the other day i was thinking back to the very beginnings of calivintage. december marks the third year anniversary of this little space on the web, so i guess i was just feeling nostalgic. so today i decided top hop back onto my rooftop for old time’s sake. if you’re new to my blog, then you won’t remember that there was a time when i would go up to my roof every single day (ok, five days a week) and snap my daily outfit photo. since then, life has changed an awful lot and most days i’m not around my apartment during daylight, so most of my photos are taken on the weekends.
today i’m working from home, so it was the perfect opportunity to snap a few photos on my break. since getting dressed while working from home isn’t always required, i opted for one of my comfiest new dresses. the top is made of a super stretchy velvet and the bottom is made up of lovely sheer floaty stuff. it almost feels wrong wearing this thing because it basically feels like very fancy pajamas! but it was just the thing for soaking up the brisk autumn sun.
dress: dahlia embroidered velvet dress from asos
tights: tabbisocks opaque tights from modcloth
shoes: vintage salvatorre feragamo vara flats
bag: rebecca minkoff covet satchel
lipstick: nars fire down below
this year, i’ve really gotten into fall colors and woodsy motifs. case in point: this combination of layers, textures, and a sneaky little bird print make me feel like some sort of fancy professor of ornithology. or at least this is what i would wear if i were teaching a course on birds in some fictional school for very fashionable zoologists. it’s always fun to play with classic elements like these, but to add some sort of silly twist. for me, the unexpected element of a bird print shirt and a faux fur collar take an otherwise prim and proper look and make it much more appropriate for my less than serious endeavors.
i also like that i can take some of these pieces and wear them in more classic ways. you can’t go wrong with a good pencil skirt, and the fur collar on this coat is removable for those days when a faux animal around your neck just isn’t going to fly.
coat: ma cherie coat c/o lulu’s
top: nadinoo pixie’s bird a day blouse
sweater: j.crew cardigan
skirt: very vermont pencil skirt c/o lulu’s
shoes: rosegold danielle heels
about one year ago, i discovered the work of the talented olivia mew. since then, i have had the pleasure of watching her many artful endeavors, including the launch of her online shop, feverfew. this wonderful handmade etsy shop is filled to the brim with her textile designs & illustrations as well as carefully selected vintage textile goods. so of course, i am beyond delighted to be able to offer you the chance to win this beautiful artemis scarf! it’s a 21″ x 21″ digitally printed 100% silk scarf with the most epic cat illustration ever! only three were made, two of which are available in her shop right now, and one which we’ll be giving away to one lucky reader.
to enter, simply visit feverfew and tell us which item in the shop is your absolute favorite in the comment section below.
this giveaway is open to international readers, so anyone can enter. only one entry per person. the winner will be randomly selected on tuesday, december 6 and will be contacted via email. winner will receive the artemis scarf pictured in this post.
don’t want to wait? get 10% off your orders from feverfew (or sister vintage shop, young captive) with code “calivintage” now through december 6!
remember the other day when i was dreaming about laying around the house in my pajamas, drinking hot cocoa, and taking naps? well, i finally got some well-needed rest both on thanksgiving day itself, and this past weekend. while the rest of the world was out shopping, i was taking it easy. this is not to say that i did nothing, but it was nice to chill out without any particular plans or obligations. on saturday, i was still craving mashed potatoes, so me and the boy took a little stroll to the grocery store to buy the ingredients for a shepherd’s pie, which we promptly enjoyed with a glass of wine watching television on the couch.
as far as getting dressed was concerned, i decided to continue on with my fall color palette and pulled out this old vintage skirt from the depths of my closet. the wide pleats and front pockets were giving me some serious schoolgirl vibes, so i decided to run with it and add a button-up shirt, my new toggle coat, and over the knee socks. it made me feel like a 1960s school girl on the set of some creepy horror film.
coat: tulle toggle coat c/o lulu’s
top: thrifted vintage silk blouse
skirt: vintage pleated skirt
socks: ribbed otk c/o tabbisocks
shoes: vintage oxfords
tote: family affairs
a few months back, i received a little press release about the maison scotch fall 2011 collection. while the amsterdam-based parent company, scotch & soda, has been around for a while, they only recently started their new women’s apparel line in the past couple of years. i like that you can tell that they have roots based in menswear with plenty of pieces “borrowed from the boys,” and i also love that this particular collection was influenced by the chic parisienne but with a laid-back attitude in mind.
now, i know i’m not typically one for distressed denim and slouchy layers, but after seeing the beautiful campaign and lookbook for the fall 2011 collection, i may be changing my tune. something about the crisp fall weather just gets me in the mood to wear pants and comfy layers filled with textures like cashmere, waffle knits, silk, corduroy, linen, and denim. even if i don’t pick up a few pieces this season, i will certainly be using these looks as styling inspiration for months to come.
good morning! i hope you are all feeling jolly and well-fed on this glorious day after thanksgiving! i have to head to work, but it was nice to have a short break from the week to celebrate family and food. and my morning was made just a little bit brighter when i discovered that yesterday i was featured as day 66 on 365 lucky days! the incredibly talented lucky jackson embroidered my portrait as part of “blog crush” week in her year-long project to create a new piece of embroidered art every day for 365 days. i first discovered her work through a few of my favorite blogs, so when she approached me about creating my portrait, i nearly died. i mean, seriously, how awesome is that? she even found a fabric that is almost identical to the print on my vintage dress!
in addition to this crazy beautiful piece, which i am so honored to be a part of, she has already created quite a line-up of of impressive portraits. i rounded up a few of my favorites for you to enjoy, but you really have to visit her site to get the full scope. thank you so much, lucky!
today i am so excited to announce my latest giveaway courtesy of one of my favorite designers, dear creatures! today we are offering you the chance to win a $75 gift certificate to the dear creatures online shop! if you aren’t already familiar with the collection, you might recognize a few of my outfits featuring their designs here and here, among many other outfits. i’m a huge fan, so i’ve collected quite a bit of their pieces over the years. which is why i’m especially excited to be offering you this opportunity today!
to enter, simply visit dear creatures and then leave a comment in the section below telling us which item in the shop is your absolute favorite!
this contest is open to readers within the united states. only one entry per person. the winner will be randomly selected on tuesday, november 29 and will be contacted via email. winner will receive a $75 e-card good for any purchase at dear creatures.
not interested in giveaways? get 15% off all new styles at dear creatures with code “givethanks15″ now through november 30!
nope! your eyes are not deceiving you! my dress is indeed covered in teeny tiny trombones. it’s one of three rachel antonoff dresses i recently purchased. this one is especially fun because it is cut in a super mini length with a little layer of tulle beneath the skirt. the clean white silk is so pretty and perfect that it makes me feel a bit like a little doll, and the matching self belt is the perfect type of details that makes it feel more like something vintage. that coupled with the fact that it is made in the usa by a very awesome new york designer, makes this dress feel like something extra special. when i pulled it on to wear this weekend, i couldn’t help but think of it as my sunday best.
dress: rachel antonoff from modcloth
tights: tabbisocks 80 denier tights
shoes: vintage salvatore ferragamo flats
bag: rebecca minkoff covet satchel
lipstick: nars fire down below
bracelet: handmade by giantlion on etsy
bracelet: jewelmint mesh marvel bracelet
