Thrift Finds

One of the things I love most about living in San Francisco is thrifting. I've been thrifting since high school and the idea of wearing used clothing has never bothered me one bit. Plenty of older garments are better designed, crafted from better materials, and made to last for decades and often times you end up paying a fraction of what you would if you were to buy newer garments. What I find most appealing about thrifting is that it can grant you access to sartorial uniqueness. I went thrifting this weekend and check out what I found!

Bright and floral prints are a big trend this spring/summer season. This dress is so reminiscent of the 80's it makes me of something Lisa Turtle (Saved and the Bell) would wear. For only $5 I definitely scored with dress.  

It wasn't until recently that I began building my earring collection. Lately I find myself drawn to statement jewelry. These earrings are funky and I think they would go perfectly couple with jeans and a tank. For $.50 a pop I really think I lucked out

 

I'm so so in love with this purse! Not only is it real leather but it reminds me of the antique medicine bags from the early 20th century. The moment I saw it I knew I had to have it! For $7 I think it was a pretty good deal.

I've been dreaming of a purse like this for so long. It's such a throwback to the 70s but yet it's so modern

Yesterday I spent most of my morning looking for a vibrate nail polish for summer. I only meant to purchase Essie's orange, it's obvious! but I ended up leaving the shop with an additional 4 colors. Essie nail polish has officially become my newest obsession. At the moment I'm currently craving Essie as gold as it gets.

Happy Monday!

ok maybe not quite so happy Monday... i knew the wonderful weather we experienced this past weekend wasn't going to last. it's Monday and i'm already counting down till Friday comes again.

Pretty in (pale) pink

 

finally! after more than 6 months after buying this dress it finally made it's debut this past weekend.

 the only way to describe this outfit is that it's two parts man repeller. for those of you who are unfamiliar with what a man repeller is, it's a term coined by one of my favorite bloggers and fellow new yorker leandra medine (of the manrepeller), essentially it's dressing yourself in an "offensive" way that repels members of the opposite sex. Hence the turban inspired head wrap and shapeless chiffon maxi dress. 

The Sweet Smell of Summer

I don't know about you guys but last week dragged on longer than usual. But I must say that the weather this weekend has more than made up for it. San Francisco's climate is generally "Mediterranean" or simply just miserable. But weekends like this, when the temperatures are mid to high 70s you can't help but be reminded of the reasons why people like this city. My entire weekend  was spent enjoying the sunshine, staying hydrated with bottles of white wine and having brunch, brunch, brunch and more brunch...  

shrimp and grits

chocolate truffles

Cheers!

best lox bagel in sf

do people in sf work? the park on a fri afternoon

thanks for brunch roomies :)

loved this girl's hat and overall style

 

Saturday afternoon

Sashimi

best oysters ever!

Wishful Thinking...

 

I'm always pinning images of dreamy houses. This Brooklyn town house has been a favorite of mine ever since it was featured in Domino and Livingetc magazine a few years ago. It's just so fabulous. The details are superb - the crown molding, the backyard and of course, the closet. I'm sure we've all seen these pictures plenty of times, but I figured no one more showing wouldn't hurt. Happy Sunday! 

An entire room dedicated to your wardrobe?...drool (and look at that shoe collection!)

i never would have thought black walls in the bedroom could look so elegant

Love the pale grey walls and accents of black and pop of yellow!

i'm loving the black and white contrast

backyards do exist in brooklyn

Dating Rules From My Future Self

I've been sweet on Shiri Appleby since Roswell so when I stumbled across a web series she was starring in I knew I had to watch it. However within the first few minutes I was sucked in by the décor. The main characters live in a 1920s bungalow in the uber trendy LA neighborhood of Silverlake. I'd always sworn that I could never live in LA, but if I could share a vintage craftsman style house (identical to the one in the series) with two of my best friends, I'd suck it up and live there in a heartbeat.


What I love most about this house is it's eclectic vintage feel...

this bathroom is perfection

love the mason jar lights, natural light and that bed!

Throughout the house there are pictures and knickknacks on all ledges

loving the idea of using book pages as wall paper

what's not to love about this porch?

never would have thought of using string lights in my bath

Dating Rules From my Future Self is a super cute web series. The nine episodes are the perfect dose of the story. Luckily for us they did a great job with sets (and the wardrobe) too. You can find the series on hulu and youtube. Check it out

For The Boys

google image

Today I heard what may possibly be one of the most clever ideas. "Always dress like you're going to run into your ex." But wait for it... it was a man who said this! a very well-dressed man at that. It was his response to my compliment on his ensemble.

google image

I love knowing that there are still some men out there who put some thought into what they wear.

image google

Men's fashion doesn't have to be crazy. It's amazing what a simple sweater over a collared shirt, or a tailored button-down and a tie (with jeans!), or a sports jacket over a tshirt can do. Men are naturally sexy. It doesn't matter if their hair is a bit messy and overgrown or their face is scruffy. So it's nice when they make an effort putting together an unwrinkled, well-fitting outfit. Invest in one nice shirt, splurge on an amazing pair of shoes (preferably Italian), add a couple of sweaters to your wardrobe and people (at least this girl) will definitely take notice.

image the satorialist

Lesson Learned

This past weekend I had plans for a girls night to go samba dancing. Upon hearing that (let’s call him) “The Leech” was going to be there I quickly decided against it. The Leech was a guy I briefly dated a year ago. Things were moving so quickly between us, I needed to slow things down. Let’s just say that he didn't take the news very well. He was such a jerk that he made me feel so bad about myself, never in my life had a guy made me feel so low. It took me weeks to finally realize that I deserve so much more. Now that was a lesson learned.

 It’d been over a year since I’d last seen him so I had to ask myself why would I cancel on a fun night out with my girls?  Till this day I look back and I wonder how I dated such an a$$.

 Anyway just as I forgot about "The Leech" there he was, checking me out! I must say that I felt good, I felt empowered. Between the music and dancing I was having such an amazing time with my girls that I could have cared less if he was there or not. But I must admit that there’s no sweeter revenge than being happy and looking fabulous while doing it.

Moral of the story:  Enjoy life for you and never compromise who you are for anyone. Always be true to you!

P.S.

I will be updating this post with photos of my outfit that night

Travel Wardrobe

Ladies and gentlemen the countdown for my summer in Europe has officially began!....

But what's a girl to pack? The moment I saw these photos from the Madewell spring look book (on location in Paris) I immediately thought about my upcoming trip and the fact that I'm going to be packing two months worth of clothes into ONE suitcase!  Aren't these pieces perfect for a mix-n-match wardrobe?  Lots of easy layers, neutral colors and flat shoes for walking. But now I have to figure out my day to night wardrobe, since I plan on spending my evenings dancing, wining and dining with cute European boys...

Hello World!

once upon a time when i lived on the Big Island, HI

This past year I have been so impressed, so entertained and so inspired by the blogs I've read - and by the amazing people behind them. The international blog community is such a vivid, constantly evolving world of inspiration, and slowly I came to realize - I want to be a part of this! I want to be able to share my thoughts with all of you. So I figured today is no time like present.

And here we are! Put On A Happy Face is now officially up and running. This is where I'll post my photos, write about everything that comes to mind, and - hopefully - get to know a whole lot of wonderful people along the way.

Like everyone else, I'll start out without a single reader - but if you read this, apparently you've happened to stop by, so let me know who you are!

Until we meet again,

Chi