Formula

This outfit is sort of a repeat, as I've worn this dress/tights/shoes combo a couple times before, but the colors just go so well together that whenever I pull this dress out I'm stumped to come up with a better formula. Sometimes there's just no messing with a good thing.

Since the middle panel of this dress is a see-through lace mesh, I always need to cover the midriff in order to wear it to work. This time I used the blazer to cover most of it, and filled in the rest with the scarf. It was fairly cool that day, so the velvet blazer and tights kept me warm, while the sandals and bright colors made it seasonally appropriate.

The outdoor location is the patio just off our dining room (which really isn't a dining room so much as a hatmaking studio). You've actually seen this location before, but it was with the ugly blue building next door in the background. I much prefer this angle.

Dress: Betsey Johnson
Scarf: vintage
Blazer: Victoria M. Ortiz
Tights: Foot Traffic
Sandals: John Fluevog

Springy

This is the last outfit from before the trip, when it suddenly got really warm and sunny in SF. This outfit felt springy while still giving me enough skin coverage for the chilly temps that tend to set in at dusk. Because my feet have a hard time with peep toe shoes, I added some little half socks to keep my toes from being chafed.

If you only look at the detail shot, this outfit looks pretty glam with all the sequins and sparkly jewelry. But notice how the addition of leggings and flats brings the outfit down a couple notches in terms of dressiness. If I swapped out the leggings for black nylons and the flats for pumps, I'd have a perfectly good outfit for going out.

Top: Forever 21
Cardigan: Anthropologie
Belt: Red Dress Shoppe
Skirt: Noa Noa
Leggings: Foot Traffic
Bracelet: Betsey Johnson
Shoes: Bobbi Blu

Height Perception

This little lacy black dress is another one Mark and I use a lot for our Etsy shop photos, but that I rarely wear. I've actually owned it since about 1993, but with this season's resurgence in the lace trend, I figured it was high time I pulled it out again. These days I wouldn't wear it as a dress because it's so short (somehow it seemed ok when I was 24, even though it barely covers my butt), but it makes a great layering piece.

I've noticed  from time to time in the comments that people will assume I'm petite, and I wonder why this is. I'm actually 5'8" in bare feet, and the other day I got to thinking that I must subconsciously assume other bloggers are all roughly the same height I am, because I'm surprised if I find out they're considerably taller or shorter. Do we perceive height differently depending on how tall we are ourselves? I wonder also how much of our own body image plays into it; if someone feels they're too short, for instance, does everyone else automatically get perceived as taller, whereas someone who is comfortable with her height (or simply doesn't care) assumes everyone else is the same size?

Why do people care so much about height anyway, other than difficulty in finding clothes that fit? My only gripe about shopping for my own height is that sleeves are often too short, hence I push them up to my elbows a lot. Other than that I wouldn't say I spend much time thinking about it; until of course someone says I'm petite and gets me ruminating on the subject.

How do you perceive the height of people you see on the internet or on TV? How much do you think your own body image plays into those perceptions?   

Brown dress: from Ruby on Haight Street
Black dress: Betsey Johnson
Necklace: from Ambiance on Haight Street
Belt: Audra Jean
Skirt: thrifted and shortened
Bracelet: Leslie Danzis
Tights: Falke
Shoes: Fly London

Another Airing

You can tell how warm it still was when I wore this; we had some unseasonably hot weather which reached its peak the day the Giants came home for their celebratory parade. This outfit was worn right before it turned chilly again, when I had checked the forecast and thought I could eke out one more day of bare legs and arms. I took the opportunity to try out one of the cute pairs of ankle socks that I bought just as the last heat wave was ending.

I wore and posted this outfit almost verbatim last month; all I did to change it up was to replace the gray tank with an off-white one, swap the cowboy boots for socks and sandals, and add different jewelry. But I couldn't resist giving it another airing, because we don't get too many days around here that are suitable for wearing something like this, and I wanted to fully enjoy what was potentially the last really hot day we'll see until spring.

Vest: F21
Dress, skirt: Anthropologie
Socks: Sock Dreams
Sandals: John Fluevog
Jewelry: Betsy Johnson

Body Art

Have you ever wondered what those tattoos on my arms are all about? Well, click on over to this annotated bibliography at Fashionable Academics to find out. While you're at it, you can read all the other contributors' stories about the inspiration behind their tattoos and the kind of reactions their ink elicits. It just goes to show that people with tattoos are much harder to categorize than many people think. Body art is a highly personal experience and has a different significance for everyone who wears it.

I put together this outfit with the intention of mixing masculine and feminine elements. The last several times I've worn these cropped pants I've put together more purely menswear-inspired looks, going so far as to add a tie to a couple of them (click here and here and here for the posts). Here I added the ruffle-trimmed cami and cropped cardigan to bring in some girly touches and give the pants a completely different vibe.

Cardigan, pants: Noa Noa
Cami: Anthro
Necklace: Betsey Johnson
Shoes: John Fluevog

Summer Layering

Here's the last of my Anthro purchases: this light pink cardigan. Normally I avoid washed out colors like this, but I thought it had great potential for pairing with darker items, such as this black sweater and dark olive skirt.

I also like the cardigan's tissue-thin weight and 3/4 length sleeves, which make it a great piece for summer layering. Lately it's been cold and rainy here, so warm clothes are still a must; the cardigan was a nice way to brighten up this dark but warm outfit and add a breezy summer vibe to it. As you can see, I'm still not giving up my tights, and probably won't for much of the summer.

Sweater: Banana Republic
Cardi: Anthro
Bracelet: Betsey Johnson
Skirt, tights: Noa Noa
Shoes: Faryl Robin

Anthro

Last week I stopped into Anthropologie during a break from the conference I was attending downtown. Normally a visit to Anthro entails me wandering around looking at lots of things, with my thoughts running along the lines of, "Wow, that's cute, but it isn't 250 dollars' worth of cute. Oh, I like that, but not for $189. Hmm, a t-shirt with ruffles sewn on it for $80? I don't think so." Most of the time I leave empty-handed and annoyed, but boredom combined with rainy weather drove me in to take a look anyway. Making a beeline for the large sale section, I found several things marked down to well within the realm of reason; this tunic and skirt were among them and the rest you'll see over the next few days.

I'm excited about the layering potential of this tunic; the mixture of colors can go towards a pale, warm weather look or a dark, contrasty one for colder months. The exposed seams give it the right amount of uniqueness that will pair well with edgier items in my wardrobe. The skirt is a semi-sheer pale pink, which I'm looking forward to trying out with the new stuff I just got from Black Market Baby.

For this outfit I let the tunic do all the work in terms of shaping, and left out a belt. After the discomfort of the previous day's outfit, this was a really wonderful follow-up, the swingy layers having just the right amount of softness and stretch.

I also got a haircut last week -- it's just a shorter version of the last one.

Tunic, skirt: Anthropologie
Ruffled shirt: H&M
Cardigan: thrifted
Tights: Noa Noa
Boots: Bronx
Jewelry: Betsey Johnson

Political Rantings

'Scuse me for a moment while I get all political on ya. It's not often (ok, it's not ever, really) that I talk politics on this blog, but this is an issue that has got my hackles WAY up, and I need to vent for a moment. The outfit details are all the way at the bottom of the post if you want to skip my rantings; the rest of this post has nothing at all to do with fashion.

As you may have guessed already, I have a deep and profound love of all things Latin American, and as a native Californian I consider many aspects of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Salvadoran, Guatemalan, and other Latino cultures to be a part of my own heritage. So the shameful immigration law recently passed in Arizona, which I'm sure everyone has heard all about by now, just makes me clench my teeth with indignation.

Now I acknowledge that Arizona does have a hefty set of immigration-related issues that the federal government has done a terrible job in dealing with. But enacting a law that promotes mistrust and angry division is just never the right answer, is it?

Sure, illegal immigration poses problems; one of the most overlooked, in my opinion, is the way it undermines the Herculean efforts of people who come here by legal means. Talk to anyone who's gone through the process of obtaining a work visa in the US or becoming naturalized and you'll hear stories of miles of paperwork, gobs of money spent, hours in impossibly long lines, and legal red tape that would make your hair stand on end. Having obtained my citizen status by the easiest possible method, birth, I wholeheartedly admire the perseverance of legal immigrants. Moreover, I wonder what the US would be like if everyone was as passionate and committed to being here as our legal immigrants are? Would we suffer from the same sense of entitlement if we had to deal with the USCIS to obtain our rights?

On the other hand, it's pretty tough to blame people who risk everything to flee a desperate and often woefully impoverished situation for the chance of making a better life for themselves and their children. To me it is the original American Dream in its purest form. And the reality is that it's pretty much the same way most of our ancestors got here. Most Americans today cannot even fathom the sorts of troubles that people who flee to this country are facing in their home lands, and indeed, even the "better life" that many illegal immigrants find here is still far below the average American standard of living.

Illegal immigrantion does come with its share of other problems, not the least of which is the importation of drugs and the violence that goes along with them. But turning the local police, who live within that racially-mixed community, into what amounts to little better than an SS brigade, is a recipe for unrest and further conflict, most notably among people who aren't even a part of the original problem. Obviously the law legalizes racial profiling, but even worse, it builds walls between people who should be working together to solve these issues. I'm sorry Arizona, I don't have an easy solution for you, but the one you've opted for is quite possibly the worst you could've come up with.

I'd like to open up the floor for more discussion, because I know my insightful readers will have more to add on this one. Are there any Arizonians out there who have a different take on this issue? Legal immigrants who want to weigh in? People from Latin countries who are disgusted, irate, disappointed? People who have been impacted in one way or another? Let's hear it! Even if Arizona is taking a closed-minded approach, it doesn't mean we have to.

Today's (non-political) outfit:
Dress, bracelet: Betsey Johnson
Cardigan: Solemio
Harness: Audra Jean
Jacket: Tulle
Tights: Foot Traffic, via Sock Dreams
Shoes: Saks 5th Avenue
Adorable dog: Georgie

Contortions

Egads. Here I've cut off my head as well as my feet, and there's that awful lighting again. Really and truly this was the best photo out of the set. Thankfully tomorrow's will be better.

I love this Betsey Johnson dress, but when I put it on I remembered why I hardly ever wear it: it is an absolute nightmare to get on. It has one of those invisible side zippers combined with a tight-fitting bodice and a hard seam at the waist, which means I have to go through all sorts of contortions in order to pull the zipper up without it giving way too suddenly and pinching the tender skin on my side. Why designers continue to construct dresses this way is a mystery. By the time I got it zipped up I was so pissed off that I had nearly ripped the dress to shreds several times. Clearly there will need to be some alterations if I'm ever going to wear it again.

It's really cute though, isn't it? Because it's a very fancy dress, too fancy to wear to work on its own, I casualized it with the oversized sweater and plaid socks. It was a good day-to-evening outfit, which was perfect for going straight from work to Fawn's photography opening over at the wonderful bar called Olive, which I had never been to. The opening was quite a success, with a great turnout, an interesting and fun group of people, and most importantly for Fawn, a sale. A great time, and fabulous martinis, were had by all.



Dress: Betsey Johnson
Cardigan: thrifted
Belt: Urban Outfitters
Shoes: John Fluevog

Here's a gratuitous cute dog picture to distract you from today's horrible outfit photography:

Georgie surveys her domain through Mark's window. She fancies herself quite the watchdog.

Patchwork

This outfit isn't a super exciting one; it was a comfortable, casual look that I threw together in the morning when I was running around trying to get everything together for meeting with my tax guy. But I wanted to show it to you because it features this beautiful suede jacket that I found while out thrifting with my mom in Oregon last month. This jacket is a perfect illustration of patchwork done really well; the patches have subtle variations in texture and color, giving the jacket depth without making it look like it was just thrown together from a bunch of scraps. It also looks like it has never been worn, which is unusual for a suede piece found in a thrift store.

The other thing I did with this outfit was to throw in the scarf for a splash of unexpected color. This is one of the easiest ways to jazz up a casual outfit -- anyone could see that pairing the purple top with brown pants and purple boots would work, but adding the green scarf is a bit more adventurous and interesting.

Scarf: Rhapsodia
Top: Just Angels
Cords: Marlowe
Boots: Fly London
Jacket: thrifted
Bracelet: Betsey Johnson

Repetition

This outfit is comprised of the somewhat odd combination of burgundy, orange, and pink, and hopefully I'll be able to effectively explain how I got there. It all started with the burgundy and orange skirt (and I realize it probably doesn't look burgundy and orange on your computer screen, but trust me, it is!), which I purchased while Jess was in town.

Let me just digress here for a minute, because this actually happened to us while we were shopping at the Skunkfunk sample sale on Haight Street: the sales girl came up to us and said, and I quote, "Ladies, would you like a cocktail while you shop?" I can't make this up, kids. Jess and I looked at her, then at each other, then back at her, and asked, "Have you met us? Ah, YES!" So we had cocktails while we shopped. And it was... inspiring.

So this skirt is what I bought. It is saturated shades of orange and burgundy, and when I put it on I was actually stumped for a few minutes because although I've got plenty of other burgundy and orange things to go with it, I knew I needed a third color. What goes with burgundy and orange? I struggled for a few minutes before I came up with the solution, which is: What goes with burgundy OR orange? Well, lots of things. Pink, for instance, goes with burgundy beautifully.

Now you might think that with this skirt being one of the players, orange is automatically one of the main colors in the outfit. NOT SO! The "main" colors are determined by repetition, not so much by surface area (the same is true in interior design, btw). By adding the burgundy boots and cardigan I repeated the burgundy color 3 times; by choosing a pink scarf, belt, and bracelet (I could also have put a pink shirt under the cardigan), I repeated pink 3 times. How many times does orange appear? Once. And since it's already incorporated alongside burgundy in the print of the skirt, it totally works. So as long as I pull one color out of this skirt and pair that color with a suitable mate, I can make this skirt work with just about anything. And so can you.

Do you have an item in your collection that has an odd color pairing? Do you have any new ideas for what to try it with?

Scarf, belt, cardigan: gifts
Bracelet: Betsey Johnson
Shirt: Michael Stars
Skirt: Skunkfunk
Boots: Miz Mooz

Vintage Vest

My keyboard is still non-functional, but with Mark's help I've at least been able to upload the rest of my photos from the trip, so I should have a few of them to show you tomorrow. In the meantime I'll talk about the fun new things in this outfit.

I picked up this vest several months ago at a vintage show, but it needed some alterations before it was ready to wear, so it sat in my closet for awhile. I think it was originally a men's vest, which meant that it needed to be taken in at the sides so that it tapered more towards the waist. The tailor did a lovely job and now it fits perfectly. I love that it just has the single row of buttons, which really slims me at the waist. The plaid pattern has soft shades of green and teal that meld together, which gives it a lot of versatility for what I can pair it with.

The boots are some that I found while everyone was out visiting for my birthday party last month and all us girls went out shopping together. I'd been looking for a pair of deep red boots for some time, but it's tough to find colorful boots that also have interesting embellishments. The ruffled edge and buttons on these are just perfect, and they have a nice low wedge heel that's really going to be practical for the coming winter months. Too bad I can't wear them right now because of my broken toe...

Hat: Accessorize
Top: Anne Taylor
Necklace: Betsey Johnson
Vest: vintage
Skirt: Anthropologie
Tights: Biella
Boots: Miz Mooz

Challenging

I think this might be one of the most challenging color combinations I've tried to date. Here's how it all came to be:

The Goal: To wear this summery dress and summery shoes before the summer is officially over.

The Problem: It hasn't really felt very much like summer, well, pretty much all summer. And last week it took an even colder turn for several days. But damn it, I wasn't going to let that stop me.

The Solution: Tights, of course. And since I just love the way tights look with platform sandals, I was off to a good start.

The Dilemma: The only tights I had that worked with this pinkish-purple dress/brown shoes combo were a rusty orange color, making it exceedingly difficult to fill out the top half of the outfit. Compound that with the fact that the midsection of this dress has a see-through panel that absolutely must be covered up for work, and I was fairly well stuck.

The Fix: Since I don't actually have anything else in precisely that rusty shade of orange, I chose this busy patterned cardigan, which has several shades that are close. The mixed shades of orange and brown in the cardigan help to bridge the bright orange jacket with the brownish-orange tights. There's even a little purple in the cardigan as well, which helps to tie the dress in with the other pieces. I've discussed this cardigan at length before, because it seems to be a critical piece when I'm trying to pull off a difficult color combination.

In case you're wondering, that pink streak in my hair is an extension that my hairdresser put in just for fun when I went in for my most recent cut and color. It lasted a few days and then fell out because my hair is so straight and slippery. It was fun while it lasted though, and makes me want to do an actual contrasting streak the next time I go in.

Jacket: Tulle
Cardigan: Hale Bob
Dress: Betsey Johnson
Tights: Sock Dreams
Shoes: John Fluevog

Black Widow

I've owned this black lace dress for years and years; it was one of those long-standing favorites that I had tucked away in a dress bag and stashed under my bed for safe keeping. Along with my 90's rompers that I turned into mini-dresses, this was one of those things I pulled from the vaults with the intention of reworking it somehow.

The dress is a Betsey Johnson and was originally purchased sometime around 1993. It also came with an opaque black slipdress that goes underneath, which I still use as a slip fairly often. The black lace completely transforms the look of this 50's-style red dress, giving it much more of a goth quality than I'd ever thought possible. I kept the rest of the outfit simple so as not to overdo it; after all, black and red makes quite a statement on its own. I left my legs bare despite the frigid Bay Area temperatures, because I felt that even sheer black hose would look too gloomy.

The dress is obviously meant to be buttoned all the way down, but I wanted to use the stark contrast between the two dresses to create the illusion of an hourglass shape, which I don't actually have. The 'V' shapes that I created by unbuttoning the black dress above and below the elastic belt are accentuated by the saturated red underneath. I think the red hourglass shape also makes me look a little like a black widow. If only I had all those handy extra limbs -- just think how many more tattoos I could get!

Red dress: J. Crew
Belt: Red Dress Shoppe
Shoes: Steve Madden

Built for Comfort

This outfit was all about comfort. I'd been up late and on my feet for many hours the night before, and all I wanted was an unfussy outfit with nothing constricting me anywhere, no periodic tugging or adjusting to be done, and a soft, cozy pair of shoes. Thankfully this one was of the pre-planned outfits hanging in my closet. My workday was one of uncomplicated, maintenance-free bliss with this fun A-line minidress and sneakers.

If I'm not mistaken, this may be the first pair of sneakers ever to make an appearance on this blog. I found this pair during my Seattle trip a couple of weeks ago, and though I'm not much of a sneakers wearer, I couldn't resist the fun colors and feminine look of these. Of course I added some obligatory skulls to offset all the girly cuteness of this outfit.

And what was it that kept me out late and on my feet the night before? Mark and I took a little trip down memory lane at the Duran Duran show at the Fillmore. The last time I saw them was in 1986 at the Oakland Coliseum, and happily, I think we're all still holding up pretty well. As a bonus that evening, I was also recognized by one of my readers, who I ran into outside the show on the way to line up. We didn't properly introduce ourselves, but it was fun to meet you, whoever you are! Thank you for stopping me and saying hello!

Dress: Red Dress Shoppe
Leggings: Kersh
Shoes: Simple
Pin: Devout Dolls
Bracelet: Betsey Johnson

Corset Top

I hope all my friends in the US had a wonderful 4th of July weekend. If you'd like to see a little of what I was up to, take a peek in the Etsy shop. Some more of Mark's amazing creations will be posted soon; he's been very busy as well, and has crafted some real masterpieces.

I originally bought this top specifically to wear underneath my Dark Garden corset, but since I have yet to wear the corset (which I don't even have a good excuse for), the top has hung in the closet unworn as well. It wasn't until I pulled it out to use for modeling some of Mark's belts for the shop that I was inspired to wear it to work. Putting it over this ecru dress seemed like a perfect way to downplay all the lace and make it more office-appropriate. The skirt added just the right amount of length to the hemline, while I offset all the girlieness of the lace and pink by adding plenty of skulls.

Top: Dark Garden
Dress: Lady Language
Skull scarf: Duke et Duchess
Belt: Audra Jean
Skirt: Lemon Twist
Socks: Sock Dreams
Boots: Bata
Skull bracelet: Betsy Johnson

Cydwoq Shoes

I'm back from a fantastic weekend in Austin, Texas. Despite the fact that we were wholly unprepared for how hot, and particularly how humid it was, Laura and I had a great time. Austin is a fun city with tons of live music, and unbeknownst to us we also happened to plan our visit the same weekend as a huge biker rally, which was quite a spectacle to behold. We stayed right in the heart of downtown and walked everywhere, and though it was draining because of the heat, my feet were at least well taken care of thanks to this new pair of Cydwoq shoes.
Coincidentally, the awesome Husband Mike did a post recently about Cydwoq shoes over on Sal's blog, and here they are getting featured on my blog as well. You may remember that Sal and Mike came to San Francisco a few months ago, and while they were here they told Mark and I about these fantastic shoes. Mark recently bought this pair, and has gone on about their comfort so many times that I finally resolved to get some for myself.

You might not guess, given the frequency with which I wear heels, that I actually suffer from a lot of problems with my feet (no doubt from wearing all those heels). For years now I've been searching for the perfect pair of super-comfy walking shoes, particularly ones that I can easily take with me when I travel, which is when my foot woes tend to afflict me the most. I wanted flat or low-heeled shoes that could be worn with jeans or skirts. Oh, and I also wanted them to be small and lightweight for easy packing. Miraculously, these Cydwoqs meet all my requirements. After wearing them several times now, I still can't get my head around the fact that I have no foot pain even after hours of walking.

I like how the crackle texture of the shoes accents the snakeskin pattern of the minidress. Though the shoes are quite a casual cut, I think the gold finish gives them just the right amount of dressiness to wear with skirts. Cheap they are most definitely not, but I have a feeling these shoes are going to be well worth the investment.





Hat: Noa Noa
Black drape-neck shirt: Sunhee Moon
Dress: thrifted
Belt: Sunhee Moon
Leggings: Sock Dreams
Shoes: Cydwoq
Jewelery: Betsey Johnson