MCLV Style: Animalistic
Northern California is all about layering during the Fall – The mornings may start off foggy with a chill in the air only to end up in the mid seventies with the sun beating down on you by lunchtime. Since moving to San Francisco I’ve become something of a self-taught layering expert.
{You can shop similar pieces by clicking these hyperlinks: Leopard Knit Moto Jacket – Express, Siren Skinny Jeans – Victoria’s Secret, Black Tunic Tank – Club Monaco, (faux) Patent Leather Chainlink Bag – Express, Gold Geometric Bracelet – BCBG & Over-The-Knee Seude Boots – Chinese Laundry}
{You can view this outfit on both Lookbook.nu and Pose}
{Check out outtakes from this shoot here – Just log into Facebook to view}
This ended up being the perfect amount of layers, I could easily unzip the moto jacket to get some air, and take it off completely when it got too warm. We spent the day wandering around Sonoma Square and enjoying wine tastings, window shopping, and a tasty lunch at The Girl And The Fig.
Do you like to wear multiple lighter-weight layers when the weather starts to get colder in the Fall/Winter? Or do you prefer to wear thicker outerwear during the chillier seasons?
MCLV Style: Sergeant Pepper
This past weekend we participated in one of my favorite San Francisco Saturday morning rituals – A lazy walk along the bustling, sun-drenched Embarcadero to the Ferry Building Farmers Market. The vendors, shops & food stalls are amazing, the people watching & street performers are hilarious, and the view is unparalleled.
{You can shop similar pieces by clicking these hyperlinks: Sgt. Pepper Coat – H&M, Cropped Black Leggings – Victoria’s Secret, Bow Ballet Flats – H&M, Tortoise Shell Sunglasses – Aldo, Star Cocktail Ring – BCBGMAXAZRIA via Bloomingdale’s, Spiked Bracelet – ASOS & Shoulder Bag – OASAP}
{You can view this outfit on both Lookbook.nu and Pose}
{Check out more outtakes from this shoot here – just log into Facebook to view}
I ordered this handbag after swooning over Smile For Style‘s bag a few weeks ago {included in this Looks of the Week post} and I’ve been quite pleased with my first OASAP purchase. I’ve always loved High Street Fashion and shopped online at UK-based sites like Asos, Miss Selfridge & Topshop, so I’m thrilled to add another British store to my list.
Personally, I’m of the mindset – Why run errands in your workout gear if you can throw on a chic coat and make a stylish morning of it? Do you have a weekend uniform when you’re running errands? Will you keep your workout gear on when you go out into public or change into street clothes?
MCLV Style: Date Night
There’s an important Friday night ritual that I’d like to share with you – It’s called Date Night. It involves great wine, great food, and great company.
And a cute dress doesn’t hurt.
{You can shop similar pieces by clicking these hyperlinks: Multi-Color Dress – Victoria’s Secret, Heeled Purple Sandals – Lauren by Ralph Lauren, Nude Wristlet – Mango, Textured Gold Cuff – Ann Taylor, Star Cocktail Ring – BCBG & Art Deco Earrings – Zara}
{You can HYPE this look on Lookbook.nu}
Check out more outtakes from this shoot here – just log into Facebook to view
This is what I wore for my recent trip to Park Tavern SF on Washington Square Park. Our dinner was on the earlier side since I was leaving for NYC bright and early the next day and since it was still light out we decided to take a few shots in the park. We got some pretty funny looks as Sean was directing me so that we could try to get pictures without loungers in the background – but the killer Malbec once we got inside more than made up for it!
Do you like to dress to the nines for date night? Maybe every once in a while? What’s your standard going-out-to-dinner get up for a Friday or Saturday night during the Summer?
Restaurant Review: Park Tavern
During the Summer there’s very little that I love more than a restaurant with a view. It doesn’t matter if you’re sitting inside near giant windows or braving the elements on a patio, people watching while enjoying a good glass of wine or a tasty meal is a hallmark of Summertime.
For a recent date night we ventured to Washington Square Park for a delicious meal at Park Tavern SF, a newish restaurant on the park with tons of foot traffic that makes for a real people-watching treat.
{Deviled eggs, bacon, pickled jalepeño & chives}
{“Demons on horseback” smoked lardo-wrapped prawns, scallion remoulade & celery leaf}
{Anson Mills polenta, orange & red cabbage relish}
{Roasted brussels sprout hearts, parmesan, sage & chili}
{Five Star Ranch N.Y. strip steak frites, black pepper-parmesan fries, prosciutto butter & red wine jus}
The food was tasty even though there were limited veggie options, I enjoyed the wine list, and the service was quite good, especially since it was busy. There’s a valet too for those driving, and I would recommend calling a few days in advance, we had an early meal because when we called the day before the only had 5:30pm or 9:30pm available for the following night.
What is your favorite type of restaurant for a date night? Do you like to dress up and make a night of it, or stay with something more relaxed and casual.
Celebratory Weekend
This past weekend was a once in a life time celebration for my family – My baby brother, who happens to be the only male cousin, celebrated his recent engagement. He and his adorable fiance drove (drove!!!) up from Albuquerque for a week in California which ended with three days of non-stop celebrating in San Francisco.
The festivities began Friday night with our longtime tradition, dinner at our favorite North Beach spot, Don Pistos. The chips & salsa are amazing and we always gorge ourselves on them long before the food ever arrives, the tacos and seafood specials never disappoint, and their sangria is top-notch. Which is very important in a restaurant.
Ceviche tacos, carne asada, fried calamari, fish tacos, wine & sangria, and unpictured (eaten too quickly…) veggie tacos for me.
Why do boys never tire of trying to scare you?
After leaving dinner, totally stuffed as always, we walked past Washington Square Park and headed to another fun North Beach spot, the always lively brewery Rogue which has great outdoor tables and a huge beer list.
How cute is my future sister? 🙂
I’m always exhausted on Friday nights, the week always seems to come crashing down on me riiight around 7pm, so I made my life easier and just threw on a little black dress and some killer gold jewelry for our Friday night out.
V-Neck Dress – Mink (from the North Beach boutique Annabella’s), Heeled Sandals – Ralph Lauren, Lariat Necklace – Vendome (from the Sasha Maks Vintage Jewelry Trunk Show), Bracelets – JewelMint & Vintage, and Ring – BCBG {Click on the hyperlinks above to visit sites where you can find similar pieces}
For the main event on Saturday the rest of our family joined us for brunch and bottomless mimosas at a little hole in the wall bar/restaurant in North Beach called Tiernan’s Irish Pub.
And yes, I ate sweet potato fries for brunch. Completely worth it.
Comparing bling with fabulous friends – An important part of any good outing
Most of our extended family departed after brunch wrapped up, so those of us who remained walked over to the beach at Ghirardelli Square for some celebratory bubbly and a toast with a killer view.
Fashion highlight? Realizing Sean had been wearing my little pink running socks from Victoria’s Secret with his new Banana Republic dress shoes all day…
And what did I wear for this fabulous event you ask?
Zara Zara Zara
Striped Blouse – Zara, Royal Blue Shorts – Zara, Shoes – MaddenGirl, and Zebra Print Aviators – Piperlime {You can shop similar pieces on ASOS Style Finder or click on the hyperlinks above to visit websites where you can find similar pieces}
In conclusion, it was an amazing, sentimental, crazy fun weekend, and now I feel like I need to sleep for a week to recover. 🙂
How was your weekend?
Mission: Put Together 2012 – Week II
I’m here today to give you a Week II breakdown for Definitely RA‘s 2012 fashion challenge – Mission: Put Together (similar to Freckles In Aprils’ 10 Day Style Challenge from earlier in the year) – my initial post on Week I post was published on May 15th. Clearly I’ve had a hectic Spring, but I’m glad that I’m finally sharing these fun pictures.
Ready for some color?
Week #2 was about one thing – Prints Prints Prints! I went from a solid black girl to mixing patterned pieces like a pro, the very reason that I wanted to take on this challenge in the first place.
Summer Stripes:
I feel like I should preference this by saying that this is the first time I’ve worn shorts since JUNIOR HIGH.
Striped Top: Zara, Royal Blue Shorts: Zara, Sandals: Vintage, Black Bag: Chanel, Sunglasses: Christian Dior, & Jewelry: JewelMint
You can HYPE this look on Lookbook.nu, shop similar pieces on ASOS Style Finder, or click the hyperlinks above for some comparable pieces that you can buy.
I traded in my vintage sandals for MaddenGirl heels to grab a glass of wine outside at a cafe.
That’s right. Junior High.
And of course I paired these too-cute bright blue Zara shorts with fun zipper details with a basic striped T-shirt. We all know how much I love stripes!
Polka Dots:
Polka Dot Blouse: Zara, Pleated Chiffon Mini Skirt: Zara, Black Blazer: Aqua, Clutch: Chanel, & Nude Heels: BCBGeneration
You can HYPE this look on Lookbook.nu, shop similar pieces on ASOS Style Finder, or click the hyperlinks above for some comparable pieces that you can buy.
I was totally mad for this outfit! Every once in a while I put something together that makes me just plain excited to go outside. And this is an example of that. I was bouncing around like a sugar-crazed little kid while Sean and I were waiting to meet my parents for dinner that night. I couldn’t even wait until after dinner to take pictures, we ran across the street from the restaurant after placing our orders to take these shots.
People were definitely stopping to stare at us while we were taking these pictures in Washington Square Park. I think trying to figure out who I was and why I was posing for photographs on a bike path…
Graffiti Girl:
When I saw this dress I knew it had to be mine.
Geometric Print Dress: Mango, T-Strap Heels: Zara, and Handbag: Zara
You can HYPE this look on Lookbook.nu, shop similar pieces on ASOS Style Finder, or click the hyperlinks above for some comparable pieces that you can buy.
I have a bad habit of wearing dresses that aren’t ideal for my body type. For example, I absolutely adore 6o’s mod-inspired styles and shift dresses, which are better suited for someone with a boyish figure – a la Twiggy.
Flower Child:
What do you wear when it’s gorgeous out on a lazy Sunday morning? Go hippie of course! And since I wanted to stay true to the challenge, I made sure to pick a fun floral printed dress to run errands in.
While I adore this print, what really made this dress stand out to me was the crocheted strip around the middle. Such a fun, unique detail.
Floral Dress: Vintage, Sunglasses: D&G, Cross-Body Bag: BCBGeneration & Floral Cuff: Vintage
You can HYPE this look on Lookbook.nu, shop similar pieces on ASOS Style Finder, or click the hyperlinks above for some comparable pieces that you can buy.
Print On Print:
Who would have ever guessed that me, the girl who wore nothing but solid black for years, would be involved in something as crazy as pattern mixing?
I love this dress and I’ve worn it a few times this season, but it was really fun to try to pick out a great patterned bag to pair with it this time, something that I wouldn’t necessary choose during a random wearing.
Dress: Lilly Pulitzer via Bloomingdale’s, Sandals: Vintage, Striped Tote: Forever 21, Charm bracelet: Juicy Couture, Flower Ring: Forever 21, & Turquoise Ring: Asos
You can HYPE this look on Lookbook.nu, shop similar pieces on ASOS Style Finder, or click the hyperlinks above for some comparable pieces that you can buy.
Color. Prints. Mixing patterned pieces. This was a big week for me, I definitely stretched my sartorial muscles. I’m sure that you also noticed that these are all weekend after-hours looks. I included a number of work outfits in Week I and wanted to try to incorporate more street style type looks this week.
Do you like the idea of a fashion challenge that forces you to make new and interesting fashion choices? Are you getting inspired to try out some fun new looks for Summer?
A Week In Pictures
The past week has been pretty amazing. I got to spend two nights with my parents, we made them dinner at the apartment one night and went out to a restaurant on Washington Square Park the next. My childhood friend Sophie got married in a perfect Bay Area ceremony last Saturday, wearing a gorgeous dress with a beautiful retro veil. I got to spend six whole days with my long distance boyfriend, a rarity outside of vacations and trips. And I got to attend the Raise The Macallan Scotch tasting event down on Van Ness.
Oh, and I ate. A lot!
Enjoy the pictures.
P.S. I made a killer kale salad and some delicious sweet potatoes, and I’ll share the recipes soon. (Obviously chicken & tri tip plates are Sean’s!)
Have a great Saturday and enjoy spending time with your families this weekend!
Oh San Francisco
This past weekend was both relaxing and luxurious, beginning perfectly with a little light shopping Friday afternoon before the boyfriend came back into San Francisco. 🙂
Saturday morning started with our favorite new ritual – a long walk to the Ferry Building for the Farmer’s Market to pick up fruits and veggies, and to eat our body weight in organic, local foods before slowly walking back to North Beach.
Including some tasty treats from my new obsession at the Farmers Market, Black Jet Baking Company. Their vegan cranberry sticky buns are absolutely divine!
Oh, and picking up new additions to our household. 🙂 Meet Tofu the pig!
Then we – ohmygosh I can hardly write the words – FINISHED DECORATING THE LIVING ROOM. Furniture assembled? Check. Art on the walls? Check. Furniture rearranged and carpet moved? Check. And you want to know what? It looks even better than I’d hoped.
The rest of Saturday included some writing, a quick trip to our corner pub for a glass of red wine, the grocery store and snacking while we fought over the remote.
Sunday was another gorgeous day and included another long walk, time time to the Marina to pick up a print that we ordered for the bedroom, a yummy brunch at Cafe Des Amis where I discovered my adorable friend Jael works, an impromptu stroll through Pier 39 to smell the AMAZING smells (candy, fudge, ice cream, waffle cones, chocolate, donuts…) and to see the Sea Lions that I can hear from my apartment in the mornings. Finally, what better way to end the weekend than cuddling on the couch watching the World’s Strongest Man competition?
Nope, no Superbowl for us. 🙂
How was your weekend? Did you watch the game?
Goodbye Leavenworth
I’d like to take a moment to lament & say au dieu to my beautiful Russian Hill apartment.
But the time had come for me to say goodbye to the leg burning hills and find a new apartment. Somewhere flat. :)The cats were not quite as excited as me to move to North Beach though…
The new building has none of the classic San Francisco characteristics that I’ve always looked for, it’s a squat, modern building with carpets and mirrored closets. So why did I make this move? The building is walking distance to work, is located in a great neighborhood and has a pool, gym and sliding glass doors in the living room that lead out to a courtyard.
But my favorite part? There’s space for all my very important goodies.
A giant walk in closet
With room for purses, shoes and my dresser in additional to all of my clothes
Moi Contre La Vie 