Big Bang Gala 2014

This past Thursday was the annual Big Bang Gala at the California Academy of Sciences. It's essentially a large fundraising event that the museum hosts every year. It's always a lot of fun, and includes some great food and open bars set up around the museum (plus a large candy bar where you can fill up bags with candy, which is always personally my favorite part). All in all, it's a really fun event, and because so many of my coworkers (aka friends I've met from work) go it's always a ton of fun for me.

I had been planning to wear this dress to the event for months now. I found this dress at the Zara sale (I swear my wardrobe doesn't actually consist of as much Zara as it seems like it does from what I've been posting recently) this past winter. I had been doing one last swoop of the Zara sale and this dress was just sitting there, the only one of its kind left. It was a size XS, and I'm usually a S or M, but I tried it on anyways because its price tag was too good to resist. Amazingly, it fits me like a glove. It has the most beautiful hand sewn beaded flowers on it, and because it's silk it's really warm and comfortable. One friend even commented on how soft it was. Because the dress has the beads, I really didn't feel like I needed to add anything else to it. So I wore it with my block heeled sandals and called it a night. Can I just mention how much I feel like a version of Lady Loki in this above photo? I think it's the green hues. I was loving this green room. It was technically the donor area but opened up to everyone around 10pm. It was the only room that had champagne! None of the other bars did. I couldn't believe it.

I tried to do that Vivetta SS '14 inspired cat eyeliner on my eyes that I had mentioned in a previous post, and I put on a coral lipstick which isn't too visible in the photos, although that was the idea, for it to look somewhat natural. Maybe it had already worn off by this point, too. I didn't want to do the usual red/orange lipstick because I felt like it made the black dress look too wintery. 

Wearing

Black Silk Dress with Beaded Flowers: Zara

Black Block Heels: Zara

Blue Mohair Coat: Zara

Oh and here is my awful attempt at showing what my nails were based on. We have a gem vault in the museum, and a few months back, I took a photo of the fluorite stone that we have. It's a blueish color with admittedly more of a silver than gold pyrite on it. But I painted my nails blue with gold to look like it. I tried? They looked better in person, it was hard to photograph them because the camera wanted to focus on both them and the gem in the background. 

Here's a photo of me and Greg that night. I wanted to get at least one photo with my favorite blue coat on the dress. I loved how they looked together. Thanks Greg, for taking all of those photos for me! And for helping me bag as much candy as possible. <3

Greg is Wearing

Purple Velvet Blazer: Asos

Tie and Tie Bar: Fred Perry

Shirt: Fred Perry

Pants: Levi's Commuter

Golden Gate Park

This past Monday, my good friend Ari and I were planning to go and check out the Conservatory of Flowers. They just got their new 'Chomp' exhibit, which is a carnivorous plant exhibit. I happen to be a carnivorous plant collector/owner, so I always love going to see it. It's actually Chomp 3, because this is the third time they've done the exhibit due to its popularity. Funny enough, this is the second time Ari and I have tried to go to the Conservatory on a Monday, and they are closed on Mondays. D'oh. Third time's a charm?

Since we weren't able to check out Chomp, we ended up walking around Golden Gate Park. I ended up taking Ari to this little area behind the Academy of Sciences (where I work), to show her this cool spot that I like to eat my lunch at. It ends up leading into the AIDS Memorial Grove, and it's amazing how out of the city you can feel by walking just a few feet into the trails. We stopped to take some photos.

 Wearing

Striped Turtle Neck Crop Top: h&m

Vintage Cream Coat: thrifted

Black A Line Skirt: Zara

Gold and Black Cat Shoes: Persunmall

I wasn't quite sure about the crop top, but I sized up and like how it fits now that it's more like a normal shirt with a shorter hem. Plus it was only $17.95, and for a Divided item, its quality is really good. Anytime a shirt has a nice short turtleneck collar like this, it seems nearly impossible for me to resist it. It's fun to wear with high waisted things like this skirt, but would still be slightly cropped if I were to wear it with a regular waisted bottom. Maybe one day I'll give that a shot. 

We wandered further into the Aids Memorial Grove area and found tons of these stacked stones. The creators were still there and finishing up their work. It was so pretty and peaceful, and the stones were literally everywhere.

Here are a couple beautiful shots of Ari. She's a bit more brave with her posing than I am, and her pictures turned out lovely. Ari is a really talented artist, and if you would like to check out her work, she has an art blog that you can look at here! (http://ariannebird.tumblr.com)

Eyes

Alexa Chung with a perfect eyeball manicure

I don't know when it officially struck me, it was probably around the time I first saw the above image of Alexa Chung with her amazing eyeball manicure, that I realized eyeballs go quite well with clothing/accessories. I used to always think of eyeballs as more of a 90s grunge thing, which is cool but not personally my style. So it was awesome to see this more sleek, kind of Egyptian style of eyeball print appear on clothing and accessories suddenly.

If I'm being completely honest, I'm quite positive that I was brainwashed while playing The Legend of Zelda games, as not only are the arrow targets eyes that need to be searched for and shot to unlock doors or trigger progress in the game, but the game features the Sheikah, who are a race of ninja like people in the game that are sworn to protect the royal family, and wear this really cool eye symbol. In fact just searching for images now, I found this whole Zelda wiki page discussing eye symbolism in the game. So it's no surprise that I find myself stocking up on any eyeball print item I stumble upon. For those who don't know me, I have always been in love with the Zelda series, perhaps a bit more than the average Zelda fan, and I have grown up with the games as a constant factor in my life. It's definitely an obsession of mine. Even if you aren't into gaming, it's kind of interesting reading about the symbols in the game, and seeing what they look like.

Now to the point of all of this. I found yet another perfect eye print yesterday while I was browsing around Urban Outfitters via BAGGU. I'm familiar with the brand from working briefly at Madewell a couple of years ago. We sold some of the adorable printed BAGGU's there that are great for grocery shopping. But I had NO idea that they created leather items as well. I'm only seeing the eyeball printed bags on Urban's website, but Baggu's website has the plain versions of the bags, if the eyes are too crazy for you. Here are the eyeball printed ones:

BAGGU Custom Duck Tote Bag $19.99 found here

BAGGU Allover Print Leather Tote Bag $180 found here

BAGGU Medium Printed Leather Zip Pouch $44 found here

BAGGU Small Printed Leather Zip Pouch $30 found here

While I wish I had the funds to splurge on the large black and white tote, I also wouldn't mind just grabbing a small or medium leather zip pouch to keep items in my purse under control. Now to work on that eyeball manicure...

Easter

Celebrated Easter with my family on Saturday night as well as my boyfriends family on Sunday. I had planned to get some pictures of me around the creek behind my parents house where I grew up, just because it's such a pretty background setting, but of course I waited and lost the sunlight, so that will have to be something I do next time I'm over there. But I did get some quick pictures of what I wore yesterday.

Wearing

Swing Dress in Monochrome Flower Print: Asos

Coral 'Eastward' Coat: Lauren Moffatt

Black Patent Block Heel Mary Janes: Zara

Vintage Black Coach Bag: Ebay

'Anytime' Sunglasses: Karen Walker

I remember wanting a dress with this pattern on it pretty much the second I saw the Prada SS '13 Ready to Wear, and also after seeing Lea Seydoux wear this perfect coat. I knew the flower print would be popular and that other companies would likely be making pieces with the print. And I struck luck on asos. This dress had come in a long sleeve and short sleeve, and unfortunately the long sleeve was the one I really wanted, but it sold out. But I still love this dress, and because it was so hot out yesterday, short sleeve was actually better anyways. I got it sometime last year, but it appears to still be available and on sale.

The coat is one of Lauren Moffatt's beautiful creations, and I can't remember where I first saw it... probably on a blog. I knew I loved it, but kind of just loved to look at it. Then when I was watching Mad Men, Season 5 Episode 6 entitled 'Far Away Places,' I fell in love with Megan Draper's coral zig zag coat. I immediately knew I wanted to own a coral coat of some kind, and then the zig zags on her coat made me think of the white arrows on the Lauren Moffatt coat. I finally managed to track it down on ebay for a decent price, and now we are happily together. And that's the crazy way my mind works when it comes to clothes.

Lastly the black mary janes I snagged at the Zara sale this past winter for like $20, and they're an awesome staple to go to when I don't know what shoes to wear. Looking back to Lea Seydoux, I had never been the hugest fan of the mary jane style of shoe, and then I saw her character 'Candy' from the Prada Candy commercials that Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola created, wearing a mary jane style shoe that I really loved. Those ads are also the reason I want a silk dress and coat.

If you haven't seen the Prada Candy/Wes Anderson ads, please please watch them:

Vivetta

Starting a blog this late in the game is kind of weird, because there are so many things I want to post that I love that aren't really new things anymore. For example, Vivetta. Vivetta is constantly creating amazing collections, so it's no problem sharing the most recent. However, their FW 2013 collection was my absolute favorite, and I feel like the entire collection did an excellent job representing what I wish my entire wardrobe looked like. But it seems kind of weird to post images that every blogger or reader has probably already seen. And yet I still want some of the images on my blog because I love them so much. Does this ever happen to anyone else? I'll share a few of my favorites from their FW 2013 collection:

On their website right now, you can currently view their SS 2014 collection, which is also brilliant. Here are some of my favorites from that collection as well: 

They always nail the styling. I love the thick cat eye from the SS '14 collection. It's nothing crazy but it really adds to the looks, and it's easy enough to try myself. And what I wouldn't do for that gold dress from FW '13. Plus it makes me want to run out and chop my hair into a bowl cut again. You can also view the full FW '15 collection here, although it's not on their site right now. Now to just keep lurking the website until one of the hands collars goes on sale...

Afterlife With Archie

Issue 1

While my main intention for this blog is for it to focus on "fashion" (quotation marks because I don't really know much about fashion, I just know what I like) and my personal style, I still want it to represent who I am. I love fashion, but I also love video games and comics, and many other things. Funnily enough, Archie Comics are probably one of the first looks I had into fashion, especially 60s fashion. I started reading them in I think the third grade and never looked back. While Betty was originally my favorite, I gradually started to love Veronica. She can be a spoiled brat, but when it comes down to it, she's a strong woman that knows how to get what she wants. She was also a huge factor in me loving my long dark hair, since growing up with Disney princesses seemed to make me think being blonde was cooler. Either way, both Betty and Veronica know how to rock some amazing outfits, and I undoubtedly owe much of my outfit inspiration to them. Admittedly, I'll still pick up an Archie Comic at Safeway if I'm feeling stressed out, or just want to read one for old times sake. Growing up with Archie and the gang always made me feel like I was friends with them. So I was quite excited when I heard that someone had created an Archie series in which they go through a zombie apocalypse.

I don't want to give much away, but a brief synopsis: the comics are written by George A. Romero inspired Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Francesco Francavilla. I have always been a huge fan of zombie movies or stories (if you're interested in any other zombie comics I would highly recommend 'The Walking Dead' or 'Revival' series'). Romero zombie films were always my favorites. The other great part about this series is that Archie Comics is fully on board with its creation. This means that they don't have to leave out any characters, they have full access to the Archie Comics crew, even Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Josie and the Pussycats. So far the story is incredibly creepy and very touching. Reading this has been a completely different experience from reading any other zombie stories. Because you start out already knowing these characters and cherishing them all, it's very heartbreaking when you see them die. It almost feels like it's happening to your friends... it's a very new experience for zombie story reading for me, and I really enjoy the new concept. They have also done an excellent job representing the characters in an adult way. They have even changed around some of the characters relationships and have added more backstory to some of them. Basically if you've ever enjoyed Archie Comics and appreciate horror, please do yourself a favor and read this series now. A trade is being released which will include issues 1-5 which can be pre-ordered here, otherwise issue 5 will be released on May 7.

Alexa Chung for Eyeko

Little disclaimer about me is that I love Alexa Chung. Her style is constantly inspiring me to try out new things. The way that she manages to constantly balance vintage or vintage inspired looks alongside modern pieces never fails to impress me. I also am a huge fan of a good cat eye. So it only seemed natural that I'd want to try out her newest Alexa for Eyeko products. I had initially been using Maybelline's Precise Ink Pen Eyeliner in black, which for its price is a great product, and will always be a great backup for when I don't feel like shelling out the $19 that the Eyeko pen costs. Now maybe it's because I've never tried out a felt tip eyeliner before, or maybe Alexa Chung truly has created the most amazing eyeliner in the world, but I am in love with this product. Admittedly, I have not yet tried the mascara out, yet if the eyeliner is any indication, the mascara will be awesome. I love that the mascara comes in Black and Midnight Blue. The eyeliner is so easy to use. It's like having the tip of one of those large felt Crayola pens that we all used as kids, but more precise, and darker in color. The only thing I haven't been able to judge it by yet is how long it lasts before needing to be replaced. But even if it only lasts a month or so, I'm convinced that this eyeliner is the best type for me. As someone that often puts their makeup on while riding the bus on the way to work, this truly gives me the most precise, best looking cat eye with the least amount of stress.

Beach Blanket Babylon

This past Saturday I celebrated my moms birthday with family (Happy Birthday Mom!), and we went to see Beach Blanket Babylon. It was really great, I had never seen it before and only had a faint idea of what it really was. Essentially it's kind of like one big SNL skit featuring Snow White, who is from San Francisco in the performance, trying to find true love because she can't find a prince in SF. It's full of San Francisco references, as well as political and musical parodies in lots of different big cities across the world. We then finished the night off at a great little Italian restaurant over in North Beach. It was the perfect chance for me to bust out my new eyeball dress from Zara.

Photo taken courtesy of my brother 

Wearing

Blue Eyeball Dress: Zara

Vintage Black Coach Bag: Ebay

Rosemary's Baby Tannis Root Necklace: Etsy

Black Block Heel Sandals: Zara Winter 2013

'Anytime' Sunglasses: Karen Walker

Black Silk Jacket: Anne Klein thrifted

The dress gets a lot of compliments, to my surprise, as when I bought it from Zara the woman that rang it up for me mentioned how unique it was and "wondered what kind of person was going to come in to buy it." Thanks, I think? I love its pale blue hue, and it's incredibly comfortable. It was one of those pieces that I knew I had to have the moment I saw it, and for only $50, it's not a bad price for a Zara dress. The shoes are a new style for me recently, as I'm usually turned towards a more vintage shoe style, but after seeing Alexa Chung pull them off, I became determined to try them out myself. I'm happy with them so far. Oh and hopefully I'll get more photos of my outfits in the future. I'm still trying to force myself to get into the swing of outfit photos... it'll take some getting used to on my part.

Swimsuit Search

I'm on the search for a new swimsuit this year, and this Lolli Tada One Piece Swimsuit from Urban Outfitters has caught my eye. I love that it's a one piece but you can't tell from the front. It has such an effortless, classic look, while still managing to be more than just a normal striped swimsuit. It keeps continuing to sell out, so grab one while you can.