Celebrating Life

"The question of Beauty takes us out of surfaces to thinking of the foundations of things."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

The last time I posted, I was at the Staples Center in L.A. wearing my new favorite "staple" piece.  I bought this faux fur leopard print jacket by Kenna-T the last time I was at Nordstrom and believe it or not I've been able to wear it because we haven't had much of a summer in San Diego this year.  It was only $300, which I think is a steal considering how much use I've already gotten out of it.  Nordstrom carries a lot of jackets by this line, which for the most part, are utilitarian in nature, and great throw-over pieces that you could dress either up or down.  I love when I don't feel restricted by pieces like that because it makes mixing and matching so much more fun.

                                     

My favorite thing about this jacket are the cropped sleeves.

Worn with Free People jeans, LNA t-shirt, and one of my vintage Buddha necklaces

I can't believe how long my hair is getting!  Might be time for a trim!

I love to throw in a more substantial bracelet when I wear lots of bangles because it looks a lot more interesting and a little less trendy.

Last night I attended a dinner party, and took this handsome picture of my friend's boyfriend because he's always so stylish... And British I might add.

summer slam

"The essence of fashion is its changeability.  It satisfies the curiosity, the human drive toward what is new."

-Karl Lagerfeld

I haven't had much time to take pictures lately, so I only have this one to share.  I'm almost too embarrassed to admit where I am in this picture, but I'll say it anyway... okay ready?... I went to "Summer Slam," in L.A. last week and here I am standing in front of the Staple's Center.  In case you don't already know what "Summer Slam" is, because I certainly didn't up until a week ago, it's a professional wrestling event.  Teddy's friend, Matt, graciously gave us two tickets, and I've been trying to spend as much time in L.A. as possible, so there you have it.  I went to a wrestling match.  Actually it was a series of "matches," if that's what they're called, (I'm not quite sure why because it's all fake) and it makes as little sense to me now as it did before witnessing one of these events.  I was hoping to gain some insight to this strange world that I do not understand, but I left there confused as ever.  I simply cannot believe that fake wrestling can sell out the Staples Center!  I suppose it's a "each unto their own" kinda thing.  

xo kelly

Wearing my new leopard jacket and Free People vest.

"Feet, what do I need you for when I have wings to fly?"

-Frida Kahlo

I apologize to all my readers... (all three or four of you) for the lack of updates.  As you may already know I've been on the job hunt so my blog has been suffering lately.  I do, however, have pictures to share from my ventures to Mexico and L.A. this week; pictures that I took in mind of the fact that so many people are scared to go anywhere near the border these days.  According to the media, Tijuana has been the epicenter of a drug war that is responsible for taking thousands of lives over the past three years.  Consequently, Baja California has experienced a dramatic decrease in tourism, which only makes matters worse for this poverty stricken community.  What I found was, not only is it still safe to eat lobster burritos and shop for junkie trinkets in Puerto Nuevo, it is still beautiful and vivacious.  

I was particularly interested in the Mariachi bands because they add so much life to the picture of Mexico.  Even when you decline to have them play a song for your table, you can always hear them somewhere when you're at an authentic Mexican restaurant.  I love it!

 "I'm with the Band"

Always a plentiful selection of hats to choose from when you're in Puerto Nuevo.

I absolutely love Mexican fashion.  The embroidery is beautiful and the colors are always so vibrant.

Check out these funny little furry hats.

At the Beach in Del Mar

"We do not associate the idea of antiquity with the ocean, nor wonder how it looked a thousand years ago, as we do of the land, for it was equally wild and unfathomable always.  The Indians have left no traces on its surface, but it is the same to the civilized man and the savage.  The aspect of the shore only has changed."

-Henry David Thoreau 

I had lunch with my mom and Teddy today at the Poseidon, which is arguably one of my favorite restaurants in San Diego.  You simply cannot beat the location.  It sits right on the beach in the heart of Del Mar and the food is as good as the view.  I've been lamenting the fact that it's been overcast the entire summer, but today the sun decided to grace us all with it's presence.  I keep hearing about the unbearable heat wave that's sweeping the country, so I suppose a few cloudy days aren't so bad, but in honesty I have been feeling slightly robbed of my summer.  San Diegans are so funny- if it drops below 70º we don't know what to do with ourselves because the weather typically spoils us year-round.

I'm not particularly interested in beach attire because, quite frankly, there's not much to it; I am, however, drawn to the beautifully colored umbrellas that decorate the beach landscape.  There is something so beautiful about the way brightly colored canopies juxtapose the muted colors of the sand.  To me, it's the overall picture of people bustling along the water's edge that embodies the essence of summer fashion in California.

For me, this picture is really all about the cliffs in the background.  

A vibrantly colored umbrella always helps you find your way back if you swim out too far.

If I wasn't already sitting outside at the Poseidon, this is where I'd want to be.

A Southern Californian signature- The Palm Tree

It really doesn't get much more "California" than this... C'mon a surfer carrying his board to the beach with palm trees in the background?  It's the very essence of where we live.

Don't you think I fit right in with the surfers?  My style may not be very "California," but my general demeanor definitely is... laid back and lovin' life.  

As usual, there was about a half-hour wait to sit outside on the deck, so Teddy spent the time sketching out new ideas.  Gotta love his superhero t-shirt... It pretty much defines his sense of fashion.  As for me, I'm wearing my new Seventy Two Changes grey blazer, old Rolling Stones t-shirt, genetic denim jeans, my Vera Wang gladiator heels, and a vintage necklace that I made out of silver chain and crystals, and carrying a Marc Marmel bag.

MMMWAAAAHHHH!

I saw this trio when I first sat down to eat and thought to myself how beautiful the relationship between man and nature can be.  This photograph is all about how the love we share with each other is burgeoned through nature's greatest gift- The sea.

Stuart Weitzman Leopard Pumps

"In our cities an ugly building is soon removed and is never repeated, but any beautiful building is copied and improved upon, so that all masons and carpenters work to repeat and preserve the agreeable forms, whilst the ugly ones die out."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

I've been reading a lot of Emerson lately because his notions of beauty reflect a perspicacity that is rarely evoked in this modern era.  I just finished reading his essay, Beauty, in which he discusses the natural order and process of creating things that are suppose to be beautiful.  Nowhere is this process more relevant than in the world of fashion; Designers are perpetually designing and creating forms that are collectively received or rejected.  Akin to the beauty that lies within certain architecture, fashion statements that are meant to have any kind of longevity must adhere to the basic laws of beauty as governed by nature.  

I hate to change the subject so abruptly, but check out my new Stuart Weitzman leopard print pumps.  There is no doubt in my mind that Mr. Weitzman understands the laws of beauty when it comes to designing shoes.  I've been collecting his for years.

The popularity surrounding the platform heel is no surprise because it's an easy way to gain a little height without having to walk or stand with your feet at an absurdly unnatural angle.  Every shoe designer in the world seems to have gotten the memo about this little trick, which quite frankly I'm surprised didn't come about much sooner.  Alas, the average woman can stand a little taller without having to stand on something that resembles a stripper's heel.