Rocking a Topshop Hoodie Dress and Vans for a Casual Slay

Hey hey! I hope your week has been fun and productive so far. It’s been a chilly and rainy few days here in LA, so after work I’ve been staying warm and cozy inside my apartment, doing yoga, catching up on a few of my favorite podcasts, and reading.

When it gets chilly in LA is definitely nothing compared to chilly in Baltimore, but i still try to dress appropriate for the weather. LA chilly is around 50ish degrees and requires a light jacket or sweater.

Some of the LA natives would call 50ish degrees cold but thats because they never felt 20 degree Baltimore or east coast weather lol.

I love dresses more than any article of clothing. Anytime i get to wear one I will. I recently found a great deal on this topshop hoodie dress.

Right when i saw it I knew I had to have it in my closet. It comes in a dusty rose pink color and the bright red color I purchased. I purchased it in red because I actually don’t own a lot of red and I loved how bright it was. I love having a colorful wardrobe!

Now some might say that this dress is outside my normal dress attire and they would be correct. My dresses are normally fit and flare, bodycon, or maxi dresses. Having it be so different from what I already own is one of the main reasons I wanted to buy it.

I paired this dress with gray and white checkerboard Vans that have red roses on them. The red in the shoes popped along with the red dress. I wanted this look to be casual, but still stylish as well. Buying a dress that is super comfortable and cute is a great find! Throw on some boots or heels with this dress and you have a cute brunch outfit or party outfit.

Aside from loving dresses, I also love fun walls! That’s why I was so excited when I found this wall near my job. The wall is green plants in a wooden pot fixture in the shape of arrows. I didn’t realize how cool the wall looked with my outfit until I saw the pics.

Visit my Instagram page @coralbuttons to see more pictures and to get some style inspo. Let me know in the comments below if you would rock a hoodie dress and if you would wear it more casual, dressed up, or both. Have a lovely rest of your week!

California Crop Top

Can you believe that September is almost over and in a few days it will be the first day of fall!? It’s crazy because in LA it still feels like summertime.

It’s been consistently in the 80’s or high 70’s these days. That’s why the outfit shown below is perfect for a sunny, September day.

I wore a blue crop top with the word California on it, adorbly decorated with flowers and butterflies. I paired my crop top with denim cut-off shorts and yellow Vans to accent the flowers in my top.

My top is $15 from Topshop, my shorts were $20 from Forever 21 and my Vans were a gift!

I recently realized that I don’t smile often in my pictures, so I made the decision to smile during every photosession from now on. I can have more serious photos taken as well, but I want to make sure I get a few smiling shots in the mix since it is outside of my comfort zone.

I love my smile, but for some reason I just don’t feel like I photograph well when I’m smiling, so I want to break down that wall I have on myself and challenge myself to embrace my smile more in pictures.

I posted the pictures featured in this post on IG @coralbuttons, so if you follow me you saw my caption saying: “Smile more, #lifeisgood” and it’s true so smile and make the most out of your day everybody!

Is there something you want to improve on when it comes to your style or your photos? Let me know in the comments below!

Secret Swing at Elysian Park

Happy Monday beautiful people. I hope your September is off to a great start!

Today I want to take you to a land far far away…well not really far away but moreso up in the air. I recently visited a hiking trail in Elysian Park in LA to try to find a secret swing and to my surprise I found it!

It’s called the Secret Swing because it is up a secluded hill and not many people know about it unless you did some research like I did. I really wanted to visit the swing because the view is amazing.

To visit the swing I wore a simple black maxi dress paired with floral vans. Shawn and I rode a Lyft to the bottom of the hiking trail and from there its just about a 5-7 min hike up to the swing.

I wouldn’t reccomend swinging too hard on the swing because it is very high up and there is no fence to protect you from falling. Gently sitting on it like I did will still make for a great shot.

If you are in LA and want to do an easy hike I definitely reccomend visitng Elysian Park and the Secret Swing.

Do you like the view? Would yoy be scared to sit on the swing? What do you think of my outfit? Let me know in the comments below and have a great week!

The Mondrian Wall

Los Angeles is full of art! Every few blocks there’s either a wall painting, a stylish modern building, or an awesome tourist spot where you can take gorgeous photos.

Recently, I found a photo spot called the “Mondrian Wall” here in LA.The wall is on the side of an art store called, Artist & Craftsman Supply LA.

It’s super colorful and makes for a perfect photo op.

At the wall, I wore a black, ruched, bodycon dress. I decided to go with a black dress to make the colors behind me on the wall pop.

I paired my black dress with yellow Vans and Quay, cateye shades. This is a look that definitely can be dress up for a nighttime dinner or kept casual like how I wore it.

I challenge you this week to find a new photo spot in your city. You may have to walk a few blocks or drive a different route, but it will be worth it!

Visiting La Brea Tar Pits!

Hey everybody!

These past few days in LA have been scorching hot, only 90 degrees and above!

When it’s hot and sunny, it’s great weather to explore . Recently, I visited La Brea Tar Pits. The Tar Pits are a fossil excavation site along with a museum.

You learn about California’s history, prehistoric creatures, fossils, and nature. It’s interactive, family freindly, and definitely worth going to if any of the topics I mentioned previously interests you.

Pictured above is a mural showcasing the numerous animals, now extinct unfortunately, that surived and thrived before us.

My boyfriend Shawn and I, also went to a 3D movie that was playing at the museum called “Titans of the Ice Age.” I learned a lot of new fun facts; it was definitely informative and exciting.

We also walked around outside of the museum to visit the various tar pits where excavations are taking place to this day. Excavations occur when scientist and paleontologist go down into the tar pits and dig up the fossils of dinosaurs, mammals, birds, and sometimes even humans.

Path near one of the excavation sites

For this bright, sunny day I wore yellow pants that fit similarly to joggers.

I paired my yellow pants with a black, wrap top and checkered slip-on Vans. It made for a sporty chic look.

The lush flowers and trees around the museum made for a perfect backdrop.

What do you think of this look? And please visit the La Brea Tar Pits if you are in the LA area, you won’t regret it.

Have a great week lovelies!

Sporty Chic at Work

Happy Wonderful Wednesday!

I hope that your week is going great! The weather in Baltimore right now is amazing. It is definitely starting to feel more and more like spring.

Even though I am working inside on this beautiful spring day, that doesn’t mean I can’t look fab and ready for spring!

As you may or may not know, I currently work at Nordstrom. I love being able to wear whatever I want (appropriately of course!) to work. Today, I decided to wear a navy blue tshirt dress.

I literally just purchased this dress yesterday from Forever 21 and it is so comfy, but yet still stylish. The blue is perfect for spring!

I paired the dress with one of my favorite pairs of shoes, floral vans! Floral is, of course a great print for spring because you will be matching all of the gorgeous flowers that are blooming.

I want to encourage you today to step outside of your comfort zone and wear a sporty look if you normally dress more feminine or try a more feminine look if sporty is your normal go to style. Don’t be afraid to push the envelope with your style, you won’t regret it!

Enjoy the rest of your week lovelies!

Dressing Room Chronicles

Good morning! I hope everyone is having a fantastic week so far!

My week has been extremely productive. I have been working on achieving a few of my smaller goals while getting closer to my bigger goals.

One of my goals for 2017 was to start blogging weekly and so far I can proudly say that I am meeting that expectation!

Today’s post focuses on a unique outfit I put together recently. When wearing this outfit, I went to a few different dressing rooms to see where I can get a great shot, hence the title being “Dressing Room Chronicles.”

My look: I wore a high neck, floral print, crop top from Nordstrom Rack.  A pair of gray joggers from Forever 21 and for my shoes, floral print Vans!

Wearing sneakers is definitely out of the norm for me, but the floral pattern gives the shoes a chic edge which I loved.

The joggers allowed me to stay comfortable, while the crop top let me show off my creative side and the Vans helped tie the look together…no pun intended!

I’ve always been a big fan of print mixing and matching. My crop top and shoes are floral patterned, but differ in the size of the flowers and the colors. I think that it still worked out quite nicely together!

I don’t wear makeup often, but when I do definitely make sure I put on lipstick! I wore a red lip from the Burt’s Bees collection. Also, I tried a new pose to give me a touch of street chicness to my look.

What do you all think of this look? Leave a comment below to share your opinions and have a great weekend lovelies ❤