Coming Up Long

Go go gadget A-line! More summer dresses from the land of photos past! This is another of those rare good fits through chest and waist that means I'll be holding onto this forever. The secret is to be a quarter spandex and elastic around the back.

I eschew white everywhere but socks and cool summer things, evidently.

 Dress: RŨBY (thrifted)

Cropped cardigan: bp (thrifted)

Shoes: Rieker anti-stress (thrifted)

The tag says RŨBY, but I think it is Charlotte Russe because the care tag has the number 101331 on it, and that's the RN for that retailer. Also: made in USA! Double cool points!

My summer dresses flare out at my natural waist, while my trousers are mid to low rise, so that means my massive jacket collection is of no use because they are all too long. Argh! Maybe I should start chopping the bottoms off of them like Mel of Bag and a Beret.

This dress wants a cropped sweater or jacket and some shoes in a deep saturated color to set off the flowers and white fabric, I think. I've been looking for deep green, red, and blue things for some time and they're so hard to find!

Have jewel tones been on the outs for several years? Do people who wear jewel tones choose their items carefully and never donate them? Are there a bunch of mid-30s Asian women out there snatching them all up in the thrift stores before I get there? If so, can I hang out with them and swap clothes?

It doesn't help that a lot of shrugs I see sold online are so short they look like a pair of sleeves sewn together in the back so you don't lose one. Anybody have any suggestions on where to look? (Update: I found a navy one while thrifting! September thrifting round-up possibly next post. Suggestions still welcomed.)

Cheat Codes

Old post! Had these pics for a while, then entered a period of four weeks in which I hadn't enough energy to cook, clean, or even eat regularly. I must be feeling better because now I'm overwhelmingly pissed off at the shambles my life is. Dr. appt. on Thursday. Onward!

The recent months of warm weather plus scooting to and from the train station have left me looking for things that are office friendly, cool, don't show wet patches, and are machine washable.

Enter dresses: the cheat code of the lady wardrobe!

Long cloak hoodie: Prairie Underground (online)

Dayflower lace dress: Maeve (thrifted)

Necklace: Betsey Johnson (TJ Maxx)

Shoes: Rieker Anti-stress (thrifted)

I've been 10 years in the Bay Area, and it's the first time I've lived someplace warm enough to deploy these. As for why I owned sundresses while living in the land of Never-Summer, I have as much clue as you.

I discovered a thrift shop a few miles down the road that benefits the peninsula SPCA and Humane Society. It's packed and labyrinthine, with a middle-aged to elderly customer base, so they have interesting furniture, some vintage hats, and housewares.

I didn't expect to find much in clothing, but this pretty dress was hanging prominently on a wire rack just beyond the tight squeeze through the furniture and picture frames. The color is paler than I prefer, but its modern stretchy material means my shoulders and chest comfortably fit into the same garment as my waist. FTW!

I really like the look of lace over a solid color. I'm tempted to see if putting a layer of dark material under the lace cutout would look all right, because I want to show it off more.

I also found some True Religion jeans of a mysterious color there:

You may notice in a string of seasonal pictures that my hair is sticking up a lot. I've given up on using product to tame it because by the time I get to the train, the exercise has made it all moot, anyway. Honestly it's been so warm this summer I'm tempted to bring a change of clothes and shower again when I get to the office (there is a gym in the office park.)

I've been wearing a lot of hats this week, and it turns out that some of the folks in the office *love* hats. I am going to try to recruit them into going to the next Goorin Bros. sample sale. That's about it from me. Tired all the damn time. Don't like how the photos are turning out on my porch.

Ruthful

It's been so warm! I haven't lived someplace warm in the Bay Area for 10 years. Also megadrought be messing with everything. Trying to adapt my style.

I got this taupe corduroy Ruth skirt taken in, and I'm trying to work out a top for it. The 6 buttons in front are a dusty violet. Hopefully it's cute without being too schoolgirl.

 Top: Cop Copine (thrifted)

Skirt: Ruth (thrifted)

Shoes: Rieker Anti-Stress (thrifted)

Hat: Jeanne Simmons (Distractions on Haight)

Bib necklace: Betsey Johnson (TJ Maxx)
Coat: Live a Little (thrifted)

One thing that has expanded my wardrobe options is my sweet new ride. I lost my car in a flash flood last November; I moved my bicycle up here with my stuff in January, then it got stolen within a week.

No more wheels I cannot physically pick up and carry everywhere with me! This little scooter cuts my morning trip to the station in half and more importantly, lets me wear shoes I couldn't walk over a mile in.

People stop and watch me as I go past. Maybe they're wondering at a grown woman scooting by on a child's toy, but they are probably admiring my style. I am quite possibly the most fashionably hatted individual in all Millbrae.

This necklace is so bling. It dances right up to the edge of garish for me, and then stops and demands I love it.

Tripp Through Your Wires

Weather is warm enough for skirts, too cool to go without a jacket. I can dig it.

Military jacket: Tripp NYC (thrifted)

Skirt: KOMMOTiON NY (eBay, size M available)

Triple scarf: OzzOn Japan (Japan)

Shoes: Rieker Antistress (thrifted)

 Origami Earrings: fake Anthropologie (eBay)

I find military jackets plus floaty skirts so appealing. Or maybe it's just that I like those two things so I smash them together into outfits.

I found the jacket at a thrift store my friend Cathy took me to in Huntington Beach. It's the light cotton type that I completely jettisoned from my wardrobe when I moved to SF. I used to wear them all the time when I lived down here over a decade ago.

The brand Tripp NYC appears to be a goth/punk brand. Big shock that I ended up with it, haha. My friend actually found it. She pulled it from the rack after just seeing the sleeve because she figured it would be my style. I am consistent. :D

There was an awesome cropped bomber jacket there too, but when I zipped it up I garroted myself in the armpits and couldn't lift my arms, so I had to let it go. -_-

I was worried that when I got down here I wouldn't have any place to go shopping, but it's looking like that won't be the case, after all. (:

Who can resist a handkerchief hem? Certainly not I.

Twirly action!

Do you ever combine contrasting or seemingly disparate styles into an outfit?

Tulle and Honor

  This outfit is inspired by a Pinterest picture I saw:

Ah, for the elegance of these surroundings, eh?

  I originally pinned it for the military coat, but I ended up liking the look of the coat over a feminine skirt. And just the other day, I managed to find TWO feminine swishy skirts at the thrift store. They both needed a lot of taking in, but I sewed like a madwoman and got them done in a few days, so here is the first:

Jacket: promod (thrifted)

Shirt: BCBGirls (thrifted)

Tie: OzzOn Japan scarf (Japan)

Skirt: Final Touch (thrifted)

Shoes: Rieker antistress Mirjam 57 (thrifted)

   No military style is complete without the Cara Royal Highness pin, also known as my airship captain medal.  I took one third of my OzzOn scarf, which is three spiraling strips of cloth and lace, to make a lady-tie. My only feminine shoes, the Rieker Antistress Mirjams, worked out pretty well. :D

  I'd never heard of the skirt brand before- Final Touch. It is so gorgeous. It's mid-weight woven and lined, with flowers of silk and tulle sewn on with beading. Great skirt for fall and spring, since the lining and weight of the material make it hold up to strong breezes.

  Look, twirly!

  Since my movement blurred the photo, I tried a filter and made myself look oily:

  I hope everyone has a gorgeous weekend. :D

A Beret at Bray's

  Berets aren't commonly seen in California. Stereotypes that readily come to mind are the French, artists, and US army special forces, so when I look at these pictures, I confuse myself. I like the hat a lot, though. And I'm pretty sure I managed not to look like Che Guevara*.

Beret: Goorin Bros (sample sale)

Barometer shirt: Pilcro and the Letterpress (thrifted, some on eBay)

Skirt: Rebecca Taylor (thrifted, size 2 on eBay)
Mirjam shoes: Rieker-Antistress (thrifted)
Blazer: Twisted Heart (gift from brother)

  I've checked, and with the exception of the wee neutral lines on my Ye Olde button-down, this new thrifted baby is my only striped shirt! I'm wearing stripes! I feel this is a big day for me.

  It is also "texture salad" themed week at Spy Girl! You should go and play! It's open until Monday night.

  I love all of her style challenges. I was contemplating layering different clothing textures while lying in bed for just five more minutes. I am also linking this baby up to Not Dead Yet Style's Visible Monday! Here are a bunch of macro selfies.

* When you're Asian, there are certain shapes of hat that instantly make you look like a Communist. This goes double if they are olive green or have any sort of pointy shapes sewn on. Notice I don't sport ushankas combined with quilted jackets, either.

  The shirt is quite loose and long, so when I paired it with my thrifted steampunk-ish skirt, I wanted to give it some shape. I tried tucking it in only at the sides. I like it so much better I want to sew ruching into the sides so it has strings to adjust the length. I don't know what it's called, but it looks like this:

  Any vocabulary help or tutorials you know of greatly appreciated! Also I plan to wear pants.

  I think upon picture review, that a long flowy skirt would have worked better with the beret+shirt, and I like the blazer over the shirt and over the skirt, but not at once. There may be two separate outfits mish-mashed in here. More experimentation, as always, is needed.

With a ribbon around it

  For my weekend, I've embraced wearing everything I cannot wear during the week because of lab safety. Bare shoulders, bare legs, open shoes, you name it. I think I look really tan in these photos compared to myself a week ago. Go go East Bay weather!

  Today I wore my brown strapless dress by Ruth for the first time! When I bought it a few years ago, I was somewhat concerned it had been a bridesmaid dress and would always look like a bridesmaid dress, but it fit great and it was $3.74, so into the basket it went. Plus I love the pink ribbon. I feel like a box of chocolates.

  It's beautifully warm and sunny this weekend, so if this isn't the occasion for a possible bridesmaid dress, I don't know what is.

   I tried to casual it up a bit (and help keep the dress up) by adding a cropped shrug. I do really like what the shrug does to the proportions of this outfit, as it gives me a long unbroken line under the bust, but the cut/material might not be quite right. I'm not sure what I'm searching for to match the dress, though. Maybe something with a rounder neckline in seafoam/faded green or deep blue with a slight ruffle on cap sleeves?

  I added a blue topaz necklace from etsy (because an outfit could always use a shot of blue), thrifted earrings, and my comfortable Rieker antistress shoes. I'm so glad I thrifted these shoes on a whim. They're quickly becoming my favorite comfortable feminine walking shoe.

  Sorry I was so burnt yesterday that I forgot to put the brand tags at the bottom of my post. I've fixed it now! Summer is finally here! What are you doing with the longer (or shorter, hemispherically opposed friends) days?

Dress: Ruth (thrifted, Ruth dresses on eBay)

Shrug: Have (thrifted)

Shoes: Rieker antistress (thrifted, Zappos link)

Jewelry: blue topaz necklace (defunct etsy shop), flower earring studs (thrifted)

A little added Haight

  Today was gorgeous. I went shopping with friends in the famous Haight district north of Golden Gate park. It's a great place if you want to go clothes shopping for something unique and if you have some money. I'm not there often, but it's because of the latter reason, not the former. (;

  Outfit constraints were 1) classical style since the trip was for Steampunk/Edwardian fashion, and 2) friendly for trying on clothes and walking. And again, today was beautiful, so I wanted to leave my calves bare to feel the warm air.

  I went with a tight Express camisole that would be easy to slip things over, and a pinstripe skirt that would be easy to doff and don (or even try things under.) I added a cropped vest over the camisole for coverage and to give a bit of period feel.

  Pinstripes and plaid! This is the Aya version of pattern mixing. I feel more like a giant already. The outfit was pretty high contrast, so you have one shot in sunlight, and one without. There was a nap in-between. Please disregard my gardening supplies.  I like the way the skirt flares out very much. There's a little ruching at the top, which I enjoy because it is subtly feminine and gives some emphasis if you are narrow-hipped.

  Trivia: this camisole drives my mom bonkers. It's light pink with lace along the bust and the bottom hem. When a bit of lace peeks out, as it does with the vest above, I think it's pretty and she thinks it looks like my underwear is showing. I didn't understand why this bothered her until that trend came out where gals wear shirts that deliberately show their entire bras and it drove me flipping bananas. Touché, irony. Touché.

  I didn't want jewelry getting tangled or lost trying on clothes, so I went with a small locket and earrings that fit the classical look. My thrifted Rieker anti-stress shoes and a Bica Cheia blazer --it is San Francisco, after all. Mind the gusts!-- finished the outfit. The Rieker shoes have a subtle one inch heel and were super comfortable all afternoon.

  First we went to Distractions on Haight. (Warning, site plays music.)  My goodness. I'd never been before, and it was a goodie wonderland. Unfortunately their online selection is limited, so you'll have to take my word. They carry industrial modern and old style clothing and costume pieces from both large-scale and small local designers. I fell in love with Buddhaful's Diana coat:

I don't know how I'm going to do it, but I'm saving for it already.

  Then we hit up the Bettie Page store, another first for me. The theme is 40s and 50s style, popularized these days by Mad Men, I think. (edit: well scupper. Mad Men is 1960s. shows me to talk of something I've never seen/read of. I think Bettie Page style is from an earlier decade, though. help?) They carry sizes XS up to 4X! Great vibe from all of the young ladies working there, too. It made me think of graverobbergirl's rockabilly crafting blog. Actually, the district made me wish I could go shopping there with all of you I've met through style blogging. :D

  I hope everyone else is having a lovely weekend! What are you up to?

ruching!

Blazer: Bica Cheia (Crossroads)

Lace-edged cami: Express (old)

Pinstripe skirt: necessary objects (thrifted)

Cropped vest: Toy Box Clothing (thrifted)

Shoes: Rieker anti-stress (thrifted, available at Zappos)

Jewelry: locket (very old), earrings (Brasil)

Style Imitating Art: Illumination

  There is sunlight today, so I got to try Salazar and Jess's Style Imitating Art! (I've been looking forward to this for weeks.) Their blogs are Animated Cardigan and 14 Shades of Grey, respectively. Thanks to Gracey from Fashion for Giants for posting about it.

  Each week a piece of art is selected, and participants can send in photos of ensembles inspired by the artwork. Salazar and Jess post them up on their blogs.  This week's inspiration is Colette Calascione's "Illumination" :

  Spring seems to traditionally be about florals, something I have traditionally not worn. I have plenty of things with flowers on them though, which is pretty much the same thing, right?  I love the color range used here so much. I don't like bright colors (... or prints. or patterns. or symmetry.) for some reason, and the level of saturation and brightness in the painting felt so on for my wardrobe.

  I also liked the way the painting had her makeup done, because it's pretty similar to how I do mine every day. I tried to replicate it with Wamiles pearl pink base color, and The Body Shop's pressed face powder, brown eyeliner, & lipstick #22 (Garnet). I tried to part my hair in the middle too, but it was having none of that.

  It's strange; I do not like white clothing except when it's sunny out, and then all I want to do is wear floaty white skirts and shirts. It's not in the nude, but I think it's a spiritual equivalent- I love it when I can wear light, flowing clothes and feel the breeze against my skin. Rare occasion indeed in Daly City!

  I wore my favorite long summer skirt and a shirt I've had for years but never worn. It was $4 and it made me feel like a fairy princess (bought it!) but is transparent at the midriff (can't wear it outside!) I got up the guts to wear it out to take photos though, because hey, the painting gal ain't worried, and she's nude. I'm thinking I will make a separate colored layer to wear under it that will help highlight the lace and subtle sequins. Both items have flowers in the fabric design.

  I'm wearing one of my favorite necklaces again, a bead and flower confection from Printemps in Tokyo. Wearing it always brings back memories. The earrings are a new thrift find from last weekend. I'm excited at how well they matched the floral arrangements flanking the model's head.

  This was really fun. Thanks to Salazar and Jess for coming up with this idea and to Gracey for introducing it to me; I had a blast participating, and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone else's styles June 3rd!

P.S. If anyone's wondering what my process is for earrings, it's cleaning with Claire's antiseptic, followed by distilled vinegar if I want to polish the metal, followed by alcohol. No ear poisoning so far! *crosses fingers*

Shirt: True Light U.S.A. (thrifted)

Skirt: KOMMOTiON NY (eBay)

Necklace: unknown (Printemps, Tokyo)

Earrings: unknown (thrifted)

Rings: unknown (gold flowers-Brasil, lab emerald-gift)
Shoes: Rieker antistress (thrifted)