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.

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

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

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!

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