otis jury show

Thursday I went to the Jury Show for my Alma Mater, Otis College of Art and Design as a juror. It's the first of the 2 shows that are put on by the students in the fashion program. The Jury Show is the one that determines who gets to participate in the benefit show for their scholarship gala, or whatever it is called. I worked hours and hours/days and days to prepare for that show when I was a junior and senior, and I couldn't help getting anxiety flashbacks before I walked into the Cal Mart. Especially since it was the first time I've been back since I packed up my life there on the last day of class senior year. Much to my not surprise, many of the teachers had no idea who I was, but I did get to see my favorite teacher who always had faith in me, when no one else did. So that made the whole day worth it.

(Vanessa Bruno blazer, Who Cares blouse, Abaco belt, Marc by Marc Jacobs jeans, Report Signature pumps, fancy charm bracelet and various other jewelery)

I will most likely never go back for the show again, and I definitely got the urge to visit people there out of my system. I don't really know what I thought I would get out of it, but I didn't get much.

stripes and polka dots

Last night, I got back to LA after a too short weekend visit home, and played host to my cousins who were visiting from there. We walked to El Compadre for some Mexican food, mariachi music and absolutely delicious margaritas then on to El Prado for some not so good wine but really great atmosphere and music - I felt like we were in the NW, it really had that vibe - then onto one last drink at The Gold Room. I am sad to say that my favorite bar might not be my favorite anymore, there was some awful performance going on that included the worst singer ever trying to crawl all over the booths and benches. We watched a group of regulars look at each other and leave 5 minutes into the performance. Although I think it's no longer chill or cool, Heidi and Doug were thoroughly entertained and that's all that really matters.

No Pants After Dark #11

(Thakoon for Target t-shirt, Target skirt, Zara belt, Christian Louboutin espadrilles, vintage jewellery)

Heidi pointed out that "No Pants After Dark" sounds really naughty. I can't believe I didn't think of that myself or that someone didn't say anything sooner! Oh well, too late. I think when I reach 20 on the blog, I will stop counting them, because it really has become habit to only wear dresses or skirts at night when I go out, which was my intention from the beginning.

Loot

One of the joys of going home is discovering something new from my mother's closet that she has recently found, forgotten about or grown tired of. Every time I go home, I find something that I can take with me. Often times it's something that I might have thought was butt ugly when she first got it, and couldn't understand why she spent so much money on it...

This trip yielded some great results, including this mesh tube dress from one of the ugliest brands ever, Lilith. I have now taken TWO Lilith pieces with me. Shocking, really. It had sleeves back in the day, but my mom cut them off. I sort of wish I had one that still had sleeves along with this altered version. It's great though, because it really goes down to my mid calves, but i can scrunch it up and give it texture and create the illusion of opacity. It's better than those American Apparel dresses that are tight and short, because the texture of the scrunching makes it less revealing.

I wore this out dancing and bar hopping with my friends in Portland. It wasn't exactly 80's Night appropriate, but it was definitely dancing appropriate.

No Pants After Dark #10

(Lilith tube dress, Isabel Marant plaid shirt/jacket, Abaco Paris belt, Loeffler Randall shoes, vintage jewellery)

mix-master

This is what I wore to work last Wednesday. I really enjoyed the stripes with the print of the sweater and the oxfords. I think it's one of my better day-time, jeans centered outfits I've created in a while. Please excuse my mop, I thought it would get cut out when I cropped the photo...but then I would have cut out my feet.

(Gap t-shirt, Thakoon for Target sweater, Earnest Sewn jeans, Dries Van Noten oxfords, vintage jewellery)

I look so happy to go to work, no?

coffee and interview

I had another interview today. I really hate it when you get all pumped for it, then you get there and your brain freezes. Or maybe, that is just a problem that I have, because it definitely happened to me today. Oh well, I learn something at every interview, especially the ones that don't go as well as I had hoped.

Before said interview, I went to the Fix with Jasmine and caught up with our favorite baristas. All three of them were there today. Since our fabulous St. Patrick's day party plans dissolved, we started discussing having an Easter Egg hunt/party. Max said it should be all over Echo Park, I thought that might be a little excessive and tough, no?

Here is what I wore to the interview. I switched out the skirt for some Marc by Marc high waisted, cropped blue jeans for coffee.

(H&M jacket, Mom's scarf from back in the day, Mayle top, 3.1 Phillip Lim knit pencil skirt, Repetto shoes, vintage and new jewellery)

I love love love this blouse. I've had it for a few years and started wearing it more this past summer. I find it is universally loved, girls always love it and even guys will compliment it, which is always a little shocking. I ended up having to roll the skirt at the waist, because it tends to hit me in a spot that gives me really fat looking knees, so every time I go to wear it - which is very often - I feel like a big fat pig. I have to hem it, but I'm afraid that might never happen, as there are about 5 garments in need of fixing in front of it.

coffee with darlene

I walked the gauntlet today to meet Darlene for a coffee at The Fix. I planned what I think was an especially successful outfit. Unfortunately, a jacket did not go with the outfit, so my fingers are still stiff from being so cold.

I chose to do a series this time, but was too lazy to take down my ironing. So please, don't mind the mess.

(Joie t-shirt, Comptoir des Cotonniers skirt, Target belt, Pare Gabia espadrilles, new and vintage jewellery)

It was really nice to catch up with Darlene, whom I haven't seen in ages, even though we live within walking distance of each other.

first day of work and day 3 of no pants after dark

Yesterday was my first day of my internship. I guess I forgot what being an intern entails. It's actually no different that what I did when I was working in Paris, except I don't predict that personal boundaries will be crossed quite so often. It's really no wonder they hired me so fast, as I am so over qualified, it is redonculous. I have to remind myself that it is a step in the right direction, even if i do have to take out the trash along the way.

On to the "No Pants After Dark" rule. I recently decided that I was going to try and wear a skirt or dress whenever I go out at night for 30 days, because I have about a million of both that I never wear. And I find that if I wear a dress, I am more likely to wear one of my many pairs of shoes. I am basically forcing myself to try a little harder and get more bang for my buck out of my unworn clothes. I technically started on Friday, but failed to document it, so Saturday's "Perfect Date Outfit" will be considered outfit #1.

Here is "No Pants After Dark" outfit #2 - even if it was day 3:







(Vintage military jacket, gap t-shirt, Isabel Marant skirt, Tod's pumps, new and vintage jewellery)

I wore said outfit to Spaceland's Free Monday with J. Marie, Daven and Jasmine, where we saw mostly bad bands, except for Easter Conference Champions, who were pretty good. I also was sneaky, and brought my flask and ordered club soda's all night. GENIUS. Almost as good as someone buying your drinks. I realized that I was never going to drink the vodka that was purchased for my birthday party, unless I brought it with me somewhere.

Someone asked if us girls were in a band together, because we looked so fab. No, I am not in the band, but I am, in fact, a super fabulous ROCK STAR.

P.S. J. Marie cut my hair. It is looking pretty fab, but my bangs are a constant battle.

sat/sun

Suddenly my life has gotten busy, and I cannot be more happy about it. I feel like I've been running around nonstop since Wednesday. YAY!!!!

After a Friday night of bar hoping, which led us to the conclusion that only the Gold Room is any good on the weekends, and that the cool kids don't stand in line, I spent my Saturday eating my way around the city. I seem to have developed a new weekend formula.

I went to lunch with Alexa, who finally returned from her European adventures at Alegria, where I had their amazing Huevos Rancheros. For those of you who I told I would never eat Huevos Rancheros again, because of my negative association with the word "huevos", I obviously lied. I cannot resist the goodness that is Mexican food with a fried egg on top. I also got a papaya and lemon smoothie thing that was delish. It was really nice to catch up with Alexa, whom I so missed while she was away, and to live vicariously through her Europe trip. We stopped by The Fix after lunch, where I got a cookie and coffee, which was totally unnecessary after I CLEANED my plate at Alegria.

(Thakoon for Target dress, Mother's belt from back in the day, Sigerson Morrison flats)

After napping off my food coma and re-grooming myself, I met my cousin and her BF and some of their friends for dinner at The Bowery on Sunset. I had read/heard about it a million times, and the fact that they are supposed to have the best burgers in LA. Katie and I shared the sliders, which were, in fact, very tasty. I don't know if they beat the Racquet Club's sliders, but maybe it is nostalgia that makes me say that. 2 of our dinner mates got the burger, which comes on an English Muffin. They both seemed very pleased with that concept, but I remain skeptical. I will have to go back and experience their burger another time, as the sliders came with regular hamburger buns. I think it is safe to say, I did a little bit of binge eating yesterday. Whoops. It was lovely to see Katie and Jerod though, and I promised to go visit them in Manhattan beach on a Friday and spend the evening with them after a relaxing day at the beach. I wish I could have been more fun and stayed out later with them, but I had to behave and be ready for the photo shoot today!

(Vena Cava dress, Vanessa Bruno blazer, Costume National shoes, Abaco purse, antique bracelet)

I was super excited about my outfit, BTW, because this is one of my dresses I got at the Barney's Warehouse sale. As for the shoes, I bought them years ago at Halo and never wore them - to young and not sophisticated enough to wear all the beautiful clothes I owned - but have recently rediscovered them,and have gotten quite a lot of wear out of them in the past few months. If I had dates to go on, this would be the outfit. The photo is awfully dark, but the fabric is beautiful. That is what those girls do best, interesting silk prints made into pretty date dresses!

As for the photo shoot...It was so fun. I don't know why I ever doubted wanting to be a stylist; it is like playing dolls with humans! I have lots of photos and more stories to tell, but will have to post about it later. I must rest for my big day tomorrow, first day of the internship!

insanity at the gold room, coffee the next day to discuss said insanity

Last night was one big circus. Random dude followed me to a bar, where I was chillin' with my friends. I was mortified. I couldn't stop laughing. I was horrified. OMG. It was like we were in a movie, as Jasmine said, that stuff couldn't be written. She does have it on film, but it was awfully painful to watch, as my voice is slightly abrasive and it's mainly me and J. Marie laughing, while Jasmine and Cory call Creep-0 a creep. I'm new to this whole, giving boys my number thing. It was one of those instances when I was half way through reciting my number, I had this sinking feeling that it was not a good idea. But instead of being smooth and throwing in a different number, I gave him the real thing. Boy did that backfire. Lesson learned, and once again the Gold Room never fails to disappoint.

Here is what I wore to what turned into a hysterical disaster. I have decided that it is much more fun to wear dresses at night, and since I have about 300 of them, I should only wear dresses after dark. So, goodbye jeans with heels!

(Vanessa Bruno Jacket, Urban Outfitters t-shirt, Marc by Marc Jacobs jeans, DIY Target shoes, antique ivory bracelet, mom's pocket watch, vintage LOVE ring)

Today, after a very uneventful morning, I met J. Marie and Jasmine for coffee at the Fix. I also sampled the ladies' signature lavender honey latte; it was amazing. The honey and the lavender go perfectly together and taste good with the coffee. I also brought some of the amazing vegan cookies from TJ's as a little treat for us. I know it is totally inappropriate to BYO cookies to a coffee shop, but when the coffee is 5 dollars, I think it's less offensive.

Although this outfit gave me no waist definition, and sort of gives me the look of a beer belly, there was something about the simplicity that I loved. I am also trying to wear lipstick more often. But somehow it always ends up all over my face...

(Dusty t-shirt, Comptoir des Cotonniers skirt, L'Autre Chose shoes, vintage bracelet, fish bracelet from X-Mas popper)

2 day work week

Yay for me! I now have a job (internship) starting on Monday, 2 days a week. Yippee!!!! They even complimented my portfolio.

Here is what I wore. I thought I looked very stylish walking down Melrose Avenue, carrying my portfolio with my big sunglasses, reflected in the glass windows of stores. Do you ever wish you had a professional photographer following you around. Because, I mean, I can take a reflection pic myself, but the walking shot is just so much betters. Oh well, here are the living room self portraits. The second photo really looks like I'm not wearing anything underneath the dress. But I assure you, I am most definitely wearing a full slip. Those are not my bare boobs!

(Vena Cava dress, Abaco Paris belt, Mossimo Dutti jacket, unnamed cashmere scarf, Vince Camuto shoes, antique ivory (don't kill me) bracelet, vintage silver bracelet, and you cannot see it, but my lucky Eiffel Tower necklace)

I was telling my sister that good things are starting to happen, because she brought me back my Eiffel Tower necklace (the one that broke on my drive down here, causing all the doom that followed). But, maybe I just had to be patient. I'd rather give mad credit to the necklace though.

After a celebratory Pinkberry, for lunch, I went to Target for cat food, and left with a congratulatory necklace from the Erickson Beamon for Target collection.

(target.com)

I am dying over it. But, every time I look too closely I can see it's a bit of a piece of shit. But fab. So it cancels out the crap-ness. And I still want all the cocktail rings, which are totally amazing and impractical.

valentine's day

Here's what I wore out, when I finally decided to socialize with some friends on Valentine's Evening for some tasty, fancy cocktails at Mixville Bar on Rowena, then over to Little Cave in Highland Park. From one extreme to the other. I was dying to wear this Mayle dress that I got at the Barney's sale, I've never bought anything from her that was under 200 dollars! HOLLA!

Mayle dress, Sigerson Morrison flats, Loeffler Randal for Target purse.

After looking at the pictures, I think I should have gone with my other outfit idea, the dress and my hair might not have been meshing well, and I probs should have gone with heels. Oh well!

Vanessa Bruno dress and heels, AA tights, Abaco belt.

drinks at the gold room

I met my old friend Cory for drinks last night. After out last outing together to all the bars that are within walking distance, we both agreed that the Gold Room was by far the best. We came to this decision partially based on the fact that they Gold Room Special is a beer - I'm pretty sure it's PBR - and a shot of tequila for 4 dollars, as well as the fact that the DB factor seemed to be less than that of Little Joy or Short Stop. I now have more reason to love this funny little dive bar on Sunset. Not only do they slap down a basket of peanuts when you order, they also have free chicken tacos. FREE TACOS?!!?! It gets better, as we were sitting at the bar, mariachi band walked in. All that's missing is a dance floor. Basically, it was amazing. If I had more self control when I went to bars, I might just become a regular there.

This is what I wore, nothing fancy:

L.A. Eyeworks glasses, Thakoon for Target t-shirt, tattered Cheap Monday Jeans, Urban Outfitters studdy belt, Gaspard Yurkievich heels.

God, could I look more gloomy?? Actually not one of my best outfits. Oh well, I just really wanted to wear those shoes, as they are so so so freaking comfortable, and thought the holey jeans would make them more appropriate for the dirty hipster bar. This is what happens when I start to worry about what other people think of my clothes, I end up looking silly.

2 outfits, 1 day

I decided I should get out of the house and enjoy the sunshine yesterday, instead of moping inside my daylight free apartment. So I drove over to a part of Burbank I had never encountered before, in search of my fancy schmancy Bumble and Bumble Treatment shampoo and conditioner, that I am totally obsessed with. I forgot how nice people in Salons are, I made a new BFF when the guy helping me found out I am from Portland, even though he touched my fried hair with a little bit of pity and disgust, I forgave him because he is from the PNW. It turns out the salon was on West Magnolia Street that has all the vintage stores that people rave about, but wont tell you where the are. I refrained from buying anything, but was thoroughly pleased with the 3 I went into, and I'm pretty sure there are about 5 more, along with a leather outlet that claimed to have fancy brands. I will definitely be making a trip back there when I have cash flow, stamina, and a partner in crime.

I then made a trip to Target for some necessities, and proceeded to try on the one of the Thakoon bikinis, and decided I was just not ready to go there.

Alexa then came over and we went to Alegria on Sunset for some delish Mexican food. It is by far my favorite Mexican restaurant in LA, partially because it is guilt free and non-greasy, but mostly because it is absolutely amaaaazing. I had the fish tacos, and she had the veggie burrito. Yum. It would be more my fave if they served booze, it is BYOB though, which sort of makes up for it. But you cant really BYO margaritas. Lame.

My 2 outfits for the day.

Left: Ray-Ban sunnies, Stella McCartney cotton jacket, Gap tank, Earnest Sewn Jeans, Sigerson Morrison sandals and Mayle purse. Right: Wesc faux-wrap sweatshirt, Inhabit tank, Earnest Sewn jeans, DIY studded Target heels and Abaco France purse.

dinner at gingergrass

I was dyyyyyying for some pho this past week, and lucky for me Juan was easy to convince to join me. We drove past Pho Cafe on Sunset, and I decided it would be better to go to Gingergrass on Glendale Boulevard instead, because I was jonesing for one of their fancy mimosas. We both got the pho, and I got a delicious mimosa with blood orange and lychee while Juan got the most amazing drink ever: limeade mixed with - if I remember correctly - one of the cheapest Vietnamese beers out there. It was so tasty. Like a Corona with a sugary lime, and served on ice with a straw.

And this is what I wore today and out to dinner:

Old Navy striped t-shirt (I cut the hood off), J. Crew v-neck, Isabel Marant skirt, L'Autre Chose leopard flats.

I was channelling my inner French Girl, and added my leather jacket and a floral scarf when I went out. Can you tell I cut my own bangs the other day??? I think they might be a little out of control. Whoops.

dinner at palate

Thursday night, after a great day spent furniture shopping with my mom who came back down to help me move, we went to Palate to celebrate her birthday. We heard an interview on KCRW a few weeks ago, which piqued our interest. Palate is a lot of things, it is a restaurant, wine merchant/cellar, cheese shop, book store located right in the middle of the car dealerships on Brand in Glendale. A very strange location for a shi shi restaurant.

All silver surfaces, mood lighting, we ate at the communal table in the bar area. I was definitely expecting a less urban and more homey/rustic atmosphere, more Beast less Blue Hour. Comparing it's look to Blue Hour though is not fair to my favorite Portland restaurant. The art consisted of grape themed photos and giant urns filled with oversized grapes. It looked tacky and out of place with the suburban modern decor.

All criticisms aside. The food, french based and small plates, was delicious and beautifully presented. Mom had sweetbreads and caponata (presented in a mason jar) and I had a salad with pears and walnuts and duck confit, unfortunately for you I tried to tack photos but said mood lighting and old camera prevented them from turning out. The wine list was awesome too. They had a number of my favorite wines, including the harder to find Sancerre Blanc and Jurançon Sec. They did NOT have Beaujolais Nouveau, which was a super bummer, unlike Paris where everywhere you turn right now are Beaujolais Nouveaus...aaahhhh Paris.

We spoke briefly with the wine director Tim Goldun, we exchanged our favorite Paris restaurants and rattled off some different wine regions and their importance, who kindly brought us a fancy glass of 1989 Vouvray Sec without botrytis (wine speak for made from mold free grapes) with our dessert. My mom had some fancy descriptions for it, I just thought it was very tasty.

Our outfits for the evening:

Men's Levi's Railroad shirt, Earnest Sewn jeans, F21 oxfords, vintage bracelet

Was feeling bleh, so only took one pic. What you cannot see is a little styling detail, I usually tuck this shirt in the back, somehow manages to give it a little more shape, and you gots to show off your assets...HA! Jkfr. But, I did tuck it in the back, cuz I like the way it looks.

Oliver Peoples glasses, Gap sweater, Dries Van Noten top, Goldsign jeans, Delman flats

Isn't Mom stylish??? I found that sweater for her, and that top. And I probably picked out those jeans. But she put the outfit together herself. She is fab.

a new/old outfit

This is a shot of an outfit I wore out a couple of weeks ago. It was the tail end of the TBA (Time Based Art) Festival in Portland, thrown by PICA. My mom had been bugging me to go for ages, and it took till the last day of the show for me to be convinced. I am sad to say, the art show was a bust, but we did finish off the day by stopping by one of my fave stores Una (where I purchased the shirt worn below) for some browsing and chatting with store owner Giovanna. I tried on the amazing sweater vest, by Tom Scott, featured on the store's blog. ABSOLUTELY AWESOME. Una consistently has some of the most interesting inventory in all of Portland.

I bought these Dries Van Noten oxfords right when I got back from Asia in August at Halo, and called them my Back to School Splurge. Because no matter how old you are, you need to do back to school shopping in August/September! It took me a while to wear these guys, partly because summer lasted through September, and also because I couldn't really figure out how to wear them...


I think I did OK on my first try. J. Brand jeans, Gap Euro belt, Dries oxfords, Pour.Femme Shirt.

I'm still trying to find a good place to take outfit pictures in my house. It is awfully dark in every single room, and there are very few empty walls, as basically every single space is filled with art or (less cool) stuff. I'm thinking in front of the garage door is going to be the best bet, when it's not pouring down rain...Also, sorry about the blurry pics. I think it is time to upgrade cameras, as this one has travelled ALL over the world with me in the past year. It is a little worse for wear at this point, and it's showing in the picture quality!