happy accidents

i have to admit something: i totally forgot to take photos of my outfit during the chictopia10 conference on saturday. fortunately, ann of holier than now snapped a few photos of me with rebecca of the clothes horse outside of the event. you may have already noticed this from the posts i’ve already done on my new york trip, but rebecca and i were kind of attached at the hip the entire weekend. the funny thing is that it was actually only the second time we’ve ever met in real life, though we do keep in touch through emails quite frequently. but despite this, neither of us told the other what we planned to wear during the trip, yet every day we ended up with a very strong sense of coordination between our outfits, as exampled by the perfect blend of shapes and colors in these photos.

it also ended up coming in handy when either of us realized that we didn’t pack just the perfect accessories. we traded off a few times, me wearing her pretty velvet bow hat one evening and her in my patterned tights on yet another occasion. and of course we both own the same pair of blimey oxfords that we received courtesy of seychelles last year during the weardrobe conference. it made for just about the perfect coincidence!

i can’t tell you her outfit details, but i’m wearing:
vintage fur collar, gift from mom
brown coat, j.crew
brown tights, american apparel
blimey oxfords, courtesy of seychelles

unexpected favorites

it’s funny, this year i was actually in new york for fashion week and i probably saw less of the collections than i usually do. this is mostly due to the fact that i usually just view the collections in photo galleries from the comfort of my own home. and while in new york, i spent most of my time running around from place to place with hardly a moment to eat or sleep! but now that i am home, i’ve had a few days to catch up on all of the shows, and i have to say i have been delightfully surprised by some unexpected new favorites. case in point: peter jensen fall 2010.

i don’t think i’ve ever even looked at any of his collections before this year, but i have to say i am absolutely smitten with these vintage-inspired schoolgirl looks (especially after my infatuation with the equally fun, collegiate looks at proenza schouler pre-fall 2010). anyway, i read that this collection was inspired by the film adaptation of the prime of miss brodie jean. unfortunately, this reference is lost on me since i haven’t seen the movie or read the book! so i’ll add those to my list, and in the meantime, i will appreciate these perfectly wearable separates in quirky color combinations topped off by the prettiest little hats!

girl’s night out

on friday night, i attended a little girl’s night out celebration hosted by jessica of what i wore, courtesy of dove. she invited a small group of bloggers out for an evening of drinks followed by a limo ride around manhattan! i had already spent some time with jessica the night before catching up on life and blogging, and spent my day with rebecca during her photo shoot with market publique. while i was there, they caught wind that i didn’t actually have a party dress for our girl’s night out, so pamela of market publique offered to let me browse around her inventory to borrow a dress for the occasion. everyone in the office agreed that i had to wear this awesome vintage neiman marcus dress for the occasion. it was a bit out of my comfort zone, but i’m glad i ended up wearing it. those puff sleeves really did make quite the statement. haha! and as you can see from the photos, despite my daily outfit posts, i’m actually quite camera shy.

i spent the evening with: what i wore, the clothes horse, orchid grey, jen loves kev, selective potential, delightfully tacky, blonde bedhead, and crowded closet.




images 1, 3, 4, and 8 by blonde bedhead.

i wore:
vintage neiman marcus dress, on loan from market publique
cotton patterned tights, courtesy of tabio
reproduction 1940’s platforms, remix vintage shoes

food and drinks, limo service, and dove visibly smooth samples were generously provided by dove.

sneak peek: ifb conference

panel one: fashion blog marketing workshop

on the last day of my new york trip, i was fortunate enough to be able to attend the first two discussions of the independent fashion bloggers conference. the event was incredibly well organized and the panels were very thought-provoking. i also got the chance to meet jennine of the coveted and founder of ifb. she was so sweet and darling in person! i commend her for putting together such a great event.

i wish i could have stayed longer, but my flight was scheduled for that evening, so i only had enough time to snap a couple of pictures before running to the airport! luckily, there were photographers and video interviews, so i should have tons more to show you in the coming week.

panel two: the business of blogging

creamsicle


first day back: i am now blogging from the comfort of my own home after a whirlwind trip to nyc. i have already been harassed for mentioning this on twitter, but i really am delighted to be back in the california sunshine. i stepped outside this afternoon wearing jeans and a simple sweater and sorta pranced around a little bit in the warmth and sunlight, observing the first of the spring flowers blooming in the neighborhood: little peeks of pink and red and purple emerging from dark green shrubs and trees.

but enough of that. now i must tell you a bit about my trip: i arrived in nyc on thursday afternoon and spent my evening with jessica of what i wore. we chatted for hours about blogs and life while enjoying a delicious home-made meal and sharing a few glasses of wine. it’s really quite nice to be able to connect with other bloggers in real life to talk shop, and it was definitely one of the highlights of my trip to be able to do just that.

then i spent friday morning pacing around in jessica’s apartment waiting for the mail to arrive. when i left for my flight on thursday, i knew i would forget something: MY PHONE. fortunately, my bf sent it in the overnight mail, so i only had to wait a few hours before things were back on track. then i was off to meet rebecca of the clothes horse during her photo shoot with market publique. it was great to meet the ladies who run the site and to reconnect with rebecca after meeting her over the summer during the weardrobe conference!

so these are a few shots of what i wore while hanging out during the day on friday. as you can see, there was quite a bit of snow on the ground, and i quite like the comparison between my outfit and a frozen confection. i really did feel like a real life creamsicle, freezing cold in my peach mohair sweater!




wearing:
vintage fur collar, gift from mom
brown coat, j.crew
belt, zara
classic white belt, j.crew
vintage peach mohair sweater, idol vintage
high rise skinny jeans, forever 21
platform oxfords, courtesy of seychelles

sneak peek: chictopia10

after the lovely girl’s night out on friday night, i spent saturday attending the chictopia10 conference and after party, and sunday doing a photo shoot and enjoying a pleasant lunch with chictopia and modcloth followed by a little soho shopping trip. we even spotted scott schuman and garance dore casually leaning against a brick building in a romantic little moment that would have been picture perfect if we weren’t driving past in a taxi. how very new york.
i have a lot to share, but my trip isn’t over quite yet. i’ll be attending the ifb conference tomorrow before heading back home and finally getting some much needed sleep! at which point, i promise to share my outfits from the trip and to tell you all about my new york adventures.

sneak peek: girl’s night out

me and rebecca of the clothes horse.
so i’m kinda sorta IN NEW YORK FOR FASHION WEEK. it’s been quite a whirlwind of a trip so far and it’s only just begun. it’s been a bit of a challenge to remember to take photos while running around manhattan and brooklyn wearing heels and trying desperately not to slip in the several inches of snow on the ground, but i’m doing my best to document the trip so i can tell you all about it when i get back. but just for fun, i thought i would take a moment to show you a few shots from our blogger girl’s night out courtesy of dove vip hosted by jessica of what i wore.
and now i’m off to the chictopia10 conference for the remainder of the day. i’ll be “tweeting” from my phone so be sure to follow me on twitter for all the latest updates.

rebecca of the clothes horse, me, jessica of what i wore.

the conservatory of flowers


for today’s outfit post, i would like to give you a little sneak peek at a photo shoot i did with jt paradox of the sf style for the local lifestyle magazine 7×7. we ran into a bit of a time crunch, and of course, the moment we met up for the shoot, it began pouring rain. so we headed off in the car going nowhere in particular when i remembered how lovely it is inside the conservatory of flowers in golden gate park. we both agreed that the turn-of-the-century architecture was the perfect match for my vintage boater hat, so off we went! it’s such a cool little spot with different rooms of varying temperatures and humidity to accommodate the lush greenery.

i have to say, this was a particularly daring outfit, but i decided to have a little fun with it since we were shooting for a magazine. i think i would wear this exact same outfit for a nice outing, only with a black vintage camisole underneath so i wouldn’t look quite as “pin-up.” but it was definitely fun and i can’t wait to see the feature in 7×7 magazine.

here’s a shot of what it looks like from the outside on a sunny day, via the conservatory website.



all photos shot by jt paradox of the sf style.

wearing:
vintage straw boater hat, ebay
vintage sheer blouse, ebay
full pique skirt, american apparel
nude spiral lace tights, courtesy of tabio
1940’s reproduction platforms, remix vintage shoes

hair play

today i would like to share a little video with you about how i do my hair. ever since i got my bob, i’ve gotten quite a few emails asking me various questions about the style, cut, and care of my hair, so i finally decided to discuss the topic!

my hair is naturally straight with just a little bit of bend. i say it’s pretty thick both in diameter and in the amount of hair on my head. it is currently untreated in any way and this is my natural color. i usually shampoo my hair with the cheapest shampoo in the drug store: suave daily clarifying shampoo. it’s like $2 for a giant bottle. i don’t use conditioner because my hair seems to do just fine without it.

and this is how i style it:

1. blow dry. i have zero technique here. i just aim the blow dryer at it all willy-nilly until it gets dry. my hair is thick, so this takes quite a while. (in fact, sometimes i take a break to eat chocolate candies.)

2. once it’s dry, i add a dab of product. lately, i just work some bumble and bumble grooming cream into my hair for a little bit of texture and to control any pesky little fly-aways. i also like to use b&b brilliantine, which adds a bit more gloss, but i ran out and have to restock.

3. this step is optional. i take a flat iron and straighten just the top layer of hair to get a more tidy look. (if i’m going for something more messy, i’ll skip this step and use b&b surf spray with a dab of sumotech.)

voila!

but i cannot take all the credit for this look. i must thank my dear friend and hair stylist, shannon dean, who works at revamp salon on 16th and guerrero in san francisco. i don’t think my hair would be nearly as easy to style if i didn’t have such an excellent cut! seriously, if you live in the area, you must give him a call. he is incredibly talented, very communicative, and he will give you one helluva salon experience. if my look isn’t your cup of tea, he also styles diane of darling darling, liz of late afternoon, and his girlfriend: jennie of going west, to name a few.