fila

Los Angeles, California | 3/23/19 – 3/28/19

~ bellalightner ~ Leave a comment

Hello! I recently traveled to Los Angeles, California! Mainly for fun but I made sure to take a ton of outfit pics for Instagram and blog purposes as well. I always like to share what I’m wearing when I’m on the road along with what I did and what I saw! I plan on returning to LA very soon for an exciting project I am working on…stay tuned!

Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles, CA

top : Forever 21 (similar) | jeans : BLDWN

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top : Zara (similar) | pants : Etiquette Boutique KC (similar) | shoes : Fila Disruptor II

A day at the beach was necessary to start the trip. Santa Monica seemed like a good idea because of the Third Street Promenade, the Pier, and of course the beach. For breakfast we went to Swingers Diner and it was so so good and only a few blocks from the ocean.

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blouse : vintage (similar) | top : Etiquette Boutique KC (similar) | shorts : American Apparel (similar)

Santa Monica, CA
Santa Monica, CA

One morning was spent exploring Beverly Hills. We got coffee at Alfred Tea Room and had brunch at Urth Caffe (one of my favorite brunch spots ever). It’s always so inspiring to me to walk into the designer stores as well to get ideas for my own outfits and to see what is happening now in the industry. People watching is also so exciting here.

Alfred – Beverly Hills, CA
Urth Caffe – Beverly Hills, CA
Louis Vuitton – Rodeo Drive – Beverly Hills, CA
Louis Vuitton – Rodeo Drive – Beverly Hills, CA
Chanel – Rodeo Drive – Beverly Hills, CA

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top : Marc Jacobs | skirt : IAMGIA (similar) | shoes : Fila Disruptor II

Beverly Hills, CA
Beverly Hills, CA
Beverly Hills, CA
Beverly Hills, CA
Beverly Hills, CA

jumpsuit : Etiquette Boutique KC (similar) | shoes : Fila Disruptor II | belt : vintage (similar)

Spent one of the days shopping in the Melrose and Fairfax district. I think that this is one of my favorite places in LA to spend the day. Every corner is filled with cool street art and the shopping is incredible. So many unique vintage finds.

We ate at a new Italian restaurant called Jon & Vinny’s and it was amazing. We sat at the counter facing the kitchen where you can watch the chefs homemake everything. Extremely good, I highly recommend.

Melrose Avenue
Melrose Avenue
Jon & Vinny’s
Melrose Avenue
Dolls Kill
Melrose Avenue
Melrose Avenue

top : vintage | biker shorts : Amazon (similar) | shoes : Fila Disruptor II

I had to let my inner child out at some point so Disneyland was a must. My best tip for going to Disney on a budget is to bring a backpack with your own food and snacks because Disney is not cheap. Also getting fast passes for crowded rides is so important if you want to manage your time wisely.

Disneyland
Disneyland
Disneyland

On our very last day in California, we did the most touristy thing of all- the Hollywood Sign. As tacky as I think it is, I’m always so excited to go and see it. Not only is the sign cool in my opinion, but you get a beautiful view of the Hills and downtown LA as well.

You can view the sign in a lot of places but to get to the exact spot I did, click this link. I followed the way of step number 2. Yes, we did get a parking ticket but honestly it was well worth it.

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top : vintage | jeans : BLDWN | shoes : Fila Disruptor II

Hollywood Sign
Hollywood Sign

For as many times as I’ve traveled to LA, I have never been up to the Griffith Observatory and seeing it from our Airbnb window every night made me have to go. The views are incredible. You can see all of Los Angeles on one side, and the Hollywood sign on the other.

Griffith Observatory
Griffith Observatory
Griffith Observatory
Griffith Observatory

top : vintage | jeans : BLDWN

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Graffiti Fashion

~ bellalightner ~ Leave a comment

This is probably one of the most out there looks I’ve worn and I want to keep evolving my style just like this. I wore one of my dad’s old graphic tees over a neon green turtleneck with a matching beanie. This outfit paired perfectly with the backdrop. It’s fun to play with color but I like to tone it down just a bit so I added some plain blue jeans and sneakers.

xx Bella

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top : vintage | turtleneck : Zara (similar) | belt : Gucci | jeans : vintage (similar) | shoes : Fila | beanie : Carhartt

Yellow and Blue

~ bellalightner ~ Leave a comment

This outfit was so much fun to shoot and I absolutely love the outcome. I paired this thrifted button up blouse with my favorite cobalt blue plaid pants from Free People to keep the look light and then added black accessories, a dog shaped purse, chunky Fila sneakers, and a tube top, to make it more of a grungy feel.

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pants : Free People (similar)| blouse : thirfted (similar) | tube top : (similar) | shoes : Fila | purse : Chopin Roma

OOTD : 2/14/19

~ bellalightner ~ Leave a comment

I was inspired by 90s fashion for this outfit! I layered a sparkly top over a mesh shirt with a chunky necklace to keep that Paris Hilton vibe alive and added the most amazing lavender snakeskin flares to make it fashionable. To top off the look, I threw on my favorite pair of chunky white sneakers that I wear like everyday.

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mesh top : Missguided (similar) | sparkly top : H&M (similar) | pants : Etiquette Boutique | shoes : Fila Disruptor II

Milan, Italy – MILAN FASHION WEEK |9/20/18 – 9/23/18

~ bellalightner ~ 1 Comment

I am so thankful that I am living in Italy in general but extremely lucky to be here while fashion month is happening. I decided to head to Milan for the weekend during official Milan Fashion Week to check everything out and see if I could get into any shows or events. Milan is about an hour and a half train ride from Florence so after class on Thursday afternoon I headed there immediately.

I learned so much on this trip about fashion week and myself and was constantly inspired by outrageously chic, and extraordinary street style.

NIGHT 1

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outfit details : faux leather pants : Nasty Gal (similar) | shoes : H&M (similar) | top : Zara (similar) | bag : Prada (similar)

Milan, Italy
Milan, Italy
Milan, Italy
Milan, Italy

DAY 2

For my first Milan Fashion Week outfit, I went for an edgy, bohemian vibe. I love the flowy rust colored dress mixed with the harsh black accents. The lightweight fabric of this midi was absolutely necessary for the sweltering heat we encountered on this day. I would have preferred to carry a black purse but for this fit but, I chose function over fashion and needed some more storage in my bag of choice.

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outfit details : dress : Sofi Firenze (similar) | boots : H&M (similar) | hat : Target (similar) | belt : (similar)

Our first full day in Milan, we headed out for the city centre where the famous Milan Cathedral, or Milano Duomo, is located. Since we weren’t invited to any shows or events we kind of just relaxed and tooled around Milan. We stumbled upon an event that Vogue Italia was putting on near the Brera district and that was free to the public. They were showcasing student fashion designers’ creations in a showroom type setting. It was really unique to see young artists’, like myself, work.

Later, we found the official list of showtimes and locations and basically just stood around outside and pretended to look like we knew what we were doing. Street style photographers shot us in our outfits and I even got interviewed by Amazon Prime’s only fashion network, FNL.

Cappuccino
Jason & Chloe
Milano Duomo
Milano Duomo
Milano Duomo
Milan, Italy
Milan, Italy
Milano Duomo
Milan, Italy
Vogue Talents Event
Milan, Italy
Milan, Italy

DAY 2

My second and most favorite look I wore for Milan Fashion week is the one below. I am obsessed with the monochrome color suit look. If you know me, or have been following me for a while, you know that I love black and neutrals but have been trying to branch out. This corduroy suit was one of my best Zara finds to date. It’s bold and makes me feel confident. I was determined to wear this to MFW despite the hot weather but thankfully it did cool down a bit and we had a nice breeze.

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outfit details : blazer : Zara (similar) | pants : Zara (similar) | shoes : Fila Disruptor II| bag : Prada (similar) | top : (similar)

These photos I took the night before because of how excited I was about my yellow suit. AAANNDDDD the hotel I stayed at (Hotel Cinque Giornate) had matching curtains so I couldn’t say no to a self timer photoshoot!

During day 2 of MFW, we had a more relaxed day and just enjoyed Milan. We did wait outside of one show and got photographed which was nice and it was so inspiring to see others’ street style. This trip has made me want to restart my whole wardrobe, yet again.

Milan Fashion Week
Milano Duomo
Milan, Italy

DAY 3

I’ve worn this pink python jumpsuit from Free People so so many times before but Milan has never seen it so I brought her back out! Outfit repeater always.

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outfit details : jumpsuit : Free People (similar) | shoes : Fila Disruptor II| bag : Prada (similar) | top : Brandy Melville (similar)

If you plan on going to a fashion capitol during fashion week, my best advice to you is to be bold; not only in your style but in the way you act and present yourself. Obviously the way you dress is extremely important, I mean it is fashion week, but if you present yourself as a confident individual who seems to know what they’re doing (even if you don’t) you will be noticed by others.

Don’t be shy to ask the person at the door if there is any way you can watch the show or if they need volunteers or really anything at all. Talk to photographers and reporters and, this sounds bad, but shove your name down peoples throats. Name recognition is one of the most important things in the fashion industry and you should be confident in telling people who you are. I handed out so many business cards to people because you never know who someone is going to be.

Another random thing you can do is pretend to be a photographer or reporter. I did this and after I took a photo of someone, I briefly introduced myself and gave them my card. Like I said, you never know who you’re going to meet.

I learned a lot about myself and my passion on this trip and although I didn’t get into any shows, I now know more of what to expect and what to do better hopefully next time I have an opportunity like this.

xx Bella