sunny days mean more black

TGIF, lovelies! I have been way too busy lately traveling to LA to celebrate my mom's retirement from teaching and now planning a trip to Santa Cruz with my besties for a fourth of July getaway! I love to travel but these past few weeks have taken it out of me!!! I need some r&r...

Short entry today... It's been so warm in Cali lately and that makes Lucy a happy girl! But, of course, that means I'm craving black constantly the same way I crave ice cream in the snow. 

Heres a quick outfit I threw together today. I absolutely love these black lolita glasses from Still Ill Vintage! The dress is Urban Renewal from UO and the top is a last season basic crop top from Nasty Gal.

Enjoy the weekend!

finding yourself while expressing yourself

In the few months that I've been fashion blogging, I feel I've come a long way with my confidence. I never liked being in front of a camera. Honestly, I still don't, but I'm making peace with it. I enjoy putting outfits together and expressing myself and if this is a way to do that I'll make it happen. One thing that has become more obvious to me lately is that I need to find a way to express my personal style in every post. OK, so maybe its not going to appeal to everyone. Maybe this outfit doesn't show off curves or look extremely exciting.. but you know what? It's who I am, and that's what this is all about. 

I don't mean to get all preachy or anything. I bring this up because earlier this morning I was wearing a different top. If you follow my IG account you will see it. It's a super cute Nasty Gal sweetheart crop top. I absolutely love it. BUT, I wouldn't wear it with this skirt or to work (which I was headed to immediately after the shoot). Who knows why I chose to put this together. When we were finished I threw on this top (my favorite new vintage top from Afterlife Boutique) and was just about to head out the door when my hubs Robby was like "Why aren't you taking a photo with that top? That's totally you". He had a really good point. This outfit was more "Lucille". I decided I should post this on the blog instead. It just made more sense. So we took some photos QUICKLY before I ran to the bus. 

Hope you enjoy :)

Still Ill Vintage Sunnies Giveaway!!!

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Am I Still Ill?

I have gone through many fashion phases in my life. My friend Tiff recently said I remind her of Madonna- her style is constantly changing but she can always pull it off. This was a HUGE compliment to me. Because of my introvert nature and recent relocation, sometimes I won't see friends for months at a time, and I know they must think I'm absolutely nuts when I see them again and my look has made a 180 AGAIN. I've been insecure about it for years but I'm finally starting to embrace the inner voice that says "Yeah, and I don't give a sh!t". Life is about constant evolution anyway, right?

That being said, I always love to look back at past looks I've worn and tried to do them again but with a modern twist. When I recently began working with Still Ill Vintage I received an awesome care package with, among other pieces, one vintage crop top that had me humming Stray Cats. Believe me, in college the neo-rockabilly/psychobilly style was my jam. Red lips, docs, leopard and band shirts (that's actually when I purchased the Cramps tee worn in a previous post). I was stoked to bring some of my old inspirations back to life with this gingham halter top. I mean I haven't worn gingham in about six years so I was like "Ahh! I have to do this right! What do I wear with this?!"

Looking back at past inspirations, and completely ignoring a stupid (emphasis on stupid) fashion rule I've had over the past few years- I decided to mix prints. I used to do this constantly in fashion school- I was pretty ballsy back then. I thought leopard could go with ANYTHING and I'm ready to embrace that thought process once again.

So here's my take on an old favorite! Hope you enjoy!

Crop top, Sunnies c/o Still Ill Vintage; Button down, Leopard Jeggings - Forever 21, Boots- Docs

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Spring Breakers

Hey there! I have just returned from an amazing and relaxing vacation in Cancun, Mexico! Honestly, I think this was the best vacation I've ever had. Rob and I stayed on the strip which I thought would be super packed, but thank goodness we booked during the weekdays and a bit late in the season because it was really empty, quiet, and just so darn beautiful. The only sad thing is I just couldn't get many outfit posts done! For one it was ridiculously hot and humid, so nothing except a t-shirt and shorts felt natural and secondly, the thought of anything I "had" to do was just not in my agenda. I wanted to sit and drink margaritas all day! This is pretty much true for 2/3 of the trip. 

On our first day we reserved one of these super comfy beach front beds and just sunbathed, read and played for most of the day. It was fabulous. 

 (Teal Swimsuit: American Apparel ; Sunnies: Still Ill Vintage) 

On our second day, we jumped on a bus and traveled to Yucatan to see one of the seven wonders of the world- the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza. This was actually my second visit (I went about 10 years ago with my mama) but I think I enjoy history far more these days and was just blown away by the tour. Our guide, Antonio, was fabulous- we learned so much about Mayan culture, technology and religion. If you happen to make it to Cancun, you must visit these ruins! 

The weather (as always) was incredibly hot! As a nice refresher at the end of the tour, we were driven to one of several sink holes surrounding Chichen Itza. I'm not the strongest swimmer (and the water is over 150 ft deep!) so I didn't jump in, but enjoyed a mango paleta instead :)

(Overalls- e-bay, Daisy top & Sunnies - Still Ill Vintage)  

Third day in Cancun? Yup, we sunbathed and drank margaritas.. again. It was AMAZING. 

(Floral Bikini - Mercy Vintage, Lolita Sunnies - Still Ill Vintage)

On the last night we ate Brazilian food on the beach and danced the night away to cheesy pop music and 20 year old hip-hop. More to come with these amazing Still Ill Vintage pieces featured below! Hot, sweaty, dancy nights equal one good photo ;-P 

(Complete outfit: Still Ill Vintage)

Vintage T-shirt Nostalgia

This post is going to be slightly different than my previous. I've resisted the desire to be personal so far, but I think to better connect I'd like to share more about myself, not just my closet. 

This outfit was randomly selected, so I didn't really have any ideas about what to write. I shifted through the photos, did my edits, etc, and the only thing I kept thinking about was how long I've had this Cramps t-shirt. 10 years. It has since been mangled and destroyed as hardcore as any good vintage t-shirt can get. The side seams are completely destroyed and the rib trim at the neckline is breaking away from the body completely (hence the safety pins- stylish touch but in reality totally necessary). 

It's been a long time since I pulled this off the rack at Wasteland on Melrose. It's been a long time since I've set foot on Melrose. I moved to the Bay (first San Francisco, then Oakland) only 2 short years ago. I really do love it here- the community, the social activism, the seasons, it's all really wonderful. But the past few months I have missed LA, my hometown, very much. 

I always had a love/hate relationship with LA. The weather is amazing, but sometimes the people, well, aren't. But maybe that's because I was a different person then. I felt very alone sitting in traffic in a metal box on the freeway or sitting at a bar during happy hour with 4 strangers. It was just a weird time in my life. Now instead of the smog and hipster rich kids I think of vegan brunch (why hasnt the bay picked up on this!?!?) and shopping on Melrose picking out rad band shirts. 

Sometimes you can get so happy with your life, that you start realizing the things you thought could never satisfy you all of a sudden can. Because the light inside you, that contentment, it's within you not around you. Maybe I should keep that in mind.  Salud.

T-shirt- Vintage via Wasteland; Shorts- vintage with DIY studding via Mercy Vintage; Boots - Forever 21; Jacket - vintage, no label

Moody Mondaze

Hi there! Happy Monday! This is the first one I'm enjoying in awhile... After months of non-stop freelance work, I finally have two weeks off to catch up on some personal work and prepare for my trip to Cancun, Mexico next week! OMG I can't wait. Ready to get my tan on! (Wow, I haven't craved a tan in years! This hot weather is really messin' with my head) 

Rob, my full-time husband/hairstylist and part-time photographer, did my hair and took some photos of me in the Morcom Rose Garden in Oakland today.

First item I'm excited to mention is my first UNIF purchase- Moodys!! It took a lot of will power to not buy the rainbow colored ones but I wanted a pair I hadn't seen as much and these look straight up alien-like. I knew they were a good match for me! Second, I'm wearing a vintage floral jacket that my prima Mizz Linda gave to me last year. This is actually the first time I've worn it (shh don't tell her!) but I'm actually stoked now that I found something to wear it with. I paired it with a top I actually tie-dyed myself yesterday. It was a white, cotton top I bought from Gap (where I freelance). I bought some RIT dye from Amazon and did a semi swirl pattern. It didn't come out too bright, but I'm actually kind of into the way it came out. Yay!

Lastly, the shorts are an old pair of Levi leggings that I chopped into booty-shorts and the shoes were locally thrifted in Oakland. 

Here are a few of my must have items- a thrifted over the shoulder bag, MAC studio fix and lipstick (I'm wearing Myth) and Aveda Control Force hairspray cuz it truly is a force to be reckoned with!

DIY Denim: Stud Muffin

As a total "outcast by choice" in high school, I always wanted to out do my classmates with weird and wacky clothing. Because I had a minimum wage job as a hostess at a small restaurant, the clothing I so desired wasn't exactly accessible. So I resorted to what has become one of my absolute favorite pastimes- DIY vintage. I'm so excited that tons of the trends I'm into this season are completely doable with some thrifted or vintage items tweeked just enough to give them a new edge. DIY is so much fun because a) you get to have complete control over the design, b) it's cheaper and c) it's more fun, duh!

This week I decided to work with denim! I recently purchased this acid wash cap (actually a F21 buy) and a pair of oversized mom jeans (soon to be cutoffs) from a local vintage shop in Oakland called Mercy Vintage. I purchased a pack of studs on ebay, grabbed a beer and put on Dazed and Confused. I was ready to get down! 

There are several types of studs you can buy online- some easier to use than others. One kind of stud has four legs with sharp edges that can easily pierce thin(er) fabric. I bought a different kind that just has a single spike in the back. These require a bigger hole (which I cut with a combination of a WAY sharper 1" stud and a knife) but I do think they'll last longer because you have to screw them in for the last bit so they don't easily come out. Also, depending on how good (or not good) you are at eyeballing space, grab a ruler or measuring tape to space out your studs evenly. Or not, as I did with the cap. Depends what look you're going for.

It takes a bit of time, and my hands were quite sore, but voila! Excited to rock some new stuff!

Outfit: Hawaiian Crop Top- Vintage; Skirt- H&M