Goodbye Norma Jean

Over the weekend I made a major decision: it was time to do away with my Monroe piercing (although apparently mine was technically a Madonna piercing, but whatever). The reason is that I'd started to notice a wrinkle that the piercing was causing; the tug of the post when I talked and smiled was creating a vertical line from the piercing to the upper margin of my lip, which doesn't follow the natural creases that talking and smiling produce on their own. I knew that in another year or so the crease would start to look odd and unnatural among my other lines, so I figured if I took the piercing out now I could stop, and maybe even reverse, the damage. I'd had the piercing for almost 6 years.

Getting your face pierced is an odd thing, because unlike the ears or nose, there's a lot of active tissue there that has to reconcile itself with a foreign object being placed in its midst. As it turns out, the face doesn't really appreciate having a metal rod rammed through it. It reacts initially with fairly exaggerated swelling, so much so that an extra long post has to be put in at first to accommodate the bulging tissue. When things finally settle down, the real healing can begin.

A pierced face heals begrudgingly, slowly admitting defeat and shrinking back to its normal dimensions, though it remains ready at the attack for several months, always prepared to spring forth into violent rebellion at the slightest disruption. Finally after about 6 months it seems to become resigned to its fate, and almost never protests after that. The back of the piercing settles into the soft tissue in the back of the lip, and it's nearly a part of you. Nearly.

Once the offending object is removed however, the face seems to regain its confidence, as well as a renewed sense of diplomacy. It nary makes a fuss, preferring to write the whole thing off as a minor misunderstanding. It's as if it's saying, "Well, thank heavens you've come to your senses. Let's put that little episode behind us." Not 24 hours after I removed the metal post, I could no longer squirt water out of the hole it left behind (a talent I'm somewhat sad to lose); 2 days in I could barely feel the depression that the back of the post left on the inside of my lip; after 4 days even the hole on the outside is starting to close in on itself. Soon it will resemble what it was meant to mimic in the first place: a beauty mark, albeit a very small one.

I loved the look of the piercing but I knew from the start that its time was limited. I have a few more outfit photos to post from before I took it out, but you may have a tough time discerning the first photos where it's gone. Unless you see me up close, it has always been a fairly subtle accessory.

There's one person I know will celebrate the departure of my Monroe piercing: my mom. Moms never seem to love any modification of their offspring's physical being, I find. I suppose they feel that when they made their sons and daughters, they were already perfect.

Top: Asos
Belt: Oscar de la Renta
Bangles: Amrita Singh
Skirt: Anthropologie
Tights: Hue
Shoes: BCBGirls

Intuitive

I resisted the urge to throw on my McQueen skull scarf with this outfit, mainly because I feel like I've repeated that particular item a lot lately (I also just wore it with this exact same blazer). But come fall, won't this dress/blazer combo be spectacular with the scarf, plus my Hero tights and Miu Miu pumps? That's an outfit that's been floating around in my head for several months. For now though, I've gone with a scaled down, slightly more summery version by leaving my neck and legs bare.

This is a great example of how clothes that truly fit your style can magically end up looking like they were made to go together. I was drawn to both the dress and the blazer because of the asymmetric draping, and it's that very detail that marries the two so perfectly. The folds of the blazer draw the eye smoothly down to the corresponding folds of the dress. I also tend to like tops or dresses that have interesting details at the neckline such as the ruching on this dress, so the fact that the blazer is cut low enough to reveal those details makes it a great fit for my wardrobe.

I actually didn't have to try on this outfit in advance to know that the dress and blazer would work perfectly together. This one was completely intuitive.

Dress: Valentino
Blazer: Helmut Lang
Necklace: Ambiance on Haight Street
Ring: Wendy Mink
Sandals: Michael Kors

Classified

Yep, I wore the same scarf two days in a row. But when I put together this outfit I knew it needed some extra oomph, and the scarf just seemed to give it the perfect, polished-yet-funky touch. And anyway, that day I was on a TOP SECRET MISSION and needed all the polish I could get. Hopefully I'll soon be able to reveal exactly what my mission was that day, but for now it's classified. In this outfit, I felt like someone who'd have top secret clearance. Or maybe just a pistol in my handbag.

Here's a close-up of my new pixie cut, which I absolutely love. It's been awhile since I've had my hair this short, and I forgot how great it is for windy summers by the bay. There is seriously no messing up this style, no matter how strong the gusts get. Between the new haircut, my awesome Helmut Lang blazer (which is possibly the best purchase EVER), and the killer scarf, I felt totally invincible in this.



Blazer, dress: Helmut Lang
Scarf: Alexander McQueen
Bag: Foley + Corinna
Tights: Hue
Shoes: Born
Earrings: Swarovski

Sneaky

I'm completely in love with this skirt, especially with the weather being as shitty as it's been lately. The swirl and movement of the skirt gives it a breezy look, especially when combined with this gauzy, cape-like cardigan, but its length sneakily hid a couple of extra warmth-providing layers. First there was a pair of cotton leggings which served to keep my legs warm, and over those was a full length slip to keep the leggings from sticking to the skirt, and also to add extra insulation. It doesn't really come through in these photos, but the outfit really did have a lightweight and summery feel even though it kept me toasty.

I'm also clearly smitten with the scarf, and love the way it adds an edgy touch to even a soft, floaty outfit like this one.

Thankfully this was the last day before I got my hair cut; my hairdresser had been away on vacation and I simply couldn't bring myself to go to anyone else for a touch-up. In the meantime my gray-streaked roots had grown out to a shameful degree, and my hair had gotten to an unruly length that required a great deal of wrangling in the morning. For some reason I don't mind putting a lot of time into my makeup, but I hate spending a lot of time on my hair. The new 'do will make its debut next week!

Top: Ann Taylor
Skirt: Anthropologie
Scarf: Alexander McQueen
Cardigan: Twelfth Street Cynthia Vincent
Shoes: Fly London

Columnar

 

Here's an outfit that accents my actual figure; by which I mean that it doesn't seek to manufacture curves I don't possess, but rather accentuates the straight, columnar shape I actually have. And I think this is a good thing to develop comfort with, because many of us devote so much time to making our busts look larger, our waists look smaller, and so on, that we overlook the simplicity of working with the shape we already have. Sal is obviously the queen of positive body image writing, so I'll point you to her blog for the more philosophical discussions of embracing your figure; I thought what I'd do here is discuss the mechanics of how this particular outfit plays to my natural shape.

Since I don't have very exaggerated curves, it's easy for me to wear more androgynous shapes; shapes whose lines aren't disrupted by a big bust or round hips. For this outfit, I resisted the urge to add a belt, and instead let the long, vertical lines rule the day. I let the straight-sided cardigan hang open and gathered the scarf into a single line down the middle. I also didn't clutter up the outfit with too many accessories, and let the vibrant red bag be the single point of color.

The sheer black top fits loosely and hangs straight down, and likewise the skirt is a simple column shape. The leggings brought in some visual interest with the horizontal lines, while still keeping the look clean and simple. This was a comfortable outfit to wear, because nothing was pinching or squeezing or slipping anywhere, and I think in large part it had to do with the way the proportions of the garments fit my body's natural proportions.


Over to you. Do you ever try accentuating your natural shape, rather than going for the standard hourglass? What types of clothing play up your real figure, and how do you feel about wearing them?

Top and leggings: Black Market Baby (Etsy)
Skirt: Asos
Scarf ring: from a shop in Buenos Aires
Shoes: Bobbi Blu
Bangles: Amrita Singh
Bag: Foley + Corinna
Cardigan: Anthropologie

A Match Made in Heaven

Here's the third of the new bags purchased this year; the first was the taupe-gray L.A.M.B. bag I got in New York, and the second was the Michael Kors bag I showed you a couple days ago. I snapped up this beauty via Gilt after seeing Sal's review of it and admiring how its capacious tote form coverts to a compact cross-body style. This is a great bag for San Francisco, as it is large enough to carry the compulsory sweater or light jacket that is a necessity even on the most seemingly summery of days. The bag itself is also light enough that filling it up doesn't push it into the realm of unmanageable -- unless you fill it with bricks, I suppose. It could actually hold quite a few, should the need arise.

I didn't even realize until I started writing this post that Sal also inspired the purchase of this scarf. While we were in New York in February we stopped at Saks for Sal to pick out her McQueen skull scarf, and while we were looking at all the options I tried on a red and black one. I've thought about it ever since, so I finally tracked one down on eBay, and boy am I glad I did. My $20 knock-off version doesn't hold a candle to the real thing; the difference in the quality and feel of the fabric is immediately apparent, and the skull pattern is perfectly crisp and clear on this one, whereas it's smeary and irregular on the knockoff.

And finally, here are the opaque-but-skintight ponte knit pants paired with the nearly-butt-baring dress; as I suspected, a match made in heaven!

Dress: Asos
Harness: Audra Jean
Pants: Club Monaco
Bag: Foley + Corinna
Jacket: Skin Graft
Scarf: Alexander McQueen
Shoes: BCBGirls

Giddy

For day 2 of conferencing I figured I couldn't go wrong with my Helmut Lang blazer. Originally I intended to wear this blazer with the All Saints dress I posted yesterday, but sadly the proportions aren't right; the blazer is just a little too long in front for the dress. Thankfully these cropped pants had just arrived via Gilt, and the sunny weather that day offered the perfect chance to try them out. They're really comfortable, and the pale beige color means they match my skin tone and thus don't shorten my legs. Expect to see a lot more of these pants -- and surprisingly soon, too.

If I look extra happy here, it's for two reasons: Jess was in town, and I was spending my workday in San Francisco. If it isn't already obvious, let me just state for the record that I am giddy with love for the city I live in. It never gets old for me; all the interesting things to do, amazing restaurants to try out, beautiful scenery, and most of all the people. Not a day goes by that I'm not filled with pride and gratitude to be a part of this unique and special place. I love it SO MUCH!!




Ahem. As I was saying... After I got home from the conference, I dressed the outfit down by swapping out my jacket, shoes, and necklace. Georgie was there to supervise.





Black blazer: Helmut Lang
Top: Ann Taylor
Pants: Cynthia Steffe
Sandals: Kors Michael Kors
Military jacket: French Kiss
Flats: Fly London

Patience

I bought this dress from the All Saints website months ago, but when it arrived it still had the security tag on it. And since the brick-and-mortar All Saints store is down by Union Square, and since I HATE going to Union Square, it took awhile before I summoned up the motivation to go down there and have them remove the tag for me. But here's the dress at last; it's the same Layla dress style I've been eying since 2009, which I guess explains why I didn't mind waiting a couple more months to wear it. I initially fell for this dress in the blue color, but in the end I decided I liked it even better in oyster, which to me makes it more wearable as a day dress. I also liked it a LOT better on sale for $159, versus the $305 it was when I first found it. Patience finally paid off.

The little cardigan/shrug is also from All Saints. The sequins are actually all made of solid metal, which gives this piece a nice weight and drape.

Dress: All Saints
Shrug: All Saints
Bangles: Amrita Singh
Shoes: Rock and Republic

Sunnies

Kimberly inspired me to put together this outfit after her post about red blazers a couple of weeks ago. I figured since the outfit looked so summery, I'd also show you the sunglasses I picked up for a mere 10 bucks at Century 21 while Sal and I were in New York. I love high quality, stylish sunnies, but I tend to be hard on them, so finding a great deal is important for me. For $10 I won't be heartbroken if these get scratched or I accidentally sit on them.

Blazer, dress: thrifted
Cropped pants: La Redoute
Shoes: Michael Kors
Sunnies: Cole Haan

Style Over Modesty

If you'd seen the listing for this black top on the Asos website, you might have taken one look at the cropped length and bare midriff shown in the photos and immediately passed it by. And ordinarily, so would I. But as it turned out I had also just added this white dress to my cart, and this top immediately struck me as something I could wear with it.

As much as I love the clean look of optic white, it doesn't look great near my face. So I bought the dress knowing that I'd need to wear it with something else, because at the sale price it was a good enough deal to live with the limitation. And since in San Francisco layering is a necessity for much of the year anyway, it wasn't really that big a sacrifice.

The black top, which is made of t-shirt jersey in the front and sheer chiffon in the back, was perfect. With its funky dolman sleeves and asymmetrical hem, it provided an interesting, modern look and a nice sharp contrast against the white.

If you look closely at the dress, you'll see that the opaque lining layer is scandalously short. For that reason I was initially dubious about wearing the dress over nothing but leggings, because it essentially amounts to wearing leggings as pants. In the end I decided I didn't care, because anything I tried to layer under the dress took away from the clean, simple lines of the outfit. And looking at it now, I feel like I was plenty covered up. Score a victory for style over modesty.

Dress, top: Asos....  Leggings: Foot Traffic....  Bag: L.A.M.B.....  Shoes: BC Footwear

Duran Duran

Here's another one of our outdoor locations; this is outside our back door, in front of the awesome wall of bamboo that towers over the property line. This is on the second floor of the building and you can see that the bamboo extends well above where I'm standing. When it's windy it makes the most beautiful rustling sound.

And yes, I tucked my tie into my shirt. It wasn't quite the way Duran Duran used to do it (owing to the fact that the shirt has a zipper up the front instead of buttons), but hey, it worked for me.

As an aside, Mark and I saw Duran Duran live at the Fillmore a few weeks back, and they were awesome. They looked great, they sounded great, and it was a blast to see them at such an intimate venue. Back in the day I saw them at the Oakland Coliseum, which involved considerably more shoving and being squashed than I could ever deal with these days. The recent show was far more civilized; you can tell an audience is mostly 40+ when the cocktail waitress can walk right through the crowd and deliver drinks all the way up at the front.
















Blazer: Helmut Lang
Shirt: J. Peterman
Tie: thrifted
Harem pants: Vera Wang
Sandals: Kors Michael Kors

Going to the Dentist

I thought I'd include my handbag in these photos to demonstrate how well it goes with black and even the bluer shades of gray. Honestly I think I could use this bag exclusively and it would pair beautifully with at least 90% of my outfits.

I decided to wear these shoes for another day, but this time I painted my toenails, which I thought looked a lot better. This was my "going to the dentist" outfit.

Dress: Aryeh
Cardigan: Express
Belt: Forever 21 (came with a dress)
Bag: L.A.M.B.
Jeans: Joe's
Sandals: Kors Michael Kors

Weekend Errand

This was a casual weekend outfit; I only had one quick errand to run that day, but I decided I might as well look good doing it. This top/cardigan combo is one that gets used a lot on weekends, because it's comfortable and easy to wear, while the pattern mix keeps it interesting. The sandals are new (they're the Kors Elsie style) and I'm totally in love with them; they're comfy, stylish, and versatile. The reviews I read almost universally mentioned that the suede platform and heel scuffs easily, so I treated them with suede protector before wearing them, and I'm planning on wearing different shoes when I drive, since the angle of my foot when I'm driving tends to wear the backs of high heels. A couple of simple precautions and I can probably keep these shoes looking new for a long time to come.

As for that errand I had to run....

I finally got the Marie Antoinette wig. It makes any outfit better, doesn't it?

Top: Max Studio
Cardigan: Nally & Millie, a gift from Mom
Necklace: Wendy Brandes
Belt: Red Dress Shoppe
Jeans: Joe's
Sandals: Kors Michael Kors
Bangles: Amrita Singh
Marie Antoinette wig: Helen's Wigs

Layered Cardigans

This crazy-ass giant cardigan cocoon thing is really cool; it's going to be the perfect lightweight cover-up for breezy summer days. If you can believe it, this is a petite size, so presumably if I were actually petite this thing would be skimming the floor. I like it better this way.

I started with a plain cream tank to fill in the low neckline of the butterfly tank. But with the two tank tops and the bra there was an awful of of strappage that was visible under the sheer cardigan, so I added another layer, the black cardigan. This not only covered the strap action, but also brought some black into the top half of the outfit and punched up the contrast. Layered cardigans! Is this a new first?

Continuing with the sharp black/cream contrast, I wore opaque black socks so that the lines of the shoes would really stand out. I'm totally obsessed with cream colored shoes lately, and several times now I've had to stop myself from buying more pairs that look overly similar to these. Something about the soft cream leather with the hardware is so appealing.

Butterfly top: Banana Republic
Black cardigan: Express
Cream cardigan: 12th Street by Cynthia Vincent
Jeans: Diesel
Shoes: Rock and Republic

I just loved the way this cardigan looked with the sunlight coming through it.

Let's Get This Party Started

I snagged these beautiful navy blue silk pants on Gilt for $99; they came with the original $790 price tag still affixed, which made me happy. I really wanted them as more of a fall item, having been inspired by LPC's post about party pants. If anyone needs a pair of party pants, surely it's me. I just thought I'd start the party a little early by wearing them now.

The pants need to be hemmed a few inches, but I wanted to sneak in one quick wear before I drop them off at the tailor. Tucking them into boots did the trick. It's never a party when your pant legs are dragging on the ground.

It was tough to capture the sheen and color of the fabric in these photos; it's a deep blue, metallic textured silk. Gorgeous.

Also tough to see here is the metallic sheen of my silver shirt, which created a subtle sparkle underneath the sheer chiffon layer. The fun, bobble-edged scarf added to the festivities. Click the photo to enlarge; you can see the texture better in the larger image.

Chiffon top: Noa Noa
Silver top: no idea
Cardigan: Cynthia Rowley
Scarf: Eileen Fischer
Belt: Noa Noa
Pants: Vera Wang
Boots: All Black
Bangles: Amrita Singh

Georgie tried to join in this photo shoot, but it didn't go quite as well as the last time. First I had to scratch her head to keep her from trying to lick my silk pants...

... and then she just got bored.