casual style

Looking back to my flannel shirt days

 in Bay Area Fashion / General Fashion  tagged casual fashion / casual style / fall 2014 / grunge / outfits by

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Pictured: Lipstick: c/o Dolce & Gabbana “Orchid” / Earrings: Bauble Bar / Necklace: Express (sold out, similar here) / Tee: Express / Flannel Shirt: Sundry / Handbag: Rebecca Minkoff / Nail Polish: Christian Louboutin “Lova” / Ring: 2 Bandits / Jeans: 7FAM (past season, also love this pair) / Shoes: MM6 Maison Martin Margiela (in black here)

Ah, the flannel shirt. Flannel shirts used to be associated with cold weather and lumberjacks. Then, in the early to mid-1990’s, the grunge movement brought out the flannel shirt as a key piece to putting together the ultimate grunge ensemble. When grunge went away and minimalism rose to prominence, the flannel shirt was folded up and shoved to the back of closet’s everywhere. Until. . .a couple of seasons ago, the flannel shirt started to creep back into the forefront of casual fashion; and for fall 2014, it has become the ultimate alternative to a lightweight jacket in the autumn season.

When I was in my undergraduate program at USF in the mid-1990’s, the grunge movement was huge. Pearl Jam was always in my CD player and I had a few flannel shirts which I wore on an almost-daily basis. I love flannel shirts. Living in San Francisco, the cool fog and changing micro-climate’s, lend themselves well to the flannel shirt. A flannel shirt was the perfect weight to keep me warm in 65 degree foggy weather, and if the sun came out, I could wrap the flannel shirt around my waist until the fog rolled back in from the bay. Since the sun normally would only peek through the fog for a few hours, it was convenient to have something around my waist to put on to keep warm. After all, don’t we all find jacket’s bulky and annoying to carry around?

At the end of the 1990’s, the flannel shirt was long gone from music and the runways. I was also out of college and working in the financial district of San Francisco. This meant casual, flannel shirts were not practical in my wardrobe. Although I missed the cozy warmth and convenience of the flannel shirt, I did have an alternative; the pashmina. Remember pashmina’s!!! They were easy to fold up and put inside your purse, making them the perfect wardrobe item to graduate to after the flannel era. Alas, as the world moved into the new millennium, the pashmina was no longer “on trend” and was deemed only appropriate as a wrap for a semi-formal or formal gown. This left a huge hole in the wardrobe’s of Bay Area Fashionista’s. After all, what could we use to keep warm when the fog rolled in? Carrying around a jacket or coat is bulky and downright annoying; so we either froze, or carried a bulky, annoying jacket around the city. Ho-hum. . . 

When I first saw grunge making a few appearances on the runways several seasons ago, I was not quite sure what to make of it. I wore this trend when it first came to fruition, so could I really wear it again? I avoided the trend at first, since as an adult, and Mother of three, I questioned whether or not I could really pull off what I wore in my 20-something college days. But as fall 2014 came around, I realized, yes, I can pull off certain aspects of the trend which feel so much like me! The flannel shirt was always my favorite part of the grunge trend back in college, so I decided this was my chance to wear something on casual days which fits my personality; and musical taste! After all, Generation X created the trend, so it is only natural that we are the ones who should own it and rock it. Can I get an “aw yeah!!”

I was thrilled when I saw this flannel shirt on ShopBop.com. I loved the colors, and the plaid offered the perfect dimensions. Since I have been wearing it this season, I remember why I loved wearing flannel shirts so much back in the 1990’s. They are comfortable and offer the perfect amount of warmth in our climate. Now it is time to pop “Temple of the Dog,” “Alice in Chains” and “Pearl Jam” into my CD player. Yes, I still use a CD player sometimes, and maybe even a record player 😉

Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival

 in General Fashion  tagged casual style / fall 2014 / lifestyle / outfits by

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Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival, pictured from top: Farmer Mike and his famous pumpkin carvings. Each pumpkin takes roughly four hours to carve and lasts about 3-5 days. / Pumpkin Mac N’ Cheese. Yes, it was delicious! / Standing in front of the second through fifth place pumpkins from the weigh-in. Please excuse my fog-frizzed hair! We were not able to view the winning pumpkin, the line was way too long and my kids were not interested. / Street view / Pumpkin pie. Yummy! / Pumpkins, pumpkins and more pumpkins! / Picking out a pumpkin.

What I wore: Earrings: Bauble Bar / Lipstick: c/o Dolce & Gabbana “Petal” / Necklace: Bauble Bar / Shirt: Express / Handbag: Mansur Gavriel / Ring: Bauble Bar / Nail Polish: Christian Louboutin Farida / Jeans: Gap / Boots: Rag and Bone

Over the weekend, we took the kids to the annual Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival. If you are not from the San Francisco Bay Area, the Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival is an annual event which includes a pumpkin contest for heaviest pumpkin and most beautiful pumpkin. There are pumpkin themed food booths, pumpkin carving, jumpy houses, bungee games, artists, art booths, a 5K race, and more! The festival draws people from all over the Bay Area and is a well-loved event.

I knew there would be a lot of walking at the festival, so I made sure I wore my comfortable Rag and Bone boots. They are like pillows with heels! Love that! All of my skinny and boyfriend jeans were in the laundry, so I reached for a pair of boot cut jeans I have not worn in ages. I told myself it was OK to wear them in public because flare jeans are an emerging trend. OK, not exactly the same thing, but I had to work with what I had clean!

The food at the Half Moon Bay Pumpkin festival was delicious. We started the day off with pumpkin pancakes and then bungee games. After the kids bungeed, they went on the jumpy houses (of course) and then we sat down and watched Farmer Mike work his magic on a pumpkin. He is such an incredible pumpkin carver/artist! My kids were mesmerized by his work.

Hopefully next year we will have room in our tummies to try the homemade pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin nachos, and other pumpkin themed food! Have you been to the Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival before? What did you think?

Lug sole shoes for fall 2014

 in General Fashion / Shoes / Trends  tagged casual fashion / casual style / fall 2014 by

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Pictured: MM6 Maison Martin Margiela; can be found here and here.

Lug soles are back. I never thought I would utter those words; I have! The lug sole was huge in the late 1980’s through to the early 1990’s. At that time, you never wanted a platform; only a lug sole. Lug soles were mainly found on loafers and boots, but would occasionally pop up on high heels and sandals.

In 2009, Prada showed the lug sole on a pair of high heeled, runway loafer pumps. Although a few designers caught on to the possible emerging trend, the lug sole remained quietly in the background, unable to revive, until 2014. Cue in the lug sole!

Although associated with the falling grunge trend, lug soles were actually a precursor to the grunge trend in the early 1990’s. They were considered “over” by the time the Seattle Sound hit the airwaves and teenagers smelled like teen spirit while wearing flannel shirts around the globe. The only lug soles left in style by the time grunge became popular, aside from Doc Martins, were in the form of hiking boots; which was a big casual trend in the early to mid-1990’s. 

For fall 2014, designers have gone head over heels for the lug sole. Lug soles are being found on every type of shoe imaginable including loafers, pumps, high heels, sandals, boots, and any type of shoe imaginable. The fabulous thing about the lug sole is that it adds height, like a platform shoe would, but it gets through the “platforms are out” loophole by simply being a lug sole. Love that!

Lug soles are also handy when it is raining or snowing outside. The lug sole is utilitarian and hugs the ground, allowing you to walk without slipping and falling. Under normal circumstances, one would have to wear boring snow boots or rain boots in order to enjoy the practicality of the lug sole in rain or snow. Thankfully, the lug sole has come out from under work boots, and weather shoes, in order to be a fashionable and practical look/answer to the fall season; and bad weather! Love it!

Now, if only California would get some REALLY bad weather in order to combat this terrible drought we are having; and also, so we can wear our lug soled shoes and enjoy not slipping!

What do you think of the lug sole trend for fall 2014, and into 2015? Will you wear it?

Lug soled shoes for fall 2014: