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!

that hair!

oh barbara, i just love your hair!
oh just a little something for a friday morning. last week i got sick and had to stay in all weekend, so i started a little movie marathon. that photo on the left is from Breakfast for Two (1937). it’s actually funny, i’m quite the movie buff, yet i never seem to do any movie posts on this blog! i think it’s partially because i’m trying to avoid putting myself in the position of a movie critic. there are already so many beautifully written synopses and critiques on the internet, and i really don’t think i need to throw my two cents into the mix! it’s funny how much i can stress about what to write in these little posts! silly me.

but i just had to share these two pretty pictures with you. i’m thinking a lot about hair lately because i haven’t gotten a cut in probably two months and it’s in desperate need of some attention. i just don’t know quite what to do with it because i’m fighting the fact that my hair is stick straight and very thick and i’m longing for some soft waves or curls like good ol’ barbara stanwyck over here. lucky for me, i finally found a really good hairstylist who can probably help me out with this. i should really make an appointment!

saturday spoils!

oh all these vintage dresses (and more) were in one spot!

so i had all of these blogs posts to do this past week, but surprisingly, i ended up so busy that all of my content is still incomplete! i did a sewing project and turned a vintage feedsack into a lovely dress, and my mom sent me two more surprise packages in the mail. but when i sat down at the computer to write about it, the only thing i could think about were my estate sale finds from this morning! (though i promise to get back to those other lovely things soon!)

i managed to procure quite a few dresses and tons of old ephemera. in fact, i got a box full of adorable greeting cards and valentines, some of them possibly as old as the 40s, though i can’t be certain. and all of the dresses are very old. i even have a very delicate little 30s dress, which i’m pretty sure is not going to fit me. so that’s a hint to expect to find it in the etsy shop some time next week…

a little sampler of some of the things i found: vintage hankies, stuffed dog, vintage greetings, and a lovely art deco style purse!

and there were tons of vintage handkerchiefs. it’s funny because just yesterday i dug up an old box of vintage hankies that i had buried in a drawer, and lo and behold i found some lovely additions to my collection. it’s a silly addiction since i seem to find them everywhere, but i just can’t help myself! and who knows what compelled me to buy that silly little stuffed dog? he just looked so cute sitting on the table all alone. ah, and i was just getting fed up with lousy estate sales. ;)

lydia!!!


ever since i first laid eyes on lydia, i have been in awe of her fun and quirky style. she has so many outfits, it was almost impossible to pick only a few to show you here! when it comes to thrifting, she’s got quite the eye. and when she isn’t finding amazing pieces out in the shops, she’s piecing together new dresses and accessories right at home. her latest d.i.y. le sac dress has gotten me so inspired, i’m going to do an entire blog post about it!i recently asked her a few questions about her inspirational style.
oh hello there! can you tell us a little about yourself?
Hi, I’m Lydia. I’m currently a Barista at Starbucks… but I hope to become a stylist after completing a Fashion Merchandising diploma!

ok, now tell us about your style inspiration. where do you get your ideas for all of your amazing outfits???
My inspiration comes mostly from fellow bloggers! There are so many girls with amazing style on the Internet, it’s hard to keep up sometimes. A few of my favourite blogs (this is the very short list!) are Hand It Over (Wendy has a knack for making simple, comfortable outfits that still are astonishingly cute!), Garbage Dress (Zana is my hero, confidence wise. There is no messing with her!), Karla’s Closet (Best haircut, hands down. She was part of the reason why I chopped off my hair! So adorable with a killer collection of shoes), Taghrid (another girl with insane confidence), Ringo, Have Another Banana (Her vintage sensiblity is almost the exact same as mine), Neenee (She makes clothes that will blow your mind. So innovative and stylish, with a lot of color!), and of course calivintage (She’s got so many vintage finds I want to steal!). I also love looking at streetstyle blogs like Garance Dore, Sartorialist, Face Hunter, and Turned Out, among many others. Other than a lot of internet surfing (you should see my google reader, I either get inspired by random colors and ideas (All of a sudden, I will have an outfit in my head and have to go either hang it up, or write it down), or things in magazines like Nylon, Teen Vogue, Elle, Preen, Ruush, and Lula. I also look at online stores, designers etc. Basically, many MANY things inspire my outfits.

do you have any style advice for other young ladies out there?
My advice is to be fearless. Corny? Maybe. But honestly, 98% of great style is boatloads of confidence… Don’t be fearful of color and patterns. They are what makes a good outfit that much better. Also, check out thrift and vintage stores, which are an endless source of unique, fun pieces. Also, don’t feel like the only way to be stylish is strictly to be trendy. Trends are great, but so is individualism.

do you have any links to share?
I’m the proud owner of whistle.vintage, an online affordable vintage boutique! I also have a blog, Style Is Style and you can find me on Chictopia, Flickr, Weardrobe and Lookbook.

ringo, have a banana!

all images from ringo, have a banana!
i asked fellow blogger, siri, of ringo, have a banana! to tell us a few fun facts about herself. i love reading her blog which is filled with beautiful images, her daily style, and an incredible collection of shoes!
Name: Siri

Age: 24

Occupation: Film student and freelance journalist. I’m inches away from earning my BA in Film Studies at Brooklyn College. Film Studies doesn’t actually involve making films (though I did make a short Super8 film last year), instead I spend hours a day watching movies, discussing them, and writing papers about them. I keep meaning to start a film blog…anyways, I grew up in the San Juan Islands in Washington State and spent several years living in California before I moved to NYC to finish school. My heart definitely belongs to the West Coast–my ideal day involves the beach, bicycles, thrift stores and a burrito or two. I’m also trying to keep my career as a freelance journalist afloat, and so far I’ve had several small pieces published in BUST Magazine.
favorite food: Avocados and Reed’s Ginger Brew

favorite color: A tie between green and yellow

what do you collect: Fancy shoes that I will never wear out of the house, little dresses, vintage milk glass, big vintage rings, Franciscan Rose dishes, cat ephemera

favorite online destination right now: I just love turnedout.tv, I got to meet the woman behind it the other day and she is so brilliant and fun! Bonadrag.com to daydream about things I want but still can’t quite afford, and I adore both thethinkingtank.wordpress.com and portillon.wordpress.com for their eyes for simplicity, beauty and elegance.
define your style: I get a lot of inspiration from streetstyle photos and movies that I love, like Harold and Maude, The Passenger, Dazed & Confused and 3 Women. Often what inspires me isn’t a specific look but a mood, a feeling or a color scheme, and to those ends I also love the photographs of William Eggleston and the artwork of Egon Schiele.

links, please:

for the birds

vintage jersey dress with vines and birds
no name wood platform sandals

i really need to invest in a tripod…

i tried to catch my boyfriend on his lunch break to take pictures of my dress, but he could only snap a few before he left. we went to the back of the building where a vine was growing against a wall. the lighting was perfect and everything, but when i loaded the pictures onto the computer, i noticed that there were two big plastic trash cans in the frame that i couldn’t crop out. oops. i really need to stop relying on him during the week for this kind of stuff.

so it’s back inside again with the camera propped on top of a book propped on top of the couch. and the lighting is bad. but i was determined to do an outfit post today because i’ve never shown you this dress. a few years back, i became obsessed with these little 80’s jersey dresses. a lot of them are done in that “80’s does 50’s” style and they’re suuuper comfortable. but then one day i realized that jersey isn’t exactly the most forgiving of fabrics. it sorta clings to the body in a most unforgiving way. so i sold most of them, and kept only two. i just love the green vines with two little sparrows perched on each shoulder.

ok, and now i really need to get to sewing. i’m replacing modern buttons on a modern skirt with some vintage buttons and i have tons of dresses and skirts to hem! not to mention, i still haven’t figured out what to do with all of these feedsacks i have. my mom gave me a bunch of them a while back and i want to try sewing them into skirts and blouses. i need some of those vintage one-yard patterns!

boy by band of outsiders

ok, seriously! what is wrong with me? how is it possible that i have never seen this blog/website??? and how is it possible that i completely zoned out and never saw the spring collection from boy by band of outsiders? craziness. i am especially in love with the pretty pictures of kirsten dunst modeling the line. and don’t get me started on the pictures of michelle williams modeling the fall collection from last year. she’s so adorable! oh, remember her dawson’s creek days? haha!

anyway, i caught up on this reading the refinery29 blog because apparently they’re having a sale on the spring collection right now.