On the Stroke of Twelve

Co-ords: H&M | Shoes: Target 

PC: Mike! :)

Today I bring you part two of my nighttime LA photo adventures with my brother, and I must say that this is probably one of my favorite outfit posts on my blog! Big thanks/props to my brother for suggesting this location and for putting up with my derpy self at times...haha! :) 

This post features my very favorite set of co-ords (out of the two that I own)! I had first seen these co-ords on one of my faves/the queen, Taylor Swift, and I was curious as to where they were from. I had been expecting them to be designer pieces, but to my surprise they were from H&M! I quickly went to their website but had no luck finding them, and there aren't very many H&Ms near me. My friend, Natalie, was in New York at the time, and I messaged her asking if she could keep on the lookout for this set if she happened to browse an H&M there. She messaged me near the end of her trip saying she found it, and I was so excited! I probably squealed the first time I tried them on, ahaha a bit dorky, but whatevs! I've worn the set a few times now, and I just feel like I can take on the world when I'm wearing this outfit. Throw in a pair of caged Target heels that have also become a favorite of mine, and I really feel unstoppable! Nothing like wearing a look that just makes you feel good, am I right?! :)

(And now, back the photo adventure!)

After making our first stop at LACMA earlier in the night (link to previous post!), we decided to take a break between shoots to eat at Umami Burger (which I had been craving for the longest time...YUM). With our bellies full of some of the most delicious burgers and truffle fries ever (I was VERY happy!), we headed to the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown LA. I had seen a few pictures of the concert hall in the past, but I had never seen it in person. The architecture was amazing, and I loved the varied shapes/colors/textures of the different buildings in the surrounding area. They really made for some interesting backgrounds for the photos we took.

Scouting the location at the beginning of our shoot!

We had been experimenting with my camera settings for pretty much the whole night, and at one point my brother macgyvered a light source with his iPhone flashlight to see how some photos would turn out. The iPhone flashlight actually worked out pretty well as a light source, but most of the pictures turned out pretty well without the extra light. I'd like to think the partial darkness added to the urban feel of our shoot, hehe! 

Example of experimenting with the iPhone camera flashlight from above, which is why my brother held the camera up so high. Haha!

After exploring the area for a bit and getting some shots in some different places, we decided to call it a night and headed home. It was really fun spending some time with my brother and bonding over the blog, hehe. I'm so glad that he suggested the photo adventure, and I can't wait to have another one some time in the future! 

Outtake (had some fun with this one):

Coming for youuuu *insert ghost emoji*

Hahaha, 'til next time!

x Angelli

Bright Lights in the Big City

Dress: Urban Outfitters | Rucksack: Kate Sheridan | Sandals: Target

PC: Mike! :)

The day that these were taken, I had pretty much spent all day lounging around at my brother/sister-in-law's place because I had been so tired from the day before (which included taking a SoulCycle class with Elhaam, walking around Beverly Hills with Elhaam/my brother, walking around Santa Monica with Elhaam, and going on a jog with my sister-in-law). My brother actually suggested that we go on a photoshoot after he was done with work that day, and he suggested some shooting locations (this was the first of two locations, so stay tuned hehe!). 

Our first stop was LACMA for its famous "Urban Light" installation by Chris Burden. Walking around these lamp posts at night felt pretty magical, as it's such a beautiful art installation! We experimented with different settings on my camera as I'm still trying to learn how to use my camera at night...haha :P My brother helped with some creative direction (and reminders to not be a derp), and these shots were my favorites! A couple pictures were not taken by the lights, as on our way out we noticed another area at LACMA that had interesting spotlight-like lighting. It almost made it seem like a film set or something, haha. 

Darn that this came out blurry! 

So a bit about the outfit. I had been searching for a simple shift dress, and loved this one from Urban

Outfitters (although I wish the material was less prone to wrinkles). I wore my trusty Target sandals again, and was also excited to use this outfit as a chance to wear my Kate Sheridan rucksack. I first saw this rucksack when I went to London Fashion Weekend, and it was love at first sight. I didn't buy it that weekend, but later during my stay in London I saw that Kate Sheridan was having a sale, and I contacted her to see if I could by the rucksack in person instead of having to pay it to be shipped to California. So I actually went to her studio in London with my friend, Maren, to pick up this rucksack, which was pretty awesome. I just love how unique the rucksack is, and how it makes me think of some fond London memories! Sadly I don't use it as much as I should, possibly because I love it so much and don't want to ruin it. But hopefully that'll change and I'll wear it more often as it deserves to be showcased a bit more! :) 

Ooh and also in this post is a photo of possibly the prettiest manicure I've ever gotten! Two days before this shoot, I went with Teryn to Olive & June in Beverly Hills to get our nails done (it was a treat ourselves day I suppose, hahah!). This was the first manicure I have gotten in years since I prefer to just paint my nails myself (I have quite a nail polish stash as I used to be a serious collector), so I tried to find a nail design that I probably wouldn't attempt myself and that would be worth a paid manicure for. I ended up finding the design on my ring fingers on Pinterest, and the woman who painted my nails suggested a glitter accent nail. I was super happy with my manicure and couldn't stop looking at my nails during my trip, hehe!

Outtake of me utilizing my monkey arms to goof around with the lights:

'Til next time! 

x Angelli