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More and more and more sunshine. These were taken in a friend’s backyard. I’m standing in an empty fish pond and drinking a mocha from Martha & Bros., trying not to think about all the cocktails I foolishly consumed the night before, at both Mango and Cockblock, nor how I was still fighting a nasty summer cold.

M & I were waiting for them (“bcw” and Dr. Dyke, if you must know) to look after their kittens before we headed down to Jack London Square for the 2nd annual Eat Real Festival, an amazing weekend full of the greater SF Bay Area’s best street food carts, local beer and wine, entertainment and the most current, informative happenings in the world of slow food and sustainable eats.

This is FFAF’s 2nd year at the festival!

Wearing:

Levi’s Denim
Old Navy linen cami with pintucks
RVCA shirt w/ roll-up sleeves
Boots from Portland’s Rock n’ Rose
Bag by Emilie M.
Handmade necklace
Kenneth Cole sunglasses

It was a gorgeous day. We ate so much, we drank a lot, we all stripped down because it got so bloody hot, and we sat in the shade to watch the most incredible butcher contest I’ve ever seen before in my life (okay, so it was the only one I’ve ever seen). Another great year with the best friends at a superbly done event. GO OAKLAND!

Here are some fun pics from the day:

THE GOOD STUFF (brace yourselves, it’s PORK-O:

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

There’s so much drama in this fancy vintage coat. This whole outfit is rather obviously inspired by Mad Men, because I’ve been obsessing over these related blog posts for the last two weeks. In fact, the hardest thing to decide when accessorizing it was choosing between a Joan-like updo and brooch or tying the scarf that’s on my bag around my neck like Betty Draper. I can’t remember where I got the coat, but it’s a very heavy, supple fabric and yet it’s light enough to wear on a nice day.

The single button at the navel means that a gale of wind flings the coat back wildly, in a very melodramatic way, which I do love.

Even though I’m sometimes tempted to let this dress go, it’s one of M’s favorites and I can’t quite bear to do it. I had a meeting to go to, so I wore sheer black pantyhose with this, which I don’t normally do. I can’t remember where this necklace came from, but I think I like it better paired with white and denim, over black.

Dress / Belt, H&M
Bag, Emilie M.
Shoes, Linea Paolo
Coat / Scarf / Brooch / Watch, vintage

This is what’s on our weekend agenda (happy hour starts…now):

• Seeing one of my favorite bands, Stars (listen to the new album here if you want to)
• Dancing the night away at Flourish, an ultra-chic lesbian dance party
• An after-hours private spa party with fancy nibbles and champagne for some of my closest gal pals at a local Lush

SF Pride has arrived and just keeps coming like a freight train. WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS?!

I AM SO EXCITED. Why am I so excited? The delightfully lovely new posters / flyers for August’s Femme 2010: No Restrictions in Oakland have arrived and they are made of awesome. Of course they are, because they were designed by the talented Cristy Road. Curious about this magical sounding femme conference? Click on the image below to go straight to the Femme Collective website to learn more. I want to see as many of your amazing faces there as I can. You wouldn’t want to miss my special workshop, would you? That’s right, yours truly is presenting a workshop called TechFemme.

Without further ado, here’s your first look! Soak in the PRETTY.

God, I love these Levi’s. They’re as soft as a baby’s downy little cheek and quite flattering and they are so very comfortable. You’ll hate me less for saying that all matter-of-factly when I tell you that I got them at Costco for approximately $17.  All I need is a freaking pony. OK, and these boots:

Much better. I feel strongly that you’re not taking me seriously as a moody cowgirl. I’ll show you!

I’ve been informed by a dear, chic of mine that I absolutely cannot permit one more ray of sunshine to permeate my wardrobe without first securing a classic blue chambray shirt. The hunt has begun, my friends. Since Laia (also: buy her stuff!) immediately agreed and said she’s in need of one, too, I decided to see what y’all thought.

Clockwise from top left:

Juicy Couture Chambray Shrunken Western Shirt, $138
Rachel Comey “Agronomist” Chambray Dress, $260
Tory Burch Chambray Blouse, $210
J. Crew Japanese Selvedge Chambray Shirt, $78
Lauren by Ralph Lauren Nadelle Chambray Shirt, $48.65

Yeah, I know one of those is a dress and doesn’t count, but I got distracted and I’m a sucker for a playful twist on a keyhole back. For me, the clear winner is J. Crew, which shocks me. It just looks all kinds of soft and dreamy, and the perfect balance of structure and slouchy. Effortless! What’s your favorite – or better yet, have you got any links or pics to share of your own?!

Sometimes we take time from our busy, fast-paced city life to ease into the slow lane, where the neighbors are quiet and polite (or best of all, nonexistent), the food takes its sweet time coming to the table, and everything is lovely. Yes, even if it’s storming out. Most recently, it took us to the Russian River Valley in the wine country. Specifically, to Guerneville. More specifically, to Korbel Champagne Cellars for a tour of the grounds and gardens, and a champagne tasting.  Don’t we look snug? That’s because the rain stopped long enough for us to enjoy the visit.

Look at all that stuff! We did not realize how old Korbel was, nor about the trio of brothers from Bohemia, with their Bohemian brides, and all the scandal and intrigue and Wasp-y newsletters, etc. It’s a pretty interesting history, and while Korbel isn’t edging out cava or champagne from France anytime soon, their organic Brut and Blanc de Noir reserve aren’t half bad! They certainly came in handy back at our rustic cabin, pairing nicely with the fancy cheese plates from Boon’s.

Sometimes we eat. Sometimes we eat A LOT:

I’m getting ahead of myself! The gardens! They were really very pretty, with some varieties of roses over 200 years old or something incredulous like that. Take a little stroll with us, won’t you? Try not to pick up random things on the ground and eat them, like the tomboy does. It worries me.

Sometimes we cuddle and sometimes the tomboy just looks too bloody adorable and NOM-worthy for her own good, don’t you think? I’m surprised I don’t need a new stick every week just to beat all the ladies (and the odd gay) off, honestly. I guess the choke hold down there helps. I guess this is a good place to tell you where she got the scratchy wool coat at, it was the military surplus store in San Jose, which has rock bottom prices. The jeans are Sevens and the shoes are the same Marc Ecko ones you’ve seen before.

Y’all? We expected sunshine and LOTS of it this weekend (this being Mother’s Day weekend, which is where all these photos are from), but we had a single day of light and then the storm came. My Oleg Cassini weekender bag and I were beside ourselves, considering the fact that I’d packed 84,000 sundresses and little else. Good thing I was able to assemble this backup outfit for inclement weather.

PANTS: Silence + Noise (I think officially these are “jeggings”, which might make my page views plummet wildly. I apologize.)
COTTON LEOPARD PRINT TANK IN NUDE: Elie Tahari
CARDIGAN: Kersh Essentials (Costco, basically.)
SHOES: Madden Girl
BAG: Emilie M.
NECKLACE: Betsey Johnson

This concludes your getaway weekend with Skinny + M! We hope y’all have fantastical Memorial Day weekend plans. Tonight is our Friday, so we have a lovely four-day weekend planned in which there will be Ethiopian food, a great deal of bloodshed and hopefully heart at UFC 114, the world premiere of Beautiful Child, a musical set to the staggeringly gorgeous music of Rufus Wainwright (there will be OUTFITS), homemade strawberry sangria, and who knows what else?! Perhaps there will even be some sun.

Bonjour, kittens! How was your Cinco de Mayo? The week? I haven’t been here since Monday, and I honestly cannot tell you where the time went. I can tell you that I’ve had a delightful day and a perfectly festive albeit subdued holiday. I took a midday stroll earlier to run some errands in the neighborhood, the sun shone brightly and my entire block smelled of hot, sticky jasmine. I had a fantastic phone call with a prospective new employer, and in the late afternoon I stumbled into this truly dreamy community garden in San Francisco’s Potrero Hill. It’s got bees! And honey! You walk past the boxes and it smells divine. Fruits and vegetables grow side by side with the loveliest flowers, and it’s all perched atop a hill with a fantastic view of Twin Peaks and the city’s rolling hills to the southwest. After all of that, the petite and I snuck into one of SF’s best ice cream shops – an old-timey, state fair award-winning one – for a very indulgent pre-dinner treat!

The sky was blue. My hair was shiny. My girls are happy and well. Life is just right!

PS. I love this stupid linen tank so much. I got it for like $1 at a thrift shop, and it’s so soft and comfortable and breezy. I wish I had six more, at least.

This dress has only gotten shorter and shorter in the time I’ve had it. God love it, it makes my legs look 84,000 miles long! What I’d really like to talk about is this fantastic new hat, these outstanding patent leather pumps in nude with an exaggerated conical heel and M’s hand up my skirt. I’m kidding about that last one, but I just wanted to make sure you were following. I also really love my new sunglasses – meant for men, but mine, all mine!

But what I really and totally love most of all is this bag and the flowers in my garden. They seem to go hand in hand – the soft, bright periwinkle blue of the faux leather and the soft, muted tones of this variety, love-in-a-mist (sometimes known as Miss Jekyll).

I can’t even remember planting the bright violet ones below, but I love them, too! I have absolutely no idea what they are, but they look sort of like very wee irises, don’t you think? Regardless, what better way to begin the month of May than with the cheerfulness of your own garden in bloom!