Ellie-Style, Coastal

Living in the Bay Area, Andy and I spend a lot of our weekends on the coast. I can't get enough of the salty air and beautiful views. Usually our destination is somewhere along Highway One. Back on the East Coast if I were heading to a beach town or even the beach, I would most likely be dressed in my bathing suit. Beaches on the East Coast mean a few things to me: hot, sunbathing, and wave frolicking. Here, the beaches are none of those things. Beautiful yes, but there are usually cold winds blowing and the water is FAR too cold for swimming. Sometimes when the wind stops blowing and the sun shines brightly though, it warms up. Thus my coastal outfit having the potential for warm and cool while still having a fun beach vibe.

Target hat, sunglasses and shoes, NY & Company button up, thrifted black dress

Ellie Style: At the Pier

A few weeks ago Andy and I checked out the Santa Cruz Pier. It was a warm day, but on the pier it was cool and windy. I am loving this mint color for spring, especially in jeans! Growing up, I was a huge fan of colored pants when just plain bluejeans were in style. I am glad to see colors coming back into pants! I think you have to be careful what color you chose depending on the size of your hips though. Some colors can make you look a lot larger than you are. This mint color is borderline, but I love it! Mint jeans and polka dots and long pier walks, oh my!

 Lands End sweater, target blouse, American Eagle jeans, h&m shoes

Ellie-Style: Sky Blue

Spring, wonderful spring! On this particular day I seem to have dressed to match the color of the sky. Pretty shades of blue. I love it when we are out and I find a fun background to take pictures with. A fun background is not normally something I look hard for, so when it pops out I am overjoyed. This corrugated wall was next to some of the most beautiful blossoming trees. Unfortunately the trees were in a parking lot, so I opted for the corrugated wall for my pictures. The wall definitely added some fun drama and texture, not to mention it was the outside wall to REI, a place full of adventure.

Target fedora hat, The Sak purse, Forever 21 blouse, Gap jeans, Target sandals, street vendor sunglasses

Ellie-Style: Plaid for San Francisco

We live in Oakland, so we tend to get a lot more warmth and sunshine than San Francisco. When heading into San Francisco though, one must be mindful of the weather. A city's weather has never been so interesting to me. One neighborhood could have warm sunshine, while another is cold and drenched in fog...so interesting! Never have I encountered that anywhere else in my whole life. Also, as a whole, San Francisco tends to be about 10 degrees colder than Oakland. (From my observations.) So each time we head into the city I am sure to read up on the weather beforehand. I have come to realize that San Francisco is a sweater and boot kind of city. These staples will fly just about any day of the year, awesome! It is also a city for layering. When we moved here, a friend told us his rule of thumb is 2-layers for day, 3-layers for night. We have been pretty safe sticking to that rule.

Target sweater (old), American Eagle plaid button up (from a friend), Gap skirt (similar), Korean boots, The Sak purse

 

Guy Style - feminine looks with a masculine edge

I recently found a tumbler site called Boy. Inspired and I love it. I have found myself liking the majority of the outfits on the site. This surprises me for some reason. I can't quite figure it out. I guess I have always thought of my style as feminine, but in taking a closer look I don't think that is always so. During the summer, I live in skirts and dresses, but when it is NOT hot outside I steer clear of the flowery billowing frocks for fear of draftiness. I hate to be cold, so I tend to go the pants route in any weather under 60 degrees. I also like clean lines, simple pieces, and solid colors...for the most part. It is fun to discover new and different style likes. With style being a way of expressing yourself, the sky is really the limit. So here are some of my new favorite boy-inspired looks:

 To start with, this is actually me. Some girlfriends and I threw a 'guys night' party a few years ago.

 All images, except the first, are via Boy. Inspired

Ellie-Style, Rooftop Drinks in San Francisco

Andy's cousin came to town on a business trip a few weeks ago, so we arranged to meet him one night. He was staying at a swanky hotel on top of Nob Hill in San Francisco, so that's where met him. When we got there, he told us he had heard mention of a rooftop bar with views of the city, so we jumped on the idea. We took the elevator as far UP as it would go. At the top, we were greeted by a live pianist playing on a baby grand. He was surrounded by numerous little tables with candles, and then magnificent floor to ceiling windows. We chose a table next to a window and admired the city views while we waited for our martinis to arrive. It was truly like something out of the movies. Unfortunately, I didn't feel like lugging my camera along (big mistake), so I don't have any photos of the night. The memory will have to suffice.

New hairstyle! I don't know if I like it, but it was fun to try.

Vintage jacket (from here), New York & Company top, CAbi skirt, TJ Max purse, Target tights, Korean boots

Green for St Patrick's Day

I am a huge fan of holidays! Especially those holidays that you can dress up for, which is most actually. I'll take any excuse to don a color that I don't usually wear, or a hat that would normally look out of place. In college there were all sorts of opportunities to dress up for theme parties etc. Since being out of college though, I have found a lack in those types of parties and events. Luckily, San Francisco is one colorful city where anything goes. There doesn't need to be a special reason to wear something out of the normal, like monochrome green. I love that! For those of you who don't live in the Bay Area though, here is a gathering of fun green items (all under $80) to help you celebrate this St. Patrick's Day. Oh, and make sure you drink some green beer too!

Information on individual pieces Here.

Green dress, $42 / Retro inspired dress / Green cotton dress / J.Crew sports shirt / H&M shirt, $23 / Short skirt / Old Navy / Skirt / Topshop / Old Navy top sider shoes / Michael Antonio colorful heels / Pieces leather shoulder bag / Anthropologie swarovski crystal jewelry / Charlotte Russe jewelry / Kate Spade / Sunglasses

Ellie-Style, Brunch

Andy and I recently went for brunch in Emeryville, Oakland and this is what I wore. (I'll write a brunch review of the place we went in a future post.) Our Oakland weekends lately have been sunny and warm, around 60 degrees. The flowers and blossoms are also starting to come out, which is fun. Having just moved here from Virginia, a March spring is very exciting! I am not used to this warm of weather or seeing signs of spring this early. It has definitely made my heart lighter and puts a spring in my step. I will be excited to start brunching outside more as the weeks progress. Yay for spring! And speaking of spring, this light blue sweater with rolled up jeans was a perfect color and style for the day.

TJ Max sunglasses, old Target sweater, TJ Max purse, Gap jeans, h&m flats

Ellie-Style Rooftop

Like I always say, I don't claim to know anything about fashion, but I do like to feel good in my clothes while trying to look good. So here's a little piece of my style. Andy and I went to dinner with some friends a few nights ago and decided to snap some pictures before heading out. (We discovered our roof!!) I am so excited that it is already getting dark later. If Andy gets home at a decent time we still have a bit of light left. I am excited for lighter evenings and long strolls around Lake Merritt in the coming months.

  Jacket-Etsy vintage, Blouse(similar)-Forever 21, Jeans-Gap, Clutch-Etsy vintage, Shoes-Steve Madden

Ellie Style - Engagement Party

A little Ellie-Style engagement party post. (Not my engagement, I've been married for 3 whole years believe it or not.) These pictures are from over Christmas, but I got too busy to post them. Anyway, a good friend of ours just got engaged so we celebrated in a classy way. He's a Virginia winemaker, so we were sure to drink some good wine. Everyone was dressed in their fancies while we sipped wine, congratulated the couple, and socialized the night away. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of the actual engaged couple themselves.

 Scarf - Korea, blouse - TJ Max, clutch - Etsy vintage, jeans - Gap, shoes - Nine West 

...facial expression in the first picture - oh, don't mind me looking stoned. I need to learn to "smize" like Tyra.

I love gold right now! Just can't get enough. Nail polish, polka dots, spray paint...love it all!

 The venue for the party was beautiful! It was at our friend's parents house, who live on the vineyard where he makes wine. The house sits atop a hill, while the vineyard flows out from the house. During the day it is a beautiful Virginia country vineyard view. At night though, this was the best I could do picture wise. Still a beautiful place.

New Years Eve Getups

Andy and I are still on the road in hopes of arriving sometime today. We shall see about that...I'm keeping my fingers crossed for safe driving and clear roads. Anyway, I had some fun creating these New Years Eve outfits. I can't quite figure out which of these I would chose to wear if given the chance. If only New Years lasted a whole week long! Which one would you wear?

The Glam Rocker

The Boho Lady

The Sporty Chic Lady

The Art Deco Fashionista