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Last Saturday felt lazy, even though we left our cloud (our nickname for the fluffy new king-sized Ralph Lauren blanket we bought recently) to run a handful of errands. I wasn’t feeling super well, but we needed to go out and forage for driftwood-y tree ornaments and find an HTML5 book for M, so off we went! I perked up a bit when I snagged the very last copy of this Lula magazine and after a few sips of a gingerbread latte.

Lula and The Gentlewoman are two fancy-pants magazines I really, really look forward to buying collecting, whenever new issues come out. In a way they feel like sister magazines; one girlish, whimsical and very clever, the other almost frighteningly smart, self-possessed and beautiful. Both are incredibly lovely. I’ve noticed a few similar magazines pop up in the market, but I don’t think there’s really a comparison. The thoughtfulness of them isn’t something that can be hastily replicated!

If you’re in the SF Bay Area and wonder where you can get your hot little hands on either, try Issues just off Piedmont Avenue in Oakland (they carry everything under the sun and staff are always genuinely friendly and helpful), or the incomparable Fog City News on Market in SF (they double as a candy shop that carries one of the most outstanding selections of artisan chocolates the world over as well as a grand array of old-fashioned soda pop).

Bonus tip: Tomboys might love the high-end magazine selection at F.S.C. Barber’s tiny boutique on Valencia, or the ones at Unionmade in the Castro! They make fantastic stocking stuffers, if you happen to be looking for those final little items.

My Eleven Objects collar is on its way to me, and so are my five frames to try on from Warby Parker! I’m so excited. M has a pair from them and a handful of my friends have their frames, too, so I’m giving some a test-drive in anticipation of my annual January optometry appointment. I got it into my head that I need a pair just like James Dean’s, so I narrowed it down to these bad boys and one will surely be the winner!

It’s a total departure from anything I’ve had in the past, and I hardly wear my glasses as it is, but perhaps with a cheeky new pair all that will change! It’s all part, I think, of my gradual migration into an occasional tomboy femme aesthetic. First, the Everlane t-shirts, now this…what next?!

Dress: Fire
Tights: Hue
Blazer: Asos
Calf-Hair Ankle Boots: Adrienne Vittadini

I just tossed on some of these Old Navy bracelets and my Betsey Johnson sugary skull earrings, and called it a day! That, a fishtail braid, bright pink lips and soft grey eyeshadow, for a mellow and relaxing day.

I cannot even begin to express how pleased I was to discover that this gorgeous green corner of our garden was a trellised canopy of pink jasmine. Aside from lilac and lavender, it’s so one of my very favorites. It reminds me of Oakland, of being young and dumb and throwing myself into myself with a force I now find mildly alarming, in retrospect. If my 20s had a little animated book you flipped through to see a tiny film full of gorgeous, wretched chaos careening into the arms of unyielding perfection, the smell of pink jasmine would writhe up headily from the pages.

I’ve been known to tear a small bunch of jasmine away and toss it onto the dash of my car. The more the sun breaks it down and disseminates it through the stale of my car, the better. It beats the hell out of some scented whatever-the-heck you can buy at a gas station! In somewhat related news, all of the houseplants that were scarcely hanging on at our old SF flat are now thriving, and some are barely recognizable they’ve flourished so much.

Today was a 50-50, half grey and half silvery sunshine. Last night I shocked the entire lesbian nation of SF by appearing at a social event on a weeknight sans tomboy (13 Licks at Q Bar in the Castro, to be exact), so despite the fact that I was back in bed before 1AM, I wanted to take it easy this morning.

Jeans, a striped cotton pullover and heels seemed low-key enough, especially when pulled together with oversize, lacy pearls and a blazer. The top knot was a no-brainer, et voilà!

I’d never been to this particular bar on this particular night (though I’ve been there plenty when it was called other things and hosted other nights – lesbian nightlife is very complex, yo, especially in the context of cross-longevity and whatnot), so I chose an outfit (not pictured) which I considered to be “playing it safe.” Leather panel skirt, lacy black bra, MAJORLY lacy + sequin vintage blouse. It was raining, so I paired it with sheerish black tights and my new Aldo boots, and plunked a big floral chiffon bow over my ponytail.

I was repeatedly told that I was fancy, and my companion for the night insisted on buying me a drink on account of my necklace that says femme. (Totally unintentional side effect, that bit.) I got to meet some FB friends IRL for the first time, which is always fun and delightfully awkward and kind of nerdy, right? But so good, and definitely cute. Plus, they played Adele.

Anyway, I will wear it again sometime and post it here for you, sweet readers. Yes.

THESE VINTAGE FAUX-BAMBOO SUNGLASSES.

Aren’t they nifty? God, I’m glad we stopped in Auburn on our way up to Tahoe last weekend. I scored not only these shades, but a lambswool capelet and the above-mentioned ivory sequin + lace blouse. Someone started sending us Latina Magazine, so I was reading it on the drive and saw these amazing hoop earrings by Lauren G. Adams. I usually stay away from hoops, especially HUGE ones, but I fell so deeply and immediately in love with these that I scanned them with my smart phone RIGHT FROM THE PAGES OF THE MAGAZINE and bought them whilst sailing 80mph up HWY 5, y’all.

F I E R C E.

Jeans: James Preserved Denim
Striped Shirt: Kersh Essentials
Blazer: Banana Republic
Blue Patent Pumps: BCBG
Pearls: Spoiled! (Oakland)
Sunglasses: Vintage (Sisters, Auburn)
Bag: Co-Lab by Christopher Kon
Foxtail: Dollywood

PS. ZOMG, my Zoya “Intimate” Spring Collection arrived today! Of course, I put Gemma on right away – it’s described as a “light muted olive green with an overlay of blue and violet duochrome shimmer.” It’s extra-festive for St. Patty’s Day!

PPS. Special announcement: Fit For A Femme is super excited to be part of this rad photo show with Lesbians in SF, debuting at the one and only Lexington Club for SF Pride 2011! Here’s the flyer for a sneak peek and to learn more about the show. (Don’t forget to “Like” LISF on Facebook and check out their excellent Tumblr, and if you’re local or will be in town for Pride, mark your calendars for the show dates!) It’s going to be outstanding.

What a weekend! It began quietly at home on Friday night. The girls and I piled on the couch with the puppies at our feet, delivery Indian food strewn across the coffee table, Secretariat on the widescreen. On Saturday, I cursed my Navigator all the way through the Sunset to the Castro to fetch the one and only Bevin Branlandingham of Queer Fat Femme for a lovely brunch tea.

Hm, scratch that. The weekend started early, I suppose, since we hit the town on Thursday night to check out the long lost Flourish party at Public Works in the Mission. The bar was well-stocked with many fine options and competent bartenders, and the space is really something else. Whoever put together the slideshow to benefit GLBT Historical Society did an amazing job and the photo booth fundraiser was lots of fun. We ran into many lovelies (and a few poorly behaved others) – Bevin and Miss Dylan Ryan and LISF – but catching up proved difficult over the loud music and trying to keep out the way of The Real L Word film crew! An exciting night, and the true beginning of a weekend that couldn’t come too soon!

Back to tea! It was a drizzly, gray sort of day, and I thought this dress was perfect for the weather and Tal-y-Tara, the equestrian & tea shoppe I’ve written about here a few times before. Bevin and I were headed there for civilized conversation and to film an episode of her delightful new web series called Lesbian Tea Basket. She thought I was kidding when I told her it was part polo shop, and after I chivalrously let her out in front while I found parking nearby, I found her wandering inside in absolute awe, touching all the fine pony things and blinking her big, lush eyelashes in disbelief. We sat and ordered and talked and marveled over the little fixins for tea sandwiches, the famous scones and shortbread and cookies and, of course, sipped tea. I won’t say much more but I can assure you that you’ll know when the special FFAF episode goes up!

I returned Bevin just slightly past her curfew (she was headed into the Santa Cruz mountains for the epic, overnight Hard French Winter Ball half of queer SF was at on Saturday night), and headed home. I needed to get out of this outfit (vintage dress and coat, Max Studio pumps, Alice + Olivia for Payless clutch) and into something suitable for Strikeforce, an MMA (mixed martial arts) event happening in the South Bay. M’s colleagues scored some tickets earlier in the week and it was my first time at an official fight night. I went from the pictured outfit to cowboy boots, ratty black tights, a short leather skirt, and a Lynyrd Skynyrd t-shirt under a dark wash denim jacket. I accessorized with piles and piles of mixed metal necklaces, my foxtail swinging from my purse, and red, red lips (inspired by Miss BB).

IT WAS EXCELLENT.

Amazing. I can’t wait to go again, and M said that she wants to go to a big UFC fight for her birthday this year. They shot huge, 10-ft. tall flames and fireworks from the sides of the stage whenever the fighters were announced, and the crowd was well-behaved for being at a bloodsport event. The fights weren’t bloody, but they were good. I drank beer and ate nachos and stole M’s Cracker Jacks. In a total 180, we woke up this morning and made our way to a very sweet baby shower for some friends of ours in Oakland. We all made pages for a custom baby book, played a fun game that had nothing to do with babies, ate French toast and quiche and cake, and marveled over all the hard work they’ve done on their home renovation in the past year. The rest of the day was spent in a dreamy, post-storm haze of (local) book shopping, hanging out a cafe, finding some tights to keep my gams warm, getting M a haircut, and unwinding over a low-key Italian dinner.

In fact, I have to wrap this up because M is waiting for me on the floor in front of our fireplace, with blankets and our books and pups. I hope y’all had wonderful weekends full of your favorite things, too!

XOXO,

FFAF

PS. A friend and dear reader noted that it was terribly coy of me to talk about all these books and not say what they were, and she’s right!

Here you go:

Clockwise from top right:

Revolutionary Road, Yates
The Sirens of Titan, Vonnegut
The Wild Things, Eggers
Super Sad True Love Story, Shteyngart

It began innocently enough. We took a cab ride to a Peruvian restaurant in San Francisco’s Fillmore District to attend a dear friend’s bachelorette party. Our table was littered with carafes of delicious sangria, lots of glittery beads, cheeky bachelorette temporary tattoos, masquerade party masks and tiaras. (I got M to wear one Max-from-Where-the-Wild-Things-Are style, but she said she’d kill me dead if the photos ever saw the light of day, so keep dreaming.) Did you know that they made little hot pink party sashes that light up for brides-to-be? I did not.

Dinner was delicious and the blushing bride had no clue where the rest of the night was headed!

The wine bar we went to afterward greeted us with cheers, mostly from hapless men who quickly realized we were all lesbians. Many flutes were filled and filled again with a nice cava we’ve never tried before, and the delightful hostess of the party got us started on a series of sweet, touching and hilarious bachelorette-themed games, and even handed out fancy prizes to the winners. M & I both won a round, not that we’re ultra-competitive or anything.

Drunkity! Fast-forward a few hours and we’re up to our ears in gay and knee-deep in booze, having taxied over to the Castro at the bachelorette’s request. We danced a lot and drank a lot and partied like it was 2005 all over again. It was excellent.

I wore:

Red dress by Donna Ricco
Max Studio pumps
Emilie M. bag
Lipstick bullet pendants by Culp Baubles
Vintage earrings and swing coat

M wore:

Booth & Bruce glasses
Kenneth Cole dress shirt
Express slacks
Zara shoes

Signing off only a little bit creepily,

M & SBJ

This will have to be so, so fast! I’ve been terribly occupied with my new occupation as a bona fide travel editor, and to top it all off the tomboy and I have at last booked our trip for a much-needed Spring Break! In just three short days we’re off to very tiny little island in Mexico, where we intend to drive scooters all around, frolic with baby turtles and sharks and monkeys, lounge on pristine white beaches and eat and drink local deliciousness until we burst. We’re so excited and I cannot wait. The weather here in San Francisco has been lovely lately – balmy Spring days until tonight’s rain came from out of nowhere – but it’s no match for the Caribbean sun and sea!

What are your Spring Break plans?! If you haven’t got any, where do you wish you were going?

Note: The above photos are from nearly two whole weeks ago, when we lunched in North Beach on a pretty Sunday afternoon. Pizza calzone!

Bonjour! It’s been awhile! We were very busy touring the tomboy’s niece around San Francisco over the weekend, and with exciting new goings-on, to be announced shortly.

Japantown in the rain!
Shopping at Bloomingdale’s downtown!
Introducing the young one to Thai food and soju cocktails for the very first time!
A gorgeous, light-filled break in the rain at one of the city’s prettiest, best kept secret vistas!
Hanging out with glamorous lesbians (and some much less glamorous) at a new girl party in SF’s Mission District!
Cocktails with chocolate pot de creme and an insanely good sheep’s milk cheese plate with fig cakes and walnut bread in Hayes Valley!

And that was only Friday! Phew!

Saturday was filled with shenanigans in the Castro and the obligatory drive up to Twin Peaks (since the skies had cleared but left a mean chill in the air), then onto Ocean Beach through Golden Gate Park’s incredible tulip gardens next to the old windmill, and a tour of the Presidio topped with an incredible Central-South American tapas dinner where the Mission meets Market Street.

Sunday brought a mellower pace, with walkabouts through North Beach on a gloriously sunny day for a late lunch, and through the Mission for the murals and, of course, Secret Breakfast ice cream.

Nouvelle Vague’s cover of Dancing With Myself came on while M snapped all these pictures, so I’ll play it here for you in case you haven’t seen it yet (for it is highly watchable and will make you feel like dancing or smoking or both!):

I love my city!

The above just blew your mind, I know, so here’s a clockwise from top left explanation:

• M reading the menu at Sparky’s. I was so adamant about pancakes, but we ended up splitting a massive chicken parm.
• M pouting over agonizing eye wear choices at the chic and friendly Eye Dare office.
• M demonstrated her best DeNiro squint and a delicious graham cracker.
• Boots the kitten comes when we call her over. So does Scab. And Pimp Gandalf, but not Blanket.
• Pretty damn good chicken parm for a 24-hour diner. Plus, cute gay waiter boys and singing patrons.
• The creepy doll that greets you at Sparky’s.
• Some street art/porn to keep the Valencia sidewalk extension project construction workers* motivated.
• The mystery palm that showed up overnight in our little garden. Weird!

This is the day we walked over 3 miles! I really, really love our meandering walks through the Mission and surrounding ‘hoods like Bernal, Noe and Castro. We pop in and out of cute shops and boutiques, we giggle, we eat, we drink, we cross a few items off of our To Do list, we people watch, we peruse real estate, we mussy-sikk, we’re RIDICULOUS. It’s just completely spontaneous, unplanned bliss, and neither of us cares much that we said we’d be here or there or “should” be somewhere else. It’s what the best weekends are made of!

What are your best weekends made of in your neighborhood? (Otherwise, let’s face it, we’d all say something absurd like BORA BORA!)

*I am sure this is not the official name of the project.
**My ankles don’t even BELONG to me, they’re so shockingly white. No, seriously. Look at them. What the hell?!