Wicked, Awesome

This past weekend I had the fortunate opportunity to go see the musical Wicked at San Francisco's Orpheum Theatre. I love any excuse to dress up, so naturally I saw this as the perfect chance to style up my own LBD (little black dress) design, and throw on a pair of heels.  Spending the evening with one of my "saucy" cohorts, I decided to jazz up my look by letting my hair be wavy and just pinning it back. I accessorized with a pair of beaded gold earrings and gold charm bracelet. My favorite part of my look was definitely my shoes; faux snake skin pumps with gold accents by Bettye Muller. After truly a fantastic show, we went in search of martinis and snacks. I wanted to go somewhere classy and fabulous, and thanks to the handy "yelp" i phone app, we found the Clock Bar. Apart of the Westin Hotel in Union Square, the drinks, atmosphere, and service did not disappoint. If I could make a suggestion, I would definitely try one of their Absinthe drinks, by far one of the best cocktails I have had in a long, long time. I will have to save up some more pennies before another night like this one, but with a job hopefully on the horizon, I'd say it's a definite possibility! 

Mission Accomplished

Today I set out on an adventure across town to purchase the remaining supplies needed to begin work on my skirt. I did a google search to find the closest fabric store to my apartment, and set out with my camera in hand to enjoy the day. Here's a quick view of what I came across, and what I ended up with.

 

Here's some pretty pictures of the bay from the summit of Filmore St. I like the look of the flowering tree with Alcatraz in the background, and the Palace of Fine Arts is one of my favorite structures in the city!

 

There were so many interesting gates and doorways that I came across on my walk, and I couldn't help but stop to take a quick pic. 

  

Purple is my favorite color, so naturally these flowers stood out to me. I love seasonal decorations, so it made me so happy to come across this tree surrounded by Easter bunnies! It reminds me of the way I would dress up my front lawn for Easter when I was growing up. 

I have no idea what this is, but it's pretty freaking cool!

I didn't quite know what to expect out of these fabric stores, so luckily they were close enough that I could get what I needed from both. I miss having a JoAnne's store to get all my sewing and crafting needs; I guess I will have to find one on the other side of the bridges. After my outing I was so exhausted, I will have to begin work on my skirt tomorrow. Night all :)

"I Don't Have to Be Me ('Till Monday) Steve Azar

I am taking some time off from the stress of job searching; at least until Monday. Weekends are meant to be a time to recharge the batteries, and I plan on doing just that! This morning I woke up, made a pot of coffee, and got out my sketch book for the first time since I moved into my new apartment. I am still so incredibly a beginner when it comes to sketching, but it helps to get whatever I can down on paper, if only just to map out what, and how I am going to make something. Inspired by this pretty pink flower that I found the other day on my walk, I am preparing to make a "bubble" skirt with a really pretty floral silk that I found in NYC nearly 4 years ago. I still have some supplies to procure before I can begin work, but it feels good to get the creative juices flowing again. As for the rest of the weekend, who knows. All I do know, is that I don't have to me 'till Monday!

 

"I've Got the World on a String" Robin McKelle

I woke up this morning singing this song in my head. Not a bad way to begin a day, not at all, but quite a change of pace from yesterday. This time yesterday I was feeling a bit lackluster, but instead of sitting inside dwelling on my frustrations, I decided to take myself on a walk with my camera and seek out some inspiration. Here are some of my favorite images from my jaunt up Octavia St in sunny San Francisco.

I climbed up in the tree for this shot. Not a bad perspective! 

I loved this tree, that seemed to be growing away from the house, but then blown back by the wind. Actually, it kind of looks like a yoga pose. I liked the droopy yellow flowers too. 

There are so many different kids of trees and plants in San Francisco. I liked all the different shapes and lines captured in this photo. 

Quite a hill, but worth the hike for the incredible view! Definitely had one of those "I can't believe I live here" moments. 

This building is absolutely beautiful, and the address caught my attention because 2006 was the year I graduated from Virginia Tech. At that time, I never would have guessed that four years later I would be living in San Francisco! 

My photography tour ended when I made it to the public library in Civic Center Plaza. These trees are just so cool, and they are all over the city. I can wait to see what they look like in bloom!

"Telephone" Lady Gaga feat Beyonce

With one of my best friends coming to town for the weekend, I went in search of the perfect song to rock out to while getting all dressed up for a night on the town. Lady Gaga never lets me down, and she and Beyonce have, in my opinion, the "it" club song of the moment. Tonight their collaborative music video for "Telephone" will be released for a first time on the E! network. An interesting choice of venue, but I am definitely excited to see what they've come up with. A few pictures from the video shoot were released, and the one of the Lady wearing an American flag stood out to me in particular. I was inspired to come up with my own look using the good old red, white, and blue, and somehow ended up in very un-Gaga like territory. With all the nice weather we've been having in SF this week, I wish I could be wearing this cute outfit out and about this weekend, but I will need a paycheck or 5 first! C'est la vie!

Sunglasses: Tod's Temple Detail $375 Dress: Mod Cloth's Middleberg Dress in Walking Tour $142.99 Necklace: Kenneth Jay Lane's Enamel and Crystal Lipstick Pendant $78  Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs Totally Turnlock Natasha Messenger Bag $328 Shoes: Michael Kors Maui Espadrille $195 

"Carry Out" Timbaland feat. Justin Timberlake

While I may have fixed my own dinner last night instead of getting carry out (no pun intended, haha), I certainly did enjoy the show put on by the Oscars. Known to be the grand finale of award show fashion, the stars did not disappoint. Amidst last night's sea of glamour, there were some misfortunes, but I choose to just focus on the positive. It was hard to pick my favorites, with runners-up including Demi Moore, Elizabeth Banks and Cameron Diaz, but these three women really took the cake. Working from the bottom up, I will begin with Maggie Gyllenhaal. I will be perfectly honest, long straight dresses usually drive be nuts, because the longer a woman wears it, the more you begin to notice the wrinkles in the fabric at the bottom. Oh well, she gets a pass because she was brave enough to play with print, and the color looks fantastic. I especially like the way her make-up complemented the dress; the shade of lipstick in particular was a good choice. At first glance I didn't think much of Rachel McAdams gown, but the more I watched her on camera, the more I couldn't take my eyes off of it! I think the bodice is extremely well crafted, and the way the soft color tones play off one another is graceful. I think there is also something to be said about the comfort level for the wearer. It makes the viewer uncomfortable to see a woman constantly tugging, and re-adjusting her dress. Rachel looked at ease in her dress. Last but of course not least is my number one choice, and apparently the Academy's as well, Sandra Bullock. I thought she looked like royalty! While in photographs she comes across poised and precise, on camera she was effervescent! I loved the color of her dress and the way that it shimmered. The choice of a bold lip color I wish I could pull off myself, and in place of big jewelry, the clutch was a good choice. I applaud all three for their sense of style, and for giving us another color to look at besides black! I am bummed to have to until fall for another decent red carpet, but hey, on the bright side spring is just around the corner!

"Today Was a Fairytale" Taylor Swift

Sorry for the wait, between packing, driving, flying, driving, and unpacking, its safe to say these past few weeks have been a bit more than hectic! For my last great hurrah in Denver, my friend Chris and I collaborated on a party, featuring his awesome DJ skills. It was a chance for me to party with my Denver favorites one last time, and also raise some money for Haiti relief. As pictured above, I actually did finish my dress on time! Part of what I love so much about designing is the problem solving that goes into physically creating what I so clearly have pictured in my mind. I had never draped before, and for a first-timer, I'd say I did a pretty decent job. Probably my favorite creative solution was what to do with the broach. I felt the dress needed a little sparkle, but the piece I picked out looked cheap when thrown on the front of the dress. On the back, however, I thought it rocked! Now that I am finally getting settled into my new home in "SF," as the locals say, it just might be time to whip out the sketch pad and get to work on my next party dress. With my 26th birthday just around the corner, I'd definitely say there will be a reason to party. One last BIG thank you goes out to all of my Denver loves, thanks for making my last night out feel like a fairytale!