The City Sage

EXCLUSIVE First Look: Club Monaco Fall Lookbook!

I just checked the weather report. Today's high in San Francisco? A tropical 58 degrees. Can you detect my dripping sarcasm? But I'm not bitter. Nope, not a bit. Because check out the stunning coats, jackets, vests, and hats in Club Monaco's second wave of offerings for fall. And guess what? Right here is the ONLY place you can see these pics until October, 'cause this is an E-X-C-L-U-S-I-V-E!

The Club Monaco designers' inspiration for the collection was British 70's rock festival glam--a vibe I can totally get behind these days. I'm really feeling the palette of rust, hunter and mulberry; textiles like crushed velvet and shearling; silhouettes like pushed-up sleeves on a cocoon coat or pin-thin leather leggings and stiletto booties. Yowza!

Plus check out the 'making of the look book video' that Club Monaco snuck to me so I could share it with you! It's chock full of exotic continental accents, hunky male models, and yes, even un peu de francais. Who's up for a secret trip to this abandoned house somewhere in Paris, so we can stage our own rock 'n' roll photo shoot, complete with insouciant stares and devil-may-care hair? 

 

Clean and Modern: Un-Hamptons in the Hamptons

You know what I miss? (Cue Chorus: What do you miss?) I miss Domino Magazine. (Cue Chorus: We miss Domino every freaking day!) But Lucky has been doing a fun 'Lucky Life' column that offers a taste of the Domino flavor, and this month's hits especially close to home---it's the loverly-tastical Christiane Lemieux, founder of DwellStudio!

Yes, I just blogged about the new DwellStudio furniture line, but this home is too gorgeous not to share, and it's wonderful to see the just-released pieces in action too. That angled sofa hugs the room beautifully, and fits so nicely with Christiane's rugged tree stump coffee table and leather stools. (Rad detail alert! Double fireplace in the background!)

The best thing about this home is how well it suits Christiane's personality. Design savvy and smart, yet warm, welcoming, and approachable too. (How many successful businesswomen do you know who would get down and dirty in a pair of fuzzy bunny ears?) Something tells me if we showed up at the door with a plate of brownies, Christiane would invite us in with a smile, yes...?

Fall Wardrobe Inspiration from New York Fashion Week

Are you following the New York Fashion Week action? I am, from the comfort of my food-stained pajamas and my cringe-worthy sweatpants. As always, the runway shows are neat to see, but it's the street style that really grabs my attention. It's from these images that I get inspired to hop off the couch and dressed in real clothes every once in a blue moon!

I'm especially feeling the mix of soft-meets-hard that seems to be popping up everywhere lately. I'd recreate it myself with flowy silks contrasted against punky leather and badass snakeskin. A palette of slate and merlot is punctuated by accents of rose gold, and the perfect year-round cozy sweater will carry you through to spring, whether you're on the couch or not!

Fashion Images: Harpers Bazaar. Shopping Guide: Sweater, Levi's Made and Crafted. Skirt, Club Monaco. Sunglasses, Juicy Couture. Fragrance, Odin. Rings, Sarah Swell. Clutch, Helmut Lang. Watch, Michael Kors. Zip Pouch, Rebecca Minkoff. Bracelet, Sarah Swell. Socks, Madewell. Wedges, Belle by Sigerson Morrison. Booties, Loeffler Randall. Tote, See by Chloe. Blouse, Madewell. Jeans, Current/Elliot.

Saturday Morning Dreaming...

This was not my star week when it came to keeping up with the blog. Sixteen-hour work days got the better of me, and all my lovely ideas for posts went out the window. Here even on a Saturday I find myself up at 5 am to tackle my email inbox, the dream of a lazy morning just that: a dream. But there's a rhyme and a reason to the madness...

 

'Cause I have a shoot tomorrow--a fashion feature for the upcoming Anniversary Issue of Rue. Sarah and Chris Rhoads are here in San Francisco ('member them from our desert spread?) and we're gonna make some serious magic. So when I start to wonder why I do it all, I just remind myself with videos like this one by Shark Pig from Rue Issue 6. And I keep on going...

P.S. If you love the song 'Out the Window Dreaming' in this video--and how could you not--it's from amazing Bay Area artist Ash Reiter. Image Credits: 1, 2, 3.

Giveaway: Everything Alice Book

Golly gee. This is just too cute for words. One of my favorite stylists--Brit sweetie pie Hannah Read-Baldrey--has teamed up with art director Christine Leech to publish Everything Alice. Their gem of a book is jam-packed (mmm...jam...) with crafts and projects that pay homage to that maven of mishief and her Wonderland chums. And one lucky City Sage reader will win a copy!

Brilliant for kid-sized kids and grown-up kids alike, who amongst us wouldn't want to while away the afternoon baking Red King Red Velvet Cupcakes while wearing handmade flamingo feather fascinators? Don't wait for permission from the White Rabbit--just leave a comment on this post and we'll put you in the running to win a copy of Everything Alice!

P.S. More hilarious hijinks to be had at Hannah and Christine's website for Everything Alice...

Obsessed: New DwellStudio Furniture!

Remember back when you first fell in love with DwellStudio? Maybe it was with their striped bedding, or the chinoiserie sheets (yup, the ones with the bird print). Or perhaps you got hooked by their adorable oh-so-soft goodies for kids and babies. Well, now DwellStudio has taken the leap and expanded their furnishings lineup big time. And the love affair rages on!

I. Am. DYING. That leather chair has my name written all over it, people. I'd probably be too busy stroking it gently and whispering sweet nothings in its ear ever to sit in it. But there are plenty of other pieces too--like a modern fretwork cabinet and retro-inspired sunburst mirror that make me want to hug those folks at DwellStudio and have them over for lunch. (Invitation's in the mail, guys!)

Images: These pieces are from the DwellStudio for Precedent collection. Get the scoop here.

Farewell Summer! A Little Fashion Styling Gig...

Here in North America it's Labor Day, the unofficial last weekend of the summer. As usual I'm looking back and wondering how it flew by so quickly! I thought I'd share these photos from a shoot that I contributed to at the beginning of the season. It seems like only yesterday that Micaela, the talented ingenue photographer from The Drifter and the Gypsy, asked me to style them for her.

Micaela is a self-taught photographer who shoots film and is the living embodiment of the word go-getter--she's only seventeen years old, you guys! French fashion designer Nadinoo lent some pieces, I rounded out the looks with items from my own wardrobe, and we spent the day frolicking at a dilapidated 1894 house in the Berkeley area.

We had such fun, too! It was one of those perfect early June days, with the sun high in the sky but the temperature not yet blazing hot. The light cooperated almost exactly as we hoped, shining golden down upon us, and we felt we had the whole summer before us. I'll definitely smile fondly upon these photos as the fall rains begin!

Credits: Photography, Micaela Hoo. Styling, Anne Sage. Hair and Makeup, Janet Mariscal. Model, Alex at Next LA. Look 1: Sweater, Wren. Hair Pouf, ban.do. Looks 2 & 4: Dress, Nadinoo. Basket Purse, Vintage. Sandals, 3.1 Phillip Lim. Look 3: Crop Top, Nadinoo. Jeans, Current/Elliott. Scarf & Shoes, Vintage.