outfit: ifẹ’s closet

one of the coolest parts about writing this blog is that it gives me the unique opportunity to connect with new and emerging designers. such was the case when i recently met titi, the designer behind london-based brand, ifẹ’s closet. i was instantly drawn to her designs because of the way she combines classic, vintage-inspired silhouettes with laid-back style, and stunning west african prints. many elements of her designs were inspired by the women in her own family, and are an integral part of the daily life and culture in west africa. so of course, i was delighted to not only have the opportunity to try a few of her designs for myself, but to offer you the chance to win any one in-stock item from her shop!

enter to win any one item from ifẹ’s closet!

get 20% off your order at ifẹ’s closet with code ‘calivintage20′ now through monday, may 18!




wearing:
shift tails dress courtesy of ifẹ’s closet
brookes boswell wakefield hat in panama straw
jenni kayne suede d’orsay flats





buba blouse and midi straight skirt courtesy of ifẹ’s closet
hat courtesy of echo design
swedish hasbeens peep toe super high

outfit: outdoor inspiration

after all of the upheaval of moving into our new place over the last couple of weeks, i’m finally starting to settle back into a normal routine. there’s still tons of work left to do, but i try to make a little bit of time to work on creative projects to keep myself sane. so when hp sent me the new sprout and challenged me to create something with this new technology, i was more than ready for the opportunity to get creative. this new all-in-one computer combines a regular pc with a 3d camera, a touch mat, and a touch screen, transforming your desk’s surface into a digital-physical workspace. being the very hands-on person that i am, i was pretty excited to give it a try. so after brainstorming a bit, i decided to bring some of the outdoors in, and i headed out to my aunt’s garden to forage for natural objects to scan into the computer. you simply place on object on the touch mat, and the computer scans your image so you can start creating.

at first, i was a little overwhelmed with all of the possibilities. you can use the images to create greetings or invites, you can scan in fabric swatches to create moodboards for interior design, or you can create digital scrapbooks with photos and small objects. the possibilities are limitless, so i really had to reign myself in for my first project. but after playing around with some of the foliage, i decided to create my very own custom print for fabric! it’s something i’ve always wanted to do, but always seemed a bit too complicated before now. i just sent my pattern out to be printed using spoonflower, and should expect the fabric to arrive in the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned for part two of my project very soon!








the post was created in partnership with sprout! thank you for supporting the sponsors that make this blog possible.

outfit: enter to win a straw hat from brookes boswell!

ever since i got this hat from brookes boswell a couple of months ago, it has been permanently glued to my head. i try not to wear it some days, but it somehow seems to add the perfect finishing touch to practically every outfit i own! it’s one of those pieces that seems like i’ve always owned it. an instant classic, if you will. so of course, i was delighted when brookes asked me if i’d like to host a giveaway to offer you the opportunity to win one for yourself! brookes boswell millinery was founded in 2009 after the designer completed her apprenticeship with one of the city’s longtime milliners. her background in architectural design, fine art and textiles, give brookes a keen eye for precision, a love of fine materials, and an appreciation for the construction techniques used in the trade. each piece is individually made by hand with only the highest quality materials right in new york city, so you know you are supporting a great business and a solid product.

enter to win a hat from brookes boswell!

wearing:
brookes boswell wakefield hat
vintage flax linen tank top
vintage navy pants
archway necklace courtesy of young frankk
jenni kayne suede d’orsay flats
the runwell watch courtesy of shinola
gillian steinhardt right hand charm bracelet courtesy of shop aro





bonus: i’m also hosting a sneaky second giveaway over on my instagram! head over to check out the details!

this old house

remember when i wrote that very heartfelt post about how we missed out on our little vintage dream house? well, i have never been happier to say that i was wrong. we got the house! 

back when i wrote that post, i really truly thought it wasn’t ours. it had been a month since our offer was rejected without the opportunity to counter-offer. the sign in front had been taken down, and i’d finally let go of that little glimmer of hope that it could somehow be ours. i figured we would go through a few more “losses” before we finally found a place to call home. but the real estate gods must have been looking down on us, because about a week later, we got word that the sale had indeed fallen through. our real estate agent, rita shaw, rushed to the listing agent’s office right as the sellers were looking through the other offers. she negotiated with them and they accepted our offer right on the spot! i was in so much shock, i was afraid to share the news lest i be premature in my announcement once again. but a little over a month later, the house is truly ours.

so to bring you up to speed since my last post, we’ve finally closed escrow and moved in just yesterday. prior to that, we got a home inspection and an appraisal, signed and submitted what seemed like an endless stream of papers, got approval on the loan, paid the down payment, and officially got the keys to our new home on friday. but even though we kinda breezed past the house hunting phase, the journey has really only just begun. it’s not what you would call a fixer, but it is a house that we bought with the hopes of making renovations here and there to truly make it our own. it was built in 1926, so the idea is to restore it back to it’s original charm. and of course, in true blogger form, i will be sharing the entire process with you all once i get my office set up with an internet connection. in the meantime, i’ll be sharing little glimpses of what we’ve been up to on instagram. so expect to see more updates in this space very soon!


adam drinking his morning cup of “coffee” before the big day.


getting the first glimpse of the original 1926 hardwood floors beneath the ancient wall-to-wall carpeting. and check out those mint green drapes, straight from the only renovation to the house that took place in 1970. at least according to the permit records!


we spent hours and hours pulling up each and every staple from these floors. the wood is beautiful and it’s totally livable in the meantime, but we’re already looking into getting them refinished. one cool discovery was that even the kitchen has wood flooring beneath the vinyl tiles and subfloor.


not sure what the story is here, but we have an old horse hitch out front!

language of the birds spring 2015

against my better judgement, i’m heading out to palm springs again this weekend (kinda hard to resist when you live about 50 minutes away)! so of course, i’ve got resort vibes on my mind. and i can’t think of anything better to wear than the new capsule collection by honolulu-based language of the birds. designer tsia carson was inspired by traditional hawaiian silhouettes like the holomu’u, mu’umu’u and kappogis and modernized them with beautiful custom textile designs by clothing designer and store owner of beklina, lina rennell, and textile designer and critic at risd, gina gregorio. the result is a beautiful collection filled with interesting details, fresh colors, and incredibly wearable designs. not only that, but they believe in ethical business practices and embrace transparency in the supply chain. of the collection, they state:

every item is made in the usa using small independently run factories and sustainable, eco-friendly production processes. the fabrics are silk screened by hand in rhode island using a traditional water based vat dye method. they are cut and sewn in nyc’s garment district in a small factory run by a lovely woman named theresa. the integrity of the craftsmanship creates a fabric with a beautiful hand, superior quality and long lasting construction that will endure for decades rather than years. language of the birds could be called old fashioned with their emphasis on supporting american manufacturing, but they believe you should buy something you love and be able to wear it forever.

photos courtesy of language of the birds.








what’s in adam’s bag?

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this is a really simple post that i’ve been meaning to write for months! fashion bloggers always seem to be dumping out the contents of their bags to show off what sorts of goodies they have inside, so why not share what a baby carries in his bag?

back when adam was probably around six months, he became obsessed with my purse. he would sit there and pull everything out, then put it all back in again. and on and on for longer than he would concentrate on most things. since i wasn’t particularly keen on him playing with actual keys, or unwrapping bits of gum, i decided to give him his own purse to play with. i picked up this adorable kid’s survey backpack by hershel supply co. and filled it with the baby-friendly versions of th things you might find in my bag: toy keys, velcro wallet, lots of plastic cards, an altoids tin filled with cheerios, baby sunglasses, etc. it’s still a “toy,” but i’ve found that the things that least resemble actual toys are the things that are most interesting for babies. so there you have it, a glimpse at what’s inside adam’s bag!


whit spring 2015

i’ve skipped out on the last couple seasons of nyfw, so it was a nice little treat to head out to palm springs this weekend for a special presentation of the whit spring 2015 collection. coincidentally, all of the looks were giving off major resort vibes. the girls literally could have walked right off the runway and fit right in with our surroundings at the parker hotel. and even though i’ve toned down my own personal style quite a bit the last couple of years, i still really love a good print for vacation weekends, or fancy events. so the bold prints and patterns definitely caught my eye and got me thinking about how i’m long overdue for a little getaway myself!

photos courtesy of whit.













fifteen months

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today is adam’s fifteen month birthday! so i thought i’d share a few photos we snapped last weekend on easter. apparently my grandpa got a little overexcited about the event and decided that he wanted to build a sandbox for adam. my grandma had to convince him to settle on something store bought, so they spent the entire week prior shipping around for the perfect sandbox. unfortunately, it’s more of a seasonal item, so they had to settle on the iconic plastic turtle. which, might i add, was perfect. i’m merely retelling the tale of their hunt!

so of course, it was a big event to watch him discover the contents of his bucket and eventually play in the sand. and adam was outfitted in this dandy little look for the day. the shirt, shorts, and sunhat were all a gift from egg by susan lazar, and the shoes are a classic pair of saltwater sandals.

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bitte

my internet pal maia mcdonald has just launched a fundable campaign for her new venture, bitte! and of course, it’s right down my alley. she’s teamed up with her mother (and former vice president of product development and creative services at faber-castell usa, no big deal) to start a new baby boutique, and they’re asking friends, family, and the great big internet for help meeting their funding goals. the focus of their latest venture is “to create a unique and trusted marketplace of carefully curated products for young children.” each product is meticulously assessed based upon sustainability, form & function, so you can enjoy shopping knowing that each item has been carefully selected, and has earned the bitte stamp of approval.

and of course, maia is not without her own credentials. she’s a pinterest wizard, freelance graphic designer, art director at rue magazine, and a new mother. i am so excited about her latest venture, and can’t wait to see more! and if that’s not enough convincing, check out the sneak peek of fun items you can score with your pledge to back to the project.

now go fund bitte!







outfit: jumpsuit

if there is one item of clothing that i can’t live without these days, it’s a jumpsuit. all of the convenience of a dress with the practicality of a pair of pants! it’s literally one piece. you just zip it up, add accessories, and you’re good to go. i can chase around after adam (or walk through a wind tunnel) and i never have to worry about my skirt flipping up. i picked up this cool handmade vintage jumpsuit a few weeks ago on my favorite new vintage shopping app, whurl. it’s brown gingham, it zips up the front, and it’s giving major disco granny vibes. can’t you just see some little old lady wearing this with orthopedic shoes? of course, i was actually thinking more along the lines of rachel comey when i bought it and paired it with my trusty d’orsay flats and this hat which i cannot stop wearing. it just goes with everything!

wearing:
vintage jumpsuit scored on whurl
brookes boswell wakefield hat in panama stra
jenni kayne d’orsay flats
clare vivier messenger