Ode to California

This year has been a whirlwind of emotion. My time at school with California has been amazing; I've had so many fantastic trips with my friends, eaten the tastiest food, taken great classes, and enjoyed gorgeous weather. However I have been constantly missing New York and jumping on a plane back here every chance I get. With the school year's end, I've decided that I probably won't be returning to California in the fall and will instead be attending my dream school in New York (woo woo!) Saying goodbye to L.A., my school and my best friends was heartbreaking, however I know I will be back!

Crudités at True Food Kitchen

Scripps' gorgeous rose garden

palm tree shorts from F21, how ~cali~ of me

Mao's Chinese food noms

A healthy and delicious Mediterranean meal in Disneyland ?!

My absolute best friends. Couldn't ask for better <3 font="">

LEMONADE, aka a must-go in L.A.

California Adventure Park at Disneyland :)

McDonald's kiddie cone in a short suit with my BFF :)

sea bass yumminess at True Food Kitchen

Stepping Out In Color

I'll admit, color is something that really truly scares me. I'm not afraid of the occasional pop of color or loud print, but more than one bright color really drags me out of my comfort zone. However, this outfit was a serious leap outside of my comfort zone, exhibiting absolutely no signs of black/grey/dark anything. Maybe this is me turning over a new fashion leaf and embracing color...just in time for the monochrome trend (haha)!

 shirt- Zara // shorts- Zara // bag- Rebecca Minkoff // shoes- ALDO // sunglasses- Ray Bans

& my two best friends Izzy and Sabrina

Instagram Diaries: Spring in LA

[R to L]: 1. my crazy Zara/Topshop haul that I accumulated when I was let loose at The Grove for an hour ; 2. my new denim Topshop dress ; 3. blueberry yogurt with fresh berries, nomnomnom ; 4. Napa Cabbage Salad with shrimp at Lyfe Kitchen ; 5. My new floral hair clips from Roses & Clementines ; 6. my new Aldo Wanette shoes. I need this in every color possible.

These are just a couple of snaps from the last few weeks! Follow me on instagram at ava_tallulah to see more of my occasionally exciting life!

The Sandal Saga

I have been literally stalking these shoes online for about a month now. They were sold out on ASOS and ALDO for ages, but finally I caught them back in stock at the right moment and snatched up a pair. They're the perfect "chunky" shoe for spring/summer! Now I just need to get them in black...

shirt- Free People // bra- Urban Outfitters // jeans- BDG via Urban Outfitters // shoes- Aldo 

What's one item you've been dying to purchase for a while?

Channeling Floral

It may be springtime in California but I needed to get in one last winter look (granted, it has a spring twist) before the desert became too scorching for me to even look at tights and boots without feeling faint. After all, you guys know how I love my black on black on black looks. It's curious to me that I can go from wearing tights one day to almost dying of heat exhaustion in nothing but overalls and a bandeau the next--California, whaaaaa is going on?!

I snatched up this dress for $10 during the Urban Outfitters Black Friday sale, and even though it has since shrunk in the dryer and is now strangely asymmetrical, I kind of like it even more. 

dress- Urban Outfitters // bomber jacket- H&M // boots- Steve Madden

Chunky Chaser

If you've been following my blog for a while then you'll know that 80% of the shoes I own have some sort of chunky heel or platform. Being the petite 5ft 1 and a half that I am, I need all the extra height that I can get. 

An issue I run into every summer is the fact that most sandals tend to be flat and uncomfortable or way too high for my day to day jaunts around New York. Due to this predicament I pretty much resulted to wearing my flatform Dolce Vitas every single day last summer. However summer trends appear to be on my side this year as the chunky anti-dainty sandal seems to be very much on trend. I thought I'd share with you guys some of my favorites incase you too are short or just like a good clunky shoes:

[Jeffrey Campbell Larsen Platform Sandal]

[Liza Studded Sandal]

[ALDO Wanette]

[Swedish Hasbeens Sweet T-Strap Sandal]

[Vagabond Dioon Strap Heeled Sandal]

[Marques'Almeida Chunky Heel Sole Sandal]

I've ordered the ALDO Wanette sandals but I can't promise that will be my last chunky sandal purchase for this spring/summer. 

Also if you're interested in finding out the other trends I'm digging this spring/summer season check out this article I wrote!

Festival Ready

Coachella is in full swing and although I wasn't such a fun of the line up this year, I am beginning to regret not going just for the experience. Although I am lamenting my Coachella 2013 adventure that will never be I haven't let that stop me from bringing out the festival garb. These floral hairclips that I received from my friend Rachael who runs Roses and Clementines are perfect for the music festival season. The shop sells a whole variety of festival-appropriate floral headpieces so even when you're not traipsing around a muddy field you can still embody that same carefree festival spirit (on your head at least).

crop top- ASOS // skirt- American Apparel // sandals- Birkenstocks // hair clips- c/o Roses and Clementines 

New Specs

I spotted these babies while I was home in New York and just couldn't walk away. I have never had a nice pair of glasses so therefore very few people even thought that I need them (desperately) since I wear contact lenses everyday. However now that I have these gorgeous Prada glasses in my life you'll definitely see me parading my bad eyesight much much more.

Bring Out Your Whites

This dress is my new obsession and it's not just because it's my newest Alexander Wang piece.

I always have a hard time finding spring and summer dresses I like. I think it's because my style isn't particularly girly and I don't really like wearing anything too tight either. This dress is ideal because it's oversized and basic yet it can be styled in a multitude of ways. 

dress- T by Alexander Wang // belt- BDG // sunglasses- Ray-Bans // shoes- Dolce Vita // bracelet- bought in Thailand // watch- Marc Jacobs // necklace- Maya Brenner

(Alexander Wang should really start sponsoring me... *nudge nudge*)

Repurposing

I'm a firm believer in not splurging on pieces that you're only going to wear once. When I was searching for a graduation dress I knew I wanted something that could transition into my day-to-day life. I knew this Topshop dress would serve that purpose as it has a fun and flirty shape, print, and color that can be dressed either up or down. 

dress- Topshop // shoes- Topshop // bag- Rebecca Minkoff // sunglasses- Ray-Bans // watch- Marc Jacobs