"When the sun starts sinking on your beautiful soul."

C & C California top. C & C California cardigan. People's Liberation jacket.
Aerie dress [worn as skirt]. Hot Sox tights. Sperry rain boots. 

Being able to incorporate rain boots into fashion comes in quite handy when you live in the Pacific Northwest.  On days when I really want to avoid puddles, I throw on my Sperry rain boots (find similar ones here).  Not only are they black--making them really versatile, warm (they're lined on the inside), they are also wedges--making them more fashionable than the average pair of rain boots.  On the downside, they are not as comfortable as they are versatile, warm, and fashionable; I couldn't wear them all day unfortunately.  However, if you're only going out for a few hours and don't want to risk puddles and splashage (no, that's not a real word), I completely recommend these.  They are perfect for being stylish and practical.  I give them a 4/5.

I finally got around to watching Eat, Pray, Love and really liked it.  I'm going to point out the obvious here and say that Julia Roberts is an amazing actress in this memoir-turned-book.  She did a good job depicting Liz, a woman struggling through her life, trying to find both meaning and balance.  The movie was both relatable and inspiring to me.  The scenery is also astounding and makes you want to follow in Liz's footsteps and travel to those places.  It's amazing the amount of courage Liz Gilbert had to drop everything and leave in search of change.  I give the movie a 4/5 contrary to most other reviews I read.  I think most people were dissatisfied with how the movie depicted Liz's journey in comparison to the book, and I am definitely inspired to go read the book--which might change my rating, but we'll see!


Don 't forget to enter my giveaway!! 

The giveaway will be closed 11:59PM (PST) Monday, January 31st!  Follow me on here (via Google Friend Connect), Twitter, Bloglovin', or Facebook and just let me know where you're following me.  Each place is worth one entry--follow me on all places for 4 chances to win!



-S


P.S. Have you hugged a tree today?  :o)

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"Had a feeling that it would be a day like this."

My new Juicy Couture dress!  Eva Longoria [Parker] has the same Dahlias Print Tiered Ruffle Slip Dress, only hers is in blue.  While the dress can be easily dressed up, I--like Eva--opted to keep it causal.  

Juicy Couture dress. Handmade headband. Juicy Couture necklace. Guess watch.
Marc Jacobs & House of Harlow rings. Linea Pelle bracelet. Melissa shoes.

I will take advantage of any fall day here that isn't pouring down rain!  I often feel like I'm not cut out for the Pacific Northwest.  I hate the nonstop rain for starters.  I can tolerate a bit of rain here and there, but when it rains the majority of the time, I'm not so thrilled by it.  I've also felt like I'm more of a city girl.  Maybe L.A. is where I need to be?  Maybe.  As book smart as I may be, I don't think I'm all that street smart.  Still, I'm looking for a nice big city with more sunshine than rain!  I went to a job interview earlier last week, and the guy who interviewed me told me I seemed more "East Coast than West Coast" and certainly like I "wasn't such a Portlander."  (He was from New Jersey.)  I took it as a compliment in any case.

I'm starting a headband line!  The headband seen in the pictures above was actually the first headband I ever made.  More pictures soon!  I'll also start selling them in my Etsy shop as well.  

And news!  I have realized how obsolete MySpace was getting (although feel free to still visit me!) so I finally jumped on the bandwagon and got myself a Facebook.  Like me!  :o)

"You know me, in anticipation for precipitation."

Juicy Couture top. Joe's Jeans. Coach bag. House of Harlow earrings. Zigi Soho boots.

Quite unfortunately for me (and every other non-outdoorsy person around here), the end of summer in the Pacific Northwest means rain for the next 8 months...

Here are my Zigi boots again!  You may be seeing them quite often.  I think I had a Zigi-Soho-boot-wearing-hiatus during these last few months.  So if you missed them, here they are again!  And in case you were never introduced to these boots, see here, here, here, here, or even... here!  More often than not, these are my absolute go-to boots.

Not sure if I've said this before, but I'm a huge fan of Nicole Richie's House of Harlow jewelry line; it's hands down, one of my favorite jewelry brands.  I pretty much fell in love with these earrings after Ella Simms on "Melrose Place" (which I'm sad got canceled!) wore them!  I am still, however, currently lusting after the [Sunburst] ring to match (just one of the endless House of Harlow items I want)! 

View from heaven.

People's Liberation top. Earl jeans. Coach handbag.
Marc Jacobs cuff. Nordstrom ring. Guess watch. Report flats.



This was a great day (because what day with Starbucks is not a great day?)!  I started my day meeting up with a friend for some coffee and ended the day with a great hike at Multnomah Falls.  It was a pretty big deal because first, I am hardly [read: not] an outdoorsy person and secondly, it was my first hike ever.  It felt good though and I actually had a great time. 

I had acquired a minor foot fracture earlier in the summer from running (no, not in heels; it was real running, I promise) so to make it make all the way to the top and back was quite satisfying.  I do have to admit it was also more exciting than the 5k race I had done last week.  The scenery at Multnomah Falls is amazing which definitely inspires you to keep going.  So maybe I'll start hiking instead of running?  Who knows!  But my experience did prove the saying that you never know until you try...





I would highly recommend Multnomah Falls to anyone living or visiting the Pacific Northwest.  It's a relatively easy hike with amazing views!








P.S. Don't worry, I changed into a different outfit before I went hiking!

"West coast represent."

Michael Stars top. Joie shorts. Coach sneakers.
Cara Couture earrings. House of Harlow ring. Linea Pelle bracelets.




Remember how in a previous blog here I was going on about how I love versatile clothing items?  And more specifically, I talked about these Joie shorts being so versatile.  Well, voila!  Here they are in a casual outfit!  It's only been recently that I've moved away from being a total jeans girl to being a dress/skirts girl.  Either way, it's usually pretty rare for me to be without heels when I'm not working.  So this outfit, in its entirety, is a causal outfit.

Still, no outfit is complete without accessories!  When I'm not wearing a great pair of heels, nothing makes me more confident than great accessories.  This House of Harlow ring is probably my favorite.  I had coveted when I first saw Nicole Richie wear it in some magazine (People, perhaps?).  Meanwhile, I am still lasting for the necklace and cuff...not to mention a million other things since House of Harlow is one of my absolute favorite jewelry brands!

These sneakers are actually one of those pairs of shoes that I rarely wear.  I love them to death because not only are they lovely, they also match my Coach butterfly tote as seen awhile back here, here, here, here, and here.  (My tote is clearly also a well loved bag.)  Unfortunately, the sneakers are cloth are pretty high maintenance.  And living in the Pacific Northwest where it rains 75% of the time, I can only save them for guaranteed dry days.  But even so, I still have to be careful with them since they're white; mere specks of dirt and they would be tainted forever!

Side note, for any Juicy Couture fans like myself out there who love both couture and saving money, there's an additional 30% off sale going on!  Until September 21st, use discount code "FRIENDS" at Juicy Couture for 30% off your purchase!  As they say, go couture yourself!

"The options and possibilities."

C & C California top.  Gap cami. Converse vest. True Religion jeans.
Dâ -Nang boots. Tarina Tarantino earrings. Forever 21 ring. Coach tote.






I love, and try to take advantage of, any nice days during the Pacific Northwest winter.  Any day with 0% chance of precipitation is bliss!  I took a risk and didn't wear a jacket, choosing a vest instead; it actually kept me pretty warm throughout the day.

I am obsessed with Tarina Tarantino's Pink Head line since I have a love for Hello Kitty!  The earrings are actually not as heavy as expected.

Also obsessed with my Dâ-Nang boots!  I definitely took advantage of the 0% chance of rain to don suede boots.  Dâ-Nang's shoe collection isn't very large so I am really lucky to have those boots!

"This is the way I live."

Juicy Couture jacket. Forever 21 cami. Joe's Jeans. Marc Jacobs necklace.
Juicy Couture boots. Forever 21 ring. Swarovski earrings.  Coach tote.

I definitely can't wait for the spring (and summer of course)! I want warmer weather so I can less layers (despite how much I love layering) and embrace the endless opportunities to wear skirts and dresses. As much as tights can bring fun and sensibility into wearing skirts and dresses in the colder weather, I always feel so discouraged when the weather is gross. It is the Pacific Northwest after all! But wouldn't you be more hesitant to wear skirts with the potential of splashing rain and mud on your tights/legs? I sure am!

Thus, today's post contains pictures of a more causal outfit for a day with a high chance of rain. (Although I was a bit careless and wore my suede Juicy Couture boots without using the protective spray on them beforehand. It didn't end up pouring, but I'll definitely remember to spray them beforehand next time!)