Out for Dinner

Do I look unusually florid here? I'm either tanning during my morning scoots to the train station or I need to learn color balance in PS. Or paint that wall.

wait, I figured it out:

Pro!

 Kimono shirt shell: Forever 21 (thrifted)

Jeans: 7 for all Mankind (gift from brother)

Platforms: Candie's (thrifted)

Necklace: family crest (inherited)

Damascene bracelet: eBay

Stepped out for dinner with a dear friend I hadn't seen since I moved back up. Finally wore the shirt shell I thrifted last year when I was visiting for one of Favourite Joe's shows. There's a lot of yellow and bright teal in it, so I was unable to figure out an underlayer until I bought this goldenrod tank top I posted about last month.

This whole 'color' thing is opening up all sorts of new frontiers!

Good to see this outfit looks nice and not over-the-top "HI DID I MENTION MY ANCESTORS CAME FROM JAPAN"

Workish

Another of my attempts to look workish:

Shirt shell: CAN CAN (thrifted)

Belt: evenement (thrifted in Japan)

Jeans: Mother jeans (retail)

Boots: ALDO (thrifted)

Favourite Joe has to work on holding the camera at me level.

The lower half of these jeans have traditional Japanese patterns on them! There are cherry blossoms, waves, pine, and fields. I don't know why this is, but I thought it was about the coolest thing I'd ever seen. Acquired on super sale at a little stand in Southern CA.

Thought I'd let them shine with a plain grey shirt and black boots, but the cut of the top is too distinct, I think. I wear all statement pieces and no basics. :D

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The more I look at photos of what I wear to work, the more I realize I fall outside the norm even when I'm dressing conservatively. It's not a bad thing, but the stakes have changed.

In school, I had no respect for the administration and the unofficial uniform of the campus was cheap black leggings-as-pants, a shapeless underwear-grey sweatshirt, and camel UGG boots. Gawd it was awful, watching crowds of girls shuffle by in that. Dressing up helped prepare me for daily stress and frustration and I told myself that I was lending a little color to the scenery.

Now I work for a company I respect, with people I like. There's no official dress code, and people are laid back, but I would like to dress tastefully and perhaps look like someone who knows what she is doing.

In short, I'm aiming for 'original style' and not 'colorblind bohemian street urchin' because I now give a shit. That means less wild experimentation Monday-Friday.

In work doings, I have opened a tea salon in my work cube so I can give away all of the tea I don't drink:

That's my coworker's action figure of Rodin's The Thinker holding a jelly bean. The robot is holding an origami box with more jelly beans.

...just in case I dressed so well I was in danger of looking like a serious person who deserves a career.

A weekend of San Franthriftco

I recently visited the Bay Area for the weekend. Thrifting was involved, so I'll report back on what I did there. :D

Here is my first successful capsule wardrobe:

Citizens of Humanity sweatshirt (thrifted)

7 for all Mankind jeans (gift from brother)

ANAC mesh top (eBay)

OCCO Paris teal top (free)

Nancy Giallombardo denim skirt (thrifted)

Fitzwell Laura sandals (6pm.com)

I also had my trusty New Balance sneakers. Everything went with everything else! First time I've been able to do that. (My usual method of outfit selection is 'waaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh I wanna wear thisandthisandthisandthis') I also figured since I'd be thrifting during my time up there, that I could add stuff if I wanted.

I actually went up to visit my favorite Joe (srsly. I have met no other Joes I like better.) for his band's show and EP launch. The band is called The Hangover Brigade, they have a folk rock sound, and they are immensely talented and fantastic. (Which is good, because it'd be really awkward if I thought they sounded terrible.)

You can listen to the entire EP on CDbaby (they are also sold on iTunes, Amazon, and other large vendors) and you really should. I had the first track stuck in my head for 48 hours after the show, and that's an endorsement.

The Hangover Brigade's last show!

Here's their cover of No Diggity, that they played as an encore:


Before the show, we drove into the city and walked up and down Haight St. looking for gig-type clothes and accessories for Joe. The only thing more fun than thrift shopping for me is thrift shopping for someone else. Even competing with the pre-Halloween crowd, we had great luck!

Here's what we found:

Exhibit A: grey 5 button vest from Goodwill

Exhibit B: Fuzzy black J's Awake shoes from Wasteland. The soles are red!

Exhibit C: Marshall Collins flatcap from Goorin Bros. Not thrifted, just awesome. I'm pretty sure flatcaps were put on this earth for men with van dyke beards.

We also found these low grey Alfani boots and the following day Joe found the sweet Olympique Marseille track jacket at one of my favorite thrift shops. Soccer's his favorite sport, so extra win. It was in great condition, with a plastic tag loop still inside. I think it was new! I found another picture of it online:

Happily, Joe dug my style suggestions, and the things I thought he could rock he totally rocked. I thought he looked great, he thought he looked great, happy shopping vibes all around.

The items are all multipurpose and can be used for music gigs, work, or everyday. There was a coat with tails briefly tried on at a Steampunk shop because when it comes down to it, I think everybody should wear Regency style clothes, but maybe for another time.

And because I had a few hours to kill during soundcheck before the show started, I tootled back to the Goodwill down the street and went shopping for myself this time. >.>

Whee! My haul from two thrift shops that weekend:

I've been looking for mustard skinny jeans or jeggings for a long time to wear with sweater dresses & boots in the winter. I'm slowly taking steps into the world of color. Thanks to style blogs, I know colors I'd never wear near my face because of my complexion can be worn on my lower half.

These jeans are by Margaret M, and still had the tag attached. I found out it's a Canadian brand that makes their products domestically. Any northerners heard of the brand?

The wide leather belt is by Pellemelle, and thanks to alert readers, I know 'pelle' is Italian for leather. :D Italian leather, it says on the inside, and made in the US.

The grey and black checked vest is from TRF, which I think is a collection within Zara. It's size L, but it has criss-crossing straps in the back that let me cinch it in to the correct width.

The Forever 21 Japanese print shirt shell was a go back behind the counter that I pointed to excitedly as we were checking out. Instant sell! I'm not sure how I feel about the red lace, but the print and the long square fire hazard sleeves absolutely do it for me.

Check out the luster on these fake pearls! I don't often have luck thrifting jewelry, but I thought I hit it big with these. I want to wear the blue pearls with the lace-feather-ribbons flower pin with my dark blue OzzOn dress.

Lastly, these Candie's green and brown platform boots fill another hole in my wardrobe- casual sturdy boots in the brown color palette. My thrifted Doc Martens chafe my Achilles tendon something fierce, so onto eBay they go.

I put so many holes through my October budget that it's curled up in a corner somewhere licking its wounds, but I regret nothing. Sometimes I've thrifted things and gone 'aww crap, that wasn't a good idea' but this time, all items feel like practical fits within my existing wardrobe. Vest, wide belt, shirt shell, boots, jeans... this is basically Couturgatory right here in one thrifted heap. What's your latest treasure or your latest 'aww crap' purchase?

Low brightness florals

  Evidently I don't eschew all florals for myself, just bright, busy ones. :D As it turns out, low brightness ones that look kind of Asian make me go "Ooh!"

Shirt shell: handmade (thrifted)

Black underdress: H&M (thrifted)

Mermaid chambray skirt: Bebe (thrifted)

Pendant: handmade (old)

Platform boots: ALDO (thrifted)

  There's a little bit of tiny old Asian lady going on, so I'm going to add some darts to shape the garment better. It appears to be handmade!

  It actually reminds me of this shell I was staring at the other day, only for 1/15th the price.

(Garment is available here)

  This is what I was wearing underneath:

  The buttons have figure-eight loops so they sit side by side down the front! I was very charmed. Almost as charmed by how it doesn't breathe at all so it keeps me warm. Even if I have to wash it immediately after one wearing. >.>

  I am digging this mermaid style skirt, found after I'd been searching for a year. What do you wear for footwear with one? I went with boots, because I always wear boots, but I'd like to know what you all think.

New shirt shell love

How sweet is this shirt??!

  This Spencer Alexis Asian-ish top is a gift from Megan Mae and my latest shirt shell. I spent the morning contemplating its details and I kept liking it more with every hour.

Top: Spencer Alexis (gift from Megan Mae)

Kanzashi hairpin: Megan Mae buttonflower

Under cami: Express

Skirt: Chico's (thrifted)

Boots: ALDO (thrifted)

  I'm trying to decide if this very outfit in another 40 years will make me blend as an old Asian lady, or not. I wore it over a contrasting color tank to show the cool bottom. It reminds me just a little bit of kesa- the shawl Japanese Buddhist monks wear draped over their necks.

  Nothing would do as a hair accessory but a Megan Mae buttonflower-as-kanzashi. I also figured out if I hug myself, I make a big heart. Do you see it?

  It somehow combines so many things I like (shirt shells, embroidery, mixed fabrics, AZNness) with pushing at my comfort zones (bold colors, pattern/print, brocade, embroidered pattern on top of another pattern.) I love it. I love it so much I was busy staring at it and thus the "Hm, I should tuck my hair back" and "Is that camera thing blinking?" looks in the photos up there.

  What's an item that pushed you a little out of your comfort zone? Does it have a story?

East by South East

  Ariane at Style Sud-Est is doing a linkup with a Japanese-inspired theme and I was all, "I'm Japanese! I'm inspired!"
  I'm going to link this up to Patti's Visible Monday, as well.

Look, fire hazard sleeves! My favorite.

  This is my latest shirt shell from the thrift shop. It was like, "Look, (non gender-specific) bitch! FANS."

  and I was like, "Hells yeah." *reaches for shirt*

  I took one of the lovely button flowers Megan Mae gave me and used it as a kanzashi hairpin.

Kimono-style shirt shell: Zero Zero (thrifted)

Skirt: Express (thrifted)

Button flower: Megan Mae (gift!)

Laura sandals: Fitzwell (old)

Necklaces: gift from brother (Okinawa), rice necklace mall stand (very old)

  The only wee problem with the shirt: the way it's folded right now, I am a dead person. I'm going to have to take apart the ribbon under the bust and switch the fold to left over right. I am not at all superstitious, but I keep worrying a Japanese person will see me and be mortified. (haha!)

  It is SO HOT and sunny in the Bay Area right now! Of course by hot I mean it got to 85 the other day. I know all of you languishing in summer heat are staring daggers at me right now. I can feel them. Poik! Poik! Poik! Ow.

  I love this weather, though I can't spend a lot of time in direct sunlight because starting in my late twenties-early thirties, I started freckling instead of tanning evenly. NOW I know why fobby women shield themselves from the sun as if they were puddles.

  Last weekend in Sacramento, my friend got married in the California Automobile Museum. It was really cool! We could walk around and look at the exhibits in between the ceremony and reception, and there was Vic's ice cream for everyone. I never thought of myself as a car-lover (though I enjoyed working on them with my father growing up and in high school) but the collection there is amazing. There are interactive demos, old cars you can climb into and take pictures in, and free tours. I really loved it.

  I thought of Ally especially so I took some pictures of the classic cars. (click to enlarge and scroll)

  I hope all of your weekends are as gorgeous as mine. (:

Casual Japanese Elements

  Casual day today. Trying to relax. So, jeans!

  This is my shirt shell with the most ridiculous sleeves to date. I dig it. I heart the chrysanthemums and Japanese-y traditional print, and I love the criminy out of the flowy bell sleeves. I didn't even have to alter them. They are wrist length for me. Love.
  I am adding a new label today: fire hazard. It will mark all of my impractical sleeves and anything that has dangly pieces of lace or string.

  Clearly with jeans and black shoes, a leather jacket is in order. Something about these three things together make me feel more confident and a little armored.

  Sushi jewelry is also in order. It's even American-style sushi, with California rolls! Japanese, American, and California, just like me.
  Trying out liquid eyeliner more lately. I avoided liner for a long time because I thought it was far too dark and had the unfortunate effect of making the wearer look sleep-deprived/angry/strung out. I've since realized that of course, you notice the things most when they are are too strong for your personal preference. When I apply the me-amount, I quite like it. And of course, there are always people who can rock eyeliner all day like it was made for them. Like this man:

  Hot damn. I hope your weeks are off to good starts. As always, thank you for stopping by.

Shirt shell: unknown (thrifted)

Underlayer : MNG basics (old)

Jeans: 7 For All Mankind (thrifted)

Blue leather jacket: Laundry by Shelli Segal (gift)

Shoes: Dansko (thrifted)

Sushi necklace & earrings: tatsuko- shop currently selling chiyogami. other sushi jewelry (old, etsy)