bonne fete du noel

time to play with prezzies, cuddle up in blankets on the couch, maybe go for a nice walk.

 enjoy the day my lovelies!

xx


image via {this is glamorous}

les beaux timbres

i just sent my dear friend kailey an email requesting she send me these aborbs french stamps....for decorating binders and notebooks and whatever else i find needs decorating. my computer maybe?

thank you all so much for the wonderful compliments about my photoshoot!

xx

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)

diy jim bag

friends, i'm going away for the weekend, which means no new posts during the time when i usually post a lot. i know, i know, most of you are thinking "well shoot, what am i going to do?" but, fear not!. in my absence i leave you a super fun DIY project! i made a gym tote for my workout-buddy/ shopping partner / friend / mentor / possible soon to-be-guest-blogger, jessica a few weeks ago as a super belated birthday present. it's a fun, personal, and useful gift, and it costs me only a few bucks to make! see for yourself, make something while i'm gone (sending it to me is optional).

you'll need: a silkscreen + squeegee, fabric silkscreen paint, some acetate paper (the stuff that's used on overheard projectors), an x-acto knife, a sharpie, a cool image in your head or to trace, spray paint (optional),  hairdryer if you are super impatient like me, small paintbrush, and something to print on! some old newspaper/magazine scraps are good to have around too.

silkscreens are super awesome and fun to have around and can be found at your average art supply store. they're not too expensive (mine was a gift--thanks jann and amy!!) and if you take care of them they'll last a long time. 

here we go!

supplies. moet optional.

one time i tried to teach myself how to draw fashion illustrations. needless to say it didn't quite work out but the book itself has been an inspiration. 

trace the picture you picked out onto acetate. the best place to get this is at a copy center/paper store for like 10 cents a page. if you're artistically inclined, here is where you draw/trace your own image on to the acetate.

then you cut 'em out!

i like to test out the stencil with some spray paint. then you can make adjustments, tape broken lines, etc before you put the final image on your garment.

go time. tape your stencil onto the screen, making sure no spaces are left around the perimeter for paint to seep through. center the screen+stencil on your fabric, so that there is no space between the fabric and the stencil. next, dab a line of paint on the inside of the screen. while applying pressure to the frame (knees, or a partner help with this one) use the squeegee to drag the paint across the inside of the screen. keep dragging the paint, adding more if needed to make sure the stencil has been evenly coated. 

carefully lift the screen off of the fabric. make touch-ups (nobody's perf) using a fine paint brush and the fabric paint. icyww, yes that is Jade on my fingertips.

ta-dahhhh! stylish silhouettes on a sac!

for the opposite side, i did a fade effect using a different stencil. for this i simply moved the screen and squeegeed without adding more paint.

i topped it off with a bow...my older stencil but still one of my faves.

finished side 2. the last step is to heat seal your handiwork. just grab a clean rag/random t-shit, put it over your design and iron at the highest setting for a sec. this way you can wash it (good idea for a gym bag) without the paint fading.

xx

try it this weekend and send me some pics... or, if you're already a silkscreen pro (ahem, amy) send me pics and tips!

have a great weekend and please nobody do anything newsworthy i'll be in the woods till sunday night.

enchante!

i would like to take this time to introduce a very special guest blogger, MATT! matt will be contributing weekly man posts to signature styles. you know, for diversity n' stuff.

he made his debut earlier this evening regarding some super sexy man-boots. homeboy knows his shit, so when he showed me these guys i just had to ask him to share these (remember? being a blogger gives you courage. see, shannon) here's how it went down.

Matthew: http://www.contextclothing.com/item.php?id=1152

me: wow. those are good looking
Matthew: and look how amazing they are when broken in
me: i want to eat them
Matthew: http://allplaidout.com/?p=2919
me: omg

can you write a blog post for signatuerstyles about these?

just a little blurb?
Matthew: yea ok

so please, lets all welcome my boy matt! please direct your fanmail to moi, and if you have any questions you'd like the man-blogger to address, send 'em right along!

perfect for the place des vosges

a few weeks ago one of my oldest friends, kailey, showed matt and i around the marais --an almost too cool neighborhood in paris. she brought us to an excellent breton crepe restaurant, then to the swedish cultural center for some courtyard coffee, then to 'merci' aka the coolest store in the entire world, and finally to chill in the places des vosges. it was sitting here amongst the french hipsters and beautiful families, that i realized i want to live here. one day i want to look and act as effortlessly cool as the parisians manage to do.

the first step to accomplishing this is, obvi, owning all shoes produced by MaraisUSA. owned and founded catherine chu and haley boyd (also the designers, natch), MaraisUSA is named after the iconic, eclectic neighborhood that straddles the third and fourth arrondisements.chu and boyd have used their parson's educated minds to create super cute shoes, adored on covetable on so many levels. i'm telling you, all i need to do is to wear any pair of these and stand outside the Musee Picasso and i'll fit right in!

below are some of my favorites, though i am not lying when i say it's hard to choose just one (or four). but at prices this good you don't have to. plus, if you purchase now you can save 25% off by entering POLKADOTS at check out. and that totes means you can add those boots to your order...all the cool kids are doing it.

army boots, $98

tuxedo boots, $145

oxford, $88

two-toned flats, $64

classic pump, $96

tidbits

inspired my dear annie in new york:

• i actually have been listening to this song on repeat for, oh, over an hour. it's just such a great jam that when it ends all i want to do is hear it again
• too cute: tu.tu.blu. the clothes are adorable, the site is playful, and the model is beautiful.
• here is where this inpirational chica is headed! can you believe? i am so excited for her to rock it down south...not to mention my wishlist is miles long. textile developer in peru?! send me one of everything, please??
• oh, no big deal she just got her start in the textile world at the ultra-hip up-and-coming bodkin.

oops... my b!

so, oops there was a little bit of a hiatus in there but i swear i have really good excuses (some of which are fashion related). but i missed this style outlet, so don't think a month away means i'm calling it quits!

first, i went to europe with the boyfriend for two weeks. we went to amsterdam(for nine hours), florence, santa margharita ligure, and paris. it was fantastic:

then i got back and went to some very special friends' wedding. SO much fun...best friends and dance parties all around:

then i got the flu. i was flat out on the couch for three days. no picture necessary.

then i styled a fashion show! a friend (hi, joanne! again!) asked me to help her style her friend's new line. the line in and of itself is awesome--go check it out at www.amanathwal.com and i had so much fun styling it up:

as you can see, i've been kinda busy. meanwhile....new york fashion week happened! we have lots to catch up on, and i plan on covering it all, so please keep your hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times and remain seated until we come to a complete stop.