Transatlantique

     I was trying to capture a Parisian vibe with this outfit. While it did end up looking a little more country than I was hoping I am still happy with it. It made me think of the song "Transatlantique" by Beirut for whatever reason. What is this, the 300th time I've brought up Beirut in a blog post? Bless my vagabond soul. 

    Also, google friend connect will be gone soon! Oh no! And while I only have a measly following of under 200, I would hate to lose all of you! If you care, perhaps follow me on Bloglovin'? 

     You can also follow me on Instagram (@taylorbalding), Twitter (@Lana_Del_Spice), and what the heck even facebook, if you wish to stay up to date with my posts!

Alright. Glad we got that settled.

Bottle Rocket

Top-Gift, Skirt and Boots-Thrifted, Sunglasses-Flashbacks, Earrings-H&M

      Trends are so interesting. Especially how fast they move; one second you could be absolutely obsessed with something, the next it makes you feel sick when you still see it. For me this is flower crowns. Now, I know I JUST did a post in which I was wearing one, but I honestly made that decision to wear it for the way it would look with the scenery I was shooting in, rather to be like "Oh look at me in my flower crown I'm so cool and trendy omg!" While in certain circumstances I think the flower can still be done right, for the most part all I associate them with now are Coachella fan girls running around in a flower crown they bought for $50 at Urban Outfitters and a Nirvana shirt they got at Brandy Melville. I call them the "Brandy Melville Crowd." And it doesn't stop there. The other day I was sitting around bored, so I naturally turned on Bravo, because what else do you do when your bored. The show "Long Island Princesses" was on, and basically the best way to describe this show is a mix between Jersey Shore and Real Housewives. It's as terrible as it gets. But whilst watching it, I noticed one of the girls on it was wearing, yep you guessed it, a flower crown. I literally was wanting to scream at my tv "PLEASE CAN THIS TREND DIE ALREADY?!?!?!"
       The thing that baffles me with this flower crown phenomena is the fact that they were introduced a year ago, yet people act like its this brand new thing this summer. I know I didn't invent the trend, but for some reason it bugs me that the same people who last year questioned why I would incorporate them in my style are just now wearing them. Maybe it is wrong for me to be bugged by this? I mean I guess that's what experimenting with trends is all about.

Summer Bummer

Top-H&M 50000 years ago, Pants-American Apparel, Shoes and Bag-Urban Outfitters (the bag was only $5. what what, what, what...)

I know that everyone and their mom does these tropical borders nowadays (thanks tumblr) but I think they look pretty cool so I don't really care. It's funny because summer technically hasn't started but everyday I'm not at the beach I question myself. I absolutely love summer and the whole "typical California summer beach vibe", so summer is always something I really look forward to. I often catch myself thinking about where I will live after I graduate college; while a good part of me is convinced that I will be living in New York City, but there are those days when I'm sitting out on the beach with friends thinking but how could I leave this?

3 bloggers you should already be obsessed with.

1. Violet E.

If you haven't heard of her, you must be living under a rock or something. Her style is a mix between edgy and dark but classic at the same time. She totally has her own vibe going on, making her style pretty much iconic. Not only that, but with a blog of just photos she gives off this mysterious, bad ass persona. She's like the Alice Glass of the fashion world. 

2. Claire Geist 

Claire is so effortlessly cool. I've been feeling really inspired lately by her use of minimal accessorizing and really unique pairings. Her style could be described as almost tomboyish, but extremely feminine at the same time. She always wears something completely unique, which definitely takes talent. Also, can we just take a second and admire her hair?

3. froufrouu  

This is like the crème de la crème of fashion blogs. Not only are her outfits GENIUS but her photography skills are absolutely amazing. This is definitely one of those things that you just have to see for yourself. 

Garden State

Sweater-UNIF, Pants-H&M, Boots-Thrifted, Flower crown-DIY 

The day Emily and I took these pictures we were particularly feeling inspired. There was this cycle with us, some days I'd say, "Can you get a few pictures of my outfit?" (a few meaning at least 50) and just focus on getting my outfit. But there were other days when the photo taking wouldn't cease. What was meant to be a documentation of my outfit would turn into a full blow photoshoot (meaning at least 300 photos). The great thing about having Emily to take my photos is that we understand each other's madness. Both of us are into photography (although I do like her photos a lot more than mine) and are able to understand that a good blog post means more than just getting my outfit. We even have the same exact camera which makes things convient. It was great because while she would give me a lot of instruction, I was able to throw my own ideas in a lot and she could comprehend exactly what I meant. We could give the oddest sounding ideas, but each know that sometimes doing the weirdest things makes the best picture. 

This day in particular we started off at a tree that I took pictures at a few posts ago. We were expecting to go over there and just feel totally inspired and take all these great photographs. While we did get a few ones, we found ourselves in a rut. One thing I really like about my campus is that there are all these interesting hidden spots that are great for pictures. So after giving up on the tree, we decided to walk around. We followed this road to the entrance of a neighborhood with a sign out front that said "Private Property, No Trespassing " So naturally, we walked onto the private property. 

This is Emily. She is one of the most genuine, inspiring people I know. While I do have a few more outfit posts with pictures taken by her, I'm beginning to run out and its really making me sad. Going to take pictures with her was such a unique experience (as well as really fun) and while we will be able to team up again, it won't be for a while because we are both studying abroad this fall. She also has this really great talent for writing alongside photography and recently decided to start a blog. I really encourage you all to check out her blog and give her some love. 

You can find her blog HERE.