Tag Archives: Wendy Brandes Jewelry

Wedding Outfit Remixed

I wore this outfit to a wedding last October (post here), but remixed it and wore it to work before I wore it to CJ’s wedding (original post here). I really played up the burgundy of my dress by doing the “matchy-matchy” thing with my shoes, purse and glasses. But it really worked well together because they were slightly different shades of burgundy, and I was sure to break everything up with black.

Outfit – Kirna Zabete for Target dress; Nordstrom cardigan (old); Express belt; Talbots shoes; Michael Kors watch; Wendy Brandes genie necklace; Vintage purse from Bad Madge & Company; iSee glasses from GlassesUSA; Rings by Suki Bijoux; Earrings by Momotique and bracelet made by Amy Butzen, both gifts from my best friend Janice; Maybelline Color Show Fashion Prints Nail Stickers in Sapphire Jewels; Haircut by Jazzie at Deb-N-Hair

Isn’t my boy handsome? *proud Mama*

And The Tape Is Your Voice

I think it was love at first sight when I saw this skirt on ModCloth. It’s called the “Music In Me in Mix Tape” skirt, and I literally said, “I must have that!” I fell in love with the pattern, and the fact that is has pockets (skirts and dresses with pockets are the best things ever). I’m glad I bought it when I did because not only was it on sale, it’s now sold out. Hopefully ModCloth will bring it back somehow because it has quickly become my favorite skirt in my wardrobe, and I know so many would love this skirt. When I wore it to work, one of my co-workers said, “You definitely should have been born in a different era!” I admit I styled the skirt for this outfit to be retro, but I can also see this skirt in a more edgier outfit. But maybe he was talking about the fact that the pattern is cassette tapes, and everyone knows how much I love the 80’s.

Outfit – Burberry sweater (old); Bitten t-shirt (old); Retrolicious skirt from ModCloth (sold out); Rebecca Minkoff purse; Nine West shoes (old); Zekes Zipper Bangle from MimiBoutique (sold out); Michael Kors watch; Suki Bijoux and Wendy Brandes rings; iSee glasses from GlassesUSA; Unknown brand pan collar necklace and belt; Tambourine earrings made by my sister, Rholnna

(The title of this post is a line from the Depeche Mode song Photographic.)

(Photos by Rholnna Jiao)

Ice Machine

I finally got my Val Tex ankle boots by Miista. Free People had them on super sale, so I just had to grab them. They named it the “Glacier Ankle Boot”, probably because the pattern looks like it could be from the aurora borealis. I fell in love with them when Miista introduced their Electromancer line, and I used it in a Polyvore collage (post here). I kept my outfit very simple, allowing these lovelies to steal the show. These booties are even prettier up-close and personal, and many co-workers stopped me to ask me where I got them. This is my fourth pair of Miistas, and I can safely say that I’m hooked.

Outfit – H&M cardigan; Old Navy shirt and jeans; Val Tex ankle boots by Miista in topaz/mauve ($69.95 on Free People); Rebecca Minkoff MAC; Michael Kors watch; Wendy Brandes and Suki Bijoux rings; Honeybadger glasses by BonLook; bracelet, necklace and earrings were birthday gifts from my niece and sister

(‘Ice Machine’ is a song by Depeche Mode, the B-side to ‘Dreaming of Me’)

$Val Tex Collage$

(Check out the cute bonus pictures of my beautiful niece wearing my Miistas. She loves all of my shoes, purses and clothes, so I thought it would be fitting to get her in this outfit post. I’m telling you, she’s a natural, no?)

(Photos by Rholnna Jiao)

Flower Power

Floral prints always look and feel fresh. It’s been awhile since I’ve worn this much pink in one outfit. But because it’s so wonderfully bright and sunny these days, I felt like I wanted to infuse a little of that into my work outfit. I paired my floral pants and bubblegum pink blouse with some floral pieces: a necklace with a vintage pin as the pendant, and my favorite Spanish gold earrings that I bought back in the 80’s in Old Town San Diego.

Outfit – MNG blazer from JC Penney; Unknown brand blouse and floral pants from M’s Clothing ($9.99 each piece); GUNAS Camel Sweetheart purse from Modavanti (on sale for $70); Prabal Gurung for Target shoes; necklace, vintage typewriter & Recoil rings by Suki Bijoux; Wendy Brandes @ ring; Spot On glasses by Nicole Miller from GlassesUSA (on sale for $52); vintage Spanish gold earrings

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.

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'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)

Old Navy

When I bought this sweater, it immediately reminded me of my father and old pictures of him when he was in the navy. I decided to really do up the outfit and I came up with something that made me feel like a vintage sailor girl, circa 1920’s to 1940’s. Then my sister and I went out to Harbor Drive near Downtown San Diego, so that we could have pictures with The USS Midway in the background. It was a beautiful day, which really made the pictures even more like the ones in our dad’s old photo albums, especially with the sepia color. I miss my dad, and it’s nice when we can pay some homage to him in small ways.

Outfit – Hell Bunny sweater from ModCloth; Libertine for Target dress; Hanes textured tights; Jeffrey Campbell shoes; Fleur de Lis necklace (close up here), “Recoil” and typewriter rings by Suki Bijoux; Wendy Brandes ring; handmade bracelet given by my best friend Janice; La Marquise glasses by BonLook; unknown brand purse

All photos by Rholnna Jiao

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