OnTheRacks

Last night I attended “Fashion Tweet-Up” – a speaking event that was hosted by the San Francisco Fashion & Merchant’s Alliance. Blake and I had a few minutes to kill after work, so before diving into the discussion, we frolicked around the Financial District for a bit and stopped in at Cosmopolitans for, well, cosmopolitans. Let’s face it – there’s nothing like a stiff mixed drink to ease the butterflies…

(from L to R, the bloggers behind Clipta, J,Crewaholics, The Chic Spy, The Curvy Fashionista, The Coveted, OnTheRacks, Calivintage, Modelina Michele)

The panel was held at the giant that is One Market (across from the Ferry Building), and the focus was how blogging and technology are influencing the fashion landscape. Shockingly enough, I was asked to be on the panel a few weeks prior… to say I was in good company would be a drastic understatement! 

It was a joy seeing Marie of the Curvy Fashionista, and meeting Jennine of The Coveted and Erin of Calivintage was a true pleasure. Everyone on the panel was so sweet and willing to share their unique experiences and insights into the world of fashion blogging.  The audience posed some great questions and I definitely picked up a few good ideas for OnTheRacks along the way.  While I am relieved to have the panel discussion behind me (I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t freakishly nervous), it was a great experience and quite an honor for a newbie like me!

*Wearing: Zara buttondown, LF vest, Alice + Olivia velvet leggings, St. Eve handcuff necklace, Jeffrey Campbell clogs via the Holy Closet

At first I fell for the loose braided hair in Alexander Wang’s SS 2010 runway show — so natural and flawed to perfection. But now that I have seen these ridiculous braided wigs (they must weigh fifteen pounds, right?) I think it’s safe to say I’m just a sucker for the twisted up-do!

wearing: Zara button-down, Seneca Rising skirt, Zara belt, Jeffrey Campbell cage booties, So Good ball & Chain necklace

To start the weekend off right, Blake and I figured we’d treat ourselves to a little In and Out Burger. It’s located in Fisherman’s Wharf…a part of town we don’t typically frequent unless, well, we’re going to In and Out. While pushing our way through the crowds, I spotted So Good Jewelry. This store is basically a glorified gift shop that happens to specialize in cheap, tacky accessories. While cruising around, the shopkeeper hiding in the corner discretely slipped me a scratch-off card reading “Everyone’s a winner” without saying one word. I did the obvious, and discovered that I was the winner of a 10% off everything discount. SOLD!

I spotted this giant ball and chain necklace and knew it had to be mine. It’s probably the ugliest thing I own but I think that’s part of the reason I love it! In fact, I’d be lying if I didn’t say it inspired this entire outfit.

Earlier this week I had the pleasure of attending the Shop Social event hosted by Chictopia and DNA.  The soiree was held at San Francisco’s swanky W hotel – the perfect location for an evening of shopping and mingling.  The drinks were flowing, DJ was spinning, and the discounted clothing/jewelry, plentiful – my kind of party.  By the end of the night I was pleased to walk away with a new bird necklace, Dimepiece tee, and… a slight buzz. A successful evening, if you ask me!

While the wine and apparel were great, the highlight of my evening was undoubtedly the company. It was really nice getting to meet some other Bay Area fashion bloggers. Though there were many familiar faces, I had yet to meet any of the lovely ladies in person and everyone was incredibly nice.  I had a lot of fun chatting with these girls and if you’re not already swooning over their style blogs… you definitely should be!
Written by best friends Alex + Amy, Refuses to Label is an amazing blog about 2 art students conquering the city in style. These girls take fashion to the next level – the influence that art/music has on them is visible through their outfit choices!	Liz’s blog, Late Afternoon, is filled with personal style shots, inspirational photos, and her fashion picks from all around. She also models for NastyGal & Tobi so you can imagine how incredible her closet must be!
Jennie’s blog, Going West, is a digital record of her style and outfits. She recently moved to California from Iowa… they must be doing something right in Iowa judging by her flawlessly pulled off casual look. She has super cool style with a rock’n'roll vibe!	Christina, who describes herself as a “20-something who digs dead ladies’ clothes” (love it), writes Profresh Style. You can find fun updates and awesome style shots on her site. She has a really great, unique, San Fran-esque look about her!

I think Taylor had slipped out just before we took the shot above but it was fun meeting her earlier in the evening. Her blog, Sterling Style, is all about fashion, shopping, trends, fitness, lifestyle, and more. Her site is so lovely and feminine – it really has a dreamlike vibe!

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It’s exciting to have a new network of friends with the same interests, especially considering I’m a total newbie to this! I look forward to attending more events of this kind to come.

Next up is the Fashion Twit-up, hosted by the SF Fashion and Merchant’s Alliance. This forum will discuss how technology is re-shaping the fashion industry. I was honored to be asked to speak at the event alongside well-respected bloggers like Erin from Calivintage and Jeannine from The Coveted! Stay tuned – more details on that to come…

In the meantime, now that I’ve shared some of my new favorite fashion blogs, I’d love to know what blogs you’re reading! Where do you find style inspiration?

How could you when it looks this good?

I have the house to myself for the evening… the plan is as follows:

The joys of being a girl!

Monday nights just don’t seem complete without my trashy television fix. Since I came home to find that Gossip Girl was a re-run this week, I figured I’d dedicate my evening blog post to the 4 ladies that make it all happen. While the show isn’t quite what it used to be, my love for the girls behind the gossip has only grown stronger…

This may sound silly, but I like to take style inspiration from each of these characters from time to time. They’ve nailed every look – from rock’n'roll edgy to classic prep – so no matter what mood I’m in there’s always a gossip girl I can channel. Yes, silly indeed, but you know you find yourself relating to them too….right?

Yesterday Blake and I spent a beautiful morning at the Ferry Building farmer’s market. We jump started the day with Blue Bottle coffee, and set off into eager crowds to check out the locally-grown goodies. We snagged some fresh organic fruits & veggies, colorful flowers (to match my dress, of course), sweet and spicy chipotle jam, honey sticks, and my favorite chili lime almonds.

Wearing: Vintage sun hat, Charlotte Ronson asymmetric floral dress, Marc Jacobs silk scarf, Michael Kors wooden sandals, David & Scotti crocheted bag

Once our work there was done we strolled on the Embarcadero for a bit…we needed to come down from the hustle & bustle. The scenery over there is pretty radical. On one side you have the water with Bay Bridge towering over it, and on the other there’s the Financial District & Downtown cityscape. San Francisco really is a fabulous city.

There’s this…

From left: Nasty Gal Hands Off crop, ModCloth Crop Right There top, Madison Marcus Fringe top, Oasis Crop Silk top, TopShop Mesh Panel top

We were graced with some rare SF sunshine recently. In the spirit of spring I threw on my boyfriend button down and a flapper mini and set off to SOMA – the industrial neighborhood we work in – and found a hot spot that was softened with a little greenery.

This stringy skirt was such a steal, and it has been a treasured part of my wardrobe for a few years now. I am most inspired by 1920′s fashion and take every opportunity I can to channel this decade with my outfit choices…

Wearing: LF sun hat, vintage pearl necklace, Zara top & chain bag, Express flapper skirt, Juicy Couture faux fur jacket, Jeffrey Campbell clogs, David Yurman, Tiffany, & Ron Herman bracelets.

Hey all you lucky ducks headed to Coachella, this post is for you! I’d love nothing more than to gather a pile of rompers & bandeau tops and skip off to the desert for the weekend. Sad to say I won’t be there this year, but for those of you who are making the trek, have a blast!

Don’t forget your sunblock, chapstick & shades. And if you take any Coachella style photos along the way, I’d love to see ‘em when you get back! xxLaura