Sunday, April 24, 2011

bundled up

04-21-2011
vintage duffle coat, A.P.C. collared shirt, vintage wool sweater, Gap jeggings, A.P.C. loafers, Acne tote

I'm a little behind with posting, sorry about that! I'm still recovering from my Coachella weekend and trying to get everything together. I wore this outfit out this past week to grab beers with Megan at Thee Parkside's happy hour then burgers at Chez Maman. It's hard to believe that less than a week ago I could get away with wearing just shorts and a bathing suit when I have to wear layers like these in this rainy San Francisco weather. I want to go back to the desert!

04-21-2011
hiding

Anyway, time to go finish watching the playoffs. Is it really that time of the year again? This year has flown by way too fast. I can't believe it's also almost summertime but that doesn't really mean much in San Francisco (i.e. the beach in July), right? Isn't it supposed to get warmer soon? Hopefully it'll be better by next week, it's been a while since we've hung out at Dolores Park on a weekend. Man, I need to stop complaining about the weather.

running
jumping

Thursday, April 21, 2011

greetings from coachella

coachella day two
vintage collared shirt, gifted Siwy denim cutoffs,vintage lace-up booties, Fjallraven backpack, Ray Ban Wayfarers

My favorite outfit from the weekend on day two of Coachella! Please excuse the crappy iPhone pictures, I didn't feel like lugging around my SLR and wanted to enjoy myself as much as I could without worrying about pictures and whatnot. I'm currently sitting in my room in SF with the heater on full blast since I still can't get used to the cold. I really miss the desert. When I got off the car Monday night to go into my apartment wearing only shorts and a cropped top I was greeted by the freezing rain (and this little cutie, of course). Man, it felt good to go on vacation. We stayed in a condo in Palm Springs with some friends from SF that I didn't know very well in the beginning but ended up really getting along with by the end of the trip.

coachella day one
crochet one piece from UO, vintage floral maxi skirt from Painted Bird, vintage Capezio bucket bag, American Apparel floppy hat, Rachel Comey boots

Friday was cooler than the rest of the weekend so I was a little more adventurous with my outfit and wore this maxi skirt that I'd picked up at Painted Bird the day before I left. It's hard to tell in the picture but the top part ties in the back and is connected to the bottom by a crochet pattern in the front so it's more risque than what I usually wear. Oh well, I tried right? I forgot my hat in the car when we got to the festival but I was better off without it later on when I was dancing to sets by Cut Copy and Boys Noize.

hanging outliving room

Every morning I'd wake up to this suit of armor in the corner of the room in my cozy little futon. The decor was so weird. There were also two dog statues in the living room and a pair of mannequin legs outside that were upside down in the corner of the back patio next to some cacti (our condo mates scared the crap out of us with this little arrangement on the last night). So many weird (but funny) things happened this weekend that I can't even begin to list all of them.

entering the festival
palm trees

This was actually my first time going to Coachella so I didn't know what to expect so it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Reception was the worst problem and it was difficult to get a hold of people most of the time so I had a couple bad scares after being separated from friends but everything worked out in the end.

interpol
crystal castles
caifanes
chemical brothers

Friday was pretty chill, I saw Interpol but wasn't very into it since 1. I've already seen them multiple times, and 2. I didn't really like their new album. Next I met up with my roommates to dance to Cut Copy which was way more fun then sat down to listen to Crystal Castles which was okay but their live shows aren't very exciting. I like that you had the option of sitting things out if you weren't very into it or tired, the music still sounded great no matter where you were. I also got to see a band from my childhood, Caifanes, who were reuniting for the first time in more than a decade and a half. It was great to see a bunch of people who flew in from Mexico and all over the world just to see them and I talked to a few in the crowd while I enjoyed songs that I used to sing in the car with my mom as a kid when they came on the radio. For the last set of the day, I had originally planned to watch Chemical Brothers with my roommates but had to meet with my condo mates at Boys Noize because my phone was dying and they were my ride home. I ended up dancing my ass off there to a KILLER set and light show which blew my mind and made my night.

cool haus
ice cream sandwich

So let's see. Day two? I wore a white top and these Siwy shorts that my friends and I were randomly given outside the Ace Hotel on Friday (see first picture). I swear, after I put those shorts on I refused to wear anything else, they were so perfect for the weather in Indio. Sucks that I can't really wear them here in SF save a few random days in the year where it reaches 80-90 degrees. Also, I somehow managed to forget to eat (it happens to me sometimes) on Friday so I made up for it on Saturday with Chinese food and an ice cream sandwich from the COOL HAUS truck in the VIP section while hanging out with the people from the H&M tent and listening to Gogol Bordello.

broken social scene
new pornographers
bright eyes
mumford and sons

I dubbed Saturday my "high school playlist day" so most of the bands that I saw were ones that I listened to heavily at the time like Broken Social Scene, New Pornographers, Bright Eyes, Animal Collective, and Arcade Fire. Prior to this I had met up with my best friend from home, Karen, but we were separated and I ended up spending most of Saturday between 6pm-2am by myself. It was actually kind of nice to be alone while listening to bands that shaped into the person that I was back in high school and although I'd seen most of them live already it was still a new experience. Bright Eyes was the biggest surprise since my last two experiences seeing them hadn't been too fun but Conor put on an amazing show and it was awesome to sing to songs like "Lover I Don't Have To Love" and "Calendar Hung Itself" one last time while still knowing the lyrics by heart after not having heard the songs in years. During Bright Eyes' set I ended up fairly close to the right side of the stage but as soon as it ended people started pushing forward and I found myself stuck in the middle of this crowd unable to get out since Arcade Fire fans were pushing to get as close as possible to the stage. See that last picture of Mumford and Sons before my phone died? I ended up a few feet closer than I was when I took that picture so I was in the front row by the time Arcade Fire came on. Animal Collective came before them, however, and they were fantastic as usual but I felt a little silly dancing to every song while everyone around me wasn't really into it and seemed to only be there for Arcade Fire. I even heard someone ask "Who's Animal Collective?" and this one group of teenage girls made faces when the music started and started taking pictures of themselves because they were bored. Seriously? Hard to believe that at one point Animal Collective was bigger than Arcade Fire but that just shows how far they've come, I guess.

Anyway, being front row by myself for Arcade Fire was a surreal experience I'll never forget. I already saw them a few years ago but this time around it was so much more different. The Suburbs came out in the middle of a fairly difficult year for me and I would listen to the album multiple times a day all the way through during long walks or commutes while reflecting on recent events and my feelings at the time. Arcade Fire put on one of THE best performances I've ever experienced and I can't even begin to describe how it felt to dance and sing along to the lyrics without ever missing a word or beat and getting to see them perform right in front of me every single song that I wanted to hear. I'd always listened to them all throughout high school when Funeral came out and a bit in college after Neon Bible but I'd never considered them my favorite band until it kind of just hit me in the middle of the show and I felt so incredibly lucky to be there witnessing that performance. When I looked up into the sky during "Wake Up" and saw those glowing inflated balls come down at me I actually teared up a little and it's an incredible image that I'll never forget even though my phone had died and I didn't have a camera to capture it... okay, maybe the moment didn't last very long since I spent the rest of the song deflecting hundreds of balls with my arms and trying not to get hit in the head but hey, it's still something.

coachella day three
T By Alexander Wang striped top, Siwy denim cutoffs, vintage lace-up booties, Fjallraven backpack, Ray Ban Wayfarers

Okay, okay. I digress. Seems like most people have been concerned more with the festivities than with the music itself which I went in thinking too but ended up touched my experiences, as cheesy as that sounds. Sunday, however, was mostly spent poolside at the Ace Hotel since I was way too exhausted from the night before to be there all day again so we didn't show up until later. I made the unwise choice to forget my bathing suit (after having in on me all day the day before, too) so I could only dip my legs in the water as I jealously watched everyone else swim in the water.

lovelies
playing
goober

Ah well, I still had fun. I ended up really liking the Ace Hotel, maybe I'll take a trip back down there sometime to actually stay there although it wouldn't be as active and bustling as it was this past weekend. I always forget how fun it is to hang out by a pool now that I've been living in the Bay Area for so long. Is this enough of a reason for me to move back to LA? Doubt it, but it's a nice luxury to have when you're on vacation at least. As I write this I am curling up further under my two layers of blankets and covers and sighing repeatedly, I never though I'd miss the warm weather this much...

dj boothsun settingwaiting
the girls

Don't know what I'm doing in that last picture but everyone looks cute so whatever, I'll still post it! I never realized how great cutoffs and boots go together until this weekend and I'm glad I went with boots rather than sandals, they really saved my life at the festival. At one point in the crowd this guy passed out and his head landed right on my toe... so scary. I was really good about staying hydrated so I didn't have any problems while I was there thankfully. Anyway, after the pool party we finally piled back into the car and tried to make it in time for Duran Duran whose performance was a HUGE disappointment for me mostly because I really wanted to hear Come Undone but they didn't end up playing it and chose to focus more on newer, crappier songs. Bummer. Afterward we wandered over to the other stage to dance to Chromeo instead of seeing The Strokes (I was never really into them, don't know why) was even joined by my friend from home again for a bit. Twenty years together and counting, right?

chromeo
kanye
kanye

And finally, Kanye. What else is there to say? It felt like I was witnessing a once-in-a-lifetime performance and like at Arcade Fire I felt very lucky to be there in real life. I had a lot more to say about him but I'll just keep it to myself since I already went on that long tangent about Arcade Fire. Some things are better left unsaid.

kanye
kanye

And that concludes one of the best weekends of my life, thanks to everyone who actually took the time to read all of it.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

coachella essentials

coachella essentials neutrogena sunblock, evian spray, frizz-ease hairspray, tissues, eye drops, blotting papers from daiso in japantown, campus notebook from japantown, bobby pins, mac lipstick in honeylove, neutrogena sunblock stick, inhaler, ray ban wayfarers, neutrogena lip moisturizer (not pictured: travel deodorant, wet wipes, and too many allergy meds lol)

What I'll be carrying in my bag at Coachella. I'm currently in LA visiting family and tonight Ill be in Palm Springs! I've never been to Coachella (and I'm a Socal natice, ergh) so I'm pretty excited. I had a really bad allergy attack today and my right eye was swollen shut at some point but thankfully I'm better just in time. If anyone recognizes me don't be alarmed if I seem really out of it since I'll be pretty heavily medicated (jk its non-drowsy prescription stuff). Whatever, as long as I get to see Duran Duran and DFA 1979 I'll be fine.


in my bag

I was able to fit all of my stuff in my One Language tote (that thing is HUGE seriously) but I can't tell if I underpacked or not. I brought a mix of things with me: crochet one piece + vintage floral maxi + straw bucket bag, vintage floral romper, vintage light collared shirt + Theory shorts + H&M x Marimekko swimsuit, Gap denim jacket + T by Alex Wang striped top + Current Elliott pencil skirt, and the rest of my toiletries. Oh, and a floppy hat!

I'll probably be posting pictures as I take them over at my tumblr so go look!

Saturday, April 9, 2011

happy 2nd birthday blog

04-08-2011
Gap denim jacket, Acne v-neck, jeans, + tote bag (via Gilt), Rachel Comey boots

Hey look, I finally got it! One of my earliest posts on this blog involved me whining about this bag and two years later, I found it on Gilt and Brenty offered to buy it for me. That reminds me, apparently my blog is hitting the two year mark tomorrow! I'd like to thank everyone who has been with me since then for continuing to come back and I'd also like to wish a great big welcome to anyone who has found me recently. I think I finally know where I'm going with this blog and I'm sorry for being a terrible poster for a while, I promise I'll be a much better blogger now!

04-08-2011
you missed

Hey look, Megan and I finally got a picture together! First we went to In-N-Out then met up with our friend Greg for ice cream at Humphry Slocombe then headed over to Daiso in Japantown to buy Megan's pup Penny a raincoat. Did anyone notice the tiny dried ice cream stain on my pants in the above pictures? Megan caught me right when I noticed it, but I guess I didn't clean it off well enough. So embarrassing! I thought about photoshopping it out but ehh, why bother? Time to embrace my inner slob...

ice cream on my pants
ice cream freak
lol megan
lol greg

And finally, some close-up gratifying pictures of our ice cream for everyone. Megan and I both got brown butter (and Greg dumped his scoop of chocolate on mine since they messed up his order and gave him that instead of the olive oil flavor) and Greg ended up with cucumber ice milk. If you're ever in the area, go!

humphry slocombe
greg
megan

p.s. I'm sure everyone by now know that I wear clip in hair extensions from time to time (I bought them at Sally's but I don't remember the brand, sorry) but every now and then I'll get emails from bewildered people asking how it grew so fast (really guys?). Oh, and I finally updated my shop. It'll only be open until Tuesday because I'm going to Coachella with Lulu so email me while you can!

Also, don't forget to add me on Bloglovin' and Facebook!

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

whoops i forgot a title

04-04-2011
Current Elliott gingham shirt, vintage pleated button skirt, thrifted belt, A.P.C loafers, One Language Amper tote

What I wore two days ago (same day that the last set of photos were taken). The weather's cooling down but it was warm enough to walk around wearing just a skirt and top. I don't know if you can tell in the pictures but my stomach is about to explode from all the food that we ate at Nopalito! I definitely l unfastened a button or rights soon as I got home.....

04-04-2011
04-04-2011
04-04-2011

I'm in the process of updating my blog shop right now so everything should be up in a couple hours. Thanks to everyone who gas purchased something so far! Being in the city now has been a little tricky when it comes to selling since there's no longer a post office within walking distance so I can only go two or three times a week. Ah well!