For a brand that is already considered fast fashion, will a clothing rental service work? It seems like Rent the Runway is the leader in this business model, but I used to think that was because their pieces were high end. Starting out first as a rental for gowns, they have now shifted to regular everyday clothing. If H&M can tackle the same, then it could actually work for them!
How it works: members of the brand’s loyalty program will have access to 50 pieces that they can rent for a period of time. For now, this will only be launched in Sweden for $37/week. After a three-month trial period, the brand will then assess how the program is working. H&M was the staple of my college years and post-college in the business formal working environment. Since then, I haven’t shopped there much except for perusing the sales, but readers, if this were offered in the states, would you try it?
I’ve been suspending my shopping habits for a bit, but in anticipation knowing that a big event is coming up. Every year, we’re on the hunt of a holiday party look and it’s something that I look forward to. I’ve never been able to reuse a look because there’s always a trend I’m excited about that I want to showcase. While the shopping has been on the back burner, now is the perfect time for pieces to come out and I’m ready. H&M is collaborating with Giambattista Valli and their full look book was just released this week. Here are a few of my favorite looks! Are any of them worthy for the holiday party? We shall see!
The collab will launch globally starting November 7th online and in select stores. For the full collection, click [here].
We don’t get to spend a ton of time in North Beach, but it’s one of my favorite neighborhoods because it has so much character. There’s never a shortage of anything to see here from its endless Italian food, row of strip clubs, or being out and about amongst the community. You will never go hungry here. On this particular evening, Angel and I headed over here for an early dinner at The House. It wasn’t hard to find a colorful backdrop so we opted for two houses right next to each other.
This Aritzia pullover is easily the warmest sweater I own. While it’s a relatively new piece from the last year, it brings about new life to this skirt that I’ve owned since college! The combination of the two textures together are refreshing.
Summer 2019 was the year that we really leaned into summer. In prior years, I never did much shopping during this time because I was saving everything up for the fall. That was my back to school shopping season and truly a transition period. However, San Francisco graced us with beautiful summer days this year and while I didn’t need another swimsuit or another dress, I doubled down.
This summer, more than ever, we embraced color and prints. I purchased my first leopard print dress in a vibrant orange. For a swimsuit, I ventured out of the one-piece and got the new lingerie bikini style that is a hit or miss with the critics. I regret none of my purchases! In this “Closet” post, I’m sharing more of what I didn’t get a chance to buy, but am hoping one of you will fall in love with!
My month long summer vacation ended with two back-to-back weddings. I’m not talking two weekends in a row; I mean consecutive Friday and Saturday weddings. Believe it or not, one of my best friends decided to elope that same week as well! While I wasn’t jumping at the chance to have three weddings in a row (hers was Thursday) if logistics had worked out, I would attended. I hate to miss anyone’s wedding, but what can you do?
I’m headed to my first wedding of the year in two weeks – for that girl ^^ so the timing is perfect. Both of these summer weddings were quite different from each other so I wanted to use it as an opportunity to try out two looks. For the first wedding, we stayed local in the Presidio. That black and white polka dotted dress with bell sleeves only cost me $8 at H&M. It was the best “steal” I ever landed! I don’t know what prompted me to pull it off the rack because normally it’s not a dress I would gravitate towards. It had also been years since I had stepped foot into H&M. This dress combined with the high pony and yellow clutch is going down in history as my favorite wedding guest look.
For the next night, we ventured east to Livermore in wine country! It was so warm that I needed something light and breezy. Finding a dress for this wedding turned out to be more challenging for me. We actually landed on it the day before and because I was in a pinch, I went with something I knew would work: Reformation. Readers, have you ever worn a dress to a wedding with a white base? I had deep anxiety over this and almost didn’t follow through with the dress. Since forever, my rule has always been no white to any wedding. I’ll admit, I never once forgot that the base of my dress was white the entire night and it bothered me. As much as I love Reformation dresses, I didn’t quite feel like myself in this one. The H&M felt much more in our wheelhouse!
Since it was the last two weddings of the summer, I also decided to splurge on working with Glamsquad. For Friday’s San Francisco wedding, I had their assistance for the high pony. You all know I could never do that myself! And for Saturday, I hired them to help with makeup. This isn’t something that will become routine for me because it’s not like it’s cheap. However, I think when there’s a certain look you are trying to achieve, but can’t, they are who you want to call.
So far, we’ve just got two weddings on the agenda for the year. I’d love to try out new trends as they come for the wedding season and am taking recommendations now!
She’s not the kind of celebrity that is regularly promoting something that she’s doing, but she still manages to stay completely relevant. We love her for that. Alexa’s style is timeless and nearly everything she wears is an updated classic. It’s one of the reasons why her look feels so relatable to normal folk like us. She’ll be on our list for best dressed for years to come.
Runner Up: Laura Harrier
Favorite Getaway: Lake Powell
I could talk about my trip to Lake Powell for days, but I’m saving this for another post. Located in a quiet part in Arizona near a few other tourist destinations, Lake Powell is anything but touristy. I had been hearing about this spot for a few years now, but wanted to see it for myself. Unless you have a boat, there’s not much that you can actively do, but it was enough for me. All I wanted was a spot to lay my towel out and to be in the clear water for the entire day. It was the most relaxing part of my entire trip and I wouldn’t mind visiting this spot every year if I had the chance.
Runner Up: Palm Springs
Favorite Artist: Kacey Musgraves
It was unbelievably hard to pick just one favorite artist this year. There were more than a handful of standout women who were completely dominating in music and I hate to have to pick just one. I went with Kacey because I listened to her album on repeat for what felt like a month. While she’s known for being country and I’m not known for even liking country, I found myself pleasantly surprised.
Runner Up: Nao
Favorite Guilty Pleasure: Terrace House
Ever since MTV’s The Real World stopped being good and full of gimmicks, I’ve been looking for a show to fill that void. Terrace House on Netflix is the most endearing series I’ve ever seen. You would think that there isn’t drama, but there is; it just happens to be toned down. The series follows six individuals in Japan living together and getting to know each other while a separate cast provides commentary on what goes on in the house. If I’ve got one qualm with the show, it’s that it doesn’t make for good background noise if that’s what you’re looking for. When I watch the show, I’ve gotta give it my full attention especially because there are subtitles.
Runner Up: The Handmaid’s Tale
Favorite Item Purchased This Year: Aritzia Slip Dress
I had my doubts when the slip dress came onto the scene and my fear was that it would look too much like a night gown. My mind had changed the minute I tried this on at the store. I loved how beautiful it looked and how the silk felt against my skin. It’s quite impressive just how versatile this piece is. You can wear it alone for a spring/summer soiree to be a little bit fancier or layered with a denim jacket. During the winter, I’ve had it underneath sweaters for a more layered look. It’s amazing how many things I’ve paired this with. I hope this piece will last me a lifetime!
I am headed out for my getaway later on this week so it’s no surprise that we’ve got vacation items on the brain! It’s been feeling quite chilly in the Bay so a trip to warmer temperatures is everything we need. For the first time in years, I’ve acquired three new swimsuits in one year and I do’t even want to quit! How delicious are some of these ones that I’m sharing with you below? And of course, for warmer evenings, there’s nothing more that you could want than easier slip dresses to toss on over your head. Raise your hand if you could live in summer mode forever. That’s us!
Amal Clooney in Richard Quinn with George by her side
Before I left the office tonight, my friend and coworker, Courtney, remarked that tonight’s Met Gala was the equivalent of a Super Bowl to anyone else. She wasn’t wrong! I put in the extra hours of work this weekend so that I could free up my Monday evening to work on crafting this post. Before I came home, I also went out for a glass of wine with a friend so that I could a) appreciate every look for the piece of art that is and b) to let my true opinions for every outfit shine through! Throughout the day in all my meetings, I was closely watching the coverage seeing bits and pieces here and there, but never spoiling it all for myself until I was able to digest it when I got home. I can’t imagine a better photograph to kick start this post.
This year’s 2018 exhibition was “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination.”
When it comes to wedding gowns, fast fashion brands aren’t at the top of my list. In fact, they’re not even somewhere in the middle usually. I’ve got a high bar and I definitely wouldn’t be posting mediocre looks unless I believed in it. Earlier this week, H&M announced that they would be launching a wedding shop that would include both wedding gowns for the bride to be and dresses for wedding guests. That last piece is actually the thing that excites me the most. For those of you who have a handful of weddings every year and don’t want to reuse your dresses, this is probably a godsend. To shop the entire collection, click here.
Here are some of my favorites below that I know you’ll love:
