Newport Beach

floral top and shoes, F21; sweater, H&M; sunglasses, vintage Christian Dior I'm sick. But I'm in class. Pictures from Newport Beach when we went whale-watching a few weeks back. Didn't see any Sea World equivalent whales, but did see a million dolphins. It got pretty chilly so had to sit inside for a while... Good thing I took an extra sweater. Afterwards, went to the "anti-mall" on a friend's recommendation and had one of the best meals ever at Habana. Definitely need to do both AGAIN. Welcome to Fall. Summer is sadly officially in the past. I guess this gnarly cold I caught is in commemoration of the change in season.

Fashion Night Out Photos - Robertson Blvd.

top, shorts, necklace, LF Stores; shoes, Dolce Vita Fashion Night Out was pure genius, what's better than getting tipsy, eating yummy free food, and looking at pretty clothes. After getting valet equivalent street parking, I was initially taken aback by the scantilly clad girls dancing in the Rock and Republic window on Robertson. Then we quickly went into Ralph Lauren due to the alluring glasses of champagne. Realizing the 3.1 Phillip Lim party was farther from the main Robertson Blvd. shops than anticipated, we grabbed some gin and tonics from Reiss, and began walking. D&G had their much talked about Naomi Campbell t-shirts on display and of course, we had to snap photos of Chanel's window. Finally arriving at the Phillip Lim party, we got free CoolHaus ice cream (in the running for one of the best in LA- I got the coffee toffee flavor with chocolate chip cookie and the bf got the labrusco with oatmeal cookie; both were good) and stood in the line to get some specialty drinks with Patron as the foundational alcohol. Once Mr. Lim arrived, he was unsurprisingly the most attention grabbingly dressed, down to the lipstick and shoes, and was at the party for less time than probably 1/4 of the time it took him to get ready for it. Ultimately, my feet hurt from all the standing, walking, and gawking... but it was a blast. As always, my tipsy bf didn't complain about following me around, especially since the drinks were complimentary. He might have had slightly more fun than I did. Good times.

My Hometown Paradiso Ice Cream

top, Nation Ltd; headpiece, Melrose/Fairfax Flea Market Another ice cream post. After two more subsequent posts regarding ice cream, I will be able to make a substantial experienced conclusion on the best ice cream joint in Los Angeles. Paradiso is located in the heart of Montrose (Montrose shopping park area). Scandinavian ice cream. It failed to really meet my expectations for a few reasons that may not apply to others in evaluating ice cream. It was slightly melty (gelato-like) which I'm not a big fan of. I like my ice cream firm (like plastic spoon bending hard). The flavors were creative, but doesn't have the kick and striking flavor that I enjoy. The sweetness is pretty mild. So, I think this ice cream appeals to maybe my grandma's generation... They seem to hate things that are too sweet. This top is from the Nation Ltd sample sale and is super comfy; perfect for warm summers... which is apparently pretty much over? Oh, and please do not bypass your attention on the slighty blurry yet proudly self-painted animal print nails. :)

Santa Monica Place and Anticipating FNO

vintage Christian Dior sunglasses; top, Nordstrom; jeans, f21 A few weeks back, I excitedly checked out the new mall at the end of 3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica Place. Finding parking almost drove us nuts compared the usual fairly decent timing of getting parking spot. It was unsurprisingly utterly crowded. I quietly snaked  my way around the tons of people, wearing my new fave sunglasses that I scored at a flea market sale at Space 15Twenty in Hollywood, to see the shaded escalators, the dj rocking some tunes with noone paying attention, car sweepstakes, and food court, without absolutely nothing that appealed to my tastebuds despite the hunger. There was a display of decorated mannequins which was submitted as a contest by art students that may have been the most interesting thing to see compared to everything else. Still, I guess it's worth going and doing some shopping if you're in the area anyway. In light of shopping, tomorrow night is Fashion Night Out ("FNO"- cmon gotta be hip) in Los Angeles, hosted by Mayor Villargosa... My first stop is at 3.1 Phillip Lim on Robertson... hoping to score some free truck food and tequila and get a first-hand look at how they will place a huge ferris wheel in the middle of Rodeo Drive. Still trying to conjure up the perfect outfit to adhere to the suddenly drop in temperature while maintaining my mobility in comfortable shoes and not-so-thick clothing. If you have yet to make plans for Friday night, you should plan on exploring these participating areas...  Abbot Kinney, Los Feliz, Melrose, Robertson Blvd, or West Third Street.

Photographing Photographs

caged sandals, UO; dress, bag About two weeks ago, I chased a Lomography photographer's sample sale. Waking up early on a Saturday morning, I hit up the caffeine shack (venti soy latte) and headed to WeHo. To be honest, slightly disappointed at what they offered and had for sale. I didn't realized the whole place would be solely dedicated to Lomography brand items (fish lens camera, underwater cameras, etc). I guess it's fun and cute to carry around but more for collectors than actual photographers, in my humble lack of knowledge opinion. Still, the decor and design of the store was super pretty and well arranged that I couldn't help taking a bunch of photos.

Huntington Library - Second Half

dress, my sisters; jacket, h&m So here's the second half of my Huntington Library photo overload. I'm pretty sure the second photo is the location where the fight scene from IronMan 2 was shot. I'm actually still stuck in Labor Day weekend mode... Even though I didn't do much apart from some semi-embarrassing hours of SC2 and a trip out to Newport Beach to do some whale-watching... without actually seeing any whales. Lots of dolphins though. Pictures to come. On a sidenote, vote for my friend Alice here. Everyone I know surely connects her with being an amazing artist... She entered a contest to draw and create some cute outfits for a "fuzzy fashionista" (fashion-forward cartoon drawing). Alice is letter B for the vote!

Huntington Library - First Half

top, Primark; shorts, F21; shoes, converse I finally managed to upload the photos from Huntington Library... My motive was to make sure to see the lotus flowers that I missed when I went the year prior. It is as serene and gorgeous as the pictures make it out to be. If you have a student id, it'll cost you ten dollars (twenty without) to trek around, but I guarantee you won't be disappointed. Make sure to take a camera. I would suggest eating at Boiling Crab or Lee's Sandwiches which are right nearby either before or after. After being highly amused with the way the ducks were plunging their heads in the water, one finally came out of the water to taunt me. I'll post some more pictures if these alone haven't enticed your interest. I have nothing planned for Labor Day weekend despite the fact that I was counting down the days for the long weekend... any ideas?