ME" to remain. in order to achieve this, i was determined to find the perfect VINTAGE dress. the glitzy expensive designer dresses just weren't cutting it. i went into WASTELAND, my favorite vintage shop in LA, on the first day and found nothing... but i went back a few days later and found it. my perfect dress. vintage, well constructed, adorned with hundreds of sequins, super short, and a low scoop back = perfection. as soon as i put it on i was INSTANTLY reminded of balmain and knew that it was exactly what i'd been searching for. and the best part... it was $45. HOW AMAZING IS THAT?

the shoes were relatively easy to find- i went to a few shops with no luck and then half-heartedly wandered into aldo and found these amazing strappy black wedges for under $100 bucks and knew they were what i needed- perfect to add the finishing touches on my balmain inspired look. plus super super comfortable.

the event itself was a whirlwind- an open bar and LA's finest were the highlights of the party set at a rooftop bar on sunset boulevard with a panoramic view of los angeles. i almost bumped into rachel zoe and am pretty sure she was chatting with jessica simpson. they're all so small...

oh, and...

I GOT AN APARTMENT IN ECHO PARK!! i move in a matter of days. so much packing to do. can't wait to be back in LA... i've lived there on and off for 5 years and it never fails to feel like home. photos of my magical garden studio cottage in the echo park hills will be posted tomorrow... :)

xx

SWAP MEET SUNDAY

1. laura at FRENCH QUARTER MARKET. yum yum yum.

2. demolished french toast.

3. jewelssssss...

4. bookssssss...

5. laura proudly carrying her nagel print.

6. contemplating jewelry.

7. walkin' out.

8. me + nagel print.

9. palm.

10. the nicest cats are in atwater.

11. MEOW!

tonight's the night...! off to get my hair fixed up.

xx

los angeles point and shoot.

i keep forgetting to take photos while i'm here. sometimes i like NOT photographing every second of my life, though. as a blogger, i feel like it's almost mandatory. these are just a few blurry and quick shots from my trip thus far.

1. laura in ralph's after caribou/toro y moi. the drunk walk home was equally as fun as the show.

2. me. at opening ceremony. holding the alexander wang diego bag. not wanting to put it down. EVER.

3. laura walking home after an extremely long day of shopping for LG event dresses with no luck.

4. adam's ridiculously organized closet.

5. LA sunrise. the best part of getting home at 6am.

xx

ETSY SELLER FEATURE: LOLA ALEXANDER

i instantly fell in love with her shop after viewing the "Punky Pink Asymmetrical Sheer Tunic". how perfect is that piece to play with over summer? layered over almost anything, it's so versatile and unique. i actually just purchased it- couldn't resist. be sure to check out the rest of her stuff, it's the perfect combination of girly goth. and to top it off, she works out of los angeles. local love.

LOLA ALEXANDER

also, a piece from my shop was featured in the Gold, White and Goth Treasury which has some amazing stuff!

check it out HERE

BAG DUMP/TRAIL BLAZER

bag dump, featuring my new psychedelic spiral tote from the caribou show. i'm in LOVE with it. UO wallet, no name sunnies, sephora coral lipstick, turquoise pendant from mexico, "We're Pet Lovers" pen, point n' shoot cam, body butter, forever 21 double finger cross ring, and a flyer for upcoming shows (cocorosie!)

alright, can you guess where these are from? they are pretty legit, right?

FOREVER 21. $4.80. they were almost sold out but laura and i had the sales girl practically dump out all of the jewelry bowls to find size 7.

*shots from a disarming darling shoot- wearing a vintage floral jacket which is up for sale, vintage guess shorts, american apparel grey tank, nine west black boots, and a chunky anthropologie bead necklace.

yet another fun filled day of dress shopping and apartment hunting. it's so incredible to have so many days off in a row... i'm definitely feeling recharged and so inspired... can't wait to share some big news in the next week or two!

SHOP VINTAGE

xx

english breakfast

oh man, i’m nursing a horrendous hangover (with english breakfast tea, hence the title), but it was so so worth it. caribou was AMAZING last night and i had one of the best talks of my life with my amazing friend laura- so many exciting things are in store with a potential new vintage shop in the works(!!!!!!). today will be spent apartment hunting in los angeles and searching for the perfect dress for the LG event on monday. too many exciting things happening!

wearing: vintage yellow and black kimono sleeve dress, vintage belt, DIY scarf turban, f21 lace up boots.

this dress is up for grabs at disarming darling vintage- it’s a real beauty!!

SHOP VINTAGE

xx

silky

this is my new favorite item of clothing- a handmade dress i traded for. it's from the lovely Sin In Scorpio Vintage shop, and she happens to live right down the street from me so it worked out perfectly! i traded the gothic mesh V neck dress that i posted a couple days ago- so worth it, i'll wear this dress a TON. i absolutely love the fabric and the color- it reminds me of those american apparel halter dresses that came out awhile back- looks like almost the exact same fabric. i love how it looks with this aqua blue color i happened to have a lot of (belt, nails, rings, necklace). i'm pretty sure i will be wearing this dress tonight while i'm seeing TORO Y MOI AND CARIBOU in los angeles! speaking of which, i must go back... very behind schedule and not even close to being packed. i'm definitely one of those girls who brings 17 suitcases on an overnight trip.

added amaaaazing new dresses to the shop last night!

SHOP DISARMING DARLING VINTAGE

xx

odessa

i’ve had this skirt FOREVER and have actually never worn it… i found it at a vintage shop in LA years ago and for some reason it’s been one of those pieces that you always try on and then change out of at the last minute before running out the door. i’ve worn in twice in the past week- i’ve finally discovered that i do in fact love it and it needs to be worn. i especially love it when paired with big chunky black boots. as you’ve probably noticed, i’m not really a “girly girl”. it’s hard for me to wear head to toe cutsie outfits, so i have to add in an edge somewhere to make it feel like ME. also added the thick black belt and a black obsidian necklace to keep the theme going. i think this vintage shirt is so rad- it has a slit up the back which i think makes the entire shirt so interesting. it’s up for grabs at disarming darling vintage!

check out the necklace i purchased last night. i'm sure you all know of the blog Sea of Shoes, and her mom's blog Atlantis Home. well, this necklace is from their online vintage shop. i have been looking for a crazy fish necklace for quite some time now- i'm completely obsessed with fish (my first tattoo was of a koi fish- on hollywood boulevard whilst free bird was playing on the radio. always have to throw in that awesome detail.) so... i'm really stoked on it and i can't wait to get it!!!

i have so much new vintage to photograph. gonna try to do that today before work, and then i must PACK for LA tomorrow!!!! can't wait.

shop disarming darling vintage

xx