life & style through the lens of a cheeky berkeley girl

immortal.

Posted on May 9, 2013
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Spent the last month feeling bad ’bout myself

I couldn’t speak anything of real hope

And the day came when it hit me like lightening in my veins

A sudden change in my groove, in my walk

I got my lion heart and electric flowing through my brain

Shocking waves that make me feel like I can float

It’s like the city is mine and the dark is my cave

I can’t explain this sudden peace in my walk, I sure hope

Kid Cudi, oh how you speak to my soul right now. I love it when I find a song that resonates with a struggle that I am facing.

Holding faith in the idea that everything happens for a reason, my head is high and I am still walking around like I look like McJagger… Even though I look like, well, a college student neck-deep in work for dead week. Study more, then finals, and then SUMMMMMERRRRRR here I come. Time to rejuvenate, lose that stress weight, tan, and in my case, take summer classes. Rumor has it that summer classes are a bit less competitive, so that will be a nice bonus.

I know that my posts are fairly sporadic, but please comment with your favorite kind of content… Style posts, my little life stories, pathetic date discussions, whatever floats your boat let me know, so that moving forward I can try my best to incorporate it more often!

These photos were taken a while back in the Mission District of San Francisco, by the beautiful and talented Chealsea Keenan. When she pointed out the backdrop, I admit that I was skeptical, but now, looking at the product, I love this photo series. Especially the first picture of my silhouette. Just aesthetically interesting! The dress is from Hey! Gorgeous Boutique, I have featured a few of their other dresses in my prior posts. The tights are from TopShop and the shoes (clearly my favorite pair in my extensive collection) are the Sam Edelman Knox Boots.

Well, my finals are calling my name! This study break has officially come to a close. Wish me luck, I need as much as I can get!

Cheerio Loves!

Kayla

Categories: Style

bonnie & clyde

Posted on April 19, 2013

MIDTERMS ARE OVER. Just thought I’d get that one out there. Okay, now moving onto more important matters. Boys.

Just kidding, boys are nowhere near more important than academics. But, they can offer at least a little bit of entertainment on your free time. Now that I have officially been single for a year, (technically a little over a year, but who’s counting…) I can definitely look back on some pretty crazy, out of this world, hilarious… and sometimes down right pathetic dating experiences. My mom suggested that I write a book to chronicle them, but considering that she is the only person who would read that novel, I have decided to feature them once in a while on da blog. Because my life is so much more than the pretty outfits I prance around in and I feel like it is worth sharing. Plus, if Taylor Swift gets to write songs about her exes, why can’t I blog about mine? {insert evil laugh} Don’t worry guys, I will keep your identity anonymous and only the truly crazy ones will be featured.

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Okay, so for my first story,  I think it would be good to tell you the tale of Trader Joes Boy, whose name I cannot remember if my life depended on it. Over the summer, I was living with my parents in sunny Surf City, Huntington Beach, just looking for some summer love at my local Trader Joe’s (… or for those delicious mini tacos…) when I stumbled upon an attractive cashier. Although I failed to speak up at the moment, I quickly picked up my items and strolled out wondering if I would run into him again. After leaving, I had to go get a newspaper from one of those little quarter machine thing-ys, but quickly found out that it was broken. I would put a quarter in and literally it would pop out of the change compartment. Irritated and making a complete spectacle of myself, I kept slamming in coins hoping that  by some magic it would work. While that did not happen (no surprise there), the cutie cashier had apparently been watching because he came up to me and offered to help. Although he failed at getting the paper just as badly as I did, I was happy to chat with him. Like myself, he had just moved to Huntington Beach and did not have any local friends… perfect match… or so I thought.

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Numbers were exchanged and within a few days I found myself waiting outside my house for him to meet me so that we could go to the beach together. All dolled up and giddy with excitement, I waited… and waited… and waited… only for him to show up 35 minutes late, being dropped off by a “homie”, wreaking of red bull, and worst of all wearing plaid shorts. Way to impress my family, thanks bro.

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Anyways, we rode bikes to the beach as planned and he would not stop talking… about himself, of course. His dreams of being a chef, his resort home in Newport, and most importantly his Maxim Model sister that “reminded him of me.” Not exactly the compliment I was looking for on a first date. Even though I could tell he was off his rocker, I decided to stick it out. We did all of the classic beach date stuff, walking on the shore, around Main Street, and on the pier. While on the Pier, he made it evident that he was enjoying the date a lot more than I. He stopped some tourist and asked her to take a picture of “our first memories…” ……… please excuse me while I gag.

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Needless to say, I had an escape planned and it was time to execute. I suggested that he have his “homie” pick him up. Well, much to my dismay (but, not to my surprise), homie never showed up. So, my mom drove him home. Cheers to the most pathetic way to end a date!

Lessons learned here:

1. Trust Trader Joe’s for their tacos and produce. NOT for their man children.

2. Always have an escape route.

3. Nod and smile when they are cray cray.

Looking back I laugh, but then I could not get over how insane the whole experience was. So, until I find an amazing man, this mural will have to do. Let me know if you want to hear more stories like this, trust me I have more than I want to share.

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My outfit includes:

Leather Pants: H&M by Jimmy Choo

White Blouse: Nordstrom

Bow Tie: Topshop

Shoes: Sam Edelman’s Knox Boot

Cheerio Loves,

Kayla

Categories: Style

drops of jupiter in her hair

Posted on April 13, 2013
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With so much constantly running through this busy body brain of mine, I often times struggle to figure out where to begin when putting my fingers to the keys. So, let’s start with one of the high points of my week… I was tweeted to by the lovely Elise of WTFab, another Bay Area lifestyle & fashion blogger, in regards to a list that ranked Bay Area fashion bloggers. The article was written by Her Campus and I cannot be more please to announce that my little internet baby was selected to be in the top 5! It is such an honor to be placed in the same realm as other amazing bloggers, who have poured their lives into this medium. With school consuming my life, it is near impossible for me to manage it (along with all of the hours I work) and blog on a daily basis. However, of the posts I have done, I really try to focus on generating high quality and engaging content. So happy to hear that people are checking in with me every once in a while and enjoy what I have to say. If you ever have any comments, questions, or suggestions, please fire away! I would love to hear.

With that being said, I want to share a little tale of a girl with dreams of being a fashion blogger… that almost dissipated due to internet cruelty, essentially bullying.

When I first started out posting pictures on my blogspot during the beginning of last summer, it was all new to me. I had a passion for photography, but no fashion photography experience. I loved fashion and styling, but had no formal training. I had the desire, but had no clue how to design a website…. html? css? uhhh, what language are you speaking? But, after much research and perseverance, (this girl was on a mission), I managed to create a humble beginning with a basic website and my first photo creations. Sure, I will be the first to admit they were not the best quality, maybe the pictures were cheesy, but it was an attempt… and I was improving with every post.

While on twitter, I stumbled upon some nasty comments amounting my work to a joke. Yes, I know, every blogger faces hate, and everyone will recieve criticism, but in the beginning when you start out, blogging is intimidating. “What are my friends going to think? Will boys call me crazy?” The term “blogger” itself has the stigma of some overly opinionated old man sitting in his pjs on the computer typing away with a bag of Doritos in his lap. But, despite all of the nerves, I decided to put myself out there. After seeing the comments I was definitely hurt and even considered terminating effort in my endeavor. But, after some cheering up from my friends and family I dusted myself off and went at it again.

Now, that I was recognized as one of the Top 5 Bloggers in the Bay Area, I am so happy that I did not let them get me down. Ultimately, the moral of the story is to not give up after a little obstacle. We have all heard that a number of times, but a little inspiration never hurt anyone. Now that I have been at this blogging effort for a few months now, I can say that I am entirely comfortable with it. No hesitations, no worries, just the excitement of posting what I am passionate about at the given moment. Truly is a great form of creative expression, y’all should give it a go. Or just go out and do what you love, because that will make life all the more worthwhile. Most importantly, do what Y-O-U want, because, as my homie Kid Cudi would say, “they’ll judge you anyway.”

So, onto the actual fashion of this post. I love, love, love the way that these pictures were edited… Thanks Chelsea! Like several of my pictures, these were taken in Haight Ashbury. My top was snatched from my mothers closet, the vest salvaged in the Pac Sun sale section, and the burgondy jeans are from TopShop. The boot are amazing and surprisingly comfortable; they were purchased last season from ModCloth… Not too sure where the cool bracelet/ring combo is from, I think my Mama picked it up for me at a boutique. Lastly, my head chain is from the Melrose Street Fair in Hollywood, only $16 bucks yo!

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Cheerio Loves & Thanks again Her Campus!

Categories: Style

he who hesitates is lost

Posted on April 5, 2013

Maybe I am the only college student who feels this, or maybe there is a whole world of us in agreement. But, I think over the past few months I have come to learn a really important lesson about the college lifestyle. Leaving for school back in August, I knew that university would be instrumental in the development of my interests and persona, but not to the extent that I now realize.

Back in the good ole’ high school days… yeah no… not actually a fan of high school, but still, back then it felt like practically everyone had the same goal; to do what it takes to get into the college of their dreams. Now that we are here trying to establish ourselves, develop friendships, decide on our new professional goals, there is a world of possibilities out there that it can be a challenge to find your niche. Constantly being so inundated with so many exciting opportunities, it can be so easy to forget what you truly want and who you really want to become. Time is fleeting, so developing your priorities is incredibly important. Yet, it can be so easy to lose sight of these, I find myself constantly trying to remind myself of them. Maybe it is too personal for the internet, but I am going to write mine here… Maybe posting them for the world to see will serve as inspiration to remain inspired.

1. Family: Being there for the people who helped shaped me is number one. There is definitely still growth that needs to be made in this department for me, as I struggle with maintaining long distance relationships… Regardless, it is definitely a focus for me. They are the only people who I know I can always have faith in.

2. Haas School of Business: When deciding were to go to school, I knew for a fact that I had an interest in business and entrepreneurship. Since birth I have been too bossy for my own good, so being an entrepreneur is a goal that I refuse to lose sight of . Although being a business person and graduating from Haas are not mutually exclusive, I chose Cal with the intention to apply, so at this point it would be a disservice to myself to let this go. From the beginning, I knew it would be a challenge, but one that I plan to tackle head on.

3. Work: As unfortunate as it is, college costs big bucks… So unless someone is willing to kindly donate to the Kayla Fund, looks like I will continue the school-work juggle.

4. Friends: Overtime I have learned that while success and achievement are great; the feeling of being able to share it with others is oftentimes just as gratifying as the success itself. With that said, harvesting relationships with people that are mutually beneficial of paramount importance. I want to know that I bring value into their life, just as they bring value into mine.

So yeah, I mean that sums it up as far as priorities go. Taking the time to re-center and focus yourself is so critical to staying on track with the grand plan, at least for me… Maybe this will inspire you to re-evaluate how your time is being spent and if you are allocating it appropriately based on your own personal reflections.

So, with this post I felt like some wild prints and cluttered patterns would be appropriate to highlight what my head has look liked for the past few weeks. Although I can reassure you, this is slowly, but surely metamorphosing to be a lot more zen-like.

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In this post, I am wearing a Topshop dress. Yes, I am rather obsessed. The tights are fire truck red and I have no clue how they landed in my wardrobe. Lastly, the toms shoes are from Nordstrom. They are very beat up because I wear them far too often. And the red pout is courtesy of my photographer, Chelsea Keenan, who has simply the best collection of anything MAC related.

Cheerio for now loves!
Kayla

Categories: Style

gravity is working against me

Posted on March 8, 2013

Hello my lovely internet friends. “Berkeley lyfe” is apparently synonymous with “busy lyfe.” Everyday it seems like I am still trying to catch up, forever behind schedule. Although, I have always believed that pressure makes diamonds… So the whole “crunch time” mentaility is not always as bad as it seems. Beyond academic stress, life is beautiful. I am lucky to have the people in my life who support me, even when I am a complete and utter stress monkey.

On Valentine’s Day, my mom was severely injured. It has been very difficult for me, because I have not been able to be there for her in her time of need. Yet, as usual, she never ceases to amaze me. Her strength throughout this living nightmare has been phenomenal and I am so happy to have a role model like her in my life. Now that she has trouble moving, my whole family has to work together in order to get through daily life. It is times like these that make me realize how much I truly appreciate my stepdad and sisters. So, while I am stressing out and cramming in the library, I can really step back and put it all in perspective.

As far as fashion goes, in these pictures I was experimenting with the whole black & brown combo. Although not generally a fan of this, I wanted to style the color combo in a way I found aesthetically pleasing. The top and necklace are from a consignment store, the jeans are from Topshop, and my boots are Sam Edelman’s. I especially love this necklace because it is so unique! My lovely mama bought it for me; and; at first I was intimidated by its size. But, after playing with it, I think it looks really pretty on a simple tank.

These photos were taken at Twin Peaks in San Fransisco. If you have never been there before, put it on your bucket list… I promise you will not be disappointed.

Well, looks like that is it for now folks.

Cheerio Loves,

Kayla Dean

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Categories: Style

get you dancing with the devil {outfit post}

Posted on February 20, 2013

Currently I am obsessed with Rihanna and Rita Ora. I love how their styles have a tendency to fall in the grey area of what could be deemed as too risqué. Over time, I have tried to incorporate pieces in my wardrobe to emulate this style, without going over the top.

My all time favorite store, Topshop, is the ideal place to achieve this type of look. This British store is invading the closets of people all around the globe, especially in the states. In Fall of 2012, Nordstrom began carrying a small selection of their items at major malls. With my ancestral roots residing in England, I could not be more stoked to get my hands on some of their pieces. The moment I walked into the San Francisco location, I fell in love. Everything was drenched in studs and laced with gold.

Both the dress and tights were from Topshop at Nordstrom. My lovely Mama picked up the belt from BP as a gift for me. And, of course, my signature shoe is the Sam Edelman “Knox” boot.

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Cheerio Loves,

Kayla

Categories: Style

a much needed pocket full of sunshine. {outfit post}

Posted on February 7, 2013

The past week has literally passed by like the speed of light. I have managed to land a second part-time job, survive strep throat, and juggle all of my classes. Yay for being a Class-A multi-tasker. When the world seems to be spinning so fast I cannot help but forget to smile sometimes, so this post is all about bringing back those healthy smiles & positive vibes.

So, for those of you in the Bay, you know it is far too freezing right now to be wearing jean shorts and cowgirl boots. However, I felt like I needed to bring some bright cheery colors to this post and that long-sleeved tie-dyed shirt did the trick.

All year long my cowgirl boots are my “go-to” shoe. So comfortable, they feel like a second skin. I have worn them in previous blog posts, but for those of you who are just starting to read now, I got these Frye beauties from Nordstroms a few years back. (All that hard-earned babysitting money put to good use!) The jean shorts are just a classic pair of overworn Levi’s and the the shirt is from a consignment store. Lastly, the belt is from PacSun.

I would highly suggest that everyone start to save up for a sweet pair of classic cowgirl boots. Summer is coming faster than we can all imagine, so we might as well prepare with a solid investment like these!  Plus, cowgirl boots are something that you can wear in any season. I just chose to be cheeky and wear them with “Daisy Duke” inspired shorts.

Chelsea took these pictures of me during our Haight-Ashbury adventures. I loved the color of this funky old car; and, we both had a giggle at the “Hippies Enter Through Side Door” sign. Oh, so eclectic.

Well looks like that’s all for now folks. Comment if this post brighten your spirits even the slightest bit!

 

Cheerio Loves,

Kayla

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Categories: Style
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