neutral style

Charcoal & Sienna

May 17, 2021 by The Partial Ingredients

When it comes to personal style, where do you get your color palettes for your outfit or closet? When I’m in need of some aspirational color goals, I usually turn to nature for guidance. This look was inspired by a recent early Spring hike in the canyon. This marled mini dress from TopShop (now sadly closed/absorbed by Asos) was a perfect addition for my neutral color scheme in my closet. Where I hiked in the canyon was just beginning to turn green due to recent rainstorms, and the reappearance of wildflowers added an injection of whites, purples and yellows to the landscape. The overall appearance of this landscape was mostly a mix of reds, blacks, greys and browns, hence the color scheme for this dress. The area I hiked was also home to a wildfire several years ago, and there’s still a lot of evidence of that in the landscape with the blackened trees on the hillsides. Yes, if you were wondering I am a total dork when it comes to colors.

Now back to the ‘fit: these vintage Bruno Valenti shoes add such a beautiful pop of color into any neutrals based ‘fit. Do you ever look back at your thrifting finds, and think how lucky you were to stumble across them? These simple lace-up booties look great with just about everything — from skinny jeans, to skirts, to dresses. They have been an A+ addition to my closet recently. Also love the added vintage vibes to every outfit without looking dated or “costumey.” That’s one thing I try to be aware of and actively avoid when shopping for anything vintage. Does it make you look like you’re an extra in a period movie? If the answer could possibly be ‘yes,’ avoid at all costs!! Or not, you know, whatever floats your boat, lol.

**Outfit Details:** Dress: TopShop; Tights: Target; Shoes: Bruno Valenti; Necklace: Vintage/thrifted; Bag: LeatherStrata

Review: the Best Bralette for Summer

July 25, 2020 by The Partial Ingredients

I don’t often do reviews, much less a bra review, but I had to write a whole post about this! This Summer I have been on the hunt for a lightweight lace bralette that’s affordable and fits great. American Eagle’s brand Aerie recently started offering a wider range of sizing, including bralettes in defined cup sizes instead of the usual S M L XL. If you are someone that needs a larger cup and smaller band, try out their S DD/32DD. After educating myself on Reddit’s AbraThatFits several years ago, I am unfortunately just outside the usual size matrix for most US brands so I was super excited to see this available! I highly recommend getting sized using ABTF’s sizing calculator. Side note: I don’t know why the US is still so far behind the UK in offering decent size ranges (looking at you Victoria’s Secret) — I pretty much exclusively shop UK brands now and will never buy another VS bra again. It does seem like the tide is turning and US brands are starting to offer large cup/small band size ranges, praise the lawd!

I was still a bit skeptical if this would work out but I have to say this is literally the only bralette that has ever fit well for me, though I would probably have preferred a 30 band rather than a 32 — but I’ll take it. This one has definitely come the closest to a good fit since I’ve never been able to find a bralette that had a band size that was tight enough. This style comes with three hook closures which really helps it out. I’ve also been looking for a bralette that can stand out under clothes. The lacey style looks great when paired with tank tops meant to “show” from underneath. It also has removable padding with straps that can convert into a racer back which is amazing. It’s like having two bralettes in one and they often sell for under $30 when on sale. I liked these so much that I had to buy more colors. If you are sweating at this very moment and thinking about how much you hate your underwire bra, try this one out!

**Outfit Details:** Top: Urban Outfitters; Hat: Brixton; Shoes: Joie; Bralette: Aerie; Jeans: Levi’s

Inside Life

January 25, 2020 by The Partial Ingredients

After moving to a new place, decor and furniture are still works in progress–hence this outfit shoot was all about the minimalism! Plus, when January hits I’m pretty much over Winter stuff and just want Spring already! This midi skirt from Adored Vintage is one of my favorite every day skirts that lends itself well to more minimalist looks. I also love the pattern! I have this weird thing about polka dots where in order for me to be on board, the dots needs to be small and unevenly spaced. Is that super weird/OCD? Probably, oh well.

Anywaaays, to complete this look I threw on a basic ribbed pullover top from Forever 21. The ribs/stripes are a nice way to add in some subtle pattern mixing/texture while not actually doing full on pattern mixing (but I am a fan of that too!). Forever 21 is so great with these staple items for your closet–especially semi-cropped tops like these. I like to wear shorter tops with skirts (especially the high-waisted kind) so there isn’t a whole lot of fabric to tuck in and make it messy. This look was meant to be worn while out on a warm, Spring day — now all I need is for it to be April to make it work!