Working Girl

I walked to my job in this outfit.  Usually I wear sneakers like an 80s business woman, but today I felt like loafin' it.

Sweater - Givenchy

Trousers - Banana Republic

Jacket - Rag & Bone

Necklace - Marc by Marc Jacobs

Bag - Chloe

Shoes - Cole Haan

Do You Want to Know a Secret?

How about three?

There is a part of me that really likes the phrase 'beauty secret.' It sounds old fashioned in a romantic way and for me conjures up images of old magazines, with black and white photos and illustrations of models holding powder puffs and clutching purses in white gloved hands.  I think it reflects a time when there was an expectation for perfection with no public mention of how that facade was achieved - it's part of the reason the Clairol 'Does She or Doesn't She' ad campaign, which first appeared in 1955, was so groundbreaking: it actually acknowledged that some women choose to dye their graying hair, and are not just naturally 'that way.'

I don't have too many of what could fall into the category of a beauty secret.  But there are a few tricks I go to over and over again.  I got the thought in my head the other day to share them here.  They're super simple, and best of all, they cost pretty much nothing and can all be accomplished with normal things you find around the house.

1. Olive oil as eye makeup remover  I got this idea from a Michelle Pham tutorial (old school Michelle before she signed with Lancome) I saw a few years ago.  I wear eye makeup every day, and have worn black liquid eyeliner pretty much every day of my life since I was about 22.  I'd blow through about three or four bottles of eye makeup remover per year.  Michelle suggested using a nice dab of olive oil (extra virgin is best) on a cotton ball instead.  It totally works.  I swoop the cottonball over my eyes as usual and it all dissolves and comes off just as well.  You can by a big container of olive oil at the grocery store and pour it into your old tiny bottle of eye makeup remover so everything stays compact in your medicine cabinet. That bottle of olive oil (which is in my pantry at the moment) cost maybe five dollars and years later I'm still using it.  I also like the nice hydrated, pure feeling my eyes have after I clean off the makeup with the oil.  Sometimes the chemical version of eye makeup remover stung my eyes.

2. Windex to clean black patent leather.  When my favorite black patent shoes are looking a little dull, I spray some Windex on a soft cloth (not the shoe!) and give them a nice rubdown.  Good as new.  This has also worked for me on vintage black patent shoes, which have sat around for who knows how many years getting gummy and dusty.

3. Raw sugar facial scrub.  While you can buy pre-packaged facial scrubs for pretty cheap at a drug store (St. Ive's apricot scrub is so classic!) I have taken to throwing a bit of raw sugar into the lather of my regular face soap. This creates a tiny bit of grit that disappears as you rub it around (it's only sugar, after all).  Just be sure to rub gently, and use organic raw sugar if possible, not the plain white stuff.  A little goes a long way - this cost pennies per use, seriously.

Maybe these aren't huge revelations, but I think beauty secrets are nice to share.

Images via Paisley Petunia, and Adslogans

Plaid About You

It was an almost-all-vintage workwear sort of day.

Sweater- vintage

Skirt - vintage

Necklace - vintage

Earrings - my godmother

Bag - Elliot Lucca

Shoes - Jimmy Choo

Photo by Ted McCoy

Cuffington in 7x7 Magazine

When a magazine makes a heart shape out of dozens of wrapped burritos, you know there are special things afoot.

Over on page 38 you'll see a sampling of San Francisco residents photographed for 7x7's street style section.

That's me in the corner.

That's me in the spot. Light. In a khaki trenchcoat.

Brown and Blue

Sweater - vintage

Skirt - Lanvin

Bag - vintage

Earrings - my godmother

Shoes - Pour la Victoire

photo by Ted McCoy

Batter Up

Today I finally went and did something I've been thinking about doing for months now.  I started a tumblr for all things fashion and baseball related  You'll never guess what it's called. 

This way, everybody wins.  I get a place to throw style images I like but may not exactly be a perfect fit on Cuffington, and you guys don't have to deal with my baseball loving ass's tendency to let baseball-related topics slowly creep into Cuffington content.  Trust me, with spring coming, it will only get worse.

It's fashion. It's baseball. It's Fashion and Baseball.  Sha-booyah.

Invasive Species

My online vintage shop is slowly creeping up and diminishing the square footage of our apartment.

I have started to store things out in the open because all the conventional places that clothing belongs have already been filled to capacity.

Ted is exceedingly patient, which I appreciate very much.

Ah, the life of a virtual shopkeeper.

I'd Like to Thank the Academy...

I recently learned that the San Francisco Fashion & Merchants Alliance bestowed a very special award upon me.  I was named the winner in a category called 'Best Female Vintage Look' for 2010.

I feel quite honored, especially given the other ladies who were in this category.  I'm not sure how voting was tabulated, but nonetheless, thanks so much! 

Aimee of Song of Style was the winner for the overall best dressed female category. 

I've never really thought of myself as a Serious Vintage Dresser although I do wear it more often than I did a year or two ago.  Like most people, I mix things together and wear it with stuff from present day.  I don't claim to have invented that little trick but it certainly works well for me.

Proenza Spring Inspiration

I hardly ever dress in pastels.  I prefer bold colors with neutrals and black. But this.

How beautiful, yes?

image via Slash and Burn

Missoni + San Pellegrino Water

Earlier tonight Ted and I went to a grocery store that we'd never been inside before. Do you know how frustrating that is? You really can't find anything because you are completely unfamiliar with the layout, and there is so much incessant wandering around and doubling back, which really gnaws away at my heart because I'm super Type A and easily irritated. At one point we were looking for chocolate chips and ended up in the bottled water aisle, which is where I saw this.

Really.  Really?  Really.  I have to admit, the signature zig-zag striping caught my eye and I laughed to myself, thinking that wow that sure looks like your typical Missoni knit print.  But I guess I spoke (thought?) too soon because when I took a second glance, all was revealed.  I just had my iPhone on me so that's why you get this grainy photo in soul crushing grocery store flourescent backlighting.

Missoni San Pellegrino. What.

Weekend at Bunny's

Finally, the Peter Jensen bunny sweater has hippity-hopped into my closet.

Sweater - Peter Jensen for Urban Outfitters

Blouse - vintage

Trousers - Rag & Bone

Shoes - Miu Miu

Styling in Big Up Magazine

Late last year I had a truly amazing opportunity - I styled a fashion editorial for Big Up, a music magazine.

They are gently incorporating fashion into their publication and I was so thrilled to be a part of this shoot.  You may recall that I've previously styled some looks for an online editorial but this is the first time where my styling work is in an actual tangible publication.

The theme of the shoot was a post-apocalyptic wasteland, and the models were the only survivors.  Things were minimal, slightly dirty, and beautifully desolate.

This editorial is not on Big Up's website, so you'll have to find your way into a mag shop or bookstore (I went into Borders on a whim and lo and behold, there it was next to Spin and MRR) if you want to see better images than I have at the moment.

A thousand thank yous to everyone at Big Up, Holden Pumphrey the art director, photographer Christopher Kern, MUA Preston Nesbit and his lovely assistant Teddy, and everyone at D-Structure, especially Devon.

Viking Skull Ring

When a regular skull ring simply will not do, slip this little number on.  From Alexander McQueen.

The Tale of the Cape

Just before Christmas, I found this little capelet in my favorite thrift store.

The tag inside says 'Arnold Liebes, San Francisco.' I didn't look at it too closely, just thought it was wool, and it had very nice silk lining and two little pockets. Plus, anytime I see something that says it is from San Francisco I almost always have to get it. Stuff from I. Magnin, Joseph Magnin, etc., I almost always pick up if it is in good condition and reasonably priced.

I came home, looked at it more closely, and noticed  additional details that made it seem fancier than what I first thought. And the more I touched it, the more I thought, this is not wool. It seemed to be fur, so I Googled 'Arnold Liebes' and a bunch of stuff came up about him. A San Francsico entrepreneur who was a fur trader in the 1900s-20s.

He used a small fleet of ships to make his journies: The Artic, the Herman, and The Bear.  Aboard these vessels, Liebes made the trek up to Alaska to trade at Point Barrow, the northernmost city in Alaska and far above the Arctic Circle. There are photos at the California Academy of Science's website of his ships and the people he met on his journeys.

This photo was taken aboard one of the ships, The Bear, in 1912.  For context purposes, that was the same year the Titanic sunk.  

Mr. Liebes opened a shop at 167 Geary St. in San Francisco with other family members and it was called H. Liebes. (I also found scans of the titles/deeds to the businesss online). It soon expanded from just a furrier to a specialty ladies department store. 

It stayed at that location on Geary during it's entire run of business.  I found some text at a legal website detailing a burglary that occurred at the store in the middle of the night in 1946.  Three people broke in (two men and a woman) and made off with coats and other articles of clothing.  The woman had put coats on, one after the other, and walked out, while the men had thrown their items in a duffel bag.  They were soonafter apprehended, thanks to a taxi driver who witnessed the crime.

The last article I found that mentions the store was from Time Magazine, written in December, 1970. The article talks about the economy and how speciality department stores are struggling. It mentions Lord & Taylor, Saks, I. Magnin, Marshall Fields, and H. Liebes too. It makes a point of mentioning that H. Leibes intends to close it's doors forever once the Christmas season is over. 

As for the soft black capelet that I unearthed in that quiet thrift shop, it is Persian broadtail lamb.  So, perhaps not technically fur, but still very much an artifact of this historic San Francisco business.

Capelet photos by me, historic photos via the California Academy of Sciences, H. Liebes fashion illustration via mightymoss

It's a New Year

I made an unusual move and donned not one sparkly thing for New Years Eve.  Wore almost all vintage to the point of feeling quite costume-like.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I came across a ribbon from an old Net-a-Porter box and tied it around my waist as a bit of belt-like adornment.

The day after we went to a lovely southern style brunch at a beautiful home in Noe Valley.  I had never heard of the 'eating black eyed peas are good luck' tradition before, but I gladly partook.  So delicious!

May 2011 be the year of wonderful surprises for all of you. Cheers!