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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my style

spots and stripes

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i know my last post was about bike style, but i did not turn around and hop on my bike today. (though i do think this would be a nice outfit for a ride on a warmer day.) but instead, i had some super fun and super secret business to attend to. i’m back from that, and now i get to spend the rest of my afternoon getting work done so i can premiere my first calivintage field trip, complete with video. weee!

anyway, in honor of the unseasonably cold weather we’re experiencing here in california, i decided to go out and stand in front of some interesting cacti and succulents. they look so pretty, but i’m sure they’re feeling just as cold as i am out here. though i do have an extra layer of smart wool socks hidden underneath my riding boots, so i’m doing just fine. the only thing i wish i had was a nice pair of vintage gloves. maybe in a lipstick red, no?

i kinda really need to do some shopping. hopefully this weekend! besides looking for new clothes and accessories, we really need to get some heavy curtains for the apartment. like most buildings in the area, our apartment has zero insulation and the same creaky old windows that were built with the house back in the 20’s. this means that when it actually does hit freezing here like it did last night, we all get a little too chilly indoors!

oh hello, little hummingbird! so nice of you to stop by.

wearing:
vintage navy blazer, thrifted
vintage striped dress, ebay
skinny belt, urban outfitters
little heart tights, tabio
knee socks, drug store
vintage nine west riding boots, idol vintage
vintage coach purse, thrifted

fashion

cycle chic

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i thought it was pretty fun to tell you all about my past as a cake decorator, so today i thought i’d tell you another little known fact about myself: i’m an avid cyclist. i don’t race or compete in any fashion, but instead, i enjoy going on long bike tours to explore beautiful places. though i do have to admit that i haven’t been riding my bike nearly as much as i’d like to lately… but that’s ok because i have plenty of neat trips planned. and there’s nothing like pretty girls riding cool bikes for a bit of inspiration!

some of my most notable and favorite rides include the california coast! one summer, me and my boyfriend rode from here in the bay area to southern california along the highway one, which winds along the coastline. at night, we camped in state parks. we thought it was so fun that we decided to turn around and try another part of the coast the next summer and we rode from arcata, ca (up near the northern border) back down to the bay area! that stretch along highway one was even more epic and glorious than the first ride, especially when we did a detour through the lost coast. amazing.

we’ve also done shorter rides and combined biking with hiking as well. it’s a pretty economical and fun way to travel.

column a: audrey hepburn, ricor, sea legs snapshots, julie michelle photography.
columb b: allister ann, melbourne street fashion, nike rebekah, shorpy, sergey komarov

the above images were all taken from copenhagen cycle chic. a really cool blog with daily updates of fashionable people on bikes. weeee!

fashion

baby it’s cold outside…

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and it’s getting colder… (10 points to whoever can name that song!) so for the past couple of months, i’ve been collecting inspiration pictures of winter outfits on the calivintage tumblr. last night i came across a new street style blog that i hadn’t seen before (styleclicker) and found the holy grail of winter outfits, so i decided to finally do a little post. i don’t know that it will ever get as terribly cold here as it does in places like stockholm or copenhagen or even new york, but i think i’ll still take a few tips from these outfits. anyway. when dressing for winter, it’s all about color and proportion. taking simple items like coats, scarves, tights, maybe a bit of fur, and turning it into something chic!

all above images found via styleclicker.

column a: garance dorÁ©, turned out, the sartorialist

column b: hel looks, ida on lookbook, easy fashion in paris

my style

a jeans and t-shirt kind of day

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no, i did not take anyone’s suggestions for today’s outfit. i tried and tried and made a big ol’ mess in my bedroom, but in the end i decided to go for a plain old jeans and t-shirt look. well, now i’m wearing a t-shirt, but i did wear the lace shell for a couple of hours and will probably put it back on when i go out tonight. but really, i just couldn’t help myself. i had to wear the new custom jeans i got from indidenim! they are exactly what i asked for: high rise skinnies with a 12″ leg opening and a slightly longer length. they fit like a glove. especially since i gained a few lbs while eating constantly during my long thanksgiving weekend. seriously. but those will drop off in a few more days anyway. and i’m not complaining. the food was delicious.

anyway, i actually went on a little field trip to the indidenim offices as part of a new feature i am going to be introducing to the blog. i’ve decided to start a series in which i go on various field trips to local small and independent businesses that i love (vintage shops, boutiques, etc), take a few behind-the-scenes shots, and report back to my blog to tell you all about it. it will include video. think of it like mister rogers’ neighborhood when he went on tours of factories, except i’ll be showing you how to pick a custom pair of jeans instead of how crayons are made. more on that very soon.

but in the meantime, i will be trying some new outfits with the suggestions and ideas you gave me. i might even wear leggings. who knows? such mystery, such intrigue…

wearing:
cashmere cardigan, j.crew
vintage lace shell, estate sale
custom made high rise skinny jeans, indidenim
platform ankle boots, payless
vintage coach purse, thrifted

my style

mi familia pt. 2

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jose perez and family

thank you so much for the overwhelmingly positive response i got from my first post of old family portraits. i didn’t think a whole lot about it at first, but after posting them i felt very good about contributing my teeny tiny bit of history to the public archive. i don’t know if i’ve ever really seen such old photographs representing mexicans in america from that long ago besides the ones i’ve found in boxes in my grandmother’s closet, so i’m very glad to share them, and i do have more!

i especially appreciated hearing from threadbared and fashion for writers, who were both very happy to see representation of people of color in vintage photographs and are both going to be posting some of their own vintage family photos on their blogs soon. very cool!

anyway, for my next installation i’ve decided to post some more casual shots. the portraits i posted in my last post were very old, from as early as the 1910’s, so i imagine it was a much more eventful thing to get your picture taken. they got dressed up in their best clothes and patiently stood in front of the camera with an expressionless gaze. as time moved on, cameras became more commonplace so we start to see more relaxed shots. i particularly like these because those are just the types of dresses i love to find at estate sales!


lorenza elizondo roque (my great-grandmother) and family


mary elizondo espino


lorenza elizondo roque


lorenza elizondo roque

press

calivintage on glamour.com

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wheee! you guys? i don’t know if this is just too much shameless self-promotion, but i just get so excited when i get featured on style sites. yesterday i discovered that i was the subject of a glamour.com feature about how to “fake” your new winter boots. i was so flattered reading the super cute article! you should definitely go check it out and tell me what you think.

and why not throw in the original picture in full-size just for kicks? also, a lot of people were concerned about how well the socks stay up. the sheer tights hold them in place because the two different knits sorta stick together. but that’s just my experience! anyway, i really think i’m going to need to try another variation on this outfit very soon. perhaps today, who knows?

wearing:
j. crew wool blazer, ebay
ruffle blouse, j.crew
vintage levi’s cut off shorts, thrifted
sheer stockings, drug store
over-the-knee socks, drug store
blimey platform oxfords, seychelles
vintage dooney and bourke purse, thrifted

fashion

pretty details

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so i know it’s no secret: i love a good peter pan collar. i have always been drawn to pretty details like ruffles, lace, ribbon bows and sweet little collars. to me, they add just a touch of femininity and fun without sacrificing sophistication. and since peter pan collars saw a lot of popularity in the 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s, they always add a vintage touch to any outfit.

some might think that this style can’t be worn without looking too juvenile, but i beg to differ! just look at the way these lovely ladies manage to sport their collars in these inspirational outfits.

column a: sacaton june in a pretty dress she made by hand, the cat’s pajamas in one of the most beautiful vintage dresses i have ever seen, and alexa chung wearing a very fashion-forward ruffled collar with a pretty little tie.

column b: a stunning outfit from the lyell fall 2009 lookbook, some girls wander pairing a bright red sash with the collar on her vintage dress, and who is that last one? i know it’s from 2006.

my style

mi familia

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jose and esther perez

phew! i just got back from my holiday weekend and i’m still recovering from three straight days of eating. when i go back home to visit, i always stay with my grandma, who has a talent for waking me up to bacon, hash-browns, eggs, and tortillas with home-made salsa every day. not to mention, the ridiculously large thanksgiving dinner which we began eating on thursday afternoon and almost finished by saturday.

so since the holidays often mean family, i decided to do a blog post about just that! i’ve been begging my aunt julie to send me family photos for months, so i was especially excited when she handed me a cd filled with old pictures that she scanned onto her computer. so thanks to julie and the wonders of modern technology, i am finally going to debut some of the perez family photo albums.

for the sake of space, i’ll probably be posting up my favorite pictures over several blog posts. it’s just so hard to pick which ones i like! for today, i am posting some of my favorite professional portraits. i love looking at these since it looks like it was such a formal affair to get all dressed up and stand rigidly in front of the camera. if you want to see all of the images i have uploaded so far, you can check them out at my flickr. i’ll probably be adding the entire collection over the next few days.


elizondo


betty garcia


angelina roque


elizondo


telesflora roque


pedro roque


maria ventura elizondo

inspiration

caped crusaders

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first things first, the real reason i am writing this quick little blog post is to tell say “bon voyage!” i’m taking off right after i finish this post to visit my family in southern california for thanksgiving. all i can think about is the delicious spread with turkey and cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, gravy, and stuffing! i will most definitely be wearing a loose-fitting dress for the occasion.

in fact, the chilly weather combined with all of these gluttonous holidays has got me wishing for a cape right about now. i’ve basically been hanging around the house with a blanket across my shoulders most days. i probably wouldn’t mind if someone got me a snuggie for christmas. but seriously, how perfectly chic are these capes? just a bit of inspiration i’ve been running across over the past few weeks.

enjoy! (and i promise to put up all the photo credits complete with links later on tonight.) now i must be off!

inspiration

bay area style bloggers

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so we had a little style blogger meet-up on sunday! we met at the yerba buena gardens, but it was quite a chilly day, so we headed over to the caffÁ¨ museo at the sfmoma for coffee and tea and conversation. it was quite nice and i really wished we could have stayed longer, but i’ll have to reserve my excitement for the next time we have a gathering. so all of you style bloggers in the bay area, speak up and send me an email so we can keep in touch about another meet-up! oh, and thanks to local boutique indie industries for the goody bags!

anyway, i got a few shots, but my camera settings were wonky so most of the pictures didn’t come out. i don’t think she’s posted it up yet, but my favorite shots were some candids i got while taking pictures of diane.