photos.shot!

this weekend matt helped me out bigtime and we shot for my final project! i modeled, styled, and did my hair/make-up (i'm a real mutli-tasker slash too disorganized to find someone else), while matt worked his magic behind the lens. we took 672 shots and i am really happy with how they turned out! now i just have to choose the finals and put 'em all together-- i'm digging the layout style of the book above (via anica boutique). can't wait to show you all the final product! coming soon....

steppin up my game

Follow my blog with bloglovin


i just joined bloglovin and it seems like a great way to follow all your daily reads and then some!! now you'll be able to follow me too! i set up a little linky on the right hand side of the blog, underneath the AWESOME photo of jessica stam (photocredit goes to to wetbehindthears [seriously her site is like the best inspiration all the time])

you can also follow me on twitter or on networkedblogs (also links to both on your right). yay!

tidbits

Cyber Monday came early this year:

·         nastygal is offering 20% off all merchandise

·         opening ceremony is offering 30-50% off a wide assortment of styles

·         tulle is offering 50% off sitewide

·         modcloth is offering up to 40% off 50 different items everyday thru Sunday

·         20% of purchases over $100 at gumps.com

i'll keep callin' em as i see 'em!

ps...the sale at apple is not as exciting as i would've hoped

i'm grateful, yo

hope everyone had a great thanksgiving!!

more to come later today!!

black friday

first of all, i am so sorry about the slow-down in posting! this time of year is what we in the retail industry like to call, “hella busy.” we’re ramping up for holiday sales, starting (and hopefully completing) projects to be done by the end of the year, and basically running around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to make this year’s numbers.

it’s also what we students like to call, “the end of the semester” and so I have my big final project to do and not a lot of free time to do it.

i’m not trying to throw myself a pity party or anything (but if you want to you can!) i just wanted to explain that is maybe a bit out of my league to post everyday. sorrrrrry!

BUT, while we are on the topic of retail craziness….here are some of the sale notices i’ve received. for those who do not work on Friday (ie, everyone not in retail) take advantage of some of these sales!!

BLUEFLY

our favorite project runway sponsor from like a million seasons ago is back in the game with fun daily deals

NORDSTROM

recently of half-yearly sale fame, this retailer is at it again with deep discounts

BLOOMIES

had your eye on that stella bag for a while now? well here's your chance to score it 

NINE WEST

oooh child keep me away from this one...the sales here get me everytime i can't even  imagine 50% off

APPLE

ok so i heard a rumor that macbooks are going to be 25% and while this is COMPLETELY UNSUBSTANTIATED i will have my running shoes on in case its true and i need to run up the street to go buy one. same goes if the discount applies to ipod touches. again, this is not verified info. just sayin' tho.

there are soooo many more sales so get out there and go crazy! do me, and everyone else working on black friday, a big favor and go buy something! make it worth our time!

thanks! love! happy turkey day!

man-post by me (a girl)

our resident man-blogger is working on assignment, so i thought i would post something for the dudes myself. 
actually i have two things i would like to man-tion (get it? instead of mention?? #imsofunny)....

1. my mom called me sunday morning and told me to get the sf chronicle because there was an article about dan hoyle, aka the golden child. dan is my good friend kailey's brother; he is also a fulbright scholar, and the author and star of a one-man play about nigerian oil politics. the article on sunday was a cute little piece on his fave spots in the city. it was nice. but on the next page there was a great article in about where to find better fitting men's clothes. a lot of the stores were local to the bay area, but the article mentioned that mass retailers are beginning to carry slimmer cut shirts and pants as well. i feel as though a common complaint i hear about men's shirts is how big they are, well it seems as thought the designers were hearing that too and decided to do somethign about it. check it out here! more men's shopping advice by the pocket square here.


2. i realized this morning that i pretty much only own black cardigans and promptly decided that i need to introduce some color into my cardi collection. so i hopped on over to jcrew.com to check out the merch, only to get bored a short little while. my man went into a jcrew store earlier in the week and said he had his eye on a few things, so natch i mosied on over the men's section to see if i could guess what to get him. it was there that i met (online) jack. jack is the men's head stylist at jcrew and he just started a great advice column. the best parts? it looks really cool and it answers some common style q's. so boys, if your not sure to tuck or not to tuck, just go ask jack. 

there you have it, two great new style resources for all the men in your life!

richard avedon

attention: bay area readers!! get yourself to the SFMOMA asap to see the avedon exhibit before it leaves on nov26. it is so amazing. avedon's breadth of work is a fascinating mixture of fashion, politics, art, and social commentary. and honestly, his skill is out-of-this-world. each shot features beautiful details, perfect depth of field, and framing that leaves nothing to be desired. i don't know how to say it, i'm not a photo person, but seriously y'all this stuff is amazing.  go to richardavedon.com for more info on where the exhibit will be next and where else you can see it. it is sooooo so worth it, i swearz!

here is the snippidiest little snippet of a look into avedon's portfolio. some of these photos were in the exhibit i saw, but i found them all on the richard avedon website (seriously, go there).

speedway meadows

saturday was my oldest friend's birthday and we celebrated with a old skool bbq in golden gate park. it was fun to hang out with all the homies, and see some old familiar faces (blast from the past times a million =  so much fun!). it was a beautiful sunny day, but that didn't fool me... i layered to the maxx to ensure i didn't get frostbite in the shade--what? i'm from california! i had a whole bag of layers actually and it proved to be quite helpful, thankyouverymuch.

 

what i'm wearing: jcrew cracked rainboots (they're ok for mud). hue footless tights. american apparel skirt. vintage plaid buttondown (brooks brothers mabes?). scarf from my sister-in-law, lord&taylor beige cashmere cardi, sunglasses from i don't remember. layers in my bag included: a thicker pair of black leggings. winter jacket. hat. gloves. two hoodies.

getting a crown today...hoping for some solid gold steez so i can have a legit grill(z)

steiff party

last thursday there was an event at my store honoring the 125 year old Steiff Company. perfect time to break out my girlhood ladybug purse and wear it as a necklace, right?! i was surprised at how many compliments i got, but hey—i’ll take it! i felt a little like tavi (minus the designer clothes and plus 10 years) adding a touch of whimsy to the outfit. 

hi mom!!

outfit: black sheath dress: isaac mizrahi for targe. sweater: aqua. pearls: gift. ladybug: steiff. bow brooch, tortoise cuff: antiques. bangle: hermes. not pictured (which is a bummer): blue tights from h&m, and 5"patent leather pumps from target.

images: annamarie daane-scott 

jump start

good monday-morning! so... OOPS my b!  i didn’t post this weekend. at all. but i didn’t do a lot of things that i usually do on the weekend, so don’t take it personally. friday night me and my man went on a movie date and saw pirate radio. not only is it hilarious, the super retro clothes are a trip! then with no class saturday i slept in waaaaay late (which is so luxurious, btw), had a lovely brunch at home, and then went to a friend’s b-day bbq in ggp (post on that later this evening).  since the 49ers weren’t playing on sunday, that meant we could actually leave the couch and go do something. matt and i went to the SFMOMA and saw the richard avedon exhibit—which was ahhh-mazing (post on that later too), had a bite, and eventually made our way home. despite my loathing of fall weather, it was nice to be outside and have a purely recreational weekend.

oh ALSO! while i was busy non-blogging, one of the Best Dressed Bloggers linked me on her blog!! WHOA this is BIG NEWS and i pretty much died. if you don’t believe me you should go check out my hyperlinked name…myedit.blogspot.com. Ha I LOVE it!!!

ps...going to see GIRLS this weekend, love this song....apparently it's about a girl i know?! small world!

best dressed

here's my round up of favorite outfit shots posted on the interwebs this week. it was a hard choice what with all the stylish ladies, but these 5 looks stood out to me above the others. also, maybe this is just me and the blogs i read, but was this a slow week or what?? it seems like everyone had a million things going on all at once, myself included. which is why i am beyond thrilled to not have class tomorrow so i can experience the saturday morning laziness i think i deserve.

in no particular order, i present you with some SIGNATURE STYLEZ

1. audrey from homerunballerina. loooove that fun skirt! the bright socks and pumps jazz it up but the black top keeps it from going toooo OTT (= over the top duhhhr)

2. Aimee from songofstlye. girl i would rock this outfit in a heartbeat! killer shoes (i want!), vintage tee, & blazer, black skinnies... the perfect recipe for a flawless 'fit.

3. erin from calivintage. another sfbayerrria blogger (see also, aimee from this weeks best dressed). this post was about "seasonal dressing" in our strange climate. i feel you girl, 60 degrees is faaa-reeezing.

4. jennine from thecoveted. this is homegurl's WEDDING DRESS! first of all, i love that this is her wedding dress. second of all, i love that she is wearing it not on her wedding day. also, love those leggings. sidenote, can we think of an abbreve for leggings? leggs? gings? get back to me

5.jentine from myedit. great work outfit. all the right parts put together to form a perfect whole. check out her blog for the deets shot, the ruffle blouse is pretty much t.d.f. (= to die for. geez do i have to tell you guys everything?!)

lost in the light

for my final project in styling this semester i have to conceptualize and style a photoshoot. this is why i love school! projects like these are super fun and will come in handy for portfolios in the future.

so, here is my mood board; i.e. the first stage of planning. to find these images i looked through pages and pages of wet behind the ears which is like the most awesome website for inspirational editorials ever. if anyone wants to participate --model? photograph? style? lend clothes? DJ? idea bouncer-offer?-- let me know i would LOVE to collabo!

happy almost friday!!

xx

make a wish

after some suprisingly expensive dental procedures (even with insurance!) and some early christmas shopping bills to pay, it is unrealistic even to make a list of things i would get if i could. instead, my wednesday wishlist is something that cannot be bought. in essence, my wishlist today is YOU!

more than anything material right now, i wish for this blog to be a success. i wish for readers all over the world. i wish for people to find me relatable. i wish that i may inspire even one reader the way i have been inspired by other bloggers. i wish that i can continue to write and ramble about the silly things that make me happy. i wish signaturestyles opens doors for everyone to meet, discuss, collaborate, design, debate, model, style, share, laugh, learn and try something new. i wish for new and exciting ideas all the time so i never bore my readers. and i wish for your suggestions and help to makes this into a dream come true....


and remember, if you help make my wishes come true (tell a friend to stop by the blog and take a look!!) then i will offer a giveaway (hint hint: goodies from paris!)

also, i wish you all a very happy vererans day. 

better days

the last two days have been rough on me. while usually a pretty steadfast, happy person, for whatever reason dental prciedures throw a wrench into my being as a whole and i tend to melt down in a mayjah way. yesterday was stage 1 of a root canal and this morning i finished it off. i still have to go back next week for a crown. but after today's procedure i threw in the towel, called it a day,  and went home to cry and recover while relaxing on my couch. to help me back into my reality, i enlisted karl, marc, and annie. please join me as i sit back relax and enjoy: 

UPDATE: a fell asleep during karl (oops!), the marc jacobs doc was a great look into the creative process of fashion shoes, and annie leibovits is ahhh-mazing. of the three that is the one i recommend everyone watch. 

man-shopping

 

my dear readers,
i promised you man-blogging, and i slacked on that one. well not really me, but my guest man-blogger (it's ok i still love you baby). fortunately for all of us, a dear friend jumped at the opportunity to help out and wrote a charming essay about his experiences with shopping. i think it is quite helpful for all those daunted by the shopping process, men and women alike. and i think even seasoned stylistas could learn a thing or two from this insightful editorial. enjoy!
love, signature_styles 

Square One

image from jcrew.com 

Previous to a few months ago, I never felt it was cool to buy clothes. While looking good was vaguely appealing, it didn’t seem worth the imagined shame I would suffer browsing racks and magazines. I can only recall four distinct episodes in my life where I spent any time shopping. For a year in high school I knew the t-shirt racks on Haight Street fairly well.  I also collected a couple vintage jackets (one of which I still regularly wear). Senior year in college I went to B Brothers with my dad and got a gold-button blazer, two pairs of wool gab trousers and a couple ties for interviews. Post college I added to my work wardrobe with some more trousers, shirts, ties, a suit and a pair of shoes. Around the same time I used a gift certificate to get a pair of jeans and a herringbone coat with a sewn-in hoodie on Maiden Lane.
 
Until two months ago, those were the only jeans I owned. Around that time I decided it was time to start caring. The creator of this blog agreed to go shopping with me (I asked because I felt drastically unqualified to pick out any clothes on my own), and we picked out a second pair of jeans and the first t-shit I’ve bought in about 10 years (not counting the two I made for myself and friends). And I felt great about it. But I also realized how little I own.
 
So I’ve set aside some money in my budget and put together a bit of a plan, however misguided, to build myself a functional wardrobe. I’ve decided to start with my work clothes. An inventory revealed my blazer, four pairs of trousers (tan, olive, grey and charcoal), about 12 shirts (mostly blues), a black v-neck sweater and a blue cashmere v-neck. Shoes included cordovan tassel loafers and black lace-ups, and gold-buckle belts to match.
 
The results of my fist shopping trip were mixed. I picked up two sport coats at Macy’s (two-for-one sale), two pairs of brown trousers (light and dark), four shirts (RL and CK; stronger colors and patterns than my current, pale-ish collection), a pair of tobacco lace-ups and a matching silver-buckle belt. I also changed out my gold buttons for blue buttons and resoled by tassel loafers. All this was good. But there were some frustrations. One of the sport coats shed a button after three wears. The shoes are still breaking in. One of the pairs of trousers had to go back to the tailor to fix an unfinished hem.
 
But now that the issues are behind me, I am faced with a bounty of options in the morning. In some ways, I’m a bit lost as to how to put it all together. I also have some ideas for what’s next. Augment my sweaters. V- or zip-neck? Another pair of brown shoes. Chocolate lace-ups or brown Chelsea boots?
 
A significant change resulting from my increase in shopping (and browsing in preparation for shopping) is, as I walk around downtown, noticing what looks good and what doesn’t. I’ve never paid attention before, but it really is a lot of fun.

 happy monday! have a great week everyone!!

(and wish me luck on my root canal, yikes!)

sunday styles

watched the niners game (we lost), crafted it up (0 for 2, but maybe one will come out ok), joined chictopia (friend me: signature_styles). outfit post and craft pics to come soon...after my nap. have i mentioned i've been exhausted lately??

UPDATE!!! took a nap (second of the weekend), ate a delicious homecooked meal, and now i'm ready to share!

comfy sunday outfit: leggings, vintage buffalo plaid top, vintage  patterned sweater, minnetonka moccs. warm, stylish, and cozy!

so i attempted the textured container DIY project from ps-i made this and this one turned out alright. i took an old edamame container and some puffy paint, dotted it up and spray painted! i think a bottle might look a little better but this one serves the purpose..and looks good with those bangles! i also tried the 'summer scarf' with an old tee and it is very reminiscent of a lion...oops!

enjoy the last few hours of weekend!!

p.s.- i'm going to make this

what a lovely afternoon! just got back from class where we had a fashion photographer guest lecturer, a little window shoe-shopping with my girl joanne (and i didn't spend any money! woo-hooo!), and now home for a bit before pizza dinn with the fame. to fill my afternoon hours i'm thinking i might embark on a DIY project or two. i found an AWESOME site (via refinery 29) that filled me with totally do-able ideas! pretty stoked, can't wait to check back and show you what i've made*

*ps i might just read my book and take a nap instead. but i swear i'm stoked on these ideas and it will happen at some point this weekend! 

happy crafting!

lesson #1

the first (and in my opinion, only) rule in fashion is...have fun! fashion is all about expressing yourself letting your true colors shine. it shouldn't be worrisome or hard to figure out...just get out there and have fun! to illustrate my point i'm going to share the following "photoshoot" with you, dear readers. i hope you enjoy!

despite the fact that i wanted to crash tonight after a lovely dinner and stroll, i knew i needed to put together a blog post so i could start of my monthly challenge on the right foot. so i set up the camera and timer and all that and gave it my best shot. after fumbling around with the zoom/focus i enlisted the help of my brother to take some outfit shots. this is what happened:

one decent (if that) outfit shot, which lead to...

...silliness, which lead to...

...funny faces, which lead to...

...picking up the dog (don't worry, cody loves getting picked up), which lead to...

the dog making funny faces too!

so as you can tell it was pretty hilarious and fun and i still got to a)share my oufit and b)check off another day on the month of posts! c'est parfait, non?

check out more silly pics and outfit deets after the jump!

NaMoPloBlo...mo?

wait wait no it's Na-Blo-Po-Mo. as in, national blog posting month. i learned about this from the lovely julia and i think it is a great personal goal to set. and quite timely given that it feels like forevs since i've posted even though it's been A DAY. (granted yesterday was the longest day of all time.) 

so the deal is that i post every day and you read every day. and for shits n' giggs let's throw in another part of the deal: try and tell one person about this blog. and they will tell one person and they will tell one person and they will tell one person and then it will be great! i'll hop on that bandwagon too and tell one person everyday about my blog (hello, self-promotion) aaaaaand if the traffic to this site jumps significantly i will offer a give-away at the end of the month! if that's not incentive for all parties then i don't know what is!

ok ready...1, 2, 3, go!

pic from motorcyclenews.com

you only want what you can't have

you know that saying? well i can attest that is does not only apply to babies and/or lovelorn teenagers. i recently had to tighten the old purse strings and really watch what i am spending. which for me is just not spending at all, i can't do that only spend a little junk. i can justify too many things. this started this weekend and i was very good: i was at school, then a concert, then home, and the park all weekend. no opportunity to shop. well monday morning rolled around and my wishlist is all of a sudden miles long and full of things i actually must have NOW.

1. lessons on how to "slappa tha bass." for reals, i really want to learn how to play. bad enough that i air-bass in the shower (tmi?)

tina weymouth, bassist and founding member of the talking heads

pic from http://jbtaylor.typepad.com

2. neon long handle totes that i saw in the window of marc by marc as i rode by on the bus

pic from iwantbags.blogspot.com

3. dress side story from modcloth,  seen on rebecca here.

pic from modcloth. 

4. brown booties/oxfords like these. i would probs switch out the laces, btdubs. and also these.

pic from etsy via style hive. 

5. ringtones for my phone: fleet foxes, rilo kiley, beyonce, lil wayne, fleetwood mac, omg so many i want!

pic from gingerasia.com

later tonight i might try harder to add an mp3 to this post. too much for right now

6. birthday present for my brother. rather, a late birthday present for my brother. oops!

pic from http://www.graphic-design-employment.com/

7. completely awesome YSL earrings from market publique

pic from market publique

ok that's it for now, but i know i can think of more. i cannot wait till i balance my budget or close the deficit or whatever it is they do. private sector?