outfits

Two parades and a movie house

 in General Fashion / Travel  tagged holidays 2025 / long beach / outfits / seal beach by

pictured: street scene Seal Beach before holiday parade / pesto pizza from “Slice of New York Pizza” on main street in Seal Beach / wearing: sunglasses / earrings / stripe tee / jeans / sneakers / nail polish / handbag / tote bag /

My daughter was marching in two holiday parades, so I made a quick trip down to Long Beach to cheer her on! The first parade was the holiday parade in Seal Beach. We parked in the beach lot and walked to Main Street where people had already set out chairs two rows deep by 3pm. So, we went back to the car, got our chairs from the trunk, and set up our third row spot. This was a crowded and festive parade!

Thankfully we were right in the middle of the fun and across the street from a pizza by the slice place, so dinner at our chairs it was! The pizza was yummy and we waited patiently for four hours to watch the parade. We brought our heavy coats and blankets since it gets quite chilly once the sun goes down.

If you plan to go next year, get there early with your chairs!

pictured: holiday decorations Belmont Shores in Long Beach / sushi from @Sushi / cookies from Foodology / wearing: sunglasses / earrings / black tee / scarf / jeans / sneakers / nail polish / handbag / tote bag /

Holiday parade number two was in Belmont Shores, Long Beach. After learning from the night before, we got down there at 2pm. Although there were signs stating no chairs until 4pm, people had claimed the front row by 3pm. Thankfully we were prepared and right there with them! We enjoyed a sushi meal near our chairs and then warm, freshly baked cookies at our chairs. What a fun parade!

Pro tip: free parking outside the beach parking lots. Loved that!

wearing: sunglasses / earrings / sweater / nail polish / jeans / handbag / sneakers /

OK, no trip to Long Beach is complete without fan-girling just a little bit. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is one of my favorite movies, so we found Ferris’s house and snapped a quick tourist pic in front of it. Hopefully the owners don’t mind. We were super quick and stayed on the street.

What I learned from this road trip: Arrive to parades four hours early to get good spots for your chairs. Bring water bottles and enjoy eating at your chairs. Wear sneakers since you will be walking a small distance with gear from your car to the spot you squat in. Have fun and make sure your phone battery is charged!

Looking forward to next year!

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you enjoy the holiday parades this year in your area.

XOXO

Cathy

pictured below: phone case / coffee and brunch at Zuzu’s Petals in Long Beach /

Visiting Levi’s The Vault in San Francisco

 in General Fashion  tagged levis / outfits / san francisco / staycation / winter 2026 by

Levi’s The Vault (museum) from top: Worn by Beyonce’s, Levi’s covered in Swarovski crystals / Iconic matching outfits by Levi’s worn by Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears / Kurt Cobain’s jeans /

Levi’s has reopened their corporate museum “The Vault” and also their corporate store. Love! If you live in the Bay Area, this is a fun excursion while you’re visiting the city. More info at LeviStrauss.com.

The current exhibition at The Vault is centered around Levi’s pieces worn by iconic musicians. I am sure you recognized the ones I featured in this post! Love! This exhibit closes in December, but a new one with another theme will open in February. Stay tuned!

The museum is a one-room exhibition, so it only takes about fifteen minutes to visit. Since Levi’s headquarters is by the water and the piers, it is easy to combine other activities with your visit. In addition to visiting the store, there are a few restaurants nearby, the Exploratorium is a five-minute walk away, and more! We enjoyed a delicious lunch at Xica.

Enchiladas at Xica. This restaurant is so good! I can’t wait to go back! Yummy! Highly recommend.

wearing: earrings / sunglasses / scarf / sweater / handbag / nail polish / Levi’s jeans / black boots /

Of course I wore Levi’s jeans to visit Levi’s The Vault. These jeans are classic, comfortable, flattering, and also available in various lengths, making them perfect for petites! Love that!

Although chilly outside, it was a beautiful day in the city. After enjoying lunch at Xica, we walked around the waterfront and enjoyed the fog-free view.

I will watch for the next exhibit and keep you posted! Levi’s a huge part of San Fracisco and fashion history, so I love keeping up with them!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

Christmas sweater and barrel jeans

 in General Fashion  tagged holidays 2025 / outfits by

wearing: earrings / sunglasses / holiday sweater / handbag (on sale!) / bracelets (similar here) / barrel jeans (in petite! also avl in reg and tall) / nail polish / black boots /

‘Tis the season for a fun, holiday sweater! I have never done the ugly sweater thing, but I decided to be festive without going too far. I love this sweater because it has a bold design without being too crazy or ugly. Love that!

I wore this Christmas sweater on Thanksgiving, and to a recent holiday party. I plan to wear it to more holiday parties and events as well as on Christmas day. It’s perfect for events!

Now, let’s chat about these barrel jeans! I was so scared of this trend! As someone on the shorter side, these types of jeans normally swallow me whole. Thankfully, these barrel jeans come in lengths! I was able to get the right length for my 5’4″ frame and they fit perfectly. Now I can rock a trend I thought I would never be able to touch.

So, if you are looking for a holiday sweater that isn’t too wild, you will love this one! Also, if you want to rock the barrel jeans trend, this is the pair for your petite, regular or tall height! Love that!

I hope you are enjoying the holiday season. Stay tuned for more from the holiday season!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy