An Empire State of Mind

Over the winter break, I took my very first trip to the Big Apple! For seven days, the six of us roamed through the city, not-minding the freezing cold weather of mid-December in New York.

^ beautiful alley near Wall Street

^ Drinks at our dinner place

^ Unbelievably tasteful Italian dinner at Adrienne's Pizzabar

Every street was exciting, and each neighborhood told a unique story of its own. My favorite were those located in the southern region of the map: Soho, East Village, Little Italy.  If I ever visit again, I'm definitely coming back to these sites.

Central Park was too much to grasp in one visit. It's honestly breathtaking. Every entrance and angle of the park has different highlights and specialties. We entered from the side of Museum Mile, so we passed by lots of food trucks and pedestrians. Once we entered the park, we saw rows and rows of engraved benches marked with confessions and memories: "For my love, Jane."
We even witnessed a wedding with a total of 5 guests taking place right across the Turtle Pond. To say the least, it was both relaxing and heartwarming- just what we needed in this big, busy city. 

^ The six girls taking on NYC together!

Shopping in New York is something else! An entire section of the city is dedicated to upscale shopping, so it's nearly impossible to leave the fashion districts without finding a few things to buy. Additionally, a lot of the stores adhere to no (or low) sales tax, meaning duty free shopping!

^ A memory I'll never forget, NYE in Times Square

The finale of our winter trip had to end at the famous Times Square. We spent our last night waiting for the ball to drop and confetti to fall. It was a little overwhelming, not due to obvious reasons like the crowd and long waits, but because I knew this was our last night in the city together. I didn't want to leave just yet. So this, by far, was my favorite memory in New York. Greeting strangers, making conversation with the NYPD, and being a part of this delirious crowd. It was simply incredible. I'm amazed we were able to catch our early bird flight back to LA within the next hour - just minutes after counting down to 2015!

Cheers to our wonderful 7-day trip and until next time. I <3 NY!

x Sola

Look of the Day

Here's what I felt like wearing today:

^ blouse & skirt: Dina's closet, transparent clutch: DIY, shoes: ZARA

What I love about pencil skirts is their silhouette. It gives a more fitted, proper look while still maintaining one's figure. This skirt in particular is made of soft silk material, which makes all-day comfort a given.

See what inspires me: sallylee.tumblr.com

x Sola

Venice, CA

Photos courtesy of Anna Park, my best gal for life. (www.retronaproject.com)

Venice, CA

x Sola

Land of Cool Cats and Cut-Offs

<Photo diary of my visit to 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica, CA>

^ Kitson store art in LA, saying "Greetings from California - The land of cool cats & cut offs"

^ Free People Santa Monica

x Sola

Year 20

<IVY's first photo shoot in Beverly Hills, CA>

Celebrating Becky and Anna's turning 20!

Sola

Pier, Promenade, and People

This weekend, Justin and I took a break from the dreadful heat waves in my hometown and cooled off at the Santa Monica beach in California. Despite having overcrowded streets and notoriously dirty shores, SM city is one of my favorite places in LA.

^ feelin' a little groovy with my outfit today, heh.

^ Checkered shirt American Apparel, denim jacket & backpack thrifted, pants Forever 21, All-Star Chuck Taylor's (sneakers) Converse, beanie Forever 21

^ Santa Monica always has street performers during the weekend. Here's my favorite street performer of the day - his voice reminds me of the artist Jason Mraz.

^ PUMA Santa Monica

^ Fortune cookie, dream catcher, and locket necklaces at Urban Outfitters

When the sun went down, there was the most beautiful sky I've seen in awhile. Check these out:

^ Still in awe of this photo...how beautiful does LA look?

x Sola

Beautiful Sunset + Reminiscing

^ I saw a beautiful night sky the other day, so I quickly grabbed the camera and captured these shots just minutes before it faded away. These are the moments that make me believe living in SoCal is a blessing.

^ My late fall post over 9 months ago! And yet, it's almost that time of the year again. Insanity.

x Sola

Freebird & Tresics

Eeeck! Spring semester is officially over, and I'm so excited to finally share some exciting new clothes for the summer!

Pieces from this photo shoot are courtesy of Freebird located in Downtown L.A. The brand has feminine, bohemian, and trendy styles that I absolutely love!

Outfit #1

Add a floppy hat for a more casual look, and curl your hair for a more romantic night outfit!

^ Intense photo taken by my amazing sister!

Outfit #2

For a flowy or asymmetrical top, wear tight bottoms to balance the outfit. 

Aztec print tank top: Freebird

Velour leggings: Forever 21

My favorite part of the shirt, the back cut-outs! It almost looks like window panels haha.

P.s. I'm relieved that the camera washes away 20-40% of the pigment in make-up. The smokey eye doesn't look nearly as intense through the camera!

My favorite pair of pants (leggings) to wear on the go. They're extremely comfy, and go with almost anything!

Tresics is everything you need for basics. The clothes are extremely comfortable to wear out, or even lounge in at home.

Outfit #3

When planning an outfit of the same color from top to bottom, create definition by using contrasting shades or textures.

I went for this hot pink v-neck, because I was attracted to the vibrant colors against a softer pink for the bottom. The skirt is subtle, and the soft shade of pink doesn't compete with the bolder color.

^ I don't normally wear pink too often, but this shade really brightened up my face so I kept it!

^ Caught in the middle of eating a burger...hahaha.

^ These new babies I got from the Urban Outfitters shoe sale in June. Lately I've been obsessed with strappy shoes and platforms. Not to mention, this open-toe heel is perfect for the summer.

Photography by Sarah Lee

x Sola