the basics

calivintage: the basics

a couple weeks ago, i realized that i didn’t have a classic white button front shirt. i kinda don’t know how i went for so long without one in my wardrobe, though i have a sneaking suspicion that it’s leftover from the days when i had a job that required me to wear light colored dress shirts and slacks everyday. i guess i just found myself averse to the idea of business attire. it’s funny how a uniform can affect the way you dress when you’re off work. the same thing happened when i worked as a cake decorator in a bakery… i would spend all of my time in beat up jeans and t-shirts, so when i got off work, i would immediately run to the closet to throw on a fancy dress. and you know what? now that i think of it, i don’t have a good basic t-shirt in my wardrobe either! perhaps it’s time to stock up on some more basics…

top: gap
sweater: anthropologie
jeans: j brand maria
shoes: swedish hasbeens braided sky high
coat: asos
bag: j.w. hulme mini legacy bag
sunglasses: tom ford nikita

calivintage: the basics

table at taillevent

calivintage: table at taillevent

today is a particularly special day because i’m wearing my brand new lauren moffatt dress! you may remember a few months back, i was fortunate enough to go on a lauren moffatt studio visit to check out her upcoming fall 2011 collection. while i was there, i snapped a few behind-the-scenes photos and basically attempted to contain myself at the sight of so many beautiful pieces. time and again, her collections come out in my top list of favorites, so when they offered to send me a dress from the spring collection, i was over the moon! and you can bet that the moment it arrived, i threw it on with a pair of vintage flats and wore it 2 days in a row, haha! it’s one of those dresses that just feels so right!

dress: lauren moffatt table at taillevent dress
shoes: vintage salvatore ferragamo flats
bag: l.l. bean signature suede clutch
sunglasses: tom ford nikita sunglasses
lipstick: ysl rouge pur in #52 rosy coral

calivintage: table at taillevent
calivintage: table at taillevent
calivintage: table at taillevent
calivintage: table at taillevent
calivintage: table at taillevent
calivintage: table at taillevent
calivintage: table at taillevent

mt. tam

calivintage: mt. tam

yesterday was a particularly lazy sunday, spent sleeping in, drinking mimosas, and laying about the house. but by the early evening, we were struck by the sunny skies and decided that we would run out to marin country to drive up mt. tamalpais. it’s an easy weekend destination when we have the urge to get outside. in fact, i’ve posted photos from mt. tam before! this time, we drove up to the tippy top and got a hazy view of the entire bay area. if you look closely, you can see san francisco waaaay out in the background. lucky for us, we caught the sunset before making our way back home, with a necessary stop at sol food for delicious puerto rican fare.

dress: ymc fish scale print dress
bag: vintage woven straw purse
shoes: kork ease bette wedges
bracelet: vintage bakelite bangle
lipstick: ysl rouge pur in le rouge

calivintage: mt. tam
calivintage: mt. tam

mod world

calivintage: mod world

oh hello! i feel like it’s been a long while since i’ve done an actual outfit post! so this is what i wore to work yesterday! it ended up being a bit too chilly for me to take of my coat, but underneath i am wearing a cute little mod mini dress that my mom gave me when i got to see her over the weekend for my sister’s wedding. she lives in tucson, and apparently they have pretty good vintage and thrift out there, because she’s been picking up all sort of amazing pieces here and there over the past several months that she thought i might like. if you were ever wondering how i became obsessed with vintage, now you know that i have my mother to blame! neither of us can ever keep ourselves from obsessively hunting for vintage finds. we both meet up every few months with our bounties to exchange and the process continues. oh dear. it runs in the family.

dress: vintage 60’s dress from my mom
coat: asos
shoes: vintage salvatore ferragamo flats
bag: j.w. hulme mini legacy bag
pin: sly fox wooden brooch by lucie ellen

calivintage: mod world
calivintage: mod world
calivintage: mod world
calivintage: mod world
calivintage: mod world

wedding weekend

calivintage: wedding weekend

aaaand i’m back from a long weekend spent with my family in southern california for my sister’s wedding! i have to admit, i was a bad blogger because i hardly took any photos while i was away, but i was just too busy running around with last minute wedding preparations, and just spending time with my family. but i did snap a few shots on the wedding day, and thought i might share my little photo diary with you!

above, i’m doing my signature jump shot in front of my grandparents house with my incredibly fashionable little brother. i’m wearing a boutique by jaeger dress and he’s wearing a j.crew shirt, levi’s 1947 jeans, and alden boots.

calivintage: wedding weekend

on the day of the wedding, i went to the nail salon with my sister (the bride), my mom, and my aunt julie. i picked out a bright orange to match my lipstick, and the lady doing my nails convinced me to do the tips. i thought it was weird at first, but i actually like it  a lot!

calivintage: wedding weekend

i look like a tourist with my silly cat camera!

calivintage: wedding weekend

i was too impatient to wait to wear this dress, so you’ve already seen it! but here’s a quick outfit shot!

calivintage: wedding weekend

posing for pictures with my sis after the ceremony.

calivintage: wedding weekend

aha! my grandparents are like me. they usually make serious faces for the pictures, but i caught them in a candid moment!

calivintage: wedding weekend

the obligatory group shot of our family with the happy couple. the perez family. (i’m standing next to my mom!)

calivintage: wedding weekend

i decorated the wedding cakes complete with little orange blossoms and kumquats!

my brother decided to interfere with my outfit shot. his vintage reissue levi’s and alden boots are stealing the show!

little prairie

calivintage: little prairie

i feel pretty darn silly posting these pictures today because it is currently cold and rainy outside. but it was pretty pleasant over the weekend when i snapped these photos during a neighborhood stroll. i was excited to wear my new little prairie dress because even though this dress is modern, the reason i was so drawn to it is because it is such a classic ’70s and ’80s-inspired piece. this outfit actually makes me think of something my mother would have worn when she was younger, complete with the little cork wedges, though i’m sure hers would have been sky high because she clocks in at a teeny-tiny 4’11”!

speaking of moms, i’m super excited to be visiting southern california this weekend for my sister’s wedding! i get to see my whole family all together, which has become such a rare occurrence these days. and i always miss the warm desert weather when spring rolls around… i checked the forecast and it’s going to be in the high 80s! oh yeah, i’m pulling out all of my favorite sun dresses and getting some sun this weekend!

dress: ymc prairie dress
shoes: worishofer sandals
hat: vintage straw hat
bag: l.l. bean signature suede clutch

calivintage: little prairie
calivintage: little prairie
calivintage: little prairie
calivintage: little prairie
calivintage: little prairie

my nadinoo

calivintage: my nadinoo

ah! i’m feeling pretty good about monday this week because i had one of those very productive weekends! i woke up bright and early on saturday feeling motivated to do some serious spring cleaning. all day, me and the boy went through our things for a major overhaul and got rid of all the clutter that we’d somehow amassed over the past several months. our apartment isn’t huge and spacious, so we decided that we need to keep the junk to a minimum. and i have to say, i feel as though a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders now that i’ve gotten rid of all that excess.

then we went for a stroll around the neighborhood and i decided to wear my lovely nadinoo dress! i received it a few months ago when the weather was still pretty cold and rainy, so i was saving it for a nice sunny weekend afternoon! it’s custom made, similar to the fleur’s penna dress in a pale green liberty print. and what’s more, i am so excited to share that  nadinoo, has started a gallery of photos filled with pictures of lovely ladies wearing their own beautiful nadinoo creations. you can submit your look to the gallery on her facebook page, style my nadinoo. you should also take a moment to check out her site to get a peek at her new spring 2011 collection!

dress: custom made by nadinoo
shoes: swedish hasbeens peep toe super high
bag: thrifted vintage straw clutch
lipstick: ysl rouge pur in le orange

calivintage: my nadinoo
calivintage: my nadinoo
calivintage: my nadinoo
calivintage: my nadinoo
calivintage: my nadinoo

fruit stripe

calivintage: fruit stripe

ok, that title might be a tad bit misleading since the stripes on my dress are actually composed of rows of teeny tiny flowers, but fruit stripe just sounds better. possibly because it’s also the name of one of my favorite childhood candies. but anyway, this is the lovely boutique by jaeger dress that i bought with my sister’s upcoming outdoor wedding in mind. i was trying to keep it in the closet until the main event, but it just kept calling to me with it’s bright and playful color palette.

i thought it would be the perfect thing to wear for another sunny spring day, but don’t let the sunshine fool you. the weather in san francisco was actually a bit cold and windy today. i had an optometrist appointment this afternoon, which was about a 30 minute walk from my work. needless to say, a few passersby probably got a grand view when the wind blew up my skirt. luckily (or not), i happened to be wearing my snazzy loved one undies, so at least it made for an interesting peek!

dress: boutique by jaeger rainbow print sleeveless dress
bag: j.w. hulme mini legacy bag
shoes: worishofer sandals from modcloth
sunglasses: karen walker
lipstick: ysl rouge pur in le orange

calivintage: fruit stripe
calivintage: fruit stripe
calivintage: fruit stripe
calivintage: fruit stripe
calivintage: fruit stripe

to the maxi

calivintage: to the maxi

with the weather so lovely out, i couldn’t resist taking my new maxi dress out for a test drive. so after work, i went on a little stroll around the neighborhood with the boy to soak up the last bits of sun before it set into the sky. this is the second time i’ve tried wearing a maxi length and i have to say, it’s growing on me! there is something so nice about feeling the length of fabric swish around my legs when i walk, and it’s also quite fun to experiment with styles that are far out of my comfort zone. something about the cool, breezy cotton of this dress coupled with the pretty print was just calling to me, and i’m glad i tried it out! it’s exactly the type of dress i could see myself wearing every weekend this summer.

dress: french connection shell print maxi dress
sweater: j.crew infinity cardigan
bag: j.w. hulme mini legacy bag from barneys
sunglasses: ray ban round wayfarer sunglasses
shoes: worishofer sandals from modcloth

calivintage: to the maxi
calivintage: to the maxi
calivintage: to the maxi
calivintage: to the maxi
calivintage: to the maxi
calivintage: to the maxi

sailor style

calivintage: sailor style

oh hello there! on monday, i got a few comments from people asking to get a better look at my sailor trench. fortunately, with the neverending rain we’ve been having, it’s come in handy and i’ve already worn it a few times this past week. so here it is again! today i was especially pleased to be wearing it when my new (to me) vintage straw hat came in the mail. i didn’t plan it, but i feel like the hat actually completed my little sailor look! and if there’s one thing i love about dressing for the spring, it’s straw hats! last year, i wore my vintage boater hat to death, so this year i decided to upgrade to a wider brim. i like how just small changes like that seem to make things feel fresh again.

too bad the wind didn’t agree with me… looks like i’ll need to go on a little hunt for some new hat pins to keep it in place!

hat: vintage straw hat from gritsgirlz on etsy.
coat: bensoni sailor trench from gilt groupe
sweater: cashmere cardigan from t.j. maxx
top: asos pussybow blouse
jeans: j brand jeans from gilt groupe
shoes: jeffrey campbell mary janes
lipstick: ysl rouge pur in le rouge
nails: zoya nail polish in marley

calivintage: sailor style
calivintage: sailor style
calivintage: sailor style
calivintage: sailor style
calivintage: sailor style