Happy Holidays from Go-Blank-Yourself

Pictured left, my family and I line up to make our grand Christmas 2010 entrance.

Unlike our usual video recording of the the family saying, "Merry Christmas!" to the camera, ... we decided this year to play Katy Perry's Firework in the background as we all pretended to walk the runway, mimicking this year's Victoria Secret Fashion Show

It was amazing. As you can see - even my Dad was excited.

A you tube video our our runway entrance, can be provided upon request.

Overall a great Christmas....I wore a blue/purple plaid little house on the prairie inspired dress from jcrew (2-3 seasons ago) with a dark yellow zipper cardigan. Emily braided my hair which was a really nice change from my usual hair down/no brush look!

Details of my gifts + more pictures COMING SOON!

Taking Bloomies for All They are Worth

I don't think Bloomingdales knows what hit them today. We did an early morning sister shopping trip today to take advantage of a HUGE sale they were having. It was an additional 50% off their sale items as well as 40% off of a lot of brand new stuff. How do those people even make money? It is beyond me. So I made out like a bandit. Pictured here is a DVF wrap dress I got that while a tiny bit big in the top fits amazing in the skirt and was a STEAL. I thought it was going to be a little over 100 but when I got to the register it was under $70. How did that happen? No idea but I didn't argue. The checkout girl told me she was jealous. I also got a cashmere Marc Jacobs sweater (pictured also) for $70 which is super soft and adorable. It's pictured with my new red American Apparel skirt which I got with my groupon.

Basically today was a success and I don't think they made any money off me but rather lost money. Confusing.

Madewell and Marc

I've been looking for the last few weeks for a new jacket. Now that is NO easy task because I'm extremely picky about this kind of purchase. First question was did I want a "pretty coat" or a something a little sportier? I have a red pea coat that I'm kind of over, my Gap arym jacket, and a Ben Sherman rain jacket. I really wanted something totally different. Madewell to the rescue! The above jacket is EXACTLY perfect. It's a little on the bulky side in the body but it's really comfortable and warm and super cute. It can be worn over a dress or jeans. Very cute.

The bag pictured is my new Marc acquisition. The color is sage and I don't think the picture does the color justice. It's more of a pale army green. The size is PERFECT for going out. The exact size for just your cards, camera, some keys, and a phone. Nothing more, maybe less. It's since the strap is so long you can wear it and forget it. It's basically awesome.

To the north pole.

dear santa,

Please get me the sold out steven alan hooded cape for christmas. I just desperately need to retire my green military coat. truly. seriously.

sisters in motion

Anyone else loving the instagram app? All of my family's thanksgiving photos were converted into the "nashville" theme.

Michelle is channeling Marc Jacobs fall 90s
Emily is wearing floor length leopard print sheer gown with a motorcycle jacket
I'm wearing RL tan button up w/ plaid wool GAP skirt & winter vest and tights, JC laceups

Summer in, leather out

Whenever I get an email from J.Crew about sales online (meaning every 2 days or so) I am compelled to look and see what is new. Sometimes I'm underwhelmed. Once in a while I find something that catches my attention and I just think, "Damn j.crew, you have done it again. But is it worth my money?" The bag above is one of those moments. I think it may be the perfect summer side-satchel bag. According to descriptions it has pockets galore and is very lightweight. My other usual bag rotations are all leather so I'm thinking this would be good for something more casual but I don't know, thoughts?

Trendspotting in the Valley

Blue Jean Baby Queen

Gap Street Style:As we all (well, most of us), know I work at Gap. While being a glamorous unpaid internship about fashion and global trade, it also provides me with an incredible discount so I can keep up with the trends at an affordable price. Recently, my purchases have mirrored some awesome celeb style so I thought I would relish in my smart choices. Since I do work at a clothing store, I've become choosier about what I buy since I can see a product everyday and reduce my impulse buys to more thought-out purchases.

Moto Denim Jacket:

Kate Bosworth, that other girl, Me: Who wears it better? You be the judge.

Lingerie Display:

Watercolor Bralette, Can I pull it off? Maybe at RedWing.

Cycle in Style

So just out of pure interest, I went surfing the web today, looking for interesting "designer bicycles". That was my literal google search. I found this awesome collection of photos of designers who had done bicycles in their signature styles including heavy hitters such as Gucci, Fendi, Hermes, and Chanel. The last on the list? Urban Outfitters' customize-able fix-y bike generator. I thought the photos were awesome. Couldn't you see yourself rolling down 5th Avenue on one of these? I mean, you couldn't really be seen on a regular old Schwinn could you? Pretty sick.

Wanna see more?
http://www.treehugger.com/galleries/2009/07/8-designer-bicycles.php?page=1

Awkward photos in a dressing room

Vanessa and I had some errands to run (buying a dress for my niece, getting a Bat Mitzvah present for one of my 7th grade students) and we decided to take a fun detour into Anthropologie. We shared a dressing room for the purposes of documenting the most awesome bicycle-themed dress we found for Vanessa. It is pictured above on her as well as a close up of the fabric.

Also pictured is a somewhat clown-like silly shirt I tried on with a very exaggerated collar. I am wearing my very awesome Gap denim shorts (cuffed) and my woven leather flats which I'm just starting to wear on sunny days. I'm obsessed with them. You may also notice that I'm wearing some new glasses which I picked up today at Costco after having my perscription put in. The frames were bought on my trip to Sacramento at a little store that had a lot of really one-off frames. They are nerdy and awesome.

The final photo is me in a very cute dress that is a little tiny bit too small and a bit too expensive. It was in the sale section so once it's cheaper I'd be interested but since it's already not quite the right size and a little out of my fashion comfort zone I'm hesitant. I think I just really love the bottom half.

R.I.P. American Rag

This just in: the greatest vintage store in SF closed down after 26 years.

American Rag was amazing. Seamlessly mixing new and vintage clothing, it was a heaven my family and I loved since I was 17. It was a huge warehouse space with high ceilings, towering windows, and an absolute ton of new and vintage clothing and shoes.

Its where I got all of my vests, my tsubi jeans, vanessa's salmon colored crewneck sweater, amazing vintage tees and dresses...

I told my family last night at dinner that our favorite store in SF closed. There was silence at the table for about 30 seconds. After which, we all shared memories of all the good deals we got there.

WHY did this have to happen?!?!?! why!

March Special Feature: Joy Isra in SF

Joy came to visit me on the most beautiful, sunny weekend the city has ever seen. Luckily for her, she had a great hostess to give her the graaand tour of SF. In order to maintain one's style in the city, its so important to know how to achieve the winter-to-spring transitional look. And by that I mean, searching for ways to make use out of spring clothes, in sunny yet chilly weather. This calls for use of winter tights over dresses/rompers/shorts, keeping sunglasses handy for the afternoon, and layering.

Joy's look is composed of neutral tones favoring darker solid basics with splashes of color here and there. Vintage accessories like the classic speedy bag top off her sweet yet sophisticated sense of style. Here are some of her looks as seen in some of my favorite parts of the city....

1. Valencia/Mission street 2. Pier39
3. Bush/Grant in Chinatown
4. The Fed on 101 Market ....and lastly 5. Trader Sam's (the local tiki bar you go to for wild times)

Re: A Night in North Park

awwww YOU GUYS!!!! look amazing!

Lana - I love how even in a living room dance party, you manage to look so classy. your look is a perfect example of an outfit that works in the day and works perfect for a night out too! The heather gray tank (is it tissue cotton?) is summery casual and by pairing it with black tights, you make it instantly dressy enough for a smooth evening transition!

V - oh my, i love the energy in this photo. I wanna know what song was blasting when this was captured. I can't get enough of your look. Please devote a blog post solely to the denim moto jacket - I LOVE It. If lana didn't say it was from Gap, i would've guessed it was a UO Silence&Noise piece. but seriously props to Gap on this jacket and props to V for owning this look. your outfit - from head to toe - YES YES YES.

A Night in North Park

Last night we danced it out at Bar Pink and everyone was in high spirits. I felt the need to post these fantastic photos taken by Chris most of which are "candid" dance shots. My outfit is as follows: j.crew boyfriend tank, urban skirt, black opaque tights, and really old janky Banana Republic flats.




Vanessa, (as pictured on the right) danced it out in her signature black denim romper and a very awesome denim motorcycle jacket purchased at Gap thanks to her generous employee discount. Thanks to some Mardi Gras beads (courtesy of her little sister Tori) her look was complete.

The night was...entertaining to say the least. But fashion was not compromised for the sack of comfort and bad-ass-ness.

http://www.shopnastygal.com/

in recent fashion news, emily just got a job as an assistant buyer at nasty gal vintage! an awesome clothing site i've browsed for many a years now.

here's how it happened:

emily follows this blog Lulu and your mom. emily met lulu on multiple occassions while shopping in the city and working at an SF clothing boutique, shotwell. lulu remembered emily and referred her to the owners of nastygalvintage. how CRAZY!! (woohoo congrats emily!)

did my dream just come true?

oceans&outfits&oxymorons

its 50degrees outside...I'm at a beach...wearing a ski vest

sun rays got the best of me

Finally went shopping last weekend and got this Mary Meyer sun ray dress! 5 Reasons why i love it

1. originally $142 and on sale for $35 (villains vault/haight)
2. perfect for basking in the sun
3. very feather-headdress friendly
4. i can totally ride my bike in this
5. good for playing dress up in my apartment on a saturday night

Ode to matchstick pants

It's been a really long time since I've posted or Jessica has posted so I thought I'd re-light a fire under this blog(haha funny pun cuz I'm talking about matchstick pants). Anyways I just purchased my first pair of matchstick jeans from j.crew and OMG. they are amazing. I got the overdyed ones and based on what you pair them with they can be very fancy or very casual. I prefer to pair them with flats and a nice cardigan or bright colored button down and they look super cute. They are also probably the most amazing fitting jeans I have worn in my short young-adult life. perfect fit, not too low rise, not too short (didn't even have to order the tall despite being 5'11''), and not skinny leg but not awkward bootcut, a perfect straight leg opening.

It inspired me to look into buying some of the vintage matchstick chords. I looked online and they were on $30 so I was about to jump on the bandwagon when I started to question my choice. Final sale is a frightening thing. NO RETURNS?!?! AHHHH!!!! What do I do? Also paying shipping is frustrating. It amounts to about $11 of money in the toilet if you don't like what you get. I tried to find the pants at the outlet to try on to no avail. The sale stuff when extra 30% but I still hesitated because j.crew only gives free shipping on orders of $150+ which I think is a scam. So I screwed around for long enough that they went down to $20 and THEN they had another 30% sale off final sale items. I found a few other things I liked and after all was said and done with shipping I spent $40 on the pants, a super cute bow hair tie and a nice tank top.

Not bad matchstick chords. I hope you are awesome.

RE: musings on white tights and army jackets

obviously, we know tights are a must for the winter season. while i will wear almost any patterned or colored pair of tights to keep my legs warm in wintertime and rain, i usually stray away from white tights. sorry lana, i think they totally work for toddlers and children, but would be find it tough to pull off for adults. I think when it comes to tights, stay with darker colors and let the clothes be the bright contrast.

Also, as far as jackets. Military-inspired pieces have made a comeback back and I am all for it. (I didn't realize how much of a comeback it was until i went on gap's website today to take a closer look at this jacket you were questioning) I got an army green military trench from jcrew for xmas...and it is the one article of clothing i have been wearing almost everyday...I LOVE when fashion is functional! It has a hood, it has tons of pockets, its warm and its bike friendly! STOP right there. I totally know what you are thinking. I should go to REI and pair my military trench with some off-khaki water proof zippered cargo pants. I know!! right!?? thats what this weekend is for...

I think that you should totally go for it. One thing I saw on gap.com was the belted utility jacket that you should consider if you think you'd be pairing this jacket with dresses and skirts. I do think the shorter version may be preferable to you in San Diego since the weather rarely ever calls for a heavy jackets. One thing to note is that a slightly longer jacket can make any the outfit work for a dressy occasion if needed, which is always good. (trust me)

Conclusion: nay on white tights, yay on military jackets

Musings on white tights and army jackets

I recently purchased (and kept the receipt) for a pair of white tights. They are the same premium brand from target as the ones that are my life-saving black ones. I think they could be tricky. I'd say with a lot of solids and neutrals it could work but it could also go horribly wrong. I don't know. Jessica, Vanessa, your thoughts?

Also, I've been looking for a new jacket to wear with jeans that isn't black. Something casual. I have a really nice sweatshirt blazer from j.crew so I don't need a blazer. I like this new one from gap but need to try it on to make sure it isn't too butch-y. I think it could be cute even with a cotton dress?

no turning back...all sales FINAL

my made my first 2010 jcrew online order! heather grey grandpa sweater, I've been looking all over for you!