GO WITH THE FLOW

I never considered myself to be a "go with a flow" type of person because: (a) I absolutely need structure in all aspects of my life and (b) anything spontaneous gives me anxiety. Despite my natural tendencies to plan everything out, I decided that this school year needed a bit more randomness and a laid back attitude (mind you, I'm excluding academics/job responsibilities from this mentality!). 

If you read my last blog post, you'd know that a bit of last-minute decision making makes for some excellent photo sessions. Preparing myself to visit the Noguchi Garden needed special attention to my outfit. Thus, I decided to channel the vibes of the minimalist and monochromatic design of the garden into my look. 

I've been loving the crap out of these long, flowy flared pants ever since I purchased them earlier this year. It goes well with so many different pieces and occasions. To balance the flow, I wore a tight, velvet cropped top and and put on this lightly acid-washed outwear I found at a thrift store to add some more character. Finishing off with a pair of black sandals and minimal accessories, this outfit matched perfectly with the setting and it definitely contrasted well against the lighter background.  

What's one thing you're willing to let go with the flow? Whether it's something on your schedule or an idea in need of creative direction, try letting yourself be less anxious about it and you'd be surprised how some of the stress disappears...

Rock on, 

Rachel

$20 THRIFT STORE CHALLENGE

I've been shopping at thrift stores for as far back as I can remember. My mom used to take me with her to the nearest Salvation Army store and I'd run off to the book section while she scoured through all the antiques. It wasn't until I was in middle school (when I started working and could afford to buy my own things) that I used thrifting as a source of discovering the beauty that is second-hand clothing. 

Buying used items is not a foreign concept to me. I grew up wearing practically nothing but hand-me-downs from neighbors and older church girl friends. So being able to see how thrifting has become a trend has really made me comfortable in showing all the goods I've collected over the past several years. I personally think thrifting is not only a great way to save money, but also a sustainable method of shopping. Plus, some of the items are one-of-a-kind and it's not difficult to DIY a certain outfit to your liking. 

I recently took up the $20 thrift store challenge in which I had to come up with an outfit under $20. Easy. I visited two local thrift stores, Thrift Trader and Goodwill, and came up with this look! I wanted to find items that were both functional and comfortable so that I could wear them time and time again. Here's how the total added up:

Tie-Dye Shirt: $2.69 (10% off for being a student!)

Cotton On Shorts: $6.99 (rounded to $7)

Chaps Button-Up: $8.99 (rounded to $9)

TOTAL = $18.69

I sported my Dr. Martens, added a few pieces of jewelry, and finished the look with a pair of round sunnies and a dark lip. So there you have it: an entire outfit (minus the shoes of course)  for LESS THAN $20!!! It's a simple, yet timeless look that can be mix-and-matched to your heart's content. 

Watch the whole experience below and please do THUMBS UP & SUBSCRIBE if you enjoyed! Many thanks to Ashley, Michelle, and Serena for helping me film <3

Keep on keepin' on, 

Rachel

BACK AT IT:

Did you miss me?

Woohoo! I am back on The Rachel Story! 

It's been quite an intense quarter at school so far and the thought of posting on my blog was honestly the last thing on my mind. However, I didn't want to neglect something I actually enjoyed doing (plus writing an entry is a bit of a stress reliever). I have been busy, but I'm still so thankful to God for the many things He's blessed me with. So, here I am with another OOTD post that my lovely friends help me shoot.

The weather is finally cooling down and despite the harshness of the sun, I can still wear my fall/winter clothing like my trusty ol' Dr. Martens boots and this lacy black dress I've been saving all summer. This dress was actually bought on sale for less than $15...The Rachel Story strikes again!

How have you been styling your outfits for this season? Any style steals?

OUTFIT:

Button-Up-Thrifted

Dress-Urban Outfitters

Boots-Dr. Martens

Hat-Roomie's

Bracelet-Bouton Bracelets

See ya'll soon!

p.s.-I've got some exciting new reviews and GIVEAWAYS coming up so stay tuned for those!

GOOD PRICE, HAPPY RACH:

I love me some

sale items....

Whenever I shop, the first area I visit is--you guessed it--the SALE SECTION. I thrive off of red tags and marked down prices. Knowing that I'm saving tons of money as well as gaining another awesome piece in my wardrobe makes me one happy fashion lover! 

The star of this outfit of the day has to be my delicate black dress. Not only does the dress have the prettiest lace details and flattering neckline, it also was a bang-for-your-buck kind of deal as it cost me no more than ten dollars! That's right: TEN DOLLARS. This dress is extremely versatile and can be styled up and down depending on how you feel on a particular day. I decided to pair it with a comfy flannel tied around the waist and wore my studded ankle boots for a more structured look. Of course, I was also excited to sport my incredibly soft Free People strappy back bra I had been wearing all throughout this past summer.

How much do you enjoy them sale sections? As much as frugal ol' me?

OUTFIT: 

Dress-Urban Outfitters

Strappy Bra-Free People

Flannel-Thrifted

Boots-H&M

Have a fantastic day, 

Rachel

P.S.- My current schedule this quarter is pretty crazy so I may not be posting as consistently as I had done during summer. BUT, do not fret! I have weekly articles posted on CollegeFashionista and am in the works of launching a special little project of mine soon~

NYFW IN LA?

What would you have worn to New York's 

biggest fashion event of the year?

I think this outfit would suffice!

One of the top items on my bucket list is a visit to New York Fashion Week (in addition to fashion weeks in Milan, Paris, London, etc). However, since I'm currently a college student on a budget, I decided to bring fashion week to Los Angeles! 

Fashion week is about bringing your A-game when it comes to personal style. Bloggers, editors and models alike all dress to impress and go against whats conventional in order to show off what they enjoy wearing to the myriad of street style photographers wandering around in hopes of getting a perfect shot.

I chose to wear this ensemble in honor of NYFW and wore a bright pop of hot pink to make it even more eye-catching. I paired it with a denim-like jacket worn over the shoulder (very fashion blogger-esque, no?) and a cropped tank to really allow the pink skirt to play the leading role. To accessorize, I added hints of gold through my necklace, studded boots and watch. I also balanced out the femininity of the outfit with a black beanie.

With my phone in hand and eyes peeled for the latest trend, don't I look fashion week appropriate?

OUTFIT:

Jacket-Mom's Closet

Cropped Tank-H&M

Skirt-Thrifted

Boots-H&M

Necklace-Vintage

Watch-ASOS
Beanie-Forever 21

Thanks for reading, 

Rachel

BLUE HAIR DON'T CARE:

3 hours of bleaching, 2 hours of coloring,
and 1 hour of anticipating later...

I did it! I finally did something to my jet black, untouched hair!

With the help of my kind and very patient bestie Hannah, I was able to commit and try out some color in my hair by adding a few streaks of blue. And let me tell you something--it was a mission. From researching on various platforms such as YouTube and good ol' Google to waiting what seemed like a century for my dark hair to fade blonde, I have to say changing even just a bundle of hair is a pretty serious and difficult task (or maybe for me at least).

But, I am so glad I finally changed up my hair game! I think it adds some personality to the otherwise dull set of hair I have, especially since I'm often lazy when it comes to styling it. Plus, it'll be an interesting, yet fun adventure thinking of ways to play up outfits to go along with the blue.

Who knows? Maybe next time I'll go for hot pink...or maybe purple...

OUTFIT:

Shirt-Thrifted

Flannel-Abercrombie & Fitch

Short-Forever 21

Shoes-Vans

Watch-Target

Sunglasses-Amazon

I'll catch you in my next post, 

Rachel

CAPED CRUSADER:

Who portrays Batman the best: Michael Keaton, 

Christian Bale, (soon to be Ben Affleck), or me?

If you ever asked me who my favorite superhero was, Batman would hands down be my first and only choice. Not only is he exceptionally skilled in martial arts, he is also a witty, cunning and willing to make meets end through any way necessary. But let's not make this about how awesome Batman is and let's get into the outfit...

I would have to say the main star of this ensemble is the beautiful shawl that was gifted to me on my recent birthday by two of my favorite people. It's the perfect length and the deep blue color complements the rest of the outfit. The pattern and slits near the bottom of the shawl add perfect accents to the overall piece. Plus, I can run around and this outwear instantly doubles as a cape...hence, the title of this particular blog post. 

I completed the look with my thrifted overalls (worn in THIS post) and since it was blazing hot--I actually got sunburned that day--I kept it simple with a grey cami and my new BCBG studded sandals. To make this look more unique, I put my hair up into two buns and added a couple accessories like my 90's choker, tribal earrings, and Casio watch. 

I am so excited to mix and match this amazing shawl with other items in my wardrobe! How would you style this and what is one piece in your closet you've been lovin' this summer? Let me know in the comments below~

OUTFIT:

Shawl-Urban Outfitters

Cami-Love Culture

Calvin Klein Overalls-Thrifted

Sandals-BCBG

Earrings-New Mexico

Choker-Etsy

Casio Watch-Target

Catch ya on the flip side, 

Rachel

P.S.-special shout out to Caroline for taking these pics for me!