Gypsy

Whew! This summer has been absolutely crazy, chock full of great things, some tougher things, lots of life.

Along with much of my free time, shopping and internet time have both gone out the window, for the most part! Though I have to go to a wedding in a little over a week and I had to have this dress:


Fantastical dress for a fantastical summer. Will try to post pics of the finished look once I have it in my hot little hands!

Dia Del Deco

The other night the bf had to go to a fancy event at City Club, an old SF meeting place downtown. I was extremely short on the details, and basically just going along to support him.

Me, with more lipstick than I've ever worn in my life:






















Dress: thrifted
Belt: hand me down from a friend
Shoes: Seychelles
Bracelets: on sale at Cost Plus!





































I had no idea what I was in for. Little did I know, we were stepping back in time into a Deco paradise. Below, an original Diego Rivera mural painted in the stairwell from 1931. It's one of the few on the West Coast and his first American mural, representing California.






















Notice that the staircase is made up of little worker dudes...


























































Then there were these incredible stone carvings in the walls.




























































Each of the three elevators had different copper etchings. I only managed to photograph one set of doors, but each was spectacular!






















And my favorite piece, the fireplace. One side is unfortunately covered for a screen used at the event, but the animals going down the right side are an eagle, foxes and a jaguar. Unbelievably gorgeous in person and so elegant. I know it doesn't look as incredible here, what with my super amateur photography skills, but such care was taken to decorate this place.

Needless to say, my jaw was open the whole time and I could not have been more wow-ed. I'm so glad places like this still exist in San Francisco! I gaped throughout the entire evening...

Bridges and Balloons

Happy Mother's Day to the mamas!

Yesterday, in celebration of a mom-to-be, I went to a baby shower for my beloved cousin, who is due in late July, and I managed to convince that man o' mine take my first ever outfit shots (in a particularly unphotogenic corner of my apt -- something to work on) before heading to the blessed event...!











































Dress: thrifted from Hot Couture in Santa Rosa years back
Belt: Community Thrift
Locket: vintage, gifted to me by a dear friend
Shoes: Steven by Steve Madden (it can be tough to thrift shoes when you got big ol' clompers like me! :)

















And here's one of me with my exquisitely flat-faced kitty! His non-profile amuses me to no end. He is obsessed with licking faces.

I had forgotten I had this lovely frock, and it was missing a button down the center. My bf is my seamstress, thank goodness, so while I ran around getting ready he whipped up a fix by using a cuff button. Yes, my man is much craftier than me! :)

For the Sake of the Song

by Townes Van Zandt











































Dudes, this is probably my dream dress. Truly wearable art. (Just don't look at the price...wah.)

Homeless

Speechless about this sparrow-patterned dress.

On the Way Home

Now that fall has officially arrived, I've started to think about getting cozy in some plaids (kind of like one of my idols, Neil Young), which makes me think of American heritage brands like Pendleton and Woolrich.






















Woolrich jacket.






















Pendleton shift dress with chain belt.






















Love this hooded Pendleton jacket!

The Uniform Project

I don't know if you've already heard about The Uniform Project, since it's kinda been all over the interwebs, but just in case you have not, Sheena Mathiekan decided, with the help of a friend, to design a staple dress and wear it every single day for one entire year, styling it up each morning, as an "excersize in sustainability." Even better, the project was also conceived as a way to raise money for the Akanksha Foundation, which helps educate underprivileged children in India.






















The project is over now, and has been for a few months, but over the year I found myself checking in with it every so often to gape at the crazy creativity happening. It's not only captivating but also very inspiring!






















Anyway, I just found out you can now get your very own version of the dress she wore -- totally awesome! It's $150, which seems fair for something you could wear the heck out of, and some of the money goes to her charity. I just might ask for one of these for Christmas. Heck, I might want it before Christmas so I can wear it to some of the holiday functions!

The Whale Has Swallowed Me

I don't know an avid Mad Men viewer who has emerged untouched by the incredible sets and costuming of the show. I get giddy each Sunday, eagerly anticipating the next episode, its flawless writing and its shot of mid-century goodness. Perhaps in part I like the decor because where I grew up a lot of things had been built in the early 60s and not much had changed. It's a bit like going home. Anyway...






















Watercolor dress






















Ancient ship necklace






















Geometric dress with neck-tie






















Am I crazy? I think this cave-paintings dress is aaaamaazing!

















Glass bird dish






















Abstract line dress

Wild World

After suffering some personal disappointment today in the job realm, this song popped into my head.

And as for right here, it also ties into the fact that I have been looking all summer for the perfect piece to add some tribal goodness to my routine, whether it is a dress, top or accessory. I love this early 90s revival that has been going on -- and though flannels and plaids have never really left my clothing repertoire, I am ready to walk on the wild side with some crazy throwback patterns! Haven't quite found the right thing yet, but here are some contenders. (I coulda been a contender! ;)






















This dress is heavy on neutral pattern.






















Love batik in all its forms! Has it ever gone out of style, really?

















Love this bag via the always-impressive Astral Boutique!






















This dress is my fave, but strapless?? Not really sure if I'm up to that!

P.S. The "summer" we're having in SF has been just as cold as winter, even chillier than our usual gloomy summers! Not exactly feeling as tropical/sunny as these pieces! But I can save 'em for our ol' reliable Indian summer in Sept/Oct.

Candy

One of my favorite shops in SF is the Candystore Collective.

They have amazing independent designer clothing, jewelry, cards, and vintage housewares. And yes, they have candy for sale as well, displayed beautifully behind the counter in large glass jars.

It's all kind of out of my price range, but from time to time I have indulged in their sweet treats. Especially when they have sales!

This top above is so Stevie Nicks! I love it.

And this dress below is too adorable!

Black Velvet

Ok, first of all, this song cracks me up because it reminds me of one of my favorite people in the world, Mr. Brent James, and now also RuPaul's Drag Race and Jujubee's flawless lipsync for her life!

Moving on, thanks to Miss Amber of Violet Folklore, I purchased (way too early) the all-important centerpiece to a Christmas-worthy ensemble, and now in fact, have completed my outfit! I feel really silly to have done this in July, but I've been wanting a gooooood velvet dress for over a year and I couldn't pass this one up. Velvet is the perfect fall/winter fabric!

The dress:






















The fabulous belt:















The shoes:

I got mine years ago though, before Vivienne Westwood slapped her label on 'em (and around $30 extra bucks too)!

Now I can sit back and let the season rush toward me without a worry or care! Ahhhhhhhhh...

Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow

Is it wrong that I am kinda loving this dress from Spiegal? Is it a sign that I am OLD or is this just an exception? The world may never know...

Will you still love me?

There Is A Light That Never Goes Out

Omfg. If this could somehow magically fit me, I would add a glorious thick ribbon round the waist, do a Stevie Nicks twirl, and wear it for my wedding in a heartbeat!






























This one works too! I guess Victorian people were tiny though...




































All these 32" busts ruin these dresses of my dreams!

These Days

A few items of interest these days:


Gingham dresses are good.


Mirrored tables like this make me happy.


And just a dash of Native American style art, especially with a horse involved.

Private Dancer

I have something of a secret "thing" for tulle skirts, like this one. My favorite outfit ever on Sex and the City was Carrie's teal ballerina dress in the final episode in France. Wow. Anyway, this black tulle dress is so chic and adorable.