fitforafemme.com

If there was ever a perfect contrast between butch/femme outfits and how they can be so alike and yet so many universes apart, this is one. Same color scheme, similar textures and casualness, but that’s where it ends. This funny thing happened the other week when I, in a Twitter-broadcast hissyfit about seeing something online, wrote: “Dear brides, just a thought: Maybe don’t ask your dyke/androgynous/butch/boi/whatever friends to wear dresses to your fucking wedding. #jerk”

SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING, AM I RIGHT?!

Some poor tomboy was either asking the internet for advice or sighing over what to do about being put in that position, I think, and I blew a (protective mama bear) gasket. It’s just so inconsiderate, in a way that goes far beyond a Bridezilla’s god-given right to every little thing being her way on her special magical unicorn day. Can you imagine someone giving me a stern look and saying, “I’m going to need you to wear pants and tie to this event, Jonesey. And don’t even THINK about wearing makeup.” They’d have a big old black eye in two seconds flat.

We took these on Mother’s Day (which was fantastic). I had to change my outfit because M got the worst allergy attack during our picnic, and afterward we raced home and peeled our outfits off in case we were covered in invisible pollen and took a nap and then put on new ones so that M could treat me to a relaxing mani/pedi at my favorite little nail salon in Potrero Hill. So sweet! She kept me company and they served up some ice cold, delicious sangria!

The chambray shirt is from The Gap, the tailored shorts are vintage from 40 South Street in JP. I super duper love that store. It feels like the kind of vintage spot where if you’ve got a little coin to spend, you will certainly find something to love that’s a perfect fit anytime you stroll in, unlike other vintage boutiques which can feel a lot more hit or miss. The strappy canvas sandals with the tiniest wedge are by Tommy Hilfiger. I don’t know what it is lately, but this Spring/Summer I’ve purchased these shoes and two pretty amazing shirt dresses from old Tommy. I think what they have in common is a kind of nonchalant preppy feel, which I’ve been into this year.

Necklaces! I snuck a Culp Baubles lipstick bullet onto this edgy little chain from JewelMint, which has some pretty neat stuff from time to time, and I encourage you to check it out if you’re a jewelry hound like I am. The bronzed disc earrings were a wonderful little birthday surprise from the lovely Nadarine, a lady of exquisite taste and remarkable…skills with cava.

The creamy enamel bow bracelet seems quite old and was thrifted in JP, and the smoky blue ring I’ve got on is from the magical Pretty Penny in Oakland (an airier, slightly larger version of 40 South Street, actually).

What else is new? Well, we’re officially in escrow, our loan has been approved, we’ve got our cross country route all mapped out for early July, and we’re just keeping all of our fingers and toes crossed for the last little bits – a smooth appraisal, title transfer, things like that. The packing has begun and while there’s still seven weeks before Moving Day, we know time will fly and we’d rather get an early start!

It’s so exciting and bittersweet, too, knowing we’ll have to bid adieu to our family and friends while we set sail on this new adventure in our lives…

That’s all for now, dear readers! Hope you’re all well and gearing up for an excellent summer – can you believe it’s nearly here already? 2012, hold your horses!

XOXO,
FFAF

PS. One last one – this one’s got the San Francisco Bay in the background, with good old Oakland and Alameda off on the other end.

Is it seriously May already? I’ve been busy getting an exciting event off the ground with Miss Rep, buried under real estate – we fought and won our first bidding war ever just yesterday - and of course dealing with the things that come with wrapping up a school year for the petite and trying to get started packing for a move that’s bearing down on us like a freight train.

These photos are actually from March 31st, plus my hair’s been cut for two weeks and it’s kind of funny to post these – there’s just one more in the queue before we get to the new style – I barely recognize myself! When my hairstylist stepped back to check out her work, she put her hands on her hips and exclaimed, “I can’t even IMAGINE you with long hair anymore! It’s crazy!” and it is, a little bit. All the light and painted bits have been hacked away for the most part.

These printed jeans were one of those “I’m not sure about this, but I’m doing it anyway” Target purchases (I know you know what I’m talking about). Since then I’ve gotten two black Everlane belt (hush) and no longer have to steal the tomboy’s belt for my tomboy femme outfits. I certainly have seen snazzier, still affordable pairs of animal print skinnies at Zara, but oh my god are these soft. Like pajama soft. Basically, these pants = my sweats. Just thinking about them makes me feel snuggly and cozy. That’s the real reason I’ve held onto them!

I cannot for the life of me remember what brand this camp shirt is, but I got it Sports Basement I think. I have a similar gauzy white one as well and they’re fantastic because they’re loose and slouchy but unfussy, breathable cotton. Sometimes it’s nice not to fuss over silks! Pairing it all with the tough suede ankle boots (Trouvé) and my Cynthia Rowley bag were easy choices, and so were the Asos earrings and my leathery Mariele Ivy necklace. I added chunky rings and a silly leather cuff with a bullet on it that I got in Portland two years ago, and that’s about it. Hope you liked it!

Now please tell me all of your outstanding weekend plans – Cinco de Mayo, Derby Day – because I’ve got nil. The tomboy is in Boston (it’s her turn – apparently, we’re taking them now) and has a derby party to go to with friends and I’m green with jealousy (though I won’t envy her marching off to a parade of open houses come Sunday). They’ve been infusing bourbon with mint! So fancy! Another friend of mine has pledged to reveal a DIY derby hat so fantastical that we’re all going to fall over in awe, and I can’t wait to see what she and her crafty little hands have done this time.

I’m just hoping I can take a break from the 300 pages I have to read for a Sunday book club brunch to see that big old super moon rise over the Oakland hills!

XOXO,

FFAF

Despite today’s coast-to-coast temps that felt a lot more Summer than Spring, one-and-a-half weeks ago I woke up to a rather chilly day in Boston – hence the cozy black sweater dress (H&M), snuggly moss green tights (H&M), and tough girl leather jacket (Zara). Isn’t this room lovely?

Our friends recently painted up their warm, roomy rowhouse, and the accent wall you see is a super versatile rosy brown that changes hue with the day’s light, looking plummy at dusk, or like melted chocolate in the morning. It was so inspiring for thinking of how to fill up the blank walls at our soon-to-be new home in New England. So many ways to play with color, and we want to experiment with them all: paint, wallpaper, re-staining the wood floors, whitewashing cabinets, etc.

I AM SO IN LOVE WITH THIS NEW LEATHER JACKET FROM ZARA.

I cannot tell you how many months I’ve been searching for it. At least a year, probably longer. I picked a vintage motorcycle jacket up at Afterlife in the Mission last April, but the shoulders were too broad and overpowered my frame, so I let it go in a clothing swap (after wasting months telling myself I’d take it to be altered somewhere – ha!).

I wanted something and true to the motorcycle jacket look – the heavy, wide lapels, a narrow collar, all the zippers and snaps and especially the built-in belts that could be left hanging loosely or snapped tight – but at the same time I wanted it to be fitted, as if it had been tailored just for me, and of course I wanted it to be gloriously soft, supple leather.

I kept bemoaning the insanely expensive jackets I loved at Reiss and AllSaints, pouting at the so-so offerings from Topshop and Asos, telling myself it wouldn’t  be that bad if I settled.

But then! Wandering around Newbury Street on my birthday, we couldn’t ignore the siren call of their lovely Zara store and walked in to have a peek. It’s the last place I’d expect to find exactly the leather motorcycle I desired, but there I spotted it, tried it on, and it was a match made in heaven. I was totally in love, but then came that decisive moment – I checked the leather: lambskin (phew) and then the price tag – not exactly a steal, but not highway robbery, either. Oh dear.

There was a bit of handwringing on my part, but because it was my birthday the tomboy very sweetly and lovingly and happily insisted on treating me, and who was I to resist? I couldn’t possibly. It was perfect! (Did I say it was perfect?)

Anyway, if I had to pick an article of clothing as my spirit animal, this would be it, and if any unauthorized persons come anywhere near it, PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT I CARRY A BLADE. It’s very sharp.

Let’s chat about some of the other accessories happening with this outfit – serious riding boots (Etienne Aigner), an earthy necklace (Mariele Ivy), a friendship bracelet from IndieMart and vintage ring complement a simple but thoughtful cold-weather look. Hope you enjoyed it! I’ve actually got quite a few posts in the queue, so they should be coming along a bit more regularly now that I’m back home. I have a new haircut to debut as well!

Cheers,

FFAF

Photo credit: Fancy Pants

HOWDY. I am going on week two of what was supposed to only be Spring Break in Boston, MA. After a week in a hotel, our dear friends kindly opened up their home to me in Jamaica Plain when it was evident that I needed to extend my stay. I somewhat dramatically sent the tomboy and petite back home on their scheduled Saturday flight over a week ago! (Don’t ask. Real estate is a strange and messy, often rather annoying world.)

WELCOME TO UNIFORM, a men’s boutique in Boston’s South End. 

Time has warped and bended and it still takes me a good moment to know which way is up when figuring out what time it is where depending upon whomever I am speaking with, or emailing, etc. and I don’t think I’ve ever been away from the tomboy for this long! I’m pulling my hair out, I can’t stand being away from my girls (and those wonky pups), but I’ve gotten so much done that I can’t honestly complain. Jamaica Plain is a lovely distraction, though, with its sweet little boutiques, incredible food, thrifting and vintage, and the super friendly, small town feel.

Alas, these photos are from an outstanding shop for men (and tomboys) in the South End. My friend Fancy (above) got an invite to a special event they were having yesterday – a tasting of expertly mixed St.-Germain cocktails and a storewide sale! Apparently, shops like Uniform are few and far between, and this one is really special.

It feels very Bay Area (read: Castro) to me, and M would love it – once we’re settled here this summer, I’ll have to bring her back to check it out! So many handsome goodies, and those cocktails were very refreshing on such a warm day. Once we were all shopped out, we snagged a table outside next door at Picco, where I had the best peanut butter chip ice cream ever. (Craving some right now, actually, but I’m pretty sure the cake batter ice cream at trusty old JP Licks will do for tonight.)

The forecast for the first week we were here called for cooler weather, and we packed accordingly. Of course, this weekend’s weather report predicted high temps, which gave me a perfectly legitimate excuse to take a day off from house-hunting to peruse JP’s thrift stores, vintage shops, and boutiques. This was the first day of warm weather (before I had the chance to shop), and the best I could do was a crisp, white, short-sleeved blouse by DKNY paired with James Jeans rolled up at the ankle. My vintage brogues, Asos bag and pony belt brought it all together, and I love the dainty touch of my citrine yellow cocktail ring dangling from a Madewell chain.

Photo credit: Fancy Pants

Photo credit: Fancy Pants

Last but certainly not least, how cool is this pirate kitty below? SO COOL. Such a cuddly and ferocious one-eyed beast. We didn’t know this one, but I’m having a blast snuggling up with the three gorgeous ragdoll cats my friends own. That’s all for now, folks. XOXO!

Did somebody order a party in a box? Booze, snacks, citrus, mixers, ice…anyone?

This is going to be a carefree, to-the-point post, considering the fact that I am on a plane to Boston from San Francisco and ever so slightly buzzed from a few friendly  mimosas. I guess you could call this a companion post, as it picks up with the tomboy where the last post left off – same day, same round of festivities with friends, a lot more masculine. Welcome to M’s “Did somebody say ‘brunch’?” ensemble.

She takes a pair of khakis from Men’s Express and makes them all kinds of handsome, and as far away from the dull, lazy Silicon Valley stereotype as a person could get, I think, by pairing them with an Elie Tahari dress shirt (a soft, bluish grey) and cardigan bought new from Crossroads – she can’t remember whatever obscure brand it is, but she found it at their College Ave. location and wishes she’d snagged the grey version as well!

All brought together by a haphazard, undone bow tie (of course, it didn’t start that way, but you know us…plus, a lovely member of our group felt under-dressed, so being a gentlemen, she graciously undid it on the spot to help her feel more at ease). No idea where this bow tie came from, btw. We’ve racked our brains and not much can be done about it, as we are 36,792 feet in the air. Whomp.

The shoes are from Aldo and this was their last hurrah, actually, she’s currently eyeing a pair from Mr. B’s Gentlemen’s Boutique, in case any of you dear readers have words on their quality and whatnot – apparently there are three shops in Boston where we can find them (compared to just two in SF). You’ll recognize her Dior Homme glasses, although soon I imagine you’ll be seeing her new prescription pair of Ray-Ban Cockpit sunglasses.

That’s it! And just for fun, some mushy loverbird photos at Jack London Square, taking by Autostraddle’s fearless leader herself, the incredibly talented Riese!

We’ll keep you posted on our New England house-hunting trip, kiddos! Hopefully, there will be time to sneak in a few shoots.

XOXO,
FFAF

Spring is here, or so I’m told. It doesn’t look it from where I am – there’s still quite a chill in the air and our skies have that diffused, bright grey overcast I have always found to be the most irritating of all our Bay Area weather quirks. We’ve had bits of unseasonable warmth here and there, and were hit with a great big walloping storm last weekend, but I think my thick black tights underneath the frothy, pleated pink of this sweet dress (despite the sunshine) tell the whole story!

I’ve definitely been quietly collecting Spring essentials, though – another pleated dress in a bold, sunny yellow, two pairs of skinny jeans in bright teal and magenta, a breezy, grass-green camp shirt, wedge sandals color-blocked with a soft dove grey suede and lemon chiffon patent leather (and a clutch to match), and a few preppy cotton shirt dresses – but I’m most excited about the necklace I’ve got on here – a punchy H&M steal at $12.95 – and some new additions to my makeup drawer from MAC.

Several years ago I took my BFF to one of her initial visits to Sephora, and one of the MUA grabbed a tube of Nars lipstick, popped it on the BFF, and the effect was amazing. It was a really simple color, just a dusty, rosy pink, but it was one of those transformative shades with my friend’s complexion. It looked so beautiful! Foolishly, I tried on the color immediately, and of course it wasn’t the same.

Well, last week I wandered into the MAC pro store in the Marina (please don’t ask me what I was doing in the Marina) and the MUA helping me came at me with this horrible, frightening orange lipstick. I was instantly suspicious, but I tried it on anyway.

EGADS! Glory, thy name is Korean Candy, and the perfect companion blusher is Optimistic Orange. 

The effect of either/both with my skin tone is kind of miraculous. The lipstick is a glossy, super lightweight and wearable orange-y red, and the blush is a creamy shock of bright coral. The latter requires a very light hand, but even when the MUA painted on two big, bratty stripes over my cheekbones, it was still kind of cool. I love both shades so much it makes me want to eschew the rest of my makeup for Spring! Just a little foundation mixed in with sunscreen, tons of mascara, and my orange-y babes right here.

I’m still on the hunt for the following – let me know if you’ve seen anything good lately:

• a full skirt in a deep tan shade
• grass-green pumps or wedge sandals
• a proper leather motorcycle jacket
• a sweet, girly blouse or tank in yellow

We should chat about this outfit! I got this dress on a whim from an odd little boutique in Emeryville called Lola. There are only about a half-dozen of them in the states, by the makers of BCBG. Between the swiss dots, pretty blush color and pleated skirt, I couldn’t resist. The bow belt, necklace and faux leather jacket are all H&M. The studded boots are Trouvé, the studded clutch Matt & Nat. My watch is Citizen, and the talon ring and thorned cuff are by Made Her Think. The faux bamboo shades are vintage!

I CAN’T WAIT TO WEAR THIS DRESS BARE-LEGGED WITH A PONYTAIL AND SWEET LITTLE BALLET FLATS. HINT, HINT. 

Also, I would just like to add that these photos were taken by M at Jack London Square in Oakland. We really love Oakland and were so happy to spend a breezy, carefree day there with friends recently. So many outstanding memories from when we lived there, and it’s kind of amazing how much of our history still seems to float and crackle in its air, still very much alive – we would look at one another and the remembering was almost a physical sensation between us! How is that possible?! We don’t know, but we are sure we’ll lay down roots there again someday.

Who else is counting down the days until The Hunger Games movie?! We have tickets to the midnight showing (I may have mentioned that before) and I cannot think of anything else.

XOXO,

FFAF

Welcome to Day 2 of World Peace, everyone! J/K.

Mixing blues is nothing new, I’ve done it here before, but I’m excited to share a bunch of newer stuff with y’all! Above is a lovely double-breasted wool coat from Laundry by Shelli Segal, it’s wonderfully heavy and skirted and has a great deal of personality for a basic camel trench. Of course, with this very mild winter we’ve had so far, I haven’t had the chance to wear it yet! Such a shame, but I’m sure it’ll get a ton of wear sooner or later.

These fantastic green leather gloves were a Christmas gift from M, and so was the Fossil leather wallet with the little keyhole. I’m in love with these gloves. The color is incredible, and they are so soft, and the fit is perfect. I’d been needing a new wallet for a little while and this one, even though it’s basic black, smells divine and looks great! I still have lots of feelings for my oversized scarf from H&M, but like the coat, it’s hardly been cool enough to wear it much. Grr!

Kicked up the outfit this time with my Adrienne Vittadini calf-hair leopard print wedge booties. The jeans are Ralph Lauren and I thrifted the belt – the stripes and vintage pearls brought a little East Coast prep to the table, too. The shirt is H&M’s L.O.G.G. brand, and the sweet little fox ring is from there as well. I kept the shirt half-untucked with the sleeves rolled up to keep things loose and breezy (like my hair). The crowning glory of this tomboy-influenced outfit is this new tortoiseshell watch. It was yet another gorgeous gift from the tomboy for Christmas – she knew I’d been lusting after an oversized watch to add to my collection, and she nailed it with this Michael Kors chronograph beauty. So good.

That’s it for now! I will say I just came back from a really magical clothing swap last Friday night, and have lots of new goodies to share with you. For now I’m focused on an exciting new opportunity to volunteer with an amazing organization (meeting with them tomorrow – more on that later) and a weekend for l’amour – we’ve got a date to celebrate the 7th anniversary of the night we met coming up, the BFF and I are going to sneak whiskey in to see The Vow, and of course Valentine’s Day is just around the corner! XO!