Like an Extra from Almost Famous

I kind of love that movie, although I wasn’t thinking of it specifically when I put together this outfit.  What I was thinking of was my friend Iris, who’s moving, so we had a going away lunch today.  She was with me when I bought this tunic vest thing, and was tickled by my discovery of it, so I wore it in her honor.

And here’s another nice thing about my job: you wear hot pants to work and nobody says anything.

• Tunic vest: Ambiance in Noe Valley
• Tee: H&M
• Hot pants: F21
• Bracelets: Bakers, randomly acquired, Sierra Leone
• Earrings: from Ann
• Necklace: Claire’s
• Belt: Savers on Geneva
• Boots: from my bro
• Sunglasses: ?
• Tights: Capezio, from SF Dancewear

Photos by Iris in downtown Berkeley and Dwinelle Annex.

Suspended Rectangles

The big excitement for me was how my earrings echo the pattern on my dress. Or, how the pattern on my dress looks like a bunch of my earrings, hanging off many ears. That, and my new boots that look like someone stuck thumbtacks all over them.

• Dress: F21, thrifted from the South San Francisco Goodwill
• Earrings: The Icing
• Boots: NewportNews.com
• Tights: Capezio, from SF Dancewear
• Sunglasses: Factory2U in the Mission

Photos by King at our house.

This is what May 26 in San Francisco looks like.

Cold and windy.  I have a turtleneck and a cowl neck on.  Plus I had a coat over this.  I will never get over this.

• Sweater tunic: Newportnews.com
• T-neck: H&M
• Cap: thrifted from Savers on Geneva
• Leggings: Kohl’s, the Vera Wang line
• Boots: Tripp, from Hot Topic
• Earrings: thrifted
• Cuff: acquired while volunteering for Wardrobe for Opportunity
• Purse: Dillard’s
• Sunglasses: Tsering Jewelry on Durant

Photos by King in the Excelsior.  I wore this out to dinner with the fam.

Things I Love About My Job

1. A nice student stops by my office to declare the major, and offers to take my picture.

2.  Another nice student walks by and sees us, and suggests how to pose. I talk to him and find out he’s a film studies major.  I didn’t confirm this, but I bet he was thinking of Blow-Up.

• Dress: Burlington Coat Factory in SF
• Sunglasses: Venture discount store in Evansville, 20 years ago
• Bracelets: F21
• Pumps: Charlotte Russe
• Earrings: from my mother-in-law
• Tights: Capezio, from SF Dancewear

Photos by Jeff at Dwinelle Hall, with an assist from Samir.

Sunday in Dolores Park

As I was putting this outfit on, I went through a whole thought process about the appropriateness of these shoes with this outfit, the messages we receive about motherhood, and the effectiveness of the patriarchy.  That patriarchy really pisses me off sometimes.

Kind of excited about my two-tone lipstick.

• Dress: Isaac for Target, thrifted in Modesto
• Tights: Wasteland on Melrose
• Pumas: online somewhere
• Earrings: Charlotte Russe
• Hoodie: H&M
• Bag: Target
• Glasses: Tsering Jewelry on Durant

Photos by King, and some nice guy in Dolores Park.  Note this is my favorite view in the city.

I was thinking of nightime summer storms.

Tammy’s Fabulous Blouse

My daughter saw this picture and said “Is that you?” “No,” I said, “It’s Tammy.”  “Well it looks like something you would wear.”  Sigh.  

I am insanely jealous of this blouse that my friend Tammy got for a few bucks at a Salvation Army somewhere. LOOK AT THAT PRINT!  I love how there are flowers all over, and then you notice that some are attached to stems sticking in the glasses.

She wore this to a lovely gathering she hosted on Friday, where she served yummy food on turquoise Melmac.  I met her many years ago, and knew we would be friends because 1) we both have last names that are European capitals, 2) we both had boyfriends who had given us those flattened penny souvenirs, which we were carrying around in our coin purses, and 3) duh, the clothes.

Durability

I think this dress is from the 1940’s.  Seriously.  That means it’s like over 60 years old.  How can it last that long?  It’s super-fitted through the middle, so even though it has a side-zip, I kind of have to tug a lot to get it on, and still, no rips.  And the cut is awesome.  It’s one of those dresses that I wish I had 20 of, in all different prints.

• Dress: thrifted, I think from Hullaballoo in STL (stuff a bag for $5)
• Leopard flats: Bandolino from Marshall’s
• Bracelets: Wet Seal & thrifted in Indiana
• Necklace: thrifted in Bloomington
• Eiffel Tower earrings: from Emily
• Sunglasses: Factory2U in the Mission

Photos by Buster in the Excelsior.

Still Enamored of Palm Trees

I was 25 the first time I visited California, and noticed two things immediately: dang, there really are palm trees everywhere, and wow, everything’s in Spanish.  Still love those two things, and still find palm trees really exotic.  

I was at a conference at the beautiful Clark Kerr campus, which is actually a residence hall during the school year.  Can you imagine coming here as a first-year student, especially if you’re a domestic non-resident? Oops, I mean not from Cali.  It looks like a resort!

• Jacket: thrifted from Savers, from the boys dept. I love having an inside breast pocket!
• Crazy print tunic: Factory2U in the Mission
• Leopard pants: Sears, the French Connection line
• Boots: Lauren Ralph Lauren, from my bro
• Pendant: Sears
• Column earrings (get it?  I’m wearing columns, and I’m standing by a column, and the palm tree kind of looks like a column?): Express, thrifted from the SA in Evansville
• Bracelets: F21
• Sunglasses: Tsering Jewelry on Durant
• (That yellow thing on my wrist is from the conference.)

Photos by Monica at Clark Kerr.

Toot Toot, Beep Beep: My Donna Summer Tribute Outfit

It’s Bad Girls, with the ‘40’s vibe of On The Radio, and shine and sparkle throughout in honor of the Queen of Disco, her awesome songs, and her inspirational glamour to my adolescent self.

The last dance recital I performed in was to “Hot Stuff.” We wore red Danskin leotards with big rainbow stripes across the chest that I thought were really cool.  My eighth-grade graduation dance ended with “Last Dance,” of course—it was 1981. It was actually my first dance ever, and I wore a cream gauzy faux-Gunne Sax formal, with macramé and wood sandals, and it was a REALLY BIG DEAL to me.

And then there are those other great songs that I totally forgot about: Heaven Knows, Dim All The Lights, MacArthur Park. (As a kid I was like, is this really a song about cake? Is this like Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds or something?)  When I was first living in SF, there was no service across the Bay one morning, so all us confused commuters were at the downtown bus station, and the announcer kept saying “Take this bus to MacArthur BART” and I kept hearing “MacArthur Park” and had this vision of all these grumpy people breaking into song and disco-dancing. It made the trip a lot nicer.

• Dress: thrifted from the South San Francisco Goodwill
• Blouse: F21, thrifted from the Excelsior Goodwill
• Pumps: BCBGirls, also thrifted from the Excelsior Goodwill
• Cap: Bandolino
• Bangles: from a yard sale in Dogtown
• Sunglasses: Tsering Jewelry on Durant
• Earrings: The Icing
• Heart necklace: from my stepmom
• Tights: Capezio, from SF Dancewear

Photos by Roslyn near the Alumni House, and by Daisy in the Excelsior.