Always remember to tuck in your shirts

The temperature has dropped 30F in 3 days. It's okay; this is weather I know how to dress for. (:

Lace-trimmed camisole: Express

Ruffle tee: TRF t-shirt collection (thrifted)

Blue grey lace vest: Odille (eBay)

Brass snaps corduroys: WOW jeans (thrifted)

Boots: Two Lips (thrifted)

Suede hair clip: Taiwan

Sundial necklace: gift from high school

Tiny gears necklace: gift from Cathy

Or at least, know how to stay warm in. Knowing how to dress for this weather probably includes not looking like I'm going to burst forth from my vest like a cooking sausage. More on that in a bit.

I have missed you so much, everyday Steampunk style!

I wore the same triple layered lace combo here, when my friend Mo called my outfit "vintage Bohemian fairy." Strange thing is, I didn't look too chunky for the vest then:

I have been exercising a lot, and I gain weight and some girth when I work out, but I think there are other forces at work here. The vest pulls in at the waist, then loosens as it hangs into its pointy bits at the bottom.

I made the mistake of trying to show the layers of my shirts below the vest. In the outfit above, the shirts are tucked in, and the A-line skirt follows the lines of the vest flaps as they point out from the natural waist, making a smooth transition.

Here, the horizontal lines of the shirts cut off the diagonal lines of the vest flaps coming out from the waist. Then the shirts end right where my hips and thighs begin, the widest part of the lower body. The bump under the shirts from my waistband doesn't help.

This was one of those outfits I really liked when I put it on, then made this face in dismay when I looked at the photos D:

Oh well, live and learn. That's one of the neat things about blogging, getting a more objective look at outfits.

However, please don't let my questionable ability to dress myself deter you from entering my Couturgatory Anniversary giveaway! Follow the link if you would like a chance to win a Cara New York fascinator. :D

Tea Time

Today is the day I participate in Spy Girl's Coffee Klatch and Tea Party challenge! I've been looking forward to this since she posted it.

Big super secret* sharing time: I love tea.

This is one of my very favorite tea cups.

  Trivia for you: Americans often say "high tea" when referring to afternoon tea. Afternoon tea is the deal with the little sandwiches and delightful snacks and cookies. High tea is actually a working class meal in the evening. This has been driving me crazy for years, and now it can drive you crazy, too.

  Anne's challenge was twofold: first, I had to figure out how to dress to match the cup, and then I had to clean all of my school crap off the dining table so I could take a picture. Pieces of a decalin model can be seen lurking in the background.

Blouse: unknown (thrifted)

Skirt: Odille (eBay)

Scarf: vintage Oscar de la Renta (inherited)

Earrings, watch: CostPlus World Market

  Make that threefold: what on earth goes with this darn green-and-purple skirt? Maybe a soft pink button-down? It's one of those lovely Anthropologie brands I picked up used several years ago and it goes with nothing I can find. It probably had some special top designed to match it in the store. That's how they get you!

  I love the embroidery on this blouse. Now if I could just figure out how to get it so it doesn't make a balloon in the back large enough to smuggle a small child in.

  This is a scarf I inherited from my grandmother. It says Oscar de la Renta and it's made in Japan. It still had the original price tag on it. I clipped it off but kept it. The best part about the scarf is when I tie it around my neck, it still smells faintly of Grandma's house.

  I hear my great grandmother was very fashionable. My aunts both dress like farmers, and my father dresses in such a way that he has been mistaken by his workplace security for homeless more than once, so upon going through the house several years ago, when my aunts found feminine fancy things, they asked me if I wanted them.

  I found this photo of my father's side of the family in a digital archive. It was taken in 1930. That's my grandmother, standing between her two brothers. She's only twenty years old here!  Sometimes when I am doing photo editing for this blog, I see a resemblance. I see the resemblance to my aunt, her eldest daughter, too. Miss you, Grandma.

* Where by "super secret" I mean "obvious statement"

Shrug off the fog

Let me explain: It was sunny when I got dressed this morning.

I don't always go "full costume" when I go to school, but I still try to dress nicely. Priming is still a thing, right?

Confession: I photoshopped a stray lock of hair off my forehead. Because I could.

Around 1 or so this afternoon, Daly City came to its senses and remembered what it was. Sad Aya.

Brown shrug: Bcih (thrifted, size L on eBay)

Purple tank: Express best-loved bra cami (old, new ones at express.com)

Skirt: Odille (eBay)
Sandals: Eastland Lagoon (product link)
Necklace: thrifted, Watch: CostPlus (product link)

I instantly loved the way this necklace had ribbons and string tied together, but I was dubious about the large stone-printed plastic beads and the fake bronze coins. They're growing on me, though. I'm trying to step out of my comfort zone of tiny pendants and add things that are visible from more than a few feet away.

Also: accessories are expensive! I can thrift clothes in a snap, but when it comes to watches, jewelry, hats, or gloves, you pretty much have to buy new or go consignment/vintage shop. Most of my jewelry is over a decade old and I'm trying to find cost-effective ways of picking up a few pieces to go with my current personal style. Any suggestions?

Vintage Bohemian Fairy

My friend called my personal style "Vintage Bohemian... Fairy" today. It was accompanied by vague hand motions trying to help the definition along. I love the title very much!

Peach frilly tee: TRF t-shirt collection (thrifted)

Blue-grey lace vest: Odille (size 6 available on eBay)

Lacy pink tank: Express best-loved bra cami (old)

Skirt: Rebecca Taylor (thrifted)

Sandals: Eastland Lagoon sandal (product link)

Locket: vintage (etsy store feltinmyheart)

  Fall weather is here in the SF Bay Area! For those not in the know, fall is the time of year we get clear sunny days. It goes from September through October, and it is my favorite weather of all. You can tell I have no experience shooting on sunlit days. Hope you all like lens flare!

  I love the little ruffle and lace on this tee. It feels soft and fun without crossing the line into 'frippery.'

  This skirt has a bit of history. Some months back, Sheila at Ephemera posted about a Steampunk style skirt she found while thrifting. It looked glorious and I, being the possessive copycat wench that I am, thought, "I want a Steampunk style skirt, too!"
  And a month later I found this! It was beautiful! Couldn't believe my luck! Brought it home and hung it up for two months because I couldn't find anything that looked okay with it until today.

  It may not show up because of the backlighting, but this is the locket I am wearing. It's shaped like a pale gold basket of flowers, studded with rhinestones and pearls. The hinge opens and there is room for two photos inside. I call it my rage locket (purchased while rage shopping!) and I love it. I had been looking for something like my Express locket for a very long time.
  The bureaucracy and headache at my University has made my week one long Kermit arm flail. I'm going to have a nap, and I hope all of your weekends go beautifully. (:

Sun Francisco

  This morning I woke up, checked the weather report, and jumped out of bed singing "High of 91 today, high of 91 today, high of 91 today!"
  Today is the warmest day we've had all year, and I got to pull my summer clothes out of the closet. (And then I took a lined trench coat to school as a precaution, because campus is on the windiest, foggiest hilltop in SF.)

  The rare summery day here is like a festival.

  I really love this drapey vest/cardigan thingy. It has a racerback cut in the back done in lace. I get to wear it a few times a year when it is warm enough that I won't curl up and die of exposure.

  Couldn't get the color balance quite right, but this is a dusty rose colored scrunchee my mother bought for me from Japan.

  I had chem lab today, so I wore close-toed shoes. They may have made me look like a nursing student.

  Underneath, I wore celebratory socks.

  This is one of my favorite necklaces. My mom likes to go to Ginza, the shopping district in Tokyo, and look at things in store windows that cost more than my tuition. I tell her I am not comfortable in stores where if I sneeze on something I could end up in debtor's prison, but she says I am silly.

  I found a Printemps in Ginza: a French department store in downtown Tokyo. I fell in love with this necklace and it was on sale for ~$40. I love having a rainbow of beads and flowers on a gold chain around my neck. Wearing them with the pearls on this tank top makes me feel like I have a casket of jewels on my chest.

  Today was a gift, even the hours I spent in chem lab calculating the mineral content of water.

Necklace - (Printemps, Japan) 

Tank - Bow & Arrow (Buffalo Exchange)

Skirt - Odille (eBay)

Drapey vest - Poof Apparel (Styles for Less)