my style – Page 33 – calivintage

stop american censorship

January 18, 2012 11 Comments

i know that if you use some of the most popular sites around the web (i.e. google, wordpress, tumblr) or are active on social networks (i.e. facebook and twitter), then you’re probably already aware of the current sopa strike. and i know that obama has already vowed to strike down the sopa and pipa bills, and that with increasing pressure, many senators have now backed down. and while i know i may not have all that much muscle in this little space on the web, i just wanted to let you know that i decided to postpone my scheduled post for today in solidarity with the movement.

so just in case you haven’t already, i strongly urge you to watch this video and to write to your senators to protect our right to share content on the web! it doesn’t stop here! click here for more information.

my style

best basics

January 15, 2012 25 Comments

people frequently ask me if i’d be willing to share a list of my most essential wardrobe items. i’ve been thinking a lot about this lately and decided to pull together a list of my current must-have basics. i know none of these are especially cheap if purchased new, but you can find the vintage/thrifted version of many of the items on the list. the idea is that these are– for me– the cream of the crop! they’re all really good, quality items made with very nice materials that i find myself wearing over and over again. if i could only have these items in a variety of different colors, i would be a very happy camper.

j brand maria high rise skinny jeans. bonus points: did you know they’re made in california? if you’re on a budget, i would recommend cheap monday as an alternative.
equipment silk blouses. for me, it’s all about the perfect, menswear-inspired fit. and they come in so many good colors and patterns, too! i’ve been stockpiling these guys whenever i find them on sale.
j. crew cashmere boyfriend cardigans. again, they come in a variety of different colors and they’re so perfectly soft and warm!
salvatore ferragamo vara flats. you can easily find these on ebay/etsy/in vintage shops for a fraction of the price.
the j.w. hulme mini legacy bag. i wear this almost every day. and it’s made in the usa! also interchangeable with any of the coach classics. and yes, they can easily be thrifted and refurbished with a bit of leather conditioner! though i’ve recently been considering getting myself the willis bag…
my trusty ysl rouge pur couture lipstick in le rouge. honestly, any red lipstick will do.
karen walker sunglasses. they make the best statement sunglasses. i’m currently pretty in love with my number six shades.

do you have any wardrobe items you just can’t live without?

my style

bro time

January 6, 2012 29 Comments

calivintage: bro time

the whole time i was in redlands, i made my little brother devin take my outfit photos for the blog, so it only seemed fitting that we reversed roles on my last day there and i snapped a few photos of his outfit. he was proudly wearing two of his prized christmas gifts, a pair of green dr. martens and a nice new cpo jacket. while i was there, we talked a lot about clothes and even spent a day checking out menswear boutiques in la. i don’t know a ton about menswear, so it was interesting to observe. since there really are less options style-wise, there’s a much bigger focus on quality and fit than you typically see in women’s clothing. it stood as a nice reminder to focus on quality and craftsmanship. case in point, he may be wearing some simple basics, but they’re all very solid pieces meant to last a very long time. anyway, these photos were taken in my grandmother’s back yard. my brother is a bit serious, but i still managed to get him to do a “calivintage” jump for me, haha!

glasses: bonlook
top: fidelity by gerald and stewart cpo shirt
top: j.crew
jeans: levi’s 1947 raw selvedge 501s
socks: generic wool socks
shoes: green dr. martens
calivintage: bro time

my style

outfit: a new year

January 2, 2012 40 Comments

calivintage: a new year

this is my first outfit of 2012 and my last set out outfit photos taken while on my visit to redlands. as you read this, i’m probably somewhere along interstate 5 on the seven hour drive back up to oakland getting ready to transition back into the working world. i have to admit, i’m pretty sad to be leaving and in some way, i almost wish i never had to leave sunny southern california. as much as i love oakland and san francisco, something about the view of the san bernardino mountains to the north and the big stretches of desert to the east just call to me… i lived here for the first 18 years of my life, and can’t help but be hit with intense waves of nostalgia when i’m here. it seems like i’ll always feel homesick when i leave this place, even if i have been calling the bay area my home for over 10 years now.

but as hard as it is to say goodbye to family, i have to get back to work! and i certainly won’t mind arriving home to my little apartment with a pretty view of the hillside and of downtown oakland with my little kitty friend waiting to greet me. and it will be nice to be able to walk into my closet to get dressed in the morning instead of living out of a suitcase. and i can cook a healthy meal in my new le creuset pot (thanks, brendan!) and sleep in a comfy bed with the one that i love. and hopefully 2012 will be as kind to me as 2011 was, and i can’t wait for all of the exciting things i already have planned in just the first week of the year alone!

top: j.crew silk crepe blouse
sweater: j.crew mockneck sweater
skirt: j.crew mini felted wool skirt
coat: boutique by jaeger knot sleeve mac
shoes: vintage salvatore ferragamo vara flats
bag: j.w. hulme mini legacy bag
lipstick: make up for ever rouge artist intense #20

calivintage: a new year

my style

outfit: hot pink, heat wave

December 29, 2011 31 Comments

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

my style

outfit: olive ave.

December 28, 2011 38 Comments

despite that fact that i packed for the winter, the weather here in redlands has been unseasonably warm, even for southern california! it’s fun to see everyone (myself included) walking around in their new jackets and sweaters looking a bit uncomfortable discovering that the weather doesn’t really require quite so many layers. so i decided to shed a few of my own layers and opted to prance around in a very mini skirt with my fancy new pink polka dot shirt!

i went for a little walk on olive ave to admire the cool old craftsman and victorian style homes and palm tree lined streets. we didn’t really capture them in this set of photos, but redlands has some of the most amazing historical buildings. it’s the type of place where you can just drive (or bike) around for hours admiring all of the interesting architecture.

top: babes in toyland pink polka dot top c/o lulu’s
skirt: american apparel denim circle skirt
coat: boutique by jaeger knot sleeve mac
shoes: vintage patent leather salvatore ferragamo vara flats
bag: rebecca minkoff covet satchel
lipstick: stila long lasting lip color in petal
shoes: vintage mary janes

calivintage: pink polka dot

my style

outfit: calivintage + ralph lauren, day three

December 21, 2011 26 Comments

calivintage + ralph lauren, day three

aaaand today marks part three of my series of outfits that i styled for ralph lauren denim & supply. i can’t explain exactly what it is (perhaps it’s the socal girl in me) that was drawn to this dress, but something about the voluminous and romantic silhouette balanced out by a dark and luxurious black fabric was calling my name. i immediately went for my dark floppy hat and matching red lipstick for a witchy vibe, and added the vintage blouse as the little touch of innocent to an otherwise dark look. once i stepped outside, i asked myself why i don’t more frequently wear these types of flowy skirts. i was prancing all over, swishing the fabric around my legs and watching it billow in the breeze. oh, and the best part is that this dress doubles as a nightgown. after we went out for lunch, i took off the belt and the high heels and plopped onto the couch for a mid-afternoon nap.

dress: ralph lauren denim & supply tiered pintuck dress
top: vintage hand crocheted blouse
hat: felt hat from the drugstore
shoes: rosegold danielle pumps
bag: rebecca minkoff covet satchel
lipstick: ysl rouge pur couture in le rouge
calivintage + ralph lauren, day three

my style

outfit: calivintage + ralph lauren, day two

December 19, 2011 36 Comments

calivintage + ralph lauren, day two

with the holidays upon us, things have been just a little bit crazy around here! as soon as i finish writing this post, i’m jumping in the car to make the 7 hour drive to my hometown of redlands, ca where i’ll be visiting with family and working from the los angeles office for the next couple of weeks. it’s not quite a vacation because i’ll still be working, but it will be nice to have a change of setting and to be able to see my family when i get home at the end of the day. and i’m super excited to sit around the kitchen table with my grandma, mom, aunt, and sister to make tamales for christmas! yum!

but before i head out, i wanted to share part two of my series of outfits that i styled for ralph lauren denim & supply (you can see the first look here). these photos were shot on a sunny, albeit deceptively chilly, weekend afternoon. me and the boy headed over to blue bottle cafe in the jack london area of oakland for a nice hot cup of coffee and a stroll around the neighborhood. it’s an interesting mix of old buildings, some that have fallen by the wayside, and others that have been resurrected in the form of cool restaurants and fancy lofts. i like walking around and seeing the way the area has changed even in just the past 5 years that i’ve lived here. as we strolled around talking about nothing in particular, we could see the light bouncing off the side of this old brick building from a few blocks away and knew it would be a nice spot to hang out and goof off while drinking our coffee and enjoying the last of the light on a nice weekend day.

tunic: ralph lauren denim & supply sleeveless turtleneck sweater
coat: ralph lauren denim & supply cropped wool pea coat
skirt: lulu’s ma cherie skirt
tights: tabbisocks fleece lined tights
shoes: dvf felicity heels
bag: j.w. hulme mini legacy bag
lipstick: ysl rouge pur couture in le rouge

calivintage + ralph lauren, day two

my style

outfit: calivintage + ralph lauren, day one

December 12, 2011 42 Comments

today i’m excited to share a fun little series that i’ve been working on with ralph lauren denim & supply. you wouldn’t believe my excitement when they asked me if i’d be interested in styling three looks from their new collection! pretty exciting stuff! they had so much stuff to choose from, that it was actually a challenge to narrow it down to only three looks! for my first outfit, i opted to go for a very nautical look built around this pretty much perfect sailor stripe shirt. over the years, i’ve picked up a number of different striped shirts, but i’ve had a hard time finding one that fits exactly the way i want. it’s funny how such a simple item can be so difficult to find, but when i got this shirt in the mail, it was love at first sight. if you are still on the hunt for one like this, i highly recommend it.

anyway, there are a few more photos than usual because the weather was just so nice out and we were having a bit too much fun playing with the light as the sun set behind the oakland high rises near lake merritt. i love this spot because it’s such an interesting contrast between the urban setting to the west and such a lovely natural estuary to the east with pretty migratory birds floating around in the evening sky.

top: ralph lauren denim & supply striped jersey boatneck in cream/fresh water
pants: ralph lauren denim & supply boyfriend chino pant in luxury tan
jacket: ralph lauren denim & supply fleece velvet-trim tux jacket
bag: rebecca minkoff covet satchel
shoes: rosegold danielle heel
lipstick: ysl rouge pur in le rouge

my style

gift giving with gucci

December 7, 2011 7 Comments

’tis the season for gift guides and shopping mayhem. if you’re wondering why i haven’t been sharing any gift guides this year, it’s because i’m a bit of a scrooge. i mean, i love shopping just as much as the next gal (probably a bit more, actually), but the holidays can be a pretty stressful time! but when lucky magazine contacted me to tell me about their gift guide for the vintage fiend, i was singing a different tune. i can’t resist a good retro gift, and clearly i love to shop for them. a quick look through the gallery, and perhaps my cold heart was warmed just a little bit by the simple red and green stripes on this classic gucci boston bag.

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