first day back: i am now blogging from the comfort of my own home after a whirlwind trip to nyc. i have already been harassed for mentioning this on twitter, but i really am delighted to be back in the california sunshine. i stepped outside this afternoon wearing jeans and a simple sweater and sorta pranced around a little bit in the warmth and sunlight, observing the first of the spring flowers blooming in the neighborhood: little peeks of pink and red and purple emerging from dark green shrubs and trees.

but enough of that. now i must tell you a bit about my trip: i arrived in nyc on thursday afternoon and spent my evening with jessica of what i wore. we chatted for hours about blogs and life while enjoying a delicious home-made meal and sharing a few glasses of wine. it’s really quite nice to be able to connect with other bloggers in real life to talk shop, and it was definitely one of the highlights of my trip to be able to do just that.

then i spent friday morning pacing around in jessica’s apartment waiting for the mail to arrive. when i left for my flight on thursday, i knew i would forget something: MY PHONE. fortunately, my bf sent it in the overnight mail, so i only had to wait a few hours before things were back on track. then i was off to meet rebecca of the clothes horse during her photo shoot with market publique. it was great to meet the ladies who run the site and to reconnect with rebecca after meeting her over the summer during the weardrobe conference!

so these are a few shots of what i wore while hanging out during the day on friday. as you can see, there was quite a bit of snow on the ground, and i quite like the comparison between my outfit and a frozen confection. i really did feel like a real life creamsicle, freezing cold in my peach mohair sweater!

wearing:
vintage fur collar, gift from mom
brown coat, j.crew
belt, zara
classic white belt, j.crew
vintage peach mohair sweater, idol vintage
high rise skinny jeans, forever 21
platform oxfords, courtesy of seychelles

for today’s outfit post, i would like to give you a little sneak peek at a photo shoot i did with jt paradox of the sf style for the local lifestyle magazine 7×7. we ran into a bit of a time crunch, and of course, the moment we met up for the shoot, it began pouring rain. so we headed off in the car going nowhere in particular when i remembered how lovely it is inside the conservatory of flowers in golden gate park. we both agreed that the turn-of-the-century architecture was the perfect match for my vintage boater hat, so off we went! it’s such a cool little spot with different rooms of varying temperatures and humidity to accommodate the lush greenery.

i have to say, this was a particularly daring outfit, but i decided to have a little fun with it since we were shooting for a magazine. i think i would wear this exact same outfit for a nice outing, only with a black vintage camisole underneath so i wouldn’t look quite as “pin-up.” but it was definitely fun and i can’t wait to see the feature in 7×7 magazine.

here’s a shot of what it looks like from the outside on a sunny day, via the conservatory website.

all photos shot by jt paradox of the sf style.

today was one of those days where my head was full of mixed bizness. as in, while i was uploading my photos, i got that beck song in my head… because i was wearing a leather skirt. anyway, this outfit was originally influenced by my love for marc jacobs spring 2009 and miu miu spring 2010 (see: blouse with birds and unicorns on it), but once i actually got it on, all i could think about was nicki grant from big love. perhaps that’s because i’m just as obsessed with that show as i am with miu miu and marc. seriously, did you see the latest episode? steamy! i also kinda think i slightly resemble a hot dog in this outfit. and now i am hungry. ah, the inner workings of my mind…

wearing:
vintage blouse with birds and unicorns, missfarfalia on etsy
yellow sash, american apparel
vintage brown leather skirt, thrifted
vintage woven flats, pineapple mint on etsy

one thing i’ve noticed about my style is that it isn’t clearly marked by the four seasons. i live in the temperate san francisco bay area. we don’t really have seasons, though we do have very interesting micro-climates. it can be warm and sunny and then turn cold and chilly within a few hours time or within a few blocks, so you can never really be certain just how to dress! today it was warm enough to go without a coat, and winter dressing has just gotten so boooring, so i decided to try out two of my “spring” items: a vintage boater hat and a vintage liberty of london print blouse, complete with little birds in a garden of flowers and berries. i felt like wearing them, spring or summer or not!

speaking of spring, i don’t think i’ll be so bold as to start forecasting the big trends, but i do know one thing i’m looking forward to: prints! i’ve already started collecting a number of button down blouses with interesting prints, especially if animals are included in said print. i think this influence is strongly stemming from the amazing miu miu cat, dog, and bird prints of spring 2010.

i also think this will be the year that i actually wear my boater hat. after falling in absolute love with the charles anastase spring 2009 collection last year (and of course marc jacobs and lover), i scoured ebay for weeks waiting for the perfect straw boater to pop up. low and behold i snagged this beauty for quite a good price. i wore it once or twice, and it soon became another decoration atop my dresser. i thought perhaps they would become passe and that apparently i wasn’t bold enough to take the plunge, but after seeing plenty of new spring collections featuring the boater, i think i’ll still have my chance to incorporate them into my wardrobe. what spring/summer trends do you see in your future?