The Tiny Closet

I've been living in jumpsuits lately and I'd been searching for a style of jumpsuit to wear when lounging and also when sprinting off to pick up takeout across the street.  I'm tired of changing for those tiny uneventful things.  But I also want to look great wherever I go (yes, even to CVS) so I decided to make a "house-friendly" jumpsuit to also wear outside the house - when those daily to-do's drag me out into the day.

It looked so fabulous (almost old Hollywood) that I decided to sell it in my shop and treat it as a beach coverup.  I don't wear it as such but it certainly would be fabulous at the beach or around the pool.  

Honestly, I sew my own clothing because all my money goes toward fabric for my clothing line and I don't have much left afterward for shopping.  So I save my money for the really cool stuff that I can't make, like shoes, jewelry and fun outerwear.  

But the thing is, you don't have to sew your own clothes to absolutely love the pieces in your closet.  No way.  I could have found all the items I was looking for in a myriad of places.  You just have to know what you want and have the patience to hunt for it.

Here in Los Angeles, there's not too much of a difference from one end of the year to the other.  I mean last week, it was 90 degrees.  I live in a year-round warm to hot climate so my seasonal capsules do look a bit similar so instead of building capsules on weather and temperature, my capsules vary based on the "spirit" of the seasons.  Same goes for my shoes.

I only buy one or two pairs of shoes for a season capsule.  For summer, my new capsule shoe is a simple gold 2-strap flat sandal.  And it goes with everything.  I may buy another Summer shoe since the Summer zeitgeist in L.A. runs until October.

This railroad stripe jumpsuit above was made for Spring but it weaves in nicely with my Summer pieces so I included it.  If you'd like to see more of this one, I featured it in a recent blog post HERE.

And this marigold mama, my sexy maxi dress, came out last Fall and I loved it but I find it's best suited for Summer.  It also pairs much better with a Summer shoe.

I bought a pair of suede block-heeled mules last week but they are for my base closet.  I included them above because they actually go really well with my Summer items.

I have also never worn aqua blue before and I don't intend to often but in this midi dress above, for my Summer Capsule, I love it.  

And that's the beauty of a capsule closet - you can experiment for a time, play something out and then put it away.  My experience with having everything together, all my clothing for the whole year in one space is chaos and it eventually leads to pieces being forgotten or undervalued.  My base closet is where I keep my basics, my staples.  My seasonal capsules are where I have more fun and where I can shop more in the moment.

And speaking of shopping, I'll be chatting about that on Monday!  Tips and tricks for the Summer months coming your way next week.

Oh!  And I hope you have an amazing Memorial Day weekend!!  

I'll be celebrating my birthday :)  

 xxx

If you've been following me, even for a short period o f time, you know I love stripes.  A strong horizontal stripe on a big cozy top or dress is my thaang.  So I suppose it was only a matter of time that I fall in love with railroad stripes.  It's really the classic cotton/linen that is associated with railroad striping.  And the fact that I also adore linen and Japanese cotton, well why didn't it happen sooner??

But I actually didn't want to like it.   The strong, durable, breathable blue-collar fabric originally used in mens labor uniforms is now trending in high-price minimal clothing with words like "collective", "capsule" and "pop-up" used to sell them.  $500 for a railroad stripe dress?  Come on people, it's just manual labor cotton!

So as per usual, I had to make one myself.

I've been wearing this fun, nautical-type boatneck top a lot this past week.  It seems to go with everything.  

 dress: The Tiny Closet Collection / shoes: Converse

Craving a baguette from one of my favorite bodegas, I took a break to run out the door and grab one up to indulge in it all evening.  With this big ol' house dress, I didn't even need to change my clothes.  I think every gal should have a piece like that in her Tiny wardrobe, don't you? 

Now back to hair and sewing!  

More on all new happenings this Thursday

A couple years ago, I wrote an article for a friend that included tips on how to reach your goals and achieve your dreams through your closet.

The guide and tips were pretty much centered around one theory that many of you have perhaps already heard or read somewhere: 

"Dress like the woman you want to be."

By doing this, you're then reminded of the woman you aspire to be every time you see yourself in the mirror.  

You get to see what the woman who has achieved what you want to achieve dresses like.  In yourself.

And more importantly, if clothing influences our actions (and I strongly believe it does) then if we're dressing like the women we want to be, we would then be influenced to act like the women we want to be as well, right?  So essentially we're utilizing our wardrobe to motivate and inspire us to realize our future.  I like that.

Anywaaaaaaay, I've been thinking about that theory a lot lately as I've found myself gravitating towards more of a concentrated look these days.  Envisioning this effortless, casual, chic, warm, understated glamour has been my point of focus and I've been wanting to be surrounded by it!  I guess I realized this style is kind of an ideal destiny for myself, and when I wear this look it makes me feel like it's all attainable, you know?

I have a lot of fun with my Tiny Closet and all the countless experiments I do to keep my wardrobe creative and versatile - but it's always clear when I wear something that makes me feel like the best version of myself.  It empowers me!  And I think that's my favorite thing about clothing and style: its incredible influence. 

dress: Stylemint / cardigan: vintage Christian Dior Men / shoes: Toms / bag: vintage Dooney & Bourke 

My nautical striped Summer dress and a newly acquired vintage men's cardi (a gem of a hand-me-down from my roommate - thanks love!)

With royal blue striping and crisp kelly green layered over, I felt so cute, it almost didn't matter that  I was makeup-less with bed head and no lotion, yikes.  Anyway, the ensemble was adorb, you know?

The cardigan is new but the dress?  I've had for a while.  Check out a couple other ways I've worn it:

over wide leg denim

with a fedora

I'm getting really into Toms shoes lately.  I'm currently wearing "Movember" with little hipster mustaches on the sides.  The last of my Toms were sacrificed during a rice terrace climb in Ifugao and I've been fantasizing of a Tiny new collection of them since then.  My one hesitation?  I actually don't think they're versatile.  I can only wear them very casually and you know me, I'm always trying to upgrade the casual look.  We'll see what tricks I can do...maybe.

On a particularly boring Friday evening, the type of evening when no one can agree on what to do, I got a text from the roomy about a charming little carnival in Noho.  

Done.  

Hotdogs, churros, rides and slides.  Finally, something we can agree on!

tee: The Tiny Closet Collection / button up: thrifted / cut offs: Paper Denim / belt: GAP / all jewelry thrifted / flats: Breckelle's / bag: Rebecca Minkoff MAB

I was in a red and gold mood that evening.  Gold accessories with red stripes and red buffalo check.  It's been a while since I've worn that flannel button up and it was perfectly comfy cozy for evening carnivaling.

Saltiest fries I've ever had!  I was nearly hallucinating.

 cage ring: Forever21 

 Needless to say it was a fun, spontaneous evening out.  A good cure for the boredom blues.  Since Theo and I don't really do that well with routine, we'll have to start exploring more of L.A. and beyond, now that we've settled into our hood pretty well.  

Looking forward to sharing more outings in the future :)

Independence Day is tomorrow and every year I let the holiday go by just like any other day.  Yes, I love the fireworks and can't help taking up someone's invite to an immense barbecue of course...   but this year, July 4th is tugging at my heartstrings a bit.  

I guess I've been thinking about it and I can say, in my own life that I have personally never felt more free, more independent and more self-sufficient than right now.... 

Coincidentally, there's a holiday where I can celebrate all those feelings.  

Continuing on my stripe obsession, I thought it would be cool to make a red & white striped version of my Tiny Closet Collection tees.  

Worn with some comfy blue jeggings stretch denims, I am fully prepared to enjoy the festivities.

So Happy Fourth of July to everyone!  

Wherever you are, I hope you are enjoying your day and appreciating where you are, where you came from and what you're made of.  Who run the world? lol

Be young, be dope, be proud...

Like an American.  

- Lana del Rey

A couple weeks ago, we decided to paint one of the main walls in our bedroom.  With crisp white walls running throughout the loft, I thought a deep dark color to (surprisingly) pop would be best.  I've been trying to find the right moment, as well as the perfect light to show you the finished product...

pssst!  not to mention of course a coordinating ensemble to wear 

inspired by the new statement wall!

I fell in love with this Martha Stewart paint - and the color is "Wrought Iron" ... it also looks like a harbor blue though which reminds me of the color of the lakes and harbors around Seattle.   

So dark, moody and classic!

I also love the wash of these trusty All Saints drop-crotch denims.  With my striped sailor top I thought it would be fitting for a nautical look.  

I actually didn't wear this outfit for long since it reached the 90s yesterday and I wasn't about to let myself sweat in a silk jersey sweater top and heavy coarse denim.  

What I thought would be an easy breezy outfit turned out to be hellish and I eventually couldn't wait to take it off!

I am looking forward to wispy jumpers and cooling Summer dresses so keep visiting for more Tiny Closet Summer wear!

Getting ready for the festivities of July, I have been collecting swimwear for the past couple months.  Here and there :)

I actually don't like swimsuits.  It's very challenging to find suits or pieces that flatter my particular shape and the ones that take my breath away also leave me gasping for air at the price.  Every.single.year.  I wrestle with the choice of either investing in a truly fabulous, amazeballs swimsuit that puts my monthly student loan payment to shame and I can wear it for a few years - OR - I just go to Target and pick up the latest flavor for $20 and call it a Summer...  

Decisions, decisions...

This year, I didn't choose either.  Instead I thrifted, mixed and matched and thought outside the box.  I realize since I don't really swim anyway, and much prefer lounging and looking good, I decided to get more creative with my options.  Especially since these days, I am naturally finding myself more poolside than I have in my entire life.  

So here's Part One of my swimsuit chronicles:

a bandeau and half of a one-piece...

Anyway, I've been loving my new after-work ritual of scampering up to the roof top and going for a quick swim.  Even though the sun beats down on our pool all day, the water is still freezing (I don't get the science of that at all) but I jump in anyway.  It's a great way to just woooosh the stress of the day right out!  I guess the temperature changes are really relaxing because for the rest of the day, I feel as light as a feather.

Come back later this week for Part II!!