Update from the Road

Hello all! I'm in London at the moment and still unable to do a proper post, but if you want a glimpse of what I've been up to, head on over to Not Supermum's blog, where she has shared our wonderful trip to Crosby Beach and the art installation Another Place by Anthony Gormley. I'll be back the week after next. See you soon!

Free Days

What a couple of weeks it's been. Last week (I think it was last week, anyway) I had a last-minute work trip that took me out to the east coast, and this week I've been scrambling around trying to get everything caught up before I head off to France again. What's great is that I was able to stop in Manhattan just long enough to meet someone I'd long wanted to meet in person, Ally of Shybiker. What a delight! Ally is every bit as thoughtful, articulate, and interesting as you'd expect, and we chatted for hours over dinner about an incredible array of topics. I even coaxed a bit of the lawyer side out while discussing the constitutional aspects of the current battle for marriage equality, and how the Supreme Court has become increasingly politicized in recent years. I do so love a lively and intelligent conversationalist, and Ally really delivers.

As I mentioned, I'm off to France again for work on Saturday, and this time rather than spending my free days in Paris I'm heading to Aix-en-Provence. I was completely inspired after meeting up with Deja Pseu the last time I was in France, and this time of year should be just perfect weather-wise. I only have about 3 days there, but who can argue with 3 free days in Aix-en-Provence?

Cardigan: Cynthia Vincent
Top: Asos
Skirt: Anthropologie
Belt: Red Dress Shoppe
Shoes: Cydwoq
Bag: Boktier

Night Life...

To say that this has been an action-packed week would be a huge understatement, what with meetings, coffee dates, articles and brainstorming sessions taking up much of my time... But fret not, mon petites� it's not all work and no play for this girl! In fact, I was lucky enough to have been invited to a super-fun blogger night at local boutique-extraordinaire Bamboo Ballroom, as well as to the J.Crew launch party at the West Edmonton Mall... So much fun!

So without further ado, here's a look at the festivities as seen through Instagram... First up, Bamboo Ballroom!



The evening consisted of some fab bloggers getting together for some tasty treats, necklace-making with Bang Bang Bijoux, pampering (check out Kassie getting her makeup did!), and of course, shopping! Leopard print jeans, anyone?

Next up was the J.Crew launch party... Bloggers, media peeps and other coolio's congregated to the West Edmonton Mall to celebrate the store's much anticipated opening with hor d'oeuvres, vino and a little shopping. The gents were gifted dapper umbrellas on their way out (a timely gift considering it poured buckets all week), while the ladies recieved adorable leather clutches... Thanks, J.Crew!



And that's it! I hope you enjoyed this bombardment of photos, and as always, thank you for reading! Wishing you all a lovely weekend... xx

Tourist

Today I thought I'd post a few photos of some of the fun stuff that we did when Sal and Mike came out to visit. This actually only covers a few of the highlights, which makes me realize just how much we packed into a few days!

First up, we visited Mission Dolores and its beautiful graveyard, which is the resting place of many prominent people from the early days of San Francisco.

As I mentioned before, we spent an afternoon downtown with LPC, and along the way we stopped to check out an interesting art installation called Manifest Destiny.

We attended BarBot 2012, where we drank cocktails made by robot bartenders.

We interacted with the wildlife in Sausalito...

...and went for a walk in the redwood forest at Muir Woods.

We enjoyed the great view of downtown from Dolores Park, followed by some shopping in nearby Noe Valley.

We also headed over to Treasure Island where the beautiful Bliss Dance, which was first displayed at Burning Man 2010, now has a permanent (or at least semi-permanent) home. I couldn't imagine a more fitting spot for her to end up.

Having out of town friends come and visit gives me a chance to play tourist in my own city, which is always such a treat.

Chance Comments

It got so warm a couple of weeks ago in SF that I got spring fever and wore cropped pants and sandals -- which was awesome in the early part of the day, but freezing and miserable by the time I left work. However, it was totally worth it to have my toes out there in the breeze for one glorious morning. And hey, it was still only February at that point, and not many people in the Northern hemisphere can boast of being able to wear sandals in February. I still love you SF, even though your late February evening almost gave my toes frostbite.

You may have already seen on Sal's blog that she and Husband Mike were out here visiting for several days, during which time we pretty much packed in as many events and sights as we could possibly pack in. After they arrived in town we had lunch at the always awesome Brenda's, hit 2 great local shops, Wonderland and Jeremy's, and finished with an evening at NightLife. And that was just the first day. More on their visit to come.

Have you noticed I'm growing my hair out lately? For now it's just the bangs, but who knows where it might go from here. In the last few months I've gotten used to seeing my face with my forehead exposed, and I'm finally to the point where it looks natural to me, and possibly better. I always fancied my face as being long, and thus the forehead was something to be covered, but looking at it now I think my face is in fact quite oval. It's interesting to make this observation for the first time at age 42, especially since my belief in the notion of needing bangs dates back to a thoughtless comment from a relative when I was about 8 years old. It occurs to me how ridiculous it was to have held onto that belief for so long simply because 34 years ago someone told me I had a long face.

How have chance comments from others shaped your self image? Have you overcome those impressions or do you still hang onto them?

Shirt: Michael Stars
Vest: Cot�lac
Pants: Cynthia Steffe
Sandals: Michael Kors
Bag: Foley + Corinna

Fun Filled

Here's a skirt-based outfit that made the grade for the walk to work. The skirt is dense and holds its shape well; thus there's no need for a slip, either for opacity or to prevent the skirt from clinging to my legs. To me that makes a world of difference, because half slips make an outfit feel like they're in need of constant adjustment. You've got multiple waistbands to deal with, and then you have to make sure the slip isn't hanging out at the bottom of your skirt hem or twisting around in some awkward way. I want to start experimenting with full slips under a skirt and top, because I think that might be a better option. There are so many things you never notice about outfits until you have to walk a long way in them.

I've had a fun-filled couple of days. On Thursday night Mark and I attended the annual holiday party at Anchor Brewing Company, where we ate delicious food, sampled the new Christmas Ale, and even got some VIP access into the distillery and the rooftop bar (thanks to my fabulous inside connection). Reporters from the Celebrator and 7x7 Magazine were in attendance, so who knows, Mark and I might even end up in their pages.

On Friday I had the pleasure of finally meeting Lisa, aka LPC, in person for lunch downtown. She is vibrant and intelligent and a delight to talk to; I felt like I'd known her for years. For all her talk of being a Sturdy Gal, I suspect she has a big streak of Arty Cousin lurking just below the surface, so I'm looking forward to going shopping together and seeing how much of that comes out.

On Saturday Mark and I attended my company holiday party at Foreign Cinema here in the city. I wore my Valentino dress with Wolford tights and Miu Miu shoes, a combination I've been wanting to put together for quite awhile. And yes, I was too lazy to take photos.

I'm headed off on my trip to Germany and France today; see you next week!

Jacket: thrifted
Skirt: Marc by Marc Jacobs
Boots: Ecco
Necklace: Wendy Brandes

Support Stacy Lomman's Spring 2012 Fashion Show

If you haven't done so already, please consider supporting fellow blogger and fashion designer Stacy Lomman in her Kickstarter campaign to raise funding for her Spring '12 fashion show. Her "Biohazard" collection is a wonderfully creative concept and the show will be a huge step towards getting the big break she needs. By pitching in a little or a lot, you can support American design and you can get some cool stuff while you're at it -- bracelets, sunglasses cases, t-shirts, and all kinds of good stuff is available at different pledge levels. Every little bit makes a difference, and as soon as Stacy reaches her goal, the show is ON! Help make it happen!

Click the widget below to become a sponsor.

For more info, read Stacy's post about the project, and Wendy B's post for an overview of Stacy's past shows. Go Stacy!!

New York Part 2: Bloggers, Shopping, and Sights

I've finally compiled some more photos and thoughts from the New York portion of my trip. There's more to come from Seattle and Oregon, but I'll get to that later.

Big train stations are one of my favorite things to see when I travel. I spent a whole day in Paris just going to each of the major stations and wandering around before hopping back on the train and heading to the next one. So obviously I had to spend part of my first morning admiring Grand Central, which was right down the street from where Sal and I stayed.

Here's Gertie, Sal, K.Line and I after dinner at Republic and drinks at a nearby wine bar, where I tried to convince everyone to have a taste of my Fernet Branca. As I recall, Gertie was utterly horrified at the taste (most people are the first time they try it), Sal was too scared to even let it touch her lips, and K. Line actually seemed to enjoy it. I was fairly amazed to see it served in a bar in New York; I think of it mainly as a San Francisco phenomenon, and increasingly a Seattle one thanks to the tireless efforts of Jess and Lisa. I tasked K. Line with spreading the word in Canada about the wonders of Fernet, because my goal is to make sure it's readily available wherever I may decide to travel. And Canada is on my list!

As I've already mentioned, Sal, K. Line, Sara and I spent a day shopping together, starting off at Barneys and then hitting another couple of the big department stores before we finally wore ourselves out and had to reluctantly say goodbye. Sara is every bit as charming and sweet as she comes across on her blog, and although it was wonderful to finally meet her in person, I'm now missing her terribly and wishing we lived closer together. It's one of the hazards of travel; you meet lovely people who you will never get to see nearly enough.

Here's Kenneth, Peter, K. Line and Sal during our morning of shopping at the Chelsea flea market. I only met Kenneth for a couple of brief moments, and had no idea he was somewhat famous until K. Line told me later; but then again I've stood right next to celebrities on the street and been completely oblivious until whoever I was with pointed it out. The Chelsea market was fun; I enjoyed poking around the booths and listening to all the great New York accents, but I was a little disappointed when one of the vendors steadfastly refused to come down in price for a full length black silk skirted I wanted to buy. Even for silk, I felt that $75 was way too much to pay for a used skirt; from a vintage store I could maybe understand, but from a flea market I expect to get a better price. I did manage to pick up a pretty beaded choker for myself, and a few vintage brooches to use for trimming hats.

I snapped this forbidden photo (not realizing it was forbidden until the salesman rushed over to admonish me) in a fancy department store in Chelsea. I can't remember who the designer was, probably because I was nervous after being busted, but I just loved the liquid metal look of the fabric. You'd have to have a body like the mannequin's to ever actually wear this dress, but it was so gorgeous to look at that I wanted to remember it. If anyone knows the designer, please let me know. As I recall it was some exotic-sounding name that I imagined being very difficult to spell.

We couldn't leave Chelsea without a visit to the All Saints store, if nothing else than to see the window full of vintage sewing machines. Both Sal and I brought back some goodies from there; you'll see what I got in a couple of days.

Here's the night I met up with a whole gaggle of bloggers at the Empire Hotel, didn't eat any dinner, and proceeded to drink several GIANT martinis (hey, they were delicious; what could I do?). This group photo was taken earlier in the evening, when I was still coherent; from left to right we've got Stacy of Taffeta Darlings, Kristin of BonBon Rose Girls, Cameron of 33 avenue Miquelon, me, Wendy Brandes, and K-Line. Wendy let me try on both her Cleves Black Swan ring and the one-of-a-kind Onyx Skull ring, and holy crap were they amazing. She's lucky I didn't get up and dash out of the bar with them, never to be seen or heard from again. I hope she's insured for that sort of thing; her jewelry could turn even the most mild-mannered lady into a wanton thief.

The next day I made my way all the way out to Coney Island at sunset, where I had a hot dog at Nathan's and strolled along the boardwalk until the chilling wind drove me back to the subway station. I'd never been out there before, and I loved the deserted feel of it; I probably enjoyed it far more than I would have if it had been sunny and packed with people. Empty amusement parks have an eerie feel to them, sort of like a dusty old antique store but on a much larger scale.

On Monday night Sal and I met up with Rad and Blokey in Brooklyn; I was still feeling the effects of the night before at the Empire, which clearly shows in how haggard I look here. Interestingly, the three of us talked very little about blogging or fashion; Rad is clearly an intellectual first and foremost and that really comes across when you meet her. A smart woman with style is always a joy to hang out with, no matter how hungover you are.

Home at Last

Well I'm back, and boy is it good to be home. Despite the fact that I now feel like I've got a cold coming on, I had a great trip; I met many wonderful bloggers in New York and spent lots of time with my dear Sal, I saw both my friend Lisa and my sister Jessie get married, and I visited with family and friends. I also spent a great deal of time being cold and having dry skin. Again, being back in San Francisco feels great.

I'll try to put together a recap of my trip later this week or next, but first I need to get caught up on some of my pre-vacation outfits, of which this is one. In the meantime, check out these posts, which detail some of what I was up to:

• Sal's New York recap

• Sal's Eileen Fisher fall preview

• K-Line's New York recaps here and here (you should also check out the beautiful cape she bought while we were all shopping at Barney's together)
• A variation of what Sara wore for our shopping extravaganza
• Wendy B's Fashion Week recap -- including a great shot of several of us doing the Wendy B signature pose
• Cameron's recap of our blogger meet-up at the Empire Hotel (in which she mercifully does not mention how drunk I got)
• Rad's description of our Brooklyn meet-up (in which she mercifully does not mention how hungover I was)

I think that about covers them all. Also, be sure to stop by at Inside Out Style and take a look at the Stylish Thoughts guest post I did. Thanks to Imogen for including me!

Hat, sweater, socks: Noa Noa
Shirt: H&M
Dress: All Saints
Belt: Red Dress Shoppe
Tights: Foot Traffic
Boots: Bastien

Tribute

This is my Wendy B tribute pose; I totally missed out on the contest, but I figured I could still rip off her signature pose and post it over here. Hopefully she doesn't bitch slap me for it when I'm in New York later this week. You don't scare me, Wendy! However your weather does. Don't throw a snowball at me!

Every time I wear this dress someone comments on the bright red color. On my scout's honor this dress is ORANGE. A reddish orange to be sure, but still squarely within the orange family of hues. My camera clearly does not agree.

Cardigan: Anthropologie
Dress: Orla Keily
Belt: a gift from mom
Tights: Foot Traffic
Boots: from Scoop in Copenhagen

Momentous

Holy smokes! How could I have been so remiss in directing you to the guest post I wrote for gorgeous Clare's blog?? This is what happens when you get old, folks -- and when you're in the midst of moving. At any rate, it's certainly not too late to stop in and check it out. Clare is running a whole series of "Fashion Is..." posts and kindly asked me to contribute a few words about fashion as a creative outlet. Click here to read it!

As you can see, this is not my usual background. It was one of those hectic days; the good camera was over at Mark's place because he was taking shop photos, and I was on my way to have cocktails that evening with Chelsea. Mark's place being closer to where she and I were meeting, I went there instead of home and took my outfit photos in front of the rather ghetto-looking setup we have for the shop photos. Looking at these photos makes me really, really happy that we'll have more space and better lighting very soon.

Ordinarily I would've just skipped the photos and recreated the outfit to some extent another time, but since this was the momentous occasion of meeting Chelsea, I had to immortalize it! And oh look, I'm wearing my Skunkfunk dress with my Skunkfunk skirt -- also a first!

Dress and skirt: Skunkfunk
Belt: Lazaro
Leggings: Foot Traffic, via Sock Dreams
Vivian Girl Shoes: John Fluevog

After-Work Cocktails

Sometimes it's fun to just take an outfit all the way and play dress-up with it, and I felt like this was one of those. The military vibe is pretty overwhelming here, but I didn't care -- I felt like one of those stern brigadier general characters from an old John Wayne war movie. This was a good intimidate-your-employees look, even though I'm probably the most laid back boss ever. I can dream, though.

This outfit transitioned from work right to after-work cocktails with Fawn, and since it was a rainy night, the leather pants and wool beret gave me plenty of waterproofing. Speaking of after-work cocktails, last Wednesday I had the pleasure of meeting the divinely adorable Chelsea of Bright Side Dweller, which I know will make many of you jealous as hell. Believe me, I would've hugged her for all of you, but then I'd have just stood there hugging her all night and we'd never have had time for the marathon chat-fest that ensued. Needless to say, Chelsea is awesome in person and we easily blabbed away two and a half hours without even noticing.

Hat: ADS Hats
Jacket: thrifted
Necklace: Manu Lizarralde
Shirt: Max Studio
Belt: thrifted
Leather trousers: Pepe Jeans, via Asos
Boots: All Black