hope is the thing with feathers

"Hope is the thing with feathers, / That perches in the soul, / And sings the tune-- without the words, / And never stops at all." —Emily Dickinson

Mix-matched prints and colors aside, I feel quite hopeful for today!

Here's today's playlist (upbeat and fun):
Stay The Night/ James Blunt
Say You Like Me/ We The Kings
Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)/ Katy Perry
Black and White/ Royal Tailor
Brighter Than The Sun/ Colbie Caillat
I Am Woman/ Jordin Sparks
Young Blood/ The Naked and Famous

I love my blueberry Kipling bag! It's great for travel and on-the-go errands...
The purple blueberry-like thing attached next to the standard monkey is from a trip my sister took to Japan (thank you!)
And the shoes always get appraising looks on the street. ;)

From Top To Bottom:
Earrings: The Hunter
Necklace: Forever 21
Short-sleeved jacket: Jezebell
Shirt: Nollie
Skirt: Forever 21
Bag: Kipling
Shoes: Dollhouse

stay hopeful,
Kiana

country chic

It's Friday and I'm ready to greet the weekend! Let's relax in the countryside...

As E. A. Barnes once wrote in the poem Softly,
"Softly comes the sunset hour, / With its fading light; / Softly steals a sweet repose / O'er the coming night."
This sums up the time of day these pictures were taken, and the beautiful lighting.

From Top To Bottom:
Earrings: The Hunter
Necklace: The Hunter
Cover-up: Forever 21
Dress: Mossimo
Clutch: Forever 21
Boots: Charles Albert

stay chic,
Kiana

summer school

Even though it's summertime, I've still got stuff to do and knowledge to acquire. But I'd like to keep the summer spirit alive by wearing an outfit that's eye-catching and cute yet preppy. If the looks I got in the halls today was any indication, I believe this look accomplished both. It's a little simple, but that's okay— don't want to get TOO dressed up. It's just a couple of courses, after all.

I love my Harajuku Lover high-tops... they're sweet and girly but casual and statement-worthy! :)


From Top To Bottom:
Earrings: The Hunter
Necklace: Hello Kitty- Sanrio
Polo: Tommy Hilfiger
Belt: Forever 21
Skirt: Mossimo
Shoes: Harajuku Lovers

stay smart,
Kiana

independence

Hi everyone! Happy Independence Day for all of the Americans, and for anyone else, I'm just wearing a few of my favorite colors! Although the 4th of July isn't technically a Hawaiian holiday (I'll be celebrating Hawaiian Independence Day on November 28th and Sovereignty Restoration Day later this month on the 31st), I do love red and blue... not to mention firework displays and those addicting popsicles!

I'm planning to hit the beach later on— just me, a good book, and the ocean. Plus, it's a great place to watch firework displays at night! :)

I loved the 'faded' stripes on these cropped pants! Felt very nautical... can't wait to use these again!

From Top To Bottom:
Earrings: The Hunter (a total bargain- they were 50 cents)
Necklace: Forever 21
Button-down shirt: Converse One-Star
Red tank: Cinnamon Girl
Belt: Calvin Klein Jeans
Crops: Mossimo for Target
Gladiator shoes: Mossimo for Target

stay independent,
Kiana

strawberries and cake

Tea steams in dainty rose-flushed china as a colorful array of petit fours, biscuits and sponge cakes weigh down the table. The tea must begin! And this strawberry-themed dress must make an appearance!

Notice the strawberry buttons :)

From Top To Bottom:
Necklace: The Hunter
Lace cover-up: Forever 21
Dress: handmade
Rings: February 12, handmade, and Ever After Creations
Shoes: softstyle Hush Puppies

stay sweet,
Kiana

ready to rock

To me, this is what attitude looks like. Not "perky pony" kind of attitude, but "I'm feeling restless and ready... for what?" It's like a I'm ready to rock and get outta here. Hit the drums already. Of course, that's not how I was feeling today, but it's always fun to play the part.

A few songs that sum it all up:
Kiss With A Fist/ Florence + The Machine
Are You Satisfied?/ Marina and the Diamonds
Teenagers/ Hayley Williams
For You, and Your Denial/ Yellowcard
Fighting For Nothing/ Meg & Dia

From Top To Bottom:
Headband: don't remember
Jacket: Rock N' Republic
Tank: Smoke and Mirrors
Skirt: Super Low Fat
Shoes: Sweet 5•5•4 Mary Janes

stay strong,
Kiana

goin' native

I'm not part-native American. Being Hawaiian is not the same thing— on the U.S. Census and for the SATs, I checked off the box marked "Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander". But I wanted to wear the dress: it's been sitting in my closet for a week, and of course, I had to wear my cowgirl boots. So I based it off the combo of dress and boot and got: Native Americana! (This, of course, is just my own outfit opinion and is in no way intended to dishonor true native Americans or insult them with my reinterpretation of culture.)

From Top To Bottom:

Headband: Forever 21

Necklaces: a gift from a friend
Purse: Forever 21
Belt: Forever 21
Dress: Forever 21
Boots: Charles Albert

...And yes, as I type this, I realize that most of my outfit is from Forever 21...
But it just goes to show how you can buy a lot of things from the same store and they look nice together.
Besides, I just couldn't help myself! There's a big store in Waikiki that I love to haunt :)

stay native,
Kiana