{Photo by RSee Photography}

The thought of ‘90s tv sitcoms is so nostalgic. One of the ways these flashbacks comfort my inner child is through color. All the funky vibes from Saved by the Bell just makes my heart smile. To this day, watching the intros to Martin and Living Single brings back such warm memories of simpler times. I visited the Bay Area this past summer and checked out this awesome 90s pop up museum. Great experience! Check out the picture below!

Fashion seems to currently be experiencing all the feels for 90s colors as well. Take for instance the shoes pictured in this post (linked below). When I first saw them I immediately thought of the fashion I used to admire as a kiddo like Cross Colours outfits and eclectic sneakers. This seems to be a trend with sneaker brands, especially Nike, because over the summer I was eyeing a pair of kicks that channeled memories of the old school Rugrats cartoon (see shoes here). There are a few reasons why colorful kicks work so well for fall. 

1).The color combinations can inspire different looks with minimal effort. 

Take the outfit pictured for instance. I can pair a look with any color match in the shoe but also a variation of the color. For example, the purple skirt (looks less blue in person) complements the lavender portion of the inner shoe. It also pops against the jewel tone and neon colors of the shoe. Speaking of the skirt, it comes in a variety of other solid colors as well (see link for skirt at the end of post).

2) They make a great alternative to boots. 

Now don’t get me wrong, I love a pair of fly boots! Though there are many days…most days to be honest…that I just want comfort. Putting on a pair of heeled boots takes effort. Flat boots take less effort but still may not be the most comfortable to walk in. Snazzy sneakers are the perfect blend of cute and comfort. And you can still keep it girly chic if you want to dress them up a bit. Hence the fitted midi skirt. 

3) They keep things fly, professional and fresh for casual office wear. 

In a former role I remember the HR rep having to have “the talk” about professional attire during a staff meeting. Her concern was that employee’s attire was becoming too casual for the business attire policy of the organization. That employer was actually less conservative with attire than some of the other organizations I’ve worked for. So it was a bit surprising that administration had to have this talk. I understand that life happens – not everyone has the financial means to be dressed to the nines. People gain/lose weight and can no longer fit their clothes. Life changes occur (i.e. having a baby) and decrease the energy that one has to put into a work outfit. The scenarios can go on. However, even the most affordable, basic professional attire can be made presentable for work. *Presentable* being the key word; nothing fancy. In this case, most folks were just down right comfortable and taking advantage of the code.

So back to the shoes…

A sneaker like the one pictured can be worn with a solid color top (i.e. green, yellow) and jeans for Casual Friday. Throw on a blazer or cardigan sweater and you’re done. For those that are allowed to wear smart casual attire in a less formal space, these shoes can elevate the most basic black or grey pixie pants and a nice top. All very comfortable yet presentable for the appropriate office setting.

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Would you be willing to take a time capsule back to the 90’s with this sneaker trend? By the way, I’ve linked two colorful women’s retro styles below at different price points. While the quality of Nike is always worth the price (in my opinion), it’s not always convenient to shell out the asking price. I get it!

• Vans for $59.99
• Fila for $69.99

Let me know what you think about 90s inspired kicks!

{Photo by RSee Photography}

Outfit Details

Shirt (Eva Mendes for New York & Company – similar); Skirt (Eva Mendes for New York & Company); Shoes (Nike); Glasses (Nordstrom); Purse (Anne Klien {old} – similar); Bracelet (old- similar); Earrings (Macys)

[Photos date back to 2006-2007 before fancy smart phone cameras so don’t judge the quality! 🙂 ]

Mom:  If you miss your flight, it’s on you. I’m not coming back to get you so you’ll have to figure it out. 

Me: *insert scary face emoji*

Okay…love you…bye!

*grabs bag out of trunk and high tails it to the Lufthansa Airlines ticket counter*

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We laugh about that conversation in present day. Though back then I was scared straight! (Yup…just like the tv show!) Moms was not here for the games and neither was my upcoming flight time!

It was December 2006 and I was headed to Greece for short term study abroad. Our class spent 3 weeks traveling throughout Greece as we learned about ancient Greek history. It had been my dream to travel there since middle school and here I was about to miss the flight! Well good news, I made it in just enough time. My classmates were seated comfortably on the plane while I gave it my all to catch my breath after darting through the LAX international terminal.

Traveling throughout Greece was awesome! I’m forever indebted to my professor for all he taught me about ancient Greece, traveling and…well…life. Apparently he, like my airport-drop-off-tough-love mom, majored in Cutthroat Studies at Hard Knocks University because when we got to the hotel after about 12 hours of travel (layover included) he made an announcement. More like a declaration the way I recall it: “Go upstairs, put your bag down and freshen up because we’re going to dinner. DO NOT take a nap. I repeat…DO NOT TAKE A NAP! You need to get acclimated to this time zone”. 

At the time I thought he was absolutely nuts! Though as I’ve traveled more since that trip 13 years ago, I’ve realized that it is great travel advice. Practicing his tip (or declaration from the mountain top) will prevent one from being up at 3am in a foreign country strategizing how to ease a growling stomach because most food options (at least the convenient ones) will be closed for another few hours. Don’t get me wrong, if I’m tired upon arrival I’ll just knock out against Dr. H’s advice and deal with the consequences later. Though I try hard to stay awake and keep busy until bedtime in efforts to adjust to a different time zone. 

Okay, now back to Greece…

I felt like it had traveled back in time and it was awesome! There were still very modern parts of the country (especially in Athens) but the course topics definitely threw it back! There are so many highlights from that trip but I’ll share just a few: 

• Learning more about international currency and using it for the first time (currency of Greece: Euro)
• Trying gelato (This is before it got popular in the U.S. I never had anything like it!)
• Discovering the popular fashion retailers Mango, Zara and H&M (again…pre-U.S. establishment days)
• Seeing the Parthenon in real life
• Sitting in an ancient Greek theater

What a blessing to not only have that experience but also to reflect upon such awesome memories years later. Do you have any questions about my experience in Greece? I’ll do my best to remember! Lol. And spoiler alert, our trip itinerary didn’t include the Greek islands (i.e. the famous Santorini) so I wouldn’t be able to answer questions about those locations specifically. They’re on my list! We did visit Crete so you can ask away about that one!

Also, let me know if you’ve been to Greece. I’d love to hear about your experience. If you haven’t been but it’s on your bucket list, feel free to share about that as well!

Photo by RSee Photography

So neon has been making fashion waves for the last couple of seasons. It appears to be here to stay for fall. I enjoy the pop of color that neon provides but am sometimes skeptical to wear neon hues due to fear of looking like a glow stick. I’ve found that starting small with the trend by wearing pieces of neon clothing, instead of the whole outfit, has proved to feel more natural for me.

Speaking of glow sticks, I did a bit of informal research when preparing this post. The video resource library of YouTube ( 🙂 ) had this great video by Dialed In DIY on how to make reusable glow sticks. It reminded me of my days in the chemistry lab when I was a science major. While science didn’t carry me through my college career, I do value the academic knowledge I gained in that space. Present day it’s cool to see science translate into fashion. (Special shout out to the NASA shirt cameo!)

Neon as an element was fun to learn about because it’s presence stood out in such a unique way. There’s very few things that can compare to a gas that turns funky colors (when reacted)! Similarly in fashion it’s a stand out piece. I’d recommend wearing it with caution in a professional setting. Especially if you work in a more conservative environment. Maybe casual Friday would be a safer test environment. For streetwear, neon is more of a full go.

What do you think? Are you planning to rock neon pieces this fall? Or will you leave that to the glow sticks and chemistry lab? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. 🙂

Outfit Details:

Shirt (Chemistry from TJ Max); Pants (Zara); Heels (Cathy Jean-old);