Category Archives: Fashion Forward

Grand Opening: The Limited at Fashion Valley November 1-4 2012

It’s always nice when fashion and a good cause combine for a special event.  The Limited is a store that I’ve always shopped at over the years, and they have recently undergone some major changes in their branding and overall image.  Their newest store at the Fashion Valley mall will open next week, and here are some details about the celebration:

For the entire grand opening weekend, shoppers will receive a 40 percent discount on all merchandise, a free gift with purchase (while supplies last), and a chance to win one of three $500 gift cards, raffled off once a day. The 40 percent discount will also be honored at The Limited’s other San Diego-area store at University Mall in La Jolla, Calif.

Additionally, a percentage of the sales that weekend will be donated to Dress for Success San Diego.  To read more about their organization, you can visit their site here.  For any readers of Any Second Now, I’ll be there on November 2nd, 2012 to help celebrate this great event.  If you are in the San Diego area, please stop by next week for great fashion and a wonderful cause.  Cheers!

Wanted: The Downing by The Cambridge Satchel Co

I found my fall bag.  I was eyeing a black one at Bloomingdale’s last week, but I think this one is perfect for fall and incorporates everything I love right now:  crossbody/messenger style, sleek school boy look, navy blue & oxblood colors.  I’ve been wanting one for sometime now, but The Downing by The Cambridge Satchel Co is definitely next on my list of purchases.  Now I just have to decide which size I want!

(Image courtesy of The Cambridge Satchel Co.)

(Note:  I finally have a Cambridge Satchel bag, in a shiny navy, also from Bloomingdale’s. So very lovely!)

Summer's End, Fall Into Autumn

It’s so hard to think of fall when the weather is still incredibly warm here in San Diego, but I think I’ve got the infusion of shoes that I need to end my summer and begin the cooler fall weather.  It began with the Topshop studded flats that I bought while I was in London, but I also bought a couple of pairs of shoes from Labor Day sales.  I’m also trying to embrace flats, lower heels and lower wedged heels as part of my fall office wardrobe, so you’ll see a bit of a trend with my most recent acquisitions.  I again included prices because I think anyone can really get a good deal if you sign up for special mailing lists, or get the shoes you want at a better price if you time your purchase with a good sale.

Matiko “Monaco” in nude from Ashbury Skies (On sale for $59 from $179.95. Received email for $20 off during Labor Day. Final price with free shipping: $29!)

Ego and Greed “Bowler” in grey printed python from Solestruck.  I LOVE the Shoe Addict bandage that came in my package. (On sale for $59.95 from $119.95. Received notification for exclusive Facebook discount. Final price with free shipping: $35.97!)

VECTRA4 Canvas Studded Slippers from Topshop (£28 when I purchased them in London, which converted to $45.)

Bamboo “Alive 04” penny loafers in navy blue from Lulu*s ($25)

Steve Madden “Frankie” studded engineer booties from Macy’s (Originally $149, but I got them for $130 with free shipping because of a discount during a Labor Day sale.)

Topshop at Nordstrom Starting Today!

Ah, the Anglophile in me just did a somersault!

TOPSHOP AND TOPMAN WILL BE AVAILABLE ONLINE AND IN THE FOLLOWING NORDSTROM STORES:

  • September 7
  • Garden State Plaza (Paramus, NJ)
  • Southcenter (Tukwila, WA)
  • September 9
  • Irvine Spectrum Center (Irvine, CA)
  • Valley Fair (San Jose, CA)
  • The Plaza at King of Prussia (King of Prussia, PA)
  • Dadeland Mall (Miami, FL)
  • Chandler Fashion Center (Chandler, AZ)
  • Oakbrook Center (Oak Brook, IL)
  • September 10
  • Ala Moana (Honolulu, HI)
  • Barton Creek Square (Austin, TX)
  • Burlington (Burlington, MA)
  • Phipps Plaza (Atlanta, GA)
  • San Francisco Centre (San Francisco, CA)*
  • South Coast Plaza (Costa Mesa, CA)*

*Topshop only

(Photo and information from Nordstrom.com)

 

Ask Miss A: Charity Meets Style with a San Diego Connection

As Janice and I jaunt around London (we are having afternoon tea at Harrods today), I wanted to take a little time out to congratulate one of my San Diego blogger friends, Vanessa Barnes of Fashion Mixtape on her recent gig as a fashion columnist for Ask Miss A.  Below is a quick synopsis of what Ask Miss A is all about (from their site).  Cheers to Vanessa and I look forward to reading all of your wonderfully fashionable articles!

Miss A covers the intersection of charity and style in 21 major U.S. cities and offers informative content on a woman’s well-rounded lifestyle and interests. With a team of more than 30 editors and hundreds of writers, Miss A includes the latest and most relevant information on fashion, beauty, entertainment, food, family, city events and exclusive advice and recommendations for nearly one million unique visitors each year. Founded by Andrea Rodgers in 2008, Miss A was originally inspired by the Washington, DC socialite’s LateNightShots.com moniker “Miss A,” under which she gave advice to thousands of exclusive subscribers. Readers continue to turn to Miss A for advice and recommendations on everything from style to self-help, and are assured to get an answer that is heartfelt with a touch of Miss A’s Southern charm and sass.

Vacation Ready!

As this posts, Janice and I will be on our way to London and Paris for the next week.  As a send off, I’m posting an outfit that I consider very resort and vacation ready.  This sheer shirt and flowy palazzo pants make me feel like traveling.  I’m still deciding whether or not to bring these pants as they require that I wear heels, and I’m not sure I’ll be able to pull off heels with all of the walking I know we’ll be doing.  I’ll put up posts about our trip when I return, but I will still schedule posts while I’m away.  In the meantime, you can follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to see my most current adventures while abroad (I think my husband and son can also keep tabs on me that way, too).  Cheers and see you when I get back!

Outfit –  ECI pants; Cotton On shirt; American Apparel clutch; Matiko “Paris” wedges; Ring from The Shangri-La; Michael Kors watch; Tiffany & Co necklace; Coach sunnies; Beaded bracelets were gifts from friends 

Weekend in Pictures: Spectacle Soiree with BonLook

As you know from reading my blog, I wear glasses and I have recently discovered the joy of being able to change my glasses to match my outfits since I was introduced to purchasing affordable glasses online.  I recently purchased a pair of glasses from BonLook after seeing this post by Keiko Lynn.  I loved the Honeybadger frames on Keiko Lynn, but I had to get on the waitlist to get a pair in chocolate tortoise.  When they became available, I received an email notification along with a $10 discount!  After ordering them and receiving them, I was so excited that I Tweeted about my purchase.  I was contacted back by BonLook and discovered that they have a representative here in San Diego, so we scheduled a “Spectacle Soiree” at my house with some of my friends to check out their styles in person.

With Erika from BonLook (I’m wearing Cavalier in Burgundy and she is wearing Drink the Koolaid, but gold is no longer available)

Erika Kirkland, a San Diego BonLook representative, helped me host this awesome little event .  Knowing it would be a beautiful afternoon, I set up “shop” under a canopy in our front yard, so that my friends could enjoy the sunny weather and refreshments while shopping for prescription eyewear and sunglasses.  I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it really was a lot of fun because it was very low pressure, but interactive.  The comments I heard from my friends was that it was great to try on what was seen online  because they were unsure how they would look in person after only seeing a picture (even with the virtual try-on).  I thought the pair that I ended up getting for myself (Cavalier in burgundy, pictured above with Erika) was too large online, but I loved the way they looked in person.

 Erika helping Eileen with questions

Audrey making important style decisions (she ended up getting Bonnie & Clyde in black)

Erika with Sheena and Anitza checking out the great frames

Noel helping his girlfriend, Anitza, with selecting the perfect style

Tanya looking beautiful in Mile End in tortoise

If you would like to host your own event in San Diego, you can contact Erika at [email protected] and also check out her Bon Look page at BonLook.com/amb/erikakirkland.  I would like to thank all of my friends, family and especially Erika for making my Spectacle Soiree a success, cheers!

Laughing with Eileen (I’m wearing my Honeybadger glasses with prescription, in chocolate tortoise)

With the gorgeous blogger Vanessa of Fashion Mixtape

My boy, Dominic, trying on The Aviator frames in green (on sale!)

With Dominic at the end of the party

(All photos by Rholnna Jiao)

FTC Disclosure:  I did not receive any product or discount as incentive to host the above mentioned party (the discount I earned was through sales made at the party).  The opinions in this post are strictly my own.

Them Bones

Since I bought the Rebecca Minkoff East West Skull Tote (post here and seen below), I’ve been adding a few skull & crossbones pieces to my wardrobe.  My cousin Regi even took note and bought me a cute scarf while in New York City a few months ago.  Along with black being a major staple in my closet, skulls and crossbones all are nods to my gothic tendencies.  I’ll bet I find more pieces in London!

  1. Skull bracelet from The Shangri-La at The LAB
  2. Skull sweatshirt from Hot Topic (not available online)
  3. East/West Tote by Rebecca Minkoff (no longer available online)
  4. Scarf, a gift from my cousin Regi (looks Alexander McQueen “inspired”)
  5. One of my favorite pictures of my son; blanket from Marshall’s last year

Jewel of The LAB: The Shangri-La

Rings and bracelets have been my accessory obsession as of late.  So when I visited The LAB a couple of weeks ago (post here), it’s no accident that one of my first stops just happened to be a quaint boutique called The Shangri-La.  Owned by the beautiful Karen Hsiang, this little jewelry paradise appealed to my indie and gothic sensibilities at every turn, as you can see by my choices above.  Dominic even spotted a jar filled with candy Ring Pops, the only jewelry a three-year-old boy seems to be interested in.  I had the chance to chat with Karen about her boutique and how she began her mystical journey into jewelry design and starting her own business.

How did you make the decision to start your own business and how did you get started with jewelry specifically?

The start of the boutique came on a whim. I had an online jewelry boutique for a while as a part-time hobby, but it did not garner as much traffic as I wanted. One day I e-mailed The Lab, Anti-Mall in Costa Mesa to see if they had an any open retail spaces available just to get an idea of cost of rent, and lo and behold, a little Shasta trailer was available. I had to take that opportunity and I quit my full-time job to live out my dream. 

When we chatted, you mentioned that you create your own jewelry, but that you also have designs by other jewelers.  Do seek out designers, or do they come to you?
 
I am trolling the internet 24/7 to bring unique designers and pieces into the store. I have many local designers who also were just shopping in The Lab who stumbled upon the boutique.

What would you say is your “style”?  How is that reflected in what you have to offer at your boutique and in your own designs?

 I have a very schizophrenic way of dressing. I dress by mood, so one day I will be in a white lace dress, and the next day I can be geared up in combat boots and in all black. I honestly buy pieces to put in the store for myself, and hope that other people will take a liking to it. Since I don’t really have a specific style, I offer jewelry for all kinds of styles from bohemian to utilitarian and everything in between.

How long have you had a space at The LAB?

It has been 5 months already! Time passes by way too fast. I remember the day I signed the lease like it was yesterday.

Some of the boutiques throughout The LAB are situated in Air Stream trailers, and your boutique has a unique ceiling.  What is the story behind the chalk illustrations?

There really isn’t any specific story behind the chalk illustrations. I just thought it would be fun for my customers to leave a little bit of themselves behind in the store. I have all my friends and family leave their mark when they come and visit me.

What do you enjoy best about what you do?

The expressions on people’s faces when they see the store is pretty priceless. Honestly, I am so grateful for all the kind words and encouragement that complete strangers give me everyday. It makes my day when people tell me that they have never seen anything like the selection of jewelry that I carry. It makes all the blood, sweat, and tears worth it.

(Thank you Karen for taking the time out to chat with me and no doubt I will visit your shop whenever I’m in town!)

Weekend in Pictures: The LAB

As I mentioned in my “Anniversaries” post last Monday, my husband had a golf tournament last Sunday, so we decided to turn it into a mini-get-away by staying up in the Irvine area for the whole weekend.  Saturday was spent being lazy, sleeping in, lounging by the pool and having a late dinner.  On Sunday while Deon played in the golf tournament at the Oak Creek Golf Club, Dominic and I went shopping and then spent the rest of the time at Boomers (a mini-golf amusement park) in the Costa Mesa area close by.

Rather than hit up South Coast Plaza, one of my favorite malls, I decided to shop on a smaller scale at a place called The LAB nearby.  It has been quite a long time since I had been to The LAB, and I was happy to know that it was still there and just as quirky as I remember it.  This is what Space 15 Twenty reminded me of when I went shopping in LA last June (original post here).  The CAMP, which is right across the street from The LAB is also similar.

The LAB, also known as “The Anti-Mall”, stands for “Little American Business” and caters to more indie stores (the only “big” chain store would be Urban Outfitters).  The set up and design appeals to the visual artist in me:  great use of alternative spaces for boutiques and lots of visual eye-candy in the form of random sculptures throughout the area.  Even Dominic enjoyed looking and interacting with all of the art and chose to sport a funky pair of sunnies he found a store called popKiller (he asked me to buy them because they were green).

My favorite store there was an awesome jewelry boutique called The Shangri-La.  I chatted with the owner, Karen Hsiang and will feature her boutique on this Friday’s post.  When I get back from London, I’m going back to The LAB with some friends to spend a little more time in the shops and to try out the restaurants.  Happy shopping!