Shades of Mustard: The Dominant Color in My Closet

Splash of Yellow!

"Teacher, what's your favorite color?"
"This color (pointing to my sweater)."
With a look of confusion on his face, "Mustard yellow?"

Close friends and family know, if you don't know what to get me for my birthday, give me something yellow. Anything yellow. Even a lemon. (I love lemons!) I never tire of adding more yellow to my wardrobe. Be it French's yellow, Dijon yellow or lemon yellow, I love them all.

Photo details:

Tweed blazer with leather trim -- Salvation Army
Striped Top -- Proenza Schouler for Target
Jeans - Paige Premium purchased at Carolyn's Resale Shop in Del Mar
Brogues - Vintage Joan and David
Yellow Scarf - Zara

(By the way, the day I wore the outfit pictured left, one of my students told me I looked French. I could have kissed her!)

Some of my favorite yellow pieces...

1. Beaded sweater from my dad's wife. She literally gave it to me off her back after I complimented her on it.
2. Ruffle zip cardigan with hood by Fiorucci
3. Silk camisole by Lucky
4. Vintage A.P.C. cotton sweater I scored on ebay!
5. Roeckl driving gloves
6. Opaque tights, gift from a friend
7. DVF silk blouse from Buffalo Exchange (resale shop)

Is there a dominant color in your wardrobe?

Las Vegas: Beyond the Bright Lights

What do you do if you've been sent to Las Vegas, NV for a business meeting or, heaven forbid, a concrete convention? Why, leave the strip, of course! If you have no interest in clubbing, gambling or gorging at a cheap buffet and prefer the beauty of the desert, the Las Vegas area will not disappoint.

Rent a car, leave those glam hotels in the dust, and hit the road. See red rock formations just thirty minutes off of the strip or drive a few hours more and you're in Grand Canyon country. You can hit hot springs, petroglyphs, the Colorado River, and the Hoover Dam all in one day!

"Beehive" Rock Formation -- Valley of Fire State Park

Colorado River

The Colorado River Bridge

Hoover Dam

View from the Hoover Dam

All photos taken by Isaiah during a weekend getaway to Las Vegas with his former colleague who flew all the way from Switzerland for a concrete convention, seriously.

Venissimo is Benissimo: A Fantastic Cheese Shop in San Diego

Anise and Lavender Aged Chèvre

We're pleased, very pleased, with a local cheese shop called Venissimo. Isaiah and I recently spent about $20 on two slivers of cheese, but it was totally worth it. With four locations around San Diego county to serve the cheese-loving community, this shop has it all: tools, classes and local as well as international cheeses.

Cheese-lovers can register with the shop, and they'll keep track of the cheeses you've purchased so you can try something new the next time you stop in. They even print information about each cheese in your shopping bag, plus suggested wine pairings, right on your receipt!

This time around we tried an Austrian Weinkäse. Oh. my. goodness. Wonderful! The other cheese we tried was an aged anise and lavender chèvre (soft, fresh goat cheese) -- so yummy!

Favorite White Shirt

Believe it or not, I have clothes hanging in my closet that are a decade old or older. And I still wear them.

In high school, I visited my cousin Melani in Manhattan, and she introduced me to the world of discount shopping known as Century 21. I bought a mauve Nanette Lepore knit skirt that I adore to this day. Later, I moved to New York for school and discovered Daffy's. There I bought a vintage Versace black wrap skirt. Then, during the spring of my sophomore year of college (2001), I studied abroad in Florence and ventured out to the Gucci and Prada outlets in Montevarchi. I really hit the jackpot with this lone white shirt I saw hanging on a rack. My size. Classic. Outlet price. I took that Gucci home with me and haven't looked back! 

There is something to be said for high-quality clothing, don't you think? And I don't just mean designer clothing. I mean clothes that are well made and of durable materials. If you look at clothes as an investment and buy garments that survive the seasons, that scary price tag doesn't look so scary after all. (Within reason, of course. You will never find me buying a garment with a price tag in the four digits.)

Photo details:

My favorite white shirt -- Gucci

Jeans -- Miss Sixty

Shoes -- Vintage Joan and David

On Wearing the Same Outfit Three Days in a Row

Vintage Joan and David Brogues

The summer of 2003, my friend Katy and I backpacked through western Europe. During our travels, we had the privilege of staying with Katy's sister's sister-in-law in Rome. A native Italian, she knew where to take us for the best pizza and drinks. It was a great time. Anyway, because we stayed in Rome mid-week, we witnessed every morning how our Italian hostess would dress for work. She wore the same outfit for three days straight: linen trousers and a knit sleeveless top. 

I thought it a bit strange for a couple of reasons. One, aren't the clothes a bit sweaty and grody from the sweltering heat and the pollution from riding on a moped? Two, don't her coworkers say anything or at least notice that she's wearing the same clothes from the day before? Back then it didn't make much sense to me, but after living in Switzerland it made perfect sense. Since I didn't have to go to a workplace and see the same faces Monday through Friday, I could get away with putting on a pair of jeans and a sweater, wearing them all day, and laying them out in the evening to wear again the next day. Wearing the same outfit for a few days in a row means you do less laundry, you need less clothes, and there's less "what am I going to wear today?"

Although I would happily do the same back in the States, I can't get away with it so easily. Why? Because I am a teacher. And kids notice everything. "Teacher, you wore those shoes yesterday." "Why yes, I did, Sally. They're quite comfortable." I could just hear them now, "Teacher, you wore those clothes yesterday. Don't you have anything else to wear?" And you know what? I just don't want to hear it. So instead, I'll keep switching things up.

However... if I didn't care about such comments from my students, I would wear my vintage brogues (above), slim fit jeans and a sweater three days in a row. Or, if I could go out and buy a new outfit, I'd wear something like this:

Flight Attendants Aren't the ONLY Women Who Wear Silk Scarves!

During a scavenger hunt in Hillcrest a couple of weeks ago, I wore a silk scarf tied like a man's tie. At one point in the evening, someone referred to me as the girl wearing a tie. You know what? I really liked that!

Lately, my favorite way to add a little panache to my work outfits is to wear a silk scarf. Unfortunately, many of my co-workers tease me with comments like, "Your seat can be used as a flotation device." To be honest, one of the reasons I started wearing scarves is because I was inspired by my former employer who is a flight attendant for Swiss airlines. I thought her scarf looked so feminine and classy, so now I wear them too.

Thanks to blogger The Voguette's post on 12 ways to wear an Hermès and some tips from the Brooks Brothers website, I am able to tie my scarves in several fun ways so it doesn't get boring (especially since I must rotate between the four scarves I own, none of which is an Hermès, by the way).

I have two square, medium-sized vintage DVF scarves I scored on ebay; a contemporary DVF I picked up at the Gold Mine in Idaho; and a no-name large, square scarf I found at a consignment shop in La Mesa. 

Here are just a few of the ways I've been wearing them.

The Schoolboy Tie

The Rosette

The French Twist

I Miss My Local Swiss "Konditorei"

There is a long list of Swiss stuff I miss. Treats from the local pastry shop (Konditorei) like this chocolate-covered banana are right at the top of that list! Every time I describe this treat to friends, it just sounds a bit dirty. So I'll let the photo speak for itself. (See how the banana rests on a cookie bed and stays in place with a bit of sweet cream? Yummy!)