calivintage – Page 156 – mom jeans + puff sleeves

yipes stripes!

December 17, 2009 22 Comments

did you guys ever chew fruit stripe bubble gum when you were kids? or maybe you still do? remember those really ridiculous commercials, and the vegetable based dye tattoos on the gum wrappers? i used to buy a pack and chew the whole thing in one sitting because the flavor didn’t last very long. oh, childhood novelties!

anyway, what was the point of this? oh yes, stripes. i cannot believe that i do not have a striped t shirt. such a classic, always in style, appropriate for all seasons. anyone have any idea where i can get one for a good price? it’s high time i got one!

column a: jean seberg in breathless, jen h. on lookbook, raychel sonveeco on flickr, hedvig l. on lookbook
column b: audrey tautou in coco avant chanel, the sartorialist, audrey hepburn, refinery 29

UPDATE: i totally bought a vintage breton stripe shirt from kennedy holmes after writing this and then i found a boat neck striped shirt from the rodarte for target collection. i’m good.

my style

let’s stay inside

December 16, 2009 45 Comments

…and play dress up! today it is cold and rainy again and i just wasn’t in the mood to go outside. so, i put on extra makeup and did my best olivia newton-john impression. actually, that was not the intended outcome at all, but while my boyfriend was shooting these photos, he kept singing that song, “you’re the one that i want ooh ooh ooh honey…” so if i don’t look very tough, it’s because these were the shots we got in-between laughter. wow, i just took the glamour right outta that one, didn’t i?

anyway, i was just going for something that i wouldn’t normally wear, while still plucking all of the items right from my own closet. it’s not a complete 180 or anything, but my boyfriend brought up a good point: since i always dress really sweet and cute, then i will always look like a good girl trying to be bad when i change it up a bit. the only funny part about that is that i think i might surprise you if you were to know me in real life!

What are little boys made of?
What are little boys made of?
Frogs and snails
And puppy-dogs’ tails,
That’s what little boys are made of.

What are little girls made of?
What are little girls made of?
Sugar and spice
And all that’s nice,
That’s what little girls are made of.

wearing:
vintage levi’s denim jacket, thrifted
vintage lace tank top, thrifted
skinny high rise skinnny jeans, j brand
vintage nine west oxfords, thrifted

my style

going gray

December 15, 2009 51 Comments

oh my! bare legs in winter? thanks to the gray and cloudy weather in between rainstorms, it’s actually surprisingly not cold. i wouldn’t say it’s warm, but it’s totally bearable. anyway, after feeling a little inspired to dress up and get pretty today, i decided to try out a few new things. this is the first time i’ve scrunched up socks and worn them with my ankle boots: i owe that to the j.crew catalogs that show up in my mailbox every week. and i am wearing a necklace! and not just a necklace, but a necklace with sequins! i don’t think i’ve ever actually worn sequins before. and for that, i can thank glitzer on etsy.

i’ve been meaning to incorporate jewelry into my wardrobe for a while now, but i just didn’t know where to start. i didn’t want to go buy cheapy stuff from f21, but i wasn’t willing to run to a real jeweler and throw down $100 for a simple necklace. so i’ve found the perfect solution: bib necklaces. they’re like training wheels for adults who want to be more fancy. and well, that’s that.

oh and one last thing. i wear silly smartwool socks like these almost every day. they’re very warm and practical, but today was fun because i actually incorporated them into an outfit. i like that they created a little ombrÁ© effect with my booties. i guess you can’t tell, but they’re charcoal and gray. details, details.

wearing:
cashmere cardigan, j.crew
vintage eyelet dress, ebay
sequin bib necklace, courtesy of glitzer on etsy
skinny leather belt, urban outfitters
smartwool socks, rei
platform ankle boots, payless

fashion

better late than never

December 15, 2009 16 Comments

looking back on my favorite fall/winter 2009 collections, i realized that i never did a post about the orla kiely collection! and this cute little video has certainly got me in the mood to dress up a little bit and have fun with my wardrobe.

anyway, how i dearly love so many of the pieces in this collection. i certainly would not mind if santa decided to leave one or two of these beneath the tree this year! and seriously, haircut inspiration anyone? i think i’m ready for a change to my bob and that bowl cut is adorable.

fashion

poster dress

December 12, 2009 21 Comments

so this ad for poster dresses has been floating around tumblr lately. (and if you follow me on there, then you have probably noticed how obsessed i’ve gotten with that site!) paper dresses became a fad in the 60’s and apparently you could buy them for like $1.25, wear them once or twice and then throw them away. some came blank so you could draw on them yourself, and of course you could always trim the ends if you wanted them shorter. pretty fun. they’d make nice party favors. or else maybe they’re just really reminiscent of those paper bibs they give you at red lobster.

anyway, the fad lasted for a while and there were some notable dresses made like the andy warhol campbell’s soup dress and these harry gordon poster dresses pictured above. and i kinda remember these being popular again when i was in high school. i could swear i saw a repro or “homage” of the campbell’s soup dress with my mom somewhere and we oohed and aahed until we realized that it would be ridiculous to pay $300 for a paper dress, no matter how cool it was. mom, if you’re reading this, where was that? or did i make it up? either way, it did stick in my mind all this time.

now i really wanna get my hands on some used vinyl poster paper. i know there are people who use it to make wallets and bags and stuff. anyone know where i could get my hands on some of that stuff? or am i just going nuts? it’s been a long, cold, and rainy couple of days.

my style

nerds

December 11, 2009 46 Comments

how to get out of a funk 101: go to the thrift store, dudes! i found both this vintage sweater and this vintage ascot polka dot blouse on a much-needed thrifting run yesterday evening. amazing how two pieces can open up a wardrobe. thanks to these two items, i got the opportunity to pull out these old huaraches from hiding and i rediscovered my old glasses which i hadn’t worn since i got those phillip lims. but most importantly, i finally figured out how to wear this beautiful steven alan skirt i recently acquired.

i’ve said this on my blog before: my ideal wardrobe would just be a mix of vintage and designer. but since i can’t really afford designer clothes, it’s a mix of designer and high street for now. but thanks to the gilt groupe sales, i might finally have my opportunity to incorporate more designer pieces into my wardrobe. if you haven’t joined, you can use my invite code. totally worth it, even if you just want to do some “window shopping.”

but moving along, since i’ve been offering you some little-known facts about myself lately, i’ll add something else into the mix: when i was in high school (from ’97 to ’01 for reference), i was totally into looking like a complete nerd. since i have really bad vision anyway, i always wore this silly pair of thick rimmed cat eye glasses and a calculator watch, and all of my pants were high waters. no joke. it was right after my punk phase and i started listening to silly post-punk emo-pop like the get up kids and mineral and the promise ring and joan of arc. phew! that was actually pretty embarrassing to admit… but i blame ian mackaye.

anyway, my high school self would have been pretty proud to know that my 26 year old self was wearing this today.

i had to include this shot. the sign in the background is the back of the grand lake theater in oakland, ca. it opened in 1926 and used to hold vaudeville and silent movie showings. they still play movies there today and it’s right within walking distance of my house!

wearing:
vintage prescription glasses, thrifted
vintage burnt orange sweater, thrifted
vintage polka dot ascot blouse, thrifted
steven alan skirt, courtesy of gilt groupe
merino wool tights, wolford
vintage huaraches, thrifted
vintage coach purse, thrifted

fashion

tie one on

December 11, 2009 11 Comments

i had intended for this entire post to be dedicated to bow ties, but when i went searching for inspiration pictures i’d collected, i couldn’t find too many of them! which is really too bad because bow ties are such an easy and inexpensive way to add interest to a collared blouse! i really see no reason why these little pretties have been reserved for people like dr. seuss!

but since it is a rather bold statement, i have pictured some loosely tied ribbons and bows as an other example of a more casual way to pull off the look, which would only require a quick trip to the fabric store.

anyway, the saddest part of this post is that my mom has given me several different vintage bow ties over the years, which i have stashed away so well that i can no longer find them and fear that they might be gone forever. i will never forget a particular pink and maroon striped tie with little rhinestones on it… but now i have something to rummage for on my thrift store and antique shop outfits!

what do you think? would you sport a bow tie?

column a: the sartorialist, some girls wander, our paper moon
column b: torunn, alexa chung, copenhagen street style

my style

mi familia pt. 3

December 10, 2009 15 Comments

this series of family photos is neverending, so i hope you all are enjoying them ok. this time i’m focusing on some fun shots of my grandmother and her brothers and sisters. this photo up top is one of my absolute favorites. they’re all having a little barbeque in the park.

from right: my great aunt cecilia “chila” cortez, my great aunt mary barbo with her husband ruben barbo, my great grandmother lorenza “blanche” roque, my grandmother evalina perez, and my great aunt ophelia “giche” bowers.

seriously, people in my family have the sweetest nicknames ever. speaking of nicknames, i actually have my own, which was given to me by my uncle ruben (who happens to be pictured above). he used to call me “blondie” because despite my naturally dark brown hair today, i was naturally blonde as a child. no joke. i’ll give you photographic evidence sometime.

now back to the pictures:

my grandmother, evalina roque perez

great aunt cecilia “chila” roque cortez

cecilia “chila” roque, cortez, albert roque, johnny roque, lorenza elizondo roque

ophelia “giche” roque bowers

mary roque barbo

my style

in the spirit

December 9, 2009 30 Comments

man o man, the christmas spirit has finally hit me today. as in, i’m seriously grumpy today. i hate to be a debbie downer, but i have to say that today is just not my day! i’m not sick, nothing bad happened, i just don’t feel 100%. one of those days, as they say. whoever they are.

so i actually wore this exact outfit last week, but i never got around to taking pictures of it. since i wasn’t in the mood to think of an outfit today, it was an easy choice. it’s just a mix of this outfit, which i wore a few weeks ago, and this outfit, which i wore last monday. and because the lovely ms. lulu letty totally rocked some red tights with a pair of salvatore ferragamo flats the other day, which is what i wish i had instead of these old flats. but more than anything, it was just an excuse to wear these 110 denier tabio tights yet again. they are my most favorite pair of tights right now. better than my merino wool wolfords. they’re just such a thick, comfy knit, a dream to wear… and i want them in every color. hm, that is actually enough to lift my spirits just a tad!

and now i am off to do video editing because i really want to be able to post the first calivintage field trip tomorrow. oh, the anticipation!

wearing:
cashmere cardigan, j.crew
vintage plaid blouse, thrifted
interlock mini skirt, american apparel
110 denier tights, courtesy of tabio
flats, juicy couture
vintage coach dr. bag, ebay

fashion

i want a satchel

December 9, 2009 26 Comments

i can no longer resist the urge to make x-mas lists! i was trying to avoid it because looking that list in the face would be like coming to terms with the fact that i might have a problem. seriously, the list is incredibly long and never-ending and well, sometimes i don’t like to think about how materialistic i can be. but i’m over it. so here is something very high on my wishlist this year: a satchel.

let me start by telling you that my number one splurge would be in a mulberry bayswater, which is technically more like a shoulder tote, but seeing as how i’m not quite ready to drop $950 on a purse just yet, i have taken comfort in the multitude of satchels i’ve been seeing around lately. they have such a simple sophistication and are obviously a classic. i’ve been keeping my eye out in the thrift store, but no luck just yet. so instead, i’ve got my sights set on the much more affordable and fashionable cambridge satchels. i’ll take a batchel (satchel with a top handle) and a music bag, please!

column a: alexa chung, copenhagen street style, style clicker
column b: hel looks, clever nettle, lah lah is here

cambridge satchels.