Standards. Stereotypes. These days, in the surface-based generation we live in, it's easy to get these two concepts confused. The key to living a fruitful life in this day and age is to shed yourself of any of these ideas, and simply dive in below the surface. People come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, colors, numbers, blah blah and so on. If we shed ourselves of our normal judgments and biases, we can discover the greatest treasures. Come with me and we'll wade away from the shallow end...

When our first standard of judgment is one's superficial being, it's easy to jump to some overly-spread stereotypical conclusions. Some of them can range from silly notions to more serious hard-hitting ideologies. All of them are equally as dangerous to spread, an infectious disease we must rid ourselves of.

One thing I always like to do is get a bit more personal and share with you all from my own point of view, to bring a better understanding behind the ramblings of my mind that come out like word vomit with each outfit story. So some stereotypes I would definitely want to squash include the idea that girls and boys can't be raised or do the same things (my dad's always taught me things like maintaining my car's oil and tire pressure and renewing my passport if needed to make sure I could be just as independent as my brother when the it came time to taking care of things), that females only dress up or wear makeup for the attention or standards of males (I, for one, love dressing up for just myself), and that the creative area is one that should be ignored (especially in this day and age where the creative types are able to make use of and cultivate their passions and hobbies).


Ever since I was a kid, I loved putting together outfits. As someone who was once a known introvert, I used fashion and style to express myself and my creativity. Even as a toddler I'd sometimes make four or five outfit changes just within one day. As I grew into my awkward years, I continued to express my different moods and phases through style. However, the more awkward I got, the harder it got to truly express my sense of fashion without feeling the stares any pre-/pubescent tween might mistake as a negative deterrence. Finally, through the later years of high school throughout college, I was able to reunite myself with my voice and express myself as truly as Ariel did once she got back her shell necklace containing her ability to speak.

Now, as someone who can definitely be branded as a transformed extrovert, I find the joy in using my style to speak out on a bit of who I am. I love having a few eye-catching elements added to any typical outfit, adding just a sprinkle or two of a bit more of a signature feel. This outfit is a great example of what I'm attempting to describe, with its racy lace bralette adding a pop of color under a layer of black mesh. The ripped-knee black denim helped keep the fit below the line of "just enough skin," while the black patent platform boots added to the dark beach goth vibes.


This is probably one of my favorite shoots with Melissa, I loved how the outfit came together as well as the spot we found to shoot it just behind AT&T Park. Summer and adventure were in the air, and surprisingly so was Katy Perry. Turns out she was doing a show for Genentech just inside the park, so we had a fun little soundtrack to shoot to that brought on a lot of energy. If there was a possibility to jump on one of the boats for shoot's sake, I'm sure we would've taken it.

As I've made clear time and time again, Los Angeles is where my heart and spirit truly reside. But over the past couple of weeks, and being able to stay closer within the heart of the city, I've started to grow a personal affinity with San Francisco. It may never reach the depth of my devotion for LA and everything it symbolized for me, but it's definitely a very welcomed newfound appreciation.


Wednesday Addams has always been a sort of spirit animal for me, so it's only fitting I chose to show up at the pier in some meshed threads. The only difference might be, if you ever spot me in this fit screaming out beach goth vibes, you can count on the fact that you can definitely [approach &] mesh with me. Til next time, loves! xx