The Tiny Closet

I am after all, a minimalist to.the.core.. But I'm going to get a little dressier, this year.  A little sexier and more indulgent in the pieces that I choose to make up my seasonal capsules.  Instead of using my lifestyle to influence my clothing choices completely.  This year, I'm going to let the clothing I love influence my lifestyle as well.  Just a bit.  

Still sticking with 15-20 pieces per season, let's turn it up a notch and get dreamier with our clothing!   Less pedestrian, more opulence!  Less utility, more extravagance!  The Tiny way :)

Follow along with me as I indulge in getting back to the fun, feminine, lavish side of clothing, style and maintaining a closet you love.

I've been feeling artistically moody lately as I was mentioning earlier... feeling the misty, dark Northwest spirit.  But the weather in L.A. has been nothing but sunny clear skies and scorching, balmy heat.  What gives?  Come on, I'm trying to have broody cool vibes over here.

At least I can capture them in photos.  Even if I'm sweating under this turban.

Visit The Tiny Closet Shop to view this piece in more detail.  I'm rolling out some fantastic and fun outfits for Fall! ... If only it would start getting there.  They'll be trickling in as the weather cools.  Check back on Monday to see a brand new outfit and maybe some new ideas to help you put your Fall Capsule together!

Happy, happy Thursday to you!

bra top: Free People / skirt: Robert Rodriguez / booties: Jessica Simpson / scarf: street vendor

Lately, I've been having a lot of fun not putting attention to my hair when dressing and styling myself.  Pulled back in a sleek, low ponytail or bun, I am enjoying showing off scarves and hats instead.

Having such naturally huge hair as I do, it's very easy to forget (or feel left out of) the fun one can have with headwear.  This scarf I found on the island of Boracay in the Philippines a couple years ago.  I still adore it and it's the first time I've worn it on my head. 

Going from around my neck with a jean jacket and leggings to over my head with a lace bra top and full skirt - a simple printed scarf can literally be transformed!  Coyotes howled as I strutted through the sandy tundra haha :)

And speaking of strutting, these good ol' suede booties, I can't even count the times I've worn these trusty gals.  You can see up close here with a waterfall skirt, or with some upgraded athletic wear.  You can also check them out with one of last years holiday wear, or my amazing Bottega Veneta harem pants for a more casual styling.  

The list goes on.  The point is, these booties go with everything!  A Tiny Closet treasure.

 This exquisite skirt has sheer paneling all throughout the design, as you can probably see...  Normally, I wear a little black mini skirt underneath (you know I gotta keep it classy) but this time I let the skirt do what it was designed to do, you know?

This skirt is rather new and I've already had so much fun with it.  You can see it here with a tank, some flats and marley twists!  

Anyway, it's not usually apart of my signature style to wear head wraps or really anything on my head besides my hair but after adventuring through the desert, headwear was second nature.  And so artistic in the world of fashion and style.  I will keep this option more in mind when traveling or when I'm not into tackling my hair.  Or just as a hot accessory regardless of travel or hair problems!

Even though the days are still scorching where I live, the evenings are getting noticeably cool to cold.  This outfit is definitely "transitionable" to evening, as it is afterall, evening wear - but with the full skirt and scarf, one can bundle up nicely.  Of course it's even warmer when wearing your date's jacket.

Ah, the adventures of a Tiny Closet!  Come back this time next week for another trip through my lil wardrobe.  The possibilities are endless.

But no time to go anywhere.

sigh

Lately, I find myself racing to keep up with the demands of the day.  After toiling over the boring stuff of bills, cleaning and what seems to be endless errands, I find I've run out of my favorite conditioner, my nail polish is well overdue for a change, my brows are slowly connecting and my meals have evolved into takeout.

I realized it was time for some blissful quiet time when I practically lost it as I was racing out of my apartment and my doorman said:

"Is it that time of the month?"

(after a record screeching halt and some choice words I had planned to say back, I thankfully realized he was talking about the rent check I was holding in my hand...  

Yes.  I needed some quiet time indeed.

So as a personal treat to myself, and also as a reminder to keep things in my life simple and focused on what matters, 

I decided to finally finish my most favorite piece I've ever made.  This long Summer overcoat:

I made this overcoat from a sarong I bought while in the Philippines.  I thought I'd make the sleeves contrasting - to bring all the characters and colors of the panel to focus.  The panel on the sarong is of a beautiful sunset over a village beach.  I miss that gorgeous island immensely.

So I'm going to slow down a bit, catch my breath, get back to the little things like brow maintenance and manicures, and go eat a good dinner with my husband.

I'm out!

I chose to wear it as a halter instead of  over the shoulders as the way it was designed.  I simply tucked in the back straps and let it drape.   Halters work better for my build.  Why wear something that doesn't fully flatter your shape?   I am always attempting to tailor my clothing to make it fit for me, even in the smallest ways.
And I definitely keep that in mind when I go thrifting.

I love the evening tone of this item.  And it could look a lot more formal if I'd wanted but last night, I  decided some cork wedges would keep it casual for just evening drinks in Little Tokyo.

I am a one piece's biggest fan.

And I continue to promise myself that I will get more jumpers and playsuits and don't.  Now that I'm in perma-sun weather however, if I can pop on just one statement piece and go, that's reason enough to make a small collection for my Tiny wardrobe.

A few months ago a friend of mine asked if I'd be interested in designing a dress for her to wear for an upcoming feature performance.  Thrilled at such an undertaking, I felt only the flood of enthusiasm and creativity that comes first (and none of the normal uncertainty and hesitation that comes second with most rational folk) as I instantly promised to whip up something short of amazing.  Yay for the rookie-can-do attitude!

You know you're a beginner at a craft when you think you can do anything.... oy.  

For this beautiful, leggy, swan-like chanteuse, the design I chose was halter... with lots of leg slits!  The material - why, silk of course.  

Basically, I had no idea what I gotten myself into!

I am so incredibly thankful I dove in feet first on this project though.  I mean I'm clearly still learning but if I hadn't agreed to such a request, 

I would never have been crazy enough to create this:

Yep, this project has been my bestie for the past few weeks but sadly I didn't allow enough time at the end to find a 5'10" model to wear this dress for display soooooooo 

I got my 5' self a stool and popped it on.  Silk for days, folks.

My first custom gown work but I really hope believe she will look marvelous in it!

One thing is for certain, California women definitely love to dress up on a Saturday night.  Unlike the Northwest, the come-as-you-are states, the no-frills-no-gimmicks attitude, as much as that was a nice change of pace from the more traditional state of mind of what a woman wears to go out on a weekend evening, I much like the fancier option.  

Don't you?

I am just loving prancing around in a tight skirt and heels, showin a little skin and not sticking out like a frilly, overdone thumb becauuuuuuse the difference here is that.... 

every other woman is doing THE EXACT SAME THING!  Ahhhhh :)

Saturday night, while dressing to go out for drinks with Theo, I decided to take my trusty white tube dress and wear it as a skirt.  The front of the tube dress is higher than the back, which made for a more interesting look when worn as a skirt and paired with my black tied up button up.  I just loved the dip in the back!

People ask me how I achieve such a full bun with my curls.  The truth is, my hair isn't long enough to put it into this kind of a huge bun soooo 

I put it up in a tall ponytail and then take a sheer hair net and wrap it around all the hair and mold and form it into a bun!  Tada.

To get an even better look at it in daylight, I wore it also here.

shirt: T by Alexander Wang / skirt: tube dress H&M / sandals: Nine West / bag: Rebecca Minkoff MAB / necklace: Heavently Couture

So yes, in my own Tiny Closet style I still kept it simple but, as always, changed it up a bit to get yet another different look.   Oh, the possibilities!

Hope you had a wonderful weekend :)

There's been a lot going on lately as I'm bringing more designs together for Spring.  I took a break from  all the sewing and planning to see a dear friend perform at a Bobby McFerrin concert last night at the Walt Disney Concert Hall.  The concert was amazing and truly special because for one, I absolutely adore Bobby McFerrin and two, my friend played drums and sang backgrounds.  Singing backgrounds for Bobby of all people!  I died.

Before our evening stroll to the concert hall, we took some shots of my highly improvised outfit.  Leggings, a waterfall skirt worn to the side and a maxi tee.
Casual with a bit of modern evening formality...  But mainly casual.

top: Tiny Closet Collection / leggings: F&F / skirt: Forver21 / heels: Zara / cuff: RiaRia

Thanks for visiting!