The Mother Road

This weekend I got my kicks on Route 66, which is also known as the "Mother Road." Stretching from Chicago to its endpoint in Santa Monica, California, this stretch of almost 3,000 miles of asphalt is probably the most recognizable road in our country. It was originally the route that many took to migrate out west after the Dust Bowl in the 1930s and it's now a cool place to drive a vintage or vintage inspired car or motorcycle and travel back in time.

I wasn't really sure how to dress for the occasion as it was cool in the morning and then hot during the day in the desert. It was also somewhat dirty and dusty throughout our journey. I decided upon these Gap "Skinny Minny" khakis in some sort of floral print and a white peplum top to deflect the sun. Below you will see me standing on a portion of the road bearing the iconic Route 66 logo. Luckily no cars were coming at the time, as this route is now pretty deserted.

My favorite stop on our route was the town of Amboy, population four. It's become a ghost town, but there is still a family that owns the gas station, cafe and runs the post office in town. Despite it's small population you will discover quite a few interesting sites which I have depicted below. 

Site One: The remnants of an old school. My husband's big orange car, our chariot through Route 66, sits outside the former school's gates.

 

Site Two: Incredible signage for Amboy's lone cafe/motel. Apparently Roy's was erected in 1959 and once offered travelers a quaint place to eat and rest during their travels on Route 66. Above your will see the very mid-century modern building which was a part of Roy's cafe/motel.

 Site Three: A random stallion outside of the bathroom at the gas station in Amboy. Help, I am being attacked! I think the horse had a negative reaction to the loud print on my pants.

 

Sites 4&5: A post office and a church. When the town was populated, these clearly were necessary. As you can see from the picture of the inside of the church, it hasn't been used for awhile although closer inspection shows that it is quite popular with birds and rodents. 

 

 Site #6: Last but not least, a gigantic crater.  Known as the Amboy Crater, this once volcano makes for an unusual site and gives sort of an otherworldly feel to the town. Luckily it is inactive!

Above you will see my collection of things featuring the Route 66 logo. Including a car and a bottle of root beer. I'm not usually a fan of rootbeer, but I found the Route 66 brand to be quite refreshing on such a hot day. Below you will see me amidst a sea of Dodge Challengers. This trip was organized by a car club my husband belongs to and as you can see it was quite a colorful turnout. Almost as colorful as my pants!

 Outfit: Top: J. Crew Ponte Peplum, Pants: Gap "Skinny Minny" Khakis, Shoes: J. Crew, Bag: Vince Camuto Clutch, Bracelet: J. Crew Wildflower

 

Trend Trifecta

Today I am pulling out all the stops and piling on all the trends. Polka dots, stripes, and a statement necklace all rolled into one... oh and a touch of leopard. (I know that's four trends, not three as the title of this post suggests, however I wanted to keep it alliterative.) Combining it all together might be a little overboard and it has certainly already been done by other bloggers, but I am always late to the party.

This polka dot linen "Schoolboy" blazer from J. Crew was acquired by me at the end of the summer. I can't remember exactly what I paid but it ended up being a steal. This was one of those pieces that I kept passing over (do I really need more polka dots?) until the price was reduced so low I couldn't resist it any longer.  I'm not sure why certain things seem to sit on the shelves forever while others fly off. I once saw an interview with Mickey Drexler doing a walk through in a J. Crew which culminated in him screaming about what an ugly print was featured on a particular blouse and no wonder it was on the clearance rack, but this is just a cute polka dot blazer. Maybe people are getting sick of the dots?

Anyway, when I got dressed this morning it was just a bit cool with the marine layer so on a whim I reached for the blazer and threw it on and thus the trend trifecta or shall I say "quadfecta" (I realize that isn't a word) was complete. It was definitely worth rescuing the blazer from the depth of the clearance rack and possibly the wrath of Mickey Drexler.

Outfit: Blazer: J. Crew Polka dot linen Schoolboy, Skirt: J. Crew Gondola Stripe, Shoes: Nine West, Necklace: J. Crew

Shifty

I am starting to love the simplicity of just throwing on a dress. There's no muss, no fuss. Instead of matching a top and bottom (which really isn't that much work, but can sometimes be a chore) you can just throw on the dress and you're good to go. The following shift dress in triangle jacquard from ASOS is a great example of an easy and effortless way to get dressed. Its pattern is pretty bold and loud, so there's also not much of a need to go overboard on accessories.

Today I went to pick out my belated birthday gift, which wasn't available, but is being ordered for me. I was hoping to debut it with my dress because the color scheme is also black and white, but I will have to wait until it makes the trek from Salt Lake City to my home in California. Here's a hint though about the item: it's very Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's. Today turned out to be more or less lunch at Tiffany's for me. Now all I need is a simple black shift dress and I would be ready to go. Oh, and one of those amazing cigarette holders she has in the movie. That's next on my list!

Outfit: Dress ASOS (still available and now on sale here), Shoes: J. Crew Lilian Wedge in Mirror, Bag: Prada Saffiano Tote in Papaya

Where Will My Taxi Flats Take Me?

It's been a whirlwind since the beginning of September and as the leaves turn my thoughts have turned from adventure and fun to work and stress. This weekend I tried to remind myself of my "To Do List" which is my realistic Holy Grail of what to accomplish in the next year or perhaps the next few years. My first list was more extensive, but due to the malfunctioning of my computer it's lost to the sands of time. I'm trying to reconstruct it, but as I grow older my memory is failing me more and more. As I think of things I am sure it will grow.

My new Kate Spade "Go Taxi" flats are just the "vechicle" I need to transport me to all of these places. Oh the places I might go in them! I just got these last week and I am so excited that my feet are now transformed into two yellow taxis. Where will they take me next? Hopefully to some grand adventure.

So what's on your to do list?

 

Outfit: Shoes: Kate Spade Go Taxi Flats, Jeans: Old Navy "Flirt", Shirt: J. Crew, Bag: Louis Vuitton Brea

Neo-Neon

I can't seem to figure out why I'm so attracted to neon lately. Perhaps it is because I was born in the 80s and I'm subconsciously attracted to anything reminiscent of the era? Perhaps it's just due to the fact that with fall here, a lot of the neon stuff has become deeply discounted?

This summer, designers in droves added a new spin on these totally "rad" hues incorporating them into patterns also reminiscent of the 80s. As the leaves turn and fall approaches, fashion has taken a 180 degree turn in regards to its preferred color palette. Catalogs are laden with deep navy blues, maroon and rich, yet subdued jewel toned colors. Last month I went to a store and the clerk liked my navy blue bag and told me, "That's so the color for this fall." Really? Isn't navy always in style?

It's kind of silly how fashion works. One week you're in, the next you're out as Heidi Klum says each week on Project Runway. It's the same for colors, one season they're in and the next they're out. Well, I'm not ready just yet to make the transition into fall and neither is our weather so I'll keep my bright hues on a little longer. I hope neon is around for next summer/spring but if not I'm sure it will be reinvented somewhere down the road. For now here are a few looks featuring some bright, neon additions: 

  

 

Outfit One: Skirt: J. Crew Factory Mini, Shirt: J. Crew, Bag: J. Crew Tartine, Shoes: Nine West

Outfit Two: Dress: Gap Printed Split-Neck Tunic now on clearance, Belt: J. Crew, Bag: J. Crew Envelope Clutch, Shoes: Kate Spade 

The Best-Laid Schemes

Robbie Burns stated in his poem "To a Mouse" something to the effect of "the best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry" and these words were very apt for our Sunday. This past week my husband was excited about an automobile Concours at the Trump National Golf course in Palos Verdes, California this weekend. He's a car enthusiast and while I normally tune out when the conversation turns to cars, any event called "The Age of Elegance" featuring Gatsbyesque Duesenbergs and Packards piques my interest.

So as planed, we got up early, had breakfast and got dressed. My aim was to look like a dame who could afford a Duesenberg, even though my dress from Forever 21 literally cost $8. Just as we were about to leave, unforeseen circumstances forced us to cancel our plans, but I wasn't going to let my outfit go to waste, so here's a few pictures to highlight what I was planning to wear.

I've been waiting forever to take my Prada car applique clutch to a car event such as this one. One of the things on my bucket list is to go to the Pebble Beach Concours so I can rub shoulders with the likes of Clint Eastwood and Ralph Lauren.

On a side note, a few musings about my outfit: I grew up with the hard and fast rule of no white after Labor Day. Living in Southern California and feeling as though I'm still in the midst of a sweltering summer, I feel white is an acceptable choice. Plus, Clinton Kelly of What Not to Wear fame said it was okay and he is the ultimate authority on fashion, next to Tim Gunn in my book.

I'm starting to really love clutches. They are not practical, but they are way more fun than just an ordinary handbag especially when they feature a car. I'm still trying to figure out how to hold them to look "elegant." Here's a few variations I tried. This bag is a bit more cumbersome than your average clutch which only adds to the dilemma.

Outfit: Dress: Forever 21, Bag: Prada, Clutch: Prada, Leopard Bow Belt: Kate Spade, Shoes: J. Crew Satin Ballet Flats

A Modern Dionysia

In college I took a class on Greek tragedy and our professor confessed to us that he had originally planned to introduce himself and the curriculum by sticking phallic symbols to sticks and parading in to class with them. No, he wasn't a pervert, but instead a bit of an eccentric who sought out ways to creatively teach literature. The aforementioned ritual was associated with the Dionysia in ancient Greece which payed homage to Dionysus, the god of the vine.  

The ancient Greeks had a love hate relationship with Dionysus. He brought joy and merriment to his followers but also destruction and chaos. None the less they worshiped him each year in a festival called the Dionysia that involved dancing, singing and drama and apparently a procession of phallic symbols on sticks.

While we don't worship the pantheon of Greek gods anymore, Dionysus included, perhaps we can find a modern day equivalent to such rituals in daily life. While it is a bit of a stretch the "Wine Walk" I went to yesterday was a celebration of the vine, complete with food and music. It would be cool if they would also preform Oedipus or Antigone complete with a 50 person chorus, but I think that might be a little weird for most patrons.

The town of Claremont has many colorful boutiques and shops to visit which always makes "wine walking" a pleasure. One of my favorite places is a cute old fashioned ice cream parlor and candy store which serves wine infused sorbet. In Southern California it is still 90 plus degrees so the sorbet is a welcome treat after walking around in the hot weather.

The following pictures feature some of the architecture that I adore most in the village. I like how the first building is named the "Verbal" building, it must be quite loquacious! There is also an artist rendition of the building being attacked by UFOs!  Next is Claremont's historic train station, now a commuter light rail stop, followed by its city hall. Last, you will see Claremont's quaint multi-ethnic folk music shop, ripped right out of the 1960's and also a featured place on Huell Howser's California's Gold series.

 

Now on to the slightly more obscure. These various places/things piqued my interest while we were walking, although perhaps at this point I had a little too much vino. 

So many wigs to choose from! Which one is for me?

Why can't I have hours like this? Not coming to work when it is raining sounds like a great idea to me, although it doesn't rain that much here.

Random, unexplained hanging object. Not really sure what it is! It was in a restaurant's beer garden.

Gallery with local artist's work on display. I am not really sure what I am standing next to but it looks cool to me!

Climbing the stairway to heaven in: Dress: French Connection, Shoes and belt: J. Crew, Purse: J. Crew Tartine, Bracelts: J. Crew and ASOS