Free People

Free People peplum top, Miu Miu heels, Louis Vuitton Eva clutch, Rayban sunnies

Mixing it up

I love pairing a casual, simple piece with nice shoes. It changes the whole outfit completely! This hi-lo dress is a really comfy dress I scored from the recent Zara sale for $20. I am in love with it. I want to wear it 4 times a week... but I won't. I only do that sometimes with my shorts. ;)

Zara basic hi-lo dress, Zara heels, Chanel classic flap, Nordstrom necklace

Yeah, I really need a haircut bad. I can't really tell how long my hair is until I look at pictures and then I'm like, "Dayyuuuumm." Especially when it's straight! I have been behind on the blog, everyone knows that. Follow me on Instagram @CestLaViii for faster updates. I do outfit posts every now and then! ;)

Cointreau Summer Kick-off Party

I know it's been awhile since my last post! I've been so busy with everything that I've been neglecting this thing! Sorry! I'm about to upload like all my summer posts this week... if I have time. ;)

This party pretty much kicked off our summer. It was a pool party at Ku De Ta in downtown Dallas, sponsored by Cointreau Tequila and hosted by the lovely Dita Von Teese. Umm... GORGEOUS.

Target Mossimo sleeveless blazer, Urban Outfitters tank, Balenciaga mini skirt, Alexander Wang booties, 3.1 Phillip Lim studded clutch, Nordstrom peace necklace, Givenchy bracelet

I found this Balenciaga mini at Neiman's outlet and HAD to have it. It's chic and it's timeless! A. Wang shoes and Phillip Lim clutch are from Barney's, one of my other motherships. Wow, I just realized I haven't been back in awhile! Not since my Derek Lam clutch, which I'll try to get pics of up soon! :)

Coconuts

NYC Chinatown

Banana Republic denim button down tunic worn as a really short dress, GAP shorts that you can't see, Burberry double belt with studs, Michael Kors ceramic watch, F21 & H&M bangles, Nordstrom peace necklace, Louis Vuitton Eva clutch/crossbody, Chanel sunglasses, Lanvin ballet wedges

Found fresh coconuts for like a dollar in NYC Chinatown, after eating some soup dumplings at Joe's Shanghai. Yummy! I know I can probably drive to the Asian stores around here and find some but it's just not the same if you have to go out of your way to get it.

I got these Lanvin ballet wedges on sale at Neiman's and have already worn them quite a few times. They're super comfy and go with a lot of outfits. I love leopard print everything!

Free as we'll ever be

June is the best time to visit New York City. I've been several times and have experienced the worst heat and the worst cold there. Labor Day takes second place to June. It's pretty mild. But no wonder "June weddings at the Plaza" are so popular! It's the best time of the year in the city.

Free People dress, Longchamp tote, Nordstrom peace sign necklace, F21 and H&M bangles, Balenciaga sandals

Hmm, it seems I may need a little tan, after seeing this picture of my legs. We spent a lot of time outdoors and walking to places (duh) so I opted to wear these comfy tie-up sandals by Balenciaga that I scooped up at the Barney's New York outlet (btw- a PAIN to wear through TSA at the airport!!!!!!). A little pricey for sandals, but hellooooo, they're Balenciaga (#brandwhore)!

I loved spending about half an hour at Central Park, just doing nothing but sit around and enjoy the pretty view and nice weather. It's 102 degrees in Dallas. I miss nice weather. *sigh*

Destination Wedding

A friend of ours had a destination wedding recently in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Fiance (I'm so lazy to Google this, but what is the correct spelling for 'fiance' anyway? I've seen it written a couple different ways and can never remember) and I went for a weekend to attend and just chill. We flew into Ft. Lauderdale and then drove about 45 minutes down to Miami to visit and have lunch with some family there. We were on our way to South Beach (so close!) when it started raining cats and dogs out of the blue... Seriously, it was the worst rain I'd seen in a long time. The streets were flooded! After trying to wait it out for about an hour, we gave up and went shopping instead. Ever get to a place and then decide you don't want to wear what you packed? Um, by biggest travel issue ALWAYS. After buying two new potential dresses and a pair of pumps to wear for the wedding the next day, we headed back to the hotel. Party, party, partied all night! Slept in, went to the beach, chilled, etc. etc.

Time for the wedding! I tried on the two dresses I had just purchased and the one I brought. Guess which one I decided on? The one I brought to begin with. And the shoes, too. SMH. Now I have to go return the two dresses and shoes that I don't need for anything. I didn't bring my camera out for anything while I was there because it was too big for my purse. Took one quick snap before heading out for the rooftop pool wedding and here it is!

BCBG MaxAzria scarf dress, Forever 21, H&M, and Givenchy bangles, Guess pumps

If you can see a little in the back, that's the beach! Our beachfront hotel (Westin) was awesome and it was a super good deal, too! Beautiful view to wake up to. Anyway, NYC pics next! XOXO.

If you like piña colada

TFNC sheer tank from LF Stores, J Brand denim, Forever 21 crossbody bag, sunglasses and wool floppy hat from Urban outfitters, Michael Kors watch, H&M cuff

As I said in my previous post, I've been so lazy to bring my camera out lately. It's so big and after losing one in Vegas and having a drink thrown at my new replacement by a drunk girl at the bar, it's just risky bringing it out. I'm starting to use my iPhone more now for pictures but because I have a 3gs and there's no flash, I can only take photos during the daytime. I don't mind it though, since most of my night pictures are drunk ones that are not usually flattering anyway.

With my free photo editing site I used to use being shut down, I've been frequenting Instagram for editing. It's also fun having another social media account to be OCD about. Feel free to follow me @CestLaViii. I definitely post more often on it.

These pictures were taken by a combo of my iPhone and my friend's camera and were all edited on Instagram. We checked out something called "Taste of Addison" this past Saturday, which is sort of like a little festival in Addison, a suburb of Dallas. The city of Addison's restaurants set up tents and sell samplings of what they offer. There are over 100 vendors there selling their goodies. It's a good way to try a little of everything. I liked that it was outdoors, since doctor says I'm low on Vitamin D and the best way to get it is to get some sun (hopefully I don't get skin cancer while I'm at it). I've been craving some sunlight and outside air lately so this was really great. I'm hoping to get more outdoor time and sun before it turns anything over 95 degrees here. Texas heat kills! Enough of my rambling. 'Til next time!

Pursuit of Happiness

American Apparel lace dress, Steve Madden <3 LF heels, Givenchy necklace, Zara bag, H&M cuff

These were all taken at the light installation outside of LACMA, right after we had an awesome night at the Roxbury in Hollywood. I wish I used my camera a little better so they weren't so blurry. I'm still getting used to it, especially shooting at night. I really want to come back here again when I'm a little better because it's a really beautiful installation.


I'm back in Dallas now and am still getting caught up on life. I know I've been a bad blogger lately but give me some time and I'll get back into it! I've just been so lazy to bring my camera out... I know, I know... there's something called an iPhone that I happen to have! Haha. Between the wedding planning, working, maintaining a social life, and traveling, I seriously have no time for anything else. I feel like I'm always on the run. Honestly, I like it like that. Staying busy is a good thing. "People tell me slow my role, I'm screamin' out 'f*** that!'" Kid Cudi's words of wisdom, lol. We should all listen to what he's got to say a little!


Anyway, more posts coming soon! Stay cool out there!

75 degrees in LA

Waiting to be seated for lunch at Daikokuya in Little Tokyo. It was so delish! Their ramen is cheap and the fatty pork in it was perfect. Read my Yelp review of it here.

H&M blouse, Kimchi Blue (Urban Outfitters) floral denim shorts, Guess cage wedges, Gucci 'Boston' bag, Michael Kors watch, Rayban sunglasses

Then we headed to Rodeo Drive for my girlfriends to take themselves on a shopping spree. I was being a good girl and bought nothing! Well, except for a YSL Arty ring for my friend for her birthday. We actually ran into Rae from "Raeviews" there. I think she was looking at the same ring we were.

The pup that I'm holding above was just filming for a mini movie nearby before we ran into the owner. Her name is Demi and she was our only celebrity sighting of the weekend. :)

Even though I didn't buy anything on Rodeo drive, we had so much fun trying on expensive items and playing around. The SAs are were super nice, which was a pleasant surprise to us.

After shopping for awhile on Rodeo Drive, we decided we'd go somewhere closer to reality, so we headed to Santa Monica to shop some more! This is us at Kitson playing around. Such a cute store with random goodies. Kind of reminds me of a pricier Urban Outfitters.

LA is a great place to visit at all times of the year. The fabulous weather never disappoints!

H&M blouse, Kimchi Blue (Urban Outfitters) floral denim shorts, Guess cage wedges, Gucci 'Boston' bag, Michael Kors watch, Rayban sunglasses

Happy quarter century to me

Last year, when I turned 24, we had a huge celebration for it. I celebrated with two other girlfriends, whose birthdays are very close to mine. We had a super fun Jersey Shore themed all day and night party. This year, we were determined to top it, but were unsure how. We didn't really make any decisions because our boyfriends went ahead and booked us a limo so we just rolled with that. Oh, and we incorporated a simple black and white theme. We pretty much had the same great time as last year's or even better. We're so glad to have such awesome people in our lives to celebrate with! Enjoy the photos!

Starting the night off with a yummy cocktail

Pageant pose!

Cake, cake, cake, cake, cake, cake, cake! Thanks to sis and her bf.

As always, a good amount of alcohol was involved

Girls' side of the limo

Birthday girls with our obnoxious tiaras :)

The whole limo party

Ummm.. yeah, we cute!

And the photos after this just get progressively worse so that'll be all! We ended up going to a nightclub afterward and partied until we vomited and then some. That's how you celebrate a quarter century!

LF Stores Millau sequin dress, Vince Camuto booties, Zara bag, Givenchy necklace

The Shak & The French Room

Last Thursday, The Shak at Stanley Korshak (at the Crescent Court) had a trunk show for my friend's line, Nha Khanh. My friends and I stopped by for a sneak peek and some champagne before dinner at The French Room.

Here I am, with the talented designer, Khanh Nguyen. Seven months preggo and still rockin' it. So presh!

After stopping by the trunk show, my friends and I headed to The French Room at the Adolphus Hotel to celebrate one of my friend's birthday. The pork belly starter is the best (above)!

H&M blouse, BCBG MaxAzria bandage skirt, DV Dolce Vita pumps, Givenchy necklace (obsessed!), Chanel flap bag

The French Room is one of the BEST restaurants in Dallas. Souffles are a MUST! Great fashion, food and company! Win!

Boho

Forever 21 maxi dress, belt, & flats, BCBGeneration cardigan with draping detail, necklace from the streets of SoHo, NY, Chanel flap bag

Easy breezy beautiful Dries-y

Fur coat from T.B.D. dept. Nordstrom, F21 knit top, Urban Outfitters skirt, Chanel Jumbo flap bag, HUE tights, Dries Van Noten suede boots

It didn't really get cold enough this season for me to wear things like this (fur coat and boots) out in Texas. With the recent move, I sort of just missed boot season, since I couldn't find a lot of my stuff in the new house. Sad that I couldn't wear these Dries Van Noten (pronounced like DREEZE) more times this season. I picked them up from a Barney's Outlet sale for a SUPERB deal. Probably one of the best deals ever! They were originally $805, but you know I wouldn't pay full price for these! They are such nice boots, too. Great quality and just beautiful. I'll try to slip them into a few pre-spring outfits here and there if I can pull it off. Love them!

They call me Mellow Yellow...

In Paris, we stayed at The Westin- Vendôme hotel, which was very close to the Musee du Louvre. We could be there in minutes by walking, which is why we passed it several times on our way anywhere. I love the pyramids, they're so cool!

Primark (huge dept. store in London) mustard toggle coat, LF stores Millau leopard print blouse, TART leggings, BCBG booties, Michael Kors watch, Barney's NY cashmere scarf, Givenchy necklace, Zara studded pouch, Ann Taylor skinny leather belt

On our last day, we finally made it inside the Louvre. Even though it was my second time there, there was still so much that I hadn't seen. You could spend all day here if you had the time, maybe even longer. There's a very cute restaurant nearby that I had also been to twice, called Angelina's. They sell delicious hot chocolate, pastries and desserts, as well as good French food. It was so convenient that our hotel was so close by!

Je suis là!

Banana Republic trench coat, 3.1 Phillip Lim 'Edie' bag, Barney's New York infinity scarf, Ann Taylor tights, Forever 21 blouse, BCBGeneration flared skirt, Givenchy necklace, ALDO flats

Even though it was my third time in Paris, there were still so many things to do and places to see. My first time was when I was 19, and second was when I was 21, so it's been 3 years since I've been. I still recognized and remembered a lot of places there, but also still discovered new ones, too. I love everything about this city: the food, language, sights, music, and everything! I can't wait to be back again. Paris is one city I'll never mind visiting over and over again! Je t'aime!