Monthly Archives: September 2010

Yin & Yang

The Oxfords I bought from Bona Drag by Jeffrey Campbell (seen here and here) got me thinking about things that are two-toned.  I’m all about color blocked and striped shirts, sweaters, dresses…you name it!  There is something so mod about the two-toned look.  Here are some things I found that are fabulously dual spirited, Yin & Yang if you will.  But one thing’s for sure, it’s not all just black and white.  (Click each picture for a link to the item)

Black & Bone Hathaway Wedges - Jeffrey Campbell (so fabulous I had to feature them again!)

Hand-Knit Sweater – Stella McCartney

Wingtip Heel - Kimchi Blue

Varsity Jacket – Members Only

Premium Two-Tone Hard Clutch - ASOS

Savitr Boots - All Aaints

Optical Persuasion Stripe Coat - Blaque Label

Suede Lace Front Pump - Kimchi Blue

Back Zip Jacket- Stella McCartney

And just for fun…

Brass Knuckle Heels - Patricia Field

“Any Second Now” Exclusive: 15% off at Lulus.com!

I love finding a great deal that I can offer to readers of my blog, but it’s even better when I can offer it exclusivelyLulus.com is offering readers of “Any Second Now” a 15% discount off of your total purchase with the code ANY2ND at checkout.  The code is case-sensitive and is valid for customers in the US and Canada.  It’s a one use per customer, site wide discount and is valid from September 29th until October 29th 2010.

(Update:  If you had trouble using the code, it was fixed and should work now.  Thanks!)

To help you get started, here are some of my favorite picks from the site.  Now go ahead and get to shopping!

Fresh Basil Infusion Dress $38

Bamboo Recap 01 Black Faux Suede Platform Wedge $32

Yvette Clutch by Melie Bianco $55

Riyadah Sweater $34

Jumanji Cargo Skinny Pant by See Thru Soul $69

Paprika Breezy Dark Tan Sexy Sides Belted Bootie $32

Goldi Rocks Handbag $48

BART Station Trench Coat $73

Mixx Sarah 01 Gray Suede High Heel Ankle Boot $39

Tea Time

The weather out here in California has gone up several degrees this week, so my “Coat of the Week” idea didn’t quite make sense, even when most of my day is spent in an air-conditioned office.  Since I’ve been wearing these great shoes everyday from the moment I bought them (seen here and here), I thought I would make this more of a “Shoe of the Week” pictorial. 

Along with my platform pumps, I wore a tea dress with my brand new ring that I got from the Thread Show (seen here) and black tights for contrast.  Pretty tea dresses are wonderful things to own because they can be dressed up or down (I like mine in polka dot, ditsy floral or Liberty prints).  Although it’s as hot as it is, I tried to ring in the fall by topping the outfit off with a cardigan.  But I’ll be drinking iced-tea instead of my favorite piping hot English Breakfast or Earl Grey with cream until the weather cools down again.

Outfit:  Topshop tea dress; H&M cardigan; clutch from Urban Outfitters;  Target brand tights; Bamboo shoes; Rings by Forever 21 and Nifty Curly; my own prescription glasses

Pull This Thread

On Sunday, I went to a great independent fashion event called the Thread Show.  What is it?  Here are a couple of quotes from their site:

THREAD is a curated showcase of the best emerging, trend forecasting, style breaking, genre bending fashion designers, and the music and art that rock their world.

THREAD is a dynamic one day retail environment, bringing new fashion and art to more than 200,000 fashion savvy, trend pushing, music loving, taste making movers and shakers, all keen to get first dibs on what drops next in the emerging fashion designer world.

The San Diego event was held in a “recycled” space at the Horton Plaza mall and reminded me of a space out in the Reseda/Ventura area that held several booths of independent vendors selling everything from handmade jewelry and fashions to vintage and reworked items.  The Thread Show, however, premieres up and coming fashion, accessory and home-wear designers.  It also includes a salon, a bar, a DJ, food samples from local eateries and two runway fashion shows.  Since this was my first time attending, I walked around a little to get a feel for the event.

One of the first vendors I stopped and made a purchase from was called Double Take Fashion.  Owned by identical twins Nicole and Shelley Dozier, they began their business as a way to cope with their own personal illness.  They are based in Los Angeles and this was their first time at the Thread Show.  The little bolero jacket Nicole is wearing is adorable in person.

A booth called Nifty Curly was one that I stopped at briefly, then came back to to really dig into all of the wonderful pieces they had available.  Ellen of Nifty Curly stated that the pieces are “Upcycled Handmade”, meaning they get their leather pieces directly from apparel, accessory and furniture manufacturers to get the best quality possible.  There were so many pieces to select from!  My purchase for the day was the cute little button ring that had a gold leather band (third picture down of the Nifty Curly series).   Other standout pieces included coated leather leaf pendants (they looked so life-like), the “Wonder Woman” leather cuffs, and the leather wrap-around wrist bracelets that were actually hidden wallets!

My final purchase came from a booth called De La Luna Designs.  At first, I thought that the pieces had artwork on them.  I found out later through their website and after talking to the designer, Virginia Ayala, that they are re-worked vintage pieces.  The purse that I purchased was a vintage snake-skin purse with a cut-out fabric flower that was coated onto the purse.  The resulting look is amazing, as you can see in the pictures below.  They sell their items wholesale and their website has locations on where you can purchase these one-of-a-kind pieces.  I also love their tagline:  “Bringing Earth To Life Through Design.”

My day at the Thread Show ended with a fashion show, showcasing some of the designers who had booths at the event.  Because of where I was standing and the fact that I didn’t have my husband’s wonderful camera, my pictures were less than worthy.  I included just one of the shots of the runway where I had an actual full shot of an outfit.  Note to self:  take the hubby or another friend to future events to allow for better photo coverage.

I absolutely loved going to the Thread Show and I have to thank my friend for turning me onto this fantastic event (that’s you Christina!).  In chatting with Dara from Elle Communications (a local PR, marketing and event planning company whose client is Thread Show), I found out that this is a seasonal event occurring during the spring and fall.  Because of the indie vibe and exciting atmosphere, rest assured that this is an event that I will be attending season after season, whether it’s here in San Diego or elsewhere.

Easy Like Saturday Afternoon

We decided to go out for the day with Dominic on Saturday.  After a little bit of a delay (because we were deciding where to go), we ended up at beautiful Kate Sessions Park.  I brought my new shoes and one of my favorite clutch purses because I wanted to try my outfit a little dressed up with heels for some pictures.  I wish I could wear shorts to the office, so this outfit represents how I would wear them.

After taking pictures, I kicked off the heels and threw on sandals so that my husband and I could run around with Dominic and his little soccer ball.   Although it’s almost October, the weather is still so sunny and warm enough to wear lighter fabric (although I’m anxious to start wearing coats and layers!).  It’s times like these that I love living in San Diego.

Taking care of Dominic between shots.

Wearing the Bamboo shoes from Lulus.com seen here (so cute and surprisingly comfortable!)

Outfit:  Burberry sunglasses; Kimchi & Blue top; Clutch from Urban Outfitters; Twelve by Twelve/Forever 21 shorts and ring; Juicy Couture bracelet; Bamboo shoes

Photos by Deon Chen

Coat of the Week: Semi-Casual Friday

 

After a full morning of taking care of some things for my mom yesterday, my sister came over in the afternoon to help me with some of my “Coat of the Week” pictures.  I think she did a great job, don’t you?

A cashier at the grocery store said to me, “I love that jacket, you must be receiving tons of compliments on it!  It’s something that can make any outfit feel sexy, either dressed up or down.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself!

Outfit:  Rodarte for Target jacket; Burberry sunglasses; Forever 21 tank; Juicy Couture hooded shirt; Tiffany Keys Heart necklace; 7 For All Mankind “A” Pocket Bootcut Jeans; Steve Madden booties

Photos by Rholnna Jiao

The Ideal Copy

I am a very avid listener of music, especially of the era I grew up in as a teenager:  The Eighties.  From the title of my blog, to what’s playing in my car and on my iPod, it’s almost all eighties all the time.  I was such a die hard fan of music as a teen and was lucky to have many outlets to make my purchases.  I frequented Tower Records, Liquorice Pizza, Sam Goody, The Warehouse and a couple of local places in San Diego (Lou’s Records and Blue Meannie). 

Although I physically live in San Diego, England was the direction to which I genuflected and prayed to my musical gods:  Depeche Mode, Duran Duran and New Order, just to name a few.  The amount of time and money spent at Blue Meannie searching through their imports section for all things relating to the 80’s British Invasion would have easily paid for a trip to London, which I so longed for as a teen (and have lived out that dream with two trips there since then).  Not only did I buy 45’s and 12″ vinyl records (remember those?), but shirts, buttons, badges, patches and imported magazines.  As you can see, the desire to be British came to me at a very young age.  One of my classmates went on a trip to London with his parents and I nearly died of jealousy.  He bought me a couple of Depeche Mode items (a shirt and record), but that just made me all the more forlorn.

Most of the time, it’s so difficult for me to locate the groups that I love to listen to.  A friend of mine had a 12″ single of “Have in Mind” by a group called Cetu Javu.  I found the group on My Space, but couldn’t find them anywhere else to make a purchase.  I tried Amazon, iTunes, Tower Records (online site) and even tried to physically go to Lou’s Records to find anything, but my search yielded nothing.

One last place I tried was a place where I had made several purchases in the past.  I was only reminded of the website because I’m on their email list.  The Ideal Copy (named after Wire’s 1987 album) is my site of choice when it comes to my favorite era.  I’ve bought CD’s by the Red Rockers, Joy Division and Aztec Camera from this site.  When I can’t find it on iTunes, I go to The Ideal Copy. 

Now, the reason for this post is because I have found a CD that I have been dying to locate as badly as “Southern Lands” by Cetu Javu.  It’s an album called “Rites of Passage” by Vitamin Z.  I received an email alert of updates from The Ideal Copy and lo and behold, who do I see in their “Recent Additions” section but Vitamin Z!  I quickly clicked on the link and one of my musical white whales has been found.  If you are looking for the ultimate versions of your favorite artists (past and present), The Ideal Copy is the place to go.  Their service is surprisingly quick and their selection is nearly unmatched.

Links à la Mode: The IFB Weekly Roundup September 23

(Thanks again to IFB for picking Any Second Now as part of the Links a la Mode this week!)

ARE YOU A FOLLOWER OF FASHION?

Edited by: Ann of Holier than Now

Last week marked the end of New York Fashion Week.  Post-show, the editors, buyers and bloggers went to work to define and list the trends, hoping we’ll follow along.  But for many of us, the sheer shirts of Spring ’11 were are about as realistic for our wardrobes as a meat dress.  Instead, we looked outside of Lincoln Center at the street style of individuals, hoping to find the inspiration to zig when everyone else is zagging. This week’s post celebrates the path less … followed, with counterpoints on everything from current trends to blogger compensation and competition.

Links à la Mode: September 23

SPONSOR:

Latest at ShopbopDenimMadewellSkirtsUnder LigneObakkiDressesDKNY

PLEASE READ IF YOU’D LIKE TO PARTICIPATE:

If you would like to submit your link for next week’s Links à la Mode, please register first, then post your links HERE. The HTML code for this week will be found in the Links a la Mode group will be published later today. ~Jennine

The Search is Over

I wasn’t sure what I was looking for in what I feel is my most important fall piece:  the camel coat.  I wasn’t sure if I wanted it to be fitted, pea coat, trench or boyfriend style.  I didn’t want it to be patterned because I already have a leopard print coat, and because I wanted to be able to wear printed scarves with it as needed.  I did feel like I wanted a little swing to it and I didn’t want the fuss of a belt. 

I began my search on beso.com.  I just typed in “camel coat” an it brought back loads of choices.  Here are 3 of my “lust” favorites (the Diane von Furstenberg Lady coat is fantastic!):

{Click on each picture for a direct link to each coat}

As a working mommy, my lust items are just a little bit out of reach (just a little!).  So I used my shopaholic skills to carry on the search, which brought me back to one of my favorite sites.  ASOS has come through for me again.  Pictured below is the camel coat that I will be buying.  At only $118, my husband will be glad to know that it won’t break the bank (he was looking quite worried over my shoulder at the previous links).  I like the fold-over collar and the pleats give it the swing I wanted.

Isn’t it a great feeling when you finally have found what you have been looking (and even better, for at a price you weren’t expecting)?

Coat of the Week: Minor Setback

As my husband and I were setting up for pictures of the first outfit for my “Coat of the Week” pictorial, we experienced a minor setback:  I broke my camera.  I was walking away from my husband while handing him the camera and didn’t realize that my hand was still in the strap.  Next thing I know…crash!  My little Canon Power Shot never stood a chance against that tough pavement.  We need to send it into the manufacturer to get it fixed.

We managed to get a picture before it completely stopped working.  Luckily for us, we have more than one working camera.  I’ll be using either a Pentax Optio 750Z or my husband’s Sony A (alpha) 350.

When at first you don’t succeed…try, try again!

Outfit:  Rodarte for Target jacket; H&M shirt; Miss Selfridge wide legged pants & pendant; bebe crown brooch; Jeffrey Campbell oxfords