Adventures in West Seattle

So after my amazing facial on Saturday, I decided to explore West Seattle a little bit. I've been out there maybe a handful of times. It seems too far away. I live in North Seattle, pretty much in the same neighborhood my dad grew up in, so family, my job, are all right here. Needless to say, the paths I travel don't vary all that often.  Up Aurora to my Dad's; down Aurora to my nanny job; up 85th to the grocery store; down 80th to my in-laws; you know what I'm talking about. Even when you live in the city, you get set in your ways. 

That makes driving out to West Seattle like driving to a foreign country. I kept having reactions kind of like the ones I have in England; "Oh look, they have Cupcake Royale, just like back home!" and starting sentences with "I'm not from here..." 

One of my all-time favorite past times is exploring cities, so I was completely content wandering up and down California Ave. I was feeling pretty confident, too, so I introduced myself, as a blogger, to Linda, the owner of Clementine's Shoes. She was very friendly, and unlike another shop owner I encountered, totally open to me taking a couple shots for the blog. If I hadn't bought like 5 pairs of shoes this week (all used), I would have totally bought these adorable persimmon flatforms by FS/NY. Luckily, they're new in for Spring, so they might be there for a little while.

Bakery Nouveau came highly recommended by both Djaouida, my esthetician, and Linda at Clementine's, so I had to stop in for lunch. I had a veggie sandwich, and, like always, fell victim to the siren scent of the Pain au Chocolat. It was pretty good. Maybe a little on the sweet side, and not as good as Le Panier's, but still delicious. Maybe I should start a blog where I just review Pains au Chocolat. I would probably have to stop fashion blogging, though, due to the inevitable weight gain.

Turns out they have estate sales over in West Seattle, too, so I made the trek down the hill a few blocks from California Ave. to peruse the goods. Surprisingly, I had my third day in a row of thrifting luck and found some great things, all for under $20! I bought 3 pairs of vintage sandals, some neat old red bordered labels, assorted vintage papers, a hat, a cardigan, and a silk Dior blouse with a Peter Pan collar. Quite the haul! I should also mention that the person the things originally belonged to had more kitten-heeled sandals than anyone should ever have. She had 5 different version of one pair... which I bought 2 of. I'm planning on selling them, though!

♠

Look of the Day: Core Strength

As many of you readers may know by now, I've been working with a local eyeglass company, Rivet & Sway. A few weeks back, I got my wits about me and did something smart: I went to the Rivet & Sway pop-up shop at U Village and did some "networking". It's something I rarely do, because, honestly, I'm pretty shy in person. I'm very happy I did because all the people at Rivet & Sway are just as lovely in person as they were over email. The icing on the cake? They asked if I would want to help out with their Holiday campaign!

I said yes, of course, and now have these gorgeous photo to add to my portfolio. We had an amazing photographer, Barbara Kinney, and the fact that she has photographed Hillary Clinton just makes me swoon.

It's sounds funny, but I am the official face of their newest frames, The Core Strength. If you follow the link, you can see what the frames look like from different angles and in different colors. Scroll down for a little mouse-over thingy where you can make me turn my head back and forth!

This image was used in the Rivet & Sway mailer a couple weeks ago. I love their branding so much. Gorgeous typeface, simple colors, and all-around excellent graphic design.

Now to find a camelhair coat like the one Britt let me borrow!

My biggest giveaway yet!

Ready for it? Rivet & Sway is giving away a set of frames worth $199!

This time, there won't be any boring Rafflecopters involved. Instead, it's going to be a Pin-to-Win and the reader with the most creative and detailed board will win her choice of stylish glasses, complete with prescription lenses! If you don't have a Rx, that's OK, too. Rivet & Sway glasses can also be made with high-quality, non-prescription lenses, and include a 100% UV filter coating.

Here are some images of their gorgeous frames if, for some reason, you need more reasons to enter.

From top to bottom, The Rizzo in Honey Drip, The Faster Pussycat in Jet Black, and The Spitfire in Galapagos Green

Or maybe these will convince you...

The Poetic Justice in Royal Tortoise

 OK, are you ready to enter?

Let's get down to the details:

1. Follow Rivet & Sway on Pinterest

2. Create a pinboard called "Fall Focus". Be creative!

3. Pin your favorite pair of frames from Rivet & Sway

4. Include the hashtag #pintowin on all of your pins
5. Leave a comment here with a link to your board (this is crucial!!)

If you need some ideas for your board, Both Rivet & Sway and I have created a Fall Focus pinboard. Here's mine and here's the one created by Rivet & Sway.

The winner will be chosen by me and Rivet & Sway!

Contest ends NOVEMBER 16th, 2012
 ♠

Look of the Day: Happy Friday!

Finally! Yes, finally, sitting down to do some blogging.

A couple weeks ago, I walked into one of the local thrift stores and immediately spotted this denim gem. In my mind, a denim romper is like the ultimate romper. And what luck! It fits perfectly!

 What a great week it's been! Finally got some painting done (coming to the blog soon!), went swimming, my feet have been almost pain-free, and today I had Lunch with my friend, Ellen! Tomorrow, I get to go garage sale-ing with my dad and then will have dinner with the in-laws. Life is good. I hope you all are having as good a week as I am :)

If not, you should cheer yourself up by visiting Finch & Sparrow and buying yourself something nice :) Use the discount code "FLEUR12" to get 15% off your purchase!

Thrifted Limited Romper (similar) - J.Crew Cotton Cardigan (similar) - Vintage leather bag - Black Flats (similar) - H&M flower brooch - Forever21 bracelets (similar #1 and similar #2)

HiLo Dress by Night

As easily as this dress can be styled casually, it can also be dressed up for a date night or wedding reception. All I've done is added heels and a jacket and switched up the jewelry a little bit. By removing the strap on the bag, I now have an adorable little clutch!

Gosh, I love these wedges! 

Since I went for such bright nails and a matching neon bracelet, I thought it would be best to keep the rest of the jewelry simple. These handmade earrings were perfect! With short hair, I can't wear huge, flashy earrings anymore, and hoop styles are usually out, but these were just the right size.

Delicate, refined, and artfully made by the boutiques' owner, these added just the right amount of fancy :)

And look how easy it is to style an outfit featuring neons and neutrals! With the smallest touch of neon you can make any outfit right on trend!

Don't forget to take advantage of the discount code FLEUR12! You can get 15% off both online and in-store!

Bliss HiLo Dress - Grommet Clutch - H&M draped blazer (similar) - H&M necklace as bracelet (similar) - Thrifted leather belt - Canvas Wedges - Neil E. Silverman Gold Earrings

Photographs by Maria Gunawan & Praisely Jonatan

HiLo Dress by Day

This past month, I had the opportunity to work with two local boutiques here in Seattle. Located in Fremont, Bliss, and her sister boutique, Dream, supply the city with trendy, affordable clothes, accessories, and other fashionable necessities. If that isn't enough to bring you in, well then you must not be interested in clothing at all and are probably on the wrong blog... or you're my dad reading this... I've lost my train of thought. What I was trying to say is that on top of carrying lovely summer dresses and gorgeous jewelry, both stores are staffed by wonderful sales people happy to help you find the perfect piece for any occasion. I spent two afternoons with them, so I have first-hand knowledge of just how lovely they all are! I got to browse both shops (conveniently located across the street from one another) and try on some of their new Spring and Summer styles. My favorite pieces: a beige hi-lo dress, a black convertible purse, handmade gold earrings, and the cutest pair of ankle-strap wedges!

Okay, I'll admit it. I've finally been convinced by those hi-lo dresses that are so big right now. This one just called to me. Maybe it's partly to blame on the fact that it's, as my sister-in-law says, "Catie colored"; I blend in with it. Mainly, though, I saw how versatile it could be. It has an elegant and simplistic style, perfect for so many occasions. You could go minimalist, elegant, casual, beachy, whatever you like. The feminine, but not overly girly, neutral shade can be combined with almost any other color or texture your wardrobe may contain. This dress is what I would call a clean canvas, just waiting to be decorated.

I thought this dress would be the perfect piece to style in a day-to-night post, but because my photographers, Maria Gunawan and Praisley Jonatan, took so many gorgeous pictures, I decided to break it into two posts.

For the day time look, I went for something summery; perfect for walking the pier or one of our local farmers' markets. A sunhat and a oxford shirt protect me from the sun and keep the look casual. Bright necklaces pop against the pale pink dress and a shoulder bag is the easiest way to tote around extra sunscreen and a little spending money.

Stay tuned for Look #2!
Until then, check out their online boutique, Finch & Sparrow, and take advantage of the discount code, FLEUR12. Enter it in at check-out to receive 15% off your purchase! The coupon is also good in-stores! (Expires 7/4/12)

HiLo Strap Dress - Grommet Clutch - H&M necklace - vintage & handmade necklaces (similar) - thrifted oxford shirt (similar) - thrifted sandals - Old Navy sunhat (similar) - H&M sunglasses (similar)


Photographers: Praisely Jonatan & Maria Gunawan