Mondays

Last night was a bad night. I just could not get to sleep. Mario was up late - that kept me up. The kitten decided it would be fun to jump on my head every five minutes - so, that kept me up - and just when I felt like I started to get to sleep - the alarm goes off. I did what any sane human would do and hit the snooze - only to wake up way too late, put my eyeliner on in a crooked fashion, remember that I forgot to do the laundry so I had nada to wear. Yet, somehow I made it to work only 12 minutes late. Joy. I could use a vegan donut to go with my coffee this morning. And, it's gonna be one of those cup after cup after cup of coffee a.m.'s.

Pictures from Sunday - 'cuz that's my fun day...



Hyper kitten.



Sailboats.



Pockets!

From my closet: Dress-vintage, Cardi - Anthro. And, the usual suspects.

Thrifts & Things

Things:

We finally have a weekend all to ourselves, no obligations, no guests, no plans. Since coming back from vacation it's been pretty much non-stop madness. I'm glad to just be able to relax and zone out, and take it easy this weekend. Last night we stayed in made a pizza, and watched an interesting/odd? little movie, Withnail and I. The writer/director of the movie was in two of my favorites the Zeffirelli Romeo and Juliet, and Truffaut's The Story of Adele H. Let's just say I enjoyed the two latter movies much more than Withnail and I. Though it is a cult favorite in England (at least that's what the reviews said), I found it to be really depressing. It reminded me a lot of another late 80's early 90's movie from England, London Kills Me. (Forall you Lost fans, Naveen Andrews has a small part in London Kills Me)

(photo from Withnail and I)

Anyway, I hope we watch a comedy tonight!

Thrifts:

Last weekend while my sister in-law was here we went out to the thrifts. I traded some clothes and got some new things. It was fun to go shopping with someone else for a change, as I usually fly solo at the shops.

I wore some of what I got last weekend to work yesterday.

From my closet: Sunnies- cheap monday, Top- thrifted, Belt- thrifted, Skirt- Anthro, Sweater- thrifted, Shoes- target.

What are your plans for the weekend?

"Undressing Cinema"

I guess maybe it's because I'm a romantic, but whenever I see a movie that I really like - I instantly wish that I could somehow magically transport myself into it and become a part of that created/imagined world. Yes, I can day dream myself into so many different movie scenarios - why did I not grow out of this? Anyway, I love that by the simple act of dressing we can (even in our daily lives) adopt a different persona. And, I'm not talking Sybil here - just that by putting on a frilly dress we can feel more romantic, by wearing a blazer and suit skirt, we can look the part of confident professional. It's a lot of fun really. I like that when I wear certain skirts and sweaters - or shift dresses I feel like Anna Karina in Une femme est une femme. Or that when I throw on a slinky dress I can channel Louise Brooks in Pandora's Box. I'm sure we can all come up with dozens of movie examples. I recently came across this book, Undressing Cinema: Clothing and identity in the movies, it's an interesting look at how clothing/ costuming become, not only a part of the characters in the movie but, they are symbolic and are almost a character on their own. This is simplifying what this book is about by a lot, so it may be worth the read if you're interested in film and fashion.

The fog has rolled back in again and we're back to cool weather, but here is what I wore yesterday to beat the heat.

Bailey just had to get in the shot!

From my closet: Cardi- thrifted, Top - anthro, Shorts - ?, Shoes - recent trade/thrift, Necklace - vintage.

Heat Waves. 'It' Gurls...

The weather has gone extreme here in the bay area. I went from wearing a coat around town, to being sprawled out in my oven like apartment in tank tops and shorts. Overnight it went from the 60's to the high 90's, fun. I love warm weather but this is insane - we had zero time to acclimate. Oh well.

Here is what I wore to work on day one of the heatwave (Monday).



From my closet: Shrug - via Anthro, Dress - Steven Alan via local boutique, Necklace - vintage, Shoes - oldies but goodies Charlotte Ronson, Sunnies - Cheap Monday

Maybe it's because of the heat, but the past few days I've been in full hair cut wanting mode. Mario wants me to go for it - he really likes short hair, but I'm still being very indecisive.

It's the same old story- that you may be sick of hearing!

I may do something in between. It's funny because I 'googled' for mid-length and bob hairstyles and I came up with many photos of so called 'it' girls like Alexa Chung, and Laurel Pantin.

Not that I'd cut my just hair to be trendy, but these ladies look amazing and it's giving me hair envy!

Getting to know ... Chic on the Cheap

I started this blog back in February, and it has been so much fun. I have enjoyed getting the chance to meet new friends over this Internet thang' (and even a few of you in person). It's been great learning about the things that interest all of you. Honestly, you are all amazing! I'd like to thank all of you for making this such a great experience. I still remember the excitement of getting my first comment (I really didn't think anyone but friends and family would read anything I posted).

My first follower and commenter was Lyddie of Chic on the Cheap. She really has a wonderful eye for styling and photography -and she's talented with a needle and thread - her blog posts and outfits always amaze me - oh! and she is also super sweet. I recently had the great pleasure of doing an online interview with her about her style and blog - that I would like to share here. Lyddie also, interviewed me about La Fille D'Or. That interview in now Chic on the Cheap, and will soon be up my 'About' page as well.

Thank you Lyddie!

What is your earliest clothing/fashion related moment (be it good or bad) that you can remember. Did this have any affect on your current outlook on style?

I think I was about seven when I threw a temper-tantrum about having nothing to wear. It was December, and I wanted to wear something festive. My wonderful older brother decided to record it; letting my sobs of not having "anything Christmasy to wear" torment me for weeks. Perhaps I've let my closet grow so exponentially to avoid those moments of feeling like I have nothing to wear.

When/why did you decide to start Chic on the Cheap?

Chic on the Cheap will be two next month, and I started it to have a bit of a creative outlet with a deadline. Since I wasn't in school anymore, I wasn't taking photos, I wasn't writing - Just work and shopping.I wanted to have something that would force me to get back into more creative habits. I never imagined having readers other than family and friends - but I love it!

You always have the best fashion scores, when did you first become lured by the 'art of the deal'?

When I realized I couldn't afford the clothes that I loved! A sixteen year old's part time job at minimum wage will not get you very far.I would often lust after items that were too far out of my price range, and I began developing ways to get them for less. The first skirt I ever made was my own $10 recreation of a $50 skirt I'd seen in the Mall. Then I discovered ebay (it used to be way better) and I started buying all my jeans there for $3 - $10!And of course, the more money I saved, the more new things I could try.

Who are your personal style icons / what does personal style mean to you?

Personal style is a celebration of oneself. I'm not trying to hide in my clothes, I'm not ashamed of who I am or what my body looks like. I've found that clothes are a gateway, to conversations, to friendships, to events that might even change your life in someway.

If you could be the heroine in any book- which one would you be?

I know comics aren't really a book, but I think I'd like to be Lois Lane; she's smart, independent, and could always take care of herself. Sure, after she met Superman she needed a fair amount of rescuing, but that was really more his fault that supervillians kept trying to hold her hostage. And it was a small trade off to have Clark Kent as a boyfriend.

If you got a ticket to go anywhere in the world where would you go?
There are so many places I have yet to scratch off my list, and since I'm assuming this ticket is first class, I'd go to Japan. I've wanted to go since high school - to see Tokyo and Kyoto, and "Watch the Sunday Gang in Harajuku", as Bell & Sebastian would say... And go to an anime convention there, which would probably be amazing.

Sunny Afternoons

After weeks of non-stop go-go-go, I'm finally catching up on chores and reading - I even had time to bake a cake. We had family stay with us this weekend - but we did have the afternoon (and this evening) all to ourselves. I hope to get back to regular posts soon. Hope that you all had a great weekend.

This is what I wore to kick around for the day.

From my closet: top- A.P.C, shorts -? brogues - UO, sunnies - cats eyes

Mad Mod World

It's been one of those weeks. I've literally had zero time to sit down and do a post. What with the catching up from Vacation and with preparing for family coming to visit it's been a bit tough.

There has been some fun thrown in the mix as well, last Sunday I got to spent the day in San Francisco with Kathy of 5-6-7-8. We wandered a bit around Golden Gate park, visited the California Academy of Sciences, and ventured off to view the Golden Gate Bridge. Kathy is amazingly sweet and the whole day was a lot of fun- albeit chilly! I will post some pictures soon, but as of yet I haven't uploaded most of them from my camera, and I do not have any outfit posts to share either, but there is this...





Back in the days of high school I was really really into Britpop/rock. Not just Blur and Elastica, but anything to do with the British Invasions of the 60's, 70's, 80's, and 90's from -The Who to Sweet, to The Stone Roses. It was a bit much really. I cut my hair short and ran around the city in mini dresses and patent knee boots. I also began collecting records and posters and books, one of which is this amazing gem.























The book has articles on Mod fashion, music, hair styling, and the dance hall and drug culture. Pretty interesting that the idea of 'youth culture' was sort of this unheard of phenomena at the time. The interviews with the 'Mods' in the book are interesting as well- just to get the viewpoint/ experiences of young people living in that time.

And, now I am reminded of that Pixies song ' subbacultcha'.

Did any of you belong to a sort of subculture group/clique in high school? Goth, Punk, Prep?
I'm curious to know.

Wicked Californian

Hurrah, it's Saturday. I've been feeling loads better since the return of our trip, I think it's because I've been 'juicing'. Yes, this is how hippie dippy Californian I've become. Though I think I should have realized this happening as I slowly traded in my 'wickeds' for 'totallys'.

I've held off being sucked into any kind of tubular surf culture (there's sharks out there you know!) and I've not gone Berkeley farms granola crunchy berkinstock sandals gaga. Believe me, that won't happen, but I do think that I've grown to be more west coast than east coast - (whatever that means!) While I'll always be a city girl (despite my odd fascination with small towns) I have become more outdoorsy, and I like that things seem more relaxed/laid back out here.

Oh the stereo types! I do have to say one thing that I have not found to be true is that people are nicer/friendlier out here- maybe in the aforementioned small towns (but isn't that universal?)
Funny story- the last time I was back east, in New York actually, I had people help me lift/carry/pull my large suitcase through turnstiles, up and down subway steps, onto trains all the way from the airport to the upper west side. Maybe something about -small lady HUGE suitcase just screams "help!" - But everyone was so nice. My boss's reaction to that was - "you're lucky you didn't get robbed." (?)

Anyway, that story maybe didn't have a point. Oh well, here are some CA photos from the drive home from Oregon where we drove right by Mt. Shasta.



And, through this little town in the foothills - with this great theater!



And, here is what I wore yesterday to catch up on work mostly- I don't know how people can take extra extra long vacations, catch up work, and the fact that things get mixed up while you're gone is so stressful! Maybe it's just my east coast type A coming out - that I feel the need to be in control of everything with my work.



From my closet : Blazer- gap (you know to add a professional flair) Top -Zara Slouchy chambray trousers - Genetic Denim. gift. Shoeses - vintage - Via Action is the Fruit on Etsy.

Today I'm off to hang out with the world's coolest kid (fun) and later to do some laundry (not so fun)

Oh! Some new things. I will soon be adding recipes and such for things I make in the 'Eats' section that's by the header - And hopefully more music to the 'Sounds' playlist. If only there were more time in a day!

Have a great Saturday!

Portland Abridged

Seriously, I'm sorry for barraging you with vacation pics! But, for some on reason I feel compelled to foist it all upon the interwebs. This will be short I promise- just a few photos from Portland itself which was the destination at the heart of our trip.

Roses


Washington Park


Hotel View


Sadly, we didn't take too many pictures out and about in Portland as we spent our time walking around the pretty parks, getting lost at Powell's, and stuffing our selves silly on the delicious vegan foods. I'm kind of paying for that last one now, as for some reason so many places had vegan or gluten free foods, but no vegan and gluten free foods. I think what did me in was the Voodoo donut overload on the drive home. They were so delicious - but I had to work from home on Wednesday due to tummy troubles. *sigh* Oh yeah, this is why we mostly eat in and not in the world! I can't wait to get back into the swing of cooking meals at home. I did buy a cookbook at Powells and some new kitchen gadgets at a shop on NE 23rd? Now I'm all set to attempt to make the yummy gnocchi I had at Portabello, in my own lil' kitchen.


I will have some more style related posts soon I swear! Even one pretty awesome blogger related surprise I'm excited about!

Crater Lake

Here are some pictures of our time at Crater Lake Oregon. Which we stopped by on our drive home. This is quite possibly the most amazing spot on Earth. It is one of the deepest lakes in the world and it is the cleanest lake in the world - and just breathtakingly beautiful.


There are no rivers or trbutaries that flow into or out of the lake. The water has been there a long time - and it so still that from a distance it looks like glass.

We hiked down to the shore to dip out toes in.






Of course, I slipped on a rock and fell in- and the water was so so cold. But, actually just thinking about how ancient and miraculous the place is gave me shivers.



The area around the lake is exceptional, we saw waterfalls, snow patched forests, volcanic rock formations and deserts. You can see more photos by clicking on the 'Sights' link in the header.

Home!

I'm back! It was an amazing trip! Oregon is such a beautiful state - it seems like every corner is a vista point - Portland is a fun and interesting city and oH-my-Gato the food! (more on that later) I really enjoyed the short time we spent there. I also got to meet Jesse of Jesse.anne.o and she is super-cute and as awesome-sauce in person, as via blog.

I will definitely be sharing all the adventure - but for tonight, I'm doing laundry hanging out with the kittehs, and getting prepared to get back to work tomorrow.

I can't wait to put up photos of Manzanita, Portland, and our time at Crater Lake.

Oh-regon!

These little guys were everywhere!

The Perils of the Road

I consider myself a well seasoned traveler. I've been around- but I am used to jetting around via plane, riding on trains, or boats- road trips are another story. Maybe I'm just getting old but, spending hours upon hours in the car only eating energy bars and fruit for sustenance is well, not that fun. It is really REALLY hard to find vegan/gluten-free options outside of larger cities so that made finding food a huge task. Also, we slept in a couple of (although cute and kitchy) maybe not so pristine motels - and I have ended up with a pretty gross rash on my face as a result of a not so clean pillow case? Or, maybe I was just allergic to the detergent or fabric softener used to clean them? That has happened to me before - but at home - not on a trip where I'll have many photos to remember it by. Ah ! Well! We are in Portland and we had a pretty good (vegan/gluten-free) Thai meal with some of Mario's old friends. We also got a quick tour (by car) of the city. I'm anxious to get out and explore on foot! Speaking of which, can you believe the sole of my oxfords split in half while walking around Manzanita? Luckily there is a shoe repair place right by our hotel. My shoes should be ready to pick up tomorrow. Phew!

We spent the last day/night in the beautiful seaside town of Manzanita Oregon. We walked a lot by the shore and through the little town. We will be going back there to stay and maybe rent a beach house for a week.

Here are some of the sights we saw on the ride from Brookings to Manzanita...







That's me in the hoody!



And, we did get a little sun.



and dinosaurs,



and dunes.

Enchanted Forests

The coastal redwood forests are the most beautiful, mystical, breathtaking things I've ever seen.

Photos could never show just how amazing they truly are.













Really just walking among those tall trees in the mist is magical. As is seeing this...





the northern most coast of California.

Many more photos to come. We are off to explore Brookings and more of the Oregon coast as we make out way up north to Manzanita.

On the Oregon Trail

Or rather, on the trail to Oregon...

We drove past vineyards,




through small towns,



roadside attractions,



I liked this guy!



We also saw Redwoods...

But I will need to post those photos later.

We've crossed the border into Oregon-and the internet connection here at the motel is slow, it's taking forever to upload photos, but I hope to have them all up on flickr after reaching Portland where hopefully, the hotel connection will be faster.