Tag Archives: San Diego Style Bloggers

Blogsgiving 2016

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Our family Thanksgiving happens annually in Las Vegas and it was filled with fun and food, and of course a little shopping. But prior to our family gathering, I celebrated “Blogsgiving” with a few blogger friends at Hotel La Jolla where we previewed the new fall menu at CUSP Restaurant by Chef Ingrid Funes.

Our table was dressed with gorgeous flowers by Melissa from Madmade Designs and Louie from 656 Photography documented the entire evening!

I was in superb company with these beautiful bloggers!

Above: Tiffany of Glitz & Glam By Tiff, Moi & Paulina of Lil Bits of Chic

Below: Maria of Savvynista, Kali of In-Spades, and Jenna of Lucky Little Mustard Seed

Bloggers doing what we do best!

This is the Fall menu for Cusp Restaurant, and we pretty much sampled a bit of everything! But I’ll feature what I ate that evening, which was simply amazing!

My appetizer was the Crab Cake with sweet and sour bell pepper relish & green goddess sauce (above, in front of the Crispy Pork Belly). My main dish was the Lobster Gnocchi with Mushrooms & Kale as my side dish. Both dishes were savory and absolutely delicious!

I closed the evening with a Sweet Potato Tartlet with cinnamon ice cream. I think heavenly would be the appropriate way to describe this delectable dessert!

Chef Ingrid Funes came to meet with us during our dinner.

We had a blast all through the evening, sharing stories and laughing (a lot)!

After dinner, Louie from 656 Photography captured more pictures, including this one we’re all calling our “Real Housewives of San Diego” pose. Maybe someone can come up with a bloggers version for reality TV?

Our lovely co-hosts for the evening, Jenna and Paulina!

Many thanks to Hotel La Jolla, CUSP Restaurant, their staff and Chef Ingrid Funes for the delicious dinner. Thank you again to Melissa from Madmade Designs for the lovely floral table setting and to Louie from 656 Photography for the amazing photography.

Special thanks to Jenna, Paulina, Maria, Tiffany and Kali, who I’ve come to know and love as my friends. It was a great evening filled with laughter and I was glad to have spent it with all of you!

Classic Breton Stripes

I have recently become obsessed with Breton stripes. I completely understand that there are more well-known images of stars in this classic look, like Audrey Hepburn, Bridget Bardot, Jean Seberg, Edie Sedgewick and Marilyn Monroe. But my favorite images of celebrities wearing what I consider a wardrobe “must have” come more from my era, like Meg Ryan in French Kiss and Madonna in Papa Don’t Preach. The look is so simple and fresh, and so French. The history of the Breton stripe shirt dates back to the French navy’s official uniform, but has been in fashion most notably through Coco Chanel and Jean Paul Gaultier. In fact, I really do have a history of this type of shirt through one of Gaultier’s own designs with Target in an outfit post (here). I guess my love for this look runs deeper than I thought!

I had been hunting for an affordable version of the marinière, and found it at J Crew, complete with a slightly different detail: a fringed hem. Already a steal at $39.50, I bought it at the Fashion Valley location for an additional 25% off! I purchased it in a large to get that loose-look as worn by Meg Ryan, but styled it with a leather jacket like Madonna. I was going to wear my trusty Stan Smiths with them (which I already have because this shirt has rotated twice through my wardrobe in the last week), but opted to give my outfit more of an edge with a pair of rocker shoes by Miista.

Outfit: Striped boatneck t-shirt with fringe by J Crew; “Collin” shoes by Miista (no longer available); “Trigger” satchel by Botkier; BCBGeneration leather moto jacket; Old Navy mid-rise cropped flare jeans; “Simone” glasses by Warby Parker in Blue Coral; Topshop hat & belt (no longer available); Leather Depeche Mode wrap bracelet by Little Treasures by Mir; WendyB Rings by Wendy Brandes

(All outfit photos by Rholnna Jiao; movie images searched on Google)

San Diego Style Bloggers Private Trunk Show with Malia Designs Tomorrow 11/16/16!

If you’re a regular follower of San Diego Style Bloggers by blog or Instagram, then you would have already heard about the event tomorrow night! I’m so excited because it’s in conjunction with Malia Designs, who I first heard about during an event I attended last year for Daisy Mae PR (I bought a scarf from them, post here).

Malia Designs has beautiful items made by Fair Trade producer groups, and “was formed to increase economic opportunity for women in Cambodia and to support organizations that fight human trafficking in Southeast Asia.”

If you would like to attend, please be sure to RSVP to [email protected] and I’ll see you tomorrow night!

WHERE:

BASIC

(in the East Village on the corner of 10th Avenue and J Street)

410 10th Ave San Diego, CA 92101

WHEN:

November 16, 2016 from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm

Kick Out the Style, Bring Back the Jam

I’m so excited that it’s finally Fall, and I can wear sweaters, coats, boots and more importantly: LAYERS! Although the weather was a bit up and down throughout October, I still wore a sweater to see one of my favorite bands from the 80’s, Tears for Fears. My sister and I have been waiting for them to tour again, because we just seem to keep missing them. Thank goodness they decided to end their tour with two dates in the San Diego area, and we were lucky to get tickets to their sold out Saturday October 8th show at Pechanga Theater.

I have been wearing more and more comfortable clothing to concerts because it just makes the night so much easier to handle, especially since I really like to stay standing and dance my heart out! Overall, this is a very basic outfit consisting of a sweater, leggings and sneakers. The criss-cross on the sweater meant I didn’t need a necklace, but I still added a few other details to keep my outfit stylish, like a fedora, bold ring and cute purse. Although comfy, I still like to feel dressed up enough because you never know who you’ll meet…like maybe one of the band members after the show!

Outfit: Lush sweater & ring (c/o) from Wysh Boutique (original post here); Girlfriend Collective leggings; Rebecca Minkoff purse; Stan Smith by Adidas with cork soles from Size.co.uk; Lookmatic glasses; Unknown brand fedora

Yes, that would be me, my sister and Rob, all meeting Curt Smith after the show! He autographed my records (below). Unfortunately, we did not get that same chance with Roland Orzabal. Maybe next time?

“Head Over Heels”

(Outfit photos by Rholnna Jiao. All other photos & video by me. Post title: Lyrics from “Sowing The Seeds of Love” by Tears for Fears)

Edit this setlist | More Tears for Fears setlists

Get Your Stroll On!

Last month, I attended a special blogger private preview party of Stroll’s new location! I had a great time celebrating with owner Katie McCarthy and my fellow San Diego Style Bloggers!

Stroll is located in Little Italy and it’s a great new space that they share with Craftmossphere. Prior to the brick & mortar shop, Katie used to own the fashion retail truck called Stop Shop and Roll (post featuring her truck here). After trying out this venture for a year, she opened Stroll in its first location back in 2014. At the end of September this year, Stroll re-opened in its new location, just a few blocks down, still on India Street. I took a few pictures of the festivities, which included bites, sips and more importantly, shopping! I bought a great new dress there, which will be perfect for fall, and I’ll be sure to put up an outfit post featuring it soon.

Be sure to head over to Stroll in their new location for some fantastic boutique shopping!

Stroll Boutique

2360 India Street, San Diego, CA 92101

The new location is lovely, with everything on trend!

The mules were made with an infused bourbon. So delicious!

I felt like a boho butterfly with these wings by Craftmossphere!

(Photo taken by Rhea of Sew Stylish Rhea)

The first 10 bloggers received a fantastic gift bag, which had a beautiful plant from Craftmossphere (below)!

Bloggers Gonna Blog: It was great to celebrate with old & new blogger friends!

Left to right (top): Lindsay of Affordably Accessorized; Brittany of Pennies into Pearls; Ashley of Ash Poppe From Wear to Where; Nihan of Style with Nihan; Devon of Seventeen Dresses; Rhea of Sew Stylish Rhea; Lilia of Curls and Fashion

Left to right (bottom): Katie owner of Stroll; Gray of GILGU; Moi; Bel of Bunk Beds and Mascara

(Photo courtesy of Lindsay of Affordably Accessorized)

ZIUR Designs Fall 2016 Fashion Show Recap

At the end of August, I attended the ZIUR Designs Fall 2016 Fashion Show at the lovely Porto Vista Hotel in benefit of Give Clean Water, an organization whose mission is “to provide a sustainable clean drinking water solution to every person in Fiji.” The evening was hosted by Leilani Angel of Style Sorbet, with co-hosts San Diego Style Bloggers Paulina of Lil Bits of Chic and Tiffany of Glitz and Glam by Tiff.

The show featured clothing by Oeas Villatoro (there’s a cape dress I’m in love with), along with ZIUR Designs jewelry and their newest MAN Collection. The evening started off with a cocktails and a trunk show, followed by the runway show. I had fun spending the evening hanging out with Lindsay of Affordably Accessorized, which was most apropos to close out National Accessory Month!

Give Clean Water is currently using a filter made by Sawyer Products called the Point One Filter. The filter attaches to a 5 gallon bucket and removes 7 log (99.99999%) of all bacteria like salmonella, cholera, and E. coli. and 6 log (99.9999%) of all Protozoa such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium. – From the Give Clean Water website

The filter was amazing and I even drank the filtered water myself!

I purchased one of each Water Drop bracelets by ZIUR Designs, where 100% of the proceeds go to benefit Give Clean Water!

That. Denim. Cape Dress by Oseas Villatoro! *swoon*

Statement jewelry by ZIUR Designs

Fantastic pieces from ZIUR Designs and their MAN Collection along with beautiful clothing by Oseas Villatoro

With Paulina, Tiffany and Lindsay

My outfit for the evening: Pre-owned Hermes scarf from Portero; Pre-owned dress by Natori from Refinery Resale in Las Vegas; Dior Saddle Bag from eBay; “ANGYL” pumps by YRU (no longer available)

I was definitely channeling Carrie Bradshaw with my Dior saddle bag (although that’s a Seabreeze and not a Cosmo)!

Fashionably Late: August 2016 Events!

I cannot believe yet another month has come and gone! Dominic is now back in school and we’re settling in for our Fall/Winter schedule. This year, it means fitting in lots of school events, as well as accommodating my work/blogging/concert-going schedule with my husband’s busy business travel/golf schedule. Speaking of concerts, I’ll do a recap soon, and will call out special concerts like the Rick Astley concert at the famous Troubador at the beginning of August. Yes, you read that right: Rick Astley, famous for the hit “Never Gonna Give You Up”, played only two sold-out shows in the US this year, one in New York and one in LA. My best friend, Janice and I not only got to witness Rick all live and up close, but we also got to meet him afterwards!

So here is the mini-catch up, followed by separate posts for Elite Netoworking Group’s “A Night of Fashion & Fun” & the ZIUR Designs Fall 2016 Fashion Show.

Cheers and here’s to another great month!

Golf Channel AM Tour 2016 Wrap-Up

I am very proud to say that my husband closed out the 2016 Golf Channel Amateur Tour by not only promoting from the Hogan flight to the Palmer flight in their “Journey to Better“, but he was also named “Player of the Year” in his previous flight! Congratulations honey!

Love Tatum Sample Sale – 8/6/16

At the beginning of August, I took Dominic and Joey for the last sample sale at Love Tatum. It was my first time visiting Tatum’s studio, and since she has an adorable little French Bulldog, I knew it would be okay to bring Joey along for the outing. I bought a new little silver ring and Dominic enjoyed the refreshments.

Also, congratulations to Tatum for being selected as a finalist for the “Woman of the Year 2016” through San Diego Magazine!

National Accessory Month at Bubbles Boutique – 8/13/16

Lindsay of Affordably Accessorized

With Fatsani, one of the talented co-founders of TaSanni Designs

With Gayleen, owner of Bubbles Boutique (I bought that cute little top and purse)

Lindsay Ryan of Affordably Accessorized is a blogger friend and fellow San Diego Style Blogger. She announced the debut of August as “National Accessory Month” and asked bloggers and influencers to celebrate accessorizing and accessories all through the month. I participated in one of her events at Bubbles Boutique mid-month, and not only did I get to spend some time with Lindsay herself, but I got to see Fatsani of TaSanni Designs and chatted with Bubbles Boutique owner Gayleen. I also participated myself with showcasing some of my favorite accessories on Instagram and here on my blog. Looking forward to what next year has in store!

Pre-KAABOO Party at Mercedes-Benz El Cajon – 8/13/16

With Vanessa of Vanessa Balli, host of the Pre-KAABOO Party at Mercedes-Benz of El Cajon

With davyrockett, Sandi King and Joshua Taylor of King Taylor Project. They are so awesome live, check out their show listing here!

Right after I left Bubbles Boutique, I headed over to Mercedes-Benz of El Cajon to check out the festivities as fellow blogger Vanessa Balli hosted the Pre-KAABOO Party! Food was provided by Sausage & Meat, raffle prizes were given away every hour, pampering was done inside the showroom, and live music was provided by King Taylor Project and their friend davyrockett.

It definitely was a nice day to get out and enjoy a taste of what it will be like at KAABOO. Are you going? I’m going on Saturday September 17, courtesy of the tickets my friend Angi won at the Foodie Fest Encinitas Media Party back in May (post here)!

The Magic of Moonstone

I’ve only recently discovered the magic and mystery of the moonstone, which is a feldspar group of gemstones. They are known for their adularescence (their glow or inner light), and I’ve read that white moonstone “carries the energy of the new moon at the height of its power, stimulating psychic perception, vision and dream work. It can magnify one’s emotions, activating the kundalini energy in women and emotional balance in men, and is supportive in children to drive away nightmares or insomnia (definition from Crystal Vaults).”

I love this beautiful triangle moonstone pendant from Moonstone Magic. I chose the shape from the description alone: “The triangle was meant for ascension in the mystic realm. With Moonstone to fill the shape, one’s inner journey will come to a completion.” Also, I chose a pendant because I like knowing its power is between the Throat and Heart Chakras, seats of communication and love.

Moonstone Magic’s jewelry are all simply gorgeous and come delivered with a lovely pouch. If you like my piece or others like it, check out their website and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

FTC Disclosure: I received product in exchange for a product review (please also note that Moonstone Magic’s pendants do not include a necklace, the one pictured is one I already own). Although I did receive product, the opinions in this post are strictly my own.

Grayscale

I’ve finally come to accept the style of “tonal” dressing. I think I used to worry about matching shades of colors perfectly, but that is quite an impossible task since even blacks come in degrees of darkness. But with gray, it seems easier to pull off and I find that it also mixes well with taupe and beige.

Although it’s been quite the scorcher lately in San Diego, I will always find an excuse to wear a cape!

Cape Coat c/o Fashion Mia (no longer available); Polished Casual Blouse by Downeast Basics (I got them in two colors, see my haul below from their Henderson location); Old Navy cropped flares; Christian Louboutin heeled sandals from The Real Real (close up below); Rebecca Minkoff purse; Necklace, earrings and ring “rented” from Rocksbox; Warby Parker “Simon” glasses in Tea Rose Fade

(Outfit photos by Rholnna Jiao)

FTC Disclosure: I received product in exchange for a product review. Although I did receive product, the opinions in this post are strictly my own.

My Flat In London

Ok, so I don’t really have a flat in London. But I do have pieces of a lovely collection from Brighton called My Flat In London, designed by Jan Haedrich. I can’t recall how I first heard about the collection, but my husband gave me a My Flat In London purse for Christmas a couple of years ago. I loved the look because it was very reminiscent of Chanel, but at a fraction of the price (although, I do now have my own Chanel purse, more on that later when I put up my post about luxury consignment shopping). Imagine my delight when I went to Las Vegas recently to celebrate my mother-in-law’s venture into a new career and she surprised me with adorable My Flat In London jewelry for my birthday! Of course they perfectly paired with my purse and I just couldn’t wait to put together an outfit featuring the pieces. I adore French style, and this was my version: mixing high-end with mid-price, keeping it simple but with attention to detail and always a bit of edge. Cuffing my jeans makes them feel more tailored and the whole look feels very put together without being too matchy-matchy. I’m excited to finally have an outfit post up, and I’ll be doing some catch up posts in the next few weeks. In the meantime, cheers and have a great weekend!

Outfit: Downeast Basics cardigan; Old Navy tank top; Madewell jeans; Chanel shoes & Hermes bracelet from The Real Real; Warby Parker “Simone” glasses in Blue Coral; My Flat In London purse, bangle and pendant necklace; Wendy Brandes #@ rings; Suki Bijoux vintage map London ring; Karl Lagerfeld watch

(Outfit photos by Rholnna Jiao)

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