darling in dots
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la vie en rose: how to pull off fishnet tights

2/23/2018

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I used to hate fishnet tights. Maybe it's because I was a dancer growing up and we used to wear them as part of our costumes, so they never seemed like an everyday fashion item. Maybe it's because they are often associated with strippers and promiscuity. Whatever the reason, I avoided them, until about a year or so ago, when they became popular. The more I saw them in mainstream fashion, the more I started coming around to the idea of them. Now I incorporate them into my everyday wardrobe. They are especially perfect for this time of year when the weather is starting to warm up, but you're not ready to go bare legged just yet. Below are some tips for how I style them. 


•choose a fish net with small holes 
Fishnets come in all shapes and sizes. Personally, I prefer fishnets with small holes to large holes. The small hole tights are more classic and offer more coverage on your leg so you don't feel too exposed.


•watch your proportions 
Since fishnets offer less coverage than opaque tights, you want to be careful not to show too much skin in the rest of your look. For instance, with this look I felt comfortable wearing fishnets because my dress is more conservative since it's knee length and loose fitting. I would avoid wearing dresses or skirts that are too tight or short with fishnets.


•keep your shoes classic and conservative 
Again, you want to keep your fishnet look classy, so choose a shoe that is more on the conservative side. You can still wear heels, like these Mary Jane shoes I am wearing here, but stay away from anything too crazy.


If you'd like to shop my dress, you can find it here:
https://www.karinadresses.com/collections/sweetheart/products/naomi-dress-tulip-garden?variant=870340493316 
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Dress: c/o Karina Dresses
Sunglasses: Hello Holiday; Shoes: Steve Madden 
Location: Shade (West Village, New York City)
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laundry day

2/21/2018

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laundromat photoshoot | laundromat | retro style | Lindy Bop | the white album
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For years I've been seeing photos of retro inspired girls in laundromats. I've always wondered why this has been such a popular location idea, now I'm thinking that maybe they just needed an indoor spot to shoot. It feels like spring is right around the corner, but not quite yet. I can brave taking a couple photos outside during the winter, but if I want to get a full blog posts worth of shots, I'd prefer to be indoors, especially if I'm taking them by myself with my tripod, because I usually have to tinker around with things a bit. I decided to shoot this Lindy Bop top inside of this East Village laundromat I've walked by dozens of times because the colors matched my top pretty perfectly. East Village is my favorite area of the city to hang out in, so I shot this outfit on Sunday in between grabbing brunch and checking out my usual vintage stores. Sometimes I can get pretty obsessive with finding the perfect location or getting the perfect shot, but I find the less I plan ahead, the happier I am with photos. Sometimes a seemingly cliched or mundane location, such as this one, works out just fine. 
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If you’d like to shop my top, you can find it here:
https://www.lindybopusa.com/mim-blue-ladybird-print-shirt.html 


Top: c/o Lindy Bop
Skirt: Urban Outfitters; Bow: Claire’s; Sneakers: Vans (bought from Madewell)
Location: Cosmo’s (East Village, New York City)
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summer state of mind: how to wear a summer dress in the winter

2/16/2018

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There are a lot of amazing things about living in NYC, but trekking around in freezing cold temperatures is not one of them. I've always looked forward to summer, but since living in NYC, I look forward to it even more. Yes, sometimes the sweltering temperatures can be equally as unbearable as the cold, but in general, the city is just so much more magical during the warm weather months. More hours of sunlight, drinking on rooftops, and the ability to simply throw on a cute sundress and be on your way. I know most New Yorkers can't wait to bust out their leather jackets once fall rolls around, but on the contrary, I always feel sad packing away my summer clothes. So I've partnered with Malibu Rum to show you that it is possible to rock tropical prints all year long and a summer state of mind is just a sip away. 

-add a turtleneck 
Throwing a cardigan on is the most obvious solution to wearing a summer dress in the winter, but instead I decided to layer a turtle neck under this dress. I think this combination is a bit more unexpected. You could also try throwing a chunky sweater over top so only the skirt of the dress is showing for a more subtle tropical look.
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-add tights 
Adding tights is a must for pulling off a summer dress in winter. Otherwise, you will totally look like THAT girl who got a little too exited when she saw the weather report said it would be 50 degrees that day. 

-wear seasonally appropriate shoes 
Make sure your shoes are seasonably appropriate. I opted for black, suede Mary Jane's. Even with tights or a sweater, pairing this dress with sneakers or sandals would look like I was a little too overzealous for summer.

-ground the tropical print with black
-There are hints of black in the print of this dress, so I made sure to ground the tropical print with black items to keep the look seasonably appropriate. 

-add some winter touches
As a final winter touch, I added a red beret to my hair. No matter how you style your summer item, just make sure it’s the only one in the look. 

Now how many more days until summer?
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here comes the sun: tips for choosing photoshoot locations

2/6/2018

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“Little darling, it’s been a long, cold, lonely winter.” 

January and February have never been my favorite months, but since I started blogging, I’ve become even less fond of them. These two months are always the most challenging for getting good photos. The days are shorter, which means less natural light, freezing cold temperatures, which makes it harder to take photos outside, and in general, the gray skies and melted snow just make everything look drab. Even though I usually prefer to take my photos outside, during the winter I don’t really have a choice but to photograph indoors. I know a lot of bloggers just take photos inside their apartment or house during the winter, but I prefer to match my outfits to my surroundings to really tell a complete story, so I usually scout out a very specific location for each outfit. Below are some tips that I use to find the perfect location. 
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keep a list:
I am constantly wandering around NYC, so whenever I walk by a location I like and think could work for photos, I add it to a list I have saved in my phone. This list includes all types of locations, from bars and restaurants, to a vintage sign or an interesting door. Whenever I get a new piece I want to shoot, I consult the list to see if any of the locations could be a good match. 

utilize yelp:
Sometimes when I’m putting together an outfit, I’ll immediately get an idea for a specific type of location, say for example, a candy store. If I don’t have a specific candy store in mind, I’ll then go to Yelp, and search through to see what locations are nearby, and what would be the most aesthetically pleasing or match my outfit the best. 

search instagram:
Yelp is great for getting an extensive list of a specific type of location, the only problem is, a lot of the photos usually end up being of food and are often not very high quality. If I feel the location I found on Yelp might work, I then search the location on Instagram, and see what photos come up there. There you can usually see more specific spots within that location that would be “instagramable”. You can also get a better sense of the lighting, how spacious the location is, etc. 

arrive early:
Before you head out to a location to shoot, see what their hours are, and arrive as early as possible. I shoot almost all of my photos by myself with a tripod, so arriving early usually means less people there looking at me like I’m crazy. The less people around, the more comfortable I am shooting, and the better the photos will turn out. Less people around also means less opportunity for a photobomb from someone in the background. If you have someone behind the camera, they can maneuver around people easier, but that’s not possible with a tripod. Theres been many times I’ve tried to shoot in a crowded location, say a street in NYC, and people just walk right through my shot, which is super frustrating. 

If you’d like to shop my sweater, you can find it here:
https://joanieclothing.com/product/catherine-hello-slogan-jumper/ 

Sweater: c/o Joanie Clothing
https://joanieclothing.com/
Collared Shirt: Forever 21; Skirt: Forever 21: Shoes: Bait Footwear; Beret: Target
Location: Lucky’s Famous Burgers (Lower East Side, NYC)

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