History

Jacket | Vintage Mary McFadden Couture
Dress | Alice + Olivia Lillyanne
Shoes | Kate Spade
Clutch | Reed Krakoff x Kohls

     This was another outfit from the aforementioned wedding weekend (print and embellishment were highly encouraged), and take a seat, because there is a bit of a story here. This dress is contemporary Alice + Olivia (purchased in 2015 from Saks Off 5th), and this jacket is vintage Mary McFadden Couture (after looking into it I'm not sure of the exact year, but I think it probably around 50 years old), and after having both of them sit in my closet for a few years, I never thought to pair them together, until this night. Now that I have, it seems crazy I never previously saw how complimentary they were.

Proof

Jacket | Veda
Dress | Rebecca Taylor
Clutch | Reed Krakoff x Kohls
Shoes | Matt Bernson

      I went to a wedding this past weekend, and was finally able to take a few photos of this dress! I mentioned it as one of my favorite purchases of 2017, but hadn't taken any photos of it previously. 
     It is a dark navy with metallic thread embellishments, and has a three-tired skirt that floats and moves in any breeze. I had planned to wear a pair of four-inch red suede heels (and a coordinating red lip) but an hour before heading out there was a short downpour, with a looming threat of more rain. I figured flats were more practical, as I'm not very graceful in heels to begin with. A leather jacket and blue and black color-blocked clutch finished off the outfit. 

Weekend Reading

     Today I bring you a themed weekend reading, focused on skincare of all things. A consistent skincare routine is something I don't really have, other than that I always wear sunscreen. Always. I read an article here or there, but I don't feel I know enough to be a savvy consumer who understands the science of skincare, and then can use that knowledge to confidently differentiate between products, routines and ingredients.  
     Also, to be honest, even after all you are about to read, I still wish I knew more. Which is probably why this string of articles, caught my eye:

1. What I saw first, although it is out of order, was this conversation piece on Man Repeller, talking about a backlash that ensued when, The Outline published their recent article, The Skincare Con. 

2. Essentially, the main point of The Skincare Con is as follows:

"Perfect skin is unattainable because it doesn’t exist. The idea that we should both have it and want it is a waste of our time and money. Especially for women, who are disproportionately taxed by both the ideal of perfect skin and its material pursuit." 

Manors

Top | Vintage
Pants | Rag & Bone (secondhand)
Shoes | Paul Green
Bag | Mansur Gavriel

     The backdrop here is the Legion of Honor, which is a museum in San Francisco. I never realized, until I looked it up to write this, but the building (per Wikipedia) is a full-scale replica of the French Pavilion at the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition, which was itself a smaller-scale version of the French Palais de la Legion d'Honneur. It was a gift to the city constructed in the 1920's and given by Alma de Bretteville Spreckels (great name), who was a philanthropist and also the wife of a sugar magnate (how sweet).

Sun's Out

     We have had an uncharacteristically warm week here in the Bay Area, and I've had a little time off, so I decided to capitalize and break out my warm weather-can't wear to work-but really like them, pieces. 

Top | JOA
Pants | Rag & Bone
Shoes | Asics Onitsuka Tiger Mexico 66

     First up is this JOA One Shoulder Stripe Top, which I thought I'd featured on the blog before, but a quick search shows I have not. This was a total impulse purchase last summer, at what felt like the height of the deconstructed off-the-shoulder top trend and I pictured myself wearing it on my then upcoming trip to Hawaii. I totally love this top, even though it is a bit impractical, and is a liar (although I think that last part is why it was marked down so much - for example, still available here in pink, for ~$15 (affiliate link)). It was billed as a one-shoulder top, and also shown that way in the stock photo (below). The part around the arm should be able to be worn down (the way I have it) or up on your shoulder. 

Lands End

Top | Oiselle
Pants | American Giant (read my review here)
Shoes | Nike Cortez

     Today's post isn't really about fashion. It is about the fact that I went to Lands End, the place, since there is a clothing company also called Lands' End, and before you ask, I double checked and the place has no apostrophe in the name, per the National Park Service website. It was a perfect, fog-free day and I was pleasantly reminded how much natural beauty there is in San Francisco; it was also a perfect opportunity to play photographer.