Shakespeare Garden

My recent trip to California yielded many interesting fashion finds. Before this March, I had never been to the West Coast before. The furthest West I had ever been was Arizona, which almost counts but not quite. My 10-day stint included visits to Berkeley, San Francisco, Napa & Los Angeles. Needless to say, I enjoyed it immensely and will continue to exude the West Coast style influence indefinitely.

The trip also provided so many photo opportunities I could barely contain myself! This and the following series were taken at the Shakespeare Garden in San Francisco.

Dress: UO, Necklace: Madewell, denim jacket: Crossroads, Tights: Nine West, Boots: Bata, Aviators: Aldo, Leather shoulder bag: vintage Coach from Treasury

The Shakespeare Garden is a lovely little place in Golden Gate Park on the outskirts of San Fran. We walked through it when venturing from car to De Young Fine Arts Museum and were compelled to stop for some photos. The trees were miraculously in bloom and birds were chirping. This is the type of place that makes you want to dance and sing and pretend like you're in The Sound of Music. It was a cloudy day, but the sun shone through at unexpected moments and gave us some gorgeous, glittering light to work with.

The jacket is a fantastic recycled piece I scored at Crossroads in Berkeley for $15. Can you believe that, $15! And it fits like a glove. Oh boy, this is my kind of store! I went in there on a time crunch because my brother just needed to go to the ATM and then I was supposed to meet him to catch the bus. But I got stuck like a kid in a candy store in this place! We had to catch the next bus a half an hour later and I was still crunched for time as I checked out in a mad hurry to catch the bus.

Everything is so cheap and there is so much cute stuff to be found! I got stuff I can wear to work and streetwear and hybrid pieces that I can easily transition like the denim jacket. And I could have found and bought much more had I not been being telephonically harassed with threats of missing the bus. I believe they also buy used clothing and trade, which is so great for people like me, who really like to participate in fashion and interact with their vendors.

We just don't have stores like that in DC. Crossroads, I beg you expand to East Coast pleeeeeeaaase! Alas, I discovered in Cali that wholesale vintage/resale is my Mecca.

And the dress is one of those rarities that can really be worn year-round. I plucked it from a sale rack at UO back in January and rocked it in the winter with textured wool tights, a brown cardigan and camel ankle boots. And here I am in early spring with lighter tights, knee-high boots and a fitted jean jacket. And I'm certain I'll wear it this summer with nothing but some cute sandals and a tan (God-willing).

Lavender Lust

Shirt: Wasteland, Harem Pants: UO, Wedge Sandals: Target, Metallic Clutch: Georgetown boutique

I am in love with the pale lavender color of this shirt and its combination of textures. Ever since Mila Kunis's Oscar dress, I've been scouring racks for springtime lavender numbers and this shirt fit the bill. The front of it is sequined and the back is sheer. I have worn it with a delicate tank underneath or just a black (or some other obvious color) bra for a sexier nighttime look. I love the length of it...short enough to get the crop top look, but long enough to cover all the necessary stomach flab, although it does necessitate a high cut in the pants. A looser pant or skirt works best.

Aimee is wearing it here with a simple UO Harem pant, which can be dressed up or down. They're a great multifunctional pair of pants to own since you can wear them comfortably around the house or pair them with a fancier top and take them out for evening or night affairs.




And the Target wedges I'm sure will be a staple of my Spring-Summer wardrobe at the friendly price of $24.99...can't get much better than that!

They've got a pretty comfortable size platform on them. I like to get some good height without feeling like I'm gonna fall over and these puppies acommodate those specs quite nicely.

And here is a great shot of the neon statue again, looking almost like a roller coaster against that clear blue sky. You can also see a hint of the sheer back of the shirt from this angle.

The purse was a gift from a friend, but I'm pretty sure I spotted it at one of the Georgetown boutiques (can't quite recall which one). It's actually been a great staple piece over the years. It's metallic purple with bright gold detail, but somehow works with almost any nighttime ensemble. You can put it with a plethora of different outfits for a little bit of pop and party time fun.

The shadows, transparency and reflections that surround this building are really captivating. I hope DC commissions more modern architecture like this!

Library Time

Although I don't officially qualify as a Shaw resident (I am technically Bloomingdale, represent!), I have lived damn near close to that area for over 4 years now. I walk and bike through Shaw quite often, if not daily, and have watched the demolition of the old library give way to the gradual construction of the new one. And I must say, the architecture of the new structure, combined with the interior design and the Craig Kraft sculpture acting as the cherry on top...really blew me away. I honestly think it's one of the most modern and intriguing structures to grace DC and I'm very proud to say that it exists in Shaw. The building looks more like it should be situated in downtown L.A. with papparazzi hovering outside, waiting to catch photos of celebrity kids leaving with their nannies carrying audiovisual materials.

Blouse: Wasteland, Pants & Purse: unidentified store-upper west side, NYC, Wedge Sandals: Target, Sunglasses: KAPSoul (downtown Los Angeles boutique)

Sculpture: Craig Kraft

I've taken photos with one of his sculptures before, you can view one here. They are dispersed around D.C. and I always get excited when I come across one. I am always drawn to the light and bright energy of the sculptures, which is why I believe this is the perfect fit to go with the new library. The sculpture really connects to the building, making it all more of a composition to look at, rather than just an isolated building. Having this sculpture outside really brings a charge to the building and ignites the whole atmosphere with an almost manic vitality. And that is my kind of art.

So about the outfit...this blouse is wonderful! Perfect for hiding any amount of jigalo you might have going on in the tummy area whilst looking fabulous and ultra flattering. It's so billowy and comfortable, the perfect time to wear it is when there is just a little bit of wind to make it fly.

The top is a consumption from my recent California trip. It hails from Wasteland on Melrose Avenue in L.A., a store I could have spent the night in, had they not wrangled me out of there at closing time. I caught just about their last 20 minutes before closing for the night and didn't get to try on half of what I wanted to, but came out with a good haul, nonetheless. Wasteland is a mixture of new items and racks upon racks of vintage/resale goods. The difference between a store like this and something like Marshalls or the Salvation Army is that everything is adorable. It's not so much picking through a bunch of junk to get to the good stuff as it is grabbing every other item you look at and then narrowing your huge pile of "yes" items down to what you can afford while biting your nails in the dressing room.

The back of the shirt dives into a sexy V shape, but is connected by a thin slice of fabric at the top, which looks great and helps to keep it all situated correctly around the shoulder area.

And aren't the sunglasses oh so Cali movie star chic...aah my new favorite pair :)

Shape Shifter

Shawl cover-up: Forever 21, Shoes: Levity from DSW, Belt: South Moon Under, Dress, bracelets & purse are Vintage



A light in dark places!

Alas, I do believe the dress was a luminous success!

The Ginger Root ladies achieved the movement, shape, and sex appeal I was after with their innovative and observant design work.

The impact it made in this weather really made for a bold statement. The dark atmosphere gave the whole wedding a different effect than what was expected and I thought it was beautiful.


Here are the Bride and Groom, along with the Priest who "yada yada yada'ed" marriage. Seriously, he did. She donned a long sheer veil with lace details reminiscient of the recent Kate Middleton stunner. I can only assume it was a last minute influence that polished her look to brilliant effect.

Here are my shoes from an aerial perspective. They laced up around the ankle and had the perfect shape and give in the front to comfortably hide the structural bunion on my left foot. The platform and stiletto on them were enough to give me an intense workout all night, but it was worth it. I put touches of deep red into the outfit with the toes, fingernails and lips.

The ceremony took place in the field adjacent to the Iwo Jima Memorial and was quite lovely and simple. Very unfussy, but with charming touches. The white and yellow color combination of the chairs, flowers and sparse decorations gave the whole setting a really delicate elegance that fit the mood of the day and the style of the wedded couple exquisitely.

I was hoping for a glorious sunset complete with sparkling rays of sunshine and brilliant hues of purple and peach dripping from the clouds into the DC skyline, but was rebuffed by the weather Gods, who threw me a curveball.

But I think it compliments my look in an oddly compelling way. I'm reminded of a dark, European kind of setting that adds just the right amount of drama to it all.

What do you think of the dress?

The cover-up is an off-white lacy number I picked up days beforehand at Forever 21. I think it goes excellent with the dress and dark brown accessories. It also has a vaguely Bridal look to it that I found appropriate and alluring.

The purse is a little white piece of heaven with a charming gold chain I picked up from a vintage collector in DC. The inside of it is pink silk and it came equipped with an old, rusty pocket mirror that I conscientously used to reapply my lipstick throughout the night.

Below, there's a pretty clear shot of the somewhat risque neckline. I really like what they did to it; it reveals enough without it being too much. You can also see how they took up the hem to make it quite a bit shorter. Erin and I had talked about the "sweet spot" on the legs where the hem must fall so as not to be too short and I think they hit it just right, at least for the look I was aiming for.

The dress is so fabulously provocative I love it! The dark weather really made the pink pop. Dark Romance is the vibe.

And here is Aimee also in front of the Iwo Jima memorial in a UO Dress and Nine West Shoes. I love how her dress opens in the back, giving a generally demure silhouette a hint of seduction.

And here is the front of it, also very flattering. We both have got some curves we are working with!

Although I still can't help but think that one us looked like a Jackie and one of us looked like a Marilyn. And I'm not the Jackie.

The bridal bouquets were white, but I managed to find some pink flowers to go with my dress!

Here I am with the Bride, the Maid of Honor (sisters) and the flower girl (MOH's daughter). I am really digging the white and yellow color combo, even the flower girl is rocking it! I had a splendid time dancing the night away in my light and comfy dress.

I want to thank Ginger Root Design once again for their fantastic work with the dress! I'm very happy with the result and am sure I will wear it in more casual settings as the season progresses...and into many seasons to come.

And on a final note, there was something inexplicably magnetic and corageous about wearing a vintage dress to a wedding...I highly recommend it. Sure worked for me!