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

Downtown (things will be great when you're downtown)

I recently attended two back-to-back scientific conferences in San Francisco, which was such a treat. Conference #1 was on a Thursday and Friday and Conference #2 was the following Monday - Wednesday; 5 straight business days of getting to live my dream of essentially never leaving the city limits except for personal reasons such as travel or visiting friends. Why would I ever want to leave when everything I need is right here? Everything's waiting for me!

The last time I got to live and work in San Francisco was in 1992; I worked at a photo lab downtown, and although my bosses were two of the most horrible people I've ever had the misfortune to meet, I still got a thrill every day out of taking the subway downtown and being in the midst of city life. I always thought it would be cool to be one of those well-dressed professional women, with their blazers and heels and stylish handbags, because obviously, working with chemicals in a photo lab didn't really lend itself to wearing nice clothes. When I attend conferences in town, I feel like I've finally become one of those women.

This All Saints dress was just the perfect thing to wear to a conference, because it has many of the interesting details that are key elements of my style, while still offering a tailored and elegant look.  Conferences are great opportunities for networking, so I generally dress a little more professionally for them than I do for my usual kooky office looks. For what purpose I might wish to network at an industry conference I'll leave it to you to guess. Shhh... just don't tell my boss.


Dress: All Saints
Blazer: Promod (Prague)
Belt: Red Dress Shoppe
Necklace: Wendy Brandes
Tights: Hue
Shoes: Bettye Muller
Bag: Coccinelle

Progress

This is the sort of outfit I envisioned when I bought this big cocoon-cardigan, because even the warmest days in SF are rarely warm enough for a dress like this all on its own. The cardigan is a tissue-thin slub knit fabric, which is great for adding just a tiny amount of warmth without being too heavy. On a breezy day it also flies out behind me like a cape; perfect for those times when I need to pretend I'm a superhero. What would my super power be, you might ask? I would be the Translator, able to speak any language fluently so that I could show up to help hapless travelers who are trying to find their way or just get to a bathroom. That's way more useful than having x-ray vision any day.

I also thought I'd include a wider angle shot of this corner of the house, because I finally got this window ledge looking the way I want it to, after many unsuccessful attempts at decorating it. Not only that, but I finally got Mark to move the half-assembled fountain that's been sitting in the corner for nearly a year -- which is now sitting, half assembled, where the vase used to be. It's slow progress, but at least it's progress.

Dress: Tracy Reese
Cardigan: 12th Street by Cynthia Vincent
Shoes: Camper

In Full Swing

Over the weekend I put together a few days' worth of outfits and recruited Mark to take some photos outside, just to mix things up a little. As you can see, spring is in full swing according to most of the plants, although the bougainvillea seems to disagree; it's half-heartedly putting forth a few small leaves, but seems content to hibernate a little longer until it warms up. I can't really say that I blame it.

For this outfit I kept it springy with the pale pink and off-white skirts, even though with all the layering it was designed with cool weather in mind. It was also the perfect vehicle for this fab new harness that Mark made. Actually I 'ordered' it from him; he had this very pretty caramel-colored, smooth leather in his stash and I thought it would look great for spring and summer in a lightweight harness style. This harness is the basic "Jane Doe" style, with straps that are thinner than the original. This strikes me as being a great option if you've been wanting to try out the harness trend, but don't want to look too edgy or bondage-y. The color reminds me of some of the leather accessories seen in Lanvin's SS11 RTW line.

Tank Top, pink skirt: Anthropologie
Jacket: French Kiss, thrifted
Harness: Audra Jean
Tulle skirt: Noa Noa
Tights: Hue
Shoes: John Fluevog

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.

Pièce de Résistance

The image that sparked the creation of this outfit is this one from the Prabal Gurung collection, which was part of my Fashion Week roundup post last week. And yes, I realize the two outfits really look nothing alike, but the kernel of the idea was simply to wear my furry vest over my long cream cardigan, not necessarily to recreate the whole outfit (though I still want to try that too). After that I just got carried away, grabbing as many white, cream, and beige items as I could find and throwing them all together.

The pièce de résistance was this cream harness that I snagged out of Mark's workshop; I thought it integrated really well with the other pieces and gave some geometry and structure to the outfit. I showed it here without the vest just so you could get a better look at it, but I did wear the vest all day at work so that the harness just barely peeked out.

Vest: Adrienne Landau
Harness: Audra Jean
Shirt: Michael Stars
Dress: Anthropologie
Cardigan: Max Studio
Skirt: Noa Noa
Boots: Apepazza

Harem Pants

Here's the second wearing of my new harem pants; this time I wore them with pumps so that the shape of the pants is more visible.If you look closely you can see that the pant legs are quite snug where they end, about mid-calf; they can also be worn with the cuffs pushed further down towards the ankle, giving the upper part of the leg less of a baggy shape. So far I'm really liking these, and I can see them working equally well in a sock-less warm weather outfit.

Jacket: Max Studio
Top: Ann Taylor
Pants: Vera Wang
Shoes: Tsubo

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

Rightful Place

By this time it had gotten so hot and sunny in our apartment that I had to move one of the photos out of the window, lest it start to buckle and bleach out in the sun. The photo is of my mom in high school -- she's normally just over my right shoulder, but now you can just barely see her peeking through the bookcase door behind my left elbow. Don't worry mom, you'll be back in your rightful place soon!

After the last time I wore these shoes, I stretched them a little more and they got even more comfortable. In between wearings, I plan on keeping the stretchers in there until the shoes are fully broken in with their new wider width, otherwise I fear they might shrink back a little. I definitely noticed the difference between the first round of stretching and the second, so if you're planning on doing any significant amount of stretching on your shoes, keep in mind that it may take more than one try. Another trick is to apply the stretching spray before you wear the shoes, as the heat from your feet will also stretch them a little as you wear them; the spray will help them conform to the shape of your foot.

I love oxfords and am very glad I bought this pair, but to me it sometimes seems that they're only ever used to create very sweet and somewhat twee outfits, so I added the harness to toughen up the look and give it an edge.  

Shirt: a gift from mom
Harness: Audra Jean
Shorts: White House Black Market
Shoes: All Saints

Quite Orange

Thanks for all your great comments on Friday's post about customer service. A few people pointed out the shameful way that customers sometimes treat the people who work in service industries, and I think this is an important point. Certainly no one has the right to demand quality service when they walk in the door ready to abuse the first person who comes forward to help them. And just as customers should exercise their right to complain about poor quality service, so should they also make the effort to reward exemplary service, because only by doing both can we as consumers influence the industry standards.

Anyway, it's undoubtedly healthy to leave an extra generous tip or fill a comment card with praise once in a while, lest our lives be filled with nothing but negative interaction all the time. So let's hear a few positive stories if you have some to share. I'll start by sharing that I once filled in a glowingly positive customer satisfaction survey after I took my car in for a tune-up, and the heartfelt, personal thank you email I later received from the person who helped me made me realize just how infrequently that kind of feedback is ever heard.

Right, so here's my outfit. This dress always manages to look red in the photos, but I assure you it is quite orange, as is the pattern on the socks. It being a little cooler that day, I wanted to cover my legs but not be too warm, so I chose long socks rather than tights. From the front you can just see the gap between the bottom of my dress and the top of the socks, but from the back the longer cardigan covered everything; this made the thigh high socks look a bit more subtle and less schoolgirlish.

Cardigan: Max Studio
Scarf: Banana Republic
Dress: Orla Keily
Sandals: John Fluevog

Serendipitous

This outfit was worn on my first day back at work after Burning Man. That was a tough day, to be sure. Somehow the default world didn't seem so bad until I had to deal with commute traffic and work. That's when I realized I was having a much harder time with re-entry than I initially thought.

Generally when I feel the lousiest I end up with an outfit that looks really great, and I thought this one was no exception. The black and off-white top is one I've had for ages but haven't worn much in recent years; why I was suddenly inspired to pull it out and pair it with a skirt I also haven't worn in quite awhile is a mystery. But I love the different patterns together and the way the off-white edging on the top is mirrored in the embroidery on the skirt. The vest lightens up the whole look, and the detailing on the back is even similar to the pattern in the skirt.

This was just one of those serendipitous outfits that came together with very little effort. Which sort of made up for the fact that the rest of the day was such a struggle.

Top: Ann Taylor

Vest, skirt: F21

Belt: Red Dress Shoppe

Boots: All Black

As Intended

Here's that same open front vest I posted a couple days ago; by this time our heat wave was in full swing and the vest did indeed prove to be a great way to layer in warm weather. Behold, arms AND legs are bared, that's how warm it was! WAS being the operative word, as you'll hear a little more about tomorrow.

I took advantage of the heat to wear this linen skirt with bare legs, since it has a tendency to bunch up when I wear it over tights. It really was made for summer anyway, being an airy, open weave underneath and covered by a tissue thin but densely-woven layer on top. The dual layers mean that no slip is necessary for opacity, and yet the breathable fabric is nice and cool. I picked up this skirt last Christmas in Tulum and have been longing for weather in which I could wear it as it was intended.

I don't wear these sandals very often, mainly because it's rarely warm enough, but also because one of them makes an annoying whooshing sound as I walk; it sounds like it's expelling air when I step down. I'm assuming there are actually air chambers underneath the foot bed, one of which isn't sealed properly. Has anyone else had this problem with a shoe? Is there a way to fix it?

Top: Noa Noa
Vest: Forever 21
Belt: Red Dress Shoppe
Skirt: from a boutique in Tulum, Mexico
Sandals: Sofft

Playa Hair

Okay, so the new hair isn't really radical so much as it's just very different. I had several reasons for going this route, most of them having to do with the upcoming trip to Burning Man. For one thing the desert, with its blazing sun, dry air, and ubiquitous talc-like dust, is hard on hair color, and since red is the most delicate of the colors it definitely had to go. More importantly I'll be without my hairdryer out there, and my hair without a hairdryer is about as limp and lifeless as a soggy dishrag, and about as attractive. But bleaching my hair gives it stiffness and texture, so my brilliant hairdresser Michele created this mixture of colors by bleaching big sections of hair on the top and leaving small strands of the previous color mixed throughout, and then darkening the layers underneath for contrast. Because of previous color treatments, the bleached strands have sort of an ombre effect, with the roots being very blonde and darkening to more of a caramel color on the part of the hair shaft that's already been dyed several times. This, my friends, is playa hair.

I recently decided that I absolutely love these loose, open jersey vests I've been seeing all over. So much so that I went and ordered FOUR of them. This wasn't a huge splurge, mind you; this striped vest set me back just $13.80. To me pieces like this are way too simple to spend more than about 20 bucks on. That's why, although I've seen some cute ones on Gilt and similar sites, I haven't really been tempted to buy until I found this and the others at Forever 21. None of them was more than $15.

These little vests are perfect for warmer climates, because they're lightweight and cool while still adding visual interest to an outfit. And as luck would have it, San Francisco suddenly and without warning turned into one of those climates. Last week it was cold and foggy, barely getting into the 60's in the daytime, and then BAM! NINETY degrees the last couple days.

Now people in places like Houston or Phoenix are probably going, "90 degrees, big fucking deal!" But I assure you that this is really extreme for the city. The other night I went out to meet Laura for a show (Crowded House at the Warfield) and both of us showed up hauling sweaters along, as you do. It was so warm we had both considered leaving them at home, but then of course you do that and later find yourself freezing your ass off like a tourist. And yet there we were, leaving the theater around 11 pm with those sweaters still in tow and not on our bodies. San Francisco weather, I will never fully understand you.

Vest: Forever 21

Dress: Lady Language

Belt: Red Dress Shoppe
Tights: Sock Dreams

Boots: All Black

Gangs of New York Meets Casey Jones

So clearly I'm enamored of these shorts, as it's the second time I've worn them in as many weeks. I have several ideas for these, and I aim to try them all before too long. First I want to try pairing them with my polka dot tie, and then with a pair of suspenders I've had sitting around for a long time unworn and a cute pair of oxfords which I haven't worn yet because they need a bit of stretching first. So many options! Oh right, except for the option of actually wearing them as shorts, with bare legs, because it's too fucking cold here even though it's late July. Not that I'm bitter or anything. You go on and enjoy your summer like normal people do, with exposed skin, barbeques, sprinklers, and the like. I'll be okay, just let me grab a sweater. And maybe a scarf.

For this outfit I used my idea of pairing the shorts with heavy combat boots, a thermal shirt, and a classic, chain-embellished waistcoat for sort of a Gangs of New York meets Casey Jones kind of vibe. Perhaps I should've added an oversized top hat. Not that I need a hat to keep the sun off, mind you!

Shirt: All Saints

Waistcoat: Heathen

Shorts: White House Black Market

Boots: Dr. Marten's

Creepy Legs

My legs look sort of creepy here, but I assure you that if you look more closely you'll see that I have on nude fishnets. They simply do not translate well into a small digital photo. I didn't think it was possible for my legs to look paler than they actually are, but apparently I was mistaken. 

Don't get me wrong though; I wear my cadaverous complexion with pride, because avoiding the sun is probably the number one reason that my skin still looks pretty darn good at 40 (that and not smoking). I take great care to wear sunscreen on my face every day, and on sunny days I can frequently be seen hiding beneath a parasol. 

As for my ashen legs, there's really no way they're going to get any color anyway because it's so rare that they see the light of day. But I've found when I do want to go completely bare-legged that some mineral foundation mixed with regular body lotion does a great job at giving me a healthier glow, as well as minimizing spider veins and scars and such. Or, I just slap on some nude fishnets and forget about it.

Top: F21

Dress: Lady Language
Harness: Audra Jean
Skirt: S
Shoes: Sofft

Complicated

This outfit looks complicated, but it's really not. The zigzag-striped tunic has a sheer tulle panel attached to the bottom, and the skirt has 2 layers of off-white fabric, so it looks like there are several layers stacked together even though all I'm wearing is one top and one skirt with a cardigan over the whole thing.

The skirt is a linen-blend, semi-sheer creation that I bought in Mexico over Christmas; it's a great weight and fabric for summer.

Cardigan: Max Studio
Tunic: Porcelyne
Belt: Audra Jean
Skirt: boutique in Tulum
Shoes: Fly London

Key to Success

This was such a comfy outfit, with the soft, stretchy layers and elastic belt. Even my finicky feet were comfortable in the boots, and by wearing thigh high socks instead of tights, I kept my torso from being too warm.

I've realized that thigh high socks are a key to success in dressing for San Francisco summers. When it's too cool for totally bare legs, but too warm for tights, a pair of thigh highs can take the chill off while allowing your upper legs to enjoy the summer breezes under the protection of a skirt or dress. With this outfit I rolled the socks down like the flappers used to do in the 20's, which served 2 purposes: it made the outfit look a bit more summery, and it showed off a little bit of my memento mori tattoo. Plus I thought it just looked cute and sassy. The socks stay up pretty well on their own, but the tall boots helped a little too.

Tune in tomorrow, when Jess makes her long-awaited return!

Shirt: All Saints
Tunic: Anthropologie
Scarf: Duke et Duchesse
Skirt: S
Socks: Sock Dreams
Boots: Bronx

Blogging and Mentorship

I've been thinking a lot lately about the things that I love about having this blog, and what keeps me posting day after day. Today I thought I'd share some of that with you, but to do so I will first tell you a little bit about my job, which I rarely discuss here but which is nevertheless relevant to the way I feel about blogging.

One of my favorite things that I do at work is mentoring other people. Unfortunately with mentoring, the better you do it the less and less you're needed to, because the people you mentor eventually become independent and no longer need your guidance. I suppose this is how parents must feel as their kids grow up; sure it's gratifying to watch them accomplish things on their own, but it's bittersweet because there's nothing more to teach them.

But even when my mentees (is that a word?) at work no longer regularly need my advice, they still bring me moments of real satisfaction in my job when they show me what the mentorship has allowed them to accomplish. What I provide is not expert advice, it's just the seeds of my knowledge and experience that someone else can nurture and develop in their own way. Mentorship is a collaboration between two capable people who care about the same thing. That glimmer of an idea that I might provide is taken away and developed into something better and more complete, like a wave that pulls away from the shore and comes back bearing something polished and beautiful. This is in many ways far more satisfying than the feeling of simply being needed.

That, I think, is what draws me to this daily discussion about style and fashion. I'm clearly not an expert; I'm just someone who has a passion for it and has been dressing myself with varying degrees of success for several decades. The little kernels I throw out there, in the form of daily outfits or mini tutorials, are meant to spark the innate talents of the people who pick them up, and are meant to be interpreted in as many different ways as there are readers.

And like the mentoring I do at work, the most satisfying moments are when someone tells me about how they experimented with an idea they got from this blog and how great it made them feel or the compliments they received. Or how they've started to take more of an interest in their style, or are getting better use out of the clothes they have by combining them in new ways. Sure it's flattering to be asked for advice, but it's better still to hear that someone has taken an idea and run with it, transforming their wardrobe to suit their own unique lifestyle and taste, and developed their own skills in the process.

Not everyone who comes here needs any advice at all, of course. Perhaps you prefer to scan through the pictures for inspiration and don't often stop to read the text, or maybe you just enjoy the amusement of peeking into a wardrobe that is the polar opposite of your own. Quite possibly you're here to chuckle at whatever train wreck of an outfit I've put together today, and that's fine too. But the opportunity to provide other people with ideas that can ignite their own creativity, whatever direction it takes, is the thing that keeps me interested in this blog and is what keeps me posting day after day.

Today's outfit:
Dress: Forla Paris
Cardigan: Max Studio
Scarf: a boutique in San Luis Obispo
Belt: Oscar de la Renta
Boots (new!): Bronx