A Day at the de Young Museum

I am a lucky girl to have visitors come to the Bay Area to visit me. A couple of weekends ago, all three of my parents (yes, three parents) came to spend the day in the bay. My mom, dad, and stepdad drove down together (yes, they are all friends and get along just great) and we whizzed over the Bay Bridge, into SF, and through the narrow streets to the de Young museum. I've lived in SF and Oakland for almost a decade, stomped around most neighborhoods, toured most exhibits and museums, but still haven't made the stop at the famous de Young. Crazy, right? 

Anyway, we had an amazing family day at the museum and ended up heading over to the Mission area, compared/contrasted Mission vs. Valencia, took note of the rise of gentrification, and shopped a little too ;)

I chose to sport a super casual look with a striped sweater dress, leopard print scarf, vintage utility jacket, textured tights, tall boots and a custom-made leather bag. 

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Sweater dress: Old Navy, scarf: H&M, tights: Nordstrom, boots: Enzo Angiolini, jacket: vintage, purse: custom, hand-made in Ethiopia. 

Look of the Day: Metallic Meets Camo Meets Glitter

Who knew combining metallic, camo, and glitter could be so comfortable and not look like a disco ball?! When I first threw on this outfit, I didn't think it would work, but then I was pleasantly surprised. What made it all flow together is the balance of shine on top and bottom. The camo is subtle as well with deep purple shades and black.

See what I mean below:

camo khaki pants: Gap, glitter sneaks: Toms, metallic sweatshirt: Gap, chunky knit scarf: H&M, leather messenger bag: custom made in Ethiopia.

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: California Coastline Road Trip - Day 1

Last week my dad and I embarked on a 4-day road trip down the California coastline. One of our favorite things to do is just go for a drive and take in the scenery wherever we are--no music, just conversation. So naturally, we decided to drive down the legendary Highway 1.

Take a peek into day one at our first stop in Monterey:

On this day, the weather was on crack. First started out breezy, then chilly and then warm as heck. The entire day I was taking off my leather jacket and five minutes later putting it back on. From unwrapping to rewrapping my scarf around my neck, I almost wanted to hang myself from frustration. Good thing these skinny jeans were super comfy and with tons of stretch for sitting in the car for a couple hours. This roomy knit sweater in lime kept me warm and added a nice pop of color.

Vintage Steal from Dad's Closet: Army Utility Jacket

I haven't won the lottery yet, but I sure did hit the jackpot in my dad's closet. So far, I've picked up three amazing jackets dating back to the 70s and 80s. One of them is this awesome army green utility jacket. It's super roomy, lightweight and has lots of pockets. Gotta love that super soft, worn-in feel too. The funny part about my stealing borrowing from my dad is that he completely forgot that jacket was still in his closet-- let alone that it was even his! 

So here I am in dad's (now mine) jacket, chevron print scarf, leggings, tall boots and graphic tank:

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.

Look of the Day: Boyfriend Blazer + Short Boots

Ass-kicking workout + Django Unchained + Lunch with a pal = great day. 

lipstick: Media by M.A.C, blush: Gentle by M.A.C, eyeshadow: Corduroy by M.A.C, foundation: Bare Minerals in Tan, mascara: Clinique 'High Impact Mascara', eyeliner: Smashbox

blazer: H&M, tank: Old Navy, jeans: Gap, boots: Enzo Angiolini, scarf: H&M

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. 

Lusting for Leopard Print

Denim: Current/Elliott, Shoes: Tod's No_Code, Gloves: Causse Gantier Scarf: Alexander McQueen, Handbag: Dolce & Gabbanna, Sweater: Top Shop

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am the most passionate lover of anything and everything leopard print. Heck, even a stranger knows that I la-la-la-la-la-love, the spotted print. Of course, I contain my urge to dress head-to-toe, no problem there, but I couldn't resist making a lil' collage. Hope you enjoy!

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.

You Can Never Have Enough Scarves

Top Left: Weston Top Right: Matthew Williamson Center: Alexander McQueen Bottom Left: Marc by Marc Jacobs Bottom Right: Alexander McQueen

Let's face it. Even though we have thirty million hanging in our closets, spilling out of drawers, and tucked away in random cubbies, we'll always have an excuse to buy one more scarf! This time it's a different length, that time it was a different print and the next time it's going to be a different material and texture! We've got to stop lying to ourselves and just give in. What's one more scarf? Give away some old ones you haven't worn in over a year and then you have another excuse to buy another! See! These excuses pop out of nowhere.

Scarf Weather...Finally!

When I see clouds and overcast outside my window, I don't normally get excited, but today I did! This summer, the Bay Area (more specifically the East Bay) has been experiencing lots and lots of warm weather. By far, one of my longest summers ever. So I've been waiting ever so patiently for the leaves to start changing color, cool breezes and some overcast to come around. You know, cozy weather.

Today is the day I've been waiting for! So what did I do, grab the biggest scarf and the tallest boots I own!

Casual Night Out

Every once in a while I tend go out and about and be social. I've been getting better I promise! Yesterday, my friend and I attended Oakland's monthly art murmur called, First Fridays. It was a blast to say the least with lots and lots of art, sculptures, dance performances, live music, food trucks for blocks, vendors of all sorts, and of course, a lovely beer garden :)

Here's yesterday's super casual look of the evening:

Xiomara

Magenta cropped khakis (Gap), bow print tank, grey sweater, black scarf, python flats (all from H&M) and black handbag (Michael Kors - Hamilton). It's funny, after listing all the items in this look, I realize that my handbag was more expensive than my entire outfit?! Handbag: $298 vs. Outfit: $110. Funny. 

Summer Must-Haves

At the beginning of every season, I scan through my closet and create a checklist of where in my closet I need to fulfill or replenish-- denim, dresses, accessories, skirts, shoes, handbags, tees, tops...you know what I mean! (While doing this assessment, this also creates an opportunity for me to create a donation pile. Get rid of the clutter people! Don't end up like the folks on 'Hoarders'!) So after going through all categories, I came up with my 'Summer Must-Have' list:

1. White Denim

MiH Jeans

 2. Bright and Light Scarf

Epice

 3. Linen Shorts

A.L.C.

 4. Metallic Strappy Sandals

Miu Miu

 5. Colored Denim

Rag and Bone

6. Cross-Body Bag

Sophia

 7. Crop Top

Urban Renewal

There you have it! That's my Summer Must-Have list. How about you? What are your summer must-haves? Let me know!