hawaii photo diary, day one

calivintage: hawaii day one

as i write this post, i’m sitting in bed with the windows open to let in the cool breeze and the sound of birds chirping outside. it’s a heavenly 76 degrees outside. i think i’m in love with hawaii.

yesterday was our first day in o’ahu, so we opted to drive out of the sanctuary of our picture perfect resort and out around the island to get a feel for this beautiful place. we headed up kamehameha highway through grassy fields towards the north shore. when we arrived, the streets were lined with tourists and surfers enjoying the sunny sunday afternoon. we stopped in for lunch at kua’aina burger, then made our way through the traffic and past the sandy beaches all the way up over the northernmost point of the island, then back down the east side and through the tetsuo harano tunnel to our hotel. i snapped most of these pictures through the car window, and while they are stunning, they don’t even come close to capturing the beauty of this island.

also: thank you to everyone who left so many wonderful recommendations on where to visit while i’m here! i’m excited to check it all out and can’t wait to share the rest of my trip with you!

calivintage: hawaii day one
calivintage: hawaii day one
calivintage: hawaii day one
calivintage: hawaii day one
calivintage: hawaii day one
calivintage: hawaii day one
calivintage: hawaii day one
calivintage: hawaii day one
calivintage: hawaii day one
calivintage: hawaii day one
calivintage: hawaii day one

hawaii bound

hawaii photo diary, day two

as you read this post, i will be on a plane flying across the pacific ocean on my way to hawaii! i know, i know, it’s exactly the place i went last summer on vacation, but now that i’ve been there, i think i might be hooked. this time i’ll be staying about an hour outside of honolulu to get a taste of what it’s like in oahu. just like my last visit (on the big island), i haven’t done much in the way of planning, so i would absolutely love your suggestions on places that i must visit while i’m there. good restaurants, sandy beaches, antique stores, hidden treasures! i’m open to any and all suggestions!

also, just like my last trip, i’ll be chronicling my adventures via instagram, twitter, and right here on my blog!

and in the meantime, you can take a look at the photos from my last trip to hawaii here.

hawaii photo diary, day two

pop pop portraits

pop pop portraits

yesterday, i received the most delightful email from helena of pop pop portraits! i’ve long admired her adorable paintings, so you can imagine my delight when i was greeted by my very own portrait! seriously the best surprise! it’s so fun and silly to see myself as a cute little character like this. and if you’re curious about outfit details, the painting is based of off this outfit post. thank you so much helena!

my nyfw: backstage at lela rose fall 2012

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i know it’s been a month since new york fashion week, but due to a bit of a technical issue (in which my external hard drive died suddenly), i hadn’t been able to access the rest of the photos i took during fashion week! fortunately for me, i just realized that i managed to back-up my fashion week photos, so i hope you don’t mind this brief interlude back into fall fashion in the form of a few photos i took backstage and on the runway at the lela rose fall 2012 show. the moment i stepped into the backstage tent, i was floored by the hair and makeup! inspired by the gibson girls of early twentieth century, the romantic updos and dark, sultry eyes, took my breath away. i mean it! perhaps it has to do with the fact that i’ve always had short hair, but these types of intricate updos always leave me swooning.

another fun fact was that the hair was being done by none other than ted gibson. i have to admit that i may have been sucked into a few late night marathons watching old episodes of tlc’s what not to wear. and ted gibson is easily one of the most lovable characters on the show. so it was fun to see him in the flesh giving the girls his “modern gibson girl” look. the eye makeup was equally lovely, all done by stila (who happens to make my favorite eyeshadow). i loved the bold, dramatic brow.

please note that all of these photos were taken by me! please only repost with proper credit. to see the rest of my nyfw coverage, click here!

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win a pair of glasses (or sunglasses) from bonlook!

bonlook

today i am excited to announce my latest giveaway courtesy of bonlook! if you aren’t familiar with bonlook, they’re a fashion and vision boutique offering prescription glasses (and sunglasses) with lenses made in the usa at a fair price for all. all of their glasses come with anti-reflective, uv, and scratch-resistant protections and they cost only $99! and as you can see from the selection above, they have some seriously stylish frames!

and just for fun, i thought i’d share this little video i made a few months ago featuring some of my favorite bonlook frames!

to enter, simply visit bonlook and leave a comment in the section below letting us know which frames are your absolute favorite!

this giveaway is open to international readers, so anyone can enter. only one entry per person. giveaway ends tuesday, march 20. winner will be randomly selected and contacted via email. winner will receive your choice of frames along with your choice of standard prescription lenses, clear lenses, or tinted sunglasses lenses.

not interested in giveaways? bonlook would also like to offer you $15 off your purchase with the code “blcali15” now through april 1st!

EDIT: THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED. congratulations to our winner, amberly!

outfit: one dress, two ways

calivintage: variations on a theme

i don’t know about you, but when i get dressed, i find that i often play with variations on the same themes. as an example, this weekend i decided to pull on this new polka dot tunic from j.crew and i loved the look of it so much, that both of my weekend outfits revolved around the same piece. it’s essentially the same outfit, but with a few tweaks here and there. i do this type of thing very often because it’s an easy way to get more mileage out of my favorite pieces of clothing. usually i would only share one of the looks, but today i thought it might be fun to show you the different ways i’ve worn the same piece.

this first look is what i wore for a day running errands around town. the sweater is super cozy and i’m obsessed with these two recent acquisitions: an epic vintage equestrian hat that i picked up at a new vintage shop in berkeley, and a pair of rachel comey mars boots in a lovely chocolate brown. i’ve been lusting over this particular style of boots for years, but never got them because i was anxious about the price. i’m glad i finally broke and got them, because they’ve been on my feet since the moment i took them out of the box!

hat: vintage equestrian hat
dress: j.crew retro-dot tunic
sweater: j.crew cashmere boyfriend cardigan
tights: target
shoes: rachel comey mars boots

calivintage: variations on a theme

this second look is a little bit more adventurous. i’ve been playing with the idea of picking up a leopard coat for ages, but somehow felt intimidated by such a flamboyant print, despite that fact that it’s such a classic print that it’s practically a neutral in most people’s closets. now that i have it, i don’t know how i went so long without one! and of course, why not have fun and mix spots with spots? throw in my crazy round sunglasses and a little charm around my neck, and i’m feeling a bit like a new age space case. and i’m not saying that’s a bad thing!

dress: j.crew retro-dot tunic
sweater: j.crew cashmere boyfriend cardigan
shoes: rachel comey mars boots
coat: vintage leopard coat from secret shop
sunglasses: karen walker von trapp
necklace: toujours toi stables necklace

calivintage: variations on a theme
calivintage: variations on a theme
calivintage: variations on a theme
calivintage: variations on a theme

mood board

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i woke up this morning at 4:45am because i wasn’t feeling well. as is my solution when this happens, i plopped myself in front of the computer to distract myself and pass the time as the sun rose up behind me. and during those wee hours of the morning, i finally did it. i fell down the rabbit hole. i started using pinterest.

i signed up for an account some months back and played around with it here and there, but for the most part had been avoiding the addiction of yet another social media platform. but after hearing so much hype, i finally decided to give it a fair chance and spent some time building up a few mood boards. a few of my favorite categories thus far are cycle chic, beret baby, cat cat cat, and plants dance.

so if you’re curious to see how i spent my morning, you can find me on pinterest right here.

so tell me, have you resisted temptation, or are you a pinterest addict? if you have an account, i’d love for you to share your link with me!

family affairs spring 2012

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you may remember back in september, i visited with nina of family affairs for a little studio visit seen here. it’s become a bit of a tradition every season when i’m in new york for fashion week, and it’s a nice interlude between my hectic schedule. while i was there, i got to get a sneak peek at the spring collection, and have been anticipating it ever since! i am in love with the whimsical feeling of this collection. the type of clothes you could imagine wearing on a hot summer day at the carnival with an array of fun prints like an orange zebra print, pale blue patchwork, and blue and white vertical stripes. this is definitely a beautiful collection, and i’m already planning how i’m going to wear some of the pieces. i think i’ll start by bringing the clyde dress (as seen above) with me on my trip to hawaii in a little over a week!

photos shot on film by maya of turned out.

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boutique by jaeger spring 2012

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it seems there’s no end to pretty spring collections! proving that perhaps being the california girl that i am, i just love spring and summer so much more than all of those heavy layers and dark colors in the fall. so today i’d like to share another favorite from boutique by jaeger spring 2012. the collection is inspired by “a playful 1960s spirit with a clean, contemporary aesthetic,” which is definitely something i strive for in my own wardrobe. i like that the look book is a tad bit sexy with the bold red lip and sultry locks, yet still fun and playful. i will definitely be adding more than a few of these pieces to my wishlist as the weather warms up!

if you’d like to see all of my spring 2012 coverage, click here.

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enter to win a bike basket from public bikes!

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continuing with my cycle chic theme this week, i thought it would only be fitting to celebrate by offering you a chance to win this cute bike basket from public bikes! if you aren’t already familiar with public, they’re a local bike shop based here in san francisco with an equally lovely online shop offering a number of different ready-to-ride bike models in very pretty colors. in addition to their beautiful bikes, they also have a shop stocked full of bike accessories like racks, saddles, helmets, lights, and more, all chosen for their sleek design and functionality.

to enter, simply visit public bikes and then leave a comment in the section below!

only one entry per person. giveaway ends on friday, march 16. winner will be randomly selected and contacted via email.

and if you haven’t seen the video yet, here it is!

public bikes would also like to offer you 10% off your entire order with the code “calivintage” now through march 16.

this code excludes sale items and cannot be combined with any other promotions. it is only valid on purchases made directly through public.com or at the public store in san francisco.

EDIT: THIS CONTEST HAS ENDED. congratulations to our winner, elanor!