simplify gift giving with the brass clothing kit gift

giving gifts is always very tricky. you have to balance your own taste with that of the receiver. you have to know them well enough in the first place to even know what they might like at all! and even then, there’s still that looming fear that you’ll either miss the mark or you’ll get it so right that they already own the darn thing. i’m already having flashbacks to the last time i had to buy birthday presents for adam’s classmates. i spent over an hour at the local toy store trying to find the most thoughtful and well-curated gift only to throw my hands up and buy gift cards so that those sweet kids can just get what they really want. i mean, what’s better than that?

so when brass reached out and asked if i would be interested in trying out the kit gift, i was there for it. because seriously, who doesn’t love getting to pick out exactly what they want? so of course, i got myself a kit to try out on my own. but you know who else would appreciate the kit gift? my sister. and my sister-in-law! probably my mom. the list goes on! when you place an order, they send you:


the kit gift from brass

the closet kit gift card: a gift card that allows them to create a closet kit of their choice: 3 foundation pieces plus the clean out bag – a pre-paid mailer that sends old clothes directly to a recycling facility. ($310+ value)
the black everyday sweater: the brass clothing best-selling sweater that they’re guaranteed to love. ($98 value)
a facetime appointment: 1-on-1 time with an expert stylist to talk about upgrading their wardrobe and how to style their new clothing. ($50 value)
free shipping: a code to use through february to get anything else they might want! ($20 value)
(total value: $478)
YOUR PRICE: $348



and i can now tell you why the everyday sweater is their top-seller. it’s a dream! super soft and comfy, i’d be hard pressed to find anyone who wouldn’t like it. it’s a great introduction to the brand and a perfect starting point for building a more thoughtful closet. from there, you can schedule your face-time appointment with a stylist who can help recommend what to get with your gift card. a quick browse through the site pulls up a selection of really great basics to add to your wardrobe, so you really can’t go wrong for even the pickiest gift recipient– myself included haha.


get free shipping on all of your orders at brass with code CALIXBRASS now through the end of the year!


 

outfit: festive season

it’s official. the festive season is here and i’ve got mariah carey christmas songs playing in my head on repeat. i don’t really go over-the-top for the holidays, but i do enjoy a lot of the traditions. we went out and got a christmas tree the weekend after thanksgiving, we strung christmas lights on the house the other day, and i even made some wooden ornaments after i saw a diy whole scrolling through pinterest haha. and today, i pulled out this perfect kimono jumpsuit from milk & thistle that i’ve sort of been saving for this time of year. i love it because it’s so comfortable and easy to wear, yet it really has a high impact with that beautiful paprika color. the type of thing that you can wear on christmas day and then turn around and pack for a vacation the day later– which is exactly what i’ll be doing this year. we’re heading to hawaii for our first family vacation in quite some time. i think the last time we packed up the whole family and went somewhere on a plane was when edie was only a few month old! so this year, i guess you could say we’re going a little bit christmas, a little bit resort. not sure exactly how it will all pan out, but at least i’ve got the right jumpsuit for it!


wearing:
milk & thistle kimono jumpsuit in paprika (also comes in chalk and blush)
clare v. pot de miel
mari giudicelli leblon mules






outfit: coveralls, but make it fashion

now that the holidays are upon us, my solution to “dressing up” has been to add a blouse with big, puffy sleeves. done.

case in point? i could have easily worn these coveralls with a t-shirt and sneakers. and i have done just that. but when times are festive, you gotta turn things up a notch. add heels and lipstick and you’re ready for a proper party. unfortunately for me, most of my parties invites actually require me to be a chaperone for toddlers at venues such as school plays, indoor playgrounds, and chuck e cheese. but that’s where the coveralls come in handy, right?


wearing:
doen o’keeffe blouse (past season)
loup dark indigo rhoda coveralls
clare v. petit alistair in cuoio leather
nisolo ecuador huaraches (this link will take you to a 10% off code)



outfit: ten years

at some point in the year 2008, i started the calivintage blog as you see it today. i don’t remember the exact date i started, because at some point i went back and deleted some of my first posts out of sheer embarrassment. i’m not sure how many of you have been around since i started (or even before i started, when i was on weardrobe and chictopia and lookbook.nu), but if you have been around since the beginning, i started by sharing daily outfits of myself inside my old apartment in oakland. at a certain point, i graduated to the tiny balcony outside our house, and most notably, to the rooftop of our apartment building overlooking the grand lake neighborhood. i remember getting comments from people who were afraid i might fall off, but i promise it was safe!

it was and still is a creative outlet for me. at first, it was because i really didn’t know anyone who had the same interest in fashion as i did. then it actually catapulted me into a legit career in fashion, which was totally unprecedented and such a wild ride. i was going to nyfw every season, meeting with designers whose clothes i only ever dreamed of wearing, partnering with brands and getting paid to basically just wear pretty clothes?! my blog actually got me a job in the fashion industry, and then later became enough to sustain me independently so that i could quit said job to stay at home and raise my two kids who are now nearly 5 and 2.5-years-old. it was and is way beyond anything i ever could have imagined. and i know i’m not in the “big leagues” over here, either! these days, my “fashion blog” isn’t a whole lot like it was in the beginning, but then again, neither is anything! it’s been 10 whole years!

but here i am. still in this space, still doing this blog thing. still learning, experimenting, stumbling, and getting back up again.

i actually snapped these photos this morning without any intention of even sharing them. it’s a format that i never use for my “outfit posts” and the look isn’t anything i would normally share, i don’t even know why. but this is me. on a wednesday morning without my hair and makeup done. finishing my cup of coffee and getting ready to style a shoot in this exact room for a client that i’m really excited about. i don’t really know what the next 10 years will look like, but i can only hope it will be as amazing and challenging and rewarding and complicated as the last 10. and i hope you’ll stick around for the ride with me!


wearing:
babaa knitwear sweater
elizabeth suzann petra crop in ivory
jesse kamm sailor pants
mari giudicelli leblon mules




the basics: huaraches

i know it’s fall, but i live in southern california, and my unexpected shoe choice as of late? the bestselling nisolo women’s ecuador huarache sandal. i don’t even know how i got by without them before! i chose them in the natural color, which does tan over time. or you can choose from two darker shades, or get all three! i’ve been pairing them with kick flares and white tops lately, so i thought i’d share two versions of the look that i’ve been wearing. and more importantly, i wanted to share that nisolo is offering a special sale on all three colorways through the end of the year!

from now until december 31st, follow this link to get a 10% off code on all nisolo huaraches!


suunday picnic top in dew
vintage sailor jeans
nisolo ecuador huarache in natural
clare v. petit alistair (get $25 off with this link!)



tradlands 116 varsity sweatshirt in shell
re/done jeans
nisolo ecuador huarache in natural
clare v. petit alistair (get 25% off with this link!)



a little cameo from edie, who decided to photobomb my shoot to show off her bellybutton!

outfit: the (faux) leather jacket

as i’ve been going through my wardrobe and focusing on the basics, i recently realized that there was one very crucial item missing from my closet: a biker jacket! in all my years of writing this blog, i have never owned one. how is that even possible? it’s such a classic, the type of thing that you find on pretty much every list of “wardrobe essentials.” and now that i got my hands on one, i can really see why. i went a little unconventional, for an olive green in a super soft faux suede and i’m so glad i did. i hate the feeling of being even a little bit restricted, so i really appreciate how lightweight and comfortable this is to wear. and it’s the perfect thing to throw over jeans and a t-shirt, it just works.

and to balance things out, i opted to pair the look with these new mary janes from zouxou. i have been searching for a pair like this for the past two years with no luck, so they are a bit like a dream come true. another total wardrobe essential that i know i’m going to be reaching for over and over this fall. if you’re not familiar with the brand, all of the shoes are handcrafted by argentinian shoemakers, responsibly produced in small quantities to reduce waste and energy use. and designer katherine theobalds splits her time between new york and argentina to oversee the responsible production of her shoes.

similarly, i’ve talked about fauxgerty before, but if you haven’t read-up on them, they’re based in st. louis and focus on using deadstock fabrics, sustainable fabrics, pvc-free faux leather, and faux-suede produce with post-consumer materials, in addition to employing workers right in st. louis and los angeles. they’d also like to offer up a discount code for those interested:

use code CALIVINTAGE for 15% off everything at fauxgerty!


the swazey jacket courtesy of fauxgerty
the muscle tank courtesy of fauxgerty
re/done ultra high rise jeans
eugenia flat in black glaze courtesy of zouxou
clare v. pot de miel






natural at-home waxing with parissa

 

when it comes to hair removal, i’m pretty low-maintenance. to be honest, i don’t frequently shave any of my body hair, and i certainly can’t be bothered with daily shaving. i’d much prefer to keep my shower routine simple, so i tend to use an electric razor on those occasions when i want smooth legs. but as someone who is (not so) secretly beauty-obsessed, i have to admit that i’ve always been really curious about waxing.

so when parissa asked me if i’d be interested in partnering to feature some of their products, i was more than ready to give it a try! then i started reading the story behind the brand, and i knew that it was something i had to share. it’s a family-owned company based in canada with a certified green and eco-friendly production facility created with the goal lowering their impact on earth’s resources. all of their ingredients, packaging, and components are sustainable and ethically sourced: the waxes are made from ingredients like tree resin, cane sugar, beeswax, vegetable oils, and plant extracts, which are safe for your body and for the planet. not only that, but they’re cruelty-free, a certified canadian women-owned company, and all of their packaging and paper products are certified by either the forest stewardship council or the sustainable forestry initiative. and that’s not even getting into the incredibly inspiring backstory of their founder, azar maoyeri, an accomplished chemical engineer and a canadian immigrant from iran.

and now onto the fun part: waxing my own legs! i went with the parissa wax strips super pack because i’m a complete waxing newbie. for me, i’m more interested in using a product that’s going to be relatively easy and low-maintenance. i’d thought about waxing before, but was always too intimidated to try, worried that it would hurt or that it would just be plain too hard for me to do correctly! luckily for me, the kit i used doesn’t even require heating! using their strips for waxing, you simply soften the wax with your own body heat, slap them on, and pull them off. that’s it.

i’ve done this a couple of times since i got my first pack, and i can also share a few pointers (which are also outlined in the instructions) in case you were wondering about trying them yourself. the first time i tried them, i thought i could cheat by doing it on really short stubble. don’t be tempted to do it! you really do need to wait the approximately 2 weeks it takes for your hair to grow at least 1/4″ in length! but the results are totally worth the wait. i have light skin with really dark and thick hair, which means that you can always see the hair follicles underneath my skin, even when i get a close shave. waxing turns out to be the perfect solution to this because it removes the hair from the root, giving you ridiculously silky smooth skin with no stubble even days after you’ve done it, which i’d honestly never quite experienced before!

it’s so funny that i was ever intimidated about giving waxing a try. once i started thinking about it, at-home waxing really is the more low-maintenance option for hair removal because the results last for so much longer than shaving. you have to shave every single day to achieve a smooth look, but with waxing, it takes 2 weeks! so we’re talking about hair removal about once a month versus every day. and once you get the hang of it, you can do it comfortably and at your own leisure. i could see myself applying a face mask and waxing my legs before settling down on the sofa to watch netflix. nbd.

the bottom line? i’ve been converted. it’s so easy and the results are way better than you get from a razor. the ingredients are all-natural, safe, and effective. they’re cruelty free, sustainable, and woman-owned. need i say more?


the contents of the parissa wax strips super pack (which can be purchased separately as well): wax strips for legs & bodywax strips for face & bikiniazulene aftercare oil, and an exfoliating glove for use in the shower to keep ingrown hairs at bay.


the parissa wax strips for legs & body.


warming up the wax. this is so you can separate them into two individual strips.


separating the two strips.


apply in the direction of hair growth and remove in the opposite direction of hair growth. see that stubble? i’m not faking this– it’s about to go!


ta-da!


the parissa azulene aftercare oil and an exfoliating glove.


ok, this aftercare oil is basically like little baby angel wings that came floating down from heaven on a silken cloud to soothe and soften your skin. you do experience some redness immediately post-waxing that goes down in a couple of hours, but i took these photo immediately before and after waxing, and the camera can hardly pick it up. the oil seriously helps with this, and you’ll love it so much that you’ll be spraying it on your legs every day. it’s better than lotion!


this post was created in partnership with parissa. thank you so much for supporting the sponsors that make this blog possible!

the basics: tradlands t-shirt & sweatshirt

if you haven’t noticed, i’ve been thinking a lot about “the basics” lately. as much as i enjoy playing around with seasonal styles or different accessories, i think every wardrobe needs that foundation of really good, quality basics. a good t-shirt, a comfy sweatshirt. totally necessary and not boring at all. at the beginning of the summer, i picked up two instant classics from one of my favorites, tradlands. the 103 girlfriend t-shirt in sienna and the 116 varsity sweatshirt in shell. i’ve worn both of these for months and thought it was time to share two of my favorite ways to wear them. the first look is a more feminine take with a bit of a ’70s vibe while the second look has a more casual, slightly more boyish vibe that would be perfect for a trip to the beach.

and the best part is that tradlands is dedicated to employing adults who are paid a living wage, work in bright, clean and airy environments, and choose to come to work every day. they visit their production facilities regularly to assure a happy and healthy environment and all of their production partners hold social welfare and production quality to the highest standards. and they use natural fibers that are sustainably produced to be more ecologically responsible. the result is a high quality product with thoughtful construction from beginning to end.








look one:
103 girlfriend t-shirt in sienna courtesy of tradlands

not pictured: true & co true body underwire
jesse kamm sailor pants in american denim
maryam nassir zadeh sandals
clare v. pot de miel










look two:
116 varsity sweatshirt in shell courtesy of tradlands
re/done jeans (currently sold out, but the ultra high rise flare is really similar)
ecuador huarache sandals courtesy of nisolo
clare v. petit alistair in cuoio


fall wishlist

i may be kinda far behind on this one, but i can’t help it! i live in southern california and fall isn’t even really a season. but i do like to shift my color palette and i do need to add some clothes appropriate for slightly cooler temperatures. so here’s my list!

cozy sweaters – i think i may be the last person on the planet to own a babaa cardigan and it’s killing me. similar to many cool-weather fashion choices, i sometimes have a hard time committing to warm clothing for fear that i’ll never actually need to wear them. as i write this, it’s the month of october and the highs have still been hitting temps in the 90s. but if i don’t get some sweaters now, then january will roll around and i’ll have approximately one sweater, which i will proceed to wear every morning for the next 6 months. it gets old. i ask myself why i didn’t just buy myself a couple more sweaters before everything sold out. i find myself wrapped in a blanket on the sofa without a viable option for going out. and forget driving 30 minutes to the mountains where it’s actually snowing. i don’t have the wardrobe. what am i doing with my life?! just get the damn sweater.

babaa cardigan no19 mini in navy

l’envers caby cardigan in white

 

ankle boots – ever since moving back to southern california, i resist wearing boots. this is because of two things: 1. the weather only gets cool enough to wear boots for a very short period of time. i find it hard to justify the high price of a good pair of boots when i know i won’t wear them very much. and more importantly, 2. i have some sort of weird foot claustrophobia thing. i can’t stand the feeling of my feet being completely ensconced. it feels like my feet are mummified. or trapped in a coffin. both? at the end of the day, as i start to unlace them, i break into a momentary panic and sweat starts to bead up on my forehead. it lasts for a split second before the sweet relief of removing my shoe, but that feeling of being trapped is real. i should probably seek therapy. and i should probably buy at least one pair of block heel ankle boots before they go out of style.

loq lazaro boot in bombon croc

by far becca suede ankle boot in brown

 

pants pants pants – i paired down my collection of kamm pants over the summer and am now 100% regretting it. i hadn’t been wearing them because it was insanely hot, but now there’s this massive hole in my closet because i have a habit over over-kondoing everything in my life until i’m living like a monk and i am not happy. i got rid of all the happy. i got rid of all my pants. and let’s just be real here. the only pants that i will ever wear for the rest of my life are the kind that are so high rise that i can pull them up to my armpits. and i will definitely never wear a pair of skinny jeans again. *buys all of the kamm pants and mom jeans immediately.*

agolde ’90s mid rise loose fit jeans

ilana kohn huxie pants

jesse kamm sailor pant in skin tone 34

re/done ultra high rise jeans

 

statement bag – lately i’ve been steering away from leather handbags in favor of more interesting textures and styles. i carried my clare v. pot de miel all summer and loved it. i got compliments all the time! and it just felt like it added more interest to my outfits than a classic leather bag. but it always gets to a point in the fall/winter when a basket bag seems silly. so i’ll be transitioning to this beautiful, hand-dyed rope coil bag by catz orange.

catz orange cosimo in pistachio

 

and also… all of the jumpsuits – mom uniform, whatever. ever since i discovered that jumpsuits are like dresses but approximately 5,00 times better, i’m never going back. i got the most perfect offon linen jumpsuit in the most beautiful redwood color this summer. i loved that damn thing, but i sized down for fear that it would overwhelm my freakishly short torso, but my calculations were wrong. such is the risk of ordering made-to-order clothing from a lithuanian etsy shop. i waited 4-6 weeks for them arrive. they fit, but not as i had hoped. i’ll be restarting the process promptly. i suggest you do the same. well, not the part where you order the wrong size. but the part where you get the best linen jumpsuit ever.

offon redwood linen jumpsuit

caron callahan cardell jumpsuit

beaton overalls in alabaster

ilana kohn mabel coverall

outfit: suunday

snapped a few pictures during a weekend stroll through the park. the heat has been pretty unforgiving this past week, but this linen dress is giving me life. it gets to a point where you just want to be as comfortable as possible, and i don’t think there’s anything quite a comfy as a floaty linen dress. i know i’ve talked about how much i love linen ad nauseum, but i can’t help it. i don’t think a more perfect fiber exists. and while this is really nice on a hot day, i can also see myself wearing it with an oversized wool cardigan (hello, babaà?) when the weather starts to cool off. if comfort food were an outfit, i think that would be it.

and i also want to take a moment to talk about suunday. i only recently learned about the brand, probably either scrolling through instagram or pinterest haha. this arizona-based brand was created by designer stacie lang, who is dedicated to ethically-crafted, long-lasting pieces, like this perfect linen dress!

wearing:
the emma dress in gardenia courtesy of suunday
martiniano glove flats in wood
bamboo clutch courtesy of moorea seal