Premonition

Well, this was just that kind of day, a day where I ended up pissed off and frustrated and really glad that I at least had the foresight to rock my leather pants at work. It's possible that it was a premonition, but so many of my workdays suck lately that a crummy day is really not very difficult to predict. At any rate, wearing a sassy outfit is always a nice way to combat a bad day, and this was no exception.

When I first got these pants I thought they were a little too tight to wear at the office, but the super-soft leather stretched to a very comfortable fit after just a couple of wears, and now I feel quite confident that they're work-appropriate. The continued rain was also a great reason to waterproof my legs.

Tunic: All Saints
Hoodie: local import store
Belt: thrifted
Pants: Firetrap
Boots: Modern Vintage

In other news, the Etsy shop has been filling up with new items in preparation for our ad in the June/July issue of Bust Magazine, which should be hitting the newsstands now. I'm really excited to be advertising in Bust, for one thing because it's great exposure for the shop, and for another because I think it's an awesome magazine and I'm happy to be a part of it. Bust is really supportive of small businesses like ours, and their very reasonable advertising rates reflect that.

On a related note, be sure to check out the gorgeous photos of our Bolero Harness, modeled and shot by the beautiful Morgana of Iberian Black Arts Photography. Click on Morgana to see the rest of her photo shoot!

Summer Layering

Here's the last of my Anthro purchases: this light pink cardigan. Normally I avoid washed out colors like this, but I thought it had great potential for pairing with darker items, such as this black sweater and dark olive skirt.

I also like the cardigan's tissue-thin weight and 3/4 length sleeves, which make it a great piece for summer layering. Lately it's been cold and rainy here, so warm clothes are still a must; the cardigan was a nice way to brighten up this dark but warm outfit and add a breezy summer vibe to it. As you can see, I'm still not giving up my tights, and probably won't for much of the summer.

Sweater: Banana Republic
Cardi: Anthro
Bracelet: Betsey Johnson
Skirt, tights: Noa Noa
Shoes: Faryl Robin

Disappointed

This cardigan is another one of the sale rack spoils from my trip to Anthro last week. I had actually seen this online and almost ordered it, but the original price was something like $189, and I think that's too much for a knit sweater that isn't cashmere. This was the last one left, and $69 seemed much more reasonable a price tag, so I got it.

I love the cardigan's long length and deep teal color, which will go well with a lot of things in my wardrobe. Plus, it will make for some good Sharks-watching outfits when my beloved but maddening team returns for another try next year. I'm obviously very disappointed with the outcome of the Sharks-Blackhawks series, because I was certain that the Sharks were truly the better team and should've won at least a couple of games. And since my second pick for the cup was Montreal if the Sharks didn't win, and Montreal has now been eliminated too, I'm officially done with hockey for the season. The cup has now become a who-cares series for me. Such a sad end to an exciting hockey season.

On the other hand, watching Montreal eliminate both the Capitals and the Penguins was unexpected and truly awesome, and I'm now inspired to go see a game in Montreal when the new season starts. The enthusiasm of the fans was just amazing the watch, and I'm sure it would be exhilarating to be there in person.

Cardigan: Anthro
Dress: thrifted
Skirt: LA Made
Shoes: Tsubo

Anthro

Last week I stopped into Anthropologie during a break from the conference I was attending downtown. Normally a visit to Anthro entails me wandering around looking at lots of things, with my thoughts running along the lines of, "Wow, that's cute, but it isn't 250 dollars' worth of cute. Oh, I like that, but not for $189. Hmm, a t-shirt with ruffles sewn on it for $80? I don't think so." Most of the time I leave empty-handed and annoyed, but boredom combined with rainy weather drove me in to take a look anyway. Making a beeline for the large sale section, I found several things marked down to well within the realm of reason; this tunic and skirt were among them and the rest you'll see over the next few days.

I'm excited about the layering potential of this tunic; the mixture of colors can go towards a pale, warm weather look or a dark, contrasty one for colder months. The exposed seams give it the right amount of uniqueness that will pair well with edgier items in my wardrobe. The skirt is a semi-sheer pale pink, which I'm looking forward to trying out with the new stuff I just got from Black Market Baby.

For this outfit I let the tunic do all the work in terms of shaping, and left out a belt. After the discomfort of the previous day's outfit, this was a really wonderful follow-up, the swingy layers having just the right amount of softness and stretch.

I also got a haircut last week -- it's just a shorter version of the last one.

Tunic, skirt: Anthropologie
Ruffled shirt: H&M
Cardigan: thrifted
Tights: Noa Noa
Boots: Bronx
Jewelry: Betsey Johnson

Getting Caught Up

I want to thank everyone who contributed (or will contribute) to yesterday's lively discussion. If you haven't read through the comments yet, be sure to! I found myself agreeing with so many of the commenters, even when their opinions were opposing; obviously, the whole immigration issue is extremely complex and there's no one magical answer or solution. But I love the intelligent dialogue that we're having; obviously, we're all interested in other things besides fashion, and I think it's great to open up these sorts of conversations now and then. Because this isn't a politically-charged site, I feel like it's a more all-inclusive place, and a place with a community of people who at least share a few things in common; to me this makes it a 'safe' and welcoming place to have such a discussion. So comment on; I'm really open to hearing whatever you have to say (as long as it's said respectfully, of course!).

I'm still getting caught up on my blog reading and commenting, as well as replying to comments made here. The first half of this week was spent at a conference, so I got further behind by being separated from my computer for a few days. So if you've asked me something in the comments and I haven't replied yet, feel free to prod me, or check back again in a day or so when hopefully I'll have gotten to it.

This outfit was thrown together in the morning before the conference, and it proved to be not as comfortable as I'd hoped. I think the black skirt (which you can just see peeking out at the hem) was the straw that broke the camel's back; there was just one too many layers and the outfit felt constricting and a bit too warm. I do like the proportions of the dress and the long cardigan though, and will probably try a different variation of this combo again.

Cardigan: Cynthia Rowley (via Gilt)

Dress, belt: Red Dress Shoppe

Slip/skirt: Glam Garb by Gunlis

Tights: Noa Noa

Boots: All Black

Since yesterday's topic was a bit depressing and serious, I thought I'd leave you with a few photos that are a little more lighthearted:

Georgie loves pretending she's a lap dog.

Showing off the team spirit.

The beautiful view of downtown and SF City Hall from our patio.

Political Rantings

'Scuse me for a moment while I get all political on ya. It's not often (ok, it's not ever, really) that I talk politics on this blog, but this is an issue that has got my hackles WAY up, and I need to vent for a moment. The outfit details are all the way at the bottom of the post if you want to skip my rantings; the rest of this post has nothing at all to do with fashion.

As you may have guessed already, I have a deep and profound love of all things Latin American, and as a native Californian I consider many aspects of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Salvadoran, Guatemalan, and other Latino cultures to be a part of my own heritage. So the shameful immigration law recently passed in Arizona, which I'm sure everyone has heard all about by now, just makes me clench my teeth with indignation.

Now I acknowledge that Arizona does have a hefty set of immigration-related issues that the federal government has done a terrible job in dealing with. But enacting a law that promotes mistrust and angry division is just never the right answer, is it?

Sure, illegal immigration poses problems; one of the most overlooked, in my opinion, is the way it undermines the Herculean efforts of people who come here by legal means. Talk to anyone who's gone through the process of obtaining a work visa in the US or becoming naturalized and you'll hear stories of miles of paperwork, gobs of money spent, hours in impossibly long lines, and legal red tape that would make your hair stand on end. Having obtained my citizen status by the easiest possible method, birth, I wholeheartedly admire the perseverance of legal immigrants. Moreover, I wonder what the US would be like if everyone was as passionate and committed to being here as our legal immigrants are? Would we suffer from the same sense of entitlement if we had to deal with the USCIS to obtain our rights?

On the other hand, it's pretty tough to blame people who risk everything to flee a desperate and often woefully impoverished situation for the chance of making a better life for themselves and their children. To me it is the original American Dream in its purest form. And the reality is that it's pretty much the same way most of our ancestors got here. Most Americans today cannot even fathom the sorts of troubles that people who flee to this country are facing in their home lands, and indeed, even the "better life" that many illegal immigrants find here is still far below the average American standard of living.

Illegal immigrantion does come with its share of other problems, not the least of which is the importation of drugs and the violence that goes along with them. But turning the local police, who live within that racially-mixed community, into what amounts to little better than an SS brigade, is a recipe for unrest and further conflict, most notably among people who aren't even a part of the original problem. Obviously the law legalizes racial profiling, but even worse, it builds walls between people who should be working together to solve these issues. I'm sorry Arizona, I don't have an easy solution for you, but the one you've opted for is quite possibly the worst you could've come up with.

I'd like to open up the floor for more discussion, because I know my insightful readers will have more to add on this one. Are there any Arizonians out there who have a different take on this issue? Legal immigrants who want to weigh in? People from Latin countries who are disgusted, irate, disappointed? People who have been impacted in one way or another? Let's hear it! Even if Arizona is taking a closed-minded approach, it doesn't mean we have to.

Today's (non-political) outfit:
Dress, bracelet: Betsey Johnson
Cardigan: Solemio
Harness: Audra Jean
Jacket: Tulle
Tights: Foot Traffic, via Sock Dreams
Shoes: Saks 5th Avenue
Adorable dog: Georgie

Black Market Baby

This gorgeous sheer, leather-trimmed tank and striped leggings came to me by way of a trade with fellow Etsy seller Audrey Cantwell of Black Market Baby. I had already marked her shop as a favorite ages ago, so when she suggested a trade I jumped at the opportunity. These pieces both have that unique, special quality I always look for, and they're both really well made. For an evening out, I might wear this tank over something sleeveless and black, but for work I chose this long-sleeved argyle sweater dress for a more modest look. The leggings have a waistband that's light as air, so the whole outfit was amazingly comfortable and constriction-free. I love how the sheerness of the tank allows the form-fitting sweater dress shape to show through, but still gives the outfit a draped, relaxed look that doesn't come off as too revealing, especially for work. I'm looking forward to finding more ways to use these wonderful pieces.

I kept the accessories fairly simple so as to let the tank and leggings be the stars of the outfit, but I did opt for a mixed-metals pile of long necklaces to break up the dark colors.

Tank, leggings: Black Market Baby
Dress: All Saints
Boots: All Black

eShakti Dress

I received this dress a few weeks ago as a product review sample from eShakti, but I had yet to wear it until after the move because my iron and garment steamer were both packed up. Normally I probably would have just worn it anyway, but I didn't feel like the deep creases left by being boxed up and shipped would exactly make for a fair product review, so I held off.

As for the dress, it is really gorgeous, and I'm very impressed with the quality. eShakti offers sizes from 0-26 on every item, and for a fairly small additional charge, you can get anything custom sized. You can even change up the styling on many items; for this dress I had the hem shortened from the normal length to above the knee. I ordered this in a standard size and found the fit to be very true to the measurements listed on the sizing chart.

I just love the beautiful floral pattern that's stitched around the bottom panel of the dress. The flowers are black and the edge stitching is sort of a purplish color, which I think will give the dress some additional styling options. The midsection of the dress also has black contrast stitching. I only wish that the floral pattern went around the back of the dress too, but it's a fairly minor drawback. I will most likely order additional items from eShakti, and I would definitely recommend them, especially for hard-to-fit figures.

Jacket: F21
Dress: eShakti
Shoes: Tsubo

The Young Ones

This turned into a jeans sort of week for me, when these black beauties arrived in the mail from Gilt. I'd been on the lookout for straight leg, black jeans for some time, and these seemed to meet all my requirements. They are a deep, luscious black and the fit is just perfect. My only concern is that once I wash them they're going to lose their inky blackness and I won't like them as much. I guess my solution is just never to wash them.

That reminds me of an old episode of The Young Ones, which I used to watch in syndication on MTV in the mid-80's; it was my favorite show. In one episode, the boys (4 students who live in a squalid North London flat and attend Scumbag College) decide it's finally time to go to the launderette, but when they get there the laundry is so filthy that the machine spits it back out again. They finally wrestle the clothes into the machine, only to discover it requires money to wash the clothes. Sitting dejectedly back home, they discuss the merits of grimy clothing:

VYVYAN: My knickers are so old, it's only the stubborn understains that are holding them together!
RICK: Yeah, right on! One thing's for sure -- when Lenin led the revolution in Russia, no way did he do it with a spotless bott!
VYVYAN: YEAH! I LOVE MY BOTTOM SPOTTY!
NEIL: Yeah...Yeah...Let's never wash our clothes again!
MIKE: What do you mean, "again"?



Ah, I loved that show. But if I never wash my new black jeans, will I end up with a spotty bott?

Shirt: thrifted
Tank: All Saints
Blazer: thrifted
Jeans: Diesel
Boots: Bronx

Rocks

Today's backdrop replaces out-of-place items for unpacked ones. I like how the box next to me is labeled, 'pond rocks.' That box is Mark's; it contains the smooth little river rocks that go in the bottom of the fountain that you see partially assembled just behind me. But I also packed 2 large boxes full of rocks, which are used to landscape Charlie's habitat. I felt bad packing them. Thankfully the movers didn't speak much English, or else they really would've hated me. Although I'm sure when they lifted the boxes, they wondered to themselves in Chinese, "What the hell did she put in here, rocks?"

This was a lazy outfit. In fact, I've felt really lazy, outfit-wise, since we moved in because we still don't have a full length mirror. I've therefore been staying away from anything too experimental or challenging, and sticking with safer combinations. I decided to pair this polka dot dress with jeans, because I initially tried it on that way at the thrift store and therefore already knew it looked good.

Dress: thrifted
Sweater: Cynthia Rowley (via Gilt)
Belt: Red Dress Shoppe
Jeans: Joe's
Hat: ADS Hats
Boots: Jeffrey Campbell

First

Well, here it is -- the first official outfit photo in my new home! This was from last Thursday, and to be honest I was still feeling very disoriented and not fully back into the swing of planning outfits, taking pictures, and working with the computer (I'm still feeling that way to some degree). So I guess it's hardly surprising that I put together the very same skirt/boots combo that I had just worn the last time I'd been in the office.

This outfit actually came about because that afternoon was Game 4 of the Sharks-Redwings series, and since I was going straight from work to meet up with Laura I needed a comfy teal and black ensemble. As it turned out, that was a sad game to watch, with the Sharks getting soundly beaten, but thankfully they came back in the next game to win the series and advance to the next round. I'm just enthralled with watching all the sports commentators, who completely wrote off the Sharks before the playoffs started, eat several large helpings of crow now. Suckers.

Right, the new place. Yes, here it is, or at least part of the front room. It isn't really arranged in its final configuration yet; here you can see a few stray books, a jumble of barware, and the remote control to the tiny Mini Cooper that I love to chase Georgie around with. These things have all since been put away, but at least you can also get a sense of the Victorian detailing (a window seat AND a built-in bookcase!), the tall ceilings, the ample light, and the lovely hardwood floors. As soon as we've tackled the last of the boxes, I'll take some better shots of the rest of the place.

Top: Red Dress Shoppe
Waistcoat: Last Kiss
Skirt: thifted
Boots: All Black

Total Comfort

With this outfit I went for total comfort. It was the last workday in the old place, and I didn't want to come home with aching feet or a squeezed midsection or anything else that might slow me down for the weekend. We finished all our packing that Friday night and Saturday, had the movers move everything on Sunday (and actually we moved a lot of stuff ourselves too), and I took Monday through Wednesday off to start getting settled in.

Everything I wore that day was loose and flowy. I even resisted my natural urge to belt the cardigan and just let the long ends hang down, which I thought gave the outfit a nice modern shape. My low-heeled boots are comfortable enough to walk all day in, and I liked how the small metal studs mimicked the polka dots on the skirt.

For a splash of color I added this big chunky necklace from Dana LeBlanc Designs. This is really an impact necklace and I don't tend to wear it very often; it usually requires an outfit that is simpler than most of the stuff I put together. But with the clean black and white and the simplicity of the unstructured layers, I thought it worked really well.

Coming up tomorrow, my first attempt at an outfit shot in the new house! I'm still figuring out where my preferred location will be, but it's a start.

Cardigan: a gift from Mom
Top: Max Studio
Skirt: thrifted
Necklace: Dana LeBlanc on Etsy
Boots: All Black

Frenetic

I'm down to the last 2 days of outfit photos that I took at the old place (sorry to psych you out if you were expecting to see the new place today!). But since I can't stand to post out of order, I'm going to keep you in suspense for yet another day before I start posting from the new place on Wednesday.

This outfit was obviously the result of my frenetic schedule in the last days before the move. Do you like how I worked it as if it was a really fancy ensemble anyway? And I didn't even attempt to get the wrinkles out of the hoodie. It's all about attitude.

The hoodie is new from Gilt; I don't really have very many ultra-casual pieces that are also interesting, and I loved the batwing sleeves and pocket embroidery on this one. Combined with my perfect shoes from Fly London, this outfit was comfortable while still having some interesting elements.

Shirt: thrifted
Hoodie: Free People
Jeans: Joe's
Shoes: Fly London
Bracelet: Lower Haters



Showing my neighborhood pride.

Knee Deep

Well, I got nothin' for ya today, as we are still knee deep in boxes and I haven't even uploaded my most recent outfit photos yet. So here, look at these new hats I made!




I finished these a few weeks ago, not during the move.

I will resume regular posting next week. The move went very well, but with 2 households combining there has been a lot to do. I feel like by the end of this weekend we should be in pretty good shape, but right now I'm exhausted, disoriented, and a little overwhelmed. Thanks so much for all your well wishes regarding the move; it's exciting, and I'll be very happy to be able to share some photos of the new place once it's in a more presentable state.

Oh, and one more thing, since tonight is Girls' Night Out, and a very special one at that...

GO SHARKS!!!!

Winter All Over

Oh, San Francisco weather. Just when you think spring has arrived, the temperature drops, a storm moves in, and it's winter all over again. To signal my dissatisfaction with the climate, I wore my Wendy Brandes swear rings. Since then, nature has decided to straighten up and fly right, bringing the sunny skies back just in time for our move. I'm certain it was the rings.

I did use the crummy weather to my advantage, taking the opportunity to wear my new boots again. On a related note, I was thrilled to see Angie discuss the merits of wearing boots in the summer; in San Francisco I would say it rarely gets too cold for boots, even in the warmest months. This was another pair I recently found deeply discounted on Amazon (this is a great time of year to buy boots!). They are a rich, slate gray color and have just enough hardware detailing without being too much. The detail shot of the boots is from a different outfit, but I thought you might want to see them up close while I'm on the subject.

The sweater is one I found on Gilt. I have searched high and low for an interesting cashmere cardigan, but until now everything I've found has been plain and boring. I just loved the randomly-placed cutout holes in this one, and the color is really different from anything else in my wardrobe. The buttons, however, were ugly as sin, so I cut those suckers off straight away, knowing that I would need to belt this sweater anyway. I think it's far better without them.

Sweater: Cynthia Rowley, via Gilt
Dress: not sure of the brand
Rings: Wendy Brandes
Belt: Urban Outfitters
Skirt: F21
Tights: Foot Traffic, via Sock Dreams
Boots: Bronx