MOM JEANS, PUFF SLEEVES, SLOW FASHION
i’m halfway through my hawaii adventure, and enjoying every moment of it. thought i’d pop in quickly to share some of the photos i’ve snapped over the past couple of days with instagram. now i’m off to grab some shave ice and kahuku shrimp!
as i write this post, i’m sitting in bed with the windows open to let in the cool breeze and the sound of birds chirping outside. it’s a heavenly 76 degrees outside. i think i’m in love with hawaii.
yesterday was our first day in o’ahu, so we opted to drive out of the sanctuary of our picture perfect resort and out around the island to get a feel for this beautiful place. we headed up kamehameha highway through grassy fields towards the north shore. when we arrived, the streets were lined with tourists and surfers enjoying the sunny sunday afternoon. we stopped in for lunch at kua’aina burger, then made our way through the traffic and past the sandy beaches all the way up over the northernmost point of the island, then back down the east side and through the tetsuo harano tunnel to our hotel. i snapped most of these pictures through the car window, and while they are stunning, they don’t even come close to capturing the beauty of this island.
also: thank you to everyone who left so many wonderful recommendations on where to visit while i’m here! i’m excited to check it all out and can’t wait to share the rest of my trip with you!
as you read this post, i will be on a plane flying across the pacific ocean on my way to hawaii! i know, i know, it’s exactly the place i went last summer on vacation, but now that i’ve been there, i think i might be hooked. this time i’ll be staying about an hour outside of honolulu to get a taste of what it’s like in oahu. just like my last visit (on the big island), i haven’t done much in the way of planning, so i would absolutely love your suggestions on places that i must visit while i’m there. good restaurants, sandy beaches, antique stores, hidden treasures! i’m open to any and all suggestions!
also, just like my last trip, i’ll be chronicling my adventures via instagram, twitter, and right here on my blog!
and in the meantime, you can take a look at the photos from my last trip to hawaii here.
continuing with my cycle chic theme this week, i thought it would only be fitting to celebrate by offering you a chance to win this cute bike basket from public bikes! if you aren’t already familiar with public, they’re a local bike shop based here in san francisco with an equally lovely online shop offering a number of different ready-to-ride bike models in very pretty colors. in addition to their beautiful bikes, they also have a shop stocked full of bike accessories like racks, saddles, helmets, lights, and more, all chosen for their sleek design and functionality.
to enter, simply visit public bikes and then leave a comment in the section below!
only one entry per person. giveaway ends on friday, march 16. winner will be randomly selected and contacted via email.
and if you haven’t seen the video yet, here it is!
public bikes would also like to offer you 10% off your entire order with the code “calivintage” now through march 16.
this code excludes sale items and cannot be combined with any other promotions. it is only valid on purchases made directly through public.com or at the public store in san francisco.
EDIT: THIS CONTEST HAS ENDED. congratulations to our winner, elanor!
apparently it’s bike week here at calivintage because on the heels (or wheels?) of yesterday’s bike video, i thought i might share my most recent feature in momentum magazine! you can check it out in either the digital edition online or in newsstands across north america. there is also a short interview with me on the momentum bikestyle blog! thank you so much to the folks at momentum for including me in such a lovely feature including some truly talented bloggers!
and if you’re interested in what i’m wearing…
hat: vintage
sweater: chloe sevigny for opening ceremony
dress: vintage dress from we move vintage
blouse: equipment signature silk blouse
shoes: vintage salvatore ferragamo vara flats
bag: h.w. hulme mini legacy bag
lipstick: ysl rouge pur in le rouge
photos by kristin cofer.
today i am beyond excited to finally be able to share this exciting project that i’ve been working on! it was one of those things that started off as a tiny idea several months ago… i had just met with the incredible folks at public bikes to check out their local bike shop here in san francisco. at the same time, i was chatting with my videographer buddy jon who told me that he’s always wanted to create a bike video. fast forward a few months, and here you have it. a collaboration between a very cool local business built on the idea of getting more people on bikes, a very patient videographer who sat facing backwards on an xtracycle to get some awesome footage (you may remember this behind-the-scenes photo), and a silly blogger who had the pleasure of riding around oakland and san francisco with such a cool team behind me.
if you’re curious about the particular model that i’m riding, it’s the public m8 in powder blue. she’s my trusty girl. a classic, mixte frame with an 8-speed internal hub for riding up and down those treacherous san francisco hills. if you are in the market for a bike, i highly recommend them. check out the site at public bikes or follow them on twitter and facebook!
credits: video by jon brown, music by chrome sparks, bike by public.
i am so excited to announce that brendan garbee (otherwise known as my boyfriend/the calivintage photographer) is having his first ever art show next weekend! if you aren’t familiar with his work, then i highly recommend that you follow him on tumblr. he paints a new picture almost every single day, so i’m very happy to see him take the next step by having an art show. i know that over the past year or so, many of you have asked me if he sells prints of his work, and i’m happy to announce that his first set of prints will be available for purchase at the show.
the details:
brendan garbee art reception
jewelry and trunk show by derek duncan of dmd metal and brian enright of 12sticks
music by james and evander
when:
saturday, march 10 from 6 – 9pm
where:
crown nine jewelry store at popuphood in old oakland
461 a 9th st, oakland, ca
i would love it if you could come out in support or just stop by to say hello! and if you haven’t checked out popuphood in oakland, then now is the perfect time! you can click here for the full press release (please feel free to share), or check out the popuphood website for more information about the neighborhood.
and for those of you who aren’t in the bay area, i promise that he’ll be setting up shop on the world wide web very soon. more details to come.
after a bit of a rough morning involving a missed flight and several hours sitting around in a noisy airport before boarding another plane, i finally made it to my hotel in new york last night! i arrived a bit late, so i had just about enough time to change into my pajamas, unpack some of my things, and hop right into bed for one last day of “hibernation” from the blog before the beginning of new york fashion week.
so since i’ll be staying here for a little while, i thought i might show you the little space where i’ll be holed up for the next nine days!
this lovely little welcome gift was waiting for me when i arrived. thanks so much to lauren moffatt!
this past weekend i celebrated my 29th birthday. i’m not one to make a big fuss or throw a wild party, and i’ve very specifically informed all of my closest friends that i do not like surprises. instead, i prefer to take the opportunity to ease into my new year on a relaxing weekend away. it’s actually become a bit of a birthday tradition for me. and this year, we drove three hours north to a little town called gualala along the california coast, to stay in a beautiful beach house at st. orres overlooking the ocean complete with everything you could possibly need: expansive views, a cozy fireplace, a sauna, and a jacuzzi overlooking the water.
the beginning of the trip was just a bit tumultuous. the forecast threatened rain and thunderstorms, and we found ourselves driving through winding country roads when the gas light started blinking. past the point of no return, we meandered along the hilly terrain for 50 miles until we finally popped out on the coast to be greeted by a service station. the entire time, we were doing our best not to imagine what it would be like to find ourselves stranded in the middle of a thunderstorm on a windy one lane road without cell phone reception. but our fears were for naught because we we made it out alive with .2 gallons of gas left in the tank, and a bright blue sky with the sun continuing to shine as we explored the area before heading to the house for a very pleasant evening (see photos).
the next morning wasn’t quite so kind, but it was honestly just as beautiful. i woke up obscenely early to look out at the ocean and watch the waves crash along the shore while big grey clouds filled the sky and it began to rain. and it pretty much rained for the rest of the day, foiling our plans to explore the nature areas, but certainly not stopping us from enjoying a few indoor activities like breakfast in bed, naps, and more sauna time. on the way back, we drove along the coast and reminisced about our bike tour, almost amazed that a couple of years ago, we actually rode that entire stretch of highway one on our bikes.
all in all, it was a weekend i will not soon forget!
a beacon of light. never have i been so excited to find a gas station.
quite possible the prettiest gas station ever.
a room with a view. i could seriously get used to this.
i still can’t decide what was better. the jaccuzzi overlooking the ocean, or the sauna.
sometimes rainy mornings are the best.
the saddest part of my day was when we had to pack up and leave. i stuffed all of my belongings into my amelia weekender by portland-based line, ellington.
in between sets of outfit photos taken while visiting family in redlands, i tried to take the time to snap a few personal photos to keep as memories. while many of these are just for me, i thought it would be fun to share a little glimpse at my favorite holiday traditions. and yes, they revolve around food. like many mexicans and mexican-americans around the country, my family all gathers around the kitchen table on christmas eve to make tamales! this year, i sat at the table with my grandmother, mom, sister, and brother to spread masa and fill the tamales with our favorite fillings. we used to just make the traditional pork with red chile, but have since come to love a vegetarian style with california chiles stuffed with jack cheese as well. you can really put whatever you want in a tamale, but these are the two flavors that everyone in my family enjoys. though for fun, this year my mom bought some pre-made strawberry and pineapple masa for a little variety.
it may sound silly, but my grandma usually makes spanish rice and potato salad to complete the meal and we top it off with her home made salsa. i suppose it’s just one of those hybrid meals that springs up from a mexican family living in southern california for generations. i joke that it’s about the food, but clearly it’s so much more than that to me. i can remember sitting around the table spreading masa way back when i was a little girl and my great-grandma was there, too. four generations of women sitting around the table to learn and enjoy the tradition passed down from so many generations before us.
anyway, i know this is a boatload of pictures already, but you can view the full set here.
tamales
chicken with mole
this year, my sister also decided to make chicken with mole and rice, so we enjoyed a veritable feast as we sat around the tree opening presents.
menudo and pan dulce
i very rarely get to stay in town long enough to celebrate new year’s day with my family, but this year i was lucky enough to be there to enjoy my grandmother’s home made menudo. i know it’s an acquired taste for many, but for me, it’s a real treat. the only day of the year that we get to enjoy this dish is on new year’s. i remember when i was a little kid, we would heat up the tortillas and roll them up to dip into the broth. this of course, naturally meant that the little tortilla roll could be used as a straw for us to drink the hot broth from the bowl. we would also enjoy warm pan dulce from the local panaderia. i still can’t decide my favorite, but i love the look of those bright pink conchas!
