fashiontoast

do you dream in black and white

2009-11-18T23:50:00.000-08:00

(vintage sweater and belt, American Apparel bull denim shorts, Zara leather jacket, Elizabeth and James earrings, Pamela Love cross ring, Chanel backpack)

Sometimes the living room doesn't quite cut it but the nights are almost too cold to pull this crap off. My feet were frozen and I had to change into boots by actual exit time.

Re-loving headbands, red lips, and this tshirt-thin sweater with an ever so slightly more open knit on the sleeves.

cross your heart

2009-11-17T03:14:00.000-08:00

(Alexander Wang cardigan, Ray-ban Retro Cat sunglasses, vintage dress and Chanel bag, H&M lariat necklace, Dolce & Gabbana wedges)

The air was so dry today that my hair dried stick straight and no amount of product seemed to do anything to it. I have very situational hair to the point that it's not really worth it to try to make it do anything so I gave up after a couple clumsy pawings. Did some wandering around downtown San Diego as the sun set (note the lightning fast loss of light), found a dog that ignored me, and fell for Domo-Kun marketing. In all honesty the downtown here is pretty worthless aside from a few restaurants..but maybe I'm just spoiled being right by the beach with everything I need in a mile radius. In any case, I'll be in LA and San Francisco in the next couple weeks so YAY.

And clothes etc etc I LOVE my new rather dramatic Wang cardigan and have finally found a new pair of sunglasses to cherish/smash into tiny purses/lose in my car. Becoming more and more obsessed with black and gold and haven't taken off this sideways cross necklace...my second Etsy purchase ever. Place still kind of freaks me out and I've grown pretty attached to eBay. I can really only take so many websites that require registration especially since I always try to top my last cleverly obscure password to keep things interesting for myself.

saturday night feels alright

2009-11-15T02:17:00.000-08:00

(vintage sequin dress and clutch, Forever 21 striped tights)

Got everything I need: iPhone, piles of jewelry, freshly painted matte navy nails, Russh to flick through, laundry to ignore, clutch to stuff, Kumo, and the whole night ahead of me. Hopefully my mom isn't reading this because I totally stole the bamboo shade from her.

jalouse

2009-11-15T02:05:00.000-08:00

Jalouse is by far one of my favorite magazines so I was so excited to be featured in it last month. Finally got my hands on a copy! If you speak French check it out here.

Also as you can see in the sidebar, Bloglovin' and I are working together this week - if you don't already use it, it's a great way to stay updated with all of your favorite sites and you can follow me here.

staples

2009-11-12T02:20:00.000-08:00

(American Apparel sexuali-tee, Forever 21 stirrup leggings, Zara leather jacket, vintage belt and bag, Dolce & Gabbana wedges)

Trotting back to my car after lazily eating a 4:00 lunch on Sunday at one of my favorite restaurants. Mahi-mahi sandwich on sourdough with avocado always works. I know this is probably the most basic of silhouettes ever and possibly more reminiscent of my style last year but somehow this belt and these wedges embolden me to water everything else down. Pieces like these are so ideal for mornings when I stare at my closet blankly, unwilling to sift and shove hangers around. Which actually happens a lot. Best quick fix is to zero in on one thing and force yourself to construct around it. If crawling back into sheets still warm from body heat isn't an option, of course. Which it really should be more often.

mercury rising

2009-11-10T03:25:00.000-08:00

(vintage jacket and silver dress, Target tights and headband, Dolce & Gabbana wedges, Alexander Wang bag)

Both metallic and supershort (not afraid to say that I found it in the shirt section of the thrift store), this thing is an instant mood lifter and probably the only "liquid look" I'm interested in right now. Spent the weekend balancing working on a few projects and having the normal mindless fun. Also went up to RVCA late last week - finished up my hangtags and picked out the exact nude (and possible prints..) that the Machinery dress is going to come in and did some shopping around there..picked up the Comme des Garcons wallet of my dreams at The Lab with one of my favorite humans in the world Chris and some crazy old vintage belts and a cashmere button front hoodie with my beautiful Kristin at her favorite vintage store in Huntington. Now time for bed before true delirium sets in.

uniform dressing

2009-11-07T19:14:00.000-08:00

(Borders & Frontiers tshirt available via the sidebar..both in size large, black Levi's shorts, Sam Edelman Zoe boots, vintage clutch)

The collaboration t-shirt that I posted about here, two ways. I was kind of nervous about it but the vintage effect on the photograph came out perfectly. I promise that we wore it on different days.

night as princess mononoke

2009-11-03T11:53:00.000-08:00

I was toying with the idea of being Edie but the hair was holding me back..wig = too much effort. Happening upon my friend Chris' fake blood he had left in our downstairs bathroom from his motorcycle accident costume last year, the image of a bloody faced Princess Mononoke/San came to mind. The movie is set in early Japan...hardly your average princess, San was raised by wolves and rejected human society even after experiencing true love. Hardcore. Basically, you should watch the movie if you haven't already. Unfortunately this idea struck me a few hours before I needed to actually be in costume so it really isn't perfect..and prepartying at the house didn't help cause I just kept on piling on the accessories.

What I ended up with: random borrowed costume dress + cheap neckpiece from Halloween store + LD Tuttle boots topped off with ripped up and stapled faux fur bits + vintage belt and hooded coat + furry hood from the inside of a jacket I haven't worn forever + cuffs from Kristin + Forever 21 eyelashes I bought on a whim months ago + the blood that I tried avoiding getting near my mouth after discovering it tasted disgusting. Thanks to our buddy (with the metal breastplate and real sword he welded into its sheath himself to make sure it wouldn't be drawn) for lending Colin some matching attire even after I tried to convince him there's no boy version of this costume. Silly boys. I ended up deciding he was my wolf brother. Oh and yeah, the blood got everywhere.

Disclaimers:
it's not a cigarette, it's a straw..I don't know how many times I've said I don't smoke but I don't..I hate cigarettes..but I love straws
no one here is mocking pimps, Romans, Japanese feudalism, milk drinkers, any facet of American culture. or wolves that adopt humans
sorry for the meat market

i've been waiting on you for a long time

2009-10-29T12:13:00.000-07:00

(Forever 21, La Dama, and vintage necklaces, Donna Karan cashmere cardigan, vintage slipdress and belt, UO tights, Aldo platform sandals, Genevieve Jones fringe clutch)

By one of my favorite cafés, Alta in Newport Beach, after doing some shopping for the eBay store. Aside from having a rustic cabin feel, there's a book borrowing shelf and a place for frequent patrons to leave their mugs...and yeah some of the best coffee ever. We tried to get some photos of the inside but it was way too dark already...there was actually barely enough light to take these afterwards before retreating back south for some gym time, cooking up a massive artichoke, and trying to decide what to make of the British version of The Office. Really not looking forward to daylight savings on Sunday..why can't California go the way of Arizona and Hawaii and refuse to partake?

Thank you to Donna Karan and Genevieve Jones for these beautiful pieces. The cashmere cardigan is easily one of the most luxurious things in my wardrobe and I love its perfect charcoal gray. Worn with some old favorites, my perhaps most comfortable heels ever and this crazy bullet belt. I think autumn has finally made it here.

tshirt and jeans

2009-10-27T04:03:00.000-07:00

(Zara leather jacket, vintage Nirvana tshirt, tangled Forever 21 and vintage necklaces, vintage rings and metal mesh bag, BDG jeans, Dolce & Gabbana suede wedges)

For how many people always claim to be searching for the perfect leather jacket, they really are hard to find. Don't these designers know what we want? Actually, Acne does. Anyway, I had stopped even looking forever ago but this one was miraculously both not sold out in my size and perfect. I've been wearing it nonstop with these beautiful Dolce & Gabbana wedges that Colin bought for me. It's hardly normal for him to indulge me with Italian accessories so to say I was shocked is an understatement. Amongst other reasons, he declared he was sick of all my other shoes. How did I end up with this man? Amazing.

Coming off of a strangely warm weekend of favorite restaurants, bike rides, and thrifting. Highlights included waking up extra slowly, walking everywhere instead of driving, messily eating pomegranates and sandwiches cross-legged, buying out all the black XS triangle bras at Express, and giving Bijou and Kumo the cat equivalent of lollipops. Seriously you stick this crazy thing on the floor and they practically die of joy. Something you would only know if you browse Petco as carefully as we do. It's a pretty good store.

Hope everyone else had a great weekend. Any good Halloween ideas? I have a couple, can't really decide..

starcrossed

2009-10-23T02:59:00.000-07:00

(tFS, lagarconne)

crosses/sheer dresses/gold earrings/smudged eyeliner/fuzzy sweaters

+I wore that Moschino belt in the No shoot and fell in love

in a crowd

2009-10-21T00:15:00.000-07:00

(Bebe dress, Topshop boots, vintage coin clutch and coat)

The scene at the Stolen Girlfriend's Club afterparty in Auckland with the lovely Anna, Dan, and a whole bunch of amped people...crowded to the point of camera focus issues. Sorry about that. Well, and for posting this a month late. Did a quick change into this dress at Anna's house after the show but stayed with the same everything else. Ankle boots and faux fur match everything in my book.

So yes I went on this inexcusable Bebe rampage last month. It started out innocently enough with a slight desire to check out a pair of shoes but all these strappy chained things made it into the dressing room somehow, which by the way came complete with one of those overly attentive liplined salesgirls and subzero temperatures. The zipper all the way up the back was the clincher but I think I'm set on mall shopping for a good while. Go Colin for both picking out this particular dress for me and catching me eating in a parking lot..someone commented that this coat reminded them of Kid Rock. Going to go ahead and take that as a compliment since the guy's an American legend and I used to have some kind of disgusting crush on him. And yes I do read all the comments! Always have.

xo

mixed metals

2009-10-20T15:31:00.000-07:00

(vintage tshirt, Givenchy necklace, Prada clutch, Marmèn ring, AE tights, Alexander Wang blazer, Luis Morais cross bracelet, All Saints scarf, La Perla bra, Chloé platform wedges, Alexander Wang oil slick cardigan, Donna Karan bag, KTZ for Topshop dress, vintage Chanel belt, Jil Sander earrings, Abraxas Rex ring, Andrea Pfister suede boots)

Thank you so much for all the questions, they're perfect for our project! Sorry for being all mysterious but I promise it's worth it.

space case

2009-10-15T23:52:00.000-07:00

(secondhand oversized sweater, D*luxe dreamcatcher necklace, Deadly Ponies Precious bone bud bracelet, vintage shorts, Topshop boots)

I've always wanted a chair like this. Except mine would be strung from the ceiling. And lucite. I remember reading that Kelly Osbourne collected them or something, which made me very jealous.

Colin and I are working on a..hmm...extracurricular blog project and we need a bunch of questions from you guys to work into it. The answers won't be posted on here but they will be answered in a way that you will see them of course. Ask away!

PS I'll take the first ten tweeted to me.

you're just across the street looks a mile to my feet

2009-10-14T00:36:00.000-07:00

(Ray-bans, Forever 21 knit braided headband, vintage slipdress, vest, blazer, and shoes, UO tights, Alexander Wang Diego bag)

Kind of sad how long it's been since I've worn a blazer...this one has been stagnating in my closet for the past year or so and it might have continued to do so if I hadn't started fishing around for something to smarten up this wispy thing of a dress. The shoes are finally on the verge of being broken in and are pretty much my current obsession even if boys hate them. Socal boys also hate massive cardigans, hoof-like boots, and big feathery clutches so their credibility is shot.

Soo happy my bangs are growing out successfully, been dying to center part it for months now..have decided to just let the natural color take over for a while.

Tonight: green tea, dark chocolate, The Hills, my alternately bratty/snuggly cats, trying to catch up with emails, and maybe figuring out a warm vacation spot for December.

updates

2009-10-13T21:49:00.000-07:00

I'm so honored to be included in this article from the November issue of Teen Vogue, especially since it focuses on the ever climbing power of street style blogs. Seriously a testament to Colin's photography. Also see me this month in Jalouse, Nylon Mexico, Elle Japan, Glamour Spain, and Vogue Girl Korea. Thank you to all these amazing magazines!

I know I've been slacking with all the traveling, but I've updated both Treasure Chest Vintage and Shoptoast. Trying to downsize my closet before it implodes.

wild at heart

2009-10-11T18:29:00.000-07:00

(vintage coat, Bebe knit chain dress, Deadly Ponies Precious sparrow necklace, Frye harness boots)

Devonport, NZ. We were advised by the geniuses behind Lonely Hearts to make sure to explore around here and though the wind pierced my coat, tangled my hair, and made my eyes water, the view was unforgettable and the grass like velvet.

at hervé léger

2009-10-08T15:08:00.000-07:00

(Hervé Léger dress and sandals)

It was such an honor to attend Hervé Léger, never mind actually get to wear one of their signature bandage dresses to the show. The hand painted skeleton-like print and strong shoulders made this one of the pieces I had fallen in love with from the fall collection, so when it came down to this one and a cutout side dress at the fitting I went for it.

The show was just ridiculously good..I'm always astounded at how they can stay so strong with the body conscious silhouette yet find new ways to make it spellbindingly fresh. This time it was sandy nudes and whites, intricately woven mesh, clean braiding and knotting, almost galactic marbled prints, and even some denim. And the clogs! I'm obsessed with the clogs. The age old problem of the way the foot so easily falls out of them was adeptly solved with a double ankle strap. Yesss.

Max and Lubov were both so sweet in about a million ways that they didn't have to be, so a huge thank you to them..so surreal to hear that they've been following my blog.

mcqueen: #1 dress & the shoes

2009-10-07T01:45:00.000-07:00

Exoskeletons/fins/rainbows/amphibians/Victoriana/butterfly wings/nightmares/oceanscape/vaults/Sirens/apocalypse/armadillos/Jadis...I love it when fashion reminds me of things that have nothing to do with fashion. Dissected and styled the pieces could be wearable, but I wonder if/how the shoes will be watered down for retail? More here.

On livestreaming and setting up glass pyramids around the world to beam his shows into, McQueen says, "This is the birth of a new dawn. There is no way back for me now. I am going to take you on journeys you’ve never dreamed were possible."

w 35th, nyc

2009-10-03T14:16:00.000-07:00

(DIY backwards shirtdress, layered necklaces, Acne wedges, Givenchy bag)

Our one and only videographer Nate was shooting us shooting these a few blocks from Bryant Park, which required a back and forth on the crosswalk before we made our way down to Kinokuniya bookstore so I could make them buy pretty sandwiches while I checked out the Japanese magazines. I could easily have spent two hours in there.

I've had this hopelessly oversized thing for a few months now, for some reason it stood out to me while combing my neighborhood Goodwill. Maybe it was the oatmeal stripes? Or its potential to redefine shapeless? I wore it once and felt kind of horrible in it, so I put it away again and eventually came back to it with a plan. Deciding it was the science teacher-reminiscent half collar that was to blame, I trimmed the whole neck down and sewed it up (when I say sew I mean loop thread sloppily until nothing seems to fall apart upon contact), also closing up the fabric below the last button to stop it from gaping awkwardly in the wind. But boyshorts never hurt.

The Acne wedges have already been worn to the point of being dented and scratched...it's so strange, from several first hand accounts I've heard people say that they are either stupidly painful or the most comfortable platforms they own. I'm on the side of the latter party luckily..I always reach for them first these days and have been noticing this desert boot silhouette appear from less exalted brands as well. They could work in a flat version I think. Wish we could have spent a couple more days in the city, I got zero shopping time in. Next time!

slices of auckland

2009-10-02T17:59:00.000-07:00

Devonport/hand knotted earrings/rooftop view/Annah Stretton runway/waterfront/backstage at Zambesi/posters/shearling and rings on Zara Mirkin/still from Nom*D video/Public Library showroom/lightbulbs at Clooney's/navy lips at Kate Sylvester/driving/House of Holland thigh high printed tights at Sera Lilly/Deadly Ponies Precious necklaces/buckles at Nom*D/at radio station/Pam Anderson and Richie Rich/Piha/Deadly Ponies bag/denim/Kate Sylvester backpack/Lonely Hearts lingerie/Kate Sylvester finale/late night cab

sleep to dream

2009-10-01T17:02:00.000-07:00

(Karen Walker sunglasses, Lou and Ash woolen jacket, RVCA tank, d luxe necklace, Pamela Love cross ring, Bona Drag lace flares with built in shorts let me add, vintage cuff, Miu Miu wedges)

In beautiful beautiful Piha an hour or so outside of Auckland, wearing my favorite summer basics + the raddest jacket I've ever seen. Lou and Ash is a new NZ label designed by Ava Sanders..everything is handknit and has this unmistakable look that's unlike anything I've seen before. I keep on thinking I'm going to reach a plateau with my knitwear obsession but instead I just get crazier about fringing and patchworking and now the progression into knit shorts and dresses and the like is looming. Thank you to Anna and her adorable dog Olly for showing us some of the beautiful countryside. So adorable was he that even after barfing in Colin's lap (hey, windy roads) during the car ride over his charms remained irresistible. The best part about it being that he had been sitting with me for twenty minutes and quite purposefully made his way over to Colin in order to make himself more comfortable. We can't wait to go back and spend a week tromping around in the wilderness..this place puts Hawaii to shame. I have so much more from both NZ and NY to post! Still finding memory cards to download. Sorry about that last shot, Marc is clearly a vampire since every shot where he's even just milling around in the background of the photo comes out blurry. Weird.

the other side

2009-09-27T23:52:00.000-07:00

(Forever 21 necklace, vintage tshirt and coin clutch, Deadly Ponies bracelet, Forever 21 shorts, Topshop suede ankle boots)

Patiently waiting for the Stolen Girlfriends Club show to begin. I ended up wearing this there by accident because I didn't have time to paw through my mile high stack of clothing at the Westin...though now that I think about it my bedraggled attempt at glamour probably made more sense at night anyway. Somehow I manage to be late for everything even when relying (accurately!) on everything to be late anyway. The show taking place both after dark and later on in the week made its different location really refreshing...after running through the rain we all crammed into a musty humid room and milled about happily before being handed jars of wine and slowly making our way upstairs to where the runway was set up. Beautiful beautiful show, ran around some more, chatted with the lovely Melinda and Zara from No magazine, changed into a dress I had stuffed into Colin's backpack, did a massive group order at the McDonald's drive-thru, and headed to the afterparty. Thank youu to Marc Dan and Luke for being such rad hosts and for the best dinner the next night. NZ seafood is freakishly good.

nz1

2009-09-24T20:15:00.000-07:00

(Claude Maus dress, vintage fishnet cardigan, Deadly Ponies belt strap bag, Ashish for Topshop boots)

From the first day of NZFW...I wore a dress I picked up with Anna at Black Box here in Auckland. I love the longer hem in the back and this sort of half cutout it has going on in the back. I started the day off early with an interview for a TV station and spent the rest of the day checking out shows and running back and forth from the Westin to the tents and eventually changing when the winds suddenly reached gale force.

We're off to enjoy a few free hours before checking out the Pamela Anderson/Richie Rich collaboration show A*Muse tonight. Should be exciting!

stolen girlfriends club

2009-09-24T14:37:00.000-07:00

The Stolen Girlfriends Club show last night was absolutely insane, this is exactly how I want to dress right now. Blankety Navajo jackets, chunky knit dresses, fringed capes, studded collars, variegated stripes..so good. Imagine my surprise when Marc Moore (who played a huge role in getting me down here to New Zealand, thank you!!!) named a piece after me - the zippered lace bell trousers that he showed me at their HQ that morning. The collection made me want to move into a mountain cave, herd sheep, and wrap everything up with jute. Love love love SGC.