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

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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