My Humpday with a Cherry on Top...

The weekend is only two days away, a fact that for me carries a slight sense of impending doom as it also means the LSAT is only two days away (*bites nails)- So to cheer myself up I opted to celebrate my humpday with a Cherry on top- dress, that is! :) So once again, Speedy Girl's savvy finds manage to put a smile on my face.  Normally I wouldn't opt for this color but I just ADORED the cut! :) For a more professional look at the office I paired it with an ivory cardigan, however, I also wanted to depict how darling the dress is on its own :)

Invertigo in Busy Girl

Invertigo in Busy Girl

I stepped out of the shower on Sunday evening, slipped on my “Busy Girl” dress from Speedy Girl, a pair of BCBG peep-toe pumps, put my hair in a messy French twist ornate with my delicate flower hairpin gifted by Speedy Girl.  The delightful "Busy Girl" dress is carefree both in material as well as look.  It is lightweight yet elegant, and masters the "oh this old thing I threw on 30 seconds ago" look.  A buy I do not regret at all and matched the look I wanted for our evening perfectly.  Alex, being the guy he is, quickly threw on a pair of jeans, an Oakley long-sleeve, and was ready to go.   Somewhere in the primping process I lost track of time (ahem ahem), and suddenly panicked that we wouldn’t make it Downtown in time for the performance.  I will omit the various traffic laws I broke to arrive on time…

Still buzzing with the frenzy of Los Angeles Traffic, the downtown grime, the parking search hysteria, and olfactory overload we stepped into the Los Angeles Theatre Center performance space unaware of the fact that we would be transported to a completely different world.  Two female dancers and one male dancer stood onstage while forest-like noises were played overhead.  A narration on bird behavior began to play and for a moment I recognized the excitement of my eight year old self as if I were on a school fieldtrip to the zoo or nature center—However, my eight year old self never experienced this type of learning and wonder.  In a comedic yet apt manner, the dancers began to execute choreography that depicted a Bird’s courting ritual.  The movements were an odd yet delightful myriad of ronde-du-jambes, attitude turns, pencil turns, jetes, swan-like undulations, and rapid humming-bird like hand gestures.  Soon another “male bird” appeared onstage and executed an aggressive pas de deux with the first; depicting a male standoff in competition for the female’s attention.  However, this male bird dance consisted of a series of handstands, flips, lifts, and almost capoeira-like partner work between both dancers.  Once the dominant male established itself he danced victoriously with each of his female ‘lovebirds’ in a sweet, high-spirited, and perky pas de quatre.

The second piece of the evening, Fun in Limbo, however, had a completely different feel.  The choreography explored the place “where heartbreak is suspended,” as Artistic Director Laura Karlin so eloquently put it.  The first image featured dancer SaraAnne Fahey dancing with an air of nostalgia to an old record.  Just as her movement began to pick up momentum and in intensify, Fahey would stop the record and replay the same chunk, over and over again as if trying to recapture a particular moment in time or a particular emotion evoked by a certain piece of the song.  She moved melancholically from swift floor work to infinitely long extensions and melodic, floating, pirouettes.  As the piece evolved, other characters began to arrive at this “heartbreak limbo” that choreographer, Karlin, had laid created for us.  Between the pounding drum, the beautifully longing cello and the electrifying guitar, coupled with the strong, dynamic, effortless, and whistful choreography the world created onstage by Karlin was both poetic as it was familiar.  It was a feeling that we’ve all experienced; a wish to preserve something lost; something we weren’t quite ready to loose and want to cling to…For some it’s a lover, for others a dream, it might be an era, or a stage in your life; regardless of what it is it’s an old friend we’ve all encountered before.

Winding down Friday...

Alex and I hadn't had a date in quite sometime...  Between the wedding plans, out of town guests, work commitments and my studying for the LSAT we had neglected our outside the home couple time.  Thus, yesterday I decided to opt for an impromptu wine date.  I was already wearing a turquoise blue frock dress (one of my savvy finds at Saturday Mart) as it was casual Friday at the office, so I simply took down my girlish pony tail and straightened my hair, added a swarovski crystal bracelet, and Voila! I was ready to go.  After a nice relaxing italian dinner, we took a brisk yet lovely evening stroll down to Friends of the Vine in Redondo Beach.  For those of you who haven't been to Friends of the Vine, it is a lovely boutique wine lounge located in the picturesque Riviera Village of Redondo Beach.  Owned by a husband and wife dynamic team, at Friends of the Vine you may order tastings in 2oz, 4oz, or by the glass, or you may select a wine bottle sold onsite and they will happily open it for you to drink right then and there! Alex and I shared a delectable chocolate plate sorted with a variety of truffles, dark chocolate bits, and more which I paired with a Cotes du Rhone red and Alex paired with a Cabernet-Zinfandel fusion.  

We brought our lovely evening to a close by strolling back home snuggled together to shield from the chilled wind...well, more so for the sake of snuggling :P

Hump Day Bah Humbug

I awoke this morning in a frenzy; I slept through my alarm, wasn't supposed to carpool but then the Fiance informed me at 7:05am as I stepped out of my quick 3 minute shower, that he would be working in West LA today so I should still carpool with Karla which meant I had to be ready in the next 5 minutes (10 max)... I took a quick peak outside and saw that it was terribly overcast.  I grabbed a pencil skirt, black nylons, pumps and one of my new sweater finds from my Saturday excursions- quite literally threw them on and ran out the door, makeup bag in hand.... Things did not slow down upon arriving at the office.  However, in spite of the chaotic morning and gloomy emo weather, I found myself in an extremely chipper mood :) Perhaps it had something to do with my Saturday Mart find? Seriously, Ladies (and Men!) I urge you to check out Saturday Mart!!!

Here's to the Hump Day Bah Humbugs!

September Saturday Mart Shopping Excursion...

Saturday was heaven for a fashionista-bargainista like moi...Not only did I get to make a trip out to Saturday Mart, which I had been itching to do for months, but I also counted with the lovely company of my Mom.  We both are equal parts shopaholics and fab find detectives, so it suffices to say we were the proverbial children in a candy store and well, as can be expected, we went a little nuts.... However, that's the beauty of Saturday Mart...you can loose control a little and spare yourself the guilt.  Furthermore, I was able to introduce my Mom to the wonderful world of Saturday Mart, and well; she's converted. Haha. As usual, my very first stop was the Mine section where I bought an adorable maroon and navy blue polka dot chiffon blouse by Blue Bird, 2 Trench Coats; one military style in a Grey/Blue and one london mod-fashion in an ivory hue.  I found this adorable brown knitted tunic dress, perfect for the upcoming fall season.  Several sweaters that functioned for both office and casual wear found their way into my bag along with an absolutely ethereal Mine summer dress.  Yes, I realize the summer is over; however, I will not regret it when I get to begin wearing my dress in March...afterall, this Southern California.  A little yellow peasant skirt added a splash of color to my buys.  My mom found several tunic Mine shirts with adorable skinny belts :)   Mid-afternoon we met up with my fashionista conspirator, Karla for yumminess at Gigi's Cuban Bakery and Cafe  where we quite literally stuffed our faces-- As if the day wasn't perfect enough, we moosied on over to Eden Ever Bridal boutique where, drumroll please....I FOUND MY WEDDING DRESS!!!  A gorgeous french fashion inspired Essence of Australia gown that can only be described as a match made in heaven.  To complete a picture perfect outing was my trusty Speedy Girl find, "You're a Gem" mini dress, stellar in its debut :)  Below is my mini dress picture and a shot from me today on my way to work in my new Blue Bird polka dot blouse :)  I look forward to my fashionista blog growing...and I promise better images next time!

Speedy Girl: A Fashionista's Superhero Dream Come True...

Anyone who knows me is aware that one of my favorite things in the world is shopping.  However, if there's anything I love more than shopping it is thrifty shopping.  A few months back I became thrilled when I was introduced to Saturday Mart and for a while it became a privileged secret that I overly protected.  And I still love Saturday Mart, but the only problem is I don't always have time to go spend a few hours in downtown.  Which brings me to my latest find;  Speedy Girl. For those of you who don't know Speedy Girl, she possesses the most amazing power; the talent to seek out fabulous vintage chic fashions and offer them at ridiculously affordable prices for 24 hours- It's a fashionista's dream "shop-thru" experience.  The best part is that Speedy Girl uses her power to provide her fans with the perfect guiltless shopaholic fix, Monday Blues cure, or rescue from boring closet monotony.  If you haven't checked out Speedy Girl, find her on facebook or twitter and see why she's this fashionista's hero :)

As further proof; this dress which I have renamed "Ma Vie en Verte" is the perfect little number to transport me from the fast-paced insanity of Los Angeles to an epic and nostalgic romanticism period somewhere in the streets of Paris...I will gladly post more pictures soon once I actually wear it officially ;)  Thanks to Speedy Girl I have two new lovely additions to my collection---But don't take my word for it, become a Speedy Girl!  http://www.shopspeedygirl.com/