A Floral Fit for Fall (or a Wall)

Hello beauties!!  How about this floral print for (in CA, pre) fall?  And while we are on the subject of florals, for some reason looking at this dress fuels my wallpaper obsession like nobody's business! I am absolutely dying to wallpaper a few rooms in my house (the hubs? Not so much) but we are currently in that weird phase where we want to make the bump up to a bigger house, but we don't want to leave our amazing neighborhood.   My neighborhood Is.The.Best.  I am so lucky!  My street has a book club, a bible study, children my daughter's age GALORE and at least once a month (and sometimes in the summer, once a week), we have potlucks and BBQs and get togethers. I don't know if this little magic comes along all of the time and I am paranoid that we will move into a new house on some sleepy street, with maybe people we don't have anything in common with, and that wont be great.  So until we decide, no wallpaper for me.

ANYWAY.....I  love the details on this dress. It has a strip of black lace that trims the sleeves and the bottom that is so feminine and pretty. It is still so warm here that I paired this dress with my fringe sandals. I think I wore them once this summer (story of my life). It's a great combination, especially with my fringed handbag.  And then there's this cuff. It is an original design by @vwearcollection by @whatwouldvwear.  Pictures do not do it justice.  It is heavy and shiny and gorgeous. I wear it with everything-- with an armful of bangle bracelets or just alone.  Either way, it's fantastic!  Please go and look at her jewelry line-- you will not regret it!

How about the cute train tracks? I love walking around in San Juan Capistrano. There are so many cute picture nooks and crannies (not to mention the charm of the little shops and restaurants in the Los Rios District). For some reason, I am a little bit of a spazz with train track pictures. Did you know that you are not allowed to take pictures while stopped directly on the tracks? I didn't know that (but I betcha some lawyer was involved in this restriction!!)  Because I am a total rule follower, I made sure all of my photos were in motion!    And that is that, lovely ones.  I hope today has been so lovely for you! Thank you so much for stopping by! Sweetly- Michelle

Dress: Here || Shoes: Here || Purse: Here|| Cuff: Here

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Black Beauty

Its October! Hello my lovelies! Can I just tell you something really random right now? I am writing this post and a commercial came on for Pan- have you seen these previews? Oh my gosh I can't wait to see it. I absolutely went crazy for Cinderella. I was anticipating that movie for months and I've seen it about six times, no kidding. And some of those times without my daughter 🙈🙊 These remakes of Disney cartoons are right up my alley. I love them.  All right, back to this outfit. You all know how much I love wearing black. I think because I am so light and fair skinned (this is  a nicer way of saying I am basically translucent😀), I feel tanner when I am in contrasting colors. I think I figured out that the key for me to keeping monochromatic outfits from being too blah is to mix the textures. It doesn't work for every outfit, but for this one it sure does. Oh my gosh the shirt you guys! I am so in love with it. Its from Banana (by the way- -Banana Republic is killing it right now. And their 2016 line? I saw a ton of #NYFW snaps and it.is.incredible. I cant wait!) It's long, sheer at the bottom and pleated! And how about these leather leggings and black booties? I think they contrast with  the femininity of the shirt so well. The different textures just work, yes?  The booties are from Ann Taylor and they are so comfy! And they are open toe but not too weekend looking for the office, you know?  I think the light pink color of this hat really softens up this look.  It kind of gives it a smidge of boho.  I love hats, don't you? I think this hat would also look so cute with the 70s revival outfits that are everywhere. Anyway, dearest readers, we are almost to the weekend! I hope your day is fabulous and as always, thank you so much for stopping by! Xxoo Michelle

Shirt (its not on the website (rats!) but I linked one that is similar): Here|| Pants: Here|| Booties: Here || Hat: Here|| Bag: Here

Two Days in the Desert

Generally speaking, I  am not really a desert type of girl.  I'm not really a rock climber (outside of the gym) or a cactus appreciator (but I do like those pretty succulent arrangements for the backyard!) However, there is just something about Palm Springs that I love. Maybe it's the vastness of the sky surrounded by those mountains that look so close. Maybe it's the palm trees that seem to  cover every last bit of space. Or it could be the sunset that lights up the whole sky with a pinky glow. I grew up coming to Palm Springs as a little weekend getaway with my family. I have also played quite a lot of tennis here in tournaments when I was younger.  I love it. This weekend was a quick trip with my parents and extended family to celebrate my Uncle's birthday. There was a lot of golf, a lot of pool time (but not enough time on El Paseo). It was really warm but for some reason heat doesn't bother me. I'm always cold anyway so when the temperatures go up, I'm like a little lizard. I just sit in the sun and soak it up (covered of course in SPF, a hat, sunglasses and usually, a rash guard. Stay away, wrinkles!)  This is a place that I hope we will frequent many times in the  future with our little family.

I seriously threw clothes in a bag when I came home from work Friday afternoon and wasn't as mindful as I should've been about the heat and packing. However, this little blue dress lightweight from Nordstrom really served me well at my uncle's birthday dinner. I am still wearing the cute boots I got around Christmas from The Shop in Laguna- they are comfy and so cute.  And I love wearing boots with sundresses and little skirts. A fringey bag and some jewelry and that was that! Hope your weekend was amazing and as always, thank you thank you for stopping by! Xo Michelle

Blush Crush

I love all of the Coachella inspired fashion that comes out around this time each year. But I feel like a lot of it is just not practical for my lifestyle- I am crazy about this hat but seriously. Could you imagine me in a flowy sundress and a fringey bag, wearing this hat and walking with a client (assuming I still had one) into Court? "Your Honor, let me take off my flower crown before we begin".  Riiigghhht.   I am always trying to take whatever the trends are and adapt them to my lifestyle. 5 days of the week- I am in lawyer mode. Weekends? Mostly yoga pants and anything that lets me move and do mommy things!  When I saw the hat at Nordstrom, I wanted something a little more versatile than a festival type sundress to wear it with.  I spotted this white eyelet skirt (also at Nordstrom) and was sold.  I think it will also look so cute with a graphic t and some Chucks, or maybe a zip up hoodie and some flat sandals.  And this little leather bag... I got it on Etsy ( I am a HUGE supporter of small businesses, especially those run by women) and the monogramming. I am UHbsessed with it. Everything I own that can be monogrammed... is. I love it. Its sort of unhealthy, how much I want to monogram things. Almost everything my daughter wore until age 3 was initialed.  I was trying to talk my husband into giving our dogs a middle name so we could get them monogrammed collars (totally normal, right?)

This was such a fun shoot. First, I am outdoors and I love anything that gets me out of the house and into the sunshine.  I am a high energy gal and prone to skipping, leaping etc at the drop of a (floppy, blush-colored) hat.  It doesn't take much to make me happy :) Plus, it was the magic hour- that dusky time of the day when its not yet night, but no longer day- you know? I love LOVE this time. Dusk is my favorite.  I feel like anything can happen- and (judging by my leap) - it did!   It's the dancer in me (or in my head)! Thank you so much for stopping by and we hope your week is amazing! Don't forget to follow us on Instagram @golddustandsugarlust. xoxo Michelle