3 Years -- and a Giveaway!

Wow, it's hard to believe it's the blog's 3-year anniversary today! As I've done in years gone by, I've compiled some of my favorite outfits from the past 12 months:

One thing that struck me when I did this recap is how many of my true favorites come from the most recent months; the set above represents an outfit from each of the last 12 months, but if I had to actually select my top 12 favorites from the entire years' worth they would mostly be very recent. That means there might be entire months' worth of outfits, none of which would make the cut, while others that might have been in the top 12 aren't shown here. That indicates to me that my style continues to evolve; what I loved 12 months ago isn't necessarily what I'm drawn to right now. I think that's a good thing too; constantly evolving your style means never looking stale or dated.

Here are some outfits from "special occasions" over the course of the year:

In order top to bottom, left to right: Burning Man, Giants World Series, Yard Dogs Road Show, holiday party, Mark and I getting married, Film Noir Festival, Edwardian Ball, Lisa's wedding, wearing my new Valentino dress, my first pair of Miu Miu pumps 
(do you like how I cheated and stuck two more recent outfits in under the 'special occasion' heading? I'm sneaky like that.)

Other notable events over the year: Mark and I moved in together, bought a house, got married, took a trip to Minneapolis and Chicago (which included visiting Sal and Mike), and I went on a cross-country adventure that took me to New York to meet up with other bloggers and visit the Eileen Fischer studio, as well as to Seattle and Oregon for two different weddings. Mark and I attended Burning Man, and I did a whole series of posts about the experience (click for Parts 1, 2, and 3). I also did my first-ever post on Fashion Week, and was inspired to create a few different looks from what I rounded up. As of today I've posted 715 entries. All in all it's been a great year, and blogging continues to be a fun and rewarding pursuit for me, in large part because of awesome readers like you.

But wait, there's more! A giveaway!

To kick off my fourth year of blogging and also to give a big THANK YOU to readers old and new, I've got a giveaway for you. Madeline from the Red Dress Shoppe, who was kind enough to provide me with her beautiful Amelie Dress to review, has given me the very last one of her black elastic belts to give to one lucky reader. As you probably know, this belt is a staple in my wardrobe, and I've worn it dozens and dozens of different ways. Just take a peek at a few of them:

This belt is super comfy because of its nice stretchy elastic, and it has a shiny faux leather panel at the front for a cute retro look. For one lucky winner, it'll make a great accessory for all sorts of outfits.

To enter, simply peruse the Red Dress Shoppe site and then leave a comment on this post stating which item is your favorite. Include your email address in your comment; comments without a valid email address will be disqualified. For an extra chance to win, "like" the Red Dress Shoppe Facebook page, and then come back and leave another comment telling me that you did so. The contest closes to entries at 8 pm PDT on Friday, May 6. I'll announce the winner shortly thereafter.

Good luck, and thank you for reading!!

Knowing When to Splurge

I decided that this dress deserved some larger photos than I usually post, because it's Valentino and it's utterly, utterly gorgeous. I snagged it from Gilt for a fraction of the original cost, and even then it was still a major splurge. But my friends, it was worth every penny. It fits like a dream, it's beautifully constructed and totally flattering, and it's such a classic shape, length, and style that I'll be wearing it for years to come. And yep, I wore this sucker to work, and many, many people commented on how pretty it is. I was even told I looked "ladylike." That has GOT to be a first.

It was this dress that prompted me to make another couple of long-awaited splurges recently: the Wolford Hero tights, and a killer pair of shoes that I'll keep a secret for now. I fully intend to wear the three pieces together and create a Prabal Gurung-inspired red and black ensemble, but as I often do when I buy things to go together, I'm wearing them all separately first. It's one of my shopping quirks; I guess I just like to feel like I'm getting the maximum mileage out of my new purchases before I just roll them all together into a single outfit.

Reader Stephanie asked me to do a post about knowing when to splurge on a high end piece, so I thought I'd add some of my thoughts here, since this dress certainly qualifies as such. I should point out that my underlying assumption is that any high end item that's being considered already meets the basic criteria of being something you truly, utterly love, and that makes you feel like a million bucks. Beyond those minimal requirements, here are a few questions you might ask yourself when considering something that's on the upper end of your affordability index:

How versatile is it? Day-to-evening garments are going to give you the most bang for your buck. Something that is wearable in a daytime ensemble and would hold up for even a fancy evening affair will feel like it's worth the money.

Will you be terrified to wear it? Avoid spending a lot of money on something so delicate or stain-prone that you'll be forever fretting every time it leaves the house. Look for luxury that's combined with durability. Sure, you're not going to mow the lawn in it, but you should at least be able to hop in a cab or eat a meal without freaking out about ruining your gossamer dress.

Is this carefully considered, or an impulse? For many years now I've been searching for the perfect red dress, and about a year ago I decided I wanted that dress to be a Valentino. I've looked at many red Valentino dresses, and when I finally saw this one I knew it was perfect. High end pieces are best purchased after thorough research, not on an impulse.  

Will it work with the rest of your wardrobe? A splurge purchase can quickly snowball into the realm of unaffordable if you also have to buy several other completer pieces just to be able to wear it at all. Before you get out that credit card, make sure you're not bringing home a gorgeous item that's going to end up a closet orphan. Try to think of at least one or two ways to create a complete outfit without buying anything else.

Do you even wear this sort of thing? I happen to love dresses, so spending a lot of money on a beautiful dress makes sense for me. But don't blow your budget on a dress if you're really more of a pants wearer; likewise don't buy those towering Prada platforms if you realistically can't wear 5-inch heels without falling over. Just because it's a luxury item doesn't mean it needs to be completely impractical too.

How much staying power does it have? I would avoid buying high end pieces that are too trendy and will look dated in a year or two. I'll snag a trendy luxury item if I find it for a non-luxury price, but I would never break the bank for it. You can't predict what the next trends are going to be, but try looking backwards: could you have worn this item 20 years ago? If the answer is yes, chances are it'll still look great 20 years into the future.

You can see that with this dress I was able to make it casual enough for the workday by keeping the accessories light, going with simple sandals and bare legs, and topping it off with a denim jacket when it got chilly. For more tips on getting mileage out of your fancier items, please check out Sal's posts on repurposing a bridesmaid dress and wearing everything all the time.


Dress: Valentino, via Gilt
Jacket: Tulle
Sandals: Azura
Necklace: Ambiance, Haight Street

Los Angeles Edwardian Ball

If you enjoyed the Edwardian Ball video I posted last month, check out this clip of the attendees in line for the LA event, also shot by Mark Day. I guess San Francisco isn't the only town that knows how to dress up for an event...

The Last Straw

Here are Jess and I, all dolled up at our friend Lisa's wedding in Seattle. In the interest of wearing all the new stuff I bought in New York as quickly and as much as possible, I swapped the dress I brought with me to wear for this one, from the All Saints store in Chelsea. Jess looked fabulous in her 50's style wiggle dress, and I'm crazy about that burgundy Coach bag of hers. It's an evening bag, but it actually has room to hold stuff, unlike those pointless, tiny clutches that can barely hold your lipstick and some cash, let alone a camera. I ended up bringing a regular full sized bag, I got so frustrated trying to jam all my crap into my evening bag.

This was the night that I realized that these shoes have really got to go. I've had them for ages, and in many ways they're great, but no matter what modifications I try they destroy every pair of nylons or tights I wear with them. Just as usual, when I checked midway through the evening I had a run starting at one of the toes, even though I had chopped my toenails back as far as I reasonably could without drawing blood. I've bitched about these shoes before, but this time it was finally the last straw.

I also wore my new Helmut Lang jacket, since it was cold that evening. Looking at it now I feel like I could easily make this dress/blazer combo into a daytime outfit if I combined it with nude legs and something more casual than satin shoes.

Dress: All Saints
Blazer: Helmut Lang
Shoes: Steve Madden

Magic

Here's a captivating video of the magic that is the Edwardian Ball. Feast your eyes on the gorgeous costumes!

Noir City

One thing I love best about San Francisco is all the opportunities for getting dressed up. Last week it was the annual Noir City Festival at the Castro Theater. Now going to the Castro is an experience in itself; the 1922 theater, with its ornate architecture, Wurlitzer organ that pops up out of the stage, and enormous art deco chandelier, really gives you a sense of stepping back in time. The theater is also located right in the heart of the Castro district, so the calendar of events reflects the lively vibe of the neighborhood (which reminds me that sadly, I have still never been to one of their sing-along Sound of Music events).

San Francisco being a classic film noir setting, the Noir City event is quite popular, and lots of people get decked out in 40's and 50's attire. Luckily I had my 40's reproduction dress, as well as a vintage hat that I reshaped and trimmed myself (I bought it for $6 when I was with Sal out in Minneapolis over the summer). And boy, did I get a lot of compliments on this outfit. The best was from Eddie Muller himself, the organizer of the Noir City festival and author of several books about film noir. When you're at a film noir festival and the Czar of Noir says you look fabulous, you know you've done a good job getting dressed.

But here's the point I was really trying to get to: over a glass of wine after the double feature on Saturday, Laura, Fawn and I ended up discussing the goofy songs we sing to our pets. I used to make up songs all the time for my iguana, Pet; mostly they were just bits and pieces of songs that I inserted his name into. The better developed ones had to do with his scaly lips, his greenness, and his fondness for lounging in the sun. One was to the tune of the Oscar Mayer hot dog jingle. It went:

My Pet-boy has a first name, it's P-E-T... *exaggerated pause where the other two letters should have been*
My Pet-boy has a second name, it's B-O-Y...

I always imagined that Pet really enjoyed hearing me sing to him, but it's possible that he always closed his eyes because he was trying to tune me out. Recently I learned that Mark also makes up songs for Georgie (as do I), and I confirmed with Laura and Fawn that they also both write songs for their cats. It got me wondering if this is indeed a universal habit for people who are really crazy about their pets. So let's hear it; do you sing songs to your pets? Are they regular songs, or do you change the lyrics to include your pet's name and traits? Feel free to share your silliest songs; after all, we're all friends here.

Dress: ReVamp Vintage
Hat: vintage
Pearls: my grandma Ruth's
Textured tights (layered over black nylons): Sock Dreams
Shoes: Steve Madden

Edwardian Ball

 Hat: Audra Jean..... Top: Sequoia and Gita....  Skirt: Fanplusfriend Garden....  

Jewelry: gifts....  Velvet blazer: a gift from Sal....  Boots: John Fluevog

Last weekend we attended the Edwardian Ball again, which is interesting because it certainly doesn't seem like it's been a year since the last one. Anyhow, here's what I wore. Mark and I went with my friend Laura and her husband, who had never been before and were duly impressed. The ball was amazing as always; the costumes were wonderfully creative and elegant, and the entertainment was great. There were musical acts, acrobats and trapeze artists, Can-Can girls, and of course, the ever-popular absinthe bar. The wonderful Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence were there, looking gorgeous and exotic and... tall. Really, really tall. Where do they find those platform heels? 

And for Sal: Your former roommate was performing. I gave her a long, evil glare, but I don't think she saw me.

Mark and I both wore my handmade hats.

My Holiday Break

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New year's. I definitely enjoyed my time off from work, and it was good to take a break from blogging as well.

Mark and I did all sorts of fun stuff over the holidays. On Christmas Eve we went out for a spectacular dinner at one of the city's best restaurants, Incanto. Jess came to visit for a couple days, we spent New year's Eve at the home of some friends, I finished a couple of knitting projects as well as 2 books, and we spent plenty of time just relaxing at home...

Oh, and we got married. HA! Betcha weren't expecting that!

I look like a giant in these photos; it's the fabulous Fluevog boots.

We had a simple ceremony at beautiful San Francisco City Hall on December 29th.

Our little ceremony, with friends gathered around. We didn't get mayor Gavin Newsom 

to perform the ceremony, but the justice who did was great.

Here's one of Laura and I; note how the next couple is already in place behind us. 

The ceremonies take only about 10 minutes, which is just perfect in my book.

I loved the origami cranes decorating the Christmas tree.

Here's a better view of the headpiece I made. I like how Mark opted for a yellow shirt 
and matching pocket square, instead of boring white.

City Hall is such a grand venue; I can't think of a better place to get married.

My dress has a long and very complicated story, the gist of which is that by a stroke of good fortune and coincidence I managed to snag the very last one in existence, which just happened to be on sale and in my size. It was a dress I'd been stalking for many months, with no justification whatsoever to buy until I realized it would make a fabulous casual wedding dress that's totally wearable for everyday too. It turned out to be one of those meant-to-be purchases. The designer is Miriam Ocariz and the dress is made of a lightweight, boiled wool; I found it via Farfetch from a shop in London called Labour of Love. I also wore my Noa Noa tulle underskirt, John Fluevog boots, and the handmade fascinator I made myself. The little beaded handbag is one I've had for awhile; I can't remember where it came from.

Our wedding ceremony was in the afternoon; later that evening we got a group of friends together at Mandalay, a casual restaurant that serves delicious Burmese food. When the waiter found out we'd just been married, he offered to play some wedding music for us. Expecting a traditional Burmese song, we were a bit shocked when the Mendelsohn Wedding March came on full blast over the speakers and everyone in the restaurant turned to look at us.

Fawn captured this great action shot of the hilarity that ensued.

And that was pretty much it. We spent roughly 20 minutes online making our appointments (one to get our marriage license and one for the actual ceremony), an hour or so picking out some simple wedding bands and ordering them (from Esty seller Artisan Impact), maybe another half hour sending out emails to our invitees, a few minutes making the dinner reservation, another hour at City Hall for our two separate appointments, and a couple hours at dinner. A whole wedding planned and executed in under 6 hours.

Later this summer we're going to throw a reception, but taking the wedding part out of it means it will be as stress-free as having a regular party. It also means we won't be up to our ears in debt when the whole thing is over. I'm a firm believer that everyone should plan their wedding according to their own tastes, but I feel like a giant debt isn't a great way to start off a marriage, and I loved avoiding all the hassle and fanfare. I got to enjoy our day even more, knowing it hadn't meant countless arguments and expense to get there.

So, what did you do during the holiday break?

Manufactured Snow

If you were paying close attention to Monday's post, you might have noticed the mention of a 'holiday party at your realtor's house' as a possible San Francisco event that one might have to dress up for. Well, Mark and I attended just such an event the weekend before last, and knowing that our realtor has a gorgeous, 4-level Victorian house and is also one of the top realtors in the city, I figured the party would be a swanky one and therefore decided to wear one of my most formal dresses. I was not mistaken in my choice; the party was definitely a high class event, with a sumptuous array of food, 2 bands, and even a machine that blew snow from the second floor window down onto the front porch. Yes, it's true -- if we want snow here in San Francisco we have to manufacture it ourselves. Not being a big fan of snow myself, I really prefer this approach.

The dress I wore is from the 1930's and is one I found in a vintage store many years ago. I'm assuming it was handmade, since it has no tags of any kind. And actually it seems like it was handmade specifically for ME, so perfect is the fit.

Speaking of perfectly-fitted dresses, back in 2000 when I bought this one I was also fortunate enough to try on an amazing 1930's gown that had been worn by Myrna Loy. Myrna Loy! One of my all-time favorite actresses! It was a black, long-sleeved gown with a cascade of huge silver stars that ran across the fitted bodice and trailed diagonally all the way to the bottom of the flared, floor length skirt. It was magnificent, truly magnificent, and in a tragic case of non-buyer's remorse, I passed it up because it was fancier than I imagined I would ever need, and it cost $1200. But I have to tell you, if I had it to do over again I'd spend double or even triple that amount to own that amazing dress, even if it meant eating nothing but ramen noodles for several months. It fit me so perfectly, and the fact that it had been owned by the great Myrna Loy made it so very special, that I'll forever regret the decision to let it go. Needless to say, if I ever come across an item that special again, I'll do whatever it takes to make it mine.

I figured this was a good outfit to end my regular posting for the year with; tomorrow my company begins its holiday shutdown, and I won't return to work until January 3. There may be a post or two thrown in over the break if I get around to it, but I'm planning on mostly taking a rest from blogging as well as work. Mark and I are staying in town this year rather than the usual escape to Mexico, but we have some exciting things planned that I'll tell you about later. In the meantime, here's wishing you and your loved ones a wonderful holiday!

I'll leave you with some images of the stunning Myrna Loy. Who, apparently, wore the same dress size as me. It's not as good as owning the actual dress, but hey, it's something!