{Details} The Clash...

Sometimes the greatest combos are the most unexpected, like, oh I don't know, a green-toned jungle print paired with a vibrant coral... Hypothetically, of course. But seriously now, there's just something about taking a couple opposites, throwing them together and just watching the dumbfounded looks on people's faces, you know what I mean? Cue the evil genius laugh... xx

Outfit details: peplum top- H&M; pleated coral skirt- Urban Outfitters; woven leather belt- thrifted; clutch- vintage Saint Laurent; bracelets- Joe Fresh + The Bay

Just for Fun

We had a few gloriously warm weeks here in SF, so I hastily trotted out all my most springy garments and made good use of the opportunity to wear as many of my sandals as I could before the fog rolled in again. This outfit was for a day of working at home and going to a midday appointment.

I loved all the comments on my Trends That Need to Die post, and for the most part I agree with all your choices. One of the trends mentioned was ankle pants, which obviously I have no problem with myself. I do in fact realize that they aren't particularly flattering and that men seem to universally find them to be one of the least attractive things that women wear (my husband included).

I actually derive a lot of satisfaction from sometimes wearing things that I know men find unappealing, because what I wear isn't meant to be about what men think. Cropped pants have an irreverent, playful vibe, and they remind me of some of the late 50's and 60's styles that I love. They bring to mind big floppy hats, drippy ice cream cones, and a boardwalk along the beach. Fashion doesn't always need to be about figure flattery; sometimes just being fun is enough.

Top: Bella Lux
Pants: Gap
Sandals: Gabor

{Style} Coral Crush...

I've been super uninspired by my wardrobe lately, especially when it comes to marrying my desire for vibrant spring colours and prints with the fact that I still have a couple months of weather-related despair in my future... Le sigh. I tried perking myself up by concocting a medley of florals and polka dots � heck, I even threw in a pop of coral for good measure � but no dice. Looks like only time, or some unseasonal heat wave, can cure what ails me.

In other news, I'm going to be embarking on Kiehls' 10 day Midnight Recovery Concentrate challenge, so I'll be sharing any changes to my skin over the next 10 days on Twitter and Facebook... Follow along and join the conversation � I'd love to hear your thoughts if you've used the product!

Happy weekending, friendlies! xx

Outfit details: coral blazer- Forever 21; floral jeans- Joe Fresh; denim shirt- Forever 21; cap toe pumps- Zara; polka dot clutch- Red Velvet; watch- Michael Kors; necklace- Zara

{Style} Fair Isle...

If you take a minute to peruse my outfit details, you'll probably start to think that I'm a deadbeat blogger what with this cardigan, shirt and necklace all being Kastles'... In my defense, what's a girl to do when her bestie has so many cute clothes? Fair Isle is soooo my jam, so this cardi has been my new best friend ever since it came to stay at my house, and will you just look at that necklace? It's going to be hard to say goodbye, let me tell you... Hmmm, I wonder if she would notice if I moved away?

Happy weekending, friends! xx

Outfit details: fair isle cardigan (Only; similar here), shirt (Loft 82) & necklace (Forever 21)- all borrowed from Kastles; faux leather skirt- H&M (old; similar here); polka dot tights- Forever 21; clutch c/o J.Crew (similar here); pumps- Shoe Mint; ring- Michael Kors

Birds of a Feather...

Outfit details: feather print dress- Forever 21; coral belt- Loft 82; sandals- Tahari; necklace & ring- Forever 21; bracelets- Aldo Accessories; watch- Michael Kors

Versatile

This is a near recreation of an outfit I wore during my travels in Europe recently. On one of the warmer days in Lisbon I wore the tunic/belt/pants combo with sandals, and later in the trip when it was cooler I wore it with black boots and a yellow cardigan. Here I tried to create a hybrid between a warm/bright colors and a cold/layered outfit, because although we're well into spring now, we're still getting some colder days. Sometimes I feel like I could rename this blog, "Seasonal Dressing When the Weather Refuses to Cooperate."

This little tunic is magical in its ability to bridge colors I would've otherwise never attempted to pair. The cardigan is sort of a salmon-coral color, and putting it next to tomato red would be an impossibility were it not for the multitude of shades existing in harmony in the tunic. Pieces like this create a huge amount of versatility in a wardrobe.

This is my recent new haircut, and this time my hairdresser added a few dark purple streaks. She weaved them in underneath the top layers so that I can show them a little, or a lot. My hairstyle is now as versatile as my clothing.

Cardigan: Anthropologie
Tunic/belt: gifts from mom and sis
Jewelry: Metal Pointu's
Pants: Michael Kors
Boots: Bronx

Spotted...

Outfit details: tank- Gap; coral blazer- Forever 21; leopard print jeans- Joe's Jeans (similar here); bag- Betsey Johnson; sandals- Michael Kors (similar here); necklaces- Pyrrha (similar here) & Bang Bang Bijoux

Coral Crush...

Yesterday was a beautiful day, which I spent galavanting with a dear friend... We checked out Royal Bison for some incredible crafts, had some refreshments and basked in the sun � Totes amaze. I got some pretty cool jewelry at the fair (see item 3 above!), as well as an adorable calendar printout that I promptly wrinkled and creased... What a girl.

What did you guys get up to this weekend? I wanna know! xx

Outfit details: top, blazer & pants- Forever 21; crossbody bag- Michael Kors; ring- Aldo Accessories; necklaces- Forever 21, Bang Bang Bijoux & Mascarpone

Excursion

Spencer is becoming quite the handsome dog, is he not? He's also more than twice the size he was when we brought him home. At about 8 months, he now weighs 65 pounds and is a couple inches taller than Georgie. Since his knee injury is still a problem and we can't yet have surgery performed on it (and would rather avoid it entirely if we can), he's now having regular sessions of therapeutic swimming in a heated pool. Seriously, if I had wanted children, they would've turned out to be the most spoiled assholes the world has ever known. It's a good thing for everyone that my nurturing impulses are focused on dogs.

A couple of weekends ago I went on a shopping excursion with a friend of mine who's also Mark's ex-girlfriend (yeah, you read that right). We ostensibly went shopping specifically to find her an outfit for her birthday party, but along the way I made a few purchases of my own. You know how it is.

This coral cardigan and teal pants were two of the spoils from our excursion. My friend and I spotted the pants right away, but in bright orange. When we got over to the rack however, I found that the teal pair was a lot prettier. They're a micro-corduroy fabric with a good amount of stretch, and are crazy comfortable. I've already worn them a few times and they've proven to fit in really well with my quick-conversion, walking to work dressing strategy.

Cardigan, pants: Anthropologie
Top: Express, a gift
Shoes: Fly London

Amazon

I felt like an Amazon in this outfit, what with the sky-high heels and the long, floor-skimming skirt. I actually want to hem this skirt to ankle length but I just haven't gotten around to it yet. If I were several inches taller, like the Asos model, it would look like this:

And isn't that cute? The shoes are fully visible even when she's standing relatively straight; i.e., she isn't thrusting one leg out to show off her shoes, like I had to do. Lopping off about 3 inches ought to do the trick; that way if I ever want to wear it with flats it won't be dragging on the ground. I also won't step on it when I climb a flight of stairs. Did I ever mention that falling down a flight of stairs and knocking my teeth out is a huge phobia of mine? Don't think I didn't have visions of that phobia being realized when I wore this outfit.

This was one of my last outfits at the old job, and I got lots of compliments on it. Other than the shoe-hiding and the stair trampling, oh and the rolling over the bottom of the hem with my office chair every time I moved around, and the wind picking up the skirt like a huge sail when I was outside, I really loved the outfit. Yeah. Time to look into that hemming.

Top: Michael Stars
Cardigan: Express (a gift from my aunt)
Necklace: Wendy Brandes
Skirt: Asos
Shoes: Pour la Victoire

Happy Bastille Day

Whoops, I completely forgot to write a blog post today. Here's an outfit from before my time off. And that's pretty much all I have to say about it, because I'm off to celebrate Bastille Day. As we do in San Francisco. Vive la France!

Shirt: Promod
Skirt: Asos
Shoes: Michael Kors

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