Happy Tuesday, readers! 

We hope you're keeping cool in this insane heat wave. The sun has been giving us good excuses to head to the beach, which of course, we don't mind at all. :) 

Last post, we mentioned that H doesn't normally wear black because it doesn't work as well with her skin tone. While darker colors tend to make her look gloomy, warm colors, such as this fiery red, brightens her up.  

The simple shape of the dress helps elongate H's body and the light material gives it a graceful flow. The gold belt also helps cinch at the waist, which is always a great way to create the illusion of an hourglass body. 

One of H's favorite parts about this dress is that there was room to breathe in the chest area! It sounds silly, but it's a totally valid concern. Flowy dresses often provide more movement in the leg area, but is constricting up top. 

Comfort and movement is probably one of the best things about Modcloth's clothes. Their designs tend to cater to women of different body shapes. Big ups to them for being design conscious! 

A, on the other hand, looks amazing in blue. Our dresses may appear similar in shape, but don't be deceived. Our body types are actually quite different. She's more pear shaped, so the flowiness of this dress works well for her; H is a bit more of an inverted triangle, so a good fit for the chest area is important. 

A's gold trinket for her outfit is this geometric necklace. It gives a bit of an oomph to her simple outfit. 

 

And A's favorite part of this dress? There's a lot of movement, giving her the freedom to eat, dance, and be merry at any event she may wear this to. :)

Are you ready for your next event? What dress style is your favorite?

xoxo,
H & A

Details for A:
Dress: Nordstrom
Necklace: Poshlocket

Details for H:
Dress: Modcloth

Sweet Blues & Vixen in Black

Happy Earth Day, readers! 

It's been a while since we've posted, but we're back with some great styles and fun! 

With prom season coming up, we were inspired to feature some of our favorite dresses. Here, A wears a sweet blue dress, with subtle floral print. The shade of blue goes well with her glowy skin tone. And because the dress is structured, she let her hair down to flow in the sea breeze. 

In addition to knowing what color works best, pay attention to what dress styles work best with your body type too. A has learned that an A-line (how perfect) helps cinch in her waist, giving off a great hourglass shape. The V-cut for this outfit is perfect for any occasion since it's not too deep, making it still classy for a wedding, but shows enough skin for a sexy date out. 

And you all should know by now that A loves outfit details! She knows that something as simple as painting your nails can really make an outfit; the dark blue plays off the watercolors in her dress very well (Bouncer, It's Me by Essie). And that adorable bangle? Coordinates Collection was fabulous enough to allow us to feature them on this entry; they make great little pieces with customized coordinates. Shout out to the Big Apple! 

Whoa! There's a change in gears. Contrasting A's sweet pastels, H wore this daring maxi dress. The cut on the dress is a bit different and can make wearing a bra a pain in the butt. A couple of options for remedying that: pasties, taping the girls, or au naturale if you're willing. 

H's complexion is a bit more tan than A and she doesn't usually wear much black; it can make her look gloomy. However, knowing that, she changed her makeup for the day so she had a pop of red lipstick. She also put up her hair, which allowed some of her highlights to peek through and brighten her face. 

Because this dress is a bit more revealing, H chose to not add accessories. 

As mentioned earlier, knowing what colors and styles that work for your body is good knowledge to have; however, don't limit yourself to juts what "works" for your body. What do you like and what makes you comfortable? At the end of the day, if you wear any outfit with a splash of your own confidence, you'll look great! 

What big events are you prepping for? Prom? Wedding? Vegas? 

xoxo,

H&A

Details for A

Dress: BCBG Max Azria

Bracelet: Coordinates Collection

Necklace: Thrifted

Details for H

Dress: Crossroads 

UCLA: South Campus

Move aside North Campus, it's the South's turn to shine this week!

A. majored in MIMG--an acronym only UCLA students are familiar with, but essentially is Microbiology. And being a science major is no easy job, it requires lot of time in laboratory and research facilities. But being indoors most of the time doesn't mean you can't look your best!

Here A. is wearing a loose white blouse paired with a denim skirt; the skirt cinches at the waist so it gives her a more defined shape. The added grey cardigan is for those cold mornings, which can be taken off as the day gets warmer.

Of course, those who have taken a lab course know that the dress code is strict: pants and closed-toe shoes. The denim skirt can definitely be switched out for denim jeans instead. You'll still look just as cute!

Alright, you've spent all quarter working your research project, and now you have to present your poster to your peers! You want to look professional, and yet comfortable in your clothes like A does.

A simple white long-sleeve and black slacks is classic; wearing these color combination will help you look polished. The black heels is an absolute essential, and also elongates your legs.

Hope everyone is enjoying their first weeks back at school (or spring break)!

Details for A:

Top: Forever21

Skirt: BCBG

Cardigan: H&M

Long-Sleeve: H&M

Slacks: Ann Taylor

UCLA: North Campus

UCLA has a long history of rivalries, particularly with that "other" school across down. 

Another rivalry takes place within the student population at this top ranking school: 

North v. South campus. 

Okay, wait...but what does that even mean?!

The campus is "divided" into two campuses, with North campus where most of the humanities and arts major classes take place, and South campus with its math and sciences buildings. 

There have often been jokes about how everything about North campus is more aesthetically pleasing, such as the buildings, the landscape, the students' styles...

Okay, totally not fair. They're just different! 

Between the two of us bloggers, A was a South campus kid and H was a North campus major. This week and next, we'll share with you some of our different styles and how they were appropriate for our classes and events. 

And now, a tour of North campus!

H studied English and Anthropology. That meant long hours of lecture and so it was important to wear something comfortable. She didn't have lab, so there was no dress code (i.e.: long pants).

Dressing comfortably doesn't mean that you have to forgo style completely. The floral and delicate lace details on this outfit makes it casual chic. 

Writing essays all night can make getting out of bed hard, let alone getting to class. To dash quickly to class, H wore cute sneakers, such as these with doodles of birds on them. It often made climbing the famous Janss Steps a lot easier! 

One of best parts about North campus is the rolling green hills. It makes for a spot to catch up on some reading...

...or a nap. Another great way to top off your outfit is with a fedora. It can get warm pretty quickly and having a hat on hand is a great way to keep the sun out of your eyes. It also makes for a great way to hide your disappointment with the newspaper articles...

Most college days aren't just about classes and homework. A lot of students fill their days with interviews and events at night. Hidden in H's Herschel backpack earlier was this dress and heels. This colorblock dress is versatile in that it can be used in an interview (yes, even though it's orange!) or a reception. 

The gray and white tone the brightness of the dress down, but it's still vibrant enough to make a statement. The simple style works for any body shape and those oxfords gives the outfit an adorable touch. 

What was often your go to outfit for school? Did your school have any interesting traditions or rivalries like our alma mater does? Let us know!

Details for H:

Tank top: American Eagle

Scarf: Nordstrom

Shorts: Nordstrom Rack

Sneakers: Vans

Fedora: Ebay

Sunglasses: Tahini (TJ Maxx)

Backpack: Herschel 

Dress: Banana Republic

Shoes: Modcloth

(P.S: North campus is totally better.)

Date Night -- Valentine's Day (Part 1)

Happy February! 

We hope everybody had a great month of New Year's celebrations (Lunar and Western). 

We're both getting ready to celebrate Valentine's and we'll have two posts, this one for date night and an upcoming one for girls' night. We know a lot of people aren't fans of Valentine's, some even calling it S.A.D. 

Don't get swept up in the lovey-dovey of it all! 

We believe it's a good opportunity to celebrate love, whether it's intimate, familial, or between friends. So celebrate love with us, no matter the type! 

A's outfit makes for a sweet Valentine's outing, with its soft color palette.

Her shoes have this rose bow that makes for an adorable detail. The heels are also thicker so it'll make it easier for her to dance the night away with her sweetheart. 

The great part about the relatively monochrome outfit is that she can add a statement necklace without worrying about it overpowering the rest of the outfit. She made this herself with a DIY kit from Wander and Hunt! She also put her hair up to show off her fresh face and keep the focus on her outfit. 

A is a bit more pear shape and this dress's higher collar and wide shoulders helps balance that out to give her more of an hourglass shape. With that said, her derriere is her best feature so we didn't want to lose that; the pleats give a flare that helps her move easily and maintains her great shape. 

In contrast to A's monochrome outfit, H opted for a bright pink dress for her date night. 

Because her dress is so bright, she paired it with lacy black peep toes. The dress doesn't have any patterns so it's safe to add some to her shoes. 

This statement necklace is another great way to add pattern without clashing with her bold dress.

This dress has more of a yoke/tunic shape. To create more of an hourglass shape, you can cinch it with a belt (maybe just a small one so it doesn't put the focus too much on your belt). The only thing we were worried about cinching was that it would lose the flow of the dress. (And because it's looser, you can eat during date night!) 

The lovely part about this dress is the back. It shows off just enough skin to still be classy. It's a good chance to show off your back muscles you've been working so hard for! 

Where are you headed for Valentine's? What are you going to wear? 

Details for H

Dress: Banana Republic

Necklace: Target

Shoes: Nine West (Nordstrom Rack)

Details for A

Dress: Forever21

Necklace: Wander and Hunt

Shoes: GAP (Thrifted)

xo,
H&A

Afterschool Special

We were feeling nostalgic and with everybody going back to school, we decided to do a little "homecoming" of our own. Mind you, this isn't necessarily how we dressed during our high school years; it's simply how we were inspired by visiting our old stomping grounds (lol).

Both of us tended to dress in styles that we've dubbed "feminine tomboy" and we continue to do so today.

A chose a simple outfit, layering a bright plaid shirt over a plain white tank. It makes it easy to get ready in the morning when you're in a rush and trying to make that morning bell.

Fashion tip: A cuffed the sleeves to give it more shape since it wasn't form fitting.

H also incorporated plaid into her outfit, but more as an accessory rather than a focus piece. Her outfit was also simple and because of it, she could throw on other colors without it being too overwhelming.

Alternatively, A layered with an oversized boyfriend jacket instead. It gave her an edgier look, which was gently complemented by her soft curls.

The ripped jeans also give her outfit an edge without being too distracting. (Surprise, those rips are actually sealed underneath).

Similarly, H can change her look, going from edgy to sweet, by simply taking the plaid shirt and hat off.

While having additional colors are nice, sometimes the simplest colors make the most fun outfits. The skirt has this gorgeous, textured design that spoke volumes of its own.

We do love our accessories! A wore what we joked was a "Sailor Moon" necklace; it gave her outfit a quirkiness.

H wore a fortune cookie necklace that she personalized with her favorite quote.

These blue flats are easy to slip on in case of a rush, but also added a pop of color.

H's splash of color came from her Toms wedges. Because her outfit was monochrome, it was easy to swap out the pink oxfords (see: first picture) for these, depending on the look she was aiming for.

Oh and not to mention, the hat was a pretty great find. Like the oxfords, she borrowed this from a friend. It was a great way to "top off" her outfit.

What did you wear in high school and how have you since modified your style?

A's outfit:

Plaid shirt: American Eagle

Jeans: American Eagle

Jacket: KR3W

Shoes: H&M

Necklace: Forever 21

H's outfit:

Shirt: Nordstrom

Skirt: Nordstrom

Shoes: Toms (wedges); Urban Outfitters (oxfords...also A's closet hehe)

Hat: Bait

Necklace: Etsy

New Year's

2014 is here! Are you ready to celebrate? 

We wanted to dress up for NYE, and while we like glittery things, we didn't want to look like a disco ball while we were out. 

So instead, we opted for bright accessories and bold-colored dresses. 

A wore a maroon dress with leggings to prepare for the crisp night air. She wore her favorite gold watch to keep an eye out for the strike of midnight. 

H chose this gold dress, which brought out the warm undertones in her skin and hair, giving her entire look a bright glow. She also wore nude heels to copy A's "legs for days" look (please refer to the Holiday Outfits post). 

Similarly, A wore black booties because it also gives the illusion of longer legs. 

In this close up of H's dress, you'll notice that it's the details that makes it such an amazing addition to any wardrobe. The pockets make it very convenient for a night out in the city, especially amidst the craziness of NYE. 

A picked a number of gold accessories that didn't necessarily match, but that's what made it the perfect combination. Our philosophy is that there's no need for too much color coordination; it's much  more fun when you can combine different splashes of color. 

While the dress was bold on its own, H's neckline was bare and this intricate necklace was the perfect addition.  

Another thing about A's dress is that because it's flowy, it makes for a great dancing dress! 

A's booties also have gold detail on them, which was another great way to match her outfit.

H's nude heels were actually wedges! Gotcha. 

We mustache you a question: what are you wearing for NYE? 

Thanks for tuning in! See you all next year. 

xoxo,

H&A 

Details for H:

Dress: H&M
Heels: Calvin Klein
Bracelets: Nordstrom, American Eagle
Necklace: Sam Moon

Details for A:

Dress: H&M

Booties: Forever21

Bracelets: Nordstrom, ShopSosie
Necklace

Watch: American Eagle