Dressing for the Freakin' Weekend

Ph. Biby Pacheco

Sweet dreams are made of these. And by sweet dreams, I mean weekends. And by these, I mean these pants I found at Target. They are the most comfortable and versatile thing I've picked up at Target for $20 since the last 48-pack of toilet paper. It goes to show that you don't have to be a snob about everything all the time. Brand names this, designer label that. That mentality is silly, especially when you realize that the moment you purchase a piece of clothing it immediately decreases in "value" by about 75%. Don't believe me? Try reselling your wardrobe anywhere (The Real Real, eBay, Crossroads, etc.). You will get pennies on the dollar and you will be left feeling sheepish for making such impulsive decisions in the first place. I spend the major monies on accessories, like the Tibi mules in the photos, and then balance out the rest of the outfit with things already in my closet and cheaper seasonal finds. This way, I get to occasionally indulge in the designer items, but not entirely break the bank satiating my desire for something "of the moment." 

TIBI mules (Runs small) (similar), CONVERSE ONE STAR pants (Medium), ZARA jacket (old), ZARA faux leather top (Medium), THIERRY LASRY sunglasses, FASHIONOLOGIE ear cuff

The Uniform

Fact: furry coats will save you time and make you feel good on "fat days." It's like a bathrobe that you wear in your house, except its perfectly acceptable to wear it out in the world. This outfit is a lazy one, made entirely of stretchy fabrics, an Everlane shirt for the peeping collar effect, and not much else. That leaves me feeling a little self conscious because of how body-conscious it all is. I don't like wearing overly tight things--draws too much attention, you know?To make me feel better lately, I've gotten in the habit of wearing what is essentially a body suit underneath voluminous sweaters and coats. The overall effect is pleasing to my eye, my holiday gut, and any bystander who gazes in my direction. It's what I like to call my woven fat suit that looks pretty good these days to both fashion and non-fashion people

TOPSHOP coat (size US 6) ( I also own it in white, as seen here) /  MADEWELL sweater (medium)  /  EVERLANE shirt (medium) /  FREE PEOPLE skirt (medium)

Holiday Occasion Equation

I like to boil down many things to the lowest common denominator. It's not so much a lazy thing as it is a repetition in what I know works. For example, red lipstick, a festive headband and heidi braids are the bases to a simple holiday occasion equation for me. I believe that if I wear these with pretty much anything else in my closet I'll seem festive enough to sit at any party. Aside from these three things, the rest of the outfit is a slight upgrade to the standard issue jeans and shirt. The skinny pants are wax coated instead of straight-up denim, and instead of a cotton shirt I'm upgrading to a silk one, if only for the nice drape it provides when I've had multiple servings of broccoli and cheese casserole. 

I'm headed up to Northern California for Thanksgiving with Nick's family, but right after that I ain't stickin' around. I'm headed out to Turks and Caicos to celebrate our birthdays (always a week apart), so expect a couple updates from the antithesis of winter. Happy Thanksgiving!

EVERLANE silk shirt   //   AG JEANS   //   THEIRRY LASRY sunglasses  // ZARA flats  //  J.CREW headband (on sale)

Wearing An "XS" Acne Sweater Best Sized and Suited for the Nutty Professor

 ACNE sweater  //  ZARA skirt  //  MIU MIU shoes  //  THIERRY LASRY sunglasses  //  TARGET tights

In Acne's strange world an XS is actually an oversized XXL sweatshirt. It's so large that the sleeves are billowy like a bat and the length allows me to ponder the pant-less ways of yesteryear. It's a great sweater to live in on the weekends, mostly because it provides the freedom to eat and do whatever. If anyone gives you a weird stare you just shrug it off and say "they don't get it." The reality is that no one gets it — not even Nick. He's supportive and only goes so far as to say it's an "interesting" sweater, but I know deep down that means that it's pretty much hideous in his eyes. But who cares? I love it, so I wear it. My point is, that if you're going to order something from Acne, a) don't be surprised when the proportions are different (and by different, I mean enormous), b) wear it loud and proud, and c) own it.  

The Huffy Secret Treasures Bike of Sweaters

I typically love an all-black wardrobe and this is no surprise here on my blog. But every so often I find something lovely like this Acne sweater to pull me out of my comfort zone of all-monochrome all-the-time and live in what is known as Girl World. This wool blend garment has the complete appeal of what fashion types call the "statement sweater" — the voluminous sleeves, a boxy man shape — yet looks like spun cotton candy from afar. (Disclaimer: this sweater is quite itchy, if you're allergic to some kinds of wool like I am, you will to best to skip this splurge as I eventually had to unless you want o live your life with a rash — yuck). What is it about this shade of pink that makes it so irresistible and almost punk to me? I think it's the fact that pink seems like an unapologetic color because it screams girl and there is no confusion about it. You can't hide under shades of black or act too tough in pink. You just have to wear it with confidence.

I grew up as the middle child and the only girl in the family. This meant that all my older brother's friends were cool older boys who loved to roll in the grass and play baseball, and my younger brother's friends were all silly young boys playing in the dirt. There was little room for pink in this  adolescent equation and all I wanted to do was fit in. I tried so hard to be one of the boys, but I was secretly pining for girl stuff, like dresses, or delicate ballet tutus, and even Easy Bake Oven bake offs.  My mom, in her all-knowing mom-wisdom, must have known my secret need for these girl things when she bought me the pinkest, princess-iest bike in town: the Huffy Secret Treasures bike. (You're welcome for the ad, BTW). There was no hiding my glee for it when I opened the box. It was a bike that only I could ride, because it was so pink, so girly, and so perfect.

This Acne sweater is the equivalent to that bike. You take it out of the box and wear it with confidence, no matter how boxy or voluminous the shape is.

Beauty note: The beauty gods smiled upon me last week because the cool gals at Refinery29 asked me what I thought of Maybelline's Color Elixir lip gloss and sent me a sample to try. You know what? I loved the Scarlet Red color. The deep red tones blend in with my natural lip color, but with a slight sheen (hard to capture in photos above), to produce a berry stained pout. I find this combination just the right amount of pink to compliment such a prolific Acne sweater moment. 

ACNE sweater / ZARA skirt / ZARA flats / THIERRY LASRY sunglasses / MAYBELLINE Color Elixir lip gloss (courtesy of Maybelline and Refinery29)

The Last Days of Summer

ZARA  shirt  /  THIERRY LASRY  sunglasses (and here)/  MAY28th  watch  /  THEORY  pants / ZARA  pumps  

In true San Francisco style, the sun has decided to shine and warm our cold, foggy bodies in the last days of August. I'm taking advantage of it and using the science of wearing black to absorb as much of it as I can.  Yes, I know I just wore this shirt in my last post about getting dressed quickly, but it just feels so versatile.

Never Nude

You'll have to forgive me for posting once again in the middle of nowhere. What can I say? The sun refuses to shine in San Francisco these days, so I have to go chase it and wear my most summertime outfits while it's still shining somewhere. Halfway up the road towards Sacramento there's this perfect spot for frolicking (read: trespassing) on fields. I have to admit, during the week my apparel is nothing like this: for one, I am not allowed to wear cut offs to work. So when I get to shoot pictures, which is on the weekends, I am a total Never Nude. I promise more work appropriate (and fog-appropriate for all you San Franciscans) will be coming soon. Just let me have fun with the sun for a little bit longer, ok?

And let's hear it one more time for Kerrie Yeung. And for the love of all things good, just go out and buy these cross earrings already.

KERRIE YEUNG rings, earrings, and bracelets (c/o Kerrie Yeung)  /  MIU MIU  sunglasses  / BALENCIAGA  boots   /  EVERLANE  shirt 

Keeping it Simple, Introducing the 12:04:Shop

"New in" is a pretty terrible way to start a blog post, in my opinion. I read blogs to be inspired by a point of view, and while that sure includes photos of new things I'm really more enthralled by the bloggers who show people how to put those hard earned new things to work in real life. Having an out-of-the-box post and then never seeing the new item again is really quite irritating, because I lose the feeling of "realness." Does this make sense to anyone else?

People who spend their time to visit my blog on a daily basis are very important to me, and I want to make sure I do right by your time by making sure I don't get caught up in the more frivolous nature of fashion: the over-spending, shop-'til-you-drop behavior that is pretty easy to fall into. I work a full time job that sometimes demands crazy ass hours, and in those crazy ass hours I feel a need to treat myself. This is where drawing the line between treat and downright overspending gets tricky. Although it's tempting, over-consuming just for the sake of having the latest does not interest me.  Yes, these Céline sandals are my new thing, which came with a hefty self-imposed guilt trip after just spending what I consider a small fortune on Balenciaga boots, but I purchased them with the intention of wearing them with everything. And when I stop wearing them with everything you'll see them up for sale on my shop because I'd rather have someone else enjoy them than having them sit in my closet, gathering dust for months after the initial love affair has passed. 

So my point is the 12:04:SHOP is my "new thing" today, not so much the shoes. And while most items in my closet eventually go to Goodwill,  the more special things like Karen Walker sunglasses and Marc Jacobs shoes I once was obsessed about will go to the shop. 

CELINE   sandals  /  ALL SAINTS   jacket (similar here)  /  WAYNE  dress  /  THIERRY LASRY sunglasses  /  MAY28TH  watch (c/o May28th)