calivintage

$50 gift card giveaway to small earth vintage!

August 17, 2010 259 Comments

win a $50 gift certificate to small earth vintage!

this week, our giveaway is courtesy one of my sponsors, small earth vintage! this lovely vintage etsy shop is run by an equally lovely lady named karen who has been selling vintage clothing full-time for the past ten years, and she has quite an eye for impeccable vintage fashions. small earth vintage features an extraordinary selection of mid-century clothing, accessories, and decor. she runs a beautiful shop and has so many lovely things it was nearly impossible for me to pick only a few of my favorites to feature in this post. so definitely check out the shop to see the entire selection for yourself!

see something you like? small earth vintage would also like to offer you a 20% discount on all items in her shop now through august 24. simply enter the code “calivintage” in the note to seller during checkout.

to enter:
1. visit small earth vintage.
2. leave a comment in the section below telling us your favorite item in the shop.

this giveaway is open to international readers, so anyone can enter. just be sure to leave your e-mail address if your profile doesn’t link back to your contact info so we can contact you if you’re picked. the winner will be randomly selected and announced at 10am. p.s.t. on august 20.

fashion

dear creatures fall 2010

August 16, 2010 20 Comments

dear creatures is definitely one of my favorite designers out there right now. ever since i got my first dear creatures piece, the modcloth calivintage dress, i’ve been head over heels for this vintage-inspired brand. and their fall 2010 collection certainly doesn’t disappoint! they still have the vintage, nautical vibe, but this time they’ve added a bit of outdoors and camping elements that are right up my alley! i was especially excited to see the look with the fur hat because i bought one last year, but never had the courage to wear it. and the best part is that i know these pieces will be much more affordable than most designer collections, which means if i save my pennies, i’ll certainly be sporting an item or two once these pieces hit the shops!

inspiration

outfit favorites august 14

August 14, 2010 18 Comments

street style aesthetic: land army girl

that style, those colors! this outfit really does speak for itself. it’s pretty much perfection on so many levels.

mr. newton for elle.com: fine print

as you all know, i’m a bit of a cycling fanatic, so discovering this cycle chic feature shot by mr. newton was a treat! my favorite look is this casual shorts ensemble. perfect for a day riding about town.

stockholm street style: caroline

i’ve been very interested in getting my hands on a sheer skirt like this, and i love her creative styling. good inspiration for when i finally get one!

still in berlin: torstraße: nora tschirner

take your nautical inspired look up a notch by adding your own rope belt! it’s amazing how such a tiny accessory can really transform a look!

gademode: dressed in granny’s clothing

geek chic all the way. i need her glasses and i wish my granny’s closet had such cool pieces!

glamcanyon: berlin: back to school

it’s all about her necklace! and i’m delighted to say that they carry a similar (if not the same) necklace at modcloth. i think i must get one. a great collegiate look for fall.

my style

movement

August 13, 2010 35 Comments

after posting my “bloopers” yesterday, i have to tell you, i’m feeling very liberated and more comfortable than ever. i was embarrassed to post them, so it took a leap of faith, but i’m really glad that i did. just confirming what i already knew, but sometimes forget: it’s always good to have a sense of humor about yourself, and life in general! so when i went outside to snap a few pictures of my outfit yesterday, i took the spirit of the bloopers and tried to be more fluid in front of the camera. the resulting shoot ended up showing a lot more movement than usual! and it just goes to show how much your attitude can affect your actions, even if it’s something as seemingly simple as a daily outfit post. it’s not to say that i had a bad attitude before, but it’s good to have a reminder that you don’t have to take things too seriously!

ok, now enough with the unsolicited advice! it’s really just my own reminder, but i thought i would share… my outfit today was actually based around these new jeffrey campbell oxfords i got in the mail. i actually ordered them for my upcoming bike trip, but of course, i couldn’t resist wearing them the moment i took them out of the package. the combination of dusty olive and cognac leather makes them really versatile and the cut outs keep them cool and breezy. but i should probably stop talking about them so much because you’re about to see me wearing them probably every day for the next two weeks! more on that later. but for now, happy friday!

blouse: steve alan via gilt groupe

dress: charlotte russe empire a-line dress

shoes: jeffrey campbell oxfords courtesy of modcloth

sunglasses: karen walker (i found them still available at need supply yesterday!)

giveaways

and the winner is…

August 13, 2010 No Comments

rebecca of minnchic!

rebecca is the winner of a $50 gift card to secondhand addiction! she was selected by the random number generator at random.org. congratulations rebecca!

thank you so much to everyone who entered the contest, but no worries if you didn’t win this time! there are many more opportunities to win great prizes each week thanks to the sponsors of calivintage.

my style

outtakes!

August 12, 2010 79 Comments

so i’m gonna come right out and say it: i didn’t take any outfit pictures and i was sort of at a loss for what to post today. it happens sometimes when life is busy and i’m feeling stressed and the weather is strange. and then i remembered that i’d been meaning to post some outtakes! a while back i did a post with some photos that just didn’t turn out, but they were just kinda artsy and weird. so i promised i would put up some silly photos, but then never got around to it! so here they are in all their glory. i’m sure i have tons more, but these are a few that caught my eye while going through the old photo archive. ok, i was actually going through the trash folder. that’s where the real gems are.

i know that i’m usually kinda serious in my typical photo shoots. i don’t know exactly why, i guess it’s because i want to put the focus on the clothing and not my face. i also have really crooked teeth, and while i’m not embarrassed by them in real life or anything, i somehow learned over the years to keep my mouth shut for pictures. anyway, people sometimes say that i look sad, or they ask me why i never smile. well, the answer is: i do smile. all the time. and i make a whole range of weird and funny faces. i also have a deep appreciation for physical humor, so i often make wild gesticulations in an attempt to be funny. so um, consider this to be the side of calivintage you’ve never seen before. enjoy!

fashion

the desert boot

August 12, 2010 18 Comments

last winter, i had a serious need for a pair of desert boots with heels. i had long been a fan of the classic clarks flats, but i was looking for something a little less clunky and a bit more fashion forward. unfortunately, my hunting turned up with a bunch of shoes that were either way out of my price range, or just out of stock! i wrote this post about the few shoes that i came up with back in january, but since then, i am amazed by the selection available for the upcoming fall season. there are so many to choose from that i’m having a hard time picking my absolute favorite and might even end up with two pairs. maybe a heel and a wedge in two different colors. so i thought i’d share with you some of the contenders.

seychelles bismuth, steve madden dessertt, marc by marc jacobs, steve madden vaku, madewell sandstorm boot, bc footwear atmosphere, sam edelman effie, indigo by clarks water row

fashion

a.p.c. fall 2010

August 11, 2010 12 Comments

i’ve been feeling a bit hesitant to post my favorite fall collections that have been coming out from smaller designers lately because i know that they make their rounds on a lot of blogs that i already read, and therefore, are looks that you may have already seen. but i decided that if i’ve taken the time to pick out my favorites and make a little gallery like the above, then it’s worth posting on my blog as a record of all of the things that are inspiring and intriguing me. so, hopefully these posts aren’t too redundant for you!

or maybe you haven’t seen the a.p.c. fall 2010 collection yet! i pretty much always want something from each and every a.p.c. collection. the quality alone is enough to get me interested, but the styling is beautiful. i love all of the simple and classic separates in fresh colors that are perfectly cheery for fall weather. and once again, i’m inspired to continue my hunt for more flat shoes, because these ladies are looking pretty darn comfy in those cute loafers.

oh, and what’s better (or worse), is that i’ve heard the murmurs in a press release that the madras collection is going to be hitting urban outfitters stores pretty soon here. making a.p.c. all the more accessible to my poor little wallet. i wonder how much longer i can resist their lofty price tags!

giveaways

win a $50 gift certificate to secondhand addiction!

August 10, 2010 226 Comments

win a $50 gift certificate to secondhand addiction!

this week, our giveaway is courtesy one of my lovely sponsors, secondhand vintage! this lovely vintage shop is run by marion chubon out of tucson, arizona. and in honor of her 4-year etsyversary, she’d like to offer you the chance to win a $50 gift certificate to the shop! i’ve selected some of my favorite items in the store for the gallery above, but you’ll have to check it out to see the huge selection of beautiful vintage for yourself! what’s more, they’re currently having a blowout summer sale with tons of items marked down to only $10.

to enter:
1. visit secondhand addiction.
2. leave a comment in the section below telling us your favorite item from the shop.

want to score some bonus entries?
3. follow secondhand vintage on twitter for +1 entry
4. like secondhand vintage on facebook for +1 entry
just leave an additional comment or comments in the section below letting us know if you’ve added them on twitter, facebook, or both!

this giveaway is open to international readers, so anyone can enter. just be sure to leave your e-mail address if your profile does not link to your contact information so we can get in touch with you if you’re the winner. giveaway ends at 10am p.s.t. on august 13.

UPDATE: THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED. CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE WINNER.

my style

people take pictures of the summer

August 9, 2010 15 Comments

this weekend, i made an effort to bring my camera with me on my usual excursions. for being a blogger, i can be really bad at remembering to even bring my camera, let alone take photos with it. but after documenting my weekend, i somehow feel better about what i did because i have something to remember it by. reminds me of that kinks song, “people take pictures of each other.”

anyway, this is just a little documentation of a walk to the mountain view cemetery with diane and brendan. we strolled through piedmont ave on the way and stopped in a book store where i got brendan a first edition copy of ghosts by paul auster. part of the new york trilogy. that little shop is cool because they have used books and antiques. you could even buy cowboy boots there. then we headed into the cemetery and found a spot with a good view to sit and talk and drink wine out of a water bottle.