The Three Year Old Zara Jeans

I bought these jeans at Zara about three years ago and they're still one of my all time favorite pairs of jeans in my closet. They're just so easy to throw on when I'm wanting to be comfortable, they are not so precious that I can't run to home depot and help Nick carry dry wall for the garage rennovation we're working on, and best of all, they were cheap. If we're applying the same mental math that we did for Aesop skin stuff, then I think these jeans technically owe me money. 

No Shirt? No problem.

J. CREW blazer (size 4),  THEORY silk pants (size M)  ZARA heels (old), KAREN WALKER sunglasses, REPOSSI silver ring

Listen, I don't know why I spent years without buttoning my blazers. I have lived countless weeks of work with the blazer as an always-open structured layer above other layers... like a freaking cardigan. My blazers don't deserve that tunnel vision, and neither do yours! It's like I just doubled my wardrobe recognizing the buttons as functional. Amazing. #TheMoreYouKnow. 

Black, White, Easy

This outfit has been on rotation lately because it's so easy to feel dressed up in so little. I like the proportions of tops that are a little bit roomier, especially when I pair them with a skinny jean, because they help balance out my hips and help my silhouette appear leaner. That's why I got excited when Adela Mei sent me this Finder's Keepers top — the entire concept behind the Adela Mei site is to curate items that women 5'4" can look great in, which is a worthwhile endeavor in my book after spending so much time and money altering jeans and hemming dresses to fit my shorter frame. I highly recommend checking it out. Did I mention they are offering 12:04 a 20% promo? Silly me, Just enter "AM1204" at checkout. 

FINDERS KEEPERS top (c/o Adela Mei), J. CREW blazer (sz 4), MADEWELL jeans (sz. 26), J. CREW sandals (sz. 8, run small)

Column Dressing

Ph. Nick Smith

The best thing about long layered maxi dresses is that it takes very little effort to be done and dressed. I just pull on this dress over my head and voila, I am dressed as a minimalistic summer bohemian with sheer silk layers. Helmut Lang has a knack for simplicity that convinces me every single time that getting dressed can be this easy. Weekend wear? Just the dress and sandals as pictured. Work wear? Throw a blazer over this and put on some mules. Easy.

HELMUT LANG dress (wearing a Small). JCREW sandals. FASHIONOLOGY ear cuff.

Objects #1

Dries Van Noten Fall 2013, I Love You, Please Understand Imitation Is the Sincerest Form of Flattery

Let's get one thing straight: Dries Van Noten Fall 2013 was perfection. See for yourself here. The way he masterfully layers sheath skirts over tailored pants is genius. It seems almost crazy, inspired by the way a child would dress when a mother gives her the chance to "wear whatever I want," but it works. It just works. Here's the other thing to get straight: I am a working woman, with a mortgage, and bills. So please, Mr. Van Noten, do not take offense when I take a very Céline-esque Zara shirt, a J. Crew necklace a couple seasons old, and pair it with my favorite Theory trousers in order to achieve a work-appropriate skirt-over-pants scenario that has your trademark all over it.

ZARA  shirt  /  THEORY  pants (similar here)  /  J. CREW  necklace  /  ZARA  shoes  /  THIERRY LASRY  sunglasses  

The American Way

First of all,  let me state for the record that this t-shirt is from Target. It is $8 and perfect. I'm all for the finest one-seamed wares of The Row's perfect tee, or the boxy boyfriend fit of the Everlane box tee, and even the super worn-in favorite from Pickwick & Weller, but there is something so satisfying in finding a budget friendly Target tee that makes me just want to brag about it for a minute. Because when you "invest" in Balenciaga apron boots, Repossi rings and Thierry Lasry sunglasses, there has to be a balance in the universe. High and low, my friends. Play the game because otherwise it's hard not to feel like a real butthole consumer, satisfying my every whim with a swipe of a debit card.

TARGET t-shirt  /  AG jeans  /  REPOSSI ring  /  ZARA heels  /  THIERRY LASRY sunglasses  /  J. CREW blazer  /   FASHIONOLOGY necklace

Blue Collar

Of all the trends to start implementing from Fall 2013 runway trends I choose the turtleneck. Not simply because it's everywhere on the fall runways, but more because of the personal nostalgia I feel seeing them. I've already waxed poetic about them reminding me of my mom, and it makes me curious to see that the next item I'm waxing poetic about reminds me of both parents.

This frilly version by J. Crew is pretty much a transitional object for me as I experiment with the turtleneck trend instead of my usual collar love affair.  I love how completely over-the-top embellished the collar is, contrasted by the lovely blue cotton fabric of work shirts everywhere. It's a nod to a work ethic and memories of my dad — of the starchy shirts he wore under his ties, and wearing this makes me feel that despite growing up, we are indeed cut from the same cloth because we gravitate towards the same things. I like that. Thank you, fashion for allowing me this thought process. True, I like the drama it infuses into a regular outfit and that this collar makes me feel buttoned up and business-ready, but I tend to think my best and most favorite outfits are the most personal.

You may think, "You're totally over-thinking this, and thus you are ridiculous, Olga," but to me fashion is personal. I gravitate to what feels right to me, what is exciting, and what feels most me, even if that does include a trend or two. 

Wearing: J. CREW embellished collar top, J. CREW cashmere tee, ZARA pants and shoes.

Girls Just Want To Have Fun

Inspired by Coachella and the spirited photos that the festival produced. Just one massive post of inspiration, fun, and individuality.