Look of the Day: Miss Mix-a-lot

Before today, I couldn't tell you the last time I wore a leotard. The only time that comes to mind is during my short-lived ballet days when I was 5 years old. This time around, I ditched the pink tutu. 

I'm a big fan of mixing textiles and in this look, I did exactly that. Leather, canvas, cotton, wool, denim— the works! I kept it casual with a hint of edge pairing RACHEL Rachel Roy denim, Nasty Gal jacket, Forever 21 lion leotard, H&M infinity scarf, and Franco Sarto motorcycle boots.

Mixing Prints: Leopard + Pinstripes

I'm trying to branch out and step out of my comfort zone. Of course, this takes baby steps. Mixing prints is my newest endeavor. It's easy for me to mix textures and all, but prints is a newer arena for me. To start, I figured it'd be easiest to start with less extreme prints and then graduate into larger, bolder, louder colors and styles.

For this look, I was going for a casual-Saturday feel that didn't require much work: chambray pinstripe collared shirt and tan/brown leopard print infinity scarf. The thin pinstripes add a little more dimension without causing too much distraction. Tall leather boots and distressed denim added more lax into this relaxed look. A fuss-free high bun keeps the crazy curls tamed and dainty gold jewelry adds light gleam and shimmer.

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Look of the Day: A Day At the San Diego Zoo

Continuing my previous post of my adventures in San Diego, on this day we paid a visit to my bf's furry friends at the San Diego Zoo. After popping celebratory birthday champagne bottles for brunch at Broken Yolk in the Gaslamp District for his birthday, we were in for a serious wake up call when we arrived at the zoo. Clearly, we underestimated how HUGE the zoo actually is. It's like Disneyland for animals-- no joke.

Point blank, I definitely chose the wrong outfit. Why? Even though the weatherman said it would be significantly cooler than the day before, it wasn't. It was most likely hotter. And why did I choose to believe in the weather man? No idea because they're never right any other time. 

Nonetheless, I still enjoyed my time oohing and awwing at the majestic creatures in Gap denim, a teal, flowy layered top my mom gifted from Mexico and tan ballet flats with a neon orange capped toe. I wanted to mix up my outfits over the weekend instead of wearing dress after dress after dress. With all the walking, my flats started to ache and rub the back of my heel, my jeans didn't allow for much air flow to cool off. Towards the end of the day, I started to push up my layered top to cool off some sort of way! Good thing they served beer at the zoo or else I would have been bitchin' the whole day ;)

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A high bun to keep my neck cool, pink gloss, and big, Bobbi J earrings to add some artisan bling.

Getting Lost in Santa Barbara

Never have I ever visited such a lovely slice of heaven. On the last day of our father-daughter road trip, we visited Santa Barbara and our first stop was the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. The lush garden is filled with blooming flowers, fragrant shrubs, and winding trails. My dad and I enjoyed our surroundings so much that we bought six plants from the garden's nursery and took them on the road with us back home after we stopped by the beach.

As whimsical and nature-themed this day was, my outfit sure wasn't but that's A-OK. Leopard denim, black ballet flats and tank, and crystal necklace somewhat clash with this beautiful background, but hey, maybe that's the beauty in it? Good thing my ballet flats are patent leather so I could easily wipe off the dirt and dust from the trails. 

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Coastal Cruisin': Day Two of Road Trip

If you live in California, and haven't driven down Highway 1, what the hell are you waiting for?! By far, this is one of my most favorite places to visit in California with endless beaches, rolling hills, and sea breezes. 

I went a bit preppy this day with a white collared shirt and striped sweater paired with denim and black patent leather ballet flats. With the fog and sea breezes, I ended up throwing on a Rag and Bone trench coat too.

Keep scrolling for more shots of gorgeous scenery from Monterey, Carmel, and Morro Bay...

Look of the Day: Lace + Sheer

Last week, I spent most of my time in Sacramento with my parents. One of the many things we share in common is our love for coffee (Organo Gold to be specific). We are true caffeine fanatics. During our 'afternoon coffee break', Pops snatched my precious camera and started snapping away like paparazzi.

Here are some shots of yours truly sporting a sheer blouse with a great lace detail on the shoulders, collar, and cuff. Also complimented with Gap jeans, Dolce Vita tall boots, Michael Kors rose gold watch, plus sunnies and gold flower earrings from H&M.

Look of the Day: Rolled Up & Polka-Dot

Lately in the Bay Area, we've been experiencing some amazing winter sunshine. Birds are chirping, strangers are smiling, and I'm the giddiest kid in the world. On Wednesday I had an appointment in the city so, I rolled up a pair of skinny jeans and navy blazer over a white tank and sp orted a lavender polka-dot scarf. I added a little bling with gold spiked ballet flats, rose gold watch, and purple heart studs and locket necklace. Just enough for a casual feel yet a tad bit dressed up for the meeting.

Denim On Denim

I got a couple requests for more collage-y type outfit posts. I'm glad folks are enjoying them. Here are a couple looks I pulled together for part of my Fashion Merchandise Marketing graduate program at FIDM San Francisco on denim wear.

Want to get the deets on each piece in this collage? Get the scoop here via Polyvore.

Look of the Day: Long Live Leopard!

Yesterday was a long day filled with special people in my life: lunch with the boyfriend and daddy plus a raging housewarming party for a dear girlfriend of mine. 

I wanted a laid-back glam look, but not too plain jane. You may recognize these jeans from my previous post. Yup, those $68 jeans from Urban Outfitters that I snagged on sale for $4.99! I still can't believe the amazing deal. Rolled up my sleeves and knotted a now extra baggy blouse thanks to a recent 18-pound weight loss. Black suede Steve Madden pumps are sky high and sexy, but they keep my dogs howlin'! Gold jewelry, blue eyeliner, and red lipstick seal the deal and I was off being a social butterfly.

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Bargain Buys = Happy Girl

Last week I almost lost my damn mind. Like, out of my mind, insanely happy, shocked beyond belief type of deal. In this particular instance, I found amazing deals during MLK weekend. It's not like I was actively searching for deals or even in a shopping mood. I just stumbled upon them while enjoying a beautiful Sunday afternoon. All I can say is, "Winner winner, chicken dinner!"

So, let me break down for y'all what exactly brought me to the brink of happy insanity:

1. Black embellished waist belt from Urban Outfitters. I originally thought the price was $9.99 (originally $36) when I found this beauty on the sale rack. Boy, did I get stupid giddy when the sales associate rang me up and told me it was $4.99!

2. Grey leopard print BDG denim from Urban Outfitters. Like the waist belt above, this puppy was listed for $9.99 (originally $68). So, you can understand my confusion when I was told my total amounted to under $11! I almost kissed the cashier when she explained that there was an additional 50% discount off all sale items.

3. Bright pink cropped slim pants from Gap. I already have the same pants in cobalt blue, and I love them so much. When I spotted these bad boys amidst the sale madness, I knew they would be mine! With Spring around the corner, this bright, light pink is the perfect shade for the blossoming season. Want to know what the sales associate told to me? "Oh, don't forget to take advantage of the extra 40% off sale items!" So I skipped out of Gap paying less than $12!

 Fresh out the bag. Please excuse the wrinkles.

So, those are my recent bargain buys and I always score when I'm not trying to score. Winning!


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TTFN :)

Look of the Day: Leopard + Trench

Today I head out to meet two of my beautiful, Friday Feature friends, Jessica Linehan and Shireen Rahimi, for lunch and chit chat about our business plans for 2013. It's such an amazing sunny and crisp Thursday so, I had to sport one of my favorites: leopard! This teal and camel, button-up top was gifted to me by my loving aunt and uncle in Puerto Rico. I added an everyday skinny denim from Gap with tall Enzo Angiolini leather boots plus a Rag & Bone trench for the swift and cool San Francisco breeze.

 

Caught some rays on my balcony.

                                       

Downtown SF with Jessica's Ray Bans.

Shireen Rahimi of Eclectic Other and Jessica Linehan of Bobbi J

Cuties.

Jessica showing us her new 'Shona' earrings coming soon on Bobbi J online.

On escalator down to BART. I can almost see my reflection in my newly shined boots!

Gold buttons.

Leather + Leopard + SF Mission District

Every now and then I like to get lost in my surroundings. Whether I'm in the city, suburbs, parks or even in my own neighborhood, the explorer in me takes note of what's going on in the world. 

When shooting for last week's Friday Feature, we came across amazing artwork alongside a building on the smallest street in SF (not sure if it's in fact the smallest, but it seemed pretty damn small to me!). 

Here are several shots of the artwork and yours truly sporting my favorites: leather and leopard. 

Sweater + Denim + Boots

Thanksgiving is tomorrow. Is it, really? SMH. Well, as I'm currently taking a break from baking 3 sweet potato pies, 40 cookies, and 2 trays of mac-and-cheese (shoot me now), all I keep thinking about is what I'm going to pack for my long weekend in my hometown, Sacramento, CA. 

And these are the only types of pieces I feel like wearing this weekend. Nothing too frilly or high-maintenance-- just cute and casual. Sweaters, denim, and boots:

Left: Sweater: MANGO Denim: Maison Martin Margiela Necklace: Pim + Larkin Booties: Rachel Zoe Watch: Nixon
Right: Sweater: J Crew Denim: Siviglia Boots: Frye Watch: Michael Kors Earrings: Maison de Morgana

Weekend Adventures with Daddy

If you search for 'Daddy's Girl' in the dictionary, you'll see a picture of me. With that being said, daddy loves to take a drive down to the Bay Area for the day to visit me, my bf, my favorite feline, Missy and hang out. Over the weekend we experienced gorgeous, sunny and crisp weather, which inspired us to head to over the Bay Bridge into San Francisco and park at Ocean Beach.

Super casual look of the day.

Pops. He's pretty smooth, right?

Sun shining bright at the Beach Chalet.

Our lunch view of Ocean Beach.

Daddy's 'too cool' look.

About to enter the cave at the Sutro Bath Ruins.

Light at the end of the tunnel.

Dreaming in Denim

Most women have a love/hate relationship with denim. Whether it's finding the right fit for a specific body type, trying on loads of denim in the fitting room or trying a new trend-- we all have that one pair of denim that we love so much and it took so damn long to find! Thankfully, the current trend this season is a high waist denim, which is flattering for all body types. Now, now, let's not assume a 'granny-style' rise with a camel toe to top it off! A high rise is a great look with different style pant legs such as a kick flare, wide-leg or trouser styles. The high rise elongates your legs and highlights your body's silhouette. Pair a high rise denim with a flowy blouse or a tucked-in tank and a pair of heels and your set to turn some heads!

Take a look at the styles below: