my style

millie & lou

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my style

all of the sweaters + practical shoes

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my style

the foundation bodysuit

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lifestyle, home

our 1927 bathroom restoration with true value

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fashion

outfit favorites july 24

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now that it’s summer, i’ve been pretty much fixated on pretty dresses or simple outfits comprised of shorts and blouses. they’re easy enough to throw on in the summer heat, but the details in these looks set them apart and create plenty of interest!

kansas couture: rose-colored glasses
the combination of the perfect fit and interesting cut of katy’s dress with that amazing straw sailor hat and round sunnies is so spot on! she definitely shows us that a simple dress never has to be boring!

les mads: a day in disneyland
i love this look because the polka dots and lace collar are super cute, but the look is perfectly comfortable and casual for a day in a theme park.

pandora: madame bovary c’est moi
again, this is a very simple look to keep you comfortable in the summer, but that dress is out of this world! the modest length and open cut feels so fresh in a sea of mini dresses! and of course you know i love those jessica simpson platforms.

diary of style: hello tokyo
lately i feel very drawn to the red, white, and blue combo. it’s only cheesy on the 4th, but the rest of the year, it’s such an eye-catching look. i especially love the swallow print on her cute dress and the way that she added a splash of red with a simple ribbon around her neck.

slickwalk
i love the way that she takes these preppy pieces, but makes them super casual and cool with the wrinkled linen shorts and perfectly worn in oxford boots.

here’s lookin at me kid: wardrobe wednesday – neutrals
i just recently discovered this blog thanks to my obsessive tumblr browsing and i have to say i’m sad that she only does outfits on wednesday! her styling is so perfectly put together and i really think i need a felt fedora now!

fashion

vintage picnics

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last night i was sitting with my boyfriend having a chat and he asked me if we could go on lots of picnics over the weekend. picnics are pretty much one of my favorite things to do, so today my head has been filled with sammich and watermelon and potato salad dreams. so i thought i would post some of these beautiful vintage photos of people on picnics so you could share my mood. none of these are my own, but you can click through for the source of each one.

i’m off to the grocery store to buy the ingredients for a grilled portobello mushroom sammich. care to share any of your favorite picnic foods and/or locations? i feel like hearing picnic stories and ideas.


my style

the great indoors

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t-shirt: lost at tee courtesy of modcloth shorts: vintage khaki shorts from treefox vintage bag: h&m striped tote bag shoes: the perf sandals courtesy of modcloth glasses: 3.1 phillip lim spring 2009
yesterday, it struck me that it had been a very long time since i’d worn a t-shirt. what was once a wardrobe staple for me, has now become a thing of the past. i usually opt for some sort of vintage blouse, pullover, or dress. and i knew it had become a thing when i recently attended a small event and a friend said, “wow, i can’t remember the last time i saw you wearing a t-shirt.” and it’s true, the occasions are few and far between. so yesterday i decided to style up a simple summer outfit with this cute sailboat t-shirt. we were off to take photos in some new location in the neighborhood when we realized two things: 1) it was actually pretty cold and overcast outside, and 2) there was an empty apartment in our building with the door left unlocked. a neighbor recently moved out, so her place is up for rent, which means we get free reign over a big empty space indoors to take some sneaky pictures!the light was soft and low, filtered through all of the closed blinds and drapes. we tip toed around because the emptiness of the room amplified the creeky floor boards, and we were nervous that a nosy neighbor might come over to scold us for taking pictures in there. our building is small and our neighbors have a tendency to make us feel like we’re surly kids up to no good, even though we happen to be very good tenants! so we quietly snapped away, trying to take advantage of the interesting light and new location.

t-shirt: lost at tee courtesy of modcloth
shorts: vintage khaki shorts from treefox vintage
bag: h&m striped tote bag
shoes: the perf sandals courtesy of modcloth
glasses: 3.1 phillip lim spring 2009

t-shirt: lost at tee courtesy of modcloth shorts: vintage khaki shorts from treefox vintage bag: h&m striped tote bag shoes: the perf sandals courtesy of modcloth glasses: 3.1 phillip lim spring 2009 t-shirt: lost at tee courtesy of modcloth shorts: vintage khaki shorts from treefox vintage bag: h&m striped tote bag shoes: the perf sandals courtesy of modcloth glasses: 3.1 phillip lim spring 2009 t-shirt: lost at tee courtesy of modcloth shorts: vintage khaki shorts from treefox vintage bag: h&m striped tote bag shoes: the perf sandals courtesy of modcloth glasses: 3.1 phillip lim spring 2009 t-shirt: lost at tee courtesy of modcloth shorts: vintage khaki shorts from treefox vintage bag: h&m striped tote bag shoes: the perf sandals courtesy of modcloth glasses: 3.1 phillip lim spring 2009

fashion

modern day pin-up

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i recently stumbled across this editorial, she was once mine. it was inspired by pin up girls of the 1950’s and was shot in the liguria region of italy. besides the fact that i would love to go on a vacation to such a beautiful place and experience some real summer heat, i love the modern take on the classic style. and i just can’t get enough of those amazing hairstyles! i feel like this whole photo shoot would be great with some of those beautiful zelda sweetwater swimsuits. in my dreams!

fashion

orla kiely fall 2010

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just last night i was at a dinner when someone mentioned that fall is already right around the corner. i quickly interjected and announced that it was the middle of summer and that i would have no talk of fall just yet! then this morning, i discovered the new orla kiely fall 2010 collection on the orla kiely facebook page and i had to share it with you. so i suppose i’ll just have to eat my words. and in my defense, i’ll mention that i posted most of my fall favorites back in february when they came out. only then, i suppose it made more sense because it was still cold and wintery back then!

either way, fall will be here eventually, and it’s always good to plan ahead! i am particularly in love with that mustard yellow velvet dress, especially because i have hopes that i’ll be able to find something like it in a vintage shop! and of course, i am loving the wool separates and in particular, winter shorts! throw in some stripes, fall colors, a few bows, and some lovely full skirts and i think i’ll be ready for when the weather gets cold.

giveaways

zuburbia ebay roundup & giveaway!

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this week, one of my lovely sponsors, zuburbia vintage, would like to tell you about their weekly ebay roundup of vintage clothing finds! mary, the creator of zuburbia vintage, discovered that lots of gals are just too busy to page through thousands of ebay listings, so she does all of the work for you! literally paging through thousands of ebay listings each week to hand-select an eclectic mix of designer and non-designer vintage clothing and accessories that catch her discerning eye for their uniqueness, their contemporary feel, or their highly collectible nature, she creates a grouping that includes items in various price ranges that appeal to all ages. the post has been become a regular feature on the style page of the huffington post, but all the email subscribers can receive an early sneak peek on mondays in addition to exclusive extra editions that aren’t published on huffington.
to get an idea of what it looks like, i created a little gallery with some of my top picks from this week’s post which featured a vintage adrian designer 1940’s blouse, a vintage 1930’s blue floral silk chiffon dress, a 1920’s black sheer lace evening dress, a 1970’s pink satin coat, and a vintage jean varon backless gown. just click here to view the listings!

like what you see? zuburbia is offering a $25 ebay gift certificate to one lucky subscriber. all you have to do is sign up for the weekly mailer and type in “calivintage” in the “how did you find us?” field to receive your entry.

when you enter your e-mail, you can choose to sign up for any one of the mailing lists to qualify. or sign up for all four, it’s up to you! zuburbia will never provide your e-mail address to a third party and you can unsubscribe at any time. winner will be announced on friday, july 23 at 10am p.s.t.

uncategorized

nyc wrap up

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last week, i promised a little wrap up of my trip to nyc. unfortunately, i didn’t realize how quickly two days would pass right by, so i didn’t accomplish quite as much as was on my list of things to do! i arrived in the early morning after a red-eye and spent most of my first day in a bit of a daze, adjusting to the heat and humidity and enjoying good conversation with jessica over a delicious diner breakfast. then we went back to her place and chatted away for hours while i browsed the internet and she worked on illustrations for her upcoming book!

that evening, i attended the charlotte russe project mannequin styleoff event as one of the contestants. it was a really nice set up with racks of clothes, shoes, bags, and accessories from the upcoming collection, and they served up delicious cocktails and plenty of sushi. i was a bit nervous about the whole thing, but everyone there was very warm and welcoming! for the challenge, we were each given a card with a different prompt and had 20 minutes to style up our look! i was relieved to be given the challenge of styling an outfit for sunday brunch, since that happens to be one of my favorite occasions!

we had to compete with each other to grab our favorite pieces from the selection, so i was a bit slow in snatching up my first picks, but i found this romantic floral dress and layered it with a ruffled t-shirt, a woven belt, and a pair of brown t-strap sandals. the dress had little strands of metallic thread running through it, so i complimented it with a slouchy gold tote. it’s definitely very vintage-inspired and comfortable enough to wear on a lazy sunday. i was quite proud of my look, and i would love to win the contest, so if you have a moment, i would love it if you would check out the site and vote for me!

on my last day in new york, i slept in until an ungodly hour, so i didn’t have too much time before my flight back home. i decided that i should do something touristy, so i took a visit to the metropolitan museum of art after a few people recommended that i check out the american women exhibit. they didn’t allow photography in this particular exhibit, but i did find this video showcasing all of the pieces, so now you don’t even have to take a trip to the museum if you want to take a look!

my favorite looks were of the gibson girls, hands down. i loved their straw hats, high collars, and puff sleeved jackets. in particular, there was an amazing two piece sailor dress that i wanted to pull right off the mannequin and take home with me! i dream of finding pieces like these at an antique shop or estate sale to just hang on my walls and admire.


and that was it! i caught my flight home and kissed the ground in california. i love to visit new york, and hope that my next trip is a bit longer so i can meet up with more folks, but it was definitely nice to get back to the laid back atmosphere and 70 degree weather back home.

fashion

outfit favorites july 18

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i gotta tell you, this week was really good for inspiration. i wasn’t even able to be at my computer nearly as often as i usually am, yet i still managed to find so many great outfits the few times i managed to find the time to sit down and read my favorite blogs! but as per usual, you can take a peek at everything that tickled my fancy by checking the constant flow of inspiration on my tumblr. and now onto the looks:

the sartorialist: on the street… lucia, florence
basically, this picture should be on the cover of scott schuman’s next book. it’s like marry poppins: practically perfect in every way. i love the color palette of her simple summer outfit and the way she tied that cute scarf in her hair with those cute sunglasses.

style is style: try to have some fun and don’t get caught
every time lydia does outfit posts on her blog, i am blown away at her ability to out-do herself each time. i am tempted to post her looks here week after week because they are all so good! i love the china blue dress layered with an easy blouse and cute lil mary janes.

february forehead: woodstock 2010
i am right now on the hunt for a cute little ruffle blouse just like this so i can try to steal this summer look for myself! she looks like a modern day gibson girl!

team peter stigter: aifw streethearts award #1
note to self: make some wacky shoe clips out of all of that yarn that’s been sitting in my work room for ages, and place atop a simple pair of shoes! also, where can i find a cape as amazing as this one? so perfect!

dear beatrice: the way to there
i am finding myself becoming very fond of these monochromatic looks. i love the way beatrice went all the way with her red and white gingham look with a red bow, red sunnies, and the perfect pair of red platforms. so fresh!

growin’ up: library of my dreams!
and while i do love the simplicity of using only one or two colors, i gotta hand it to jessica for this beautiful combination of rust red, peach, and army green. and i am loving the shorts suit look this summer especially!

giveaways

and the winner is…

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shealennon is the winner of a $40 gift certificate to tiger cult vintage! she was selected by the random number generator at random.org. congratulations shealennon!

thank you so much to everyone who entered the contest, but no worries if you didn’t win this time! there are many more opportunities to win great prizes each week thanks to the sponsors of calivintage.

fashion

back pack

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while on my quick trip in nyc, i’ve been thinking a lot about appropriate bags for lugging around all of my stuff! and while i know a backpack can get a bit warm, they’re certainly nice when you’ve got to carry around a big old camera, maps, an extra pair of shoes, a notepad, and all of the random items you might pick up on a shopping excursion, while still keeping your hands free so you can hail a cab or dig around in your pockets for subway fare. so a browsed around and found some fashionable bags so you can be a tourist without looking too much like one!

a.b.k. custom leather craft, fjÁ¤llrÁ¤ven kÁ¥nken mini, kimchi blue canvas backpack from urban outfitters, canvassing backpack from modcloth, fjÁ¤llrÁ¤ven vintage 20l