Costume Inspiration

I'm getting really excited about the outfit I'm putting together inspired by Louise Brooks in "The Canary Murder Case"

A little inspiration coming from each of these images

I've have almost everything I need but will have to pick up some feathers

oh, and a little bit of this thrown in for good measure

or maybe some of this

October is going to be a fun month.

Scenes from the Big Four

It is no secret that I enjoy a good stiff cocktail.

A visit to the Big 4, the bar at the Historic Huntington Hotel, has always been on my SF to-do list. Something about the dark, masculine decor with lots of leather made it seem like the perfect place to dress up and order a whiskey cocktail (or several).

I recently made my first visit and enjoyed the lovely ambiance, well crafted manhattans and good company.

I wish I had more pictures to show, but I need to work on taking better photos in dark spaces.

An exercise in practicality

I've been doing a lot of research online looking for a suitable bike that I can easily ride all over San Francisco but will still turn some heads.

My yellow Schwinn just doesn't cut it if I actually want to get anywhere (sorry darling, I still love you).

Of course there are endless lovely and expensive single and 3 speed options out there both vintage and new, but I think I would be better off with a full range of gears.

What I really want is one of these:

Simple, stylish, affordable.

1, 2

Sadly, I worry that these aren't as practical as I'd like for getting around in San Francisco and would give me the same issues as my Schwinn.

I found this vintage Puch frame over the weekend (please excuse the blurry iphone photos) that can be built up for me at a pretty good price. I'll be able to accessorize as I see fit and will have a full range of gears. Perhaps with the right details it could become swoon worthy?

It doesn't excite me visually quite as much as some of the fancy Dutch bikes I've been drooling over. But it also won't set me back so much and make me worry every time I park it someplace and leave it unattended.

Balancing the practical and functional with simple good looks perhaps?

Please pass along any thoughts/ideas...

Food, lately.

About a week and a half ago, we made a few jars of pickles with all kinds of fresh herbs . I finally got to taste them. They turned out quite good, I think. A bit of a different flavor than most pickles I've had.

I want to try adding some of the pickling liquid to homemade martinis.

I also made these savory tarts last week. They are the easiest thing to make. I use Trader Joe's frozen crust. The top one is tomato, carmelized onion and olive and the bottom is carmelized onion, goat cheese and thyme.

Oh, and tried out Thomas Keller's fried chicken recipe from the Ad Hoc cookbook. 

I didn't take any photos. It turned out exactly as it should and was quite tasty, but 2 days spent preparing fried chicken is too long in my book. I'm adding fried chicken to my list of things best eaten out. Let someone else dirty their kitchen.

Next up on my list: Spicy Chili Pepper Brownies

I cant' find any brownie recipes using actual peppers, only chili powder. I have a ton of peppers from the farmers market and I really only like eating chocolate when it has some spice to it. If anyone has any ideas, pass them along. I'm thinking chili peppers and cardamom or cinnamon and dark chocolate.



I'm hooked

So, who wants to go to Pika Pika with me next?!?

You know you want to.

I wore shorts...

...and it felt good. Okay, so I still wore tights under them. Does it still count?

My legs are white and San Francisco gets cold and windy, even on "summer" days.

I put this outfit together with items leftover from my sale at the Alamo Square Flea Market.

When I saw a girl try on these shorts I thought to myself -

"those are cute, I want to keep them!"

I was secretly pleased when she didn't purchase them.

As luck would have it, they fit me perfectly. I had never even tried them on.

 

Midway through the day, I also hid this sheer top under the table for myself along with a glorious vintage swimsuit I decided to alter instead of sell.

I can do what I want, it's my shop. :)

Anyway, so this is the outfit I put together with those items reclaimed. Perfect sunny day brunch to evening outfit I think. And that was exactly what I did.

Also, I want these round Ralph Lauren sunglasses.

Sigh.

Is it really too much to ask to go back to the warmth and lazyness of this past weekend?

Can I pleeeease?

Things have been quiet around here as far as postings go but have been doing much and there are photos to prove it. Just have to wait until I have the urge to share.

One day soon...

An Evening of Men's Fashion

The Pressman and I recently attended The Haberdash: A Men's Fashion Show and Party put on by The Bold Italic at the Burritt Room on the second floor of the Crescent Hotel. It was a great event with many fun and stylish folks in attendance.

From what I recall, they had a very inventive drink menu. I'm thinking it might be time to try round two.