April 11, 2014.

Santa Monica, CA.

Well, it’s that time of year again, the time of year when local bars, my favorite brunch spots, and the busy streets of Los Angeles temporarily trade in their crowds for a more serene, laid back feel, as masses of Los Angelinos pack up and head out to the desert for what is known to be one of the best music festivals around- COACHELLA. Ah yes, Coachella. It’s always sounded like such a magical place to me. I mean, any festival where you can dress like a hippie, ride a bicycle around everywhere, and expect surprise performances from JAY-Z and BEYONCE is amazing in my book. However, I’ve always found that sometimes when you hear too much about something- kind of like when everyone tells you they just saw the best movie on the planet and then you go see it and you think to yourself, that wasn’t the best movie on the PLANET- it can never really live up to those dreamt up expectations.

That is why, instead of heading out to Palm Springs like the rest of LA this weekend, I have always enjoyed these next two weekends as a time to enjoy all the local spots that I never bother checking out because of their usual Disney-like long waits and I also plan to take a little road trip of my own down the coast to Laguna Beach or Newport. The weather has been so amazing here this past week- it feels as though we’ve skipped over spring and landed right in the middle of summer… I hope it stays like this for a while!

This is my weekend getaway outfit. This tiny floral dress from Windsor is Coachella inspired for all my pals headed to the desert and I paired it with this great cropped black sweater from Forever21 and some gladiator wedges. I know that the crop-top look can be a bit scary and they are popping up all over the place these days. Lately, in all the stores I shop at, all I see is crop tops, which I find to be a bit scary. However, they can be so great when pairing them with high-waisted pants, shorts, skirts or over dresses like this look. Give it a try! Oh and I went for some extra color with these fun oversized rose colored shades, also from Forever21.

Best part of this look? Its under $100!