Puppy Love: Val & Cam Take the André Assous Pipoan for a Walk

It’s early June, the start of a three-month period of pure bliss otherwise known as summertime. The sun is beaming in the sky, begging you to come out and play. There is nothing better than a walk down the avenue to end your day. Though the sun will go down in a few hours, the fog hasn’t rolled in for once. It’s beautiful out.

Blue skies, sunshine, and two adorable puppies by your side—what more could you want? Maybe just the perfect shoes to help you celebrate the occasion? Lori’s Shoes asked us to edit an outfit for them, and we were lucky enough to be given the sweetest sandal wedges you could possibly imagine ... and in piping-hot red! These Andre Assous wedges are now a favorite go-to in our closets.

 

We styled them with Jodie Foster's character, "Iris" from the Taxi Driver, in mind—inspired by her cool '70s style, not her profession, of course. We mixed a gorgeous knit top from Anthropologie with a pair of Camilla's vintage denim shorts and our fab new red wedges for the perfect combination. Top it off with our favorite floppy hat and Iris was on her way to the beach.

—Val & Cam of A Butterfly by Day

  

In and Out and Color All Over

We styled this shoot with a fun metro vibe in mind. We liked the idea of taking a flirty, girly outfit and placing it against the graphics-heavy, primary color background of an very urban and very L.A. spot. Mixing the softness of the chiffon blouse and flirty short from Free People with Jeffery Campbell patent wedges, it environment became a color pop with an intense blue sky.

—Valerie & Camila of A Butterfly by Day

  

Sailing Into Spring

This shoot was inspired by the jumpsuit Lori's sent us. We styled this one with a '70s vibe using soft makeup and a high ponytail. We shot it on a boat in the docks of the harbor. We were after a more sophisticated look—polished and pretty against an intense, blue sky.

—Valerie & Camilla of A Butterfly by Day

    

Wandering Road

Ah Finally!

This past weekend Camilla and I were able to get together again and shoot another post.
Inspired by a chiffon skirt from Free People and the most awesome pair of Jeffery Campbell wedges (the Be-Well in Ivory) we just received from Loris Shoes, we went to our favorite spot in the woods to shoot. The forecast said rain; it held off and left a wonderful cloudy morning for just the vibe we were hoping to achieve.

Right now we are loving the mixing-up of soft neutral colors, textures and layering, layering and layering! Long maxi skirts made of chiffon or light, airy fabrics are the must-haves for us this spring ... wearing them with wedges or a platform is even better. Topping it off with a pop of vibrant color like Camilla's red leather jacket makes the look complete.

Our turquoise jewelry, a Navajo-inspired backpack and a vintage denim shirt worked perfectly into the story, though I think we were both wishing we were actually roaming down real roads to some place else.

—Valerie & Camilla of A Butterfly by Day

The Jeffrey Campbell Be-Well helped inspire this maxi, layered look.

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Maxi-mizing a Trip to the Beach

 

This shoot was so much fun! This look was styled with a vintage beach feel. (We shot at our local beach.) Camilla wears a maxi dress, Jeffrey Campbell San Diego platforms and the scarf as a turban. We added a crochet top over the dress and belted it along with lots of beads, rings and bracelets. We brought along some vintage surf boards as props. I really love this shoot. I hope you do too.

—Valerie of A Butterfly by Day

Arcade on Fire: Spring Along the Boardwalk

Looking Pretty Zeppy: Camilla poses on the boardwalk.

We styled this look with a young, fun vibe. We wanted to capture a flirty, girlie look with a twist. Camilla and I mixed a vintage boy's blazer and Marc Jacobs top over a striped skirt and pink pumps by Chinese Laundry. We shot the look at the boardwalk—it just captured that same feeling as the outfit. 

We love the mix of colors. The fun hot pink patent pumps made us want to style the shoot with a colorful, playful vibe and the cute striped skirt with a little gold quilted bag, just felt very Cher from the movie Clueless but with a bit of Blair Waldorf of Gossip Girl as well.

It was a spring lookbook, so we decided the feeling needed even more color and a bit of real West Coast charm, and because of that, heading down to the Pier and Arcade seemed fittingly appropriate.

Pink patent pumps Chinese Laundry / Striped skirt BB Dakota / Gold bag High Fashion / Floral anklets French Curve / School boy Blazer Vintage Ruffle top Marc Jacobs / Green patent leather belt J Crew / Headband Anthropologie

—Valerie and Camilla of A Butterfly by Day

 

   

A Glamorous Winter's Tale

“Glamour is what I sell, it’s my stock in trade.”
—Marlene Dietrich

 

With the holidays upon us, everyone is planning, shopping and partying. Attending a holiday party means you get to dress up—maybe buy something new—but your main goal is to turn heads when you enter the room.

All eyes are on you as you make your entrance. Your hair is effortless in tousled curls, your lips red as a rose, skin white as snow. A fur coat is draped casually across your shoulders to keep you warm from the brisk winter air. Your long, lace dress is a shining gem. It looks as if you hand-picked it from Carole Lombard's closet. Gliding up to the nearest good-looking man, you flip your hair and in a low voice murmur, "Hello, handsome."

For you the holiday party is just another night on the town.

Inspired by the sultry, glamorous looks from leading ladies of the '30s like Garbo, Lombard and Deitrich, off into the woods we went to transplant their style onto Nature's stage, to find our own modern-day Perdita.

We styled this shoot with a lace dress from Free People. Underneath we layered a gold sequin slip for more glitter. We topped it off with a vintage, fake fur cape and added lots of rings and necklaces. We curled Camilla's hair into long waves and, of course, applied deep red lipstick. For shoes, (although you don't see them) we used Jeffrey Campbell's black Tick booties to keep some contemporary style and not get too retro.

"I am not afraid of nothing except being bored."
—Greta Garbo

The ending of "A Winters Tale" at sunset in the woods felt like an enchanted fairytale.

— Valerie & Camilla of A Butterfly by Day

Every Handbag Tells A Story

— Valerie and Camilla of A Butterfly by Day 

Visions of rock stars and fashion icons of the past streamed through our heads when we first saw the tan fringe cross-shoulder bag by Cut N Paste. The warm caramel color of the leather and the soft, distressed look gave the illusion that the bag already had a rich history. Inspired by the Rolling Stones girlfriend Anita Pallenberg and Beatles gal Patti Boyd, we immediately decided to style the new bag with textures and pieces that evoked the rocker chick’s vibe. 

To achieve the “Almost Famous” look we paired a knit Free People dress with a chunky wrap sweater from Anthropologie and wrapped a burgundy vintage faux fur scarf around the neck. Then we accessorized the outfit with textured brown tights by HUE, a beaded necklace we thrifted and, of course, the tan fringe bag by Cut N Paste. On Camilla’s lips we used Nars lipstick in Heat Wave and on her nails is Deborah Lippmann’s Stop and Stare. With thoughts of decades gone by and our leather fringe bag across the shoulder, off we went to shop and explore the city. 

“You can always have fun and if you ever get lonely, you just go to the record store and visit all your friends.” 

Penny Lane, 

Almost Famous 

A Sunny Afternoon with Sam Edelman

Pierce OTK boots

We invited Valerie and Camilla of A Butterfly by Day to pick their fall favorite from our catalog and write about how they would style it. Their choice, the Pierce by Sam Edelman, was a big hit with this mother/daughter blogging team. They share their love of art, fashion and style across a generation, inspiring each other to write about what it means to be stylish.


“It’s a sunny afternoon, perfect for taking a walk down by the bay. The wind blows through my hair as I stroll the path, looking towards the horizon. I feel as if I am exploring a new land; I feel free. In these Sam Eldeman boots, I could walk for miles.” 

 

When we received our Sam Eldeman Pierce boots in the mail we were overjoyed! It was perfectly fitted to the leg and slimming which gave us a chic and lengthened look. The snaps up the side of the boot added military appeal, which we loved. For a little versatility, and to soften the look, we decided to style the boots by pairing them with a flowing chiffon dress belted with a long silk scarf and topped with a fitted army green shirt for a feminine twist on the military vibe. Not leaving anything to waver in detail, we softly braided the hair. Girly baubles were added on the wrist and fingers. We completed the feminine finery with beautiful floral tights. The perfect look for a romantic stroll.

These over-the-knee boots are perfect for long days on your feet or walking in the city, plus they look amazing with all our flirty dresses. We are sure we will get lots of wear out of our new Sam Edelman boots since they are extremely comfortable and very versatile.

Dress: Millau from LF Stores / Jewelry: J Crew / Tights: Anthropologie / Scarf: Vintage
Shoes: Sam Edelman Pierce from Lori's Shoes

—Valerie and Camilla of A Butterfly by Day