Category Archives: Fashion Forward

Got the Blues

I first saw these pretty Seychelles Ampersand shoes in royal blue (above) on Keiko Lynn (I love the outfit in her post here, although I did see her wear them previously). I gravitate towards anything blue, but I adored the chunky heel and the bow gave them just enough sweetness without going overboard. As you can imagine, they were sold out in my size on pretty much every site I tried to find them on. I then found an equally pretty, but darker pair by Bamboo on ModCloth last week called the High Resolution Heel in cobalt (below). I saw that they only had five left, but sadly discovered that none were in my size (you are in luck if you’re a size 5.5 or 6). Because the Bamboo version was just so sparkly and gorgeous, and most of the reviews gave them five stars for the fit and just the sheer attractiveness of the shoe, it sent me into a search tizzy trying to find that pair, or something similar.

Just my luck, I found something that was a bit of a combination of the two. It still had the chunky heel and bow, but in the darker blue and in suede instead of the glitter mesh. I was able to find this lovely pair on DSW by Betsey Johnson and it’s called the Maye Pump (below). Isn’t it amazing what you can find once you set your mind to it?

(Photo 1 courtesy of Seychelles; photo 2 courtesy of ModCloth; photo 3 courtesy of DSW)

Return of the MAC!

The gunmetal version of Rebecca Minkoff’s MAC (Morning After Clutch) in black is back, but for a limited time. I have a grey version of this MAC that I bought at a sample sale at Confederacy in LA, but I have been waiting for the black leather version to come back in stock. I love it because the gunmetal hardware makes the whole bag look chic and sleek, and the zipper in blue just pops. I also love the floral print interior. I’m going to snap mine up before it’s too late. Once I do, you will definitely see it in upcoming outfit posts because it will be in rotation as my new everyday bag.

PS: I’m also going to get the East-West Skull Tote, too. I’ve had my eye on it for awhile, but was finally sold on it when I saw my son napping in my skull throw blanket.

(Images 1-4 courtesy of Rebecca Minkoff)

By the Collar

I am suddenly obsessed with the Peter Pan Collar (click the link for history of the origin). I love the playful yet classic effect that it gives any outfit. I have seen collar and pan collar necklaces throughout many blogs and sites, and found this very cute one on Lulus recently (above). I then found a couple of detachable collars and cuffs that I had from some old sweaters during my spring cleaning extravaganza last month. I thought I would try my hand at making my own, without seeking the help of a DIY and by just looking at my newly purchased one. I’ll definitely post my DIY once I figure out how to do it. In the meantime, I’m going to enjoy my sparkly new collar (outfit post to come).

A Bargain for Our Little Bunny

I try my best to be frugal with the things that I buy for our son. Dominic is growing so fast that he’s already past the little growth chart in our bedroom (he’s 39 inches at 3 years old)! With these growth spurts, it’s best to buy clothes and shoes that will be the most cost-effective because I feel like he’s growing out of his clothes literally every week. But every now and again, you see something that catches your eye and you just have to splurge just a little. This Ben Sherman British phone booth number was too cute to pass up, and I think it made for the prefect outfit for a picture with Mr. Easter Bunny (Dominic seems to be in the “forced smile” phase).

Dominic’s outfit – Ben Sherman t-shirt; H&M striped shirt; Guess jeans; Converse One Star shoes from Target; Old Navy hat

(Bonus Picture: My sister took Dominic and Mei-Lin out to the mall during a different day & they also saw the Easter Bunny. Aren’t they cute in their bunny ears?)

Easter is for the Birds

It’s that time of year for me to embrace prints, and I’m having a love affair with birds. So for this year’s Easter dress, I chose this pretty number from Lulu*s. I follow them on Instagram, and I instantly fell in love when this dress was posted a couple of weeks ago. I love the navy color with the high/low skirt, and the back is so sweetly sexy. For church, I might have to throw a little cardigan over it, but I’ll shed it just in time for lunch with my family. Have a wonderful Easter weekend!

(Images courtesy of Lulus.com)

VogueWriter: Telling The Stories Behind What You Wear

I have a cute pendant necklace that I adore. It’s long and silver, has a heart as the charm and looks quite vintage. I bought at Miss Selfridge it in London the first time I went there. My husband promised me that he would take me to one of my favorite cities in the world, and he did, which was on our honeymoon back in 2007. Every time I look at it, it reminds me of how much I love my husband and the great time I had my first time in London.

I’m sure you have similar stories on clothes, shoes, purses and accessories in your own wardrobe. Or maybe you see an outfit in a store and think “That would be awesome to wear to tonight’s concert!” or “I’m going to wear that once I get to New York!” Now there’s a place where you can tell your stories, sharing where you bought something awesome or where you would wear a certain outfit. It launches today, and it’s called VogueWriter, by the same creators of StyleSays. Once you sign up and start sharing your stories, you can also unlock deep discounted sales from up-and-coming designers and brands. The best part is that prices continue to drop the more members write!

I’m still getting to know the site myself, and I will have a profile up soon. But the creators of VogueWriter have given readers of Any Second Now a priority code for the first 25 of you to sign up. Go to these links, here or here for priority access, and enter the code voguewriter.any2ndnow.25 after clicking the link “I have a VIP promo code”. Then you can start telling & sharing your fashionable stories! *

(*VogueWriter is still being updated as we speak, so continue to check back if the link doesn’t work properly. Thanks for your patience!)

Behind the Wheel of The Therapie Boutique Truck

I recently attended a great food truck event called the “Third Friday Food Truck Extravaganza” in the back parking lot at Fifty Seven Degrees, a fantastic wine bar in Downtown San Diego. My best friend Janice found the event on the San Diego Food Truck site, so we decided to go. My mom had not experienced a food truck event yet, so she came along so see what all the fuss was about. I assured her that she would have a great time. One truck on the list of food trucks stood out: “Therapie Boutique (a new clothing truck!)”. Really, a mobile boutique? As any of my friends would know, I’m up for shopping anytime, anywhere!

Already, I was drawn to the brightly painted mural on the sides of the truck with the words “Style on the go!” on the front, which I thought was incredibly clever. I excitedly skipped to the entrance and was greeted by owner Kelly Carney. The interior of the truck was just as bright and beautiful as the exterior, done up in silver, orange and pretty bits and pieces like the cute little ottoman by the mirror, fur-lined seats in the fitting rooms and crystal lights above. Kelly took a bit of time to answer some of my questions on how she decided to go mobile!

In our brief chat, you mentioned that you were in retail for 23 years. Did you own your own boutique prior to investing in your mobile venture? Yes, I worked in, owned, and operated small businesses in San Diego. I also worked for Nordstrom for 15 years.

What finally drove you to the decision to create a clothing boutique truck? I was looking at what the food trucks were doing and said if they can do it then I can. All women need shopping therapy and I wanted to be able to bring my concept and clothes to busy women all over San Diego.

What kind of “truck” did you decide to renovate and how long did it take for the total renovation? I renovated a 27-foot RV. It is a Thor Fun Mover originally built to move motorcycles and ATVs. I gutted the entire thing—from floor to ceiling. It took about 6 weeks from start to finish.

Who designed your exterior and interior? The exterior is a one of a kind work of art by Gerardo Yepiz, known as Acamonchi, a local artist. I conceived of and designed the interior. I wanted it feel like a Gorky boutique with chandeliers and real dressing rooms.

What would you say is your “style” and how is that reflected in what you have to offer? My style is classic contemporary with a little bit of edge. I offer something for everyone no matter your age, style, or size Therapie Boutique has something for everyone.

When I visited your boutique, I spoke to a friend of yours, Kelly Evans, who had a couple of jewelry tables on display. Do you plan on asking other retailers or friends to also join you at future events as a featured designer? Yes, with every event I will host a local artist/designer for trunk shows. I want to be able to support local artists and give them a platform to show and sell their creations.

(Click here for Kelly Evans Designs on Etsy)

What do you like best about this new venture? That I am able to do anything—the sky is the limit! I can go to people homes, farmers markets, local events, and fundraisers. Therapie Boutique brings shopping therapy to every woman—we are Style on the Go!

(Kelly Carney can be contacted at [email protected] or on Twitter at @TherapieSD)

Snap Happy

Aren’t my fuchsia platform pumps FAB?

I discovered an addicting new app through the Minkette blog called Snapette. If you recall my post on Pose (seen here), it’s basically the same type of photo app, but truly more dedicated to accessories. I love this app because I can be anywhere, in any store and just snap my favorite accessories, in addition to snapping some that I already have from outfit posts. And just like Pose, I can upload my “snaps” to my favorite forms of social media (in my case, Facebook and Twitter).

The Snapette Rebecca Minkoff contest ends today (contest was March 5-March 19), so you still have a chance to download this great app and enter. In the meantime, I wanted to share some of the snaps I uploaded of my favorite accessories (a couple ended up in their “Hot” section). Happy snapping!

Vintage Judith Leiber

Louis, Alexander and Rebecca

More Rebecca Minkoff, and a preview of an upcoming outfit post (can you tell how much I love RM?)

Pleased to Meet You: San Diego Bloggers Mini-Meet Up

Last Friday, I had the pleasure of meeting two local fashion bloggers at the El Camino restaurant in Little Italy (I shot the outfit post for the Idle Vice Violator dress there). Jennifer of the blog Malcriada organized the mini-event, which initially consisted a list of seven bloggers, but ended up being Jennifer, myself and Vanessa of Fashion Mixtape. I was glad that Jennifer suggested to meet at El Camino because I finally got the chance to try the food, which was fantastic!

Jennifer posted a roll call of San Diego fashion bloggers she discovered through the recent Refinery 29 contest (her post was called this town is our town, this town is so glamorous), so hopefully we can make this mini-meet up something of a regular event. In meeting Vanessa and Jennifer, we discovered that we each incorporate our love of music with our love of fashion. If we can make this a regular event, it would be great to get to know the other fashionable bloggers of our fair city to see our different styles and what else we all have in common. Be sure to check out Jennifer and Vanessa’s blogs and have a great weekend!

Me and Jennifer (we’ll get Vanessa in a picture next time!)

These Days: Joy Division’s Recent Fashion Appeal

I wear my Joy Division clothing quite often. I have been sporting them at most of the concerts where the band is an artist from the 80’s, so I’m not surprised when people compliment me or ask where I bought what I’m wearing. In the last two or three years, there has been a marked increase in compliments outside of a musical venue such as a concert or record store. Whether it be at a restaurant or retail clothing store, my shirts have drawn some attention.

In my most recent quest to add more vintage rock t-shirts to my collection, I searched on eBay for bands like Roxy Music, The Fixx and of course Joy Division. I noticed that there has been an abundance of the shirts with the “Unknown Pleasures” album cover. It became clear to me why the shirts were so popular. Sellers were using photos of Kristen Stewart wearing said shirt (in addition to a “Love Will Tear Us Apart” one), with captions like, “As see on Bella”. Although I am not a fan myself, I never want to begrudge anyone of their love for the Twilight movie saga. I also think it’s awesome that Kristen Stewart has fanstastic taste in music (she also wears shirts of groups like Minor Threat and The Clash). But it does make me wonder if others following in her fashionable footsteps truly understands the depth of the music behind the shirt, and what actually happened to Joy Division, their lead singer, and the band they eventually became.

Another search produced an even more interesting discovery, which really brought to light that not everyone knows or understands the history behind Joy Division. Disney produced a shirt of their most famous mouse in the style of Peter Saville’s graphic called the “Waves Mickey Mouse Tee”. The description even read “Inspired by the iconic sleeve of Joy Division’s ‘Unknown Pleasures’ album, this Waves Mickey Mouse Tee incorporates Mickey’s image within the graphic of the pulse of a star. That’s appropriate given few stars have made bigger waves than Mickey!” In an online article on My Fox Philly (seen here), the shirt was removed from the Disney online store on January 25, 2012, possibly after the discovery of what happened to lead singer Ian Curtis (who committed suicide in May 1980, right before their first US tour) or that their song lyrics are far from anything that would be played at the “happiest place on earth” (When routine bites hard/and ambitions are low/when resentment rides high/but emotions won’t grow).

Perhaps I’m a purist when it comes to how and why I wear vintage rock t-shirts or listen to the music that I do. Knowing that there are people out there who are wearing Joy Division shirts without understanding the history makes me want to sit them all down and beg them to listen to songs like “Transmission”, “Atmosphere”, “Digital” or “Disorder”. I would have them watch the Joy Division biopic “Control” by Anton Corbjin, read the memoirs of Ian’s widow, Deborah Curtis, called “Touching From a Distance”, or even just make them aware that Joy Division was the predecessor to the well-known group New Order, who are considered by many a musical icon of the 80’s and one of the forefathers of electronica (along with Depeche Mode and Kraftwerk). But if Kristen Stewart drives a new and broader audience to discover the musical genius that was Ian Curtis and perhaps other music in this genre and time period, then maybe this resurgence of Joy Division’s popularity was not all for naught.

The most amazing homage to Joy Division I found was on The Illustrated Nail by Sophie Harris-Greensdale. I definitely know where I’ll be making a stop to get a mani-pedi when I’m London this summer.

(Photos courtesy of Pop Sugar, My Fox Philly and The Illustrated Nail. “These Days” is a song by Joy Division.)