outfit

Golden Hour

June 6, 2017 by The Partial Ingredients

Things have been hectic over here and it’s been a while since I’ve been able to update. I wanted to share a few of my favorite early summer finds recently. I never would have guessed I’d get into rompers but I recently found this one with a great tropical print and had to give it a try. When it arrived I totally fell in love with the print and how comfy it was. It’s perfect for the beach or just going out and about. I paired it with a slouchy long cardigan for when it’s cooler and summery leather sandals. These sandals are perfect for casual summer nights out and go well with so many things.

A few other recent finds is this watch by Stock. This brand caught my eye a few years ago and I just loved the minimal design. At the time I wasn’t able to snag it but this time I didn’t let it get past me! I’ve always wanted an everyday watch as an accessory. The watch is technically unisex but the band had enough holes to fit smaller sized wrists which is a huge plus. The strap is a beautiful matte tan leather and overall the construction is gorgeous and high quality. The bag is another recent score from Etsy. I came across this Etsy shop that hand makes their leather bags and saw this beautiful cross body bag with cognac colored leather. It’s a messenger style that can fit a wallet in the small pouch and a small laptop in the larger. Super convenient and holds everything I need to go out and about. The leather is beautiful, durable and the bag is very well made. There were some natural imperfections from the leather but that just gives the bag more character!

Outfit Set:

Outfit Details: Cardigan: American Eagle, Romper: Forever 21, Shoes: Lucky Brand, Bag: Etsy, Hat: eBay

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Spring Greens

April 28, 2017 by The Partial Ingredients

Spring is one of my favorite times of the year and this season has been especially great due to all the rain we got this past winter. I wanted to showcase my favorite midi skirt in a perfect olive green as well as some awesome wild edible plants growing right now. I love the midi skirt trend since I live in a really windy area and just, you kind of need a little extra length for that you know? Without tights, flowy skirts above the knee can get a little bit risqué ’round these parts when the wind hits above 15mph. But I digress, the midi skirt trend is one of my favorites because they work so well with so many different outfits. Forget about frumpy, there’s lots of ways to dress up the midi skirt in a very non librarian-ish way. I paired this skirt with a simple black and white striped “Breton” style shirt and some beautiful Frye ballet flats. I’ve always had a bit of a long distance love affair with Frye and I recently found these flats on sale and I couldn’t pass them up. My favorite sun hat and vintage leather engraved bag completes this look.

Since living in California I’ve been able to learn more about the local edible plants and have found a bunch that I routinely pick and use in cooking. The following are a few that I find most often. Rosemary and sage are drought tolerant plants and grow in large bushes all over in California. I find Black Sage most often along sunny, dry trails. Fennel is also something I find really frequently along trails in dry areas too. You can usually smell the licorice-y scent of them if they are growing in the area. All of these wild herbs are amazing to cook with. I like to use them in soups and meat dishes. After picking, I hang them together with twine to dry them out slowly and use them as needed. Another amazing find I’ve been enjoying recently is picking Miner’s lettuce for salads. It is a delicate little plant shaped like tiny lily pads. To me it tastes like a milder, sweeter arugula. I usually find it growing in secretive, shady spots along trails. They dry out with any direct sunlight and hot weather so I don’t expect this year’s batch to last much longer. Since miner’s lettuce is better eaten raw than cooked, throw it in your salad if you can find it. It is so delish and I almost prefer the flavor to arugula. As a disclaimer, I don’t endorse picking and eating wild plants without the required knowledge so be mindful of what you’re collecting and make sure you know exactly what you’re eating.

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Dark Floral

April 9, 2017 by The Partial Ingredients

Lately I have been into long sleeved, dark floral patterned dresses and this one combines the best of those things. This dress is comfy and loose fitting with a great retro 70’s floral pattern. You can take it in at the waist with a belt if you’re looking for a more fitted look but I actually like the looseness of this style. I like this outfit as a transition look for the in-between seasons. Long sleeve dresses and tights are your friend for that weird in between time. It’s also super affordable too which is a plus.

I’ve also been pretty much obsessed with these Marc Fisher ankle boots…they just look so good with so many things! It’s hard to resist wearing them with pretty much everything. To complete this look I added my favorite Brixton felt hat and this Hustle & Hide leather bag. Who says black and brown can’t be worn together? I beg to differ thank you very much. In terms of where to wear, I would probably wear this out to a concert or as a Winter to-Spring every day look.

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Cactus Print

March 18, 2017 by The Partial Ingredients

Spring has sprung here in California, hence this new look! It has been perfect sweater + skirt weather. The plants and flowers are going nuts after all the rain (a follow up post on this will be coming) and we did a little bit of edible plant hunting. I love the loose sweater and midi skirt look and I thought pairing cream and rust would be a nice color scheme. I’m most excited about this super cute bag I got from an Etsy store recently! How adorable is that print? It works with so many different looks and livens up the whole outfit. The size is great too–fits a phone, makeup, wallet and a few other things just fine. This big sunhat has saved me from many a sunburn and I highly recommend getting one for us pale folks. It’s still a bit chilly to wear sandals so I went with some comfy leather ankle boots instead.
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Black on Black

February 28, 2017 by The Partial Ingredients

Don’t you love when you find something you haven’t worn in a while and see a new use for it? I was doing a closet purge and found this graphic tee tucked away on a back shelf. It doesn’t happen too often to me but it’s a bit like finding $20 in your winter coat pocket when you first take it out. I thought it would go great with some of new additions to my closet. Namely this Brixton hat and these lovely Marc Fisher ankle boots. The boots are amazingly comfortable with beautiful leather to match. I had been snooping around on Etsy trying to find a tooled clutch and I came across this one for a reasonable price. Very happy with the beautiful engraved patterns on it and it fits just enough for a phone and cash. You can really luck into some amazing finds on Etsy!

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Black & Bronze

February 6, 2017 by The Partial Ingredients

I recently found this metallic pleated skirt on sale and I was super excited for it to arrive. I’ve seen the pleated gold skirt trend floating around for a while but haven’t really come across one I wanted to snag. While this skirt is still very much a statement piece, the toned down metallic color makes the skirt a lot more wearable. I love how soft and flexible the fabric is! I’ve seen some of these pleated skirts that were so stiff looking they had an uncanny resemblance to a cup cake lining. No thanks. The fabric is flowy and has a gorgeous dark bronzey tone instead of bright gold.

I also decided to try out a pair of these black velvet ankle boots from Asos and I have to say I really like them. I’m a total wimp about heels but these were surprisingly comfy! The velvet makes for a very soft and touchable upper. The bag is from an Etsy store that makes these great convertible clutches (it comes with a detachable strap!). I love the minimalist geometric design and the versatility of this one.

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Olive & Leather

January 16, 2017 by The Partial Ingredients

Maybe I’m boring but I’m a sucker for rustic colors inspired from nature. Browns, greens and greys are some of my favorites. It was nice to have an overcast day where the sun was more defused. Any photographer is probably familiar with the harsh lighting the glaring sun can produce so I was excited to have one of these days. Over the holidays I received this amazing leather wallet clutch from the Etsy store Hustle & Hide. The clutch is an elegantly designed half wallet/half clutch folded into a three piece design. It has a little sleeve for your phone, another for a few cards and a coin pouch. I absolutely adore it! The leather is high quality with beautiful texture and softness. The strap comes separate so you can convert into a wallet or a bag as needed which is pretty handy.

I’m wearing one of my favorite Lucky Brand ankle boots which have at last finally broken in. These puppies run very narrow and I was worried they would always be too tight on the sides. Luckily the leather has broken in and they are now super comfortable! But be warned: these shoes (and Lucky’s in general) run quite narrow. Just as an aside, if you do have a pair of leather shoes that are a bit too narrow, you can buy some thin nylon socks (like panty hose) to wear in the interim to break them in gradually without too much discomfort. To keep your shoes in good health, you can also add a coat of Lanolin wax to protect the leather from water and give it a good polish. Lanolin is a natural product that comes from sheep’s wool and it does wonders for protecting your leather stuff. It soaks into the leather like a lotion and leaves it soft and conditioned. It’s a great product to keep your leather items in great condition so they last for years. Plus they look so good all shined up so it’s a win-win!
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Black Velvet

January 1, 2017 by The Partial Ingredients

Happy new year! And now it’s January…ugh. Arguably the worst month of the year. It’s basically the Monday of the year in month form. I’m not that into “resolutions” but I’ve always wanted to try my hand at making my own clothes. As a kid I used to hand sew miniature clothes for my stuffed animals. So this year I thought I would get started on making some hand made, easy to make stuff. For my first project I settled on a loop or circle scarf. I don’t have a sewing machine so I hand sewed some black velvet into a loop with a single line of stitching. I think it turned out well and honestly wasn’t difficult at all to piece together. It definitely paid off because the only ones I saw online that were similar were like $30 bucks. Kind of a rip off. I got a yard of fabric for about $6.50 so it turned out to be totally worth it. Velvet is a great fabric for a scarf because it’s soft and dense for colder weather. I’m also ridiculously excited about this new hat and booties. I used to be hesitant about fedoras and heeled oxfords but I’m now totally down with both. These oxfords are very comfy even with the taller heel. I’m now of the opinion that fedoras on women look way better than on men. The over-sized cardigan is the perfect compliment to the scarf because it is so soft and warm it’s basically like wearing a blanket–and really what more could you ask for in a cardigan.

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Misty Days

December 12, 2016 by The Partial Ingredients

I get inordinately excited about “bad” weather. Living in California in the middle of a drought makes me look forward to any kind of rain. I know I’m spoiled by all the sun but I do appreciate the rainy days too. Colors get turned up a notch and everything looks greener. Checking out the local estuary was a great way to spend the day because it seems like nature comes to life after a good rain. While it’s fun to go exploring, this kind of weather is also a perfect excuse to curl up with a cup of hot tea and throw on an over-sized sweater. I love this southwest patterned sweater from American Eagle. It’s big and comfy and perfect for this kind of weather. I just recently picked up a pair of fleece lined leggings and I was wondering if I would notice them being warmer. During the day I definitely noticed a difference and they are way better at insulating then regular leggings. I’m also a big fan of these Born lace up boots which I’ve worn so much they’ve gotten a little rough around the edges. The leather is nice and they’ve held up well considering I’ve worn them out in the mud on a few occasions.

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Jacket Weather

December 8, 2016 by The Partial Ingredients

I love cooler temperatures because it gives me an excuse to wear the layers I’ve been wanting to wear for months. California weather tends to have some very warm fall months so it’s nice to finally get some chillier temps. This Moto jacket is one of my favorite new additions to my closet and perfect for cooler weather days. The material is made with vegan suede which gives it some flex and softness. Normally I wouldn’t go for “faux leather” but this jacket has a realistic suede feel and looks more expensive than it is. I paired the jacket with a simple charcoal top and black distressed legging jeans. My next favorite thing of the week are these booties! These Matisse shredded ankle booties are just too cool. I love the shredded look of the tops and they give outfits an edgier look. They are pretty versatile and look great with leggings or skirts.

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