oh yeah i did

i have a feeling we’re going to be seeing a lot of these pieces on the web pretty soon here. i just so happened to stop in at my local target yesterday and discovered the entire collection in all it’s glory just waiting on the racks for me. so yeah, i went for it and purchased this black tulle dress, the baby blue swiss dot dress, and the striped boat neck shirt. i wanted the mustard lace cardigan, but they didn’t have it there.

and of course, i saw the tavi video where i learned that the collection was inspired by bonnie and clyde, rosemary’s baby, and harold and maude. but honestly, this tulle dress speaks to my inner lydia deetz. i was obsessed with tim burton in high school (frankenweenie, beetlejuice and the nightmare before christmas) and even went through a (very) brief faze in which i wore white face makeup. and well, i never got a dress like this back then, so i think i must be making up for it now.

anyway, i got it to wear for new years but i had to play dress up and figure out how to style it. i asked my boyfriend for help and he said he prefers the black lace tights, even though it’s pretty literal this way. i also tried it with nude lace tights and leopard tights. the leopard was too much.

wearing:
black tulle dress, rodarte for target
black lace tights, target
nude spiral lace tights, courtesy of tabio
platform woven sandals, steve madden

festivus

yaaaawn! i am so sleepy today! but i think that’s just because i realized how much i have to do before i leave for vacation on monday. i’m going on a fun little trip to monterey for a few days with my boyfriends’ family, and then i’ll be off to my hometown in southern california to visit family for a while before returning back to the bay area for the new year. i’m actually really really happy and excited to get a break. i just want to lay around and eat junk and do some knitting projects without a care in the world. who knows? maybe i’ll even enjoy a good book (that wasn’t part of an assignment for school)!

so this is a very casual outfit, fitting for a day of thrift stores and target and the grocery store. and planning what to pack for my vacation! plus, i’ve been writing all of my blog posts in advance so that i can continue posting while i’m on vacation and sans computer. i stay at my grandma’s house and they don’t have internet access, let alone a computer! maybe i should tell santa that i want a laptop for christmas…

anyway, i got to try out this fancy pants vintage saks fifth ave cardigan i got from v for vintage in the mail yesterday. i have wanted something, anything with a peplum for what seems like forever, and i finally got one! it is definitely a nice upgrade from wearing a simple t-shirt. in fact, i think i need to get more statement pieces for my wardrobe. they really help on those casual days when you really can’t be bothered to think about your outfit. and who says you have to sacrifice fashion for comfort?



wearing:
vintage saks fifth ave peplum cardigan, v for vintage on etsy
high rise skinny jeans, j brand
vintage coach purse, thrifted
vintage salvatore ferragamo flats, estate sale

bundle up

earlier this month, i compiled this set of inspiration photos featuring ladies sporting warm winter clothes. and since then, i’ve already compiled yet another collection. oh, the wonders of tumblr and an addiction to street style sites… so while i may not live in the coldest environment ever, i think i have sufficiently schooled myself in the art of keeping warm. all of these photos have taught me the importance of owning several different coats in all number of colors and shapes. and a close second to furs and scarves and tights.

too bad i waited so late in the season to acquire said items. i just barely ordered a nice brown coat from ben sherman and i’m expecting a pair of warm and cozy 210 denier tights any day now. haha, just in time for my trip to my hometown in southern california. i bet it’ll be 75 degrees there!

column a: ingrid sophie schram via altamira nyc via songofstyle, styleclicker, the thinking tank, copenhagen street style
column b: refinery 29, lÁ©a seydoux via the thinking tank , juliette h. via lookbook, cocorosa

orange you glad

well well, looks like someone has recently discovered the color orange and that someone is me! right on the heels of two very neutral outfits, i decided to change it up a bit and play with some color. i never really wore orange before i got this sweater, and now it’s opening up a whole world of possibilities. isn’t orange notoriously difficult to wear? meh, the more i play with color, the more i realize that it’s the tans and taupes and olive greens that are scary. at least for me. for instance, there’s this particular shade of sage green that makes me look like death. but orange, well…

knock knock
who’s there?
banana
banana who?
knock knock
who’s there?
banana
banana who?!
knock knock
who’s there??!!
orange
orange who?
orange you glad i didn’t say banana?

so basically, i love it. i lurve it. i luff it. and now it’s time for me to give credit where credit is due: i’ve seen a few lovely ladies on the web sporting the belted scarf lately (blue collar catwalk and between laundry days), and i finally decided to give it a try after seeing jessica of what i wore in a belted wrap sweater. i guess you could say that i’m just really into putting a skinny belt on anything and everything. it does wonders for someone with a short waist and large bust like myself. ok, now i’m starting to sound like trinny and susannah or something.

p.s. i went overboard with the pictures today. sometimes i can’t help myself.


wearing:
vintage rust sweater, thrifted
vintage orange plaid scarf, thrifted
vintage belt, thrifted
vintage navy coach purse, thrifted
custom high rise skinny jeans, courtesy of indidenim
star ling woven platform sandals, nordstrom

yipes stripes!


did you guys ever chew fruit stripe bubble gum when you were kids? or maybe you still do? remember those really ridiculous commercials, and the vegetable based dye tattoos on the gum wrappers? i used to buy a pack and chew the whole thing in one sitting because the flavor didn’t last very long. oh, childhood novelties!

anyway, what was the point of this? oh yes, stripes. i cannot believe that i do not have a striped t shirt. such a classic, always in style, appropriate for all seasons. anyone have any idea where i can get one for a good price? it’s high time i got one!

column a: jean seberg in breathless, jen h. on lookbook, raychel sonveeco on flickr, hedvig l. on lookbook
column b: audrey tautou in coco avant chanel, the sartorialist, audrey hepburn, refinery 29

UPDATE: i totally bought a vintage breton stripe shirt from kennedy holmes after writing this and then i found a boat neck striped shirt from the rodarte for target collection. i’m good.

let’s stay inside

…and play dress up! today it is cold and rainy again and i just wasn’t in the mood to go outside. so, i put on extra makeup and did my best olivia newton-john impression. actually, that was not the intended outcome at all, but while my boyfriend was shooting these photos, he kept singing that song, “you’re the one that i want ooh ooh ooh honey…” so if i don’t look very tough, it’s because these were the shots we got in-between laughter. wow, i just took the glamour right outta that one, didn’t i?

anyway, i was just going for something that i wouldn’t normally wear, while still plucking all of the items right from my own closet. it’s not a complete 180 or anything, but my boyfriend brought up a good point: since i always dress really sweet and cute, then i will always look like a good girl trying to be bad when i change it up a bit. the only funny part about that is that i think i might surprise you if you were to know me in real life!

What are little boys made of?
What are little boys made of?
Frogs and snails
And puppy-dogs’ tails,
That’s what little boys are made of.

What are little girls made of?
What are little girls made of?
Sugar and spice
And all that’s nice,
That’s what little girls are made of.


wearing:
vintage levi’s denim jacket, thrifted
vintage lace tank top, thrifted
skinny high rise skinnny jeans, j brand
vintage nine west oxfords, thrifted

going gray

oh my! bare legs in winter? thanks to the gray and cloudy weather in between rainstorms, it’s actually surprisingly not cold. i wouldn’t say it’s warm, but it’s totally bearable. anyway, after feeling a little inspired to dress up and get pretty today, i decided to try out a few new things. this is the first time i’ve scrunched up socks and worn them with my ankle boots: i owe that to the j.crew catalogs that show up in my mailbox every week. and i am wearing a necklace! and not just a necklace, but a necklace with sequins! i don’t think i’ve ever actually worn sequins before. and for that, i can thank glitzer on etsy.

i’ve been meaning to incorporate jewelry into my wardrobe for a while now, but i just didn’t know where to start. i didn’t want to go buy cheapy stuff from f21, but i wasn’t willing to run to a real jeweler and throw down $100 for a simple necklace. so i’ve found the perfect solution: bib necklaces. they’re like training wheels for adults who want to be more fancy. and well, that’s that.

oh and one last thing. i wear silly smartwool socks like these almost every day. they’re very warm and practical, but today was fun because i actually incorporated them into an outfit. i like that they created a little ombrÁ© effect with my booties. i guess you can’t tell, but they’re charcoal and gray. details, details.




wearing:
cashmere cardigan, j.crew
vintage eyelet dress, ebay
sequin bib necklace, courtesy of glitzer on etsy
skinny leather belt, urban outfitters
smartwool socks, rei
platform ankle boots, payless

better late than never

looking back on my favorite fall/winter 2009 collections, i realized that i never did a post about the orla kiely collection! and this cute little video has certainly got me in the mood to dress up a little bit and have fun with my wardrobe.

anyway, how i dearly love so many of the pieces in this collection. i certainly would not mind if santa decided to leave one or two of these beneath the tree this year! and seriously, haircut inspiration anyone? i think i’m ready for a change to my bob and that bowl cut is adorable.

poster dress

so this ad for poster dresses has been floating around tumblr lately. (and if you follow me on there, then you have probably noticed how obsessed i’ve gotten with that site!) paper dresses became a fad in the 60’s and apparently you could buy them for like $1.25, wear them once or twice and then throw them away. some came blank so you could draw on them yourself, and of course you could always trim the ends if you wanted them shorter. pretty fun. they’d make nice party favors. or else maybe they’re just really reminiscent of those paper bibs they give you at red lobster.
anyway, the fad lasted for a while and there were some notable dresses made like the andy warhol campbell’s soup dress and these harry gordon poster dresses pictured above. and i kinda remember these being popular again when i was in high school. i could swear i saw a repro or “homage” of the campbell’s soup dress with my mom somewhere and we oohed and aahed until we realized that it would be ridiculous to pay $300 for a paper dress, no matter how cool it was. mom, if you’re reading this, where was that? or did i make it up? either way, it did stick in my mind all this time.

now i really wanna get my hands on some used vinyl poster paper. i know there are people who use it to make wallets and bags and stuff. anyone know where i could get my hands on some of that stuff? or am i just going nuts? it’s been a long, cold, and rainy couple of days.

nerds

how to get out of a funk 101: go to the thrift store, dudes! i found both this vintage sweater and this vintage ascot polka dot blouse on a much-needed thrifting run yesterday evening. amazing how two pieces can open up a wardrobe. thanks to these two items, i got the opportunity to pull out these old huaraches from hiding and i rediscovered my old glasses which i hadn’t worn since i got those phillip lims. but most importantly, i finally figured out how to wear this beautiful steven alan skirt i recently acquired.

i’ve said this on my blog before: my ideal wardrobe would just be a mix of vintage and designer. but since i can’t really afford designer clothes, it’s a mix of designer and high street for now. but thanks to the gilt groupe sales, i might finally have my opportunity to incorporate more designer pieces into my wardrobe. if you haven’t joined, you can use my invite code. totally worth it, even if you just want to do some “window shopping.”

but moving along, since i’ve been offering you some little-known facts about myself lately, i’ll add something else into the mix: when i was in high school (from ’97 to ’01 for reference), i was totally into looking like a complete nerd. since i have really bad vision anyway, i always wore this silly pair of thick rimmed cat eye glasses and a calculator watch, and all of my pants were high waters. no joke. it was right after my punk phase and i started listening to silly post-punk emo-pop like the get up kids and mineral and the promise ring and joan of arc. phew! that was actually pretty embarrassing to admit… but i blame ian mackaye.

anyway, my high school self would have been pretty proud to know that my 26 year old self was wearing this today.



i had to include this shot. the sign in the background is the back of the grand lake theater in oakland, ca. it opened in 1926 and used to hold vaudeville and silent movie showings. they still play movies there today and it’s right within walking distance of my house!


wearing:
vintage prescription glasses, thrifted
vintage burnt orange sweater, thrifted
vintage polka dot ascot blouse, thrifted
steven alan skirt, courtesy of gilt groupe
merino wool tights, wolford
vintage huaraches, thrifted
vintage coach purse, thrifted