Lonesome Town

I'm currently hanging out with my parents in the middle of nowhere, Colorado.  I grew up in the central valley in California, but my family moved to Colorado when my dad got a job transfer.  I spent eighth grade through senior year of high school here.   

Cleaning out my closet in my old room uncovered some long-lost memories.  I dug up some relics: old sketchbooks, band t-shirts (mostly Blink 182), Delia's catalogs, and a pile of late 90s era platform sneakers, my favorites of which were the the Candie's and the pastel blue Vans.  Looking through the sketchbooks was a great retrospective on my angsty, teenaged self.  

I had a really hard time with the move to Colorado.  I think if you pried any California pre-teen from her life in the sunshine state and dropped her in the middle of the Andy Griffith Show, it would have had a similar effect.  One good thing that came out of the move was my discovery of art as an outlet for my disdain for being stuck in a small town.  During my time here, I felt so trapped.  Even as a teen, I knew that I was meant for bigger and better things.  The norm here is getting married and having kids young.  To me, that kind of life would have been hell.  I wanted to travel, to have a bunch of degrees hanging on the wall, to go out to the coolest places in the world, to shop at the highest end boutiques, to meet educated, worldly people, to learn about and to experience other cultures.  It was definitely an unexpected and satisfying feeling, looking at my long-forgotten drawings, and realizing that from the moment I split from this place, I have been doing exactly what my 14-year old self wanted me to do.  Here are a notable few:

1.)  Dated 2001.  I was 15 when I drew this.  I was so inspired by Degas' ballerinas.  I told myself that one day, I would go to the Louvre and see one of these paintings up close.  DONE- visits to Paris in June of 2007, and March of 2013.  Bonus points for seeing one of his pastel ballerina pieces at the Met in New York City last summer, and a few more on permanent display at the Getty in L.A.

2.)  Dated 2002, so I was 16 when I drew this.  Remember those dreadful studded belts? I think this was drawn after I saw a 311 show for this first time.  It was at the Fillmore in Denver.  I hope that place is still open, the wallpaper randomly made it look like a harem on the inside.  After the show, I told myself that I would be down to see this band as much as I could on the west coast.  I always felt like their music had a distinctly SoCal vibe, which is weird because the band is strictly Omaha Stylee.  Maybe that's why I loved them so much, they reminded me of where I wanted to end up, beyond the gray sky of being stuck in this town.  DONE- I have seen them countless times in various west coast locations, including Santa Barbara, Irvine, Anaheim, L.A., and San Diego.  *I riddled this paragraph with 311 references like a big nerd.

3.)  This one is dated 2000.  I drew this when I was 14, and just found out that a childhood friend of mine from California was moving to Hawaii.  I told myself that one day, I would vacation somewhere tropical, go to a luau, and have drinks with colorful cocktail umbrellas and pineapple stuck in them.  DONE- Cancun with my old work crew in 2009, and Maui with my Steven in August of 2012.  

4.)  Dated 2001.  15 and feeling so alone!  Get me outta here!!  DONE- split when I was 17.

5.)  Also dated 2001.  I met a British guy at a museum in Denver, and this is what he looked like.  Only in the early 2000s was it considered stylish to wear long sleeved shirts under button ups. LOL!  He told me a bit about England, and I told myself that I would go one day.  DONE- visits to London in June of 2007, and recently in March of 2013. 

6.)  Dated 2002.  16 and wanted to move away to find love!  The perfect boy had to be worldly, educated, fashionable, cute, and above all, NOT from a small town.  DONE-  My Steven grew up in L.A., he is a lawyer, and is the cutest boy in the entire world   :)

7.)  Also dated 2002.  There have been many versions of this image over the years. I love Indian culture and always told myself I would visit one day.  This one is TBA.  But I think I will make it there soon, judging by the other drawings' predictions. 

Yeah, I think my 14 year old self would want to high-five me. 

Parisian Chic, Part II

I've read a comparison somewhere, stating that American women are like kindergartners compared to French women.  I think this is an apt comparison. Parisian style is legendary for a reason.  Parisian women seem to naturally ooze sex appeal, confidence, cigarette smoke; a certain je ne sais quois that permanently puts them miles ahead in the fashion world.  L.A. women are put together, but they are too put together.  Everything matches, everything is styled down to the manicured fingernails.  In some parts of this city, everyone has the same breast implants.  Parisian women seem to have an innate ability to style themselves to perfection with far less effort.  The difference is, Parisian women don't have to try so hard because they carry themselves so well, so that they wear the heck out of the clothes; not the other way around.

Here is a popular look that all the locals rocked during my recent trip:

In L.A., it's easy to forget that in other places in the world, actual seasons exist.  It was a bit of a shock for Steve and I to be dropped in Narnia-esue weather, but at least we go to see some cool winter fashion.

Everyone, men and women alike, cuffed their skinny jeans at the bottom 1-2 inches, and paired with either Converse hi tops (which are ridiculously expensive in Europe, around 70 euro per pair!) or Doc Martens or similar lace up ankle boots.  Scarves were a must.  Some of the cutest scarves I saw were on the men.

Two types of bags that I saw everywhere: Longchamp and the canvas messenger bag pictured above.  I remember reading about that bag in Parisian Chic, and forget the brand name.  It's def on my shopping list for my next trip there.  Steve and I agreed that we are going in the spring or summer next time.

Parisian Chic

I am currently suffering from vacation withdrawal, as Steve and I spent nearly two weeks in Paris and a week and a half in Barcelona.  I am a hopeless Francophile, and am yearning for the crepes, baguettes, cheese, and above all, the fashion from our time spent in Paris.

I borrowed a few books from Steve's mom, who is a fellow fashion maven.  The one that I referenced the most was a book called Parisian Chic by Ines de la Fressange.

Oh man, was this book on point.  Here is one of my favorite looks featured in it:

As soon as I saw this, I knew that I had to stop by Eric Bompard to pick up a staple navy sweater.  The store is right on the Champs Elysees.  After Steve and I made the obligatory stop at Laduree for macaroons, we swung by and each picked up beautiful cashmere sweaters. Here is what the stylish saleslady was wearing:

Beautiful blue EP sweater, matching polka dot scarf, gray skirt, and black tights and boots.  Basic, yet put together and effortlessly chic!  If I wasn't already sold on the sweater, that would have done it!

Here's my other fave look from the book:

Luckily, I already have a similar cardigan, dress, and bag.  Will def replicate for a future post!

Fashion Fail: Part II

Sometimes I go for drinks with my old work buddies at this hipster bar off Beverly and La Cienaga called the Roger Room.  The Rog has a vintage, Prohibition-era vibe, and all the bartenders and staff wear these cool outfits with collared shirt, suspenders and oxfords.  This was the primary inspiration for this outfit.  I wore this to work a few months ago, and I intended for this to be a preppy look, with a splash of 1920's.

[Cardigan- Marciano.  Shirt- Express.  Suspenders & Skirt- F21.  Shoes- Hinge  by Halogen.  Knee highs- Asos.com.]

In retrospect, I think this may have been less "Prohibition-era Prep," and more "Oktoberfest wench."  I regret nothing.

Jewelry: Part I

I titled this "Part I" because the discovery that I love jewelry is actually a new one.  So I predict I will have a lot more to say about this in the future.

For the longest time, I didn't wear any type of jewelry outside of watches (which is a staple item for me), or earrings and facial piercings (back when that was a thing).   I just never got into jewelry.  I preferred to make statements with bags, sunglasses, or shoes.

Then slowly, I started paying attention to rings, necklaces, and higher-end earrings more. I think it may have started with a neat pair of diamond earrings my mom gave me for Christmas a couple of years ago.  Then it graduated to a Tiffany necklace that my BF Steve gave me for a birthday.  Then I started scoping out pieces on  my own.

My artist friend recently had an exhibition of his work at a cool little bar/lounge in West L.A.  All can be found at   http://www.neivz.com/ .  I think his work is quintessentially L.A.- lots of personality, unapologetically eccentric, and inherently cool.  The show was pretty rad:

[50% of my friends in this pic are lawyers.  If you have a problem with your image being used on this blog, send me a Cease & Desist.  :)   Note:  My friend also designed and built the furniture displays.]

[The layering pieces on the bottom leftish are modeled by my lovely friend Regina below.]

[Kinda blurry, but cute, subtle pieces.  Perfectly accented with a wine glass.]

[The missing space is where I picked up the wavy-faced ring.]

[Please excuse my chippy mani.  Thinking of getting this item.  Delicate, barely-there jewelry items are the thing again.  But I am really all about statement pieces.]

Fashion Blooper: Floral Tights

While I appreciate risky fashion, sometimes bloopers happen with things that are seemingly on the safe side.  Floral pants were the go-to last season for both soccer moms and hipster chicks. I love the look of floral pants, and thought that a great alternative with a twist would be floral tights.  The reason for this, is that I think floral pants are on the way out, and that it will not be the look anymore come winter time (basically now).

Well, I should've just gotten the damn pants.

[There are shorts under there, I swear.]

I wore this to work, and amongst some of the comments I received during the course of the day were: "Did your legs get run over by a truck?"  "Wow, those are....interesting."  and "Jesus, I thought you were involved in a domestic incident."

I don't think these were improperly executed.  I think that they are an inherent fail by design, because the blush coloring blends in too closely with skin color.  They were tossed so fast after work that day!  

Winter Wonderland

I think I've written before about my utter disdain for cold weather.  It took forever this year, but it finally looks like winter in L.A. By that, I mean it's not consistent 80-degree weather anymore.

I was hanging out at the Grove yesterday, and this is what it looked like.  The white stuff is fake snow that the mall turned on.  The machines were shooting it out left and right, from the rooftops of Nordstrom, J.Crew, and the Italian restaurant.  Yes, that is the only way this city produce a winter- fake it til you make it!  I with a friend who went to school in Boston, and I'm from Colorado.  So we had to laugh at the fact that this place has to fake something that makes life a living (cold) hell in other parts of the country. 

Anyway, here's my best impression of a cold person in L.A.:

[Coat and Bag- Marciano, Gloves- Vintage, Shoes- Express, Necklace (it is actually a hair band) -Bloomingdale's]