Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Jeans Confidential

I have a confession to make.


I don't really like wearing jeans.
I know that sounds Un-American, but its not my fault. Check out everyone around you-how many are wearing jeans? Um, many people are. Its like some kind of unspoken uniform.

I think my anti-jean-ness started with my mom always dressing me in dresses. Then I think adolescence and hormones and baby fat made it difficult to find good jeans. And then I think going to massage school solidified the idea that jeans were not the best thing to wear. You need pants that allow for movement and jeans are too stiff, sometimes too restricting. For so long i did not wear jeans that when i finally did put on a pair, it felt uncomfortable! I was like, UGH.
Now, i sort of to feel really dressed up if i am wearing jeans.

Don't get me wrong, i own jeans, i didn't toss them all away. And i love all the different styles-boyfriend, skinny, straight, ripped, dark, distressed....i want to try them all! Now i even find myself compiling a wish list of jeans, because I have gravitated away from jeans for so long. You know? I, like everyone else, is hoping to complete the Perfect Wardrobe (but first i need the Perfect Closet, which in my case, is just a closet that is a normal or bigger size than what I have now).
I am mostly used to jeans again but...like most clothes, its hard to find things that fit right. No muffin top, but i also don't want any...cracks...to be showing. Something fitting, but not too tight. Maybe i just haven't found the right brand yet. :p
Don't you just adore mustard yellow and purple together?
I also love button down that has lines that sort of mimic the lines of the necklace, which are echoed in the little oxford designs stamped into the shoe. I thought the toe opening of these shoes were very different; almost like cloven hooves, ha!
hat: urban outfitters
top: thrifted
sweater: thrifted
necklace: forever21
pants: thrifted
shoes: kohls

Dedication, Obsession

i don't remember if i mentioned how i was obsessed with this vest i saw in the Banana Republic window displays on my way to work for MONTHS and they DIDN'T even HAVE the vest in the store and it was TORTURE and i had even found a less pricey, forever21 version?



Well, i got it and let me be honest. I do like the vest; i like the black/grey combination, the floaty light fabric and the pockets. In terms of length and style it is very similar to what i wanted. However, i had this little problem with the stripes.
Look up at this picture, do you see how the stripes match up on one side of the vest but not the other?
And i realize its silly, to be bothered by stripes like this (go check out a striped shirt that you own and see if the stripes match up at the seams. Do they? A lot of the time, the stripes do NOT match up, argh!)
...but i can't help it. I think we all have our own pet peeves when it comes to the things we wear. I intend to fully explore and document every little quirk i have, i know that.
One day after work i decided to randomly check out a banana republic sale going on at a store around 86 street...and they totally had THE VEST. I grabbed it to my chest protectively, noting it was the only one left. Even on sale, it was sooo pricey for me.
I think Banana Republic is my Oops Store. Every once in a while, I will buy something there; way too expensive and later i will think oops. Why did i do that. I should return this. Then i don't.
And i have to tell you, i used to be the girl who debated over buying a top that cost $20. Shoes more than that, no buying that.
I think NYC can change that about a person because the average price of a shoe is $60. $20 for a blouse is a great deal here.
Oh, the girl i once was...its always a debate, you know?
The less expensive version, or the perfect one that you will wear everyday to get that money's worth? The answer is not always as obvious as it should be. And sometimes the cheaper version falls apart or the stripes don't match up, and sometimes the cheaper version is way better and allows you to buy even more!
I think with this vest, the desire built up for so long that when i finally held it in my hands i was too determined to let it go, ever.
Is it everything i dreamed of? Heck yes. But at the same time, waaaaay too expensive for me. Oops. Bad Kay.
Do you dig seeing the white bra through the black top? I am bringing that look back.

headwrap: handmade by Dean!
top: forever21
vest: banana republic
jeans: daffy's
shoes: daffy's

Monday, April 19, 2010

Shoe Design Contest

So, I love to draw.
I love to draw anything, but its really fun to draw what is only in my mind's eye, such as fabulous shoes!

Its a real challenge too...sometimes I draw something and I think its awesome: a shoe with tweed straps and an escher-inspired print, but is it really?
What if you actually made the shoe and it was really fugly? That is what I fear, not being able to know.
This is a nice set-up to talking about the Vince Camuto Shoe Design Contest.
I totally entered during the last few days (procrastinatooooor) and still have yet to see my designs up on the voting site.
Rejection. Even if they DO appear on the site, they will be about 300 or a million votes behind.
No hope.
But thats okay! I still plan on taking a shoe-making class someday SOON!

I really enjoy looking at all the designs that other people made-so much talent out there!
Take a gander at my fugly shoe designs! This will teach me to do things so late, I think my drawings would be better if I wasn't so rushed...
So this is the horrific herringbone tweed/escher print shoe. It has a wooden clog platform thing going on with some clog studs along the ankle strap.
And this is like some crazy menswear-esque sky high heel. It has cut outs and a peep-toe with a high ankle collar type thing and of course, has some oxford detailing all over.
Check out the contest website if you'd like to see the shoe designs that people have entered so far! http://vincecamutoshoedesigncontest.com

Friday, April 2, 2010

San Fran Picture Treats!

So now, the long overdue pictures!
My first time being there, I had no idea what to expect. Well, for one thing, its not a warm place. I mean, I wasn't expecting it to be like a sauna or anything. But I was hoping it would be warmer than New York!
It definitely was not, it was a bit rainy, definitely foggy, but quite cold. I jumped the gun, I was so excited for West Coast weather, I packed skirts and dresses. I pretty much wore everything I brought with me and bundled up in layers until I looked quite the fashion repellent.

Here is my sweetie at the aquarium, it was so peaceful and beautiful.


Cue the Full House theme song. "Everywhere you look, is a heart, is a heart...."


I dragged my love onto a trolley ride, because you have to do this if you're a tourist. But San Fran is a really easy city to get around in, as they have about four different modes of public transportation. Buses, trolleys, a subway, these old retro looking bus things.


After another day of non stop walking, we stopped at Japantown for some amazing food! We were so stuffed, do you SEE that caterpillar roll?!


At the Ferry Building right near the water there is this marketplace, and they sell all kinds of good local fruits and veggies and pastries. Inside there are even more stores, where they sell cheeses, meats, wines, fancy olive oils, mushrooms, even olive oil trees! We bought food here to make a nice meal, I wish I had taken a picture of it. Oh, and there was this woman in an antique store who talked with us and it was a great conversation, she was quite the character, with this great cultured voice, and she was from NY, as well!


Oh, this is me in the aquarium, these pictures are all out of order. I look frumpy because I am wearing as much as possible in order not to freeze to death.


You can spend days just exploring Golden Gate Park. I especially loved the Botanical Garden (free, unlike the NY Botanical Gardens), and they even have coastal redwood trees in it!! We were fascinated by this giant chicken and hen plant! Its bigger than my first manicure! I mean, my hand! In NY, these plants are sooooo tiny.

If you ever go to San Fran, be sure to check out the Palace of Fine Arts, if you are going to go over the Golden Gate Bridge, this is right near it. Its a great park, but there is also something called the Exploratorium there. Its like a museum full of science stuff for kids, but a bunch of us older peeps went together and we still had fun there for hours!

Originally, I wanted to bike over the Golden Gate Bridge, but looking at it from afar, I just imagined myself getting winded and stuck halfway across the bridge.
Luckily, we met up with friends who had a car and we just drove over it. Lovely views!

If you love to eat crab, Fisherman's Wharf is the place to be. You can sit down in a fancy restaurant and be served on fine china and use utensils shaped like mermaids, or you could find a more down to earth place, where one man will boil the crab in front of you, bust up the shell all over, and hand it to you in a dish with fries and sauce, unbelievably fast-a dinner and a show.
We did the latter and walked a few blocks to eat on the grass at this park near the water, down below Ghiradelli Square (we later meandered up there to snarf some chocolate and listen to a great street violinist).
Thats not everything, as we packed a bunch of activities into our time there. It was such a good time. People there are super nice and everyone looks so chic and so many people exercise. Even though I was freezing most of the time, San Fran can be a bit overpriced and touristy, and there were times when we had to walk up those infamous hills to get to places, it was all totally worth it.
I did have time to check out the local Goodwill (it was all right, nothing amazing), but I found, randomly, the best thrift store. I dragged my sweetie in there to find him clothing, ironically enough, and found a couple of cool things. I was in heaven, everything looked so amazing, though the prices were maybe slightly lower than brand new. The line was just crazy long and it was crowded with people, so I didn't really do anything but sort of peruse, which I sort of regret.
I kindof wished I had gotten at least one thing.
I think maybe if I were there alone, I would have braved it out more and fought with some chick over shoes or something. Oh well. But next time I go to San Fran, I know where to head to!