mt. diablo

so i had my saturday planned out: i knew that i was going to have a grand ol’ time at the vintage expo in san francisco.

but things change. i’m broke and spending money just isn’t an option right now, so instead i settled for an old dress which i’ve worn a million times before, and a nice drive through sunol with a stop in a local antique shop, and a leisurely drive up mt. diablo to enjoy the warm northern california weather with my true love, mr. garbee. it was quite a nice afternoon, i have to say.





we drove up to the tippy top of the mountain and had a look around. it was a little hazy in most directions, so we didn’t get a very good view of san francisco, but apparently, on a clear day you can see all the way to the farallon islands or the sierra nevada mountain range. we didn’t see that far on this particular day.

brendan rode his bike to the summit on his birthday a couple weeks ago. it’s 3,864 feet up in the sky. i think i’d like to try it myself once the weather cools off a little. i don’t see how all those cyclists were riding up in the heat of the day.

and then we rode back on down the other side of the mountain where we spotted a giant tarantula in the middle of the road, so we had to snap a few shots before we ran away, convinced that it would suck our blood!


brendan was too afraid to get his finger any closer in the shot. it actually started doing a scary dance when stuck his finger out like that.

wearing:
vintage mod ruffle dress with peter pan collar, american rag cie
vintage navy blue coach purse, thrifted
navy blue saltwater sandals, shoe biz

and now i will relax with a raspberry beer and think about all the new shoes and clothes i want for the fall, wishing i weren’t quite so broke!

simplicity

la la la. i almost thought i wouldn’t get an outfit post in today because i don’t have a tripod anymore (i was borrowing one from a friend for a while) and i was waiting for my boyfriend to come home to snap a few pictures before it got dark (i hate flash). this is why i don’t have daily outfit posts and why i should buy my own tripod. silly me!

anyway, i just threw on something simple today, and i was struck by how plain i looked. i got really simple over the summer, and i think it’s high time i get a little bit more interesting now that the weather is changing! i’ve decided that what this outfit needs is a pair of tights! and i’m pretty sure this is the influence of the clothes horse. i’ve been really into reading rebecca’s blog lately and that girl is the queen of tights. she’s really gotten me thinking about all of the cool pairs i’m going to pick up for the fall now that the weather is back to chilly in the bay area.

let’s look at my wish list, shall we?

1. little heart tights. since those coveted betsey johnson’s aren’t around anymore, i went on a search and came across a comparable pair thanks to ringo, have a banana! though i suppose i may have been the last person in the world who hadn’t heard of tabio.

2. cream lace tights. i’ve wanted a pair ever since i saw this post on the sartorialist over a year ago. stuck with me.

3. my all-time favorite wolford merino wool tights. they’re expensive, but they’re virtually indestructible. i had my last pair for an entire year and they just barely got the tiniest little hole near the foot.

wearing:
erin fetherston for target dress, thrifted
vintage navy coach purse, thrifted
vintage salvatore ferragamo flats, estate sale

weardrobe nyc super mega post

first up, a photo shoot with photographer eddie newton, formerly of style sightings. he just launched his own street style blog, mr. newton, and his first post was about the ladies of weardobe! you must check it out.

all the girls crowded into the weardrobe suite for tons of goodies from our sponsors. thank you so much to nooka, seychelles and b.c. footwear, shopruche, necklush, we love colors, victoria’s secret, cheap monday, need supply, 80’s purple, hayden harnett, bing bang, who what wear, sigg, knockout, pac sun, and flip cam! after all the goodies, we ordered pizza and got gift certificates for custom jeans courtesy of indidenim!

oh, and did i mention that we stayed in the super-fancy gramercy park hotel? it was quite luxurious.

started saturday morning with a subway ride.

one of the highlights of the trip for me was the brunch at eat records and the shopping spree at fred flare across the street! the food at eat records hit the spot and the ladies of fred flare were so sweet! they did a cute little blog post about it, including an extra special video.

then onto some serious brooklyn shopping in the serious nyc summer heat. first we stopped at artists and fleas to check out some local vendors. then at buffalo exchange, they gave us cold water, shopping bags, and fans. this was particularly nice after a lousy experience with the staff at beacon’s closet.

onto the pacsun d.i.y. denim session at 3rd ward! pacsun was super-generous: not only did they provide us with gift cards to the store, but they arranged for a really fun d.i.y. project, complete with tons of pairs of skinny jeans to choose from and an array of studs and embellishments.

onto dinner at fat hippo courtesy of gilt groupe! i must mention several things here. one, fat hippo has the most amazing comfort food ever. two, felicity and gabby of gilt groupe were super cool ladies. and three, i’m a huge fan of gilt fuse, they carry some of the more reasonably priced designer items at discounted prices. score. if you want to sign up, you can use my personal invitation link.

afterward, we continued the festivities at the weardrobe suite with wine, cheesecake, and good times. it’s funny, but with all of the events, downtime like this was some of the most enjoyable and valuable time we had together. it was great to have the opportunity to talk about blogging with other bloggers in real life. crazy idea, no?

sunday morning began with a press brunch at lure in soho. i do not typically eat at such fancy restaurants, so this was a particularly enjoyable experience. we had our own weardrobe menus.

the photoshoot with craig arend of altamira nyc was a blast. since we were blocking traffic in the crowded streets of soho, we made quite a spectacle and managed to generate a crowd of onlookers. rebecca and i took cheesy tourist shots of ourselves in front of the shoot. oh, and you should also visit the altamira blog post about weardrobe, too.

the window styling challenge at eryn brinie was also a delight. i got paired up with sara and i have to say, we were super pleased with the styling of our mannequin. she came out very casual chic, and sara was a blast to work with.

we had an opportunity to break for a little shopping and hit up a few stores. i picked up 2 pairs of cute earrings at lunessa and had fun browsing through the cute offerings at invent.ory.

after the shopping, we all gathered at new work city for a blogging workshop with rue la la and tumblr. in fact, now that i understand the whole idea of tumblr, i’ve started my own, and i think i’m getting used to it. oh these kids and their technology! also, if you would like to join rue la la, you may use my personal invitation link.

the last day of the conference ended with a lovely brunch and clothing swap at the weardrobe suite. we all said our goodbyes and i have to admit, even i got a little teary-eyed. all of the girls were just so wonderful!

we finished up with some photo booth photos. aw, i miss you guys already! thank you so much to suzanne, rich, and jessica of weardrobe for an unforgettable weekend. you guys are awesome!

all images were pulled from either the weardrobe tumblr or the weardrobe flickr pool, where you can also find tons more images of the weekend. my apologies that i don’t have individual photo creds, but it’s all thanks to the weardrobe ladies:

weardrobe nyc!

photo taken by mr. newton.

i just wanted to stop in very quickly to let you know that i have not forgotten about the incredible amazing weardrobe nyc blogger conference! it was an incredible meeting with 20 other girls over 4 days in nyc where we could collaborate, share ideas, and just talk with one another. oh, and there was some pretty awesome swag, too!!! if you want to see some good coverage, weardobe has an awesome tumblr with plenty of pictures being added daily! and if that isn’t enough for you, there is also a weardrobe flickr group with tons of pictures from all of the girls which is also continuing to be updated! and last but not least, i have also linked to all of the lovely weardrobe ladies in a section over to the right. take a peek!

in the meantime, i have been writing up a little time-line of all of the events and pooling pictures together to show you a document of the event from my perspective. i’m anxious to start posting, but i didn’t end up taking that many photos myself, so it’s still a work in progress.

i have to say that i am truly thankful to the weardrobe team for making this weekend happen and for inviting me along! and i’m sure i’m not alone when i say that it was quite an overwhelming experience and that i’m still processing all of the amazingness. it was an incredible group of creative and inspirational people, each with something unique and interesting to contribute to the whole. i never realized how important it would be to actually meet other bloggers IN REAL LIFE.

teehee! as shot by rebecca of the clothes horse on our photo shoot with craig arrend of altamira nyc.

marcinÁ©ma

these lovely photos were all taken from marcine’s beautiful flickr account!
as i continue to process my amazing weekend in nyc, gathering photos and writing up a time line of the events, i can’t help but think of a certain lovely new york inhabitant: marcine of a clock without hands has an incredible eye for photography, an impeccable sense of style, and the most wonderful taste in books and cinema alike! she’s such a wonderful source of inspiration that i just had to ask her for a little interview!
name: Marcine M.
age: 20
location: New York
hometown: Claremont, California

what is it that you do?
At the moment, I’m a student in New York City, trying to learn as much as I can about cinema studies and creative writing. We’ll just have to wait and see where film preservation and poetry will take me!

i first have to comment on your lovely style (and your etsy shop). what would you say are some of your favorite things in fashion right now, or what are some of your strong influences at the moment?
Well first of all, thank you miss! Secondly, I have the awful habit of trying to avoid anything-fashion related (which is pretty impossible). On the other hand, I think I am in the Jeanne Dielman phase of my life (minus the prostitution and murder). Cardigans, simple skirts and blouses, and peeling lots of potatoes. Delphine Seyrig and Monica Vitti (particularly in Red Desert) can do no wrong in my eyes, so I try to base all sartorial choices on what they might have worn inside and outside of motion pictures. The list goes on and on though, from what Joan Didion might have worn to the New York Public Library to layering coats like FranÁ§ois Truffaut!

and of course, with a nickname like marcinÁ©ma, you must tell us about your love of cinema. (and perhaps a top ten list, or if you’re not into lists, perhaps you can tell us some of your favorite genres with a few recommendations?)
I’m afraid my love for film can’t be pin-pointed to an exact moment. Despite all of my trying, I cannot remember the first film of my life. It is as if there was no beginning of my obsession, just an always. I grew up glued to Turner Classic Movies, something I’ll be eternally grateful to my mother for (though I get extreme dÁ©ja vu at times when I watch a film for what I believe to be the first time only to remember that I’ve seen it years ago). In high school I watched hundreds of scratchy, deteriorating VHS tapes from the library, determined to watch three films a day, read a book a week, and basically become the kind of girl FranÁ§ois Truffaut and Robert Lachenay would have skipped school with to go to see “Le Corbeau” thirteen times. Moving to the city a few years ago helped me realize that what I felt was an obsession was an accepted lifestyle. The MoMA Titus theatres are, as silly as it sounds, a second home.


It’s always hard to think of favorites, as it always changes, but I cannot praise Carlos Reygadas’ “Silent Light” highly enough. I saw it last September and I still can’t get it out of my mind. “Cluny Brown” is another favorite film, though just about every Lubitsch film is. I’ve a terribly soft spot for anything with Trevor Howard, and I’m quite sure Jimmy Stewart was the love of my life!

what else do you collect? do you have any favorite places to go when hunting for new treasures?
I collect tiny plastic animals that I’ve found or adopted along my way. Romantic telegrams, stationary, too many books, and I don’t think I’ll ever own enough silk scarves! I try to wake up early for flea markets or trek to antique shoppes, but I am always open to digging for treasure in unexpected places. Dead Horse Bay in Brooklyn (a landfill from the 1920s) is surely a favorite!

goodbye nyc

outside gramercy park getting ready for the 6 hour flight back home.
i suppose i look a little self-centered by starting out with an outfit post before blogging about the weardrobe nyc blogger conference itself, but all in due time, my friends. i’m patiently awaiting links to the flickr pool of photos so i can show you the most accurate picture of the trip! and to be honest, so many girls were snapping photos that i didn’t actually take that many with my own camera!

speaking of wonderful photographers, i was lucky enough to be photographed by the clothes horsefor this post! i must say, she has a wonderful eye for photography and i wish she lived closer so i could hit her up for photoshoots more often! oh, how wonderful it is to meet other bloggers in real life!!!

so this is me, standing outside of gramercy park on the last day of the trip. it was a sad farewell and i even got a little teary-eyed saying my goodbyes! everyone was so wonderful and down-to-earth. i felt so special being in a group of such varied and inspirational people. it’s going to take me weeks just to process all of the amazingness of the experience.
wearing:
glasses, 3.1 phillip lim
navy blue sailor tunic, lark & wolff from urban outfitters
denim shorts, vintage levi’s 501 cut offs
navy saltwater sandals for grownups

vivetta

doesn’t that little blue dress remind you of totoro? all images via vivetta.
so i have to start this off by telling you that i still feel a little funny about posting things for fall because honestly, i feel like the summer has just barely started, even though my summer break is almost over! but the weather here in the bay area was actually chilly to warm most of the break and it only got hot about two weeks ago! i haven’t even broken in to half of the dresses i bought for the season!

but having said that, i have to get a head-start for fall, because if the cool summer was any indication of the weather to come, i better get myself ready for a chilly winter! and i’m actually quite pleased, because i’ve found yet another perfectly inspiring fall collection from an italian designer, vivetta. you just have to visit the site because even the little splash page is adorable!

wren lookbook!

yes, please! i came across these wonderfully inspirational autumn/winter ’09 lookbook photos from wren and i couldn’t be more excited! this came at a very opportune time because i was beginning to feel a little concerned that i wasn’t finding quite enough inspiration for the colder months, but now i’m feeling quite inspired! direction is materializing!

back at the beginning of spring/summer, i was going gaga for the “geek chic” looks coming from charles anastase, 3.1 phillip lim (who’s nerdy glasses i bought for myself), and luella circa spring ’08, among many others which aren’t coming to mind at the moment… it probably stems from my roots as a high school nerd myself, complete with baby blue rhinestoned cat eye glasses and silly outfits borrowed from a bookish audrey hepburn in funny face. i kid you not! it was a bizarre combination. and i think i will always have an affection for the nerdy looks because i’m blind as a bat. it’s true!

these lookbook photos have got a lot of what i lust for in fashion right now. that adorable matching red turban and sweater, the vintage specs and hats, and those sweet little saddle shoes! not to mention that amaaaazing sheer lace dress on the top right up there. enough said.

photos via refinery 29, which i’m assuming were via wren, but i couldn’t find the lookbook on their site! hm.

oh and you know what? while we’re at it, since i’m in the market for a fresh pair of saddle shoes, does anyone have a recommendation ?

a reservoir.

wearing a vintage handmade dress. i’m guessing it’s from the 40’s based on the style, buttons, and the cute little belt buckle! but i can’t be certain!

this weekend was poorly planned. for some reason, despite my expectations, the entire northern california coast was booked for camping reservations. out the window(!) to our spontaneous ideas.

instead, we opted for a lazy afternoon at the nicasio reservoir. incredibly, we managed to find a completely deserted lakeside coast, just off the side of the road in marin county. it’s amazing how little you have to drive to find the most beatiful views out there! we bought ourselves some delicious deli sammiches, chips, and beer, and that was our afternoon.

since we expected to find ourselves stopping in bass lake on the way to our anticipated campsite, i was equipped with my new bikini, purchased from a lovely woman off ebay who said she bought it in 1946! as you can see, i was less than excited to get my photo taken in it. haha!

i brought us a blanket to lay out.
some lush greenery by the waters edge…
making silly faces. i like the bikini, but i’m camera shy!

oh, and there are more photos on my flickr. actually, there are almost always more photos up on there!

black diamond mines

vintage sheer cotton swiss dot 40’s dress
black leather belt
aldo low heel oxfords
standing in front of some refuse from an old sand mine.
on a recent trip spent visiting estate sales and antique shops, my boyfriend (mr. garbee), found a silly little paperback book called “mysterious california” which outlines all of the mysterious and spooky locations of california. he became obsessed with it one afternoon, and after reading it cover to cover, decided that we should visit our first location: the rose hill cemetery, located about 40 minutes east of oakland.

so yesterday morning, we set out bright and early with coffee and muffins, and made our way out to the spot, filled with the anticipation of sighting the legendary “white witch,” the ghost of sarah norton, which is said to haunt the cemetary…

we got there and discovered that it was a part of a much larger regional preserve in the area, the black diamond mines regional preserve. the rose hill cemetery is all that’s left of the old mining town that used to be there. so we set off on a little uphill trek to visit the grounds. there were no ghosts and the little place has seen some tough times. apparently there was a lot of vandalism in the 70s and many of the headstones have been destroyed or stolen.

seeking refuge from the sweltering heat under a pepper tree.

my silly boyfriend is quite pleased with his expedition.

the bright bright light reflecting off the yellow hills created a most beautiful contrast against the dark blue sky.

i did not bring the proper foot attire. brendan caught me running back to the car barefoot!