blog favorites april 16

spirit ditch: standby
as i mentioned earlier in the week, i’ve been thinking a lot about the perfect outfits to wear on hot summer days as the weather warms up. this 90’s bathing suit combo complete with a chambray cover up, comfy flats, and a cute hat is pretty much the best thing to wear to a summer festival or bbq by the lake. love it!

we counted all the tiles: all is love
a little bit more button down, we have to remember that we can’t run around in our swimsuits every day! and what a perfect mellow combination of a big silky blouse with the perfect pair of high rise trousers. the colors are perfection and i love the simple black pumps!

elinkan: shuffling about
a long time favorite, i am always struck by the beautiful shots over at elinkan. she has the most stunning, high contrast outfits and the incredible hair and makeup! her blog is inspiration for days.

the velvet bird: fields, friends, and bugs
after i put together my collage for this week, i realized that i had already written about the velvet bird in a previous blog favorites post, so i guess vanessa gets an encore presentation! which is perfectly fine by me because she looks absolutely beautiful in that pink vintage dress.

another day to dress up: jumper
i’ve been following this blog for a while now after discovering her cute pictures on chictopia. she definitely has a very unique style with quite a collection of “blossom hats” as my bf calls them. it’s very refreshing to see someone sporting such quirky looks! this week, i particularly loved this simple look she put together with a pretty little jumper.

elenita: 070410
another one of my new foreign blogger favorites, i am completely inspired by this mix of black and white prints topped off with a classic trench and all black accessories. she’s reminded me of the fun you can have mixing prints without being obnoxious at all!

and the winner is…

calivintage floremark giveaway

annie is the lucky winner of a custom made-to-order ‘roxy’ striped t-shirt from floremark! she was selected as the winner using the random number generator at random.org.

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.

no logo

the other evening i was chatting with my boyfriend over dinner, and as per usual, i was going on and on about new media and the relevance of blogs, where things are going, etc. and suddenly the book no logo by naomi klein popped into mind. i read it waaay back in 2001 when i was 18. it’s a critique on globalization and of course, being the impressionable young kid that i was, i soaked it up and used every possible opportunity to quote what i had read in almost every conversation. years later, i don’t much think about that book anymore, but i’ve always really respected klein’s work, so i wondered what she was up to and what her take would be on the influence of the internet (and blogs) in our culture. since she wrote that book, besides the major economic collapse, we now live in a world where social media is king. the landscape has certainly changed and i tend to believe it’s positive. bloggers like me can hang out in the comfort of our own homes and have the ability to influence fashion (or whatever they’re writing about) from the ground up. we really are experiencing a democratization of fashion, as they say. and it’s happening in news and politics as well.

and what a perfect subject to bring up on a day when i decided to wear some of the most recognizable brands in fashion. so what do you think? too much? haha! ;)

jacket: marc by marc jacobs via gilt groupe
jeans: j brand 210 the oslo jeans in indigo
shoes: vintage salvatore ferragamo bow flats
purse: vintage coach doctor bag
watch: men’s timex dress bracelet
sunglasses: rayban wayfarers

mini for many

calivintage mini for many

here we are, spring is in full force, and i thought i had already gone through all of my favorite collection for spring/summer 2010. but lo and behold, mini for many slipped through the cracks and i never posted about it! this is definitely one of my favorite collections this year and it’s one of the reasons that i’ve been on the hunt for the perfect pair of platform wedge espadrilles. in fact, they’re actually quite affordable, so if i can find a retailer, i think i might have to get a pair! oh, i am also reminded that i never found myself a lovely equestrian hat, either!

but beyond the must-have accessories, i’m really appreciating the fresh and sporty look of this collection. all of the pieces look super functional, but they’re in fresh colors, stripes, and polka dots. which means you can look perfectly fashionable while out and about on springtime adventures that call for more casual attire. want!

80’s prep

with all this recent talk about spring and summer music festivals, i’ve started thinking about casual cool outfits for you know, like, fun in the sun and stuff. so while i’m not going to be spending my weekend at coachella i know a lot about dressing for that type of weather since i’m a native to those parts. to be exact, i’m from redlands, which is about an hour inland from los angeles. and if you drive for another hour east, you’ll find yourself in palm springs. in the summer months, it easily gets up to 115 degrees and hotter, so i know all about staying cool in the dry dessert heat. (also, redlands is actually a really spectacular city with incredible victorian architecture and historic buildings, but that’s for another blog post!)anyway, for some reason, whenever i think of dressing for the heat, i think of these types of preppy 80’s looks. perhaps because i’m familiar with the resort and retirement communities out in the desert, i always think of upturned collars on pale pastel blouses to wear while sipping lemonade and playing a round of tennis. last year, i would have sported this same look in a pair of perfectly destroyed denim cut offs, but this year it feels much more fresh to wear a cleaner look with an actual hem or rolled cuffs.

blouse: vintage 80’s stripes from treefox vintage
shorts: thrifted vintage 80’s guess shorts
purse: vintage clutch from red lips vintage
shoes: white woven oxfords from maude loves harold vintage
glasses: 3.1 phillip lim spring 2009
nail polish: no miss in gainsville green

organic cotton t-shirt giveaway from floremark!

calivintage floremark striped shirt giveaway

win this custom, made-to-order ‘roxy’ organic cotton striped t-shirt from floremark!

this week, i am very excited to announce my latest giveaway from floremark on etsy. the ‘roxy’ blouse pictured above comes in sizes s – xl and is made-to-order so it can be customized for those who are petite or tall. floremark is a small collection of sweaters, tops, and other knitwear made of high quality fabrics in natural fibers, some of which are also organic. all of floremark’s clothes are designed and custom-made by johanna lundström with great attention to fit, craftsmanship, and style. so be sure to check out her shop for the full collection!

see something you like? floremark would also like to offer you 15% off all items in the shop now through april 30th! just enter the code “calivintage” in the note to seller during checkout.

calivintage floremark striped shirt giveaway

to enter, all you have to do is visit the floremark shop and then leave a comment in the section below. be sure to leave your email address or link to your contact information so we can contact you if you are the winner! this offer is open internationally, so anyone can enter. the winner will be randomly selected and announced at 10am p.s.t. on april 16.

it’s elementary

calivintage primary colorsmy two favorite colors these days are mustard yellow and a dark crimson red, though you’d probably never know it since i hardly ever wear said colors. instead, i always gravitating towards every possible shade of blue, from pale as the sky to dark inky hues. it’s definitely been a process collecting more pieces in the bright colors that i love. you probably remember months ago when i was obsessed with finding the perfect red cardigan, and how i haven’t shut up about hasbeens hasbeens hasbeens. i finally have both and i’m just happy as a clam. so what better way than to celebrate wearing some of my favorite things?

and can we talk about hansel from basel? i know i already added them to my spring shopping post, but i just have to mention them again. i discovered the line after reading a post over at fashion for writers and now i’m hooked. i will admit that i have a bit of brand loyalty to my favorite hosiery over at tabio (the 110 denier tights) and wolford (the merino wool tights), but good socks can be hard to come by. which is why i am in love with the pretty designs over at hansel from basel. they are fun and quirky, but never over the top. and they are just perfect for wearing with spring sandals.

cardigan: zara
blouse: bb dakota almond torte top from modcloth
shorts: vintage liz claiborne high rise denim from lola vintage
belt: nordstrom
socks: hansel from basel strawberry top crew in clove brown
sandals: swedish hasbeens super high peep toe in mustard

calivintage primary colorscalivintage primary colorscalivintage primary colorscalivintage primary colors

coffee run

i’ve recently been making an effort to record more of my daily life with photos (along with the help of my very sweet boyfriend photographer). i often forget to bring my camera with me when i go places, and even when i do, i usually forget to use it. but i’m trying to expand some of the imagery you might find on my blog in hopes of showing you a bit more about my life and surroundings.
these photos were snapped on saturday morning. my sleepyhead boyfriend and i woke up quite early and decided to take a stroll over to piedmont avenue for some coffee. remember when i said i wore that same basic outfit all weekend? i wasn’t kidding!

(you can click the images to enlarge)



blog favorites april 9

calivintage blog favorites april 9
olfa: neklo
thanks to a bit of encouragement from rebecca, i have expanded my blog reading list to include tons of foreign blogs. i kinda have a feeling that i might love sweden, because these ladies certainly have the most impeccable style.

anywho: look of the day
speaking of foreign blogs, here is yet another that i have been following for a few months now. what i appreciate about this outfit is that there is so much going on, yet it still has that perfect minimalistic feel. like a work of art!

the sf style: what i wore
the kids over at this san francisco street style are a pretty awesome duo. not only do they scour the streets of sf looking for great style, but they also take a moment to show us some of their own stylish ensembles. gotta love dyanna’s oversized glasses and oversized watch!

silvici: villa spada
she may not have a blog, but i wanted to share silvia’s flickr photostream with you. she posts her outfits on wardrobe remix and i can’t get over her unique style. and i just fell in love with this latest set of photos taken in the park. so pretty and dreamy.

do impossible things: having fun in central park

i just love her cute and quirky tights, socks, and oxfords combo. the colors are fun and refreshing and she looks perfectly comfy and cozy in this outfit.

hello mr. fox: keep hold of your hat
and here is another fun little shoot from hannah. i love the deep blue of her dress matched perfectly to the velvet ribbon on her straw hat. and such a perfect setting!