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5.30.2018

Another Daily

I've been focusing more on my capsule than ever.  My wish list for seasonal treats, has been minimized to accessories only.  Special things to go with my everyday style.
Goodness, there is so much fashion all around us!  It's incredibly inspiring.  And then crippling in a way, from overwhelm.
And especially after big sales like this past Memorial Day weekend, it's tempting for even a seasoned minimalist like myself to buy things just because they're fun and financially within my grasp.

But I must stay true... to what is true and meaningful.  And I truly love having only what I absolutely love and need.  For everyday!  
This kind of lifestyle often means rarely springing for sales, as well as watching the daily plethora of promotions I get hit with every morning come and go.  And I enjoy it.  I've grown well-accustomed to browsing and feasting on eye-candy.  And then being done with it.  My Tiny gem of a closet is a product of that.  And for the record, I never considered it a "capsule" until the word became popular and I found that it best described my wardrobe.  But really, it's just...my closet.

Anyway, I've grown an allegiance to what you could call a minimalist lifestyle partly due to the type of person I am, and also because of my daily routine.

These photos show me on one of the shoots I directed during the week for my clothing line.  Since I do roughly the same things every single day - and many times, I do the same things at even the same time everyday, I am a creature of habit, so my collection of clothing definitely reflects that.  

Everything in my life, from my closet to my head to my heart has a place, and I get better everyday at cutting out the rest.  I want to make as little decisions as possible on the daily stuff and have more room for making the big juicy interesting decisions that take more time and energy so...
I guess this has made me a minimalist.  

This piece, a fabulous deep-v tunic is part of my daily look.  Like all the time, ha.  It's also part of The Capsule line where all of the items are available year-round...  Because I wear them year-round.  
We all have items in our closet that are go-tos all year long.  I think a closet is better if it has that quality.
 Because maybe you have a pretty routine day-to-day yourself and isn't it so nice to be able to grab a fabulous outfit everyday that always works for you, and always makes you feel fabulous?  I think it is anyway.  So here's another daily look for ya.  I don't change them much but I do love indulging in making them look even better.

Do you love your daily wear?
Thank you for visiting and reading!  See you next week for another capsule look :)

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5.24.2018

Daily

It has been so dark and gray in L.A. lately.  A perfect backdrop to my routine reflection and contemplation.  Blah.

Right about now in the year, I'm pausing.  It'll be my birthday in a couple days and like clockwork, I am turning contemplative and yearning for change.  Or just a bright sunny day, as it's the time of Gray May.  But being from sunny Southern Cal, I have my pick of the sunny days so I'll stop complaining. 

I'm needing new vibes is all.  New surroundings to engage myself!  
It's odd because I don't really crave that in my wardrobe.  Different outfits everyday.  New colors, new looks - Nah, you can keep it.  I guess that's why a 28-piece capsule works so well for me.  This ensemble is part of that of course.  And I get a kick out of wearing each piece daily because I know I'll always look and feel great in them.  I am confident in my wardrobe and enthusiastic in evolving it.

But around this time of year, I don't feel so confident.
My birthday always finds me assessing my journey so far in life, trying to congratulate myself on my work without glaring too hard at the many things I procrastinated on.  But mostly, every birthday, I find myself still waiting for something. 

Does this happen to you?  Do you ever feel like you're waiting?
Maybe I'm waiting on that mythical moment where I can put up my feet and relax because I'm finally here!  Hey there, adulthood!  Hey there, life, I'm here and I'm crushing it!  I really want to say that.  

Or maybe I'm waiting for that adventure of a lifetime.  The kind of epic adventure where I'm so in the moment, I forget time exists and I'm so hysterically caught up in life that I'm not worried about paying rent or if I fed the dog.  

Or maybe I'm waiting for the big game-changing break in my career where I feel like my hard work has truly paid off and I'm really making a difference. 
But those things have already happened in my life.  A few times actually.  Yet, I'm still waiting.

I really am happy to be turning 35.  Ok I just wrote that and realized I'm definitely not.  Fine, so I'm not that happy to be turning 35!  

But I'm not pursing my lips at the vanity of age.  It's the fact that I don't really know what I want out of life.  
Clearly, I'm waiting for something to come along though.

My clothing, my mastery of my personal style has helped me see who I am over the years.  I've focused so hard on the art of getting dressed, building and mastering a closet I love.  I think I need to focus on how to build and curate a life that I love.  

I read somewhere, "What would your 86 year old self tell you now?"  I think she'd tell me to take more breaks, spend more time with friends and be easier on myself.  I'll start with that.

Hope you enjoy the Memorial weekend and join me next Thursday for a new post!

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5.10.2018

Style After Style: A Little Yellow Dress

Remember this little yellow knit dress?  I wore it at the crisp beginning of  Spring - probably the first yellow dress I've ever worn.   Designed for The Tiny Closet Shop, this midi dress was meant to be quite versatile and go with any foundational wardrobe.
Anyway, instead of a trench and white woven block heels, I decided to spice it up for the sake of restyling inspiration: a fun fresh white mud cloth open coat and black simple strap heeled sandals.
This particular ensemble isn't something I'd wear - it's not quite me but I couldn't help but take photos of it when I thought up the pairings.  It reminds me of something fun to wear on a girls trip or out to lunch.  And I do this a lot actually, these types of out-of-my-zone stylings.  The habit keeps my brain and ideas fresh and ready to experiment with anything.  Why is that helpful?

Well, for me personally, since I design clothing for other women, it keeps me thinking about all the different possibilities of styling and designing and not just sticking to my own comforts, which is limiting over time.   Experimentation, dress up sessions, are also helpful for finding one's own personal style.  Or igniting a spark of new ideas with an old wardrobe.

Take your clothes and just try on everything with everything else!  

You'd be surprised at all the fantastic outfits that can be put together when you come at styling from a different, unfamiliar angle.  That's what my Style After Style series is all about.
This is the last one (for now) of my Style After Style series.  I will probably start up a new one again in Fall or Winter.  I love taking seasonal pieces and crossing them over to other seasons.  So I hope you enjoyed these posts dedicated to restyling one's own wardrobe!

You can get this midi dress (The Hostess) in "limoncello" at The Tiny Closet Shop!  

And you can also join me again next Thursday for an all new look as I push willingly into... new Summer styles!
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5.03.2018

Style After Style: Rugged Femininity

Obviously I've worn these rugged jeans a million and one times but I wanted to highlight these two instances, these two above ensembles to show the range of my favorite denims!
I never wear a cropped top with harem pants of any kind, especially with these drop-crotch jeans.  I always thought it looked terribly unflattering.  Buuuuut, I recently designed (what I think to be) a gorgeous top and, in its newest color: femme-y lavender, I decided to pair this cropped top with the most rugged, worn denim I could think of.
And whadya know, I quite liked how it turned out.  
Definitely not an outfit I would wear daily (I do not typically show tummy skin - not even at the beach, humph!) but for a party, or a couple drinks with friends in a crowded bar, this outfit will do nicely.  I feel like a lady, but rugged enough to not feel frou frou...  Because lavender is most certainly frou frou to me.  Pretty much any pastel is, in my opinion.  But shame on me because with styling and intuition, you can make anything look the way you want it to look, no matter how solidified its pre-existing reputation.
Anyway, this was another fun "Style After Style" feature.  And actually, this series is the nuts and bolts of The Tiny Closet!  This is what my lifestyle is all about.  Taking the clothing you have, honoring what you buy and really utilizing it for your daily style as artfully and thoughtfully as possible.

Hope you enjoyed this round and come visit me again next Thursday for an all new post! 
Aaaaand if you're curious, this top above is available to shop in The Tiny Closet!  It's a new fave and limited in the fabulous lavender hue you see.  So... shop it now while you can!
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