Retail Math # 5: Badass Beauty like Balenciaga

 Houndstooth is huge for fall, but my love for the bold pattern was rekindled by Balenciga's spring 2011 collection. Nicolas Ghesquiere turned out several beautiful and badass houndstooth pieces as well as the oh so covetable cutout boot that inspired the Jeffrey Campbell's seen below.

While the traditional black and white pattern normally skews more uptown (think ladies who lunch) the exploded scale and sequins on the ASOS top and skirt paired with edgy accessories make for a look that is 100% downtown rocker chic.

From Left to Right: ASOS Dog Tooth Crop Top, Jeffrey Campbell Roscoe Boot, Vestal Monte Carlo Watch,  ASOS Sequin Houndstooth Skirt

Spread created on Shopstyle

Runway Photos via Style.com

City Gal

Leave it to Kate Spade to turn a perfectly prim and proper skirt into a show stopper. The City Lights Lillith Skirt is just that and oh so perfect for all of us that are city gals at heart!

Look on the Bright Side

Neon Satchel- Cambridge Satchel Company

 Super Fluo Card Case- Comme Des Garcons

Sometimes the little details in life make me the happiest!

Happy Hump Day Everyone!

Bold Black and Blue + Touches of Tribal

Saturday was a great day. The weather was wonderful so I was out and about in the morning running errands and I ended the day in my favorite place, the theater. On this particular evening I was fortunate to be an audience member cheering on my friend Phaedra as she lives her dream in Coastal Repertory Theatre's production of  RENT. I love getting dressed for the theatre because I get a chance to pull out pieces that I don't wear everday. The performance was in Half Moon Bay which is beautiful, but notoriously foggy and cold most of the year- thank god I brought a jacket!

My mom made this awesome clutch which I carry all the time! I love the earthy yet geometric print and because it is black and white it looks good with everything. The ring is from Made Her Think, one of my favorite brands and I've collected the bracelets over the years.

Vintage earrings courtesy of my mom's jewelry collection. I find some of my favorite pieces shopping in her closet!

I absolutely adore these Cynthia Vincent shoes and have them in two different colors. I am kind of a sucker for the color and pattern of African and African inspired textiles.

I love the color of my silk tank from the Factory and the leather racerback detail adds a little edge. Unfortunately it was so cold in Half Moon Bay that I kept my jacket on the whole night. I'm gonna have to rock this tank again soon so everyone can see just how fly it really is! 

Budget Buster vs. Bargain Buy: Kori meet Haydin

The Alexander Wang Kori Off the Chain Boot is just that- Off the Chain and it seems like the folks at Senso took note when designing the Haydin boot. Both styles achieve androgynous cool with the cut out and chain detail adding the perfect amount of edge and attitude. The Kori has been sold out for months but don't fret because Haydin is available now at Solestruck for a fraction of the price.

Breezy Button Downs

From crisp whites to playful prints and plaids breezy button downs are just what I am craving fom business and play this summer.

Breezy Button Downs by ajb919 featuring vintage button down shirts

Stepping Out of My Comfort Zone

I am not naturally the most extroverted person. I love people, but feel much more comfortable one on one than I do in a huge crowd. I prefer the company of a small group of close friends over tons of acquaintances and if I had a choice between being cozy on the couch at home versus raging at a club the couch would usually win.

That being said the past couple weeks have been an exercise in stepping out of my comfort zone.
Case in point...

Flying Solo at Madewell

Photo via Refinery 29

After work today I stopped by the Madewell SF grand opening party. I couldn't round up any peeps to brave the SF fashion crowd with me so I decided to go to solo. Although the scene was a bit overwhelming I am glad that I did not drag anyone else along with me. I was able to quickly dip in, say some hellos, then dip out. The store set up is nice so i will definitely be heading back soon when it is a little less crowded and I can actually enjoy shopping.

Personal Style Post

I met Elizabeth of Mission Closet a couple months ago at a blogger meet and greet and she was at the Madewell event tonight. During our first meeting we talked about how personal style post help readers to connect with a blog and how her readership increased once she started sharing more of her own personal style. For some reason her comments really stuck with me and have motivated me to try to share more of my personal style choices even though I kind of loathe taking pictures. The only camera I had handy tonight was on my phone, but I rolled with it and snapped a shot in the mirror to share. I am super in love with my new Proenza Schouler shorts.

BCBG Leather Jacket, Vintage Necklace, Gap Shirt, Proenza Schouler Shorts, Madewell Boots

Pursuing My Dreams

I have chosen to follow my passion and pursue careers in two fields that sort of require that you put yourself out there- Dance and Fashion. I've been dancing for years so I am sort of over the whole stage fright thing. After years of performing the theater is my safe space where I am free to express myself completely. If only I felt that comfortable off the stage....

Outside of dance I have the most fun expressing myself through fashion. My love of fashion and the opportunity it presents for self expression and self definition is part of the reason I decided to open a clothing store. My hope is that Show and Tell, as the name suggest, will allow customers to find the pieces that represent who they are and what they stand for so they can proudly present themselves to the world.

Over the next few weeks I plan to share more about my journey as Show and Tell gets off the ground and of course more about my style along the way.

Sneak Peek: Tortoise Shell

After weeks of acquiring and wearing show stopping brights I am having a neutral moment. Playing with neutrals can be just as fun as brights because it gives you more room to experiment with shade and texture. I copped these sneaks a couple years back, instantly drawn in by the tortoise shell details. I have always loved tortoise shell because it has tons of dimension and is at once classy and cool.  Adding tortoise to these Vandals was a sick move on the part of the folks at Nike if I do say so myself!

Casual Fridays

Kept it comfy and casual today while running errands for the store in some grey knit pants from H&M and tissue tee from Gap. I've been wearing my new J Crew jacket non-stop. It is the perfect weight for the unpredictable bay area summer weather and I I love the unique color.

Purse- Gap Brown Leather Sandals- Miu Miu



Glasses-Chanel



Retail Math #4: Decked out like Dior

Christian Dior's s/s 2011 collection was rife with looks suitable for characters stepping out of a modern day interpretation of South Pacific. While most of the looks were a little too kitschy for my taste one in particular stood out from the rest. Something about the pairing of a casual blue print dress, neutral shoes and bag, and retro cat eye sunglasses done in a thoroughly modern pop color was quite pleasing to my eye.

What drew me to this look and inspired me to try to recreate it is the fact that I could totally visualize an urban fashionista throwing this on whether she was on holiday exploring the market of a tropical locale or on a weekend excursion searching for treasures at the neighborhood flea. All of the pieces I put together to recreate this look can work seamlessly into your warm weather wardrobe, but together they conjure up the casually sophisticated feel of the runway original.

Clockwise L-R: Lilly Pulitzer Dress, Spitfire Daxx Sunglasses, Marc by Marc Jacobs Purse, Jeffrey Campbell Munroe Heels

Christian Dion S/S 2011

Spread created on Shopstyle.com

Runway Photo via Style.com

Go Green

 

Last night I attended the Pret -A- Porter Fashion Show put on by the San Francisco Fashion and Merchant Alliance  in search of some new brands for show and tell, the retail concept shop that I am opening up. The event was pretty fun and was my first "real" fashion show. I'll be posting some videos and photos from the fashion show on show and tell's blog- showandtellshop.blogspot.com.

The event was  pretty packed, but Nic and I were lucky enough to snag some seats so we had a great view. LHC Couture sent some knit maxi dresses down the runway that were definitely my favorite pieces of the evening. For the occasion I rocked my new green silk print pants from Zara. I am totally in love with the whole chic pajama trend.