i have two points to address in this blog post, and it’s gonna be sassy. point the first: after yesterday’s outfit post featuring my 1940’s coat in a lovely army green, i had a mini breakthrough. i can wear green. this may sound a bit silly to you, but i’ve always avoided most shades of green because i always thought they made my olive-toned skin look, well, green. after getting a few comments from readers who actually said they liked the way it worked with my skin, i got all bold and decided to finally wear this cool vintage knit coat i bought at the thrift store several months ago. and you know what? i think i was going just a little nuts with my whole fear of green.

point the second: i would like to address the art of dressing to flatter one’s figure. i will admit that i have definitely educated myself on all of the tips and tricks for looking taller and slimmer in my clothes, and i do think there is something to be said for understanding how to work with clothes to change the lines and shapes, but i’m gonna say it: i kinda think it’s baloney. if we all wore the recommended silhouettes to make us look as slim as possible, we’d all be running around with boot cut trousers and pointy toes with wrap-around blouses and NO SOULS. or at least, you get what i mean. i like to have fun with my wardrobe and to experiment with many different concepts on a daily basis. i try to challenge myself to break my own rules and try something new when i’m feeling inspired. so i say: the hell with it, i’m gonna wear my thick knit olive green oscar the grouch coat because i love it. and i love trash. JOKE. (sort of.)

ah, it’s like a breath of fresh air to be back at home and fully settled, taking my daily outfit pictures on the rooftop again! this is the little outfit i put together for the hair party i mentioned in my last post. and to be perfectly honest, i threw this together because all of my laundry was in dirty piles on the floor and these were some of the only clean clothes i had available to wear. but i’ve said this before: laundry day is often the most creative day for me because i don’t have all of my go-to items available. that means i’m forced to think outside of the box and experiment with something a little bit different than what i might normally wear.

wearing:
cream bb dakota blouse, courtesy of modcloth
navy and cream polka dot dress, forever 21
brown skinny belt, urban outfitters
brown tights, american apparel
blimey oxfords in cognac, courtesy of seychelles

i have to admit something: i totally forgot to take photos of my outfit during the chictopia10 conference on saturday. fortunately, ann of holier than now snapped a few photos of me with rebecca of the clothes horse outside of the event. you may have already noticed this from the posts i’ve already done on my new york trip, but rebecca and i were kind of attached at the hip the entire weekend. the funny thing is that it was actually only the second time we’ve ever met in real life, though we do keep in touch through emails quite frequently. but despite this, neither of us told the other what we planned to wear during the trip, yet every day we ended up with a very strong sense of coordination between our outfits, as exampled by the perfect blend of shapes and colors in these photos.

it also ended up coming in handy when either of us realized that we didn’t pack just the perfect accessories. we traded off a few times, me wearing her pretty velvet bow hat one evening and her in my patterned tights on yet another occasion. and of course we both own the same pair of blimey oxfords that we received courtesy of seychelles last year during the weardrobe conference. it made for just about the perfect coincidence!

first day back: i am now blogging from the comfort of my own home after a whirlwind trip to nyc. i have already been harassed for mentioning this on twitter, but i really am delighted to be back in the california sunshine. i stepped outside this afternoon wearing jeans and a simple sweater and sorta pranced around a little bit in the warmth and sunlight, observing the first of the spring flowers blooming in the neighborhood: little peeks of pink and red and purple emerging from dark green shrubs and trees.

but enough of that. now i must tell you a bit about my trip: i arrived in nyc on thursday afternoon and spent my evening with jessica of what i wore. we chatted for hours about blogs and life while enjoying a delicious home-made meal and sharing a few glasses of wine. it’s really quite nice to be able to connect with other bloggers in real life to talk shop, and it was definitely one of the highlights of my trip to be able to do just that.

then i spent friday morning pacing around in jessica’s apartment waiting for the mail to arrive. when i left for my flight on thursday, i knew i would forget something: MY PHONE. fortunately, my bf sent it in the overnight mail, so i only had to wait a few hours before things were back on track. then i was off to meet rebecca of the clothes horse during her photo shoot with market publique. it was great to meet the ladies who run the site and to reconnect with rebecca after meeting her over the summer during the weardrobe conference!

so these are a few shots of what i wore while hanging out during the day on friday. as you can see, there was quite a bit of snow on the ground, and i quite like the comparison between my outfit and a frozen confection. i really did feel like a real life creamsicle, freezing cold in my peach mohair sweater!

for today’s outfit post, i would like to give you a little sneak peek at a photo shoot i did with jt paradox of the sf style for the local lifestyle magazine 7×7. we ran into a bit of a time crunch, and of course, the moment we met up for the shoot, it began pouring rain. so we headed off in the car going nowhere in particular when i remembered how lovely it is inside the conservatory of flowers in golden gate park. we both agreed that the turn-of-the-century architecture was the perfect match for my vintage boater hat, so off we went! it’s such a cool little spot with different rooms of varying temperatures and humidity to accommodate the lush greenery.

i have to say, this was a particularly daring outfit, but i decided to have a little fun with it since we were shooting for a magazine. i think i would wear this exact same outfit for a nice outing, only with a black vintage camisole underneath so i wouldn’t look quite as “pin-up.” but it was definitely fun and i can’t wait to see the feature in 7×7 magazine.

here’s a shot of what it looks like from the outside on a sunny day, via the conservatory website.

all photos shot by jt paradox of the sf style.

today was one of those days where my head was full of mixed bizness. as in, while i was uploading my photos, i got that beck song in my head… because i was wearing a leather skirt. anyway, this outfit was originally influenced by my love for marc jacobs spring 2009 and miu miu spring 2010 (see: blouse with birds and unicorns on it), but once i actually got it on, all i could think about was nicki grant from big love. perhaps that’s because i’m just as obsessed with that show as i am with miu miu and marc. seriously, did you see the latest episode? steamy! i also kinda think i slightly resemble a hot dog in this outfit. and now i am hungry. ah, the inner workings of my mind…

one thing i’ve noticed about my style is that it isn’t clearly marked by the four seasons. i live in the temperate san francisco bay area. we don’t really have seasons, though we do have very interesting micro-climates. it can be warm and sunny and then turn cold and chilly within a few hours time or within a few blocks, so you can never really be certain just how to dress! today it was warm enough to go without a coat, and winter dressing has just gotten so boooring, so i decided to try out two of my “spring” items: a vintage boater hat and a vintage liberty of london print blouse, complete with little birds in a garden of flowers and berries. i felt like wearing them, spring or summer or not!

speaking of spring, i don’t think i’ll be so bold as to start forecasting the big trends, but i do know one thing i’m looking forward to: prints! i’ve already started collecting a number of button down blouses with interesting prints, especially if animals are included in said print. i think this influence is strongly stemming from the amazing miu miu cat, dog, and bird prints of spring 2010.

i also think this will be the year that i actually wear my boater hat. after falling in absolute love with the charles anastase spring 2009 collection last year (and of course marc jacobs and lover), i scoured ebay for weeks waiting for the perfect straw boater to pop up. low and behold i snagged this beauty for quite a good price. i wore it once or twice, and it soon became another decoration atop my dresser. i thought perhaps they would become passe and that apparently i wasn’t bold enough to take the plunge, but after seeing plenty of new spring collections featuring the boater, i think i’ll still have my chance to incorporate them into my wardrobe. what spring/summer trends do you see in your future?

wearing:
vintage boater, ebay
vintage liberty of london print blouse, sunny day diggs on etsy
vintage liz claiborne skirt, estate sale
brown stockings, target
platform oxfords, courtesy of seychelles

aha, rare candid shots of calivintage seen in her native bay area habitat with diane of darling darling and dyanna of thesfstyle as photographed by jt paradox, also of thesfstyle. and what’s this? possibly the first photos i have ever posted on my blog that reveals smiles and silly faces. i suppose it might come as a bit of a surprise that i’m actually quite camera shy (considering that i post pictures of myself almost every day). i wonder what we were chatting about here, anyway. i have such silly expressions on my face.

to explain, i met up with thesfstyle while they were photographing diane for a fun project on bay area style bloggers. i actually did my photo shoot with them earlier in the week in a cute little sf bookstore. i can’t wait to show you the outtakes and reveal the whole project!

and this is my casual weekend outfit, which i wore on both saturday and sunday to enjoy good times in sf with diane and friends, bar hopping in the mission and chatting away about blogging and our mutual love of tumblr and eating late night nachos. we even had a big feast of a breakfast, complete with mixed vegetable frittatas, chocolate chip pancakes, and plenty of mimosas. you know you’re doing what you love when it feels like you’re on permanent vacation. i know i have tons of obligations with a full load of college courses, my blog and etsy shop, but there’s definitely something very liberating about being your own boss. i really hope that calivintage continues to grow because it really is a wonderful life! and for that, i definitely thank my wonderful sponsors and readers!

this is the first time i’ve worn leopard print. ever. in my life. crazy, no? but there’s a first time for everything! i found them at the drug store a few months ago and decided that it would be the least expensive way for me to incorporate an animal print into my wardrobe. problem is, they just sat there in my wardrobe, staring at me. i have to tell you, i have this issue with half of the clothes in my closet! in fact, this vintage pendleton actually belongs to my boyfriend. granted, i bought it at the thrift store as a gift… but there i go again, raiding his closet. oh well, it makes for good entertainment: when i get dressed in one of his shirts, i usually parade out of the bedroom and introduce myself to him in a silly voice and try to do my best impression. today he was grumpy, so i crossed my arms in front of my chest and said, “hi, i’m brendan. i’m gruuumpy.” at least i got a chuckle.

as you may or may not know, my birthday is coming up very soon… on january 20th to be exact. and i had a little birthday party on saturday to celebrate, along with some other lovely bay area bloggers and friends, new and old. the celebration was tons of fun and while i didn’t bring my camera, several of my blogger friends did. we were all a bit of a hot mess, so it shall be interesting to see if any photos pop up on the internet!

and this here is the outfit i chose to wear for the event, knowing that it was going to be a cold and rainy night in san francisco. it’s basically the same as this outfit dressed up with this awesome vintage fur collar that my mom gave me for christmas and my new remix vintage shoes. i am in love with the selection at this site and i am beyond excited about this particular pair, which are a replica of a pair of shoes from the 1940s. what makes them so special is that the little bows are actually removable shoe clips, which means i get to have fun finding new and different clips of all sorts, like pom-poms and rhinestones and ribbons galore.

in other news, it is a rainy day today. i have stayed inside listening to the likes of bert jasch, nick drake, and cat stevens, which is absolutely perfect for a gloomy day such as this.