fitforafemme.com

I don’t know about y’all, but I am ready for the next 4-day weekend. Scratch that, I’m ready for two weeks paid vacation! If only the TSA weren’t imposing such senseless, intrusive new rules and regulations on travelers. Perhaps it’s time to take the plunge into icy ocean waters for a leisurely cruise!

I trust that everyone had a (mostly) sane, relaxing, lovely holiday. We sure did! It was full of family and friends, thrifting and DIY projects around the house, and lazy mornings in bed, or hours spent stretched out by crackling fire with eggnog or my delicious new spiced pear and ginger cocktails. I baked a pumpkin cheesecake from scratch, we still have a whole sweet potato pie needs eatin’ in the fridge that my Grandma made, and an adorable gingerbread house kit is waiting for all the piles of cookies and whatnot to die down in the kitchen!

Lord have mercy, will someone please come on over and help us eat it all!?

See that great big, blue sky?
See all that pretty, pretty green?
See how my hair shines?

Just kidding on that last bit. This little meadow lies just next to the tennis courts where we live. Although we have our rackets and our balls (my racket is a vintage Fred Perry number and all kinds of gorgeous), we haven’t been able to play yet – we’re either busy as bees or the rain’s kept us away. Soon. Soon! These photos were taken on Thanksgiving morning, on our way to my grandmother’s house.

TRUE FACT: After hurling myself at this tree in heels not once but twice in an attempt to hoist myself up there (and failing quite spectacularly), M finally stopped laughing long enough to give me a boost. Bless her heart.

A few things about this outfit. THE GLOVES are Cole Haan, and they’re giving my collection of cheeky knit fingerless gloves a complex. The leather is terribly soft and fragrant, I adore the brown on black and gold equestrian detail, and they fit me like a dream. THE SHOES are Adrienne Vittadini, and I fell in love with them immediately. The black leather ruffle trim gives the right amount of vamp to the sweet grosgrain ribbon-esque upper. THE DRESS is I don’t even know what, but I got it new on ebay.com because it was too darling to pass up. Y’all have seen this necklace before, as well as this amazing coat by Tulle!

I have announcements. Ready? OK, good.

Have you heard of a hot queer band called Hold Me Luke Allen?

WHAT, ARE YOU NUTS?!?

They are super rad.

I first heard them play at Bring Yr Own Queer in Golden Gate Park, and even though it was raining all over this band and their fancy equipment and they all risked death by sopping wet soaking electrocution, they impressed the hell out of me. I can’t wait to hear them indoors, where it’s nice and dry and I can dance a lot without worrying about putting my eye out with my umbrella. Anyway, y’all should check them out next Monday when they play in San Francisco at the Elbo Room with other queer bands.

Here are the details, and I hope you can make it!

Monday, December 6th
Elbo Room || 647 Valencia
Quiet Coyote || Hold Me Luke Allen || Story of Slim
9pm || $6 || 21+

Next announcement: Sneak peek! If you liked this Thanksgiving Day post, you are going to LOVE Part II: Tomboy Times. M’s holiday outfit was pretty outstanding, so try and be patient and I’ll get it up ASAP.

Last announcement: THIS IS SERIOUS BUSINESS. Femmes, if you have ever wanted to become a paper doll, here is your chance. The incredible Afrotitty (pictured above in an incredible photo by Shameless) is creating a femme paperdoll zine and wants to “immortalize you and your style in all of your femme-gendered fabulousity” – can you even imagine anything better?!?!

The deadline is Valentine’s Day 2011, so get on it and don’t say I never did nothin’ for ya.

FEMME PAPERDOLL ZINE TEA PARTY IN APRIL 2011!!!

XOXO,
FFAF

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!

HELLO, KITTENS!

How the hell are you? It’s been a week! A whole week!

Before anything else: Thank you for voting for Fit For A Femme, even if we didn’t win a Lezzy Award this year, we stood up there with the big dogs and it was totally awesomesauce, and I lovelovelove y’all for voting day in and day out with all your might.

So, I got this mini whilst thrifting for, like, $2, NWT. It makes for a great casual, relaxed look, but where the hell does The Gap get off charging $50 for a tiny denim miniskirt? Not that it isn’t great. It is. It’s just that I wouldn’t dream of wearing this without leggings on underneath. It’s SCANDALOUSLY short. And tiny. And not worth that crazy sticker price, which makes finding it for next to nothing that much sweeter. I went BANANAS thrifting last week. It was a month-end clearance sale, and I got 15 super awesome pieces – from a beautiful azure blue sunhat with the most dramatic brim to an armful of calico sundresses for Spring to a soft chestnut brown shrunken velvet blazer (it screams equestrian) – for just under $35 and in less than 1.25 hours. SCORE. Shopping = femme sports.

What else? Oh, you know, not much. I completed my utterly life-changing self-defense training on Sunday, and new bruises are STILL popping up all over my body. Badges of honor, my instructor calls them. I had the privilege of fighting FIVE fights at my graduation ceremony (with M and the petite there to support and cheer me on), instead of the standard three. DO NOT MESS, Y’ALL.

I was just named a member of the Femme Collective, which is gearing up for Femme2010: No Restrictions this August. Femmes, mark your calendars (and reserve your spot on the infamous Skinny + M sofabed now if you’re an out-of-towner)! Speaking of M, she and I are headed across the Bay Bridge next week for a meeting with other legally wed California couples to discuss next steps as powerful advocates for marriage equality, which I’m really excited about. Writing checks and being visible and all that is well and good, but I never feel like I’m doing enough unless I’m doing.

I will be a busy girl. A busy, happy, girly girl!

Also, we just ordered her a pair of these dapper new shoes:

When: Saturday, August 23rd, 2008.

What: Zara Woman skinny blue jeans, Nocona cowboy boots with vintage spurs from Tal-Y-Tara, vintage candy-stripe swimsuit, SF hoodie procured from one of those post-baseball game street hucksters at AT&T Park in San Francisco.

Confession: I told y’all that some days I was low femme! Or, you know, not all dressy and shit. See? Earlier in the day I was traipsing around the beach in a Mango dress, but once the fog finally hit the sand around sunset, I yanked on these jeans and my new (favorite) hoodie. YAY SAN FRANCISCO!

It is worth noting that Tal-Y-Tara is SF’s only tea and equestrian shoppe. Their Motorloaf is the most delicious bread I have ever had in my life. All their recipes are very secret. M & I go here as often as we can to enjoy a lovely high tea in the wonderful garden, where you feel as if you’re anywhere but in the middle of one of the most exciting cities in the world.

Of course, if you prefer to enjoy your tea indoors you may do so amongst the excellent new and vintage collection of equestrian goods and anything your heart desires for having a fancy tea party of your own!

Oh, and they’ve got a giant pony statue thing that they put outside of the shop whenever they’re open. I highly recommend it.

(Tal-y-Tara photos courtesy of tea_austen @ flickr!)