August of Last Year, Before the Leaves Disappeared

Ummmm. So i definitely dropped the ball there on updating. Sorry guys! I've mostly been out and about so i never have time to sit at home and update. I'm not one to plan posts which explains why i'm all over the place all the time! oh well. maybe one day i'll sit down and figure out a schedule of sorts. i promise to catch up on all your blogs sometime soon. i would say this weekend but let's be reallllll. haha. No seriously though, i looked at my online portfolio yesterday and i almost cried from its hideousness. Okay it's not THAT bad, but i've definitely made some layout choices that i hate. And i used to be so happy with it! lolololol. Now that my internship is coming to a close it's time to revamp that resume & revamp the portfolio so i'll probably spend this weekend doing that, so forgive my hiatus. But whatever you're all going to probably be having BBQs and all while i sit at home and yell at my computer when i can't figure out some coding. haha.

Anywayyy, it's been ridiculously hot and once i get home from work i take off whatever somewhat presentable outfit i was wearing and throw on shorts and a band tee. I definitely jinxed the weather! Remember that time i was like ohhh it's been the coolest August since 1919...blah blah blah...and then the heatwave came. I KNEW not to be trusting at all! And now it's super worse for me because in the office it's really cold then on the bus ride home i'm like DYING. When i get home i immediately take off my clothes and sit in front of the fan for several minutes to just cool down.

Can i tell you something ridiculously fun about this skirt? So i tried it on at urban outfitters right, and i didnt end up getting it because of the price tag. but i was so in love with the color i knew i had to save up for it. then when i had the money it was sold out! OF COURSE. but thennnnn it went on mega sale, but in white. i got it either way and since i was in college at the time and had access to an industrial vat (think of a big giant pot with fancy buttons) and figured i would dye it whenever i had the chance. then sure enough, one day i needed to dye some pants this mint color for a show i was designing, and what do you know, i threw in this skirt, gave a little prayer, and everything worked out amazing! i can't say the same for those pants, but eh, you win some, you lose some! sucks you can't really tell it's minty in these photos...oh well another day another photo i promise.

oh look my socks actually match. it's such a battle trying to find matching socks in the morning. sometimes D & i just grab whatever socks so we totally mess up the sock balance and then they NEVER match. story of our lives. so seeing matching socks is quite a luxury around here.

this shirt. i love this shirt. Jonathan Rice merch from when he opened for goddess Jenny Lewis at her Rabbit Fur Coat Release show at the Vista Theatre. that was a beautiful evening! is it silly that i especially love wearing this shirt during shark week? hahaha i never watch shark week but i make it a point to wear this shirt. lololol.

okay i'm going to celebrate my friend Marc's bday now with burger time, so i guess i should get dressed in something other than a band shirt. adios!

deets:

band tee: jonathan rice merch, skirt: urban outfitters (old), lakers snapback: stolen from D, socks: target, boots: thrifted (timberland), glasses: coastal

Nomz o' Clock: Pot Roast for Two

so you guys, i didn't end up going to FYF buuuut i did make a killer pot roast! Ree Drummond, aka The Pioneer Woman, is my freakin' hero. I just LOVE her. She has the best recipes and she's hilarious. If you're into american classics like i am, you'll definitely want to check out her site if you've been living under a rock this whole time and haven't checked it out yet. I think it's the whole growing-up-mexican that's made me truly crave American dishes ALLLLLL THE TIME. whenever we go to Mimi's Cafe i always end up getting their pot roast even though i know it will be dry as hell and will never ever come close to home made pot roast. 

anyway, if you couldn't already tell, this recipe is from the Pioneer Woman and you NEED to make it. i won't repost the recipe here because you have to read the way she wrote hers--she's too funny. buuut i will tell you the ingredients list if you're making this for two. A lot of the recipes i come across are always for a big family and while D & I love having leftovers, sometimes we don't get around to them, or it's just impossible for us to heat up due to our lack of microwave and probably a mix of laziness. Last time i made this delicious pot roast we used this huge pot we bought at ikea and we ended up with a tonnn of leftovers. we had some at work the day after and still had tons leftover. then we forgot about it and the rest of the pot roast died in the fridge...if you know what i mean. so all that yummy yummy food, wasted! sigh. it's really a big problem for us so we're trying to make things that won't produce more that one day's worth of leftovers. hah

ohhhh and speaking of that giant ikea pot...we had to throw it out after some pasta died in there. it was probably the grossest thing i have ever seen/smelled. lololol. oh dear. so yeah i got this super awesome lil baby 2.75 qt cast iron casserole at macys because duh it was cheap. (and it's so cute!)

and while i will forever lust over the Le Creusets, owning those is just not possible right now. but just watch me, one day i will have them! But yeah, i figured this little casserole would be good to have since it's small...but you guys, i left it unused for over half a year. HALF A YEAR. also we've been not even cooking lately so that's probably why. anyway so it just felt like i should use it for pot roast since our giant ikea pot was dead. since i have never used it before i totally freaked out when it smoked a bit when just heating up! apparently this is normal, so don't freak out. oh the joy of being relatively new to cooking. my mother wouldve probably laughed at me. haha. this is all her fault though! for never allowing me in her kitchen i'm left to experiment now that im in my twenties. okay okay enough babble. 

ingredients for two:

• 1.5 lb (or close) chuck roast
• 1 large onion (or two medium ones)
• 6 carrots (if you love carrots add more, i wish i had used more they were so yummy)
• beef stock (you only need a cup and half)
• kosher salt
• pepper (if it's freshly ground it's better!)
• 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary (trust me this is necessary)
• 3 or 4 sprigs of fresh thyme (if you dont have fresh this one is okay if you use dried)

-follow the steps for Ree Drummond's Perfect Pot Roast Recipe

• side note: since our meat would  not have fit in my small casserole in one piece, i cut it in half and then seasoned all sides. in the step where Ree says to brown your meat, i browned each piece separately, but once it was time to put it in the casserole i put them side by side and they fit perfectly. 

-you should then have this:

-then put in the oven at 280 degrees for 2 1/2 hours!
yuuuuum

i totally forgot to take photos of the mashed potatoes process but next time i make em i will. you will want to try them. it's my moms super fattening recipe so you know it's good. haha. 

Festival Style: FYF Fest 2013

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...and the weekend of Summer everyone in LA | OC has been waiting for has finally arrived! Saturday kicks off FYF fest's 10th anniversary and it looks like some fun times. I'm going to sound like a broken record here and admit that the line-up is not really super impressive. Yes, they did manage to somehow get My Bloody Valentine but i'm just going to humble brag right now and tell you that i already saw them! and it was amazing and everything i ever dreamed it would be. so really after that, what could possibly impress me? oh my god that sounds snobby! i can't decide if this festival indifference i've been feeling is because i'm getting older (and crankier) or because i just truly have seen most of the bands on the bills. thats quite an accomplishment though, if i do say so myself. my goal of attending every big music festival at least once is still on though, come on, i have yet to make it out to Primavera, Glastonburry, Roskkilde---ONE DAY, one day. 

oh damn! i'm just realizing that one thing i forgot to add to the guides above for fyf was a bandana and/or scarf! the dust/dirt at the Los Angeles Historic Park is NO JOKE. what is a joke is calling that little piece of land a park! seriously the amount of plain old dirt is crazy. and does anyone ever visit that park other than the craft fair, HARD, or Fyf? whatever, at least we have someplace to have a little festival--i'm not complaining...entirely. haha. but yes, back to the dirt, it is very important that you protect yourself from this nasty ass dirt, because it WILL fly in your face, trust me if you gather a bunch of excited folks about to see their favorite band and they start moshing, or dancing, or what have you, that dirt will fly in your face and if you dont protect yourself, you will be blowing your nose a week after and wondering where that nasty ass dirt came from. serious, true story. and while i'm on the dirt rant, i read some article earlier in the week that was like "bring your fashion game to FYF, this isn't roskkilde, your shoes won't get messed up"...UMMMMM. YES. ACTUALLY, THEY WILL. so bring boots or sneakers you just don't give a damn about. And please, please, for the love of god, leave your heeled booties at home. 

okay okay, i'll step down from my soap box now. but just don't forget to catch Glasser if you kids go. Cameron Mesirow is amazing! just AMAZING. you will not regret it. 

leeds out!

Nomz o' Clock: Zucchini Boats

 

snack time! 

D & i are tryin to spend more time in the kitchen and we're trying to eat healthier. because you know, having too many burgers have made us gain a couple of pounds. yikes! also, we've become really bored with our eating routines--which usually consist of going to el pollo loco or eating chips and hummus. so when my college buddy Kane (who runs the My Fresh Bite instagram) posted this photo i decided to give it a go because it looked so easy and yummy!

prep time: 10 minutes , cooking time: 15 minutes

ingredients:

• 4 organic zucchinis (these were small btw)
• 1 tomato (yes 2 are pictured but i only used 1!)
• 1/3 of a crimini mushroom bag (also called baby bella mushrooms)
• 1 1/2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• shredded mozzarella cheese (i just grabbed some from the bag, so just eyeball it)
• 1 tbs tapatio hot sauce (optional, we love spicy so this gives it a little kick)
• 1/4 tbs thyme (totally optional, you could probably add parsley if you want)
• pepper  

1. cut all of your zucchinis in half, chop your tomatoes into slices and cut those into fourths 

2. preheat your oven to 375° F

3. place zucchinis on baking sheet (we foil our baking sheet because we're too lazy to have to deep clean it every time) and brush all tops with olive oil

4. sprinkle pepper to your liking on the zucchinis (we use the rainbow peppercorn grinder from trader joe's because it smells amazing! seriously, freshly ground pepper has changed my life)

5. sprinkle thyme generously (this is totally optional, i just like the way it smells)

6. add cheese to your liking 

7. add your toppings. feel free to mix them up or just individually decorate each zucchini with its own set of toppings. if you have any leftover toppings you could just toss them in on the empty space of your baking sheet

8. sprinkle with hot sauce 

9. pop in the oven for 15 minutes (depending on oven baking times some might take longer than others, i would say 15 minutes is good time to at least check on them. if you can stick a fork in the zucchini and it's too hard then leave it in for a bit longer. or you know you could eat them like that too if you like the crunch)

10. let them cool off a bit and then enjoy! yay!

a side note on hot sauce:

if you are using that fake tabasco sauce then you and i cannot be friends. for the sake of all things holy throw that garbage out and go out and get yourself some real hot sauce. drive to the nearest mexican grocery store or heck i think even your regular grocery store will have it in the mexican food aisle. if you can't find it you can totally order Tapatio online so no excuses. seriously, your taste buds will thank you.

...but if you're not that into tapatio or you're silly and can't find it, then there's always Valentina, Cholula, or my personal absolute favorite La Guacamaya (this one is tougher to find at regular grocery stores & i might be totally biased about it because it's from Sinaloa, la tierra natal, duh), just don't buy tabasco, that's basically all vinegar you're eating. gross. 

adios!

Adventure Time!

you guyssss! sorry i've been a terrible blogger this month. i would be lying if i said life was just happening....it's not really. well it is, duh, but nothing truly exciting has been happening as of late. i mean the most exciting thing was probably i've started taking the bus to work--but that's another story for another day. hehe.

honestly, i've been spending my time reading lurking cooking blogs and watching old movies and adventure time. If you haven't seen Adventure Time then i just, i dunno what to do with you. Turn your netflix on and watch some episodes, then we can be friends. haha. last year of college, when adventure time first was on the air, Marc & Mikesauce were watching it all the time and quoting it all the time and i thought they were nuts, until they forced me to watch it and then i became obsessed. pretty soon we were all walking down the halls of the theatre building laughing and quoting Lumpy Space Princess all day. Because you know, that's totally normal for college super seniors. lol.

tee: target, skirt: thrifted (express / similar), backpack: Fjallraven Kanken, boots: thrifted (timberland), necklace: erica weiner, cuff: threadsence (similar), glasses: derek cardigan via coastal, lip color: nars in scarlet empress

Had to pair this of course with my trusty yellow Fjallraven Kanken backpack! Can't go on any adventures without it. It's excellent for music festivals because my pals can always spot me if i get lost haha. i have this silly picture of me creepin on someone with the same backpack as me at Outside Lands two years ago--i'll have to show it to you guys sometime, it's hilarious! By the way, do any of you college graduates feel this affinity towards backpacks now that you've graduated? it's ridiculous, i assumed that maybe once i got older i'd get over backpacks and invest in a real handbag, but i just can't steer away from backpacks. And sometimes it's just weird because it's like well, what do i actually carry in there? I always end up carrying too many books and journals and my computer. And since i downsized to have a tablet with me everywhere i can leave my backpack at home, but noooo i'm still eyeing backpacks like crazy. oh dearrrr

sorry is my nerd showing? hehe. 

i bought  this Finn Mimobot flash drive at work and it's my new favorite thing everrrr. i sure wish we had carried the Princess Bubblegum one instead but ohhhh well. maybe i'll get it one of these days from the internetz. lord knows i dont need it right away, i dont really need a flash drive haha. i mostly needed a new one to transfer powerpoints and moodboards at my internship since i lost my vader flash drive somewhere. i swear to god, now that i'm out of school i find myself always wanting to buy things that really i'd only need/use if i were in school. is this a sign? maybe i should just go back to school...you know, so i can complain about how much i hate it. hahaha. it's a love/hate relationship, it always has been. 

okay i'll shut up about adventure time for now and let me tell you a funny story about this skirt. so i thrifted this skirt back in high school and it was floor length and at the time, just not in fashion. so i cut and hemmed it and then i would just wear it high waisted with a tee shirt tucked in and belted. buuuuut now, i sure wish i hadn't cut it because i really want a black maxi skirt! haha. such is life. 

Good Reads: Loteria by Mario Alberto Zambrano

I'm gonna come clean. I judge books by their cover. There, I said it. I just can't help myself, good cover design gets me every time. EVERY TIME. You guys have no idea just how many books I have purchased solely based on their covers. Oftentimes it really works out and the book turns out amazing but sometimes I get a few that are terrible books but have great covers. Also, cover redesigns sometimes get me. Even if I already have a copy of a book with the original cover, if there's a cooler redesign I have to get the new one. I have a problem. Obviously.

Anyway, I came across this charming little book Lotería: A Novel by Mario Alberto Zambrano. I mean, look at this cover. LOOK AT IT. As soon as I saw it, I had these fond memories of playing lotería as a kid with my family. I knew that I had to have this book, even if the story was awful, it wouldn't matter because the book cover was so beautiful and the illustrations inside were equally as beautiful and besides I had a coupon for it! Yay coupons!

So lotería's protagonist is an eleven year old girl named Luz who currently finds herself in a government home for children who are currently displaced or have been removed from their homes. Her father is in prison and her sister in critical condition at the ICU. Luz won't speak to anyone as is the cause of the traumatic events leading to her arrival at this home. At the encouragement of her aunt she begins to write in a journal to see if she can piece back together what happened and to prove her father was innocent by using the lotería cards to spark her memory. Each lotería card if you're unfamiliar with comes with an illustration. These images remind her of a memory, some good memories, others, not so good. But it is through these memories that as a reader we can piece together what has happened to Luz.

This heart wrenching unique little novel reads so beautifully. You don't even need to be a native spanish speaker or even had to have played lotería to understand the beauty of a child's innocence. I love books with child protagonists like Pigeon English and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time because children will just tell you how they feel. The innocent mistakes they make are endearing and the kids themselves can have a humor that is unmatched by an adult. But I can tell you that being a native spanish speaker and having had played lotería before made this book much more enjoyable just because I can relate to having those relatives who always are urging you to never forget your roots as well as all that spanglish that's spoken in the home.

If you're unfamiliar with lotería, by the way, it's a Mexican game similar to bingo but instead of numbers the cards have an array of images and there is an accompanying deck of cards with illustrations instead little numbered balls. The dealer reads the card's illustration out loud and you mark it off your card if its on there. Usually you use beans to mark off your card or you can also use small coins like pennies. Apparently I've been playing lotería all wrong since in the book it mentions how all lotería cards have a riddle, so the dealer gives the riddle instead of reading the card and the players have to be attentive and wise enough to guess the correct illustration on their card. They way I've played it the dealer reads off the names on the cards really quickly like those men at auction houses and you have to claim lotería before the next card is dealt or it doesn't count. Either there are different ways of playing the game depending on the region of mexico or my family has lied to me and we've played the game all wrong.

Anyway, I hope you get a chance to pick this gem up. It really is unlike anything else I have read--a perfect debut novel from author Mario Alberto Zambrano. You can catch up with Mr. Zambrano via his tumblr. Enjoy!

Tuneage: YACHT - Party at the NSA

YACHT has released a new song and it definitely sounds like something you've heard before (musically think: suicide mixed with relaxed muscle and a dash of elvis costello). However, this very punk move from a electro-pop band tackles something we should all be worried about and not be ridiculously indifferent about. This government surveillance (read: spying) program is something a lot of us are ignoring. Yes yes we have nothing to fear because we are obviously not up to bad things, however, this completely obliterates the purpose of privacy. does that word even exist anymore? The main problem is there should be more transparency about this whole situation. It's all very unclear and we are not given direct answers. We should be demanding answers, asking the right questions, and taking back the meaning of privacy. Yacht created a website for their song and if you download the song, all proceeds go to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a non profit fighting to protect our digital rights. Thanks to Yacht for tackling this very serious issue in a very Holiday In Cambodia fashion.

But wait i thought this was a fashion blog? To deviate a little from the topic at hand, i wouldn't call it a fashion blog, it's a blog, MY blog, and pretty much you will find everything on here that interests me or that i feel strongly about. Most days it will be fashion, other days recipes, book reviews what have you, but ultimately it will be about something i feel ridiculously strongly about. Now would be a good time i suppose to make it clear that At This Volume is intended to be a place for me to breathe and is a cornucopia of all my likes and dislikes,  things i encounter, whatever! everything. EVERYTHING. i acknowledge that most people prefer to find super ultra positive blogs who are always positive positive positive, but i have to admit, I AM A REAL GIRL, i encounter real every day problems. some days talking about them is my only means of letting it go and moving on, call it therapy. Some days i struggle to find positivity but i'm working on it. I don't particularly set out to be a downer, or to offend, but i cannot and will not compromise my opinions and my points of view for the fear of losing popularity. this is not intended to be a popular fashion blog, but rather is a lifestyle blog about a girl and her thoughts. after all, this is just my little piece of internet real estate, i'm allowed to do with it as i please arent i? i greatly appreciate readership, and i have to admit that most of my closest friends i have met through the blogging community, so please do not take offense to anything i say on here as i am not setting out to offend but rather get these thoughts out of my head.

I think we may spend a lot of time worrying about the popularity of our blogs and stayin on topic and trying not to offend. but the cost of that is silencing your opinions and making your blog feel dare i say, contrived? I just can't do it, and i encourage you all to be true to yourselves, as in the end, we are all real people looking for a sense of community even if it's on the internet.

Heads Up: ThreadSence Fall Lookbook 2013

[top images: L & R | bottom images: L & R]

You guys! Keep on the lookout because ThreadSence will be releasing their fall lookbook soon! If you couldn't already tell from the insta snaps above, queen babe Natalie Suarez of Natalie Off Duty stars in this years lookbook!

These are a few of the outfits I styled for this shoot! So stoked! While I did not get to go on the actual shoot (oh believe me I'm pretty bummed about it) I helped in all the prep that went into this shoot. A lot of people don't really think about it but shoots are planned months in advance, locations have to be scouted, outfits have to be styled. Basically a whole team works together to achieve the end results. I'm bummed I didn't get to meet my favorite babe ever, but I'm super stoked for the lookbook to be released. I could get used to this. 

p.s. location scouting was probably the hardest because how do you know where cool places are in a city you're unfamiliar with? the internet is really no help there by the way! but i'm super stoked the team chose one of my locations which obviously was the bookstore hahahaha. book nerd for life!

--leeds out!

Cool August

I'm a little weirded out that I haven't experienced proper summer weather. I meeeeeeaaaann, don't get me wrong, I love not sweating buckets and feeling the oven heat on my skin, but I just feel like it's not even real summer. 

Granted, now that I'm out of school I'm living in a state of perpetual Summer so it's lost its feeling of being something unique and special, but I'm talking weather wise that it's been such a triiiiip! I'm just in awe but still skeptical that this is just it. 

I have a feeling that come September I'll finally feel the heat and I'll be cursing at myself for having jinxed it. But you know me, I just can't believe something when it's too good to be true.

Although, i heard on the radio today that this has thus far been the coolest August since 1919. CRAZY!

long cardi: threadsence, dress: gentle fawn (via threadsence now on sale!), top: urban outfitters, shoes: MIA (via nordstrom's rack), purse: ebay, necklace: forever 21, glasses: derek cardigan (via coastal.com)

These shoes are amazing! I bought them my last year of college and honestly have not worn them as much as i should. They were on super sale for $25 too so it was a MAJOR win. Unfortunately, MIA shoes no longer makes clogs!? Which is ridiculously sad considering they originated during the clog craze of the 70s. Does no one stay true to their roots anymore? With the rising height of Swedish Hasbeens' popularity of the past three years MIA is gonna wish they kept making clogs! I mean, i wish it! That price difference is killlllller. For a while urban outfitters was selling them but now i can't seem to find any place online that sells them. Your best bet is bidding on some on ebay or shelling out for swedish hasbeens. I mean, the craftsmanship of the hasbeens is amazing but this is post-collegiate-i-dont-have-a-real-job-yet life! i can't afford that! sheesh throw a sistah a freakin bone! 

if you guys know of any other clog shoe alternatives within a decent (read: cheap) price range share your secret!

Festival Style: Outside Lands 2013

I know i said i would update this week buuuuuuuuuut i've been lazy,  let's be real. But anywayyyy, let's talk about Outside Lands! Outside Lands kicks off today and although this year has a rather unimpressive lineup if someone had handed me tickets i would not have said no! haha. Here's what i would deem appropriate to wear to this year's Outside Lands Festival in foggy San Francisco:

| dress | sweater | jacket | necklace | ring | sunglasses | sneakers | bracelet | socks |

| dress | backpack | sunglasses | bracelets | socks | rings | jacket | boots |

| parka | top | sunglasses | rings | boots | pants | necklace |

If you couldn't tell, I'm all about comfort at festivals. I know most girls want to look super cute and they like wearing really cute things like rompers but let's be real, you're probably going to be trippin on something and then you gotta go to the bathroom. SO you're trippin and trying to get out of your romper in porta-potty. That sounds like fun! Also, heeled booties? You know you're walking on all grass right? GET REAL LADIES! You can still be cute AND dress for comfort! Think about that for your next festival. Oh and don't forget your jacket and long socks for Outside Lands, it may be August, but it gets pretty chilly! Also, a good idea to wear some shorts under your dresses, like some lycra ones help out a lot, you know, unless you WANT people to see your undies. 

Ahhhh i wish i were going only so i could hang out with my sf bestie Mark-Adrian! I think a visit is overdue. 

p.s. if you're going do NOT miss Dublin folk rockers Little Green Cars. They're not really ideal for festivals but their music is so good anyway, just go see them. I'm pretty much girl crushin' on faye so bad! 

Back to School with ThreadSence: Class of Whatever

Also, speaking of lookbooks, you should totally check out the new ThreadSence lookbook: The Class of Whatever.

I had so much fun researching these iconic ladies for the styling team and i'm sure the styling team had a ton of fun styling these looks. So much fun over at TS HQ it doesn't even feel like work!

My faves from this shoot were definitely Penny & Clarissa, duh!

photos shot by: Vu Bui

styling by: Kathleen Bonus

Back to School with Ruche: Take Notes

you guysssss
Sorry I have been away. I haven't actually been doing anything, just chillin', staying away from the Internet. I have to catch up on blog reading, but i'll leave that for later. Sorry, dudes! I'm enjoying my time off hanging out with the boy. If you're, you know, bored and want to catch up on my adventures or silly things i encounter feel free to add me on instagram!

In the meantime, you should all head over to ShopRuche.com and look at their new lookbook: Take Notes! It's so rad. Here are my favorite outfits from it:

i love this, it has an anthro touch while still being totally Ruche!

um...it says I LOVE RUCHE on the chalkboard...SO CUTE.

this skirt is such a great color!

these pants. need these pants.

this last one is my total favorite! i have to fight the need to buy this. fight. fight. fight. oh damn, who am i kidding?!

photos shot by: Brandon Kidd
styled by: Mara Ferreira

In Dreams: H&M Series

YOU GUYSSSSSSSS!!! The day has finally arrived. H&M online shop is now live! Okay, i know i live really close to an H&M buuuuut i always hate shopping there because the store is messy, there's never anything left in my size, and the mall gives me creeps so i can't ever stay too long. So this is obviously the better alternative. Not for my wallet obviously. Hahaha. The only downside is that you can't return anything you buy online to the store--you must ship it back and it'll cost ya the shipping. laaaame. but i mean, they're just trying it out right now so i'm sure that it will change later. such a big company--i doubt it would stay the same forever. 

i'm super stoked. i remember senior year of high school when my pal KC and i somehow conned my parents to drive us to San Francisco to visit the arboretum for our AP Bio project and used it as an excuse to shop at the only H&M in California. A year and half after and H&M's were opening up everywhere! H&M is super rad because i find that it's very affordable and everyone can find something there. Especially basics! My boy loves getting shirts there but he wishes he could fit into those pants. I do too, because damn those pants are awesome, but he got a booty so that don't work! hahaha. 

So in celebration i went a little crazy on polyvore and created 7 outfit sets of my favorite items:     

H&M Series 1 by atthisvolume featuring a magnetic purse

H&M Series 2 by atthisvolume featuring h&m purses

H&M Series 3 by atthisvolume featuring a leopard print messenger bag

H&M Series 4 by atthisvolume featuring h&m

H&M Series 5 by atthisvolume featuring high heels

H&M Series 6 by atthisvolume featuring h&m cardigan

H&M Series 7 by atthisvolume featuring vegan leather handbags

I went a little crazy, i know! Whoops! haha