Project Runway: It's Back!

I am so excited that one of my favorite shows, Project Runway, is back!  Season 9 - can you believe it?  After the "Meet the Designers" special, I had some early faves: Bert, David, Becky, and Kimberly.  Little did I know that at the beginning of the first episode, it would be announced that 4 would get cut right away!  Eeek - what a twist.   Unfortunately David was out, but the rest of the designers I liked were in. 
Of course they kicked off with the "work with what you're wearing" type of challenge which is always fun.  Many of the designers did a great job with not a lot to work with.  Overall I was most impressed by the designers that dyed their fabrics - I thought it made the difference is helping their looks stand out vs. using a plain white sheet. 

I was so excited to see Bert win!  He is definitely my early fave - I love that he has experience working with iconic designers like Halston and Bill Blass.  His story was inspirational and I was glad to see him deliver on the runway.  Props also to the other top 2 designers for the first week, Anya, and Anthony Ryan, who both did well.  I am so excited to see what's still to come from all of the designers! 

*images courtesy of mylifetime.com

New Wheels

San Francisco is definitely a city for bike-riders, and after a few leisurely rides on vacations in the past few years, I decided it was time to buy a bike for myself!  I had heard of a fantastic local bike company called Public Bikes - if you haven't heard of them or been to their shop in South Park, I highly recommend it.  I went a few weeks ago and did some test-riding of multiple models and sizes, and found just the right bike for me.  The sales associate that helped me, Alan, was very knowledgeable about all of the bikes and gave great advice on what style and size would best suit me, especially since I consider myself somewhat of a beginner in city bike-riding. 

 Look at all the bikes!

 Bike accessories in the cute shop at Public

I also went to Public's anniversary party a few weeks ago which was a super fun affair!  Not only did they have bikes to ride, they had cupcakes, sandwiches from the American Grilled Cheese Kitchen, a book signing with the Tablehopper, and an open bar!  We had a great time snacking and learning more about the bikes. 

After finally ordering my new Public bike, I picked it up on Saturday and am already in love with it!  I chose orange of course (color was a key factor for me), with a fabulous basket for running errands on my many travels.  I highly recommend visiting this bike store and trying their bikes - they pride themselves on being the perfect city bike.  I love the cruiser style, but with gears for SF's many hills.  Can't wait to try it out! 

 Our bikes on the car - B got one too, in green!  

 Here I am with my bike - calling her Clementine

Clementine in all her glory! 

Friday's Favorite Look 7.22

Last Saturday I went to see the Woody Allen movie, "Midnight in Paris" which was in so many ways very different than I expected and in so many ways completely wonderful.  Of course one of my favorite parts were the costumes.  Rachel McAdams (a fave despite her unlikeable character) had great style with her chic bags, stylish traveling dresses, and loose belts... the perfect wardrobe for a vacation in Paris.  But I could not take my eyes away from the costumes that Marion Cotillard wore!  Her French character Adriana had the most fabulous looks, including this yellow dress, my absolute favorite.

Could this be an early choice for my Oscar Party costume??  We shall see!

*image via pinterest

Love This Shop: Mira Mira

Like most shopaholics, I love finding a new boutique that has fabulous things.  Mira Mira, in the Mission, is just that!  Recommended to me by my friend Elisabeth of Mission Closet, Mira Mira is a cute little spot with so many unique finds and designers that were new to me.  I was so happy to stop in there last weekend and even picked up a great top!  According to their blog, they have a ladies night one Wednesday a month - yup, that will definitely be showing up on my calendar asap.  They specialize in designers that you can't find many places, and I really appreciated their critical eye in choosing some very special pieces.  I loved the top that I got by tba: a mint green and nude ladylike blouse.  I have already worn it and gotten several compliments! 

*1st photo courtesy of mira mira
*2nd photo from asos.com

A Perfect Gift

I am totally a card person, so I was delighted to receive the most fabulous stationery set from my friend Jenn for my recent birthday.  Kenzie Kate is a site that specializes in wedding and custom invitations for any occasion.  But the real treat is that they also sell these amazing card box sets, chock full of beautiful cards of all types.  Even the box is gorgeous to look at - a sunny yellow lacquered box that holds all of the cards, and can be reused for the many other cards that I have stockpiled.  This box set and website was such a fun surprise to discover - I have a feeling I will be getting this as a gift for others that appreciate cards as much I do!  

*image courtesy of kenzie kate

Finally - Madewell is Here!

As often mentioned on this blog, Madewell is one of my favorite brands, and I love to shop there when I go to NYC or online.  So you can only imagine my utter excitement when it was announced they were opening in SF.  Finally last Tuesday, they opened their doors.  I was thrilled to attend an opening party hosted by 7x7 Magazine on Thursday, and get a peek inside this new store.  While it's not a large store, they made great use of the space, with lots of armoire-style shelving and racks, and a huge denim bar.  There is also a seating area near the fitting rooms that gives it a homey feel. 
 

 

The party was absolutely packed!  In fact, I was really glad that I just shopped a lot there while in NYC last week, because there was no way I could shop during the event... way too crowded.  At first I was disappointed but I heard that their new Fall collection will be in stores in just a few weeks, so I suppose I can wait for that.  There was a great DJ playing at the event, as well as a bar and a spread of food.  I had a great time mingling with other bloggers and friends. 

I think my favorite part of the opening was the SF local area near the front of the store.  Madewell and 7x7 had curated some of the best shops and local designers and it was so great to see some of these unique items all pulled together - things you couldn't get at any other Madewell.  Stores like Eden & Eden, The Curiosity Shoppe, Dodocase, and more were there with some of their best stuff.  Well done!  I can't wait to go back and shop more soon.  Very soon. 

New Find: Love & Luxe Jewelry

I have been hearing a lot about a fabulous new jewelry store in the Mission called Love & Luxe, and on Saturday night I was fortunate enough to attend an opening party there.  I was so impressed by this new store and the assortment of unique designers they have there.  This small store has a few elegant cases full of many different styles of jewelry, from delicate to chunky, and they showcase over 20 designers.  I was especially impressed by Tessa Kemp's line - one of the few there that used color in her designs.  She had a more delicate hand, but still stood out with clusters of turquoise and mixing gold and silver in some pieces.  And she was there, along with many of the other designers!  Here are a few pics from the event:

 

 The Tessa Kemp line

 

The main jewelry case - so many beautiful things!

 the girls doing some shopping... 

wearing the Tessa Kemp turquoise necklace I bought, with my other 2 necklaces

I had a blast at this event and the entire evening.  Many thanks to Elizabeth from Mission Closet for inviting me! 

Friday's Favorite Look 7.8

I have really been loving Liv Tyler's style lately, and this look is one of the reasons why.  Such a great summer outfit - flirty dress, great shoes, effortless style.  It's actually a great look coming off of the 4th of July too!  Very Americana.  I definitely have red shoes on the brain these days, that's for sure, like these Marais wedges that I have been coveting...

*image courtesy of who what wear

New Obsession: StyleMint

 
Have you heard about the new tee shirt line and website from Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen?  I saw the buzz about the StyleMint launch and finally got a chance to go on and set up my profile so that I could shop!  I like my experience so far: fill out a profile with questions about your personal style, so that they can choose the styles and looks that are best for you.  Next they serve up outfit ideas and top styles of tees from the line - here are some of the ones I got below. 

Once you click into each look, MK and Ashley give style tips about each tee, how to wear it, etc.  You can see more looks as well featuring the tees that were chosen for you.  The second set above were my same recommended tees but styled differently. 
The only thing I don't like about the site is that you can't really shop on your own.  I am curious to see as time goes on and I go in each week, what new items come up.  Hoping for more options... But I am hooked so far - I love the personalized approach and the tees look great! 

*images courtesy of stylemint.com

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July everyone!  I hope you are all putting on your best red, white, and blue and celebrating this fun holiday with family and friends.  I am up in Sonoma enjoying the warm weather and hoping for some really great fireworks to end the night.  There was only one thing I could choose for an image that represents the 4th: SPARKLERS!  What's better than that??  Enjoy!

 

*sparklers from pinterest: #1, #2, #3

Shopping Day in LA

On Wednesday, I was in Los Angeles for the day on a little shopping excursion, one of the many fun perks of my job.  It's been a while since I have been to LA so it was a great opportunity to check out some shopping neighborhoods and soak up some sunshine.

We started our day in Manhattan Beach - an area I hadn't been to before.  Manhattan Beach Blvd is the place to go - a cute little street that leads right down to the ocean chock full of shops.  A few places that we liked: Dawn Baker, with a great selection of Chan Luu jewelry and Missoni beach towels and Cami, where I bought a beautiful gold and silver necklace.  We also had a great lunch at Simmzy's - tasty salads! 

 The gorgeous Dawn Baker store

 Shopping at Cami

 Cami store front

 Mystique sandals at one of the shoe stores - so cute!

Next stop was Santa Monica, where we hit the Third Street Promenade.  The Promenade has pretty much any store you can ask for - Anthropologie, Forever 21, Gap, Old Navy, J.Crew, and many more.  They also have the popular LA staple, Kitson.  We had a great time shopping there, looking at all the interesting books and novelties, as well as clothing and shoes.  I was also surprised to see that they carry Jonathan Adler pillows!  Definitely a must-go for LA. 

 Kitson at Santa Monica

Unfortunately that's all we had time for on this trip.  Next time I plan to go back to some of my favorite areas such as Venice Beach and Robertson Ave, and would love to go to Malibu.  Plus no celeb sightings this time!!