Any Second Now

TOPSHOP/TOPMAN Grand Opening & Launch Party Recap!

Last week, my British shopping dreams came true in my hometown: I had the pleasure and privilege of attending some lovely events related to the TOPSHOP/TOPMAN grand opening at Fashion Valley Mall! A very lucky few of us were able to attend a press preview event the night before, where we got the chance to tour and shop this beautiful space before the grand opening. Upon entering the store, I felt like there was something special happening. Even though I’ve been to the New York and Las Vegas locations, in addition to two locations in London (Oxford Circus and Knightsbridge), there was just something wonderful about having a location in San Diego. I guess I feel like there is a tiny bit of London that I could visit whenever I wanted to, right in my own backyard. I’ve captured everything in pictures and split them up between the different events. Thank you to Noelle and Chris of Fashion Valley, and to Camille and Marisa of TOPSHOP/TOPMAN for allowing me to attend these wonderful events for the grand opening of one of my all time favorite shops. Cheers!

THE PREVIEW NIGHT

It was nice to walk around while the store was nearly empty, as I’m sure I’ll never get to see it like that again!

A section called “Jersey”, which houses all of their basics.

Yes it does! I think that will be my next sweatshirt…

I’m taking the hubby here soon!

The shoe wall. Glorious, isn’t it?

The TOPSHOP Stylist section. It’s an adorable area!

Thank you to stylist Sierra for helping me out for the evening and making me feel special. And yes, I bought that poncho!

A couple of mini-hauls: Picture 1 – Our gift bag from TOPSHOP; Picture 2 – My purchases for the evening, which was an adorable necklace, a hat, and the poncho I tried on in the picture above.

THE GRAND OPENING!

The outdoors DJ for the day, greeting the shoppers who came in droves for the opening!

People who made purchases were treated to an exclusive TOPSHOP screen printed shirt (while supplies lasted)!

THE LAUNCH PARTY AT MONIKER WAREHOUSE

So sad that I missed Cold War Kids…but I had to get home early to finish Halloween costumes for the family!

We saw so many fellow bloggers that night. It was lovely (as always) to hang out again with Laura of the blog Laura Neuzeth, and especially to help her capture her meeting one of her favorite musical artists, Devendra Banhart.

I brought my BFF Janice as my “+1” for the evening, and here are a couple of snapshots from our PHHHOTO videos (I’m wearing that hat I bought at the preview night). One of the videos is below. Such a fun camera!

Here’s a full video from TOPSHOP’s official You Tube channel of the San Diego store grand opening!

Post by Fashion Valley Mall

(From Fashion Valley Mall’s Facebook page, thank you for the love! Click the link above to see the actual post on Facebook.)

Happy Halloween 2014!

A quick little post to say “Happy Halloween”! Because Dominic wanted to be a ninja for Halloween (pictured above), my husband and I were faced with the dilemma of figuring out what we wanted to be this year. Eventually, Deon opted for the “Dark Mad Hatter” (he likes the full transformation with costume and make up). I decided to use my hair color as the inspiration, and using duck tape and some foam, I morphed into Wyldstyle from The Lego Movie.

Hope everyone has a safe and wonderful Halloween weekend, cheers!

The Dark Mad Hatter

Lucy, aka Wyldstyle

Eye to Eye

A quick little outfit post of what I wore to the recent San Diego Style Bloggers Beauty Blogger Workshop at Bellus Academy in Poway (my post will be up soon, but check out the awesome recap on the SDSB blog here). I kept my outfit simple so that my favorite pieces would stand out: the shirt, the bracelet and the purse. Everything else was in the color scheme of dark grey and nude as a base for those pieces I wanted to highlight.

The shirt I’m wearing is from Wardrobe Ritual, designed by Ashley Wright, who’s brand I discovered on Instagram. She takes upcycled and vintage clothing and adds an artistic edge to them, making each garment a piece of wearable art (this is one of two shirts I have from her line). My new Kate Spade glasses bangle has shown up again because I can’t get enough of it. But my newest vintage acquisition is the fab vintage Céline clutch purse (which I got on eBay in fantastic condition). I also put in a close up of my awesome nude heels because I got them for a fantastic price at Marshall’s.

Outfit – Wardrobe Ritual shirt (men’s size small); Madewell Denim Leggings; Aldo belt; Céline vintage clutch purse; Kate Spade Goreski Glasses Bangle; Sam Edelman shoes; Rings by Wendy Brandes and Suki Bijoux; Karl Lagerfeld Pyramid Stud watch; Lookmatic “Tippi” Glasses

TOPSHOP/TOPMAN Opening October 30th at Fashion Valley!

Alright kids, it’s finally happening (and I’m SO excited): TOPSHOP/TOPMAN is opening in San Diego at Fashion Valley Mall on October 30, 2014! They’re having a fab grand opening soiree, and all the details are below. See you there!

TOPSHOP/TOPMAN launch the brand’s first store in San Diego, California, to open at Fashion Valley

TOPSHOP/TOPMAN is proud to announce the opening of their first store in San Diego, California on October 30^th, 2014. The 17,500 square foot store will be located in the beautiful outdoor Fashion Valley in Mission Valley.

TOPSHOP will encompass 8,500 square feet of the first floor. This floor will feature the brand’s premium lines, mainline collections, denim, accessories, TOPSHOP beauty and petite. A bright interior of whites and pastels will accentuate the product.

TOPMAN will occupy the basement floor in a 5,000 square foot space. The curated products will include a sophisticated range of suits and smart wear, denim in various fits, the TOPMAN mainline range and footwear. Sleek dark wood interiors, LED lights and tinted windows set TOPMAN apart from its feminine upstairs counterpart.

The basement will also house key TOPSHOP products such as shoes, lingerie, maternity and swimwear. The TOPSHOP/TOPMAN stylist service is also housed on this level.

Celebrate TOPSHOP & TOPMAN in their stylish new store.

Opening October 30th at 11:00am.

Exclusive Giveaways available for the first 100 customers through the door.

First 10 people receive tickets to the VIP Party and $100 Topshop Topman Gift Card.

Next 50 people receive a $50 Topshop Topman Gift Card.

Next 40 people receive priority T-Shirt Printing.

Pick a Print

Live T-shirt printing with six exclusive prints.

In a Spin

Local DJ’s on the decks.

Stylish Snaps

Get snapped in our pop-up booth and share with your friends.

Grab a Gift

Receive a free gift when you spend $70*

*Available while stocks last.

Simple. Femme. Boho. Edgy: Royalie Boutique Opens in Oceanside

Earlier this month, I attended the grand opening of ROYALIE Boutique in Oceanside (which I posted about on the San Diego Style Bloggers site here). I originally met Alison Choi when she had a space in the Vixen Pop-Up Boutique at Flower Hill Promenade last year (original post here). How wonderful to see her space and website evolve into her very own boutique, which is as stylish and adorable as she is! Guests for the evening were treated to live music, craft cocktails and yummy food. In the picture above, I had one of the special drinks made for the evening called a “Blueberry Royalie” from Melange. Not to be left out, Dominic (who insisted on accompanying me to my “blogger thingie”) had a wonderful virgin lemonade craft creation, which he loved (his exact words were “Mama, this is YUMMY!”). I want to thank Jordanne from Julep Marketing, and another big congratulations to Alison on the lovely boutique (which I will be patronizing in the near future). Cheers and have a great weekend!

How beautiful is this sitting/photo-op area for guests to enjoy? Very chic!

I love the Curiocity Catering food truck, who provided light bites for the evening!

A few shots from inside the boutique. So quaint and stylish.

Love this outfit! I’m going back to see if that sweater is still there…

Dominic wanted in on my selfie. This is the jacket that appears in my most recent outfit post (here).

With Alison Choi, owner of ROYALIE. Congratulations again on your fabulous new boutique!

It's Handled: The Scandal Collection at The Limited

As mentioned previously, I’ll be doing a lot of catch up posts on events I’ve been to in the past couple of months. I was trying to figure out how to post these events, since they are a mix of store events and fashion shows. Since the fashion shows apply to the whole fall/winter season, I will post the store events since they are more timely and based on current lines and store openings. On September 23rd, I attended the introduction of The Limited’s newest collection inspired by the hit TV show Scandal. The collection was designed to be smart, sexy, and chic, just like the character Olivia Pope (played by Kerry Washington) and all gladiators out there.

The models at The Limited’s Scandal event at Fashion Valley were styled by Dean Hall (Style and Men). They then walked around the store to show just how the these fabulously fearless fashions moved in real-time. One of the models was none other than Tiffany of the blog Glitz and Glam and fellow contributor to San Diego Style Bloggers (she’s seen in the picture above behind Dean, and one of the pictures below). It is a beautiful collection, full of classic pieces and shapes. I fell in love with the coats, and especially that cape below! I want to thank The Limited for inviting me to this lovely event (even though I couldn’t stay very long). The collection is available now in stores and online!

This Orchid's Turned to Black

It’s been awhile since I’ve done an outfit post! I wanted to end this week with one, because it will lead well into several catch up posts of fab fashion events I’ve attended recently. My company has just approved casual dress at work, which is nice because I can really experiment with my wardrobe, mixing up the extremely casual with my regular office wear. So this “dressy sweatshirt” trend will fall nicely into all of my upcoming wardrobe plans. It’s the easiest to elevate up with fab shoes and a sparkly purse, then dress it down a bit with jeans and great sneakers. This orchid sweatshirt by Altuzarra for Target is one of my favorites, especially paired with the ankle boots from the same line. Other than my deep adoration for the Furla Candy Bag I recently won from Duty Free City, I am completely obsessed with lip products from Lime Crime makeup. I’ve already bought the Velvetine matte lipstains in “Salem”, “Wicked” and “Red Velvet” (not pictured below), and one of the Unicorn lipsticks in “Coquette”. Of all of the lip products I’ve tried in the past, Lime Crime’s lipsticks and lipstains give me the best and longest lasting coverage ever. Have a great weekend, cheers!

Outfit – Altuzarra for Target orchid sweatshirt and ankle boots; Sans Souci jacket through a gift certificate c/o Royalie; Madewell denim leggings; Furla Candy Bag won from Duty Free City; BonLook Keiko sunnies in Roxy Noir; Kate Spade Goreski Glasses Bangle; Karl Lagerfeld pyramid stud watch; Rings by Wendy Brandes and Suki Bijoux; Lime Crime “Salem” Velvetine lipstain (“Wicked” Velevtine & “Coquette” Unicorn Lipstick also pictured below)

(Post title from “Crime & Passion” by Duran Duran, All outfit photos by Rholnna Jiao.)

Fashion Valley Mall Presents The SHOES FIRST Shopping Guide in Collaboration with Marie Claire!

“Every amazing outfit first starts with a fabulous pair of shoes.”

– Marie Claire Creative Director, Nina Garcia

Love that quote by Nina Garcia! And I am all about great shoes, so I’m up for anything that allows me the ability to step up my shoe game! I just learned that Simon Malls has teamed up with the extremely popular worldwide publication, Marie Claire, on an exclusive shoe shopping guide called SHOES FIRST, and Fashion Valley Mall is one of four locations nationwide chosen to release it! As a part of the multi-platform release, if you snap a picture of your favorite shoe style from the SHOES FIRST Shopping Guide at one of the “Pop-Up Selfie Stations” sprinkled throughout the mall, you could win a $500 Simon gift card to spend towards enhancing your own shoe wardrobe! Check out all the information in the press release below, including a digital copy of the guide. Happy shopping!

FASHION VALLEY AND MARIE CLAIRE COLLABORATE ON AN EXCLUSIVE SHOES FIRST™ SHOPPING GUIDE, INVITING WOMEN TO STEP INTO THE SEASON WITH STYLE

SAN DIEGO, Calif. (October 13, 2014) – Fashion Valley, a Simon shopping destination, is one of four locations nationwide announcing the release of an exclusive SHOES FIRST™ Shopping Guide, inspired by Marie Claire Creative Director Nina Garcia’s famous fashion philosophy that, “Every amazing outfit first starts with a fabulous pair of shoes.”

Showcasing the season’s most covetable heels, boots, and flats, the SHOES FIRST™ Shopping Guide, a portable print booklet available at Guest Services, in common seating areas and at participating retailers, features the latest looks from H&M, Jimmy Choo, Michael Kors, Max Mara, GUESS, and more—all available for purchase at Fashion Valley.

Pop-up selfie stations are now strategically located throughout the center, encouraging shoppers to snap and share a photo of their personal favorite SHOES FIRST™ style using #foundatsimon and #contest for a chance to win a $500 Simon Giftcard.

“Our SHOES FIRST™ Shopping Guide brings the joy of discovering fashion to life via a beautifully curated style guide featuring shoes found at our malls,” said Chris Lane, director of marketing and business development at Fashion Valley. “We are excited to offer unique style insight from Marie Claire exclusively to our fashion-conscious, shoe-hungry shoppers, who are the tastemakers of the San Diego market. We hope everyone takes advantage of the opportunity to showcase their style-savvy with our fun Shoe Selfie Stations.”

“Now in our second year of celebrating SHOES FIRST™, we’re beyond thrilled to extend the power—and reach—of this multiplatform movement,” said Nancy Berger Cardone, Vice President/Publisher/Chief Revenue Officer of Marie Claire. “The Marie Claire woman is shoe-obsessed, as is the Simon shopper, so it’s only fitting that we partner together on this special shopping initiative.”

This month, consumers nationwide are invited to visit simon.com to view a digital copy of the SHOES FIRST™ Shopping Guide, plus read an exclusive shoe-centric Q&A with Elana Zajdman, Associate Accessories Editor at Marie Claire.

Frequent Flyer Tour: Chromeo in Concert

Last Wednesday, my husband and I went to see Canadian duo, Chromeo in concert at SOMA. SOMA is a venue I’ve always wanted to see a show at, but never really had the chance to, because any show I would attempt to see there would be sold pretty quickly. I’m not sure what cosmic synergy happened with Chromeo, but as soon as I saw the date on their Instagram (original post here), I dove in and scored tickets!

We arrived really early, which meant jockeying for position as close to the stage as possible, without compromising comfort. I like hearing the music played prior to the concert, because I understand that it’s the artist’s choice as to what gets played during that time. The music ranged from 70’s to 80’s, consisting mostly of R&B, soul and pop. I loved that they played “Right on Track” by The Breakfast Club, and I could see the kids all around me using their Shazam app to find out other tracks throughout the early evening like “Meeting in the Ladies Room” by Klymaxx or “No Parking (on the Dance Floor)” by Midnight Star. Little did they know they had an encyclopedia of 80’s music right next to them!

The night began with an hour set by Australian EDM producer/DJ, Wave Racer. His upbeat and incredibly danceable set was quite popular with the mainly Millennial crowd, and my husband was very interested in what he played, being a DJ himself.

Later, Dave 1 and P-Thugg stormed the stage with all kinds funkiness and groove, accompanied by a dynamic light show and the crowd chanting loudly “CHROM-E-O, WHOA-OH!”. I’m pretty sure we danced the entire night, and it was nice that they acknowledged that the crowd was a mix of their more seasoned fans, along with those of us who really jumped on board with the album “White Women”. Now that we’ve heard a nice little spectrum of their music, my hubby and I are on a mission to go back and grab the rest of their library. We heard everything we wanted to hear from their latest album, and a full set list of their show is below, courtesy of Setlist.fm. It truly was a fun evening filled with great dance music from beginning to end. If you get the chance, go catch Chromeo in concert, you won’t regret it!

My favorite shot of the evening, no filter needed!

My first piece of vinyl bought at a concert. Check that off the list!

Edit this setlist | More Chromeo setlists

I Won a Furla Candy Bag From Duty Free City!

If you recall, I posted about a contest not too long ago where you can win a Furla Candy Bag from Duty Free City’s Facebook page (original post here)? Well, I won! I completely wasn’t expecting to win, but I’m so glad I did, because the bag is adorable. The contest is still open until October 22, 2014 so click on the link in this post for the details on how to win. Additionally, their store is beautiful and they have a grand opening on November 6, 2014 (flier on their Facebook page). I’ll be there (with my Furla Candy Bag). Hope to see you there, cheers!

Remix this:

Remix this:

Remix this:

Remix this:

Remix this:

Remix this:

Remix this:

Remix this:

Remix this:

Remix this: