aboard the orient express.

Xhilaration floral sweetheart dress | Asos leather tassle belt | Zara canvas slingback heels | Asos lace parasol | Essie nail lacquer in Watermelon

I made two decisions for this upcoming spring/summer season. One of them is to grow my hair longer than usual and the other one, which most find quite peculiar, is to stay fair skinned. Everyone is like, "What? You look great tanned." People are so eager to bask for hours in the sun. Me? Not so much this year. The dilemma is, I tan way too easily (my sister and I got that gene from my father), and I can become very dark quickly even if if I am not outside a lot. Don't want to become a victim of the sun's harsh rays. Nor am I amused when I go back to L.A. to visit my family, and my parents who pretend not to recognize me because I have turned so dark, are like, "Who is she??? Is she our child?" (giggle.)

So to my delight, I found this parasol. It doesn't look as oddball as an umbrella, but it's still somewhat acceptable to have open when walking around town. Sometimes sunscreen isn't enough, right? Also, I usually veer away from the brown palette. I don't know why I am so drawn to black hued apparel. But then I saw this dress. Um, hello! It caught my eye in an instant, and the price tag was quite pretty as well. I buckled down and decided to give the doll of a brown frock a chance. So glad I added it to my closet. I'll take a chic bargain anytime.

P.S. To the curious folk, it was nearly 90 degrees when we did this photo shoot. Don't feel too envious though, we will have a return of colder weather for the remainder of this week. So back to dressing in layers again!