Giveaway! Giftcard courtesy of Rire

I'm super thrilled to be hosting a giveaway by Rire, a small California-based company that has some super cute items.  They sent me this really sweet necklace (wrapped in the cutest package EVER- those who follow me via Instagram @a_fashion_files saw the photo) and now they are giving one lucky reader a $25 giftcard.  And for all other readers of A's Fashion Files, you can get 20% off your first purchase by using the code asfashionfile20.  This giveaway is open internationally through October 8th.

Necklace: c/o Rire

Dress: Betsey Johnson

Bag: Cambridge Satchel Co.

Sunglasses: Topshop (Similar here & here)

Shoes: Soludos

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Futuristic

You guys might be asking where my DIY is again this week.  I have to be honest in telling you that I think I'm going to take a different direction with this blog- that's not to say that I'm not going to do DIY's anymore- I definitely am- I just don't want to feel as though I have to get one done every Friday.  As you guys know, I love all kinds of fashion, from really girly kawaii styles to couture clean-cut looks.  And just as my fashion taste is varied, so is my life.  The M/W/F blog posting schedule has really been driving me nuts because I feel like blogging needs to be something more for me--I sometimes just want to share a random photo or discuss a new trend but feel like maybe I shouldn't because it's not a regular outfit post, DIY, or even the right day of the week.  However, I really want to look at my blog as not only a diary of my style, but as something more---a tool that I can use to document bits and pieces of other things that influence my style and life.  I think this will be a positive change and I hope you're excited as well.  Please feel free to follow me on Bloglovin' or subscribe to make sure you get all of my latest posts. :)

Skirt: c/o ROMWE

Top (worn backwards): Gap

Jewelry: Chain Bracelets- (Similar here & here), Spike Bracelet- (Similar); Hair chain- purchased in Thailand; Earrings- Tarina Tarantino (Similar)

Bag: Alexander McQueen De Manta Clutch (Similar here & here)

Shoes: Theyskens' Theory (Similar)

UAE Travel Diary Part 2/2: Dubai

I hope you guys enjoyed part 1 of my travel diary and are excited to see the 2nd part.  To be honest, Dubai was much more exciting for me than Abu Dhabi.  Before this trip, I was anticipating that I would like Abu Dhabi more, as I had heard that it was more culturally rich and that Dubai was more about the glitz and luxury.  In the end, there was just something about Dubai that I really loved, but I'm so grateful that I had the experience of visiting both.

(Our hotel...everything from the entrance to the pool was just perfect)

(Dubai's most well-known hotel, the Burj Al Arab)

(the world's tallest building, the Burj Dubai- in photo 2 you can see the water show that goes on at night, and the last photo was taken from the Burj Dubai's observation deck)

(My favorite part: the souks- always better for me than the malls.  I always love the unique items that souks offer versus the mass-produced mall items)

(Lastly, I had to include a photo of the Sanrio store- it's fun to see it written in Arabic! :)

UAE Travel Diary Part 1/2: Abu Dhabi

Well, I'm back after a much-needed vacation.  I have to say that this was the most relaxing and luxurious vacation that I've ever been on.  When I usually pick destinations to travel to, I try to pick places where it would be easiest for my husband and I to go without kids, and save the "cleaner" more practical places for the future when we have little ones to bring along.  But after going to places like Egypt and China for the past few years, we were in desperate need of a relaxing, lay-by-the-pool holiday, and the UAE did not disappoint.  From the luxurious hotels, excellent shopping and amazing food, Abu Dhabi and Dubai were both great cities.  Because I have an overload of photos, I'm dividing them into 2 parts- see part 2 for my Dubai photos on Wednesday :)

(hanging out in the lobby of our Abu Dhabi hotel)

(looking up into all the balconies at our hotel)

(Emirates Palace Hotel- most well known hotel in Abu Dhabi- most in interior is gold as you can see in the photos.)

(Sheikh Zayed Mosque- by far my favorite thing we saw in Abu Dhabi.  Before this trip, the Blue Mosque was the most stunning mosque I had seen, but this tops is by far.)

(Lastly, I did photograph almost all of our food!  haha!  We definitely ate arabic food for most of our meals, even though there was a wide variety of everything.)

I hope you enjoyed!  See you Wednesday with Dubai photos! :)

Glamorous Gold

I don't know about you guys, but I'm pretty much obsessed with gold.  I went through this phase at one point in my life where I hated gold and refused to wear it, but now I can't get enough of it.  It adds a touch of class to many outfits and I particularly like pairing it with black & white.

I hope you all have a great weekend!  I'll see you on Monday with photos from my trip to Abu Dhabi + Dubai! :)

Jacket: c/o SheInside

Gold top: F21

Pants: H&M (similar here & here)

Jewelry: Bracelets- vintage & F21; Earrings- Chanel (vintage); Brooch- Chanel

Sunglasses: Kawaii Kitsch

Clutch: Kawaii Kitsch

Shoes: Christian Louboutin Maggie 140 (new style here)