Happy Feet



    Here's an outfit that I put together specifically for comfort while walking to work. For the walk I wore my Bastien short boots, and packed the ones you see here (which are comfortable, but not 3 miles' worth of comfortable) in my backpack for swapping once I got to work.

    The Bastiens have been getting a lot of wear lately, so much so that I recently went scouring both the internets and the stores in search of some additional walking shoes, because even the best pair can't be worn every day for 3 (or more likely 6, because I often walk home too) miles of walking.

    I ended up with a pair of Ecco boots, which have the bonus of being waterproof, and a pair of Romika short boots, which pretty much feel like slippers, only with really good arch support. Both meet my criteria of being cute enough to wear with most outfits during the walk, or even for the whole day if I don't feel like carrying extra shoes. My feet are happy.

    Dress: Red Dress Shoppe
    Cardigan: H&M
    Tights: Sock Dreams
    Boots: All Black

Post Title

Happy Feet


Post URL

https://thecalaverakid.blogspot.com/2011/11/happy-feet.html


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Spirit



    I wore this to work on Halloween, so as to be in the Halloween spirit and still not have to deal with a costume. It was a good call, because pretty much no one downtown wore a costume, and also because this was way more comfortable. And yes, Halloween was almost a month ago and I'm just getting around to posting this now. It has just been that busy lately.

    If you're in the US, I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving weekend. I certainly did; we spent a lot of time relaxing for a change, and for Thanksgiving dinner Mark and I went to Harris's for some delicious steak. OK it wasn't exactly a traditional meal, but I've made up for it by spending the last couple of weeks warming up for International Pie For Breakfast Month with plenty of pumpkin pie. It's always Thanksgiving when there's pumpkin pie.


    Dress: Skunkfunk
    Tights: Sock Dreams
    Boots: Modern Vintage
    Necklace: Untamed Menagerie

Post Title

Spirit


Post URL

https://thecalaverakid.blogspot.com/2011/11/spirit.html


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Walking to Work

    I thought today I'd share some of the sights I take in on my walks to work. Depending on the route I take, I can see all sorts of beautiful things, which makes the trip go by quickly for as long as it is.

    A view of Japantown (known as J-town by locals)


    St. Mary's Cathedral, aka the giant washing machine agitator and the site of the 
    famous (or perhaps infamous) "two o'clock titty"


     Colorful paper lanterns in Chinatown. Normally I try to avoid Chinatown, 
    but it's wonderfully peaceful in the morning before the tourists come out.


     The art deco-styled Pacific Stock Exchange downtown


    The awesome Transamerica building, which looms over 
    much of the area around where I work


    The best views, not surprisingly, tend to come along with a fair amount of hill climbing, so if I'm in a hurry or am lacking energy (read: hungover) I can go through the considerably less scenic (though not without their charms) Little Saigon and Tenderloineighborhoods. I can also cut through a "new" neighborhood (which is really just the realtors' way of repackaging an old neighborhood to make it sound more appealing) called the TenderNob, but I refuse to acknowledge that this neighborhood actually exists. I mean think about it. As if the name Tenderloin wasn't bad enough already.


     A pretty park I often cut through where I can watch dogs playing 
    and people doing their morning exercise. That's City Hall in the distance.


     An urban garden tucked in between some buildings in the Western Addition area.


    A "parklet" on Powell Street near Union Square. 
    Who needs parking spaces, anyway?


     Coit Tower atop Telegraph Hill. 
    This is also visible from the windows of my office.


     Lotta's Fountain on Market Street. This was the meeting place 
    for survivors after the 1909 earthquake.


     The Ferry Building isn't on my commute route, but it's where my coworkers and I often go for lunch. 
    That's one of the "F" line streetcars out front. Not to be confused with cable cars, 
    these are classic streetcars from all over the world that have been restored 
    and which go up and down Market Street from the Castro to the Embarcadero. 
    And take a really fucking long time doing it. 
    Not a good transportation option if you're pressed for time.


    The view from the Ferry Building isn't half bad, eh? 
    This is easily my favorite lunch spot when the weather is good.


     If I'm in the mood for some steep hill climbing (and by "steep" I mean some of the streets have 
    staircases instead of sidewalks) I can check out beautiful Grace Cathedral at the top of Nob Hill 
    on my walk to or from work. If I'm lucky I might also spot the Brown Twins while I'm 
    in the neighborhood; I've seen them twice already on my walks.


     The views from Nob Hill aren't too shabby either


     Looking into downtown from Nob Hill. Note the cable car; the tracks that they run on 
    make a lot of noise because the cables run on a continuous loop underneath them. 
    It's a little disconcerting if you don't know what it is.


     A different view into downtown from the north side of Nob Hill, 
    with the Bay Bridge off in the distance.

    I've actually taken to carrying my camera with me at all times because I see so many great things in my travels. I'll undoubtedly have more to share with you another time, but I hope you've enjoyed this mini-tour of San Francisco, or at least a 3-mile slice of it. I'll leave you with one more great view:

    They look like angels when they're sleeping, don't they?

Post Title

Walking to Work


Post URL

https://thecalaverakid.blogspot.com/2011/11/walking-to-work.html


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A Dress for Any Season



    I've done shockingly little (for me, anyway) shopping in recent months, mainly because of the consecutive large expenses of throwing a big wedding party and then buying a house. Moreover, because I'm much busier at work I have a lot less time to poke around on the internet and inevitably find pretty things to buy. This is undoubtedly a good thing; at my previous job I often felt that I shopped mainly out of boredom, and waiting for a package to arrive was pretty much the only thing I looked forward to there.

    This dress is one of the only items of clothing I've purchased since May or June. The pattern in particular really appealed to me, because it can work for any season depending on what I pair it with. Pinks and soft greens would make it great for spring and summer, while jewel tones or burgundy will work for fall and winter. For this outfit I added the mustard yellow cardigan and burgundy socks to give it a fall look, but left my legs bare because the weather is still pretty warm.


    Dress: eShakti
    Cardigan: Anthropologie
    Belt: a gift from Mom
    Boots: Bata
    Bracelet: Leslie Danzis

Post Title

A Dress for Any Season


Post URL

https://thecalaverakid.blogspot.com/2011/11/dress-for-any-season.html


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Duster



    I found this funky sheer zebra duster at a thrift store near my mom's house a few months ago when I was up there to visit. It was actually a dress when in combination with the long black liner that came with it, but I much prefer it this way. I made a couple of modifications: I hemmed it from straight across to the tapered hem you see here, and I added a pleat in the back to give it some shape at the waist. It was quite the boxy 90's shape before.


    This was a perfect outfit for our gorgeous fall weather. It was warm enough outside to bare a little skin, but not quite warm enough to expose all the limbs in their entirety. Boots and socks and bare legs was just the thing.

    Duster: thrifted
    Dress: Max Studio
    Belt: Lazarro
    Boots: from Scoop in Copenhagen
    Bag: Lucky

Post Title

Duster


Post URL

https://thecalaverakid.blogspot.com/2011/11/duster.html


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Adjusting



    I'm still adjusting to dressing for my new gig; not so much for the workplace itself, but for the outdoor climate and the amount of walking I now do. In general I'm dressing in a more relaxed way than I was at mx previous job, in part because working downtown gives me loads of options for lunchtime, and if I'm going to walk to them I want to be comfortable. But the other thing I've discovered is that I can easily walk to work, which takes just 10 minutes longer than riding the bus (my nearby bus routes aren't the speediest, and driving isn't really an option). My trip is 3 miles each way, so I get some welcome exercise, but consequently I have to create outfits with breathable fabric (to avoid sweating with my backpack on) and shoes that are either easily swapped once I get to work, or are comfortable enough for miles of walking. This is a challenge, because I'm not the sort of gal who will throw on sneakers with anything and swap them once I get to work -- the walking shoes have to look reasonable too.

    This was not a 'walk to work' outfit, though it maybe could have been with some minor modifications. It was definitely before I got my latest haircut though, and you can really see my color growing out, as well as how long the back was getting (hence the recent post about Janet). Thankfully I've gotten it cut since then.

    I've got a post in the works that will show you some of what I see on my walks to and from work. Believe me, it's a walk that I'm very grateful to be able to make! Working in the city is truly a dream come true.

    Top: Forever 21
    Skirt: LA Made
    Shoes: Born

Post Title

Adjusting


Post URL

https://thecalaverakid.blogspot.com/2011/11/adjusting.html


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