Ties

CROP TOP: Urban Outfitters // MIDI SKIRT: Forever 21 // SHOES: Zara // BAG: Forever 21

I hope your new year is off to a lovely start. I'm home from my semester abroad and will be talking more about it in some future posts. Sometimes the most important realizations you make about an experience are made after it's over. My first post of 2016 is featuring the look I wore for Christmas Eve. A midi skirt has been on my list for a while now and this one is actually a deep green color that is not showing up too well in the photos. To avoid looking like Betty Crocker at twenty years old I paired the skirt with a rather low cut crop top, leaving just a bit of skin showing at the midriff. This definitely keeps the look classy but still young and playful. To top it off, I wore my lace-up shoes that have a short stacked heel. Even with the knee-length skirt, I still felt a bit sexy in this look. Some may think otherwise. 

This look was shot in the dry hills of Southern California. Remember to conserve water, my friends. 

xx Michelle  

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Instagram - lifeonlotus

Twitter - @itsmemichelleg

Extras: Will Darbyshire's beautiful video on his travels in New Zealand. "Think About You" by G-Eazy & Quin. 

"For what it's worth: It's never too late to be whoever you want to be. I hope you live a life you're proud of, and if you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start over." - F. Scott Fitzgerald

Tourist

COAT: Forever 21 // DENIM: Topshop // BUTTON-DOWN: h&m // SCARF: from a market in Florence // BOOTIES: from a store in Florence // SUNNIES: Urban Outfitters

I am not a model. On a rare occasion I can strike a pose but this shoot definitely lacked that moment. Anyway, I wanted to do a quick post on what I would label my "tourist" look. I did a lot of sightseeing over my semester in Europe, and this is typically what I would wear. There's not much to it - a nice coat, my favorite denim, and black booties. A good pair of black booties just does it for me and I can justify buying any pair that has a great shape and fit. It was a bit cold on this particular day because Florence has seasons. I added this beautiful red scarf to throw some color onto my monochromatic ensemble. Scarves are great, especially when they actually serve the purpose they are meant to. I am back home in the states now and I hope to get some more outfit posts up soon. Ciao for now.

xx Michelle

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Instagram - lifeonlotus

Twitter - @itsmemichelleg

Music: Still loving everything from Tame Impala. 

Walking Shoes

CROP TOP: Brandy Melville // SKIRT: Goodwill // SNEAKERS: Topshop 

I always find maxi skirts a bit tricky to style, especially for my body type. With so much fabric it's easy for the outfit to just overwhelm your body and eat you up. For this simple look I paired the maxi with a crop top, which I think really helps balance all of that going on at the bottom. Living in Florence, I walk everywhere. It is so important for me to wear comfortable shoes and white sneakers are comfortable, yet very on trend at the moment. These sneakers are from Topshop and if you are going to be walking as much as I do everyday, I would suggest investing in a nicer quality pair of sneaks. These ones look great, but definitely hurt my feet after a couple of hours. Hope you enjoy this simple look!

xx Michelle 

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Instagram - lifeonlotus

Twitter - @itsmemichelleg

Cool stuff: I can't live and travel Europe without the City Maps 2Go app. You pre-download the city map when you have wifi and then you can always access it through the app. The best part is it uses GPS and shows you where you are on the map without having to use data. 

Fringe

FRINGE JACKET: Forever 21 // WHITE TEE: h&m // DENIM: Topshop // HEELS: Sam Edelman // BAG: Forever 21 // BELT: h&m

Ciao! The past few weeks have been a bit crazy for me, in a good way. I shot this look back home in California before I left to study abroad. My trip started out in Paris and I am now all settled in Florence, Italy for the semester. Travel posts from all of my upcoming destinations are coming soon! Florence is already inspiring me in so many ways and I cannot wait for the content to come. Be sure to follow my instagram account as I have been updating there more frequently.

xx Michelle

Follow me? 

Instagram - lifeonlotus

Twitter - @itsmemichelleg

Endless Summer

DRESS: Free People // SANDALS: ASOS (similar) // BAG: Forever 21 // SUNNIES: Urban Outfitters

There is an endless summer in Southern California, hence I am featuring another dress and sandal combination. Smock dresses are my favorite because of that perfectly unflattering fit. I've been packing to spend fall semester in Europe and I am so looking forward to some colder weather. Oh, I also switched up my hair a bit. 

Hope you enjoy.

xx Michelle

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Instagram - lifeonlotus

Twitter - @itsmemichelleg

Cool tunes: The Promise - When In Rome, She's Always a Women - Billy Joel, & The Morning - The Weeknd  

The Perfect Tank

TANK: Free People LA Nite in Birch // SKORT: Free People // DENIM: Zara // BRALETTE: Free People // SUNNIES: Urban Outfitters

I'm here to talk to you about my favorite tank tops from Free People. There are two styles I switch between: the LA Nite and the Mock Me style. Pictured above is the LA Nite tank, dressed up and dressed down. I think it's important for your wardrobe to be build up with wearable basics. These tank tops are the perfect fit plus they have plenty of colors and are very inexpensive. Currently, I own three different colors and I wear them regularly. The perfect tank top is necessary for warmer weather, but these tanks are also great to layer with in colder weather. I love wearing these ones under  sweaters because the high neckline peaks out perfectly. There are endless ways you can style the perfect tank and I just thought I would share my favorites. Hope you enjoy.

xx Michelle

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Twitter - @itsmemichelleg

Repeat

ROMPER: Urban Outfitters // SANDALS: Pixie Market (more styles here) // SUNNIES: Urban Outfitters // BAG: Zara // WATCH: Daniel Wellington

This blog of mine is very enabling. I often use blogging as an excuse to shop and buy more items to wear and then feature on here. Well, as someone who is trying to build up her savings account this summer, I have been doing my best to utilize the wardrobe I already have. It's easy to constantly buy new items to feature in looks, but it is more realistic to see how I consistently wear and style pieces over and over. Rompers are such a summer staple for me because depending on the style, they are versatile and so easy to wear. This romper (previously featured here) has a small polkadot print pattern that is neutral in color. I can definitely dress this one up or down, depending on where I am wearing it. For a non-fuss summer look, I paired it will some cute gladiator sandals (previously featured here). Accessories were kept minimal, as usual. 

Hope you enjoy and have a lovely week! 

xx Michelle

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Instagram - lifeonlotus

Twitter - @itsmemichelleg

Little Black Romper

ROMPER: Topshop // BLAZER: thrifted Topshop (recommendation) // BOOTIES: Forever 21 // SUNNIES: Quay // WATCH: Daniel Wellington // NECKLACE: flea market find

Just like the little black dress, the little black romper is just as much of a closet staple for me. I actually featured this romper last summer styled a bit differently here. This time around, I paired the romper with a boyfriend blazer and my favorite black booties. I think the deep v cut on the romper contrasts the blazer and makes it a not-so-business casual look. For further contrast, I wore these statement sunnies by Quay. To accessorize, I wore my typical jewels + watch combo while carrying my vanilla latte. If you follow my instagram account, you would know that I have a love affair with really good coffee. Living in Los Angeles, I truly have become a coffee snob and it makes my day to find a good coffee shop in Orange County with quality espresso. So long to the days of sitting at Starbucks, it just doesn't do it for me anymore. 

I hope you are having a fun and adventurous summer - I'm currently working on adding a bit more adventure to mine. Maybe I will share some soon? 

xx Michelle

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Instagram - lifeonlotus

Twitter - @itsmemichelleg

Resort

TOP: Zara // SHORTS: Topshop // ESPADRILLES: Target // BAG: Zara // SUNNIES: Toms // WATCH: Daniel Wellington // JEWELS: flea market finds

Red orange is quickly becoming a favorite color of mine. Essie Clam Bake and MAC Lady Danger had already done it for me, but then I found a Zara favorite on sale in a similar hue. I have already featured the white version of this top here and I just love the simple and easy feel of it. Paired with denim shorts and my espadrilles (Chanel vibes via Target) I had an easy look that is perfect for summer resort life, sans the resort. I always love a structured bag and the small size of this one is perfect for street roaming in Europe this coming fall. Have I mentioned that I will be studying abroad in Florence, Italy for fall 2015? I cannot wait to experience something so entirely different and I am excited to see the content I will put out while I am oversees. That is all I have to say for now! Hope you enjoy.

xx Michelle 

Follow me?

Instagram - lifeonlotus

Twitter - @itsmemichelleg

Cool stuff: I have followed JacksGap for some time now and I just felt so inspired watching his One Week In The Philippines film.

Booties in Summer

DRESS: Urban Outfitters // SHOES: Forever 21 // BRA: Urban Outfitters // JEWELS: flea market finds // WATCH: Daniel Wellington // BAG: Steve Madden

Even in the summer heat I have still managed to wear booties. This Southern California native is heading to Europe in the fall for school and I've been keeping that in mind while shopping lately. I found these almost perfect booties from Forever 21 recently. They are a Chelsea boot style with a pointed toe and a little bit of a heel. The only reason why they are almost perfect is the fact that they aren't quite worn in yet and are a bit painful. But sometimes we have to sacrifice comfort to look good, right? I paired the booties with other versatile pieces that were more summer-friendly. The dress reminds me of a baseball jersey with the buttons all the way up the front center. It's versatile because it can be unbuttoned and thrown over another outfit for a different style. The lace halter bra peeking out at the top adds a little something extra. As per usual, I accessorized with the basics. Hope you enjoy this one and are enjoying your summer! 

xx Michelle

Follow me?

Instagram - lifeonlotus

Twitter - @itsmemichelleg

Music of the moment: all songs by Simon & Garfunkel

You should also check out this cool band Arms Akimbo. If you have any music suggestions, let me know below! 

#LOVEWINS

Simple days, simple looks

DRESS: Urban Outfitters // SHOES: Dolce Vita // BAG: Rebecca Minkoff (similar) // HAT: H&M (similar) 

I don't have too much to update you on! My simple days lately have resulted in these kind of outfits. Hope you enjoy this simple, heat-friendly look. Talk to you soon. 

xx Michelle

Follow me?

Instagram - lifeonlotus

Twitter - @itsmemichelleg

Music of the moment: the new Florence + The Machine album & Can't Feel My Face - The Weeknd