Work

Full Bloom

Posted on by Brandy Saldana

Pink Cardigan NY&Co | Floral A-Line Dress Vince Camuto via LE TOTE | Orange Bow Leather Belt Kate Spade | Say Yes Hello Sunshine Necklace Kate Spade (here) | Cedar Street Cliff Grey Maise Satchel Kate Spade | Navy Peep-toe Patent Heels Jimmy Choo via The Real Real | We may finally be experiencing Fall weather in the Bay Area, but I am not quite ready to stop wearing florals just yet. This might be one of the biggest floral prints I’ve ever worn on the blog, and I loved it! So much so, I just had to keep this dress. I’ve shared plenty of pieces I’ve received from Le Tote, but I rarely decide to purchase something. My last purchase was my Kut from the Kloth jean jacket, and that easily has become a wardrobe staple.
This dress hit all the right notes for though: I love the colors, the fit, and the material. The scuba-like material is breathable, making this the perfect summer/fall dress. I wore it to work with my cardigan and classic Jimmy Choo heels I found through The Real Real. I also wore this dress to a friend’s wedding on a Friday with different heels and with a clutch. The fit and flare style is appropriate for a day at the office, brunch, or a daytime wedding. I am hoping I can squeeze in some more wear out of this dress during Winter by adding some layers.
Le Tote has been sending me a lot of amazing things in my recent totes, and luckily I’ve captured some more outfits to share. If you haven’t tried the service before, you are missing out! Enjoy $25 off your first box when you sign up and use my referral link. I’ve also linked the outfit to shop below! I found some exact matches, but a-line style dress was a little harder to find.
Hope you are having a great week so far. Until next time!

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Spring to Summer

Posted on by Brandy Saldana

Beige Trench Coat  Banana Republic Factory Store | Floral Print Dress Uttam via Le Tote (here) | Rose Gold Mirrored Sunglasses Kate Spade (here) | Druzy Pendant Necklace Camilla via Le Tote (similar) |  Rose Gold Pave Bracelet Express | Cliff Grey Maise Kate Spade |  Nude Mary Jane Campy  Heels Manolo Blahnik (here) | Rouge Volupte Shine 41 Corail A Porter Lipstick Yves Saint Laurent (here)I look back and can’t believe June is almost over! I’ll be heading out to Japan at the beginning of July, but of course the minute I reminded my office of that detail every assignment/project I was assigned will need to be complete before I take off. Needless to say, I’ve been coming home really burnt out and feel like I have no creative energy to write up a blog post after a long day at the office. I feel this upcoming trip will be worth the extra hours, but it is my hope blogging isn’t taking a back seat for long. 
Since I’ve had to focus on work a lot lately, I have been pretty grateful for having Le Tote back in my life.  Getting dressed each morning is my favorite part of the day, but sometimes I spend way too much time trying to put something together. I’ve had to come in to the office early and can’t afford to spend too much time staring into my closet. Luckily, Le Tote makes it easier to pull something together, especially if you have the app on your smartphone. You can customize your totes so the items that come in can create more than one outfit and so that all the pieces are ones you would wear. 
The necklace and dress from this outfit are from my latest tote. The necklace is a little simple, but I could not send it back because it wasn’t like anything I currently own and I could see myself wearing a lot more often. I loved the feminine print and body-hugging fit of the dress. While I loved the print, it wasn’t a piece I felt I couldn’t live without. The cut of the dress works for a day at the office but also for upcoming brunch, weddings or graduation ceremonies. If floral isn’t your cup of tea, Le Tote does have a ton of other dresses perfect for the next summer event on your list. And to help convince you Le Tote makes like life easier, you can use my code WILLBAKEFORSHOES at checkout for a 20% discount when you sign up for the first time. Offer expires on August 8th, 2016, so make sure to sign up in time to enjoy picnic and bbq outfits for 4th of July weekend.
Regarding graduation ceremonies, I am really proud of my photographer/significant other, Armando Cortes, for completing his Bachelor Degree at SF State.  I haven’t had a chance to recap all the festivities in May, but I still wanted to congratulate him here and thank him for taking my photos in between class, school, and work. It means a lot to me that he was willing to help me out to continue by taking my photos despite having a lot to work on. I am really happy he was able to accomplish so much and I am excited for the adventures I’ll be able to share now that we can get back to enjoying photography sessions together. 
I hope you have a great week and don’t forget to sign up for Le Tote!

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Designing Your Own Shoes With Shoes of Prey & Nordstrom

Posted on by Brandy Saldana

Beige Trench Coat Banana Republic Factory Store | Pink Polka Dot Portofino Button Down Shirt Express (similar here) | Pink High Waist Skirt Express | Mint Green Statement Necklace Kate Spade | Teal Arrowhead Bracelet and Crystal Bracelet LE TOTE | Gold Wrap Tassel Bracelet E. Kammeyer Accessories (here) | Eat Cake for Breakfast Bracelet Kate Spade | Gold Bow Moon River Bracelet Kate Spade | Teal Cross Body Avery Purse Rebecca Minkoff (similar here) | Custom Teal Suede d’Orsay Heels c/o Shoes of Prey | Le Rouge Fuchsia Irrestible 205 Lipstick Givenchy (here) |
About a year ago, Shoes of Prey launched their pop up shop at Nordstrom located in the Westfield Mall. Walking in to the opening party made me feel like a kid in a candy store. Not only did I get to meet Janie Bryant, the amazing costume designer from Mad Men, but I had a sneak peek of her shoes from her collaboration with Shoes of Prey at the opening. The highlight of the evening was receiving a voucher to design my own shoes as a thank you for attending the event.
I set up a follow-up appointment after the event since I wasn’t sure exactly what type of shoes I wanted. I created a few designs in store with a helpful Nordstrom employee on iPads setup underneath large flower structures made of shoes. I was really unsure with which shoe I wanted designed, although I knew I wanted classic heels, and left my appointment without placing an order and left to ponder what shoes I needed in my life. I tried thinking about shoes I missed out on because they weren’t available in my size and flipped through magazines for inspiration, but felt like I was back at square one.
The nice thing about Shoes of Prey is that they have plenty of fabric options and sizes (from 3 – 13). The turnaround time is pretty quick too, and are made-to-order and shipped in about 4 weeks. Having too many options became a problem for me and it was tough choosing between satin, suede or glitter. I was inspired by the colors from this outfit post and decided on this turquoise suede with a pop of pink leather on the inside. When building your shoe, you have the option to customize the sole and can even add text (perfect to commemorate the date you get married if you were designing your own wedding shoes.) 
 These heels had been in their box for a few months and I wondered if I would ever have the chance to wear them or if I needed to ask for them to be remade in a neutral color (you have 365 days to decide on having the shoes remade.) I am glad I didn’t change my mind because these heels have already been paired with more outfits and they really compliment my wardrobe since they are unlike any other heels I own. Their insole is comfortable and are now pretty comfortable since they have been broken in. I matched the heels with my Rebecca Minkoff Avery purse I scored through ThredUp and a statement Kate Spade necklace I found on Poshmark. My top and skirt are from Express and I bought them on sale last year, but I’ve linked similar options above.
I loved that customization experience didn’t just end with me ordering the shoes. I was able to build this outfit from the ground up and it took a little patience, but it was worth having all the pieces fall into place. It really is gratifying to be able to tell people who compliment my shoes that I designed them and that they can do it too! I am already looking forward to designing my next pair and to add shoe designer to my list of skills.
Let me know if you have tried Shoes of Prey and what you’ve designed!

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Classic

Posted on by Brandy Saldana

Belted Trench Coat Viktor & Rolfe x H&M (similar) | Denim Button Down Banana Republic Factory Store | Statement Necklace Urban Gem via Rockbox | Black and White Checkered Blanket Scarf Express | Grey Tweed Pencil Dolce & Gabbana (here) | Viva La Gem Kate Spade | Crystal Bracelet LE TOTE | Gold Leather Wrap Bracelet and Grey Studded Leather Wrap Bracelet E. Kammeyer Accessories | Nude Campy Mary Jane Heels Manolo Blahnik |  Le Rouge Brun Creatéur 103 Lipstick Givenchy | Right before Daylight Savings ended, I had Armando take a few shots after work. I am so glad the sun sets a lot later, giving us more opportunities to get an outfit shoot in after work, but I think I am not the only one who feels Day Light Savings needs to end for good.
On this day we took photos, it was grey and misty, but it feels like the perfect setting for a classic trench coat and wool pencil skirt. My trench is an eBay find from 2012 and the Dolce & Gabbana wool skirt is a Crossroads Trading Co find. The skirt is one I bought right around the time I started working in my current position. It felt like a good investment piece, but not one I ever reached for. I am glad it has finally made its debut and I fully expect to wear it again. It is a versatile piece and can easily be dressed up with a silk blouse and leather jacket for a night out.
It should come as no surprise that the shoes are my favorite part of this whole outfit. These nude Mary Jane style heels are by Manolo Blahnik and the style name is Campy. I found them on The Real Real for an amazing deal and these just might be my go to nude heels for work from now on. I had a Carrie moment when I discovered these and love the round toe over the pointed look. They are really comfortable and classic. I appreciate great shoes, and The Real Real has some pretty amazing pieces for reasonable prices.  
I am almost done sharing my winter looks and am ready to transition to Spring outfits so stay tuned for that!

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Winter Blues

Posted on by Brandy Saldana

Black Princess Coat Steve Madden | Black and Blue Wool Dress  Alice + Olivia (here)| White Portofino Button Down Shirt Express | Grey Maise Satchel Kate Spade | Belted Black Suede Booties  Nine West | Le Rouge Carmin Escarpin 302 Lipstick Givenchy |
I have been a little MIA on my blog, and most of my social media accounts, and that has been true for this past week in particular. I spent last Monday attending a Bikram Yoga class and left work early on Tuesday to bathe in some epsom salt and nap in order for my body to recover.
I spent the rest of the week coming home from the office to practice my design skills on Adobe InDesign. I drafted how a new website should look, one that I am working on as a project for work we hope to launch at the end of April, and also worked on adding some design elements to my resume. The rain has left me pretty uninspired when it comes to what to wear, but luckily Armando snapped this outfit in January before any storms hit.
This wool print Alice + Olivia dress has made its appearance on the blog before, and this time I layered a white button down shirt underneath and wore tights and suede booties. I opted to wear no jewelry to let the print make a statement. I love the print of the dress and I have it listed on my Poshmark closet, but it is a piece  I picked up at Crossraods Trading Co that I am not in a hurry to sell because it is pretty versatile, which is a plus for Winter dress. I feel I’ve been wearing the same thing lately because of the rain, but this dress can have a turtle neck or long sleeve black sweater underneath, or a cardigan over it.
We have some dry days for the coming week, and I am already planning my next outfit. I have a couple of shoes I’ve been wanting to wear, so stay tuned for those!

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Butterfly on my Right Shoulder

Posted on by Brandy Saldana

Leena Dress Diane von Furstenberg (here) | Teal Patent Heels Giuseppe Zanotti | Avery Saffiano Leather Cross Body Rebecca Minkoff via ThredUP (similar) | Multi Color Bracelets Forever 21 | Le Rouge 205 Fuschia Irrestible Givenchy (here) |
It’s already the beginning of March! I recognize February is the shortest month, and we had an extra day this year, but it is now March!
I haven’t featured this dress on the blog since I wore it with boots and leggings, but this is the second time in the last 6 months that its made its way out of my closet. I feel it is better suited for a art gallery opening than a day at the office because of its abstract print and large kimono-inspired sleeves. It makes a pretty big statement, so I don’t feel I can easily wear all the time. I found this lovely DVF dress through Bonanza, but have seen it appear on The Real Real. If you are in live with this (and fit in a size 2) I have a dress listed in my Poshmark closet as well.
The colors on my dress can let me experiment with shoes and accessories. I had a pair of pink heels I thought of pairing with this look, but my lipstick choice and bangles helped highlight the pink colors in this dress. I played around with the blue/green tones and decided to use my new Rebecca Minkoff Avery cross body bag I found using thredUP. The condition of the bag was like new and I scored a great deal on it through thredUP since I had store credit and a discount code to use. Having the app notifies you of flash promo codes for the day, perfect if you are on the fence about buying something. (Make sure to have push notifications on for the app!)
Notice anything different about my heels from the last time they made their appearance? They are protected thanks to Clickless High Heel Protectors. The covers slip on at the back of the heel and can protect/prolong the life of the heels and reduces the clicking noise. They are also claimed to make the heels more comfortable, but I am not too convinced by that since these heels were already comfortable to begin with. I received these high heel protectors to try out from Clickless and there are 4 sizes in each pack and available in 3 colors (beige, black and brown.) I love the sound heels make when I walk down the hallway, but I am sure my coworkers would appreciate if that echo could be reduced. I am still trying them out so only time will tell if they can prolong the life of my heels.

Have you tried heel protectors? Let me know because I am interested in knowing if there is a difference in comfort and in sound for you.

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