Statement Jewelry vs. Back Problems

Every once in a while I wear this Kennth Jay Lane necklace.  I got it on sale at Saks about a year and a half ago, and it certainly adds a colorful pop when I'm in the mood.

I say I wear it  "every once in a while" for a reason.  The chain leaves imprints in the back of my neck!  Recently at work I was curious as to how much it weighed, so I plopped it on the postage scale in the mail room and watched the screen.  Two pounds!  Two pounds draped over my neck and making my chin slump toward the floor.   Then I remembered a friend of mine who got breast reduction surgery a few years ago.  She was having back issues, and her bra straps were even digging into the skin of her shoulder blades and causing more problems.  So she had the surgery and got reduced to a B/C cup.  The doctors ended up taking two pounds out of each side.  Four pounds total.  That's like wearing two of those necklaces all the time that you can never take off.  I put a halt to my little statement necklace pity party right then and there.

Of course, one makes a choice in throwing two extra pounds over their torso.  I am lucky it's just a necklace and I can alleviate the pain around my neck with the flick of my wrist.  First world/small breasted problems, yes?  Excuse me while I fall onto my fainting couch.

Dressed Down

Last Thanksgiving, I erred on the fancier side with my outfit choice, so this year I went in the opposite direction. I was also really excited to wear my new jeans I got from Gilt Groupe - my first time ever buying jeans online!

Cardigan - Banana Republic (mens)

T-shirt - American Apparel

Jeans - J Brand

Scarf - Missoni

Belt - Eugenia Kim

Rings - Burberry and heirloom

Shoes - Jimmy Choo

Pendleton x Opening Ceremony Wool Socks

Many of you have probably seen the collaboration that American heritage brand Pendleton recently did with super cool boutique Opening Ceremony.

I grew up in Oregon, where Pendleton not only originated as a company, but whose shirts and jackets are flung over the backs of half the suburban lumberjack look-alikes that populate the state.  In other words, major familiarity!  Which is why it was difficult for me at first to square the two brands together: what happens when hyper-hip Opening Ceremony teams up with a brand like Pendleton, most familiar to me as the shoulder-padded blazer my mom wore to work in the nineties, and who currently has this enthusiastic lass on the home page of their website?

But I guess that's why I'm not on Pendleton's creative team, and others are.  In fact, this is not the first, but actually the third season that this collaboration has happened, and Spring/Summer 2011 is pretty much in the bag at this point as well.  Their lookbook is playful and cute, and you may recognize another lovely young lass recently going about life in a piece from this collection as well.

As much as I dig those shorts, they're not practical for the life I live.  Wool socks are more up my alley.  And if you don't have to live in a place where Opening Ceremony has a shop in order to see them yourself - I got these at Barneys in their accessories department.

They also come in a blue and green color combination as well as purple, yellow and green mix.

Photos by me, Fashiontoast, and Pendleton

Trapped in the Closet!

Take a click over to The SF Style for a small pictoral story they did on me. 

They took a peek inside my closet and photographed the evidence. 

It was also fun to be a real live Barbie doll for my friend Dyanna and her co-conspirator.

I've Never Felt Like This Before

As some of you are aware, I write a fashion column for a magazine here in San Francisco. Here's a preview of our cover for next month. I'm kind of in love.

This reminds me, a couple of years ago I made Christmas stockings for Ted and I out of felt, too. I guess I never showed you guys.

Technically, I also employed the use of fabric paint, embroidery floss and a needle to construct these things too.  And on that note, this is all mention you will see of the baby Jesus's birthday until at the very least a week from today.  I think I will take on the same window dressing philosophy/awesomesaucery that Nordstrom has.

Three cheers for smug subtlety and "celebrating one holiday at a time." Haha.

Red Harvest

Cardigan - Burberry

Blouse - thrifted

Skirt - Kate Spade

Necklace - my godmother

Bag - Kate Spade

Shoes - Prada

Anthropologie Major

I can go for months or years at a time without caring a sniff for the stuff at Anthropologie.  But this weekend I walked in and fell in love with dozens of items.  Making up for lost time, perhaps?

The gloves with the stitched-on bows are adorable.  I like bows that are not actual bows.  Kind of like the drawn-on lapels on this Marni sweater from a few seasons back.

I am drawn to this short sleeve crocheted sweater as well.  One thing that I will give ye olde Anthro credit for is not shying away from bright cheery colors in the midst of winter.

I am all about breaths of fresh air during the dismal winter months.

Images via the Anthropologie catalogue and Olsens Anonymous

Mermaids? Mermaids!

Although I occassionally dabble in the realm of edgy Kate Lanphear-esque leather leggings or bang a tambourine in clogs and a fringe vest, you've known me long enough to know that when it comes to personal style, my heart truly palpitates for things so prepped out and WASP-y you might as well pull back your pontail and hurl all over your Pee Chee folder.

Because, this? This presentation of Thom Browne's spring 2011 womenswear collection (beauitfully photographed by the magnificent Tommy Ton) just about made me tear up over it's Fourth of July Weekend at the country club vibe.

Mixing pearls, prints, and primary colors against a serious gray is a step in the right direction, and adding the whimsy of a mermaid silhouette acknowledges a playful cheekyness.  A touch of whimsy is never wrong in my book.  Fashion should be fun.

Especially when it involves mermaids and a bit of bubbly.

For more shots of this presentation, click here.

The Hills Are Alive

Well hello. I'm visiting family this weekend, in a small town inland of San Diego.

I'm just doing not a whole lot, and enjoying the tear-inducing perfect weather.  Oh, see these shorts? I made them a while back from a pair of thrifted leather pants. They are men's pants, so just ignore the slight pouch-like effect near the fly, mmkay?

Life is simultaneously luxurious and super laid back down here. I love coming down.

T-shirt - American Apparel

Cardigan - thrifted

Shorts - thrifted and altered

Bag - Alexander Wang

Shoes - Christian Louboutin

Pins and Rings on a Plate

I was inspired by this adorable photo of the authors' latest flea market scores to artfully arrange my own (albeit very small) collection of vitnage pins and rings on an antique dish. Ta-da.

The dish is Bavarian china that is part of a much larger full set (including dinner plates, bowls, tea cups and saucers, serving platters and a gravy boat) that belonged to my great grandmother.  It has a pine bough/star burst theme and is rimmed in gold but somehow doesn't give off a Christmas vibe at all. I use everything year round.

The whale pin and white flower I found at a vintage store about a year ago.  The jade ring and (fake) diamond brooch belonged to a different great grandmother (the same person from whence this bracelet comes) and the Kennedy/Johnson pin I outright nipped from my mother's pin collection when I was about twelve.  Sorry, Moms!

Braids!

Last night for San Francisco's Dia de los Muertos celebration I went out looking a bit different than I normally do. Last year I didn't do makeup and this year I was determined to put in the extra effort.

Wearing a vintage dress I've had forever, and a vintage orange bead necklace with a flower brooch pinned through the beads. Earrings from my junior high days that I found at The Mom's house.  Drugstore-quality Halloween makeup from Walgreens, and MAC lipstick in Russian Red.

Something unexpectedly pleasant came from that night out.  I found that I enjoyed wearing my hair up in two braids.  In combing through the years' worth of different hairstyles I've had (and there have been many), this was the first time I've had two braids wrapped over the crown of my head.  It was quick and easy to do since my hair is thin and fine - just four rubber bands and two bobby pins to hold them in place.

Today I wore my hair the exact same way, but in the context of my normal weekday life.

It keeps my hair out of my way and is much more interesting than a plain old boring ponytail, which is my usual go-to.  I just have to stay away from long skirts, lest I have too much of a milkmaid vibe.

Riding Crop

I felt a bit equestrian in this get-up today.

Blouse - vintage

Vest - Ralph Lauren

Jacket - Ralph Lauren

Earrings - my godmother

Skirt - vintage

Shoes - Christian Louboutin

Miu Miu Hosiery Amazingness

Dig if you will a snapshot (from an ad in Pop, I think) of some mind-bending Miu Miu stockings.

I love the contrast of the texture of the dresses and tights with the colorblock patent kitten heels.