Primrose Floral

 

Who here has been having a real hard time finding the energy to put on an outfit everyday?  As someone who works from home and assists in Bianca's home learning, I rarely have an actual reason to get out of sweatpants.  When the pandemic started almost a year ago, I was much better at putting on makeup and getting dressed.  But you know, it's been an entire year and I'm just so *tired* these days.  Sometimes I'll get a fun package and it actually motivates me to leave my cocoon as a beautiful butterfly.  I can thank Made590 and this gorgeous Rayna dress for finding that motivation for these photos!

Dress- Made590

Belt- from another dress

Shoes- Chelsea Crew

Lipstick- c/o Besame Cosmetics in Portrait Peach

The Rayna dress is a brand new style for me.  I'm a sucker for their Valentina skirt but I decided to give this dress a try.  Rayna features wide straps, a fitted bodice with a shirred panel in the back, and a midi length skirt with a tiered ruffle at the bottom.  Fair warning: this dress has TONS of stretch!  I'm a pretty straightforward size small in most clothing and I take a size XXS in this dress.  The shirred elastic back has so much give and the waist is quite loose, so I would definitely recommend sizing down one from your normal size (I usually take an XS in Made590 dresses).  I love how easy it is to wear this dress, you can just throw it on and instantly feel gorgeous.  True story: my husband went out of his way to compliment this outfit before I left.  While the Rayna dress is currently sold out in Primrose Floral print, you can find the Rayna in other prints HERE and the rest of the Primrose Floral collection HERE.

While my days seem like an endless loop recently, I definitely look forward to Fridays when I get to watch a new WandaVision episode.  Who else loves this show as much as Bianca and I do?  What are you doing to get through these hard times?  Let me know in the comments if you feel inclined and I hope you're doing as best you can right now.

xoxo

Ashley

Gingham Dream

 

I know we're still in February but I'm ready for some spring outfits! The flowers are already starting to bloom here, which means that our weather will soon be ready for sleeveless ensembles (and I can get back to my vast collection of straw hats). Gingham prints are something that will forever remind me of spring and summer so I jumped on this Dream Sister Jane dress the moment they released it!  You can read more about this UK based company and this fantastic dress below.

Dress- Sister Jane via ShopBop

Shoes- Diego's

Hat- Amazon (similar)

Lipstick- Besame Cosmetics in Portrait Peach

Sister Jane has been an obsession of mine for quite some time.  They understand a statement collar, fine and intricate details, and a big puffy sleeve.  Basically, they produce everything I love about fashion.  They release quite a few collections a year and each collection has a DREAM edit.  The DREAM edits are usually more ethereal, have show stopping fabrics and silhouettes, and come with a higher price tag.  This gingham midi dress is a part of their newest collection, The Grand Carousel, and you can find it in the DREAM area of that collection.  I hope I'm still making sense over here!

This dress has an empire waistline, ruffly sleeves, black velvet piping on the bodice, and the most twirl-worthy tiered skirt.  I'm wearing a size small, which is the perfect fit.  Sister Jane tends to run small (I tend to fall between a small and a medium due to my bust) but I've learned that the more flowy dresses tend to have more room in the bodice.  If you're not into midi lengths, this dress also comes in a shorter version in a red gingham.  Overall, I'm super happy with this dress and I'm trying my best to be good and not order more from this collection!  While Sister Jane does ship from the UK, you can also find their clothing at ASOS, ShopBop and Ban.do here in the USA.

Are you ready for spring yet?  I know most of the country is dealing with some freezing temps so I'm going to assume that we're all ready for some sun.  I think we've all been cooped up in our homes for so long and a nice, sunny day is the least we can ask for!

xoxo

Ashley

Sweetheart Roses

 

Valentine's Day is one of my favorite "holidays".  It's funny because Kevin and I don't actually celebrate it (other than maybe exchanging cards sometimes) but I love the idea of wearing Valentine's inspired looks.  Last year I had a pretty extensive series dedicated to the season of love but this year I had to scale it down a lot due to lack of time and.. you know... the pandemic. One of my favorite Aussie brands, Made590, just re-released their Sweetheart Roses collection and I was lucky enough to snag one of my favorite pieces!  The Valentina skirt is a very special piece (I have several in my closet) and I love that I finally own this skirt in one of my all-time favorite prints.

Top- Target

Skirt- Made590

Shoes- Swedish Hasbeens

Hat- Unique Vintage (similar)

Lipstick- Sephora Collection Cream Lip Stain in Always Red

The Sweetheart Roses print was illustrated by the talented Kirbee Lawler and reprinted in this punchy pink hue and a dark navy.  While I chose the Valentina skirt, they also offered their fan-favorite Rayna and Saski dresses.  The Valentina is a totally adjustable wrap skirt that features front pockets and a tie closure.  While I can fit in many sizes in this skirt, I choose to order up to a medium so I have lots of hip room.  I'm closing the skirt on the smallest button and tying it to cinch my waist properly, but if you have smaller hips than I do, you can easily order your usual skirt size.  Made590 is a small woman owned business that makes their products in sizes XXS-4X.  They're inclusive, ethical, and make some super cute clothing!  While most of the Sweetheart Roses collection has sold out, you can still find some sizes in this skirt and a full size range of the Saski dress.  Click HERE to view the collection!

We decided to dedicate this Valentine's Day to showering Bianca with all the love.  She's really struggling with being at home for almost a year now and we feel like she deserves a day of recognition.  Kevin and I just celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary last week and it's Kevin's birthday next week so honestly, it's a nice break!  We ordered some of her favorite toys, I'm going to make her favorite breakfast in a heart theme, and we're going to let her make all the decisions for the day.  What are your plans for Valentine's Day?  Let me know in the comments below!

xoxo

Ashley

California Winter

 

Welcome to 2021! My blog has been a bit of a ghost town due to lots of things (distance learning with Bianca, working part time, and general Covid-19 restrictions) but I can assure you that my love for this space has not wavered.  Next month is my blog's ten year anniversary and I'm just so proud of how far it's come! This Unique Vintage dress was the perfect way to kick off this momentous year.  I've been shopping with UV for over a decade and I even worked for them briefly after I gave birth to Bianca.  They always have an unlimited amount of cute vintage inspired outfits and they've just launched their huge Valentine's Day collection.  I'm starting to feel the love too, if you couldn't tell from my outfit!

Dress- c/o Unique Vintage (on sale!)

Shoes- Strange Cvlt

Beret- Unique Vintage

Tights- Target

This classic cut plaid dress is made from a super soft, slightly stretchy material.  It's definitely on the warmer side, but let's remember that I live in a hot climate so take that with a grain of salt.  It's super light and perfect for twirling!  I love the long zipper in back, it's super easy to just put on and go.  I only wish it had pockets.  Can we all agree that every swing dress needs pockets?  Right now it's on sale for under $50 and it comes in a few colors, so make sure to grab yours while you can!

While we had a few cool weeks here (and even one day of rain!), we're back to the warm 80 degree temps and I am ready to "enjoy" that from home.  As many of you know, Los Angeles is a hot spot for the Coronavirus so going out is really frowned upon right now.  My family and I have managed to stay healthy this far, hopefully we can maintain that until everything is finally under control.  Until then, I'll be working on fun Valentine's Day content from home.  Make sure to follow me on Instagram to get all my updates (I'm much more active there).

xoxo

Ashley

Winter Jasmine

 

Christmas is almost here and I'm pretty excited!  I know 2020 has been nothing short of a dumpster fire, but I've done my best to make sure that my family enjoys the end of this tumultuous year.  Presents are secured, Santa gifts are hiding in our closet, and Christmas dinner is (mostly) planned.  I even treated myself to a gorgeous Christmas dress!  I've been coveting something from Selkie for some time and I finally snagged the dress of my dreams: the Winter Jasmine French Puff dress.  It's luxurious, twirl worthy, and a little bit spooky.  Basically, everything I want in a dress.

Dress- Selkie

Shoes- Amazon

Headband- Nordstrom (similar)

Lipstick- Sephora Collection Cream Lip Stain in Glowing Beige

Selkie is a woman-owned startup that specializes in etherial, romantic designs.  The size range for their products is XXS-5X and they produce their garments with an ethical Chinese manufacturer. The French Puff is a longer version of their original Puff dress, which is perfect for me.  While many of their puff dresses are made in organza, this dress is a soft cotton fabric.  I love the puff sleeves and the massive skirt sweep!  I'm wearing a size small in this dress, but I'm usually a size medium in their organza dresses. This one definitely runs large due to the cotton fabric, so size down one from the size chart if you're looking into a cotton puff dress.  I love this dress so much and I can't wait to add more Selkie dresses to my collection!

I know it's been such an odd year but hope you have a wonderful holiday season!  This year has been challenging for me and honestly, I'm still looking to get some solid ground under my feet.  But I'm really thankful for all the time I've had with my family and I'm looking forward to some normalcy in 2021!

xoxo

Ashley