Sunday, October 26, 2014

The look for today is "I don't actually ride motorcycles"

I haven't had a new post in a while but I also haven't had anything to wear in weeks. So here's me in all black. Surprise. I'm starting a new job in less than a week so I'm gonna have to start wearing suits. Maybe I'll become one of those fashun bloggers... (The kind who wears suits)




Sweater by Dior Homme
Jeans by Saint Laurent
Shoes by Saint Laurent

Monday, September 22, 2014

Chicnanigans in Seattle

I am so happy I got a chance to go back to Seattle this past weekend. I was there about 2 months ago at the very start of their summer season and I caught the tail end of their perfect weather streak. I got a chance to visit UW again for my sister's White Coat Ceremony since she's starting pharmacy school this week. The campus is so beautiful, and with all the new students moving in, it made me really miss my first week of college.


Shirt, Belt, and Jeans by Saint Laurent
Tie by CO-OP Barneys New York

No trip to Seattle is complete without a visit (or two) to Pike's Place. I got my coffee, donuts, and clam chowder, and the CUTEST little donut-cat plushies from a local company called Marnin Saylor.


This is the same alleyway I walked by when I saw Nick Jonas. Yes, Nick Jonas was wandering the streets of Seattle and turned down this alleyway. Turns out, it was the day before he kicked off his tour, starting right there in the city.

Sweatshirt by Balenciaga
Jeans and Shoes by Saint Laurent
Sunglasses and Bag by Celine


Let's not forget Seattle's most iconic landmark, the Space Needle. I saw a cool souvenir of macaroni in the shape of the Space Needle. They called it "Space Noodles." If I wasn't on a diet I would have bought it.

Saturday, September 13, 2014

The look for today is "I know Labor Day has passed but it's still 90 degrees"

There are two very important lessons in today's post. The first is that I don't stretch my left leg enough and I know that because when my trainer helps me stretch out after a workout my left leg muscles are super tight and it sometimes works but my right leg is basically a Twizzler.

The second is that the over the shoulder look is my signature pose.

The third is that black doesn't photograph very well and I wear black almost exclusively now so I need to not stand in the shadows. But when it's 90 degrees out, I'm already sweating as it is in the shadows, I'm not about to go into the sun and get overexposed AND risk getting melanoma.

Yes, I said there were two very important lessons but technically the second one wasn't all that important. Actually, technically, it was more of an observation than a lesson.

Sunglasses by Valentino
Shirt by 3.1. Phillip Lim
Jeans by RPMWEST
Boots by Allsaints

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Must-Have #4

The must have item of the moment is breakfast! When I have breakfast, my venue of choice is a local restaurant called Mama Kat's. They have the sweetest (and cutest) wait staff, the food is amazing, and it's dog friendly when you eat at the patio! For lunch I like to do something healthy like salad (I get the egg salad sandwich on sourdough with a side of potato salad) but since we're doing breakfast today, I decided to get the SoCal Eggs Benedict with turkey and avocado. It's okay to have a carby breakfast because you have all day to burn it off.

 Here is a picture of me pretending to eat my Eggs Benedict with a side of hash browns


This is Boots, it was apparently his birthday today, I am not sure why he is sideways but he is the sweetest dog in the world except when he barks at people who he finds threatening. As you can see, he is very excited for breakfast. He is a fan of eggs.


This is Potato, she LOVES breakfast. She is not very bright so while she was under the table, she saw the plates on the table because it's the kind of table made of metal grating so she tried to go for the food through the table. It did not work.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and it's also the chicest if you do it right. I was feeling very lazy so I just put together a very simple casual outfit. I couldn't get too crazy because it was in the high 80's today. San Diego hasn't gotten the memo that summer is over.

Sunglasses by Celine
Tee Shirt by Lanvin

Sunday, September 7, 2014

Throwback Sunday

I just wanted to take some time to reflect on the second time I ever purchased a pair of Prada shoes. They were black spazzolato wingtips it was the first time I ever purchased a pair of nice black dress shoes. I get tired of shoes pretty fast so I'm glad I went with something classic because over a year later, I'm still wearing them regularly. I'm using this filter because it kind of looks like a dream sequence, because you know, I'm reflecting on something from the past. But also this is the only picture I have of the shoes before I wore the logo off of the insole. I just really like these shoes okay? I hope they're black tie appropriate because I have a wedding to attend in a few weeks!


Friday, August 29, 2014

Y'all ready to get grimey?


It was so hot yesterday, I didn't even do my hair. I also didn't care that this alleyway smelled like feces since I already stepped in corgi poop last week in my glitter shoes.
Shirt, jeans, and shoes by Saint Laurent
Clutch by Maison Martin Margiela

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Work Selfie

I really hope Saint Laurent comes to San Diego because we don't have a boutique and sometimes I just need my fix but don't want to shop online. Both menswear and womenswear have been doing so well in LA and Orange County, it's only a matter of time before they set up shop here.

So my message to Hedi is PLEASE COME DOWN HERE.

Jacket by Allsaints
Shirt by Saint Laurent
Jeans by Saint Laurent
Belt by Barneys New York (Private Label)
Shoes by Ralph Lauren Black Label

Thursday, August 21, 2014

The look for today is "Childhood Dreams and Aspirations"

I started getting into fashion at a fairly young age. I was probably 11 or 12 when I first discovered Dior Homme. I never really cared for fashion because my idea of men's fashion was basically 90's Versace. Which is a cool thing now but it certainly wasn't cool in the mid 2000's. I fell in love with the rock n' roll vibe that Hedi Slimane put out at Dior, it was unlike anything I had ever seen before. I had seen skinny jeans and skinny ties but nothing to that extreme. I went home after school every day and just spent all my time listening to the Dior Homme soundtracks and looking through pictures of old runway shows and advertising campaigns and basically become a Dior expert.

My first purchase from Dior, or anything chic in general, came when I was in 8th grade. My dad used to take me and my sister to Sam's Club all the time and sometimes we'd stop by the optometrist's shop and I'd look at the sunglasses and when I discovered that they had a few pairs of sunglasses from Hedi's "Black Tie" collection, I nearly lost my shit, to the extent that a 13 year old boy could lose his shit. I saved up every penny I had, I even started packing my own lunch every day so I could save my leftover lunch money. I knew I had to have a piece of Dior in my life. Then came the day when the sunglasses made it to the sale table. I begged my dad to let me buy the sunglasses, and when I did, it was probably the most exciting moment of my life up to that point.

The point of all of this is to say that for as long as I've been into fashion, I've aspired to owning many things. And for the most part, I've never really been able to buy any of it until the last year or so. Usually I get tired of things very quickly but when an item is special enough, I won't stop searching until I find that item.

The first of which is a Dior Homme sweater that Hedi originally designed way back in the day. I visited the Dior Homme boutique in the Wynn hotel in Las Vegas once and this girl was wearing this oversized men's grey sweater that was all torn up along the seams, and I thought it was the most amazing sweater in the world. It went against everything luxury ready-to-wear was supposed to be. A few months ago when I found a similar one on Yoox.com, I knew it was finally my turn to own it. When I received it, I really felt like everything came around full circle. The item that sparked my interest in fashion is now a part of my wardrobe.

Another item that meant a lot to me were the Maison Martin Margiela "Pilot" sunglasses. I'll be completely honest, when I was in high school, I was OBSESSED with the first pair of l'Incognito sunglasses that were released. They were essentially just one rectangular lens with arms that looked to be a part of the lens. I absolutely HATED the second rendition, which was the exact pair I know own. The turning point was when Beyonce wore them in her Video Phone music video. I realized that they were actually amazing, but when I e-mailed the Maison Martin Margiela boutique in Beverly Hills, I found out they were $545. Which is a lot of money for a 17 year old student with no job. So I never got them and they eventually sold out everywhere.
During my second or third year of college, I managed to save enough money from my job serving samples at Costco to splurge on something nice. And I had just found these glasses on eBay and all of a sudden I was obsessed again. Even though I've only worn them a handful of times over the few years that I've owned them, I'm pretty sure this is something I'm gonna keep for the rest of my life. So there you have it. I've had fashun dreams and aspirations for as long as I can remember. And there's nothing wrong with that.

Sunglasses by Maison Martin Margiela
Sweater by Dior Homme
Jeans by Saint Laurent

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

The look for today is "It's my only chance this week to wear a leather jacket"

I checked the weather forecast before going to work today and it said the high was 75, which is cooler than every other day this week. So I figured this would be the only chance I'd have in a long time to wear my leather jacket. And I did.

I mean wearing a leather jacket at all in the summer is simply unwise and I don't know why I thought it was okay but sometimes you just gotta make sacrifices to be chic. My compromise was that I'd skip out on sleeves.

I decided today that I would get Pinkberry instead of a post-lunch coffee. It was the worst idea in the world, I still have a headache and it's almost midnight. I'm pretty sure this is a caffeine migraine. It's not easy being chic. I need a tall iced white chocolate mocha with half the syrup and no whipped cream.

Jacket by Allsaints
Tank Top by H&M
Scarf by Saint Laurent
Jeans by Marc Jacobs
Boots by Valentino
Card Case by Balenciaga

Monday, August 18, 2014

Details #1

One thing I love about Givenchy shirts is this little cross detail on the back. Actually it's really the only distinguishable thing about Givenchy dress shirts.

Also, note that The Fashun Chronicles will now be known as Chicnanigans. The Fashun Chronicles was intended to be a temporary name until I found something I wanted to stick to and I think Chicnanigans is essentially everything I want this blog to be.

Sunday, August 17, 2014

Chicnanigans #1: Beer tasting

So if you're in San Diego, the hip and happening thing to do is taste beer. There are so many local breweries all over the county, and North County is especially dense in the number of breweries present. I actually know nothing about beer and I normally only go to breweries when there's a barbecue. But since it was family time, I figured I would go.

So I got 2 beers from Rip Current in San Marcos. The one on the left was an IPA that was supposed to taste like passionfruit and the one on the right was made with like an English tea. Both just tasted like beer and I don't know why I felt like I needed to order 2.
Over at Belching Beaver, I got a peanut butter stout. It smelled like a peanut butter cup. It also kinda just tasted like beer. I can't tell the difference between an IPA or a stout or really any type of beer. It all kind of tastes bad to me. But everybody else seemed to enjoy it so that's good at least.
This is me pretending to drink the beer. I quickly realized that beer is not for me. Except for the beer from Indian Joe's, which tastes like juice. It's just down the street from Belching Beaver but I got hungry so we got cheeseburgers and called it a day.

Sunglasses by Celine
Tank top by H&M



Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Shoesday Wednesday

So the look for today was super shiny shoes. Michael is always super polished in his nicely tailored suits so he opted for a polished brown derby. I'm always super short and these jodhpur boots give me an extra lift and make me feel tall. Allison, always the chicest of the bunch, killed it with her shiny black python oxfords, which are obviously appropriate for any occasion.
Clockwise from top left
On Michael: Shoes by Louis Vuitton
On Casey: Boots by Valentino
On Allison: Shoes by Christian Louboutin
I'm not always the biggest fan of Louboutin's red sole but on a flat shoe like this oxford, it barely peeks out and it's shoes like these that will turn me into a fan.

The soles on my shoes are hardly pretty but I love that they have an industrial work boot styled sole. I'm prone to slipping in my foam soled Margiela boots (only when it rains) and these grip to the floor like Pirelli tires. And they contrast nicely with the polished look of the boot.


Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Must-Have #3

The must have beverage of the moment is a tall iced white chocolate mocha with half the syrup, no whipped cream, and an extra shot of espresso. It's my go-to drink from Nordstrom's eBar.
I tried to substitute my beverage today for a grande iced white chocolate mocha with half the syrup and no whipped cream because it's basically the same thing except in a bigger cup and 10 cents cheaper... Except it was way too big and took me 20 minutes to finish so yeah I didn't actually have the must have beverage today but I should have, and you should try it too! I also need a haircut soon.

Shirt by Saint Laurent
Jeans by RPMWEST

Monday, August 11, 2014

Must-Have #2

The must have fashun item of the moment is dark magic. Anybody can do classic and most people can still do classic with a twist. But can they do this?

My take on classic with a twist is this Maison Martin Margiela belt that has no belt buckle. "How does it stay on?" You might ask. I could tell you but that would ruin the illusion so I'm gonna let you figure that one out on your own. Also I always keep a bent paper clip on hand but that's not part of the closing mechanism so just pretend like it really is dark magic, which is way chicer.

Belt by Maison Martin Margiela

Saturday, August 9, 2014

Shoesday Saturday

Allison and I eat lunch on the stairs because we're too cool to sit at the tables. Our look for today was "I like classic tailoring but I'm a bit too cool for it."

On Allison:
Booties by Alexander Wang

On Casey:
Boots by Maison Martin Margiela
Blazer by Allsaints
Tank Top by Zara
Jeans by Marc Jacobs

Yeah, you can't sit with us.

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

The look for today is "At least I buttoned my shirt all the way up"

Summers in San Diego are the best but the warm weather sure makes it hard to put on a full suit for work. To my credit, at least I buttoned my shirt all the way up. The tee shirt sleeves on the dress shirt body made it so comfortable, and the fact that I didn't tuck my shirt in meant that I didn't have to suck my belly in all day. 
To balance the casual top half I had going on, I threw on some suede monk strap shoes for good measure. Leather soled shoes aren't exactly comfortable and I was basically hobbling to my car at the end of the day but the suede body is so rich, and the thick, heavy leather sole makes a very satisfying click clack when I walk along the marble floor. My look is almost classic so I love that the shoes are an unexpected color and material, and they're a single monk strap, which I almost never see.


Shirt by 3.1 Phillip Lim
Pants by Zara
Shoes by Ralph Lauren Black Label

I'd like to give a shoutout to Natasha at 3.1 Phillip Lim in West Hollywood for the beautiful shirt. I have it in a different color and I loved it so much I had her send me this one in all white.

And another shoutout to Mindy at Ralph Lauren in La Jolla for my shoes. The boutique itself mostly caters to the local La Jolla clientele with a lot of Purple Label and Black Label but Mindy will bring in anything that suits my style.

Monday, August 4, 2014

The look for today is "I never took grad pics so here you go"

I'm not good at sitting pretty and smiling for a photo, which is why I didn't take photos when I graduated from UCSD back in June. However, if I were to have a grad photo, this is what it would look like. Dead eyes, generic pose, pleasant enough smile, and perfect for hanging at grandma's house.

Also I look way skinnier from behind because I don't have to suck my stomach in as much.

Shirt by Alexander McQueen
Belt by Barneys New York
Pants by Zara
Boots by Valentino

Saturday, August 2, 2014

The look for 3 days ago was "The Chic, Chic West"

I tried giving off the impression that I could have been a bandit but I wouldn't actually steal anything because it's hard to run in these boots and these jeans are way too skinny to run in and I actually don't like running so I would get caught really fast. Also, I am not sure if you guys have noticed this but so far all of my outfits are just things that I wear to work. I don't just wear dress shirts because I like them.
I was gonna have my thumbs out but I was afraid I hadn't trimmed my thumbnails so I tried hiding them and so they look weird please don't look at my thumbs.

Silas nicknamed me, "El Bandito"

Sunglasses by Valentino
Scarf by Saint Laurent
Shirt by Dolce & Gabbana
Belt by Saint Laurent
Jeans by Saint Laurent
Boots by Allsaints

Friday, August 1, 2014

Shoesday Friday


There are 3 things that my coworker Allison and I both love: Saint Laurent, sparkles, and cats. And we were able to coordinate with two of the three today! She has the Saint Laurent studded ballerinas and I have the Saint Laurent black glitter sneakers. And let's be real we were so chic today.

On Allison:
Shoes by Saint Laurent

On Me:
Shoes by Saint Laurent
Jeans by Balenciaga

Thursday, July 31, 2014

Must-Have #1


The must have fashun item of the moment is a French bulldog. They're super chic for quite a few reasons

  1. You can give them chic French names like Pierre or Henri. This one's name is Banksy but whatever.
  2. They come in all the Chanel colors, black, white, and beige.
  3. They're always smiling
  4. Yves Saint Laurent always kept a pet French bulldog, and they all had the same name. Moujik.
  5. big pointy ears
Sunglasses by Celine
Shirt by Lanvin
Pants by Zara
Shoes by Prada
Pouch by Maison Martin Margiela
French Bulldog from my friends Brandon and Brittany

***Okay so this isn't my dog but people borrow jewelry and clothes and stuff all the time so I'm sure I can borrow a dog to be chic.

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

The look for today is "Oh I Didn't See You There"


Oh I'm not a model, Karina just caught me off guard while I was texting my sister back. I was so surprised to see that she was taking my photo. Speaking of surprises, I know it looks like I'm just wearing a black sweater and blue jeans, but this look is so much more than that.


The sweater is colorblocked in the back with panels of ivory and beige, and the jeans have been washed with certain panels exposed to create 4 different shades of indigo all on one piece of fabric. I've always loved colorblocking so I knew I had to have these pants as soon as I saw them on the Valentino runway. I spent a week scouring the internet for a pair in my size! And I still had to tailor them because I'm too short to wear them relaxed the way they did on the runway.


Sunglasses, Sweater, and Pants: all Valentino
Shoes: Maison Martin Margiela for H&M