Long Weekend

I wore this outfit for the last day of conferencing, because as soon as the conference was over I was going directly to meet Laura in the Tenderloin neighborhood, which is close to the conference venue, for drinks and a show. Since it was the last day of the conference I didn't mind dressing on the casual side, and I needed something that was comfortable enough to wear all day and  into the night. My sequin blazer gave the outfit a touch of glam while still being easy to wear.

The blazer has a shrunken appearance and is cropped short in the back, giving it a tailored look even though the fabric underneath the sequins is a stretchy jersey. My only gripe is that it buttons a little high for my long torso; I think the next time I go to my dry cleaner/tailor I might have them add a lower buttonhole and move the single button down a few inches so that I can button it closer to my natural waist.

The show was terrible, by the way. The band featured local hero Mike Patton, who Laura and I have seen in all of his incarnations every time he plays in town, starting waaaay back in the 90's when he was the front man for Faith No More. This permutation was mostly screaming and atonal banging on the piano, which was frustrating because the man has an incredible singing voice that he simply opted not to use. Maybe 10 years from now I'll get what he was trying to do, but here in 2011 we just left early and called it a night.

Jacket: B. Bella
Top: Max Studio
Jeans: Joe's
Boots: Bronx
Necklace: Manu Lizarralde (Argentina)

It's a long weekend here in the States, so I'll be taking the day off on Monday. To get your weekend started right, let me leave you with a catchy tune from great artist I've recently discovered, from France by way of Japan. Last year some close friends went home to Lyon for the summer and brought me back a mix CD of French hits. My favorite track by far was called Je Veux by gypsy-jazz artist Zaz. Fast forward to last month, when Laura returned from a trip to Osaka bringing me a great CD she had found at the listening station at Tower Records (yes, they still exist in Japan!). You guessed it, Zaz.

I couldn't embed the official video for Je Veux, so 

click the photo of Zaz to go to the YouTube link.

I would never make any comparison to Edith Piaf lightly, but Zaz really earns that distinction. I'd actually describe her voice as a cross between Edith Piaf's plaintive vibrato and Eartha Kitt's sultry purr. She's also no neophyte, having been a singer for many years and just recently finding more widespread success in her 30's. Je Veux was her big hit last summer, but another of my favorite songs from the CD is Prends Garde à Ta Langue; I couldn't find an official video for it, but click below to listen. Happy weekend, everyone!

Cabaret

I spotted this sequined blazer in the window of a local boutique while I was riding the bus, and knew it needed to be mine. I've looked at many a black sequined blazer over the last year or so, but they've all been a bit too cabaret for my comfort level; somehow the dark silver sequins work better for me as part of a daytime ensemble.

For this outfit I left the blazer open for a more casual look. It fastens at the center with a single button, which makes the front tails drape down softly to a single point in the middle. I think the relaxed structure of the blazer, which drapes rather than having any structured or boxy tailoring, also adds to its casual vibe. 


Blazer: B. Bella
Dress: Aryeh
Leggings: Foot Traffic
Shoes: Pour la Victoire

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

Casual Outfit Catch-Up

Dress: Skunkfunk...  Belt: Audra Jean...  Tights: Sock Dreams...  Boots: Bata

I have several outfits from the end of December that I'm still trying to get caught up on posting, so I figured I'd group a few of the more casual ones together in one post. You can tell these are older because my hair was still blond; if you look at the photos from when Mark and I got married, you'll see that I've gone back to red since then.

Cardigan: thrifted...  Dress: local boutique Ruby...  Socks: handmade in Latvia...  Boots: Bata

This outfit is similar to something I put together over the weekend for thrift shopping. It's the perfect outfit for such an activity, because the short dress over leggings allowed me to try on skirts right in the aisle rather than having to wait for a changing room. The dress is also thin enough that I can try on tops right over it. And a lightweight cardigan is much easier to deal with than a coat when I'm wandering the aisles carrying an armload of clothes.

Top and scarf: Forever 21... Cardigan: thrifted...  Jeans: Joe's...  Boots: Bronx

This outfit isn't too exciting except for the double sequin action of the top and the scarf. I never would have paired two sequined pieces together had it not been for the fact that the items are distinctly different colors, and the sequins are different sizes -- the top has the regular size and those on the scarf are the tiny ones.

Fortune Teller

I'm very excited about this sweater, which I picked up at Goodwill last weekend for $4.49. I'd been wanting a boyfriend-style slouchy cardigan, but somehow I just couldn't bring myself to pay new-clothes prices for an article of clothing that essentially looks like it's too big for me. So instead I thrifted this sweater which actually IS a couple sizes too big for me; it has the extra-long sleeves and the slightly baggy look I wanted, while still looking like it's designed for a woman's figure. Plus the cable pattern is just so pretty, and being 100% cotton the sweater is also extremely soft. Thrifting for trends is something that Sal has posted about quite a bit, but this was really the first time I've actively (as opposed to accidentally) done it myself. Check out Sal's advice on thrifting for trends here, and here.

This outfit, with the teal and gray skirt combo, is the one I alluded to on Monday, and I was really happy with it when I walked out the door. By the end of the day though, I got the sneaking suspicion that I should've gone with a long silver necklace instead of the scarf, or else lost the hat. Something about the scarf combined with the long skirts, drapey cardigan, and turban-esque hat made me feel very gypsy fortune teller, which I'm not so sure is such a good thing. But boy, this outfit sure was comfy and warm, and who knows, maybe I could've made some easy cash reading palms in the cafeteria?

"Origami" Hat: Alternative Design Studio
Scarf: Urban Outfitters
T-shirt: H&M
Gray skirt: S
Teal skirt: LA Made
Cardigan: thrifted
Belt: Red Dress Shoppe
Tights: Noa Noa
Boots: All Black

Sequined

How does one get away with pairing a sequined top with a sexy pencil skirt at work? Well, I'm not really sure, because it seems I get away with everything I wear to that place. But this is what I tried, and here's why I think it worked.

The skirt. Though the wiggle shape of the skirt is sexy, its rather staid tweedy fabric and below-the-knee length keep it tame and classic. No way would I have paired this top with a miniskirt or any kind of shiny fabric. It's best to let your super flashy item be the only one in the outfit.

The waistcoat. Denim is a great way to make just about anything look more casual. Not only that, but the structure of the waistcoat gives the outfit a more suited feel; blazers are another great approach for casualizing flashy tops.

The accessories. I kept accessories to a minimum in this outfit and selected jewelry with antiqued finishes instead of polished ones. The shoes have a metallic finish, but even those have a soft sheen and are light on embellishment.

Tune in next week, when I'll feature the first-ever guest post from Mark! As you may well imagine, Mark is quite the stylish fella, and I've asked him to contribute from time to time with some perspectives on men's fashion. I'm certain you'll enjoy the post he's cookin' up. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Waistcoat: Promod
Top: vintage
Skirt: Banana Republic
Shoes: Born