Lucille Ball - 18th Street, SF

"Well last year I was Harpo from the Marx Brothers and I was kind of raised on old TV at my Grandma's house. And um, Lucille Ball is one of my heroes, so..."

I'm all for charming costumes.

Happy Halloween!

Sparrow - 18th Street, SF (Quick Shots)

Sparrow is a pony.

Joan - 18th Street, SF

"I guess just when I see something that fits together, kind of just makes me think about getting it. If it's comfortable, if it reminds me of something I've seen before; especially if it reminds me of a good memory. This sweater reminds me of a sweater I had when I was a little kid and I hated it when I was little and then I grew to love it and I lost it, so when I found this it made me think of it."

I love that vest, it reminds me of childhood. And topped with her haircut, and finished with her bulbous shoes and striped socks? I find her outfit has a charming hint of nostalgia and oddly, elves (the Keebler kind).


A close-up of aforementioned shoes and socks.

Evan and Celine - PCC Flea Market, Pasadena

Evan: "Edwardian style, I suppose."
Celine: "The 20s."

Bright colors dress up a rare cloudy day in SoCal.


Black leather boots.

Joaquin - PCC Flea Market, Pasadena

"Gangster rap."

Why? Ease, color, cockiness, and definitive SGV style. Also, look at his classic aviator sunnies.


Black Keds. He rocks it because he can.

Eden - Hope Springs, Joshua Tree

"What inspires my style? Thrift shopping."

It is an adept eye that pairs a cropped jacket with criss-cross vents on the sleeves with bermuda shorts. Eden has that adept eye.


A look at her great high-heels.

Steve - PCC Flea Market, Pasadena

"Oh the 30s and the movies, the musicals and swing dancing. We're swing dancers that why we dress like this a lot."

I like monochrome outfits and admire that Steve is willing to go all the way as a swing dancer, even dressing the part while far from the dance floor.


Lovely, worn-in-just-right two-tone brogues.

Chantale - Hope Springs, Joshua Tree

"The desert."

Bookstore owner Chantale's Marni-esque dress is from a boutique in Vancouver. I love how the sequins look on the shift; how it overlaps lavender sequins, a gray print, and pink sequins. This dress is definitely covet-worthy.


Pretty high-heeled suede maryjane's in a pale plum.

April - Hope Springs, Joshua Tree

"Well I think the ruffles kind of remind me of Marlene Dietrich, kind of a tuxedo shirt, but a little bit of Moroccan flair. It's (the dress) boutique, but..."

April is a LA-based musician. Here she wears a cute and easy silk ruffle sundress with a rosette pin and the prerequisite mirrored sunglasses. I also love her faux coin necklace.


Killer black sandals from Forever21.

Eleanor - Hope Springs, Joshua Tree

"This is very sort of French 50s in my mind."

Eleanor, owner of the eponymous Eleanor Harwood Gallery, is one of those connectors in the SF art community. The one with 700+ Facebook friends and (in SF at least) when you mention you're friends with her at a large party, people will frequently pipe in "me too". I always admire her ability to dress perfectly for every occasion, this time it was the hot sun in the desert. Quite adeptly, she managed to look both gorgeously dressy and comfortable in her Tracy Reese sundress. (A feat, admittedly, I was unable to achieve with the clothes I had packed.)


Her lovely reptilian like DKNY heeled sandals complement her dress without being too matchy-matchy.

Ellen - Hope Springs, Joshua Tree

"My outfit today is inspired by La Dolce Vita."

It isn't surprising that designer Ellen McCoy looks great in her golden jacquard strapless dress. I like how she pairs it with those amazing vintage earrings.

Gwen and Zan - Armstrong Woods Rd, Guerneville

Gwen: "I'm inspired by girls from Paris and Asia."
Zan: "I'm probably most inspired by Annie Hall and how I used to dress as a kid."

I like their mix of patterns and solids with a bold color (cranberry, orange) thrown in for good measure. Also, check out how great their accessories are (earrings, hat, pin on vest).


Gwen and Zan both wear maryjane flats.


*I had the pleasure of riding in the car during wine tasting with Gwen and Zan at the fantastic Broad Summit in Guerneville, CA. I'm immensely grateful to the organizers and the sponsors for their largesse in hosting me. In my attempt to enjoy the experience, I scaled down on my usual photo taking and hence only have a handful of photos to post to fashionist.

Rebecca - Armstrong Woods Rd, Guerneville

"I think this outfit is sort of a boho, art deco, leaving the morning after and boyfriend's socks and sweater because it's cold outside."

I love, love how Rebecca* combines stripes with florals and bold colors in this outfit. She looks amazing.


Lovely orange patent leather sandals. So very covetable.


*I had the pleasure of rooming with Rebecca at the fantastic Broad Summit in Guerneville, CA. I'm immensely grateful to the organizers and the sponsors for their largesse in hosting me. In my attempt to enjoy the experience, I scaled down on my usual photo taking and hence only have a handful of photos to post to fashionist.

Amaryllis - Capitol Hill, Seattle

"I don't know I just get dressed in the morning. I guess I vintage shop."

I like her white sunglasses, haircut and her top, belted over that black mini and worn with a black trench.


Her black maryjane's.

Joey - Capitol Hill, Seattle

"All different kinds of stuff. Honestly I'm going through this weird phase where I'm way into manga and a lot of Japanese type styles. And the Yes style, I go to that website, that's a lot of influence. Right now, that's pretty much my main influence. Also, oddly enough like Mad Max movies. How they're all into the whole distressed look, kind of like apocalyptic, torn up type of clothes. Stuff like that, like the worn in look."

There is something appealing about distressed denim. His jacket has a charm as if character is infused into the garments themselves.


A look at his cowboy boots.

Mehron - Capitol Hill, Seattle

"Well I just got my haircut today and I bought this sweater today. But normally, anime and lately punk and just everything that I see. Yeah and my friends."

I stopped Mehron because he was dressed so cheery and his bag stood out amongst the crowd in Seattle. Also, notice his multi-hued frames. Fetching!


Gorgeous vintage carry-on luggage that looks a little like a bowling bag.


I really like the color complement/contrast of the bag and brown boots.

Mary - Capitol Hill, Seattle

"I'm a pretty curvy girl, so I want something that sort of like makes my waist look good and also keeps my figure nice. And also 50s... I like film noir and old movies."

I like how this is essentially a belted t-shirt with pockets, but the fit and bright color really make it stand out.


Brown patent leather flats.

Hana - Capitol Hill, Seattle

"I think, sort of, steampunk, but definitely very Seattle rainy day. (laughter) Even though, it's sunny."

Hey variable shades and textures in black. I sometimes find comfort in this type of darker monotone dressing and enjoy how the light creates depth on the form.


A look at her lace-up boots.