after recently celebrating father’s day over the weekend and mother’s day last month, i decided that perhaps it was time to do another mi familia post today. i’ve done a few installations in the past including images of my mother’s side of the family from as long ago as the 1910’s seen here, here, and here. i was really delighted by the positive reception i received from them, particularly because i recognized that there isn’t a lot of representation of people of color in historical images of the united states unless it’s in the context of migrant farm workers or the civil rights movement. we don’t often get to see the more typical images like family portraits or snap shots at the park or on the beach. so i’m glad to be able to contribute my little collection to the public archive by posting them on my blog occasionally.and while we’re on the subject, i want to let you know that threadbared is calling for submissions for images of women of color in fashionable looks! they’re also looking for garments and accessories, newspaper articles, or other ephemera relating to women of color for a special fashion exhibition. click through for details on how to submit!i definitely intend to continue sharing more vintage images of my family on my blog as i unearth them, but in honor of my parents, today i thought it would be fitting to show you a few more recent images of my family. above from left: my mom, my dad, my dad’s sister/my godmother, and my mom’s brother/my nino. oh yes, and the little baby is me back in 1983, a few months after i was born. hehe, my mom is especially tiny at 4’11”. note the super tall wedges.

with my older sister, erica. i would just like to note that she is now 5’9″. apparently she got tall of the tall genes…

from left: erica (my older sister), devin (my younger brother), and me!

that’s right, folks! i’m running with a theme here. remember when i said i wanted to go a bit more edwardian with my teddy girl look? like yesterday? well, after posting those inspiration pictures today, i went to my closet and managed to find just what i needed was already hanging on the racks. the only thing is that this version is a bit more grown up and ladylike, so it was harder for me to try and look like a tough kid while wearing these stiletto heels! but i actually really like the effect. it suddenly makes me miss the days when i had really long hair, so i could twist my hair into some sort of fancy edwardian up-do.

anyway, i thought it was kinda silly that while taking style tips from days gone by, i’m actually quite on trend with the scalloped edge of my blazer and my little straw hat. though i suppose that’s half of the fun in dressing vintage and vintage-inspired. even trends from as far back as a hundred years can still make their way back into our modern wardrobes.

jacket: vintage scalloped sassoon jacket from pretty penny
blouse: pleated sleeve ruffle neck blouse courtesy of loft
jeans: j brand 210 the oslo in indigo
shoes: nine west suede platforms
bag: caning woven leather clutch courtesy of loft
hat: vintage straw boater hat

and just a quick note to remind you that i’ll be guest editing at live.love.LOFT. for the month of june!

since i’ve been having so much fun tying my hair up in vintage scarves with my little pompadour poof these past couple of days, i starting thinking of different ways to play it up. instead of just being all rosy-the-riveter with it (which is awesome, don’t get me wrong), today i decided to take some inspiration from the teddy girls of london in the 1950s. it’s just a touch of inspiration here since i’m definitely rocking a much more modern and refined version, so you can probably expect to see me trying this again with a bit more of a rough edge and edwardian twist. (i think i need some cameos, perhaps.) anyway, i went with my chambray and skinny jeans rolled up at the cuffs since the teddy girls were predominantly working class, and i know you’ve heard me mention my recent taste for everything work wear inspired. the blazer and heels dress it up a bit, and the scarf completes the look.

but i suppose more than anything, the idea of these rough and tumble kids on the streets of london in the 50s had me feeling a bit like a delinquent walking around the neighborhood for my photo shoot today. it was kinda fun to move out of cute territory and into something a bit more tough than my typical looks.

jacket: boyfriend blazer courtesy of LOFT
shirt: j.crew selvedge chambray shirt
jeans: j brand 910 the oslo jeans in indigo
shoes: wedge sandals courtesy of LOFT
scarf: vintage silk scarf

i may have already mentioned several times that the temperatures reached up over 90 degrees here in the bay area this weekend. you might know this because i mentioned it on twitter, tumblr, and in my last blog post. even though i’m a native to the southern california desert, it appears as though the last 10 years of living in northern california have gotten me pretty well acclimated to the cooler temperatures. after all that wishing for hotter weather, i have to admit i wasn’t quite prepared for the sweltering heat. even with my super short hair, i couldn’t stand the feeling of it touching the back of my neck and forehead, so i improvised with this retro ‘do and pulled it all back with a vintage scarf. i felt so perfectly work wear inspired with my head wrap that it only felt fitting to pair it with a bit of chambray.

getting dressed this weekend was definitely more about keeping cool than anything else. living in places where the weather gets hot, it’s pretty much essential to ditch the layers and go for something really cool and simple. times like this you can really only reach for a dress and add a bit of personality with a few vintage accessories.

dress: chambray wrap dress courtesy of LOFT
shoes: swedish hasbeens super high peep toe clogs in mustard
bag: caning woven leather clutch courtesy of LOFT
sunglasses: lum vintage sunglasses
scarf: thrifted vintage silk scarf

and just a quick note to remind you that i’ll be guest editing at live.love.LOFT. for the month of june!

it seems as though the weather gods finally heard us all complaining about the constant rain and chilly temperatures, because this weekend the temperature spiked up over 90 degrees in these parts, sending all of the city kids into a bit of a panic. my facebook and twitter feeds were filled with comments from san francisco kids admitting that perhaps we prefer our typical fair weather over these souring temperatures. so i went on a little trip up to the russian river for some lazy sunday times with a few friends. living in northern california means that even though we have beaches, the water can be quite chilly even when it’s 90 degrees outside, but there are plenty of rivers and lakes where we can all run off to on the weekends for a bit of swimming.

so for this particular adventure, we headed off about an hour north to enjoy the day laying in the sun at the russian river. apparently we weren’t the only people with this same idea as evidenced by the sheer number of people filling up in the banks in every possible spot around the area with a constant flow of passers by in inner tubes and on rafts floating down stream. but despite the crowds, we had plenty of fun laying in the sun, skipping rocks, and wading in the river.

the man from behind the camera came out for a little cameo. this is my elusive partner, brendan.

after a recent stint of styling up so many ladylike outfits, it was quite refreshing to get back down to basics in a really simple, more masculine look. i’ve actually been doing a lot of browsing for menswear since my younger brother recently decided to revamp his wardrobe and consulted with me for a bit of advice. the only thing is that he’s pretty opinionated and knows what he likes when it comes to clothes, so in the end he was the one who was influencing me. he’s been buying up simple oxford shirts, classic dark rinse jeans, slim cut chinos, boots, and oxfords. so naturally, after he got a nice selvedge chambray blouse, i got the girl version of it. then when i was at the thrift shop, i bought a few oxford shirts. then a few weeks ago, i acquired these cool oxfords on sale at gilt. i think my brother would be proud.

anyway, it’s a really nice outfit for the end of a nutty week. in addition to tons of projects and deadlines and the usual routine, i’ve also had a bunch of errands relating to my sick cat! don’t worry, she’ll be fine, but i don’t know if i can say the same about my wallet… and of course, whenever i get stressed, i reach for the junk food. yesterday, my vice was an entire bag of chips. and not the little kind. it was the regular, family sized variety that you get at the grocery store. and i finished it off drinking chartreuse cocktails with friends last night, so you can imagine that i’m not feeling particularly amazing today. but at least my clothes will be comfy while i finish off my week!

top: thrifted l.l. bean oxford shirt
jeans: j brand 210 the oslo in indigo
shoes: steve madden oxfords from gilt groupe
clutch: loft canning woven leather clutch

remember when i told you that we found a secret alleyway by my house? ok, ok. it isn’t really that secret, but i have much more fun entertaining myself by imagining up millions of little secret passageways around my neighborhood. so yesterday we went back to snap a few more shots of the area. i’ve always had that silly sort of attitude when it comes to finding secret spots. i remember in high school, i used to go to a park with lots of bamboo. we would go ‘exploring’ and decided that there were probably monkeys living in one patch. and at another spot, there was a bit of a tunnel carved out of the leaves which we called the malkovich hole. you know, as in the secret portal in being john malkovich. by the way, how amazing is cameron diaz in that film?!

anyway, since i was in such an adventurous type of mood, i went for a bit of a vintage bombshell look in this thick knit pencil skirt. it’s still obviously pretty modest since that’s just my preference, but it’s always fun to dress a bit sexier on occasion, even when on silly excursions in my backyard.

shirt: rodarte for target striped t-shirt
skirt: thrifted vintage thick knit skirt
belt: urban outfitters skinny leather belt
shoes: kork-ease wedges
clutch: thrifted vintage straw clutch
headband: forever 21 bow headband

i love the way that even though i only walked several blocks away from home today, my outfit pictures look like they were taken while i was on vacation in some faraway place. perhaps, florida? though i can’t really say since i’ve never actually been there! anyway, i’m just standing in front of lake merritt today. though despite the name, it’s actually an estuary, which attracts a large number of migratory birds each season. we had hoped to get some shots of different birds in the area, but the light outside was a bit harsh, so we sought refuge in a nearby botanical garden.

and i know it’s already been a year and a half since it first came out, but i’m still finding myself heavily influenced by the charles anastase spring 2009 collection. hence, the large vintage glasses and straw boater hat with socks and platforms. sometimes i really like to fix up a simple dress such as this with lots of fun accessories to give it a bit more personality.

dress: blue on blue dress courtesy of modcloth
belt: urban outfitters skinny leather belt
socks: tabio ankle socks
shoes: seychelles platform clogs
hat: vintage straw boater hat
glasses: thrifted vintage glasses

today i went on another little stroll around the neighborhood and managed to get a few more shots of where i live. it’s easy to think of oakland as a huge metropolis (and it is the eight largest city in california), but it’s also very spread out. there’s a diverse selection of terrains, from the flatlands stretching out to the bay, to the hills in the north and east, to a giant saltwater estuary alongside the skyscrapers and lofts downtown. on the whole, the city is mostly flat, but i happen to live in the lower hills on one edge of town, which are quite picturesque if you ask me.

so today we kinda rolled out of bed and sauntered our way over to piedmont ave. for a simple breakfast of eggs and toast at a little coffee shop. it was a nice way to spend a sunday morning, especially after such a gray and gloomy week! on occasions like this, i tend to wear pretty simple outfits without much thought or planning coz, well, it’s the weekend, dude!

top: vintage striped pullover blouse
skirt: american apparel full woven skirt in black pique
shoes: thrifted vintage huaraches
belt: urban outfitters skinny belt
purse: vintage coach doctor bag
sunglasses: ray-ban wayfarer

oh hey guys, look who got off her perch up on the roof? yep, that’s right, i finally decided to bring my camera with me out into the world to share with you some of the beautiful scenery out here on the sunny side of the bay in oakland, ca! i don’t know if i’ve ever expressed it here on the blog, but i’ve been meaning to do more outfit shoots in different locations around my city, but it’s proven to be a bit of a challenge for me to remember to take my camera with me when i go on little outings! i generally think of my daily outfit posts as being pretty straight forward. my boyfriend is my photographer and has a day job, so we usually have a 5 – 10 minute window in which we can rush to snap pictures before he leaves for work. i starting taking pictures up on the roof because i thought it would be a nicer way to display what i’m wearing than, say, standing in front of a blank wall in my apartment (not that there’s anything wrong with that!).

but, it can certainly get a little tedious since i’m doing it 5 days a week, and as one reader pointed out, i guess i’m getting boring. her comment definitely resonated with me because i have been feeling the same way! so yesterday we remembered to bring the camera with us on a stroll through the famous mountain view cemetery which is about 10 blocks from where i live. it’s a huge cemetery established in 1863 filled with beautiful crypts built for some of the most notable figures in california history. most eerily, it is the final resting place of the black dahlia, but the list is so long that all i can do is guide you to the wikipedia page for it! anyway, it’s nestled in the hills above oakland, so you get an expansive 360 degree view including downtown oakland and san francisco across the bay, which attracts a good amount of foot traffic from joggers and people walking their dogs, or even families flying kites. it certainly is a nice place to take a walk.

jacket: gap belted utility jacket
blouse: vintage eyelet blouse from helgesok vintage
skirt: american apparel full woven skirt
socks: tabio wool over the knee socks
shoes: vintage nine west boots from vintageless beauty
bag: thrifted vintage tote

oof! a strong gust of wind at the most inopportune moment. always wear proper undergarments! i may have given the family nearby a full moon….