outfit: pagan poetry

calivintage: dahlia uk

today i’m excited to announce that i will be guest contributing to the dahlia uk blog for the next few months! i have long been a fan of their feminine and playful designs, so it was a pleasure when they asked me if i’d like to contribute! for my first guest post, i picked out this prim and proper navy shift dress with a little embellished collar. it vaguely reminds me of the dresses that the nuns used to wear when i went to catholic school as a little girl, so i thought i’d have some fun with it and add a floral crown in the spirit of some of my favorite religious iconography. throw in a pastel bag (this new mint purse has been hanging on my arm almost every day lately), and you’re ready for an evening stroll to the cemetery. not kidding, these shots were snapped on the way to the mountain view cemetery near my house, but by the time we got there, the last of the sun had set and the gates were closed for the evening.

dress: linda dress courtesy of dahlia uk
shoes: vintage salvatore ferragamo vara flats
bag: botkier valentina bag
hat: vintage flower hat
lipstick: ysl rouge pur in rosy coral

calivintage: dahlia uk
calivintage: dahlia uk
calivintage: dahlia uk
calivintage: dahlia uk
calivintage: dahlia uk

outfit: wavy gravy

calivintage: wavy lines

oh hello! i just got back from a quick weekend trip to visit my family in southern california. i didn’t take a ton of photos, but i promise to be share the few snapshots i did take while i was there. the weather was hot (reaching highs in the 90s), and it was good to see family and familiar places from my past.

but before we get into that, i thought i’d catch up and share an outfit from last week. and yes, it’s another shift dress! no matter how hard i try to stay away from this almost universally unflattering form, i find myself collecting these shapeless dresses and wearing them more often than i care to admit. though i’ve certainly shared a good portion of my ever-growing collection on my blog (see here). they’re just so easy and comfortable, and they evoke that playful 1960s spirit that i love so much. they also have a tendency to create phantom belly bumps and emphasized arms… but, try as i might, i’m still an absolute sucker for a shift dress and don’t think i’ll be giving up the habit any time soon!

dress: tocca envelope dress
shoes: rachel antonoff for bass sandals
bag: j.w. hulme mini legacy bag
bracelet: giantlion
lipstick: nars schiap
nail polish: opi polish courtesy of glossybox

calivintage: wavy lines
calivintage: wavy lines
calivintage: wavy lines

outfit: easy

calivintage: easy

i remember several summers ago before i started my blog, i would spend almost every day wearing one of many little mexican wedding dresses i’d collected over the years. i was drawn to them after seeing a haunting image of my mom as a teenager standing in her backyard wearing a softly glowing full length dress covered in embroidered flowers. she’d picked it up on a trip to visit family in mexico, a story she would tell from time to time involving bus rides with squawking chickens, and a month without the modern convenience of regular showers and safety razors, in which her armpits grew fuzzy.

so perhaps it’s no surprise that i find myself so drawn to this cute embroidered dress, a lovely gift from lauren moffatt that was waiting for me at my hotel when i arrived in new york for fashion week this february. it evokes just a hint of those ever-popular 1970s frocks, but with a much more modern update. i love the peter pan collar and low back, and i love that i can simply throw it on with a pair of sandals and call it a day.

dress: lauren moffatt crosstown traffic dress
shoes: kork ease bette wedges
bag: j.w. hulme mini legacy bag
lipstick: ysl rouge pur in le orange

calivintage: easy
calivintage: easy
calivintage: easy
calivintage: easy
calivintage: easy
calivintage: easy

you can click here to browse through more of my outfits!

outfit: one dress, two ways

calivintage: variations on a theme

i don’t know about you, but when i get dressed, i find that i often play with variations on the same themes. as an example, this weekend i decided to pull on this new polka dot tunic from j.crew and i loved the look of it so much, that both of my weekend outfits revolved around the same piece. it’s essentially the same outfit, but with a few tweaks here and there. i do this type of thing very often because it’s an easy way to get more mileage out of my favorite pieces of clothing. usually i would only share one of the looks, but today i thought it might be fun to show you the different ways i’ve worn the same piece.

this first look is what i wore for a day running errands around town. the sweater is super cozy and i’m obsessed with these two recent acquisitions: an epic vintage equestrian hat that i picked up at a new vintage shop in berkeley, and a pair of rachel comey mars boots in a lovely chocolate brown. i’ve been lusting over this particular style of boots for years, but never got them because i was anxious about the price. i’m glad i finally broke and got them, because they’ve been on my feet since the moment i took them out of the box!

hat: vintage equestrian hat
dress: j.crew retro-dot tunic
sweater: j.crew cashmere boyfriend cardigan
tights: target
shoes: rachel comey mars boots

calivintage: variations on a theme

this second look is a little bit more adventurous. i’ve been playing with the idea of picking up a leopard coat for ages, but somehow felt intimidated by such a flamboyant print, despite that fact that it’s such a classic print that it’s practically a neutral in most people’s closets. now that i have it, i don’t know how i went so long without one! and of course, why not have fun and mix spots with spots? throw in my crazy round sunglasses and a little charm around my neck, and i’m feeling a bit like a new age space case. and i’m not saying that’s a bad thing!

dress: j.crew retro-dot tunic
sweater: j.crew cashmere boyfriend cardigan
shoes: rachel comey mars boots
coat: vintage leopard coat from secret shop
sunglasses: karen walker von trapp
necklace: toujours toi stables necklace

calivintage: variations on a theme
calivintage: variations on a theme
calivintage: variations on a theme
calivintage: variations on a theme

outfit: home again

calivintage: home again

after yesterday’s recap from the polyvore live runway show featuring a very glammed-up version of myself, i thought it would only be fitting for me to squeeze in a long overdue outfit photo so you guys don’t forget what i usually look like! i was in new york solo, so i didn’t have my photographer boyfriend around to take pictures of my outfits. and in a way, it was nice to have a little break from my usual blogging routine. in fact, i usually have the most fun when i get to spend my time behind the lens.

having said that, i’m still getting dressed every day, so here is what i wore on saturday for a chill day involving a very long nap followed by an unexpectedly fruitful trip to tj maxx where i scored a very witchy marc by marc jacobs black lace dress, a nice equipment trench coat, and a cute pair of vintage-inspired mary jane heels. and of course, after all of that bargain hunting, we rewarded ourselves with a trip to lanesplitters for pizza and beer before heading home for a night of watching movies on the couch. it was pretty much the perfect transition back home after such a hectic trip, but apparently it wasn’t enough to fully recharge my batteries. i woke up sunday morning with a terrible sore throat and spent the rest of my weekend under the covers. but at least i got in a few hours of fun before i went down!

dress: family affairs good spirits dress
top: thrifted vintage silk blouse
sweater: j. crew cashmere boyfriend cardigan
necklace: toujours toi stables necklace
bag: j.w. hulme mini legacy bag
watch: michael kors tortoise watch
shoes: vintage salvatore ferragamo vara flats in navy

calivintage: home again
calivintage: home again
calivintage: home again
calivintage: home again

outfit: hot pink, heat wave

calivintage: hot pink

i kinda can’t keep myself from giving you guys the play-by-play of the weather since i’ve been here in southern california. but seriously, i just can’t get over it! when i took these photos outside of the san bernardino county museum, we were in the middle of the 77 degree high for the day. on december 29. i know, right? which is why it was rather fitting that i found myself in this little cactus garden as a reminder that despite all of the trees and foliage in redlands, we’re still basically in the middle of the desert. drive one hour east and you’ll find yourself in palm springs.

so to celebrate the heat, i thought it would be fitting to throw on my new hot pink dress! since it’s a whole lot of color and really makes a statement on it’s own, i opted to pair it with my new favorite ‘nude’ blouse and a bit of orange lipstick for fun. ooh, and my new to me vintage salvatore ferragamo flats! i’ve been collecting them in every color, so i was happy to finally snag a pair in brown! a lot of people tell me that they have a hard time wearing these shoes because they’re always so narrow. and it’s true that while they do come in regular widths, some of them can be damn narrow. this particular pair is aaa, and i almost thought that i’d have to pass them along to someone else, until i realized that it would be worth a try to take them to a local cobbler to have them stretched. five dollars from my pocket and a day later and they fit perfectly! um, why have i never thought of this before?

top: j.crew silk crepe blouse
dress: hot moddy dress c/o lulu’s
shoes: vintage salvatore ferragamo vara flats
bag: j.w. hulme mini legacy bag
sunglasses: karen walker number six
lipstick: make up for ever rouge artist intense #20

calivintage: hot pink
calivintage: hot pink

calivintage: hot pink
calivintage: hot pink

outfit: madeline

calivintage: madeline

the other day i was thinking about how often i dress in outfits that evoke the comment: “oh my! you look like madeline!” this is never actually intentional. perhaps it has something to do with the fact that i went to catholic school for 9 years of my life and had to wear a uniform to school every day. i always say that i deeply resent my parents for it, but perhaps i have developed some sort of deep and twisted relationship with the school uniform. or else maybe i just really like hot dogs. ketchup and mustard? har har.

now let’s discuss this dress: i’m very excited to be working with the lovely dierdre of curator boutique in san francisco. we got in touch by means of the internet and met for coffee one afternoon to discuss fashion and blogs and life and whatnot. she told me about her label and invited me into her lovely shop to play dress up and pick out a few pieces from her latest collection. this is exactly the type of partnership that i dream of! all of their clothes are made in san francisco of beautiful, soft and sturdy garment-dyed cotton. they do their best to limit waste during production and use organic fabrics whenever possible. the result? very high quality and relatively affordable locally made dresses that you can basically live in. i was immediately drawn to this easy sheath dress and immediately knew that i would layer it over some of my favorite button-up shirts this fall for yet another 60s schoolgirl-inspired outfit.

hat: vintage wool hat from mars mecantile in berkeley
coat: asos from last year
dress: the sadie sheath dress c/o curator
top: thrifted vintage silk blouse
tights: sheer reflections sheer tights c/o hanes
shoes: vintage salvatore ferragamo vara flats
bag: waverly three way bag c/o stella and dot

photos by kristin cofer.

calivintage: madeline
calivintage: madeline
calivintage: madeline
calivintage: madeline
calivintage: madeline

outfit: fall uniform

calivintage: fall

i think this formula of a blouse worn beneath a simple shift or jumper might become my new fall uniform. there’s something so simple and utilitarian about the look (and just a little bit schoolgirl) that is feeling pretty much perfect these days. you can add a nice wool coat and a pair of tights if it gets too chilly, but you won’t be bored to death like you might with a one piece dress because you can always swap out any number of tops and jumpers in different colors and fabrics. and, of course, when you’re on a budget, it’s nice to be able to mix and match as much as possible!

i know most of the photos are in black and white, but i was quite pleased with the color combination of rust and pale pink. i’ve always liked the mixture of warm earth tones in the fall with a splash of bright pastel to keep things interesting. and i’m trying to play more with color these days, so it’s been fun trying to break free of my typical neutral tones. but i think what i loved the most about this outfit was the mixture of silk, velvet, and suede. just something about these fabrics that feels so perfectly luxurious, don’t you think?

top: j.crew silk blythe blouse
dress: family affairs velvet dress (from a few seasons ago)
shoes: vintage suede mary janes
bag: j.w. hulme mini legacy bag

calivintage: fall
calivintage: fall
calivintage: fall
calivintage: fall
calivintage: fall

 

outfit: jump!

calivintage: jump!

i’m sure by now you’ve noticed: i have a thing for jump shots. i can’t remember when exactly it started. sometime in the past 3 years… (can you believe it’s almost been 3 years since calivintage started?!) i’ve always enjoyed infusing movement into my photos, and jumping just seems like a fun way to show it. it’s gotten to the point where i’m pretty sure almost every outfit post has at least one photo of me hopping about like a frog. and the other day, while out on my usual evening stroll, i got bit by the jumping bug and possibly got a bit carried away with my silly ‘poses.’ normally, these little bouts would be tucked away in the depths of my computer archives, hidden from the public in an attempt to cover-up my strange affliction. but today i thought i might as well have out with it and expose my curious hopping habits for all to see.

dress: vintage
sweater: black cashmere cardigan from tj maxx
tights: tabio 150 denier ribbed tights in khaki
shoes: vintage salvatore ferragamo flats
bag: rebecca minkoff covet satchel
glasses: bonlook simply fabulous use code “cali10” to get $10 off your order now through october 10!

calivintage: jump!
calivintage: jump!
calivintage: jump!
calivintage: jump!
calivintage: jump!

outfit: good spirits

calivintage: good spirits

on saturday morning, i woke up bright and early with weekend plans to drive up to marin to enjoy the beautiful beginning of fall. i perched on my computer with a cup of coffee, as per usual, when an unexpected package arrived in the mail: this pretty pretty dress from nina of family affairs! i immediately threw it on and did a little dance in my apartment before heading out of town with brendan. we made our way to one of our favorite spots in san rafael, sol food. if you’re ever in the area, you need to stop by for the best puerto rican cuisine ever! this time, i tried ponche, a mix of iced tea and limeade, and i have been dreaming about it since! i need to head to the grocery store so i can make a huge jug of it to keep in my refrigerator, even if the weather is beginning to cool down!

then we meandered around the area, popping into local thrift stores and boutiques before taking a very scenic route partway up mt. tamalpais and through the california coastline. and, whenever we find ourselves up in the area, we always have to stop at another favorite restaurant, avatar’s! which, i know, as with sol food, i’ve mentioned it before, but you really have to try it if you find yourself in northern california. nothing beats their sweet potato punjabi enchiladas! and of course, we had to round out our very decadent day with a big cup of coffee for the drive home.

dress: good spirits dress by family affairs
blouse: thrifted vintage silk blouse
shoes: thrifted vintage heels
bag: j.w. hulme mini legacy bag
sunglasses: karen walker number six
watch: michael kors tortoise watch
lipstick: ysl rouge pur couture in le rouge
nails: butter london polish in pillar box red

calivintage: good spirits
calivintage: good spirits
calivintage: good spirits
calivintage: good spirits
calivintage: good spirits
calivintage: good spirits
calivintage: good spirits
calivintage: good spirits