bouquets, blazers & boyfriends

I have finally learned why people are so quick to declare that "the west coast is the best coast."
My first visit to was all the more special because I was visiting my man-friend for the first time since he moved to L.A..

Following my Cali friend's guidance, my first stop was DTLA's Flower Market, a beautiful warehouse filled with fresh, bright and super cheap flowers.

It was a great place to convince my boyfriend to buy me two dozen roses for the whopping price of five whole dollars. It was also a great place to wear my Boyfriend Vest from Wet Seal +. 

Since DTLA is notoriously cool, this oversized blazer vest helped me blend in, disguising the tourist vibe I'm sure I was giving off by taking pictures of everything. Even if I did come off as a tourist, at least I did it with a beautiful bouquet, the perfect blazer vest and a sweet boyfriend by my side.

The "BOYFRIEND VEST" was c/o of Wet Seal. All opinions are my own and were not influenced by the brand.

california love: a tour guide

As you're reading this, I'll be on a plane flying to the west coast. California to be exact! I'm so excited, I can't even! I reached out to the coolest Cali chick I know, @cookayemonster and asked her to make a must-see guide. 

This will be my first visit to California, so I'm going to be taking pictures of everything. Follow along for the Instagram overload @lululinden! Special thanks to Kaye for all of her amazing recommendations! 

the sweetest thing

This dress has the potential to be a very sexy LBD. After all, it is a delicately beaded slip dress. Can you imagine it with strappy heels and a little hint of a lacy bra peeking out? I mean, if that isn't sexy, I don't know what is. 

The only thing is these days being sexy is not high on my to-do list. But since it's getting colder, being warm is. That in mind, I layered the hell out of this dress. 

In all honesty, it wouldn't have made sense for me to wear it any other way, since  I was only grabbing coffee with a friend. And by coffee I mean apple pie. I may not be indulgent with my fashion choices this fall, but I am all for indulging my seasonal sweet tooth.  

photos @cookaymonster

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old purse, new tricks

Continuing the theme of reworking my closet, I've been looking over some of my old handbags. I know I'm not the only one who's fallen in love with an "it item," only to realize seasons later that it's hardly been worn. Girlfriends, if you're with me, say yeah.

I went satchel crazy a few years back and got a perfect red one. It is now collecting dust. I still think it's a darling bag, I just hadn't thought about how I could wear it now that my style has changed. 

With some Pinterest research, I've become re-inspired. No buying a new fall purse for this gal! 

sources l-r: 1,2,3

my picks

reworkin' it

The first littering of leaves are on the ground so it's safe to say it: fall is finally here in Atlanta. Instead of running out to buy every possible fall staple, I've been trying to work with what I have. Or in other words, rework. 

This striped tank dress was from J.Crew two summers ago, and I love it it for warm days, but it's also a good element for fall layering. Luckily, navy is not tied to any one season, so it was an easy pair with chambray and a cargo jacket.

That said, I'm not completely cutting out all shopping, just repetitive shopping. I mean, who do you think I am? No shopping period is just not possible.

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black, white & leopard

It's fair to say that I'm not the coolest girl on the block. I have a lot of  bright colors, flirty cuts, and glittered anything in my closet. Black, white and badass has never been my M.O. 

I admire many of the chic, minimal bloggers for their effortless style (franceta johnson, the mich mix, harper & harley), but I've always felt incomplete without color or an accessory overload.

Now that I'm more comfortable with my style and experimenting, I'm ready to give it a go. But I don't think I can give up over accessorizing. I'm keeping my layered bracelets, bold lipstick and even a leopard print or two. 

photos: @cookayemonster

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