As Good as it Gets

I've never been too crazy about flats, but I've realized that there's a time and place for them, such as a day you know you're going to be criss-crossing the campus all day (yes, my workplace is so large that we call it a campus) and your feet just need a break. So recently I went digging around on 6pm.com in search of a black or gray pair (because despite recognizing the need for flats I still wasn't willing to spend much money on them), and I turned up these. They're reasonably cute, they were deeply discounted, and they feel like walking on little pillows. They don't knock my socks off (no pun intended) aesthetically, but then again very few pairs of flats do, so I feel like this is about as good as it gets for me and flats. I like them, or rather, I like the feel of wearing them enough that I can put up with the ho-hum look of them.

Dress: Desigual
Necklace: can't remember
Shoes: Born

Disheveled

That is not a sly grin of happiness you see on my face; it's a smirk of extreme displeasure. This was the day I had to drag my ass into work at 8 a.m. for a FIVE HOUR MEETING. A five hour meeting with no breaks, mind you. What kind of sadistic bastard would schedule such a meeting, you ask? Well, the sadistic bastards I work with, apparently. Needless to say it was not a happy day for me. Meetings that start at 9 a.m. are bad enough, but 8 a.m. shouldn't even exist as far as I'm concerned. Mornings were meant for sleeping, not sitting in a chair trying to stay awake.

I found this vintage skinny tie on Haight Street a couple months ago, but this is the first I've worn it. It has very thin, diagonal black and white stripes and a sheen that gives it a silvery appearance from a distance. It's not easy to tie, and getting the two ends to hang one in front of the other is nearly impossible, so I opted to let it look a little sloppy and disheveled, which I think works well for menswear-inspired outfits.


Adding some grass green and teal helped give this outfit a more seasonal look. My legs and feet would've been in danger of being chilly, but I knew I wasn't going to be outdoors much, since obviously I was spending most of the day in the same damn conference room. I always check my calendar in the mornings before I decide which outfit to wear, making sure that if I'm going to be out and walking around campus a lot, I'm dressed for the weather and am wearing reasonably comfortable shoes. And if I'm stuck inside all day wasting my time in marathon meetings, I make sure to wear my most appropriate accessory -- an angry scowl.

Shirt: J. Crew
Vest: A. Byer
Tie: vintage
Belt: Lazaro (Argentina)
Harem Pants: Vera Wang
Shoes: Gabriella Rocha

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

Easter Egg

I think I like using the larger picture format for my lead outfit shots; the detail is much easier to see, isn't it? Of course you can always click each photo to enlarge, but it seems like it's easier not to have to go through that extra step. Feedback is appreciated!

I felt like an Easter egg in this outfit, in the best possible way. I'm not usually one to wear lots of pastel colors together, but I really loved how the deeper teal shades gave the outfit some contrast. Note that none of the colors really match, but they all go together: the shoes, for instance, contain shades of teal that are just on either side of the skirt in terms of intensity, and the purple panels across the tops of the shoes tie in the purplish top without being exactly the same hue. This was a fun outfit, both to put together and to wear.

Making the outfit even more fun was how many of the items in it were gifts; note the list below.


Top: a gift from Mom
Cardigan: Anthropologie
Belt: a gift from my sister
Skirt: a gift from Sal
Tights: Hue
Shoes: John Fluevog
Bracelet: Betsey Johnson
Necklace: Ambiance on Haight Street

Impatient

This fun, patterned dress is from my adventure at Desigual with Sal. We both tried on a lot of the same items that day, but if I remember correctly this is the only one we both bought. All that bright color and the fact that it's sleeveless really makes this more of a summer dress, but I got impatient to wear it and layered it up for a cool weather outfit. Not wanting to completely obliterate the summery vibe, I added a pink tank top to fill in the neckline and add some brighter color near my face.

Dress: Desigual
Cardigan: American Eagle Outfitters
Boots: Miz Mooz
Bracelet: Betsey Johnson

Belated Christmas

For the next several outfits to come you're going to see all the new stuff I brought back from my travels. The new item in this one is the belt, which was a gift from my mom. For the last few years we've exchanged our Christmas gifts in January or February, since I've generally been in Mexico over the holidays. I didn't travel this year but instead stayed in San Francisco and got married, so once again we had our belated Christmas celebration. This little beaded belt was among my gifts.

I mirrored the mixed metal look of the belt with the necklaces; one is silver and one is layered brass and pearls.

Cardigan: Anthropologie
Jeans: Diesel
Boots: Bronx

Teal and Yellow

I've worn this dress several times before, but when I put it on for this outfit it suddenly felt too short to me. A simple solution was to put a skirt underneath it, and although I had to keep adjusting the elastic-waisted skirt throughout the day to keep it from riding up, I liked the effect of the fluffy tulle peeking out from under the mod shift dress. I also wore the matching jacket when I was outside. 


I wish I knew the designer of this necklace, because I'd love to find more of their stuff. Sadly, I got it at a shop on Haight Street which has long since closed, so I fear I'll never know.

Dress: Vintage
Cardigan: Anthropologie
Skirt: Forever 21
Tights: MP
Boots: Bronx

Brief Posts

I feel like this outfit would've been better without the t-shirt underneath the dress, but it was simply too chilly for short sleeves that day. And seeing as how it's now been almost a month since I actually wore this outfit, I don't have too much else to say about it. You're going to see a lot of very brief posts before I get caught up, I suspect.     

Dress: Diane von Furstenburg
T-shirt: H&M
Obi belt: Sunhee Moon
Skirt: Noa Noa
Tights: Falke
Shoes: Fly London

Tribute

This is my Wendy B tribute pose; I totally missed out on the contest, but I figured I could still rip off her signature pose and post it over here. Hopefully she doesn't bitch slap me for it when I'm in New York later this week. You don't scare me, Wendy! However your weather does. Don't throw a snowball at me!

Every time I wear this dress someone comments on the bright red color. On my scout's honor this dress is ORANGE. A reddish orange to be sure, but still squarely within the orange family of hues. My camera clearly does not agree.

Cardigan: Anthropologie
Dress: Orla Keily
Belt: a gift from mom
Tights: Foot Traffic
Boots: from Scoop in Copenhagen

Resolution

In the last weeks of the year I decided to get a jump start on my New Year's resolution to drive less, and not knowing exactly how far I'd end up walking or how long I'd be standing and waiting for public transportation (I hadn't yet tried taking public transportation to work from the new house), I decided I should make my outfits as comfortable as possible while I was still getting used to the new system. I'm not the sort of gal who will put on sneakers with a work outfit and change at the office; no way. So if you look at the last few outfits you'll see two of my favorite pairs of walking shoes -- these boots as well as my brown Batas -- and plenty of soft, flowy knit fabrics.

Now that I've done it a few times, I've realized that taking public transportation to work is actually quite easy from the new place. Not only that, but I arrive at work far less crabby than I do if I have to suffer through the traffic on the freeway. This might just be a resolution I can stick to.

Cardigan: BB Dakota
Gray skirt (hiked up and worn as a dress): S
Teal skirt: LA Made
Belt: Red Dress Shoppe
Boots: Modern Vintage

Shape and Proportion

As promised, here is the jacket that goes with my vintage 1960's dress. What's funny is that several times when I've pulled out this skirt to wear, I've searched for the perfect cropped, boxy top or jacket that would give it the mod flair I wanted, but I just hadn't been able to find the right thing. And here it was in my closet all along, hanging there paired with the dress (in the 'dress' portion of my closet, rather than with the tops and jackets) and not even registering as an option. It has exactly the shape and proportion I've been searching for the whole time.

I also wanted to encourage everyone to check out the special deal Wendy Brandes is offering on her Little Woolf necklace. Fellow blogger Sister Wolf has had an incredibly difficult year, having endured both personal tragedy and financial difficulties. Wendy is currently offering the Little Woolf for $50 plus taxes and shipping, with $35 of each sale going to help Sister Wolf repair her crumbling roof. Click on the widget below to go to Wendy's site and purchase this beautiful piece of quality jewelry while helping to support a worthy cause. You can read what Wendy has to say about Sister Wolf's dilemma and the fund-raising effort right here.

Jacket: Violetville Vintage
Sweater: Banana Republic
Skirt: Anthropologie
Belt: Lazaro
Boots: Bronx

Rainbow Beams

The sun has clearly changed its angle lately; here it was so bright that it created little rainbow beams right across my photos. Lovely for sitting in the window seat and enjoying a cup of coffee in the morning, lousy for taking pictures. I hope this doesn't mean I'm going to have to find a new photo spot for the winter months, but it may come to that if it stays sunny.

This outfit was all about comfort; no tights or thin elastic waistbands squeezing my middle, no tugging or readjustment to be done during the day, and no pinching or rubbing on my feet. Since the solid black top and solid teal skirt isn't the most exciting combination, I brought in some additional pattern and color with the scarf and socks.

The socks also helped to tie the shoes in with the rest of the outfit, since they contain both beige and black. The shoes are mostly brown, so I was afraid that they might not make sense with the black top and belt if I didn't have something to help with the transition. The other thing I've thought of doing with these shoes is changing the laces out for black ones so that I can wear them with pretty much anything.




Scarf: Promod
Shirt: H&M
Belt: Red Dress Shoppe
Bracelet: Amrita Singh, via Gilt
Skirt: LA Made
Socks: Sock Dreams
Shoes: Fly London

Grounding Influence

I had the combination of this cardigan and floral dress in my head for awhile; in fact, after the last time I wore the cardigan I jotted down the idea on a post-it note and stuck it in my closet to remind myself. When I finally put it together though, I found that the dress was a bit too long for the proportions I wanted, so I pulled the same trick that I used the other day with my pink strapless top; I took up the excess length by folding the dress at the waist, and secured it underneath the stretchy belt.

I had previously thought this cardigan could not be worn with a belt, but out of necessity I gave it a try; it was either that or start all over with a new outfit. I think it actually worked really well with this; the neutral belt has something of a grounding influence on all the bright color and pattern of the cardigan and dress, and ties in the socks and shoes quite nicely.


The socks reach up to just above the knee; this kept the outfit from being too warm, the skirt being a dense wool. I finally managed to get some photos of this skirt that show the color; every other time it has always looked black when in fact it's a deep olive green.

Cardigan: Anthropologie
Dress: 90's romper altered into a dress
Belt: Audra Jean
Skirt: Noa Noa
Socks: Sock Dreams
Shoes: Joy Chen

Pilfered

This is yet another belt I pilfered out of Mark's completed pile. He originally made it as a double belt; the other section is black with silver dome rivets, and hangs down around the hips. The two belts are held together with a leather loop, so that they can be worn together or separately. You've seen me wear the black section on its own as well, with the machine gun bikini in this post, and also as part of a work outfit in this post. One of these days I'll join them back up and wear the set.

What I really wanted to point out about the belt is the beautiful red leather, which Mark has just used to make a Jane Doe style harness (it's too thick for some of the other harness styles). It's a deep, brick red and although we've had it sitting around for awhile, Mark has just recently gotten around to using it. I'm hoping to see him make more items in this color; this could be really pretty for a winter look.

Capelet: Forever 21
Shirt: All Saints
Belt: Audra Jean
Skirt: a gift from Sal
Tights: MP, via Sock Dreams
Shoes: Born

Giants Fever

It seems the whole city has got Giants fever. Last night there were Giants hats and jerseys everywhere you looked, and after the victory over the Rangers, you could hear people cheering and car horns honking all over town. I got really excited this morning when I noticed that even the guy collecting trash on the side of the highway was wearing Giants orange, until I remembered he was just wearing the Caltrans uniform that's issued to people who have to perform community service. Oh well, at least for today that guy can pretend that he's wearing the orange vest and hard hat not because he got caught drunk driving, but to show his team spirit.

This outfit was meant to have a mod look, but ended up being something else entirely. I like how it turned out though; the shaping of the top works really well with the skirt, and the bright colors counteract the pirate vibe that would ordinarily come across with the combination of the military-styled jacket and cuffed boots. Not that a pirate vibe is a bad thing; in fact, I might try to play that up a little the next time.

In other news, check out this high-larious video of a Dallas reporter at last night's game, in which he flips out because he smells someone smoking weed at the ballpark. Do people really not know that smoking pot in public is not a big deal in SF? And here I thought we had a reputation for it!

Bonus shots of Georgie photobombing me:

The dog's laziness knows no bounds. First she walked right into the photo and couldn't even be arsed to sit up straight (she's actually leaning against my leg), and then she just slid on down to the floor and laid down. I'm surprised she didn't just take a nap right there.

Jacket: F21
Shirt: Red Dress Shoppe
Skirt: Anthropologie

Boots: Modern Vintage

Whiter Than Sour Cream

Yes, it has been warm here indeed ; I never thought I'd be able to wear this dress to work. I bought it last year to wear for our holiday trip to Mexico; it was my New year's Eve dress, in fact. But it's clearly a sundress, and layering it up with tights and a thick sweater just wouldn't feel or look right, so it has been lingering in the back of my closet, just waiting for the next tropical vacation. When it hit 100 at home and in the 90's at work, I knew it was time to pull it out.

This outfit sort of cracked me up because it made my already pale skin look exceptionally white. Now don't get me wrong; I work hard to maintain my fair complexion because it's better for my skin and in fact I think it looks more natural, but there's still something incongruous about a splashy bright sundress next to a ghostly, washed-out complexion.

The extreme pallor of my skin that day got me thinking about Weird Al Yankovic's hilarious parody of the Chamillionaire song, "Dirty," and the equally hilarious video which, if you haven't seen, is well worth a view (check it out below). In my opinion if you're a musician, you really know you've hit the big time when Weird Al parodies one of your songs. What I can't quite figure out though, is what it means for an artist when Weird Al's version is actually better than the original? In this case the original is not bad, but another rap song about crooked cops? Yawn. On the other hand, when has anyone ever rapped about being so nerdy that you speak fluent Klingon, and edit Wikipedia? Plus, Chamillionaire is just a flat out stupid name. Weird Al gets my vote on this one, especially since I'm white and nerdy myself.

Dress: Plenty by Tracy Reese (via Gilt)
Cardigan: Anthropologie
Shoes: Fly London

Knot Necessary

I thought of Une Femme when I wore this outfit, since it was she who originally clued me in to this type of scarf ring; not to mention the fact that the scarf ring itself has a fleur de lis on it. I found it in a touristy shop in Buenos Aires, of all places; had it not been for one of Une Femme's foulard de la semaine posts, I wouldn't have even known what it was. It worked perfectly to secure this oversized square scarf into a loose, casual shape; I just criss-crossed the ends through the ring and voila! Tying it was, if you'll pardon the pun, knot necessary.

I borrowed this strapless-dress-over-shirt look from Sheila. Actually the dress is not a dress at all but a skirt; everything from the bottom edge of the belt on up is actually the waistband, which is meant to be folded over. But I've never really been able to wear the skirt that way and so I often unfold it and hike the whole thing up. Here I've layered it with another skirt and belted everything to keep the layers in place. These skirts have often appeared together; you can see some other variations on this pairing here, here, here, and layered in the reverse order here.

T-shirt: H&M

Scarf: a gift brought back from China

Gray skirt: S

Teal skirt: LA Made

Belt: Red Dress Shoppe

Shoes: Tsubo