The perfect picture

A little while before the holidays, I came across a photographer by the name of Lex Gallegos. She was looking to shoot some freelance photos for her portfolio/website. I decided to contact her because after glimpsing at her Instagram and website, her photos looked dope AF. You can see the passion and devotion within each photo. If you don’t believe me, check it out for yourselves: https://www.instagram.com/lexgallegos/ Each one of her photos are unique and AMAZINGGGGGG. She captures the beauty of each individual she shoots with. . She definitely inspires me to want to take better selfies, LOL!

Ladies – as much as I truly want to believe that the perfect picture has to do with the perfect outfit, hair and make-up, I can’t. I truly believe that the perfect picture also has a lot to do with the photographer and how they view the world through their lens. A photographer knows how to capture your beauty and essence with the perfect lighting and perfect background. They can see things we can’t through the lens. The photos below are a perfect example of how Lex captured my spirit in her photos. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

To Lex – your photos were some of the best photos I have ever taken. You truly are unique and original. I am truly fortunate to have met such a talented photographer. I could not have been more happier with the photos.

 

Please visit her website: http://lexusgallegos.squarespace.com/

 

Something new, something old.

This past weekend I made a quick stop at our local Travel Town Museum. If you have not heard of it, please click on the link to learn a little more about it http://traveltown.org/ The museum’s purpose is to educate individuals on the history of railroads and trains. It’s pretty neat if you take a liking to history. I thought it would be awesome to take a few pictures on the old trains and railroad tracks. I took an interest to an old train that was at the back of the museum. The faded red carriage was almost a light pink color. To be honest, I think I was just more amazed with the coloring of the carriage after all these years of being retired.

The days prior to my trip to Travel Town, it had been raining. What was I supposed to wear if the streets were wet, and there was a chance of showers again? I want to remind everyone, it was freezing. But then again, I am always cold. I feel on days like this, you can’t go wrong with booties, ripped jeans and a bomber jacket. It’s good for the cold, rain, wind, any type of weather that will freeze your little booty off.

My ripped black jeans are from Fashion Nova. They are high waisted and very comfortable. I decided to wear fishnets under the jeans so you could see the net through the ripped portion of my jeans. I think it added a little extremity to it, and helped keep me a bit warmer. I am also a huge fan of 90’s fashion, so that’s why I wore the fishnets. The animal print jacket is from Forever 21. I am obsessed with anything animal print. This one in particular is my favorite because on the back it says Hello Stranger. This jacket reminds me of The Doors song, Hello…I love you. My adorable booties were also purchased at Forever 21. I happened to see them on the sales rack. The discounted ticket price said $18.99, but the register said $8.99. I felt like a million bucks when I walked out of the store with the booties.

Forever 21 – Leopard Print Jacket Click here

Forever 21 – Black ankle booties, similar to the pair I am wearing Click here

Forever 21 – Black bodysuit Click here

Fashion Nova – Black high waisted ripped jeans Click here

Calvin Klein – Backpack (currently not listed on their website)

Hot Topic – Fishnets Click here

 

Cute BUT….

Psycho!…come on ladies, we all have experienced that one day where we have acted out and we were just in one of those moods. Ya know, that mood when we don’t want to be bothered or we lash out at any innocent bystander who dares to say one word to us. I know I have had those days where everything annoys or frustrates me and I may get a little crazy, just a little.

One of my favorite online boutiques is called OOTDFash. That store has the cutest clothes at affordable prices. I’m a sucker for bomber jackets. You can wear a bomber jacket with just about anything. I came across the most cutest, olive-green jacket, EVER. What caught my attention was the logo on the back. It reads “Cute but Psycho”. Adorbs right?!?

Jacket from OOTDFash – $39.99

A little hipster and maybe a little country.

Last Saturday, I felt a little hipster and a little country. To be honest, I am not sure if that’s what you would call my outfit. I just know that it was super comfy and cute. I am not really a bright-colored girl. I tend to wear darker colors more often. I bought this really cute mustard colored dress from GS Love. If you haven’t heard of that store, please check them out. GS Love is affordable and very trendy (Click here to view their website). The dress has been hanging in my closet for LIKE EVER. I just never thought to wear it because I felt that I might look like an awkward banana. No offense to those who like to wear yellow, I just never thought it matched my skin tone. I paired my dress with some thigh highs, a super cute boho hat, and a leather jacket. For this outfit, I wanted to keep the jewelry minimal because I felt like the dress and thigh highs already make a bold statement. What you can’t see in my photos is that I am wearing tiny stud earrings and a few midi rings.

 

Dress is currently not in stock at GS Love: Click here for a similar dress

Black hat is from Forever 21: Click here

Black thigh high boots: Click here

Modern-Retro Chic.

Who doesn’t love a little retro chic or boho? It is so much fun to bring styles back from decades before and modernize it with today’s popular trends. One day, I was shopping for a LBD, and came across the most cutest flared pants, ever! I was reminded of the 70’s and how awesome it would be to travel back to when Charlies Angels were at their prime in 1976 (flipped hair, floppy hats and platforms). I was drooling over the flares because I knew with the right top and simple accessories I could make it look chic. I feel that with bell bottoms/flared pants you need to go simple. The pants draw so much attention as is, so a little crop top and choker will do.

Flared bottoms : Click here

Crop Top: Click here

Below are a few 70’s inspired looks from Pinterest that I absolutely love:

What’s your poison?

For the last five years I have made it a tradition to spend Halloween in West Hollywood. Hundreds of thousands of people gather around for one of the biggest Halloween Parades you can ever imagine. If you have never attended, I highly suggest that you do. The streets are lined up with stages and DJ’s playing all types of music. Food booths are set up, and the bars are open until 2:00 a.m. People are dressed up in the most spookiest, scariest and even the most prettiest costumes I have ever seen. The costumes worn are so creative, it’s like something out of a movie. This year I decided to dress up as Poison Ivy from Batman. I hand made my costume. It took a few months to put it together, and to be quite honest, I was not sure how the final product would look.To my surprise, the costume came out pretty good. I couldn’t breathe the whole night, but hey, beauty is pain. For those of you that like my costume, here are a few simple steps so you can achieve the same look:

What you will need:

1. Hot glue gun and glue sticks – I purchased my hot glue gun and sticks at Michael’s for under $10.00.
2. 1 corset – I chose a black corset, any corset will do. If you want something more affordable I would suggest buying one from Party City. My corset was purchased from Hoss International for $70.00.
3. 1 bikini bottom underwear set- I purchased my bikini bottom at Marshall’s for $7.99.
4. 1 red wig – Party City sells affordable red wigs. My red wig was purchased at a swap-meet in Downtown, Los Angeles for $45.00.
5. 1 set of skin tone nylons – I purchased my nylons at Party City for under $10.00.
6. Green shoes – The boots I am wearing are from UrbanOg and they were $37.00. I had a coupon to get 25% off.
7. 1 set of green gloves – I bought my set on Amazon for $8.00.
8. It is up to you if you want to add jewelry. I chose to wear a crystal bracelet that I received as a gift, and a crystal flower ring that I purchased for $1.00 at a garage sale many years ago.

If you need help with your Poison Ivy costume, feel free to message me for more details.

90’s.

I was born in 1987 which means I grew up in the 90’s. I am in fact a 90’s kid. Growing up during that decade was the best. We had jelly sandals, Polly Pockets, trolls, Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen and  I’m A Barbie Girl constantly playing on The Box. If you don’t know what The Box was, google it. Is it sad to say that I still remember what channel The Box aired on? Believe me when I say, body glitter was the best accessory a girl could rock! Below are some sweet nostalgic pictures of what I grew up loving. If someone happens to find a time machine or portal that can take me back to the 90’s, please let me know!!!!

One day while at Northridge Fashion Center, I just happened to stroll into Fashion Nova. Okay, I didn’t just stroll in there, I always make that my second pit stop after I rank up all of my credit cards at Forever 21! Any who, while I was shopping, I came across the most cutest crop top ever. This wasn’t just any crop top. This was “THEEEEEE CROP TOP” of the century for me. Beverly Hills 90210 was one of my favorite shows. I was obsessed with David and Donna’s relationship. I loved that Kelly and Brenda were always fighting over the same guy, Dylan. The show was great. I watched every single episode until it retired. Now back to this amazing crop top. BOOM, flat on the front was Donna, Brenda and Kelly with a little saying that read “The 90’s were hotter.” Every single memory I had growing up ran through the veins in my body. It was a done deal, I bought the shirt with no hesitation. Thankfully I picked the right size without even checking. I had grabbed a size small and it fits perfectly. The top cost me $19.99.

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Crop Top: Fashion Nova $19.99

High waisted blue jeans: Fashion Nova

Thigh high black suede boots: UrbanOG

Thigh high boots.

I don’t know about you, but I am a sucker for thigh high boots. I am actually obsessed! You can wear thigh highs with almost everything. I would suggest not wearing them with a long maxi dress unless you have a super high slit. There is no point wearing tall boots if you can’t show them off. It will just look like a sloppy mess underneath the dress. Something about wearing a pair of cute denim cut off shorts and thigh high boots makes me feel unstoppable. Not only do I feel sexy, I feel extra comfy, and feel support around my ankles. I feel like I can run a 10k marathan. Obviously you can’t, but that is how comfortable I feel when I am wearing them. When it’s cold and I want to wear a little less, the boots keep my legs from freezing.

If you are looking for a cute and affordable pair of boots, I would suggest you check out http://www.lolashoetique.com and http://www.UrbanOG.com. I bought both of my pairs there. They are very affordable. If you sign up for their monthly email subscription you will receive some amazing discount offers. I would suggest checking out their website because both sites sell super trendy clothes as well. I have yet to buy an outfit from the shops, but they sure look cute.

The boots I am wearing below are from Lola’s Shoetique. In the first picture, I paired the boots with some cute black denim cut off shorts and a sheer body suit. In the second picture, I paired the same boots with some ripped denim jeans, a white body suit,and a leather jacket. The boots cost $51.99. Seems kind of pricey right? Well, I received a 35% discount code via email so they were even cheaper. You have the option to have the shoes delivered or you could pick them up at the store (Located in the heart of Down Town, CA).

The second pair of boots look kind of similar to the pair I bought at Lola’s Shoetique. The difference with UrbanOG’s black suede boots is that they tie around your thighs and the other pair has a slit in the back and do not tie. I love having the support around my thighs. They feel secure and they do not slip down. The boots cost $52.40 and with my 25% discount came out to $39.30. I couldn’t believe it when I checked out and purchased my boots. Super affordable, and yet so cute and such great quality boots. The below picture shows off the boots I purchased at UrbanOG. The picture was taken outside a bar in the San Fernando Valley called The Rabbit Hole. This night I celebrated my 29th birthday with some of my closest friends. Dress is from Love Culture and costs $29.99.

Below are some cute pictures of thigh high boot outfits that I absolutely love. I found the below pictures on Pintrest. Most of my outfit inspirations are from http://www.Pintrest.com

Fashion.

Now that I have written a few blogs on WordPress, I thought it would be fair to introduce myself to you, the reader and provide insight on my style and fashion choices. My name is Samantha, and I prefer to go by Sam. I am 29 years old, working a 9-5 job. As you may have guessed, I sure love fashion. Always have, always will. It is something I have admired since I was a little girl. To this day, I still have my outfit sketches. I even drew my wedding dress when I was 13 years old.  Style is a way for me and you to communicate a part of our personality to others. I feel that choosing your outfit takes a lot of careful thinking and lots of clothes being pulled off the hangers and thrown on the floor until you find the right fit. Those outfits represent a part of our personality that we can show off to strangers who may walk past us at the grocery store or when we are having a night out in town with the girls.

What really opened my eyes to fashion was the movie Clueless starring Alicia Silverstone. Who doesn’t love that movie? If you haven’t watched that movie, I highly suggest that you do. Furry pens, knee-high stockings and plaid skirts were everything to me. I loved Cher Horowitz’s closet that would revolve in circles. She could choose her outfits by the click of a button on the computer. All her outfits were loaded onto the computer so she could easily pick out an outfit. What girl doesn’t dream of that? To this day, I still want her closet.

Another influence for me were the Spice Girls, way back in 1996. Yes! The Spice Girls. From Posh’s little Gucci dresses to Mel C’s sports gear, I was obsessed. I remember thinking to myself, I want to be just like them. As part of the Spice Girl Fan Club, I had insider access to their photo shoots, concert tickets and received all the 411 on their many adventures around the U.K and U.S. Emma, aka Baby Spice, had these really tall white sneakers. They were so cute. I was determined to get myself a pair just like hers. I sent $30.00 via mail to their Fan Club begging her to sell me her shoes. I wanted them so bad. Something about Girl Power, Feminism and dancing around in the cutest outfits made me obsessed with Fashion and her white platform sneakers. She never replied back. I wonder what happened to my $30.00?

To be quite honest, there were so many artists and celebrities that I looked up to that influenced my taste and love for fashion. Gwen Stefani, Jennifer Lopez, Cher, Drew Barrymore, Janet Jackson, Christina Applegate, TLC, Madonna, Cindy Crawford, Sarah Michelle Geller, the cast of Beverly Hills 90210, Kate Moss, Rose McGowan, Topanga from Boy Meets World and the list goes on.

My goal with this blog is to post pictures of my many outfits that are affordable to others. I have visited so many fashion blogs that promote very expensive fashion. How many people can go out and buy a $300 blouse? How many can buy a Chanel purse every other week? Not many people I know can afford that. It’s nice to splurge on yourself here and there, but some of us can not do that. I hope this blog helps those fashionista’s out there who want to stay in style at an affordable price and still look trendy and feel good about themselves. Most of my shopping is done at Forever 21, Wet Seal, and Fashion Nova. Very affordable places for the full time student or entry level working woman.

Photos are all courtesy of Google images.

I ain’t no hollaback girl.

Last night was definitely a night to remember! I saw Gwen Stefani, live at The Forum. She sang every song, from Hollaback Girl to Don’t Speak. I was never able to see No Doubt live, and to have her belt out those oldies but goodies brought back so many childhood memories. That shit was B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

Gwen is a style icon. She never fails to disappoint her fans. From the red carpets to her music videos, you can never get tired of her look. What I love most about her is that she is a fashion risk taker. She refuses to give style advice and does not copy trends.

Below are some pictures of my outfit from last nights concert. I tried to capture her style in a simple t-shirt dress, thigh highs and a simple jean jacket. I decided to add some cute smiley face and rainbow pins. The pins added a little spunk to my jacket. To top it off, I added a black leather choker to show off some edginess in my outfit. The simple outfit actually turned out really cute and to my surprise made a lot of heads turn.

T-shirt dress: Forever21

Thigh high boots: Urbanog

Jean Jacket: Marshalls

Leather choker: FashionQ

Gwen Stefani picture is from Google images