DARK ANGEL

Cage Back Dress from Motel Rocks, Skinny Belt from Forever 21, Patent Boots from Zara, Lenox Bucket Bag c/o Galian Handbags

Photos by Unbearably Stylish

This summer I've been doing a big revamping of my wardrobe. I cleaned out a large majority of my closet by getting rid of items I hardly got any wear out of, and after realizing almost all of my closet had previously been comprised of "statement" pieces and hugely lacked the basics, I started focusing on the importance of wardrobe essentials. Don't get me wrong, I love statement pieces—but when you're rushing in the morning to get to class, you just want to put something on quick that you know is comfortable, looks good, and coordinates well with lots of things.

For me, I like my essentials to be black. It's kind of an art school cliché to dress in all black all the time but black to me always looks effortlessly put together and it doesn't show stains from drawing materials. Not to mention that dressing in a monochrome palette makes it near impossible to make an outfit that doesn't match! ;) I have also been doing a lot of secondhand shopping online on sites like Vinted and Poshmark! You save a lot of money this way while also lessening your impact on the environment. 

This dress from Motel Rocks is something I found on Poshmark for only $8! I love the simple fit in the front and the unexpected caged details in the back. A skinny belt emphasizes the shape of this dress and a pair of chunky heeled boots dresses up the look without going too overboard. Lastly, I love how this bucket bag from Galian Handbags adds a pop of color to this outfit! I have been so obsessed with bucket bags and was super excited to find this one! You can fit quite a lot in it and the shape stays in place so well.

Hope you guys like these photos! I shot them yesterday at UC Berkeley in front of the Doe Library building :) Have a lovely week! x