I am obsessively proud of my Pinterest account, specifically my Style board, as a way to fulfill all of my sartorial fantasies. For a long time, I believed that I would have to crawl my way into an upper-class pay grade in order to achieve the level of style I had curated on my Pinterest account. Truthfully, that’s just not realistic considering that my college student budget only allows for basic necessities and cheap coffee. This was the genesis of my hunt to find on-trend clothes for a price that was actually affordable. As my impending spring break vacation has started to loom closer, I felt the pressure to find Instagram-worthy clothes increase. What’s the point of even going on vacation if you can’t post cute photos of yourself all day? I’m totally joking of course, but I did want to find at least some sort of warm weather outfit to break out of the snow and frigid cold here in Salt Lake City. This is where La Moda Pop-Up Boutique came in to solve all of my problems.
I’m usually wary about any store or online shop that labels themselves as a boutique because I feel like the title is used as an excuse to slap a hefty price tag on cheaper items. I was DELIGHTED when I visited and website and the home page stated that La Moda doesn’t price anything over fifty dollars. I may have shed actual tears over the possibility of finding a killer outfit within my budget, and supporting a small business at the same time. As I scrolled through the website, I became continually impressed by the varying mix of statement pieces and everyday go-to items. My goal was to find one statement piece and one item that I could wear with a variety of different styles. Here is what I found!
The statement piece: Floral Print Wrap Dress
Price: $18
I’ve avoided wearing yellow for so long because I’m pale enough that I could blend into the snow outside and felt it would be an unflattering color on me. But yellow seems to be the breakout color of the spring/summer season, and the more I saw it on other people, the more I wanted to try it out on myself. I’m so glad that I did, because the color and everything else about this dress is flattering. The back of this drapes a little lower than the front, but not like the tacky high-low dress fad that died in 2013. Instead, the slightly lower back offers the security that you’re not going to be showing off more than you anticipated if you make a wrong movement, while still being short enough to be breezy. The wrap tie-front style of this dress makes it the perfect day to night item to take you from brunch with your girlfriends to a night out.
The everyday item: Tassel Earrings
Price: $17.50
What I love most about these earrings is that you can use them to really dress up an outfit like I did with the wrap dress, or you can use them to add some subtle glam to an everyday outfit like I did with my cold shoulder sweater in this picture. I haven’t typically incorporated long earrings into my everyday style, but these have become a staple in my wardrobe since they’re light, fun, and surprisingly versatile.
Meet The Woman in Charge:
With March being Women’s History Month, I’d be remiss if I didn’t introduce you to the woman in charge behind the scenes
and total ‘Woman Crush Wednesday’ material. Diana True, the creator of La Moda Pop-Up Boutique, is a self-described twenty something who started La Moda with some of the profits made from the marketing business she founded right out of college. Her social media marketing agency, SIOS media, helps companies adapt to the digital age by reaching target audiences through engaging content on social media platforms. So how did a social media maven get involved in fashion as a side business? With how quickly trends come and go and the demand for affordable fashion, Diana turned her love of fashion and great deals into business where ‘everyone can look on-trend at a great price point’ and decided from the beginning that nothing would cost more than fifty dollars. In a total genius move, Diana tests out new marketing strategies on La Moda before implementing them on her clients’ business. When I asked Diana about the advice she had for other women about pursuing a passion, here’s what she had to offer; “My advice to any and everyone is to face your fears head on. It can be hard to pitch a new concept to someone, and you will be scared to do it, but do it anyways, do it scared! The more times you face your fears, the less they will seem like fears and you will get better at it. Another thing you must know is to always keep learning, read a lot on the industry you are in or want to be in. You can’t just start a business and stop learning. It may work for a while but ultimately you have to keep learning to stay on top of the game!”
To keep up with La Moda and Diana, stop by their Instagram accounts: @lamodapopup and @dianatrue
May your spring break be filled with fun and fashion!