June Reflections

Well I should be exhausted after the month I have had, because June has been ALL about celebrations!  Here's how it went down:
Week 1 - baby shower for B's sister in Sonoma (psst, it's a girl!)

*image via pinterest

Week 2 - wedding in Tahoe for dear friends

 

aren't we fancy all dressed up??

Week 3 - my own birthday celebration, woo hooooo! 

yes, that's me at age 5, right before my runway debut at the mall fashion show (start of my fashion career documented)!

Week 4 - surprise visit to parents to celebrate Mom's retirement

*image via pinterest



 a pic from the retirement party

All of these events were a blast and left me feeling like one lucky girl to have such wonderful friends and family!  Even though I am another year older, I can't wait for the year ahead and what other amazing things it will bring. 

Glastonbury Looks

It's festival time again, and this week, it's the Glastonbury Festival in England that has me inspired.  Made famous partly by Kate Moss and her wellies, Glastonbury has become one of the best-known music festivals in the world.  This year's lineup boasts a wide range of amazing musicians such as U2, Coldplay, Mumford and Sons, Paul Simon, the Kills, and Beyonce.  And as usual the mud was the other star of the show, so many of these looks are featuring the token wellies.  My favorites below...

Of course I had to end with my favorite British stylista, Alexa Chung.  Along with the wellies, I definitely noticed that the other MVP piece at Glastonbury was the utility jacket.  Great for the changing weather and layering during a long festival! 

*images courtesy of style.com

Friday's Favorite Look 6.24

I have been loving the recent pictures on the Sartorialist from his trip to Florence.  The street style there runs the gamut, from dressed up to dressed down, old world to new, common to unique.  I kept wondering about the back-story on each of the people in the pictures.  I am spending this weekend on the east coast with my family for a surprise visit, so this warm weather look really caught my eye.  Easy summer dress and flip flops, the perfect look whether you are in Florence or Delaware! 

*image courtesy of the sartorialist

Love These Shoes!

Sometimes you see a pair of shoes and you just know you have to have them!  A designer that I work with showed me these n.d.c. shoes and I thought they were the perfect summer shoe - great for walking around town and shopping or traveling, and even though they are close-toed, the espadrille sole is still just right for summer.  The n.d.c. brand (nom de code, or code name) prides themselves on individuality and quality, and the Maxime, as this pair is called, is no exception.  The suede is super soft and a lovely shade of faded black, and the woven espadrille sole is already broken in for lots of walking.

n.d.c. unfortunately only has flagship stores in Brussels and Paris, but I was lucky to find them both on barneys.com and shopbop.com, 2 favorite online resources.  Now that I am more familiar with this fantastic brand, I will be on the lookout for their shoes wherever I am!

New Find: Alemany Farmers Market

 
Now that I am getting settled in my new neighborhood, I have had more time to explore.  My new favorite farmers market: Alemany.  Ok it's not really new because I have been once before, but it's totally different when you are in the hood and can take advantage of all the amazing produce and other great stuff.  Saturday was a great day to go, as the sun was shining, and we were buying groceries for a BBQ with friends to celebrate my birthday.   After doing a lap to see the goods, we bought lots of fruit, tomatoes, cilantro, onions, asparagus, and 2 bunches of flowers.  Everything there is really high quality and reasonable prices.  I highly recommend the large tent of flowers towards the back of the market - they have great selection and more unique types of flowers.  And my boyfriend browsed the plants area, and came home with a jalapeno plant and a sage plant for our garden. 
For anyone that hasn't been to Alemany, it's a great change of pace from the Ferry Building, which I also love, but is less of a neighborhood market.  Alemany doesn't have as many fancy foods and shops, but it has really great people and lots to choose from! 

*image: here

Friday's Favorite Look 6.17

We are finally getting some summer-like weather here in San Francisco, so for today's look I selected a fabulous maxi dress from Emanuel Ungaro's resort collection.  Clearly inspired by summer and beachy looks, this dress is bright and colorful and makes me think of tropical fish.  It's time to break out that new maxi dress or another summer look to make the most of this gorgeous sunshine! 

*image courtesy of women's wear daily

Fall Forward

Just catching on my magazines this week and I fell in love with this feature in Elle called "The Darlings", showing off some great looks and pieces for Fall.  I know it feels early to talk about Fall, but these pictures had me hooked.  Bohemian mixed with classic, color and texture, and the first glimpse at Fall styles from the likes of Bottega Veneta, Chloe, Versace, Dior, and Louis Vuitton.  And the accessories!  Amazing structured bags, preppy shoes, and equestrian boots... I am already making my wish list.

*images courtesy of elle.com

Fabulous Launch: Glitter Guide

Who doesn't need more glitter in their lives??  I know I do - and I was so excited to see the launch of the new Glitter Guide website today, courtesy of a team of fantastic San Francisco bloggers, headed by Taylor Sterling of Sterling Style.  This site is chock full of features that I enjoyed diving into: Q&A's with fashionable people, my favorite of which was Dallas Shaw (a fellow Delawarean!!) and her must-haves, beauty and shopping finds, and pictures of sparkly things which I also quite enjoyed!  It made me want to break out all the glittery items in my closet. 
So congrats to Taylor and Alicia and the whole team at Glitter Guide - can't wait to see more! And to the rest of you... check it out!

*photos courtesy of glitter guide

Cool Collaboration: Prabal Gurung for J.Crew

On the heels of last week's CFDA awards, I was delighted to see one of last year's runner-ups Prabal Gurung has a fabulous new collection for J.Crew.  I'm not afraid to admit that sometimes the designer-meets-regular brand or store gets a little old, but sometimes they are too good to pass up!  I absolutely love Prabal's collection - focused on feminine details, but with all different pieces, from blouses to pants to dresses.  I also loved the inspiration boards that are posted online - such a wonderful view into what he thinks about when designing and the many things that inspire him daily to create such inventive fashion.  Let's take a sneak peek, shall we?

Those are just a few of the fabulous mood boards - I couldn't resist that last one, with all the things that make him happy.  But let's get to the clothes - being a bit of a girly girl, I have to say I love the ruffles and bows!  I could really feel his passion and sense of fun in these clothes. 

*images courtesy of J.Crew

Friday's Favorite Look 6.10

There's been so much buzz this week about the CFDA awards... who was there, who won, who wore what, that I had to post a look from that event.  My absolute favorite was Liv Tyler, in this fabulous graphic print.  Her dress is by Proenza Schouler, whose head designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez were the winners of the Womenswear Designer of the Year award.  I can see why!!

*photo courtesy of who what wear

And I want to give an honorable mention to Jessica Alba, who was very pregnant and looked glowing in a custom Diane von Furstenberg dress.  Gorgeous! 

You Say Tomato...

I don't usually go for red shoes, but these sweet Marais USA sandals are all I can think about!  I love the beautiful shade of tomato red, I just keep picturing how cute they will look with jeans and dresses.  And the sliver wedge is a great height for lots of walking like us city girls do.  They also come in black, kelly green, and royal blue.  But it's the red that I want...

PS - the only reason I haven't picked these up is because of the strict return policy on the Marais site (exchanges only).  Any tips on sizing?  Ideas on where to get them elsewhere?  Thanks in advance. 

*images courtesy of Marais USA

Vince Event: Great Way to Spend a Tuesday

Tonight I went to a fabulous shopping event at the Vince store in Union Square.  I can't believe I haven't been there before, because it's located on a great little strip of stores on Geary: Paul Smith, Agent Provocateur, and many more.  The lovely Elizabeth of Mission Closet invited me to this event, and I am so glad I went! 

And yes, of course I bought something... I was so happy to find a few pair of white jeans - my favorite pair just got a little whole in an unmentionable place (eek!) so I really can't wear them much anymore.  These are a great update!  I also bought 2 of the most comfortable layering tanks I have ever worn - in white and black of course.  The other best part of the night was meeting some great new people - it's always fun to meet new bloggers or other people in the San Francisco fashion world.  Tuesday: best day of my week so far! 

Denim in a Dress

Wearing my denim jumper was one of my favorite outfits as a little girl, and I am always delighted when the denim dress trend comes around again.  And here it is!  I am loving the denim looks lately that are a little more dressed up.  Designers from Stella McCartney to Current/Elliott to Juicy are getting in the game, as well as fashion retailers Gap and Madewell.   Here are a few that I am currently coveting:

 Juicy Couture, via Net-a-Porter

 A Gap dress with a fashion-forward hemline

 

I love this one from Current/Elliott, my favorite denim brand.  

 

 

 Kate Bosworth, via Who What Wear

I also love this recent feature on Madewell.com, about chambray and 6 different pieces in that versatile fabric.  The skirt is my fave!!  

Found!

I first fell in love with this wonderful painting at a Wild Kitchen dinner in a beautiful old home in San Francisco.  It was an early date with my boyfriend, and one of many that told me that he was the right one for me.  On a trip to the bathroom I discovered this painting and thought it was so great, and searched for it online the next day, only to see that it was hard to get and had to be special-ordered.  I gave up for a while and kind of forgot about it, until recently when passing by the City Art Gallery on Valencia, and there it was!  I had to buy it immediately and now it hangs in our bathroom for all to see. 

 

This picture is a take-off of a Pulp book cover from the 1950s, by artist Katie Gilmartin.  

May Reflections

Ok... back on the reflection train again!  The past month has been extremely busy, thus not as much blogging as I would have liked, but lots to think back on for sure. 

*image via pinterest

First of all, my address has changed - as I mentioned, I moved to a new neighborhood, Bernal Heights, and in with my boyfriend.  It has been fun to combine our styles and belongings, and funny to see how much stuff we have that are duplicates!  Garage sale time...
After the big move, we celebrated with an amazing roadtrip around the Northwest states - Northern California, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, and Nevada.  It was a trip full of adventures, friends, family, and only a few tense moments after being in the car together too long...

I also went to a really cool event this month called Taste of Potrero, benefitting the local Daniel Webster elementary school there.  It was a fabulous night full of delicious food, diverse wines, and meeting great people.  And there was a silent auction in which I won the BEST prize: a pie a month for 6 months!  Yum! 

So it's on to June, a time in which I am recommitting to blogging about fabulous fashion, and brainstorming some new ideas to take my blog further in the back half of the year.  And I am really hoping for some better weather in San Francisco!  Sheesh!