we found this gorgeous tiled wall around the corner from our hotel room at the brisas del mar. it proved to be the perfect backdrop for cataloging my outfits during our santa barbara trip.

first up in the bunch is this outfit compliments of madewell. in search of a festive birthday ensemble, i stumbled upon this elastic-waist midi skirt in a fresh white eyelet while perusing the store a few weeks back. normally i would have paired it with a colorful blouse, french-tucked into the waistband. but the girls at the store encouraged me to try the skirt on with this season’s hottest trend – a cropped tee, in this case, one in a light-wash chambray. despite feeling a little strange at first having my tummy exposed, i grew accustomed to the look, embracing the fact that if you work darn hard for flat abs, you might as well show them off every now and then, right?

most notably, on your 30th birthday.

outfit details:

trelliswork eyelet skirt | madewell (on sale!)
chambray side-tie crop tee | madewell (on sale!)
factory d’orsay flats | j.crew factory (on sale!)