Category Archives: What I Wore

Made Well

I’m not sure how it happened, but I have accumulated quite a collection of printed pants in the last few months. I like what the printed pants add to my wardrobe, making it very dynamic. It’s always easy to pair printed shirts with jeans or dress pants, but I find it more challenging to build an outfit around printed pants. These wonderful printed pants are my first purchase from Madewell. I also don’t really pick a color theme for my outfits, but I ran with the blue in this one (you may recognize the blue purse, as I wore it during my many days and nights out in London last year, orignal post here). Believe it or not, the blues were not all the same shade, but they appear that way in these pictures.

Outfit – Madewell pants (on super sale at the location in South Coast Plaza, only $17!); Old Navy shirt; H&M sweater; Rebecca Minkoff purse; Betsey Johnson shoes; iSee glasses from GlassesUSA; Necklace from Southwark Cathedral (London); Mimi Boutique zipper bangle; Wendy Brandes ring; Suki Bijoux rings; Michael Kors watch

FTC Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. Although this is a sponsored post, the opinions, pictures & content of this post are strictly my own.

Mixed Bag

I’ve worn this dress in a previous outfit post (here), and it’s one of my favorites. There’s quite a bit of subtle mixing going on here: the dress is made of a sweatshirt material, the shirt is sheer (I love the layered pan collar), the tights have a textured pattern and the boots are suede. It was only fitting that the bag had some opposing patterns to it as well. This is my first Bodhi purse, and I got it for such a great deal at DSW (it retails for $298, but I got it for only $41). I think the total cost for the outfit is about $150, including the shoes and bag. Someone asked me once how I shop, if I do it by outfit or by bits and pieces. I pick a lot of great standout pieces that I want to showcase, but I also shop for great basics that will integrate well with everything else in my wardrobe, making the cost stretch even more. My wardrobe is definitely a mixed bag, but I think that’s my style.

Outfit – Juicy Couture dress; Bisou Bisou shirt from JCPenney; Hanes argyle textured tights; Bodhi New Layfayette purse; Nine West booties; Lucky Brand glasses; Kelly Evans Designs vintage button ring; Suki Bijoux vintage typewriter ring

FTC Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. Although this is a sponsored post, the opinions, pictures & content of this post are strictly my own.

You Comfort Me

Now that our son is four, I’m looking forward to a very busy summer. We can finally hit the large resort parks without worrying about whether or not Dominic is going to have fun because we know he’s at that perfect age where he can run around and just enjoy himself. Now, I just have to think of my own comfort while chasing our crazy little boy, and these shoes by Dansko are going to be the perfect solution. I originally thought that Dansko just made professional shoes worn in the healthcare industry, but I’ve come to realize that they have an entire of line of women’s shoes including stylish clogs, flat and heeled sandals, sporty shoes and boots. I have been living in these Jovie sandals from their Vista Collection these last two weekends, so I know that they will definitely allow me to keep up with my son (and sometimes my niece) in style and comfort. I’ve been wearing them with shorts and jeans, but I found that because of the pewter color, they go great with dresses of any length.

Outfit – French Connection dress (old); Retro 7 hat from Junc Life & Style; Urban Outfitters clutch with Clutched & Covered cover; Mimi Boutique zipper bangle; Michael Kors watch; Wendy Brandes Teenie Genie necklace and @ ring; Suki Bijoux rings; iSee glasses c/o GlassesUSA; Jovie sandals c/o Dansko

Check out their full line on their official website at Dansko.com and don’t forget to like them on Facebook as well!

FTC Disclosure: I received free product and was asked to review the product in return. Although I did receive free product, the opinions in this post are strictly my own.

Girl Guides

I wore this outfit when I went to brunch my food blogger friends a couple of weeks ago (original post here). I actually wore different boots at that time because I thought they would get wet from the recent rains here in San Diego. I’m always afraid to mix prints because I just can’t seem to get them quite right. I do better when I stick to the same color family, especially blacks and whites. The necklace I’m wearing is another Suki Bijoux special: it’s a vintage Girl Guides whistle (Girl Guides in England are similar to the Girl Scouts here in the US). I loved it when I saw it on Facebook, and Suki was able to retrieve them from the boutique where she was originally supposed to sell them. She had similar one on Facebook, but I’m SO glad she was able to sell this one to me!

Outfit – Talbots hooded cape; H&M sweater; American Rag denim leggings; Vince Camuto boots; Elaine Satchel c/o Mimi Boutique (won from one of their Facebook contests); Honeybadger glasses from BonLook; Suki Bijoux “Recoil” ring, typewriter ring and Girl Guide whistle necklace; Wendy Brandes ring

You May Be Blue

When trying to figure out titles to my posts, especially outfit posts, I’m usually inspired by song titles and lyrics. Typically, I can come up with a title or lyric from one of my favorite bands. If something doesn’t instantly come to me, then I do a search for a few key words to spark my memory. In the case of the title to this particular post, I just couldn’t find anything using the words “may” and “blue” from my staples like Depeche Mode, Joy Division, Duran Duran, or OMD. So into the search engine I typed “lyrics, may, blue” (the color of the amazing skirt I bought from Bella of The Citizen Rosebud’s Etsy store, and name of the Miista boots). Lo and behold, out came a song by a group called Vetiver called “You May Be Blue” on Subpop Records. I’m so glad I did that because I discovered an amazing band that I had not heard before. There are great live versions on You Tube (such as this one recorded in London back in 2007), but I dig the album version. In fact, I liked the song so much that I included the video below and bought the album To Find Me Gone (Vetiver’s second album). Oh the places you’ll go when fashion blogging, no?

(Note: I wore the outfit with thick black sweater tights and a black jacket. My new job is keeping me busy with long hours, so I haven’t been able to take outfit pictures like I should. I hope to include myself wearing the outfit in a future post.)

Outfit – Old Navy sweater; The Citizen Rosebud skirt; May booties by Miista, purchased from Shoescribe.com

As Patterns Seem To Form

I have developed a few clothing habits lately while I was on my work “hiatus”: t-shirts, jeans and fantastic shoes. It’s a great combination that I know I can wear to any concert and still feel edgy while being comfortable. But these Miista booties are truly the star with the gold capped toes and studded heels. This will now have to be my weekend wear because I recently (and finally) am back as a part of the gainfully employed. I am now a Customer Service Supervisor in billing for a laboratory in San Diego. It was nice to be at home with my boy for the last four months, but it’s nicer to be a part of the work force again. I will have to say, relaxing was definitely a hard habit to break!

Outfit – XTaren sheer moto-style shirt and unknown brand studded clutch from M’s Clothing; Joy Division t-shirt by Hometown; Old Navy boyfriend jeans; Gabriela shoes by Miista; Hot Topic studded belt; Union Jack belt buckle was a gift from a friend; Honeybadger glasses from BonLook; Suki Bijoux rings

(The title of this post is from the song “Digital” by Joy Division)

Blue Bird

It’s now 2013 and my love for the bird print still has not waned. I got this pretty mixed-print blouse last year because I loved the subtle colors. I can wear it casually with jeans, but I’m sure it would also be very pretty with a skirt or slacks. The birds had a bit of bright color in them and I decided to make more apparent by wearing these blue suede bow pumps. I almost chose a blue purse, but decided it was a little too matchy-matchy, so I kept my purse neutral.

Outfit – Bird print blouse c/o The Limited; Down East Basics jeans; Linea Pelle Domed Pyramid Stackable bracelet in rose gold; Shamballa bracelet c/o Cutey; Juicy Couture ring (old); Michael Kors watch; Rebecca Minkoff purse; BonLook Honeybadger glasses; Origami Owl necklace

Photos by Rholnna Jiao

Love In Itself

Valentine’s Day is tomorrow, and those of us in the San Diego Style Bloggers community are showing how we do up the day. I saw a segment on Refinery 29 on how Aimee Song (of the blog Song of Style) styled boyfriend jeans (article here). She paired them with an oxblood colored tuxedo jacket, a simple t-shirt and fantastic heels. I took note and borrowed her style for something that I would wear for a quiet dinner out with my husband. I decided to add a bit more shine by layering rhinestone necklaces, but kept my edge with the studded clutch. Also, I must bring special attention to the beautiful lace-up pumps that I got over the weekend during the first day of the Prabal Gurung for Target collaboration. I don’t know what it is about shoes, but I fall in love with a new pair a few times a month, and I am completely enmoured with these lovelies. Hope everyone has a wonderful day tomorrow with their special someone!

Outfit – Ark & Co jacket from Shimmer (seen here at their recent event); Bitten t-shirt; Old Navy boyfriend jeans; Charming Charlie necklaces and earrings; M’s Clothing studded clutch (only $10!); Prabal Gurung for Target lace-up pumps; La Marquise glasses by BonLook

You've Got it Made

This outfit includes a couple of handmade items: the vintage purse I re-worked by adding pom poms from Monday’s post, and a scarf that I knitted myself. Also included in this outfit are pieces made by the talented Suki of Suki Bijoux. In the detail picture below, you can see the vintage purse necklace, the “Recoil” ring and typewriter ring. Lately, I have been wearing her pieces mixed in with my favorite ones, like the @ ring by Wendy Brandes. Pieces like these handmade items give character to an otherwise simple California winter outfit.

Outfit – H&M jacket, sweater and jeans; Tod’s suede boots; Honeybadger glasses by BonLook; Wendy Brandes ring; vintage purse necklace, custom-made “Recoil” ring and “C” typewriter ring by Suki Bijoux; handmade knitted scarf and pom pom purse

Photos by Rholnna Jiao

I Confess

I first heard about Miista shoes when they followed me on Twitter. I love discovering new brands, and lately I find out them due to follows on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. I must confess that it was love at first sight when I went to the website, and I have been fascinated ever since (I used a couple of their shoes in some recent Polyvore collages, here and here). These are my first pair from Miista called the Gabi, and these shoes – along with everything that I see on their site – are show stoppers. I’m not one to shy away from a fantastic pair of shoes, and these shoes start conversations. Each time I wear them, I get stopped because people either want to know where I got them, or just to tell me they are an awesome pair of shoes. I wore them recently to the Shimmer event that I went to a few weeks ago, and because they are flatforms, they gave me the height I needed while remaining comfortable. I’ve already have a second pair from Miista’s AW2012 sale, and I’m deciding what to get next from their Electromancer SS2013 collection, which is simply ah-mazing.

Note: Miista is a UK based company, and I just realized how many English items I’m wearing other than my shoes: London Underground cuff, English Beat shirt (the title of this post is one of their songs), Union Jack purse, London map ring, and hidden under my shirt is my belt with a Union Jack buckle. I must really miss London!

Edited to add on 2/5/2013: Check me out on Miista’s site (here)! When you purchase shoes from Miista (directly from their site or the many retailers that sell their brand), take an outfit photo featuring their shoes and submit it to you at miista dot com, and you could win a free pair in a monthly drawing. I didn’t win this month, but I’m going to keep trying!

Outfit – Living Doll Los Angeles jacket; H&M jeans; English Beat concert t-shirt; The G Collection Union Jack studded purse; Gabi shoes by Miista (from Envi Shoes); London Underground cuff c/o designhype; rings by Wendy Brandes and Suki Bijoux; Michael Kors watch; La Marquise glasses by BonLook; Park Avenue lipstick by Radiant

(Photo 3 by Eddie Flores of Love Life Photography)

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