outfits

Classic black and white for winter

 in General Fashion  tagged chloe / outfits / winter 2020 by

silicon valley street style chloe aby it bagspleated skirts for winter

wearing: large gold hoops / lipstick / white knit turtleneck / black belt / spring nail polish / black handbag / black and white pleated skirt / knee high suede boots /

Let’s face it, white is not a slimming color. That being said, I love how this white knit turtleneck looks with my black and white pleated skirt. So, when my daughter asked for a trip to the American Girl Store to purchase the new girl of the year book (she loves their books), I decided to try and make this white turtleneck not make me too huge. haha

Black and white is classic and chic. So it is always satisfying to put together an outfit, which is black and white, and not boring. While this knit turtleneck is ribbed, and slightly body conscious, it is a little loose; perhaps I could have sized down? It needed a little something to elevate it; the top could not be worn alone. I have to say, the easiest way to elevate a plain top or turtleneck, without using a topper, is with a belt. There is something about belting loose clothing; whether it be a top or dress, which makes an entire look appear structured and put together. Love that!

I wear this belt all the time with my jeans, this was the first time I used it to belt an article of clothing without belt loops. It worked out really well. The belt took the frump out of the loose turtleneck, and pulled the black and white outfit together. It was perfect for browsing at Stanford Shopping Center, and bringing my daughter to the American Girl store for the book.

These pieces are part of my winter capsule wardrobe. If you have not read it yet, please check it out! It’s handy to have a few pieces each season which can be mixed and matched to create a large number of outfits. It saves money, and time. Stay tuned for more capsule wardrobes this year!

These boots are comfortable for walking too! Love!

Shop my winter black and white outfit online:

Do you ever belt an article of clothing to make it appear more structured?

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

winter outfit ideas

Japantown San Jose with the kids

 in Travel  tagged family / outfits / san jose / staycation / winter 2020 by

japantown san josejapantown san jose tips san jose street style japantown san jose

wearing: blue and silver earrings / lipstick / white knit turtleneck / blue scarf / grey faux fur teddy coat / belt / bootcut jeans / black satchel / spring nail polish / western style boots /

The San Francisco Bay Area is full of hundreds of nooks and crannies. There is always something to do, and something to see. Although I am born and raised Bay Area, I had never been to San Jose’s Japantown before this month!

We decided to take the kids down to Japantown San Jose in order to see what was there, and also enjoy some sushi. Unfortunately, I won’t share the sushi lunch with you, it wasn’t very good. I think we chose the wrong restaurant. That being said, I am sure there are other places to eat, and I heard the ramen place is really good! Wish we had gone there, but I digress. . .

There are plenty of fun things to do in Japantown San Jose with kids. There is a museum, the temple, and many historical buildings. It is easy to walk around and see everything in one day. There are also cute shops with imported items from Japan. Some of the shops have been owned for generations and have their history posted inside. You can learn a lot by chatting with the shop owners, and reading the signs! It’s really a cool outing.

san jose wall art japantown

My son posing in front of one of the murals found in San Jose’s Japantown. This area of Downtown San Jose is full of street art. It’s fun to walk around and enjoy the beautiful murals. This one was my son’t favorite. He loves the characters depicted, and seems to know who they all are! I had no clue!!

If you are local to the Bay Area, and are looking for a fun daytime outing with the family, or without, I highly recommend visiting Japantown San Jose; and wearing walking shoes! High heel boots were not my best choice for the day. haha

Shop my winter faux fur teddy coat look:

Have you been to Japantown San Jose? What is your favorite site to see?

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

japantown san jose things to do

Wall art in Napa

 in General Fashion / Travel  tagged family / napa valley / outfits / travel style / winter 2020 by

wall art napa cia wall art oxbow public market sushinapa outfit ideas winter

wearing: blue and silver earrings / lipstick / black knit turtleneck / blue scarf / long coat (under $200!) / black belt / skinny jeans / nail polish / black satchel / charcoal boots /

First off, how did we do with nighttime photography? I never take photos at night. I love bright, daytime shade; which is easy lighting for pictures. We played with the settings on the camera, and while these aren’t the best photos we have ever taken, I feel like they came out pretty good. Maybe a little less crisp than I’d like. . .but they work. . .I think?? haha What do you think?

During our family road trip to Napa with the kids, we stopped into Oxbow Public Market for dinner. I had never been to a public market setting before, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. It was a bustling marketplace filled with specialty food shop, mall-style food counters, and ice cream! It was sensory overload as two of my kids settled for pizza since they could not decide what to eat. My husband, and middle child settled on sushi, which I chose too. Like a crowded day at the mall, one of us hovered in the seating area until a table opened up which could seat five, while the others went to purchase our food. It worked well! I snapped up a table, and my food was brought to me by my family. Love that!

The sushi was good, and my husband also picked up a beer at the brewery located inside Oxbow. After we all finished eating, we walked around the market to see what else was there. I found The Olive Presse which is an olive oil company located in Sonoma. I have had their olive oil before, and know it’s hard to find, so I purchased a ton of it! I highly recommend the mandarin orange olive oil; yum!

We also found ice cream, also made locally. I enjoyed an egg nog milkshake while my kids all delved into a sundae, or a scoop of their favorite flavor. The ice cream was really good, I highly recommend it! We had lost our seats while walking around, so we ended up sitting outside to eat our ice cream; despite the fact that it was about 40 degrees outside. Brrr! We had fun anyway!

As we were sitting outside, we noticed the wall art on the CIA at Copia which was situated across the parking lot from Oxbow Public Market. After we finished our ice cream, we decided to try our hand at nighttime photography and take pictures of each other in front of this wall, after all, we loved the colors!

We had to adjust the camera quite a bit, but it was fun, and we got fairly good shots! Unfortunately CIA Copia was closed, so we were not able to peek inside. We will save that tour for next time we are in Napa!

Shop my Napa dinner outfit:

Have you been to Oxbow Public Market, or any other public marketplace? Which ones, and what did you think?

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO
Cathy

napa street style