calivintage – Page 107 – mom jeans + puff sleeves

marais usa

October 13, 2011 14 Comments

another one of my stops during nyfw in september was at the steven alan showroom to meet with catherine chen and haley boyd, the designers and creators of the shoe company, marais usa. in addition to checking out the shoes available now for fall 2011, i got the chance to take a peek at the upcoming spring 2012 collection! as excited as i am about the spring shoes, i have to wait just a little bit longer to share the photos i took. so in the meantime, i thought i would share their fall 2011 lookbook with you. the photos are so stunning! something about the grainy film quality and the casual poses just feels to intimate and personal. but art direction aside, the shoes are perfectly adorable! and when chatting with the girls, they pointed out that they keep all of their prices below $165, and in most case, under $100. win!

my style

outfit: fall uniform

October 12, 2011 30 Comments

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

fashion

tocca fall 2011

October 11, 2011 11 Comments

a little while back, i happened upon the new tocca fall 2011 lookbook while browsing around on tumblr. as soon as i laid my eyes on the look above, complete with a perfect vintage-inspired coat, peter pan collar, and fuzzy little cap, i fell in love. and it’s no coincidence, since the new designer at tocca is none other than emma fletcher (the former designer of the now defunct label, lyell). and this season has plenty of looks to love: from the thick wool coats to the pretty scalloped shorts, and delicate silk and lace details. and no need to wait, because the entire collection is available now online, even if you just want to take a peek!

my style

outfit: tecumseh valley

October 10, 2011 22 Comments

as the sun began to set on our usual weekend walk around the neighborhood, brendan commented that he loves the autumn light. we looked up at the world around us and tried to observe just what makes it so different (and beautiful) in the fall. the air feels crisp and while the leaves certainly don’t display as many colors as they do on the east coast, they still add just a bit of depth and dimension to the landscape. and i love the light so much at this time of day, that of course, it was the perfect place to catch a few photos of my weekend wear.

i first saw this skirt back in february during a visit to the lauren moffatt studio. she pulled it out from the rack and chuckled that the inspiration for the collection was kinda like laura ingalls wilder on acid. i fell in love with the pretty, saturated colors on the spot, so of course, when the collection finally came out, i had to have it. it’s named after the song ‘tecumseh valley’ by towne’s van zandt, so i listened to the song as i got dressed, twirling around in the silk fabric paired with a cozy little sweater. the mixture of light and sound and fabric has certainly got me feeling like it’s fall in california.

skirt: lauren moffatt tecumseh valley skirt
top: h&m cropped sweater
shoes: red worishofer sandals
sunglasses: karen walker number six
bag: j.w. hulme mini legacy bag
lipstick: ysl rouge pur couture in le orange

fashion

my nyfw: alexandra grecco spring 2012 sneak peek

October 6, 2011 28 Comments

while visiting new york during fashion week, i went on a number of studio visits to preview new collections from some of my favorite designers. one such visit was with alexandra grecco. if you aren’t familiar with her designs, then i strongly urge you to check out her blog, and most importantly, her online shop! she hasn’t yet released the spring 2012 collection, so i can only give you a little peek at what i saw! the pieces are very whimsical, inspired by vintage ballet and brigitte bardot, and infused with playful elements such as a darling hand-painted hot air balloon print and big ruffled collars. it was quite a treat to see it up close and i can’t wait to see the full collection!

my style

outfit: jump!

October 4, 2011 41 Comments

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!

street style

calivintage + project urban renewal: vintage street style

October 3, 2011 11 Comments

finally! another round of street style photos! for this set, i was contacted by the lovely ladies of project urban renewal, an upcoming collection of vintage apparel and accessories coming soon to urban outfitter’s space 15 twenty in los angeles. they had seen some of the photos i’d taken at the alameda flea market and asked if i’d be interested in doing a little guest post featuring some of the vintage styles i’ve seen there. since i go there every month to hunt for treasures, i was happy to bring my camera with me to look for new street style subjects. these photos were taken last month at the alameda point antiques faire, and if you like them, get excited, because i was just there again yesterday and got a huuuge set of new photos coming soon. but in the meantime, be sure to check out my guest post at space 15 twenty.

lifestyle

a house mouse

September 29, 2011 21 Comments

you may not know this, but i may have a slight affinity for crafty little projects. i feel like it sort of goes hand-in-hand with the lifestyle of a girl who would prefer to spend her weekends in thrift shops. looking at all of the bags of lace and buttons and odds-and-ends, i begin to imagine the possibilities for handmade items and start to collect bits of fabric and things in hopes of creating some sort of diy masterpiece. unfortunately, the reality is that i just have drawers and bags stuffed full of partially finished projects taunting and teasing me as i continue to set them aside for more tech savvy endeavors.

but i recently managed to throw together a very simple cat toy diy for the modcloth blog, where we are celebrating mewsweek, much to my delight! i had so much fun trying to snap photos of this little mousy with my cat momo, that i thought it would be fun to share the finished product with you! if you’re curious for the directions ,which were expertly illustrated by our graphic designer, mini, you can hop on over to modcloth!

my style

outfit: hunter

September 28, 2011 44 Comments

with the autumn equinox only a few days past, i am happy to report that as per usual, san francisco offered us a nice rainy day to welcome the new season. so of course, i took the opportunity to wear one of my new comfy cozy fall outfits while wandering about in the mountain view cemetery. the sky was perfectly gray and gloomy, and the earth was still moist from the showers. i wore a black dress for the first time in a long time, and i loved the depth that it added to my look. i know that a basic jersey wrap dress such as this is a no brainer for many, but in all my life i’ve never owned such an essential basic, so i was very pleased when karen kane offered to send one along for me to try out. it’s the type of thing that you can mix and match with any combination of things, and it’s so perfectly soft and stretchy that you could practically live in it. needless to say, i’m quite happy to finally have it in my wardrobe! and as you’ll see when you begin to scroll down, i clearly had a good time prancing around in my silly, preppy fox hunter outfit, as is evidenced by the number of pictures we snapped! yikes!

dress: karen kane wrap top dress
blouse: deyrolle pour opening ceremony silk fox print blouse
jacket: family affairs runaway blazer
shoes: vintage cut out oxfords
sunglasses: karen walker number six
bag: rebecca minkoff covet satchel
lipstick: ysl rouge pur couture in le rouge
nails: butter polish in pillar box red

fashion

family affairs fall 2011

September 27, 2011 11 Comments

after yesterday’s post in my pretty new good spirits dress, i thought i might take a moment to share the rest of the family affairs fall 2011 collection, “meteorite dreams.” you may remember some of the pieces from this little sneak peek i posted back in february! ever since i laid my eyes on the collection, i had been dreaming of these pretty pieces. i love the starry print, metallic details, and decadent velvet and wool fabrics in easy, wearable cuts. often, when a collection like this comes out, i can imagine myself spending the whole season wearing each piece and living in the dreamy world it creates!