Fashion Street SD

San Diego Street Style: Stylish Sisters

Watch sister Minét and Natalie Taylor talk about their gorgeous ensembles and where you can find each of their fashion-forward pieces!

San Diego Street Style: Michael Lee

Watch Michael Lee talk about his stylish duds, and MAKE SURE to check out the charity his necklace benefits, Falling Whistles: A Campaign for Peace in Congo.

San Diego Street Style: Best Sunday Ever

Check out this fabulous Jewelry designer and her eclectic outfit! She was a vendor at Kellie Nail's event, Best Sunday Ever.

San Diego Street Style: Holly in North Park

Holly works for Nordstom and I spotted her standing next to me in line waiting for a table at The Mission, on University in North Park. Watch the video to hear her talk about her outfit. 

La Bohème

Love is in the air.  And I’m not just saying that because Valentine’s Day is around the corner.  It just so happens that one of the most popular love operas ever written is in town this week!  La Boheme!

San Diego Street Style: Tazirga

Meet Tazirga, 27 year old vintage store owner from Buenos Aires, currently vacationing here in San Diego.

Tazirga is visiting some family and friends here in San Diego and is in town to attend this week's Action Sports Retail event (ASR). I cannot say enough about her style. Want to know what she's rocking?

Hot Hat Wearing Eliza!

A while back I did a post on our San Diego native Eliza Rickman.  I marveled at her ability to oh-so-confidently always wear a hat!  Well after she gave me the low down on her vintage shopping style and secrets to pulling off the hat of your choice, she promised to tell me the next time she was coming back to SD.

Eliza will be playing:

• Friday- Feb 12th @ the Ruby Room at 9 pm
• Friday- March 12th @ the Whistle Stop    9 pm

I hope you all get a chance to get out there and enjoy the show!

Local Style: Thrifty Finds

Saturday night: Humphreys By the Bay Lounge.  We loved this girl's cozy blue sweater and fringed orange bag.  What's even better is she snagged them at a thrift shop.  Gotta love the savvy San Diegan shopper.

 

Music and Style: Interview with Eliza Rickman

Raised in San Diego's north county, this street musician has what it takes to turn heads.  Did anyone catch her show at the Ruby Room last week?  The first thing I noticed about Eliza Rickman was her hat and her mini piano.  I knew right then and there, I had to find out more about her...especially how she finds the courage to wear so many hats.  Read on to find out.

TK:  First of all, tell me about yourself a little bit.

ER: I am a singer/songwriter from San Diego (now living in the LA area) with a penchant for gowns, toy pianos & kick drums (not necessarily in that order).  I was obsessed with ragtime in college, and received a degree in orchestration for string quartets.  I am madly in love with Andrew Bird and Nick Cave.

TK: In terms of eras, your style seems to span over many different decades of time.    What look do you find yourself falling into most?

ER: I have been attracted to vintage clothing since I can remember.  About a year and a half ago, I met and began working with a very talented and generous vintage clothing dealer named Shareen Mitchell here in Los Angeles.  She took it upon herself to help me immensely with wardrobe styling for my photo shoots & performances.

I used to identify strongly with the timelessness of the 30's and 40's.  But she actually showed me that the bias-cut look isn't flattering on a lot of women, and myself in particular.  I'm skinny all over, lacking curves.  The eras that seem to flatter my body-type best are the 50's and 80's- dresses that are fitted in the bust and flare out at the waist.
We play around with a lot of different eras and looks, but I think the one that works the most for me are the Edwardian and Victorian eras.  Because of both the yearning, romantic qualities of my music and my dark hair/pale skin, we look for that kind of vibe.  Sort of like a modern Mary Poppins.  I love plaids, stripes, velvets, satin, lace, and WAIST CINCHERS!  They work miracles on me...

TK: Where do you like to find your unique pieces of apparel? 

ER: I get a lot of my dresses from Shareen.  She has a store here in LA and one in Manhattan.  She is seriously the best-kept secret of the universe.  I do occasionally find a dress for super-cheap on eBay, which will usually require a bit of re-working.

TK: Many people find they do not have the confidence to wear a hat (mine seems to be a love hate affair).  What's your relationship like with hats? 

ER: I've never been self-conscious about wearing hats.  I think my mom made me start wearing hats at a very early age for church attendance!  It's unfortunate that women don't wear hats so much anymore- they add a touch of class to any outfit.  They obviously add personality, too.  I think that if a lady can get past the "Do I look like a poser in this hat?" doubt, it's a really good thing.

TK: When is your next show in San Diego?

ER: I don't know yet!  It'll probably be at either the Tin Can Ale House or the Soda Bar.  Then I'm supposed to come back to the Ruby Room to kick off my westcoast tour in March  :)

What a gem.

Posted by Tracy Kinnaman

Black Fringe

Fringe was out and about in full force this weekend.  Check out the black fringed bag swaying around the DNA art show in Encinitas last night.

I originally meant to post this around the bag.  But now that I think of it, she's hit on FIVE trends in one outfit.  Fringe, black tights, leather looking jacket, hat, and ankle boots.  Spiffy.

Posted by Tracy Kinnaman

LilyGirl Jewelry Party

I like house parties.  Not raging late night keg boasting house parties, but the wine and cheese and private shopping kind of house parties!

 

Last night I attended an event at the home of Lori Roark, one of the owners of LilyGirl Jewelry.  She teamed up with At Home On Main Street to provide a great shopping event for some one of a kind handmade jewelry, and cozy, cute bamboo clothes!

I am always checking out people's shoes at these things, and since I found a few pairs I enjoyed, I decided to share.  See, ladies in coastal North County aren't always about the flip flops!

This mother daughter duo were sporting some comfy winter kicks.  I like the buckles and I like the fringe (even though some fashion gurus are anti fringe this fall, I enjoy it a lot).  Plus she confided that she found the boots at the thrift shop, so you can't beat that for an eco friendly and cost effective cozy boot!

We've got some holiday ballet flats, some holiday toes, some crazy wild-child florals, and some battered vintage inspired ankle boots.

Diversity is the spice of life!

Posted by Tracy Kinnaman

Dirty Monday, Dirty Style

Do you like to people watch?  I do.  I breathe it.  I enjoy sitting in restaurant windows, on bar patios, or in other public places that allows such a simplistic passing of time.

One of north county's little secrets is found on Monday nights at the Saloon in Encinitas.  Dj Gabe Vega rocks music like Crystal Castles, Passion Pit, and Santigold, keeping things flowing, and bodies moving.  Interestingly dubbed "Dirty Monday", it's one of my favorite places to sit back and enjoy the show.  I came to the conclusion that the name came along because of the dirty guys who gather here.  Long greasy hair, cheap knit beanies, and lots of leather can be found on these boys.  And for some reason, the ladies love 'em (even when they're buying the guys their drinks)!

Here are few candid pictures I took of the eye candy.  And no, this guy was not posing.  He's just that cool.

 

I asked a couple girlies what they thought about the style in The Saloon, and why they liked it.  "Trendy is what we see in most clubs, but saloon is more behind the scenes."  It's true, if you like hipsters and underground dive bars, get your dirty face on, and see what all the fuss is about.  And if you get hungry after midnight, "Eggroll Lady" comes around towards closing time.  She doesn't like pictures, so I had to be sneaky and fast.

Side note: I've noticed a drop in attendance since the patio's been closed for remodel.  One more important detail, this fun crowd gathers on Mondays, but the weekends are unpredictable.  Aka, there's nothing exciting about The Saloon except a long line and a disgusting bathroom.

Posted by Tracy Kinnaman

San Diego's Suddenly Darling

17 year old Kateyln Rose announced the new launch of Suddenly Darling, a San Diego based fashion site for teens and young women.  

One of the goals of the site is to help young women find a positive image using a greater awareness of how they dress.  Katelyn stresses there is too much media influence, and you can still dress stylish and modest. 

This is a very interesting subject, and I encourage anyone inquisitive to check out her new website suddenlydarling.com where you will find fashion tips as well as other helpful advice on life's many curiosities.  

Questions on this article?  Email Tracy Kinnaman at tkinnaman@gmail.com

Statement Jewelry Designed by Micha

San Diego houses some incredible artists and designers who's talent rivals those in New York and L.A. A perfect example is Micha Kuechenhoff.  Born in Germany, Micha made her move from Berlin to California 10 years ago and began designing her signature look: “knots that tie non-traditional and vintage materials into fashion which equate the fresh and original pieces”.

Which is basically a bizarre way of saying her designs are stunning wearable art. Talk about a statement necklace. Created from old trinkets, charms, chains, and recycled fabrics, each piece is absolutely unique and one-of-a-kind with a "Go Green" state of mind. Her line consists of necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings and jean bling (kind of like an extraordinary wallet chain).

From simple to intricate, each piece has its own personality and presence. I am a huge fan of these conversational pieces. Simply skip the earrings, wear an uncomplicated top to wow a crowd. Every time I see Micha she is always making a scene with her incredible look. I have seen other versions of found items made into jewelry, but Micha was one of the first and definitely the best. An amazingly creative mind lies behind her welcoming smile.

by Vanessa Valiente, a fashion and lifestyle writer in San Diego. If you have a question about this post or want to read more of Vanessa's writing go to www.vstyleblog.com.

Stylish San Diegans At The Wonderhaus Bread Factory

The Wonderhaus Bread Factory is a historical building located in the ballpark district of downtown. Built in 1924 this building is being redeveloped to house retail locations as well as events for photography, weddings, rehersals, filming and last night it was used for a fabulous party. Flaunting an expansive 56,000 sq feet across two floors, this space has ceilings as high as twenty-five feet and stylish industrial details, but the factory wasn't the only thing on display.

This event brought out some of the most stylish San Diegans including Angie Kemp, the event planner for The Dana Hotel and Marina and Lara Mathews, the go-to woman for renting out the Wonderhaus Bread Factory.

Shirt: Banana Republic

Skirt: Anthropologie

Necklace: Urban Outfitters

Shoes: Kenneth Cole Reaction

by Vanessa Valiente, a fashion and lifestyle writer in San Diego. If you have a question about this post or want to read more of Vanessa's writing go to www.vstyleblog.com.

The Woman Behind Fashion Whore

As you may already know this Saturday, October 3rd, will be another Fashion Whore event. What you may not know is the woman behind it.

With a theatre degree from UCSD, May*star has an incredible resume of writing, acting and modeling as well as being a producer of fashion show dance parties. She started this L.A. style electro-indie event in 2005 when she realized there was only one independent dance night, Gabe Vega's Transport (Gabe Vega is fabulous by the way). "There seemed to be only one night club fashion show a year." May*star continued, "I also wanted to help my designer friends promote their work."

Now, after four years of featuring San Diego's most creative established and emerging independent designers, Fashion Whore is the most popular fashion show dance party in San Diego with press coverage in numerous publications.

This Saturday you will be seeing a guest designer from San Francisco: Dyno-Solo by Danielle, the local designer Noel Laws, outfits from Hunt & Gather, a new local boutique, and Kenny King. "Kenny King is an artist and eclectic dresser, so I have asked him to style a portion of the show using garments from his own closet."

Perhaps because May*star has made her own rules, her Fashion Shows have attracted the stylish crowd from all over. Hipsters, students, photographers and the fashion inspired from North Park, Hillcrest, La Jolla, Chula Vista and Tijuana have all been drawn into this diverse mix of fashion and even the themes. "I create themes for each night so that the attendees can participate in the creativity as well. October 3rd's optional theme will be High-Fashion Funeral Party ." I am thinking a sea of black will be in store for the party goers.

by Vanessa Valiente, a fashion and lifestyle writer in San Diego. If you have a question about this post or want to read more of Vanessa's writing go to www.vstyleblog.com