Old School

Monday, September 30, 2013

This outfit gives me awesome 90s vibes.  I feel like Liv Tyler circa Empire Records and/or Janet Jackson in Poetic Justice ❤

This dress was a rare Forever 21 find that has actually lasted for more than two years.  I spent about $20 for it!  The boots I got from Call It Spring on sale for $25 (they're a little dusty from Hard Summer), the jean vest ($30) and oversized cardigan ($30) I got from old faithful Foreign Exchange.
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If You Know Me, You Know I Love My Earrings

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

 
 Real, fake, ghetto-fabulous, I do LOVE my earrings... And I like them BIG (ha!).  One day, I'll be able to afford solid gold and platinum earrings, maybe :-P  But for now I stick with my cheapies:

1.  Forever 21 $5.99
2.  Forever 21 $3.99
3.  J-Dew $7.99
4.  Call It Spring $3.99
5.  J-Dew $7.99

How can I consistently wear such big heavy earrings!?  Well, a few years ago I found this awesome product called "Lobe Wonder".  They are earring support patches that enable me to wear my gigantic earrings with comfort.  You can order them here on drugstore.com:

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Fashion Pit Stop

Friday, September 20, 2013

Sometimes you've got to make a quick pit stop and get gas so you can make it home from that party you went to at the end of a long week. 

On this stop I'm wearing a rad dress I got on Melrose back in 2010 for about $50 by Everly (http://everlyclothing.com), coke-bottle glasses from Call It Spring for $5 (http://www.callitspring.com/us), and $20 flats I got from Wet Seal (http://www.wetseal.com/home.jsp)
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What? No Makeup?

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Well, maybe a LITTLE makeup.  People who know me are very aware of how I like to dress on a regular basis.  But I do cherish those days when I have time to chillax, run errands, and take my dog for a walk.  I don't start work until 6pm, so this happens just about everyday :)

So this is something I'd typically wear on a laid back day, before I get dressed.  I found this cool hamburger shirt at Forever 21 for $12 and it's super comfortable.  I'll usually get a larger size, perfect for lounging.  

I found this cool camo vest at Wet Seal for $30 that I can pair with any t-shirt and leggings.  I think it helps me not look like a complete bum on my lazy days.

The only makeup I am wearing here is blush (to bring out some color in my face), an eyebrow pencil because I have the thinnest eyebrows ever, and a bit of lip gloss.
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Brunchin'

Monday, September 16, 2013

It was a dear friend's birthday on Saturday, so naturally we went to brunch to celebrate.  We hit up the old faithful Overland Cafe and enjoyed bottomless mimosas and yummy home fried potatoes.  I wore a comfy stripped shirt I got from Forever 21 for about $15, jeans from Forever 21 $20, and some cute heels and clutch I both got from Nordstrom years ago (meaning I can't remember how much they cost, but I believe I got them both for a total of $100).
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From Summer to Fall

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Fall is almost here!  I LOVE fall fashion, but what about all the clothes I spent money on during the Summer?  Here I give you a few examples of how you can take your summer clothes and make them appropriate for fall weather when the temperature drops.

I got the first dress from H&M for about $35.  I love this dress, so to make it work for colder weather I've paired it with some cute patterned tights ($5 from some random store in the Fox Hills Mall I don't remember whoops), combat boots ($25 Call It Spring), and a knit hat ($35 Urban Outfitters).  I threw on an over-sized sweater I got on sale from Express for about $20.

In the second outfit I wore this dress from Forever 21 which cost about $20.  Paired with my platform sandals ($45 Call It Spring) it makes the perfect summer outfit.  But for fall I paired this dress with jeans ($20 Forever 21) a cardigan & knit hat ($30 and $15 Nordstrom BP) and these cute flats ($20 Wet Seal).  

So there ya go!  I've recycled two summer outfits into super funky and comfortable fall outfits for the cooler days ahead.
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The Original Fashonista

Monday, September 9, 2013

Why start "The Fashion of Miss Gaston"?  I've been asking myself that question a lot lately.  The doubts of "What am I doing?" and "I didn't go to fashion school" have been bouncing around my head.  Last week I was going through some old family photographs and stumbled across photos of my mother when she was a young adult.  I totally forgot that she was once on the cover of Jet magazine, and that she participated in the Ebony Fashion Fair back in 1967.  Reading the article about her made me realize that fashion is in my blood.  She was voted best dressed in her UCLA dormitory her Freshman year.  I was voted best dressed in high school my senior year.  It all makes sense!  Ha ha.

I see now that my mother has influenced me in many ways, whether I like it or not (lol).  I sat down with her recently to ask about her beauty secrets and any advice she might have for other young ladies out there who want to work on self improvement.

My mom stresses that confidence is the most attractive thing about a woman.  Well how does one work on becoming more confident?  Getting you know yourself and loving who you are on the inside is the first step.  Discovering and developing your personal talents and interests can help drive you towards a positive self image.  I have to agree, no matter how good you look on the outside, it doesn't matter much if you feel lousy on the inside.

My mother was 18 years old when she was on the cover of Jet in 1967, so you can do the math to know how old she is today.  How does she stay in such great shape you ask?  Yoga!  Now, I have to admit I am not personally a fan of Yoga.  But when my mom was in her forties she started practicing yoga and says it helps her improve her body and mind on a daily basis.

Lastly, I asked her what kind of skin care products she uses, because let's be real; I'm getting older and I'd like to make sure I take care of my skin now so it can stay in good shape when I'm...old (lol).  My mother gives herself weekly facials, using an all natural product she gets from Whole Foods for $5.00!  Here's the products website:  http://www.aztec-secret.com/clay.html  She also makes sure to use a moisturizer everyday that contains some SPF to protect her skin from the sun.  She has used LaMer for the longest time, but has recently switched over to Oil of Olay to save money, and she says she can't really tell much of a difference.  To reduce the effects of aging, she uses Vitamin C ointment (17%) to help increase the collagen in her skin.

So there you have it.  Sometimes no matter how hard we try to fight it, we are more like our parents than we think.  My mother and I have different tastes in fashion and clothing, but funny enough when I went to go see her for our photo shoot, we ended up wearing similar dresses.  That's just scary, ha!


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A True Angeleno

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

I am an Angeleno.  I was born in the Kaiser hospital on Sunset Blvd in Silverlake.  When I was little, my mom would take me to Echo Park lake to see the birds that hung out around the lake.  I remember the swans.  They weren't very friendly :)

I was happy to hear that they cleaned up the park.  The water is now clean and the lotus blossoms and paddle boats are back!  I didn't spot any swans though :(

It was a hot day in Echo Park so I wore some comfortable flats I got on sale from Wet Seal for $11.99.  The skirt I got from Nordstrom's BP section about five years ago.  I think I paid around $35-40 for it, and it's one of my favorite items of clothing to wear.  I got the gun crop top from a store on Melrose for about $10.

I am proud of my roots and my hometown.  I'm thrilled that our public transit options are growing, and that old gems like Echo Park Lake are being restored.
Me at the LA Zoo in 1987, with the flamingos 
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