Closet Additions | Stripe Edition

I have been on a frantic search for the perfect striped shirt for many months now.  So far, the winners have both been by JCrew in the form of this Saint James top and this linen top. But I admit that I am not a fan of hand washing and so I continue to search for a striped top that I can throw in the wash and wear over and over again.  With that in mind, most of my recent purchases have been of the striped variety.

What I Bought:

Striped Espadrilles: SOLUDOS mostly sold out, but limited sizing here
Striped Sweater: J CREW (the Duchess of Cambridge wore this last week and is now sold out in this color, but still available in peach/twig)
Plaid Shirt Dress: BROOKS BROTHERS (similar here and here)
Off The Shoulder Sweater: MISSGUIDED runs small, fate undecided.
Striped Tees: BANANA REPUBLIC, black and white one had seams twisted in the wash, but they were final sale so can't return. :(
PJ Set: BANANA REPUBLIC SUNDAY SUNDAY COLLECTION I bought in store on final sale, super soft, don't see them online anymore. Similar here and here.

Leopard Neutrals

I love leopard print accessories.  But it has to be a very specific pattern and I rarely find it out in the wild.  This Zara scarf is over four years old and I still love it and the Renvy flats are over two years old and I still wear them all the time. They are great examples of the leopard pattern I like and I always wear them as neutrals to pull an outfit together.  In this case it was my chambray shirt and colored skinny jeans.  I wore this out to a rare breakfast with my husband earlier this week. Can you tell I was a bit wrinkled...and very full afterwards? :)

I am wearing:

Top: Gap (current)
Denim: 7 For All Mankind (option under $30)
Sunglasses: Ray-Ban

Scarf: Zara (similar)
Clutch: c/o D'Andrea Handbags

Shoes: Renvy (Splurge | Steal)

Summer Citizen

Summer is coming and I couldn't be more excited.  For me summer means short sleeves, short hemlines, and espadrilles.  In Texas, I usually went for high-heeled espadrilles like the ones in this post or this one because we drove everywhere and usually sat where we were going. Now that we pretty much walk everywhere, I've been looking for some flat options and I was thrilled when I found these striped espadrilles from Soludos. I am loving how comfortable they are and the numerous color and stripe options out there.  This particular pair has become quite ubiquitous and almost every blogger had the same thought as me to go for a simple, but elegant black and white stripe. I hope these hold up against the hills of San Francisco this summer! Be sure to tag your social media photos #soludos to become a citizen of summer, too!

I am wearing:

Graphic Top: Signorelli (current)
Skirt: Calvin Klein (option)
Necklace: BaubleBar (Splurge | Steal)
Bracelets: Honestly...WTF? DIY Tutorial | Tiffany & Co.

Earrings: No brand (Splurge | Steal)
Clutch: Jason Wu x Target (similar)
Espadrilles: Soludos (exact here and here) I also want these and these

Jacket Not Required

As the weather vacillates between cool and warm here, I still have to make my way to school meetings, doctor appointments and friendly lunches.  I want to look put together without looking like I am headed to a 9-5 job, which I don't have.  This is a happy compromise of business and casual. I've had these slim trousers for a couple of years now and they remain one of my best purchases. I found them at Buffalo Exchange in Dallas and if I could find another pair, I would buy it in a heartbeat as backup for when these inevitably become unusable.  The jacket I found on ShopBop last year and while I think I could have gone down a size, it has been great to wear not only with thin linen tops like this one, but thicker sweaters when it is colder, too.

I am wearing:

Top: Zara W&B Collection (option)
Jacket: Smythe (in blue)
Trousers: Balenciaga (similar)
Necklace: Jane Basch Jewelry

Bracelet: Tiffany & Co.

Handbag: Sam Edelman (Splurge | Steal)
Shoes: J Crew

Technically Speaking

I've mentioned before that I have acquired an obscene amount of sportswear since moving to the west coast.  I've become quite a fan of Lululemon because there is one just a few blocks away and let's face it, their stuff is just great. Even a cute yoga top that was discontinued years ago still gets me tons of compliments whenever I wear it.  So I was very excited to hear about their new venture, Kit and Ace.  They have married technical wear, which we all love for it's easy simplicity, to leisure wear.  The number one thing I love about Lululemon is that I can throw it all in the wash and everything retains it's shape and this is exactly what they have brought to Kit and Ace.  I recently got to try this shirt (it also comes in grey which I LOVE!) and while I loved the way it fit and moved with me, I really liked just tossing it in the washing machine and forgetting about it.  I can definitely get behind this idea of technical wear.

I am wearing:

Top: c/o Kit and Ace

Shorts: J Crew (in white)
Sunglasses: Balenciaga (current)
Diamond Earrings: (Splurge | Steal)
Lariat Necklace: Vintage (similar)
Bracelet: Tiffany & Co

Clutch: Vintage (option)
Shoes: Jimmy Choo (current)

The Casual Stylist

I ran around the last couple of days pulling clothes for my husband who had his company photos taken yesterday.  The call for him was dark, casual clothes, but it was important for me that he still look good.  I have to admit that I was initially excited to go shop for new things, because everyone from Banana Republic and J Crew to Brooks Brothers has really stepped up their game in menswear.  However, the reality was a tad disheartening as I went from store to store and was quickly reminded that nobody carries Tall clothing in the local stores. My excitement dissipated and I went home to pull from the clothes already in our closet due to the short notice and lack of overnight delivery. Then yesterday I dressed in this cute tee that my mother in law gave me for Christmas and my trusty skinnies and flats to take his freshly steamed clothes and help him pick based on what some of the other employees were going to wear. He went with dark jeans, a crisp white button down and a charcoal jacket and while I may be biased, he looked great! I can't wait to see the final pictures.

I am wearing:

Evil Queen T-Shirt: StylinOnline
Cardigan: Zara
Denim: Joe's Jeans
Handbag: Rebecca Minkoff (Current)
Flats: J Crew

Jorts Story

My husband makes fun of me every single time I wear this pair of shorts.  Target did a great job of marketing them to me as "Chambray Shorts" last year, and he likes to point out that they are really just jean shorts.  I hadn't worn these in a while, in fact, days that call for shorts are rare here in Northern California, but earlier this week, we got right around 85 degrees. It made me think of Texas and I quickly pulled these out.  After I got dressed, I realized that I had worn nearly this exact outfit last year during my "farewell lunch tour" in Dallas. At least, here I know that this is nearly as hot as it gets.

I am wearing:

Top: Lapis (Option)
Shorts: Mossimo x Target (Splurge | Steal)
Necklace: c/o Julie Vos (on sale!)
Earrings: Blue Nile
Clutch: Jason Wu x Target (Splurge | Steal)
Shoes: Stuart Weitzman

The Art of the Recycle: Formal Wear

I have a very robust collection of evening wear because we had many opportunities to dress up in Texas in a way that we don't currently have here out west. When I purge my closets throughout the year, it is very hard for me to let my formal gowns go because I've attached such special memories to them. The occasions that I do get to rewear a dress only serve to inject additional meaning to each one.

I am wearing:

Dress: JS Collections (Splurge | Steal)
Bag: Jimmy Choo Sunglass Case (Similar)
Earrings: 2011/2013 Costume Chandelier (option) | 2015 Tiffany & Co 

Shoes: 2011/2013 Manolo Blahnik | 2015 Jimmy Choo (current)
His Tuxedo: 2011 Jones New York (similar) | 2015 Black by Vera Wang

This hot pink one-shouldered gown by JS Collections didn't start off that way. I really wanted to find a great looking teal or amethyst gown. At the time, I really wasn't feeling very great about my shape and I was so happy to find a gown that I thought draped nicely and hid my flaws, so I bought it in spite of the pink hue and had my tailor take up the hem the week before the event.  After I had it cleaned, it sat in my closet for a couple of years before I needed a dress at the last minute for a friend's birthday party that I was hosting at our house. She LOVES to dress up and when we were thinking of what she would want for her birthday, we knew that it had to involve dressing up, jewelry, and a tiara at the bare minimum. The post from that party is here.  I didn't know what I was going to wear until that afternoon and again I picked this dress, because it was easy and I already knew it fit.  Last year, we were invited to the Inglenook Estate in Napa for the Annual Rubicon Release Dinner by friends who are members at the vineyard. Since our friends hadn't seen this dress yet, I quickly pulled it out of the closet, steamed it, and wore it again. It was a wonderful experience and we got to meet Francis Ford Coppola!

I am wearing:

Dress: BCBG Max Azria (current halter option)
Clutch: 2012 Cole Haan (similar) | 2015 Anya Hindmarch

Necklace: 2012 Solitaire (Splurge | Steal) | 2015 Gioielli Nikki Baker (similar)
Earrings: 2012 Kendra Scott (current) | 2015 Plata
Shoes: 2012 Badgley Mischka (current) | 2015 Jimmy Choo (current)
His Tuxedo: 2012 Men's WH Rental (Option) | 2015 Ralph Lauren Dinner Jacket

This lime green dress is definitely in the very "meaningful" pile. The very first year that I attended a blogging conference was in New York back in 2012. At the time, the fashion blogging community was still "cool" and everyone got invited to everything. I remember being floored when I was invited to the BCBG Max Azria presentation. It is probably STILL a highlight of my blogging life.  The invitation arrived in a very cute envelope clutch (which I still use frequently!) and inside was also a gift card. I remember visiting the store in Manhattan and it was HUGE compared to the one I was used to shopping locally. It had multiple floors and the Runway section occupied half of an entire floor. As I perused the racks of clothes, this dress caught my attention. I immediately loved the color and knew that I had nothing in my closet in this shade. Of course in Manhattan, the only size that would be left would be a Large, but that was perfect for me because that is just my size. I tried it on and realized that my tailor would have to basically rebuild the entire dress for me because I was not (and still am not) a beautiful, tall, amazon. I didn't care. I plopped down my gift card and credit card to pay the balance and brought that dress home with me.  I then wore it to the wedding of very dear friends. Their is still one of the best weddings I have ever attended AND just look at how gorgeous my husband looks in a morning suit. The post for that wedding can be found here. Last year, when we went back to Texas for our summer formal, I remembered how well the jersey travels and quickly packed it for the trip. The post for that event can be found here.  I still love it and I get so many compliments when I wear it.

For me, the key to recycling is to really space out the events. These dresses are bright and memorable, I couldn't get away with wearing them to three different events in the same year, even if worn with different crowds. But when you space out the wearings and change your hair, accessories, and your husband's tuxedo!, even people who have already seen it will have trouble pinpointing exactly where they saw your dress before.

Sutro Baths Sunset

Our kid spent his Spring Break in Texas last week and my husband and I took advantage of our time alone and went on several "date nights' while he was gone. I admit that heading to the city is always exciting because we live on the Peninsula and not the actual city of San Francisco. Although we are close, we don't really have a need to be there often, so I consider it a treat when we do go and we always try to check out a new part of town or something we think would be interesting to show visitors.  In this case, we wanted to see if the Sutro Baths were worth taking friends to see and they did NOT disappoint. In fact, due to the recent rains we've had, we were completely blown away with how full the pools were and the sunset was just amazing.

 

I already have a friend coming back in June and I just hope that the water doesn't completely dry up in the next 8 weeks so I can bring her to the Cliff House for drinks or dinner and watch the sunset. I am also looking at possibly doing a sail around the bay because when she was here in November, we limited ourselves to the Golden Gate Bridge and the City. I would love to show her something REALLY San Francisco and something REALLY touristy, too.

I am wearing:

Dress: c/o LA Made Clothing (2014) (current)
Cardigan: Zara Knit

Shoes: J Crew (Steal | Splurge)

Clutch: c/o BCBG Maz Azria (2012) (current)
Crystal Earrings: BaubleBar (2014) (option)
Snake Necklace: BaubleBar (2014) (Steal | Splurge)
Mason Ring: BaubleBar (Fine Jewelry Option)