Tweaks

This was one of those cases where having a daily wardrobe blog can be so helpful; I simply went back through my recent posts and found a comfortable outfit that I really liked, and quickly tweaked it into a new outfit by changing to a different colored tank and swapping the scarf and jewelry to match. This was my baby shower attending outfit. I wanted something relaxed and casual that still looked put together, and the weather was warm and breezy, but likely to get chillier as the day progressed. The light layers were warm but not overly so, and the scarf could be removed and replaced as needed. The stretchy garments made it easy to load up on all sorts of yummy food; this was carefully planned, since I knew that the baby shower's host is a caterer. She made all sorts of children's book-themed food, such as tobiko-topped braised pork belly for Green Eggs and Ham, and wild mushroom ragout for Where the Wild Things Are.

The only thing this outfit couldn't do is save me from all the horrific pregnancy and childbirth talk. I really, really didn't need to know those things. I dearly wish I could un-know them.

Top: Asos
Skirt: Anthropologie
Scarf: Rapsodia (Argentina)
Shoes: Fly London

Stealth Layering

Here's an outfit that looks deceptively summery; hidden underneath the dress are a pair of long cotton pettipants and a slip to keep my thighs warm, and under the boots are long socks to insulate my feet and calves. Had it been colder I could've even added a long-sleeved tee under the dress and kept it hidden with the lightweight denim jacket. I'm becoming quite adept at stealth layering during this remarkably chilly season.

Jacket: Tulle
Dress: Noa Noa
Scarf: Banana Republic
Harness: Audra Jean
Boots: Scoop (Copenhagen)

Assemble a Rainbow

Indiscriminately mixing coral, navy and red? Why the hell not? I've mixed this particular coral t-shirt with teal, bright yellow, pink, lime green -- you name it. Usually in the same outfit. Since this was a work outfit I kept it to just the three shades, but had this been a weekend look I probably would've gone with a teal scarf, and perhaps I'd even have chosen a yellow bag. There's just something about coral that makes me want to assemble a rainbow of colors and throw them into the same outfit.


Striped shirt: Target
Coral shirt: Michael Stars
Jacket: Banana Republic (via eBay)
Scarf: vintage
Jeans: Acne
Shoes: Faryl Robin
Bag: 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

Tomato Red

For awhile I considered dyeing this tunic, and I'm really glad I didn't. While it's not the most flattering shade for my skin tone, I don't think it's really as bad as I initially thought, and paired with the bright white and yellow I think the outfit worked really well. The white and yellow softened the impact of the tomato red so that I didn't end up looking washed out.

The jacket is one I recently tracked down on eBay, and I just love how great it looks with my navy blue bag. A cropped, white denim jacket had been on my thrift shopping list for awhile, but after several trips to Goodwill yielded no results, I thought to try online. This one set me back just $15 and is new as far as I can tell.

Jacket: Banana Republic
Scarf: vintage
Tunic: Manuela Roth (Argentina)
Jeans: Joe's
Shoes: BC Footwear
Bag: Michael Kors 

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

Artsy Cousin

While Jess was in town we made a trip to Anthropologie. I pretty much only shop there on the rare occasions I make it downtown (which is about once a year), because I feel like many of their clothes are often WAY overpriced for what they are. They unquestionably have some gorgeous things, but if I'm going to spend Anthro prices for fairly basic pieces, I want to make sure I try them on and that I really love them. This skirt, along with the top and cardigan I posted yesterday were the 3 items I brought home from there, and I love them all.

I felt like I was headed out for a picnic at The Hamptons in this outfit. In fact I wondered if I could pass as LPC's Artsy Cousin. What do you think LPC, can I be your Artsy Cousin? I promise I'll bring plenty of champagne for family picnics at the beach.





Black top: Asos
Tank: not sure, just a basic layering tank
Scarf: Express
Jacket: Tulle
Skirt: Anthropologie
Shoes: BC Footwear
Bracelet: Nicole Miller Jewelry

Sandals Week

If only the weather still looked like this; it's gotten cold and rainy since these photos were taken. But as you can see from the last several outfits, I took full advantage of the stretch of warm weather and bared my legs, arms and feet. It was Sandals Week in the Bay Area.

In keeping with my new seasonally-appropriate dressing policy, my plan for this spring and summer is to wear the crap out of all my sandals, even on days where it might be a little on the chilly side. Then when the weather turns colder I'll pack them up in a box and store them out of sight, just as I recently did with all my heavy sweaters, woolen items, and insulated boots. That way I won't have to spend half the year looking wistfully at all those pretty shoes and being sorry I can't wear them.

Dress: Forla Paris
Scarf: Duke et Duchesse
Vest: Forever 21
Harness: Audra Jean
Shoes: Joy Chen

Dressing for the Season

I figured I'd better sneak in one more wear of this fabulous furry vest before we get too much further into spring. Despite it still being pretty chilly here, I've decided to make a concerted effort this year to dress for the season, which means shelving much of my warmer stuff like this vest, and avoiding wintry combos such as tights and boots. I'm still planning on wearing some of my boots during the summer, I'm just going to try to do it sans heavy tights. This look most certainly says winter, but it was really cold and rainy that day so I felt it was necessary.

One of the problems with living in a climate that doesn't have temperature extremes is that my approach to dressing varies as little as the seasons do, which means I can get tired of seeing the same things hanging in my closet day after day. I figure if I try designating certain items for a particular season only, then I'll have a renewed interest in them when that season rolls around again. Thus, this furry vest goes in the Winter pile for the time being, as do many of the other garments in this outfit. The leather pants might prove to be a multi-seasonal item, but for the next several months they'll most likely be appearing with sandals instead of boots.





How does your wardrobe change with the different seasons? Do you physically pack up items and put them aside for the season, or do they co-mingle in your closet all year round? Does this contribute to how long your items have interest and appeal for you?

Vest: Adrienne Landau
Scarf: Duke et Duchesse
Sweater: All Saints
Pants: Firetrap
Boots: Bos and Co.

Death Throes

These cords have maybe one or two more wears left in them, and then they'll have to go; the nap is starting to look worn. If you've been reading this blog for awhile you might recall the tale of the Elie Tahari cords and my embarrassing blue butt experience. That sounds like a great premise for a children's story, doesn't it? Elie Tahari and the Blue-Butted Blogger. Believe me, that story did not have a happy ending. I'll chuck this pair before they ever get that bad.

What's interesting though is that I've had these cords for several years now and they suddenly look very current again, because of the flared legs. Which just goes to show that some clothes can survive the ups and downs of different trends; I wore them even through the skinny-jean trend, but now they fit in perfectly with the styles that are in the stores. And that actually kind of sucks, considering they're in their final death throes just as flared legs are coming back into style. Perhaps I should've shelved them during the skinny jean years. Come to think of it, I'd probably still have those Elie Taharis too, if I hadn't rendered them unwearable by overuse.




Cream shirt: All Saints
Yellow cardigan: Solemio
Scarf: vintage, from Red Light
Cords: Marlowe
Belt: Audra Jean
Shoes: Saks Fifth Avenue

Upper Hand

T

This top is the third and final item from the trip to Desigual in New York, and isn't it just gorgeous? I love long tops that have interesting details, because they're such an easy way to create a simple, casual outfit with jeans. I like the length on the longer side so that I can wear the top comfortably with my low rise jeans, and the interesting details means I don't need a lot of layering or other embellishment. This top has got a great mix of bold patterns and colors, and the metallic red ink even adds some textural interest. I still can't decide if that's Jackie O's face on the back though.

Here's another look at my new Bos and Co. boots. Up until this week it rained in SF for something like 14 days without a break, so these waterproof boots have really come in handy lately. I love clothing that makes you feel like you've got the upper hand on the elements.

Top: Desigual
Scarf: Forever 21
Jeans: Deisel
Boots: Bos. and Co.

Mixing Grays

Lately I find myself drawn to mixed-neutral color schemes, especially when the weather turns rainy and cold as it has been here for the past couple of weeks. So this crochet-trimmed cardigan and black knit dress were quite timely presents from my family; the cardigan is from my mom, and the dress is from my aunt. They always seem to do a great job picking out clothes for me.

Throwing in some gray is always a great way to blend brown and black together, so I added several items in varying shades of silver-gray. Grays can be tricky to mix, so it's important to pay close attention to whether items are a warm or cool gray; the easiest combinations will always be like with like. In past outfits I've mixed different bluish-grays (here's one example, and here's another), and in others I've gone with warmer grays with brown undertones (such as this outfit). Warm and cool grays can be mixed, as long as there's an intervening color that bridges the gap; in this outfit I mixed a soft taupe-gray with a deep charcoal, using plenty of brown to ease the transition.   

For more on mixing neutrals, click here to read what Sal has to say about it.

Cardigan: Solemio
Scarf: Eileen Fisher
Dress: Max Studio
Skirt: S
Belt: Urban Outfitters
Boots: Bos and Co.



 

Marie Antoinette

There's a wig shop right down the street from our house, and they always have these outrageous Marie Antoinette-style wigs on display in the front window. Naturally, I desperately want one. So the other day I was walking back from the hardware store and I decided right then and there that I was going to march into that wig shop and buy one, not so much because I have any use for it at the moment, but simply because I thought it would be fun to come home from shopping carrying some landscaping staples, an aluminum dryer vent, and a Marie Antoinette wig. You know, just the necessities.

Sadly the wig shop was closed that day, so my dream of assembling the most random assortment of purchases in the history of shopping will have to wait. Who knows, maybe next time I'll also be carrying some lightbulbs, a pack of guitar strings and a pumpkin. 

Today's featured new thing is this camouflage-patterned infinity scarf, which my mom gave me for our belated Christmas. I think it would look great with a Marie Antoinette wig, don't you?

Scarf: Express
Jacket: French Kiss, thrifted
Top: All Saints
Skirt: Anthropologie
Boots: Timberland Boot Company
Jewelry: Betsey Johnson

Sneaky Hangover

If you read Sal's blog you probably can already guess where this dress came from; I bought it in New York when we visited the Desigual shop. That was an interesting shopping experience, to say the least. It was the morning after my night of poorly planned and even more poorly executed drinking at the Empire Hotel, and I woke up feeling remarkably chipper, so Sal and I happily scampered off to Desigual before she left for the day to visit a friend.

Everything was going along swimmingly until about 30 minutes into our shopping session, when I was suddenly overcome with a wave of sweaty nausea and lightheadedness in the dressing room. By the time I was ready to bring my purchases to the counter I had to sit down on one of the displays, for fear I might pass out or vomit right then and there. Sneaky hangovers are the worst. But you can see what a committed shopper I am; even in my wretched and half-dead state I was able to pick out this and another dress, plus a tunic-length top. I just love the beaded silver go-go dancer on the dress, and the fact that it has long sleeves makes it great for the San Francisco climate.


I paired the dress with this adorable scarf that was given to me by the folks at Eileen Fisher when we visited their studio. I love all the pompoms around the edge; it's like a party around my neck. To secure the ends of the scarf I added a brooch that my aunt gave me for our belated Christmas gift exchange.

Scarf: Eileen Fisher
Dress: Desigual
Tights: Sock Dreams
Boots: Bronx

Soft

If you live outside of California and are wondering where the sun and all its heat is, well, we seem to be hogging it all over here in the Bay Area. Early last week when I wore this outfit, it was barely making it into the low 50's during the day, but by the weekend it was downright HOT. As in shorts and bare arms kind of hot. As in don't leave the house without your sunscreen hot. Apparently there just isn't enough sun to go around right now; sorry guys. Don't blame me; you can always come to California, you know.

Speaking of the miserable weather in the rest of the country, that's exactly what I'm headed for on Thursday, and I have to admit I'm slightly terrified. First I'm off to New York to meet up with Sal for some Fashion Week events and also to meet a few of my favorite other bloggers; after that I'm headed to Seattle for my friend Lisa's wedding, and from there I'll continue to Oregon to visit my family and attend my sister's wedding. It's the New York bit that really scares me; other than a couple of times in Iceland, the last time I had any serious exposure to snow was in 2000, and believe me I have not missed it. You might even say I've actively avoided it.


Whenever I think about how wimpy I am when it comes to temperature extremes (and by "extremes" I mean anything lower than 50°F or higher than 80°F), I'm reminded of that old song from the 90's, "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)." The line goes, "Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft." Well, if being soft is a crime then lock me up; just don't make me live anywhere it snows.

Sweater dress: Banana Republic
Scarf: Forever 21
Belt: Audra Jean
Tights: MP, via Sock Dreams
Boots: Bata

Feels Like Spring

Here's another layered-up outfit using my maxi dress. This outfit was wonderfully soft and cozy, although I have to say I'm looking forward to when I can wear this dress without tights underneath, because the dress does tend to get hung up on the tights as I walk.

You can tell how dark and gloomy it was by looking at the light coming in at the window. Since this picture was taken it has warmed up considerably; in fact, it really feels like spring now. The trees are all getting leaves already and a few of my flowering plants are even starting to bloom, and the daytime temperatures have been in the 70's. Amazing what a difference a mere week can make.

Shirts, scarf: H&M
Dress: Forever 21
Belt: Red Dress Shoppe
Boots: Timberland Boot Co.