Hey, y’all! I wanted to trot out my new bag and a fabulously floppy hat for these crisp, sunny days we’ve been having lately, so I threw on a reliably pretty vintage dress in a neutral print, some tights and a pair of peep-toed shoes that took the look to a fun, sassy level. Also, we found a massive dead tree branch on our little walkabout! YAH!

You might find it amusing to know that I first tried to sit on that smaller branch I’m leaning on up there. It broke after about 2 seconds and I fell right on my ass in a big pile of dead leaves, while M had herself a good bellyaching laugh in the safety of the manicured green lawn you can’t see. You can see where it disappears below, leaving only a jagged stub behind. I managed to recover…

I’m trying to think of what’s new since I last posted!

• lovely visits from friends at home – one involved baking shortbread and another very in-depth lessons in eyeliner!
• football madness – since I was raised on the 49ers, the NFC Championship Game was a BFD – sadly, we lost
• finished reading Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex for book club (not for the faint-hearted)
• began reading The Faster I Walk, The Smaller I Get, written by a Norwegian author and given to me by M
• attended my sweet cousin’s delightful baby shower sans tomboy, only to find the soiree dotted with them after all!
• dove into a new bottle of perfume, Crystal Noir from Versace – but more on that later
• received copies of Luca Turin’s perfume guides as well as After Claude, which is deliciously mean (so I hear) – can’t wait!

So, I said I was going to get back into the business of discussing perfumes soon and here we are. This newest bottle of Versace Crystal Noir was a Christmas gift from the tomboy, more or less. (She originally bought me a bottle of Bright Crystal, which she’d already done before and somehow forgot. I’d been admiring it from afar and so handily swapped Bright for Noir and called it a day!)

First things first, I love the absurdly dark, heavy, gaudy bottle. It looks fantastic on my perfume tray, lurking moodily among slender Kenzo Amour or the austere Chanel No. 5  and Serge Lutens Chene, towering over a suddenly wan-looking bottle of Flowerbomb (which is of course shaped like a crystal grenade). Its contents are another story entirely.

Perfumes: The A-Z Guide, says that Donatella Versace provided creative direction for this scent, and proceeds to dismiss it as a “trashy white floral” (an improvement, believe it or not, upon Bright Crystal’s two-word assessment: “hideously screechy” – ouch!). The notes are gardenia and tuberose, as well as amber. Out of the bottle, I suppose the florals do exit the vehicle with a somewhat jarring crotch shot, teeter a bit, and then – at least with my skin – hit their stride on the drydown, which becomes a wonderfully creamy, soft dusty musk. A hint sweet. Folks are split on this – either it’s bug spray or bombshell mystique, but to me it’s like snuggling up to the tomboy in a fancy dress, murmuring dreamily while half-filled glasses of champagne sit neglected on the bedside table, sunrise teasing the sky lighter by the second. A cozy, familiar sort of ravishing. Lovely especially in cold weather.

Do tell me if you’ve got new loves in the fragrance world, I want to hear all about them!

Dress: Vintage
Tights: Hue
Shoes & Belt: Elie Tahari
Bag: Cynthia Rowley
Hat: Kathy Jeanne
Earrings: Silver Crane Sterling
Thorned Cuff: Made Her Think

Howdy, strangers! There are no words for my excitement over this new addition to my wardrobe: the puffer vest. While some things can be plucked from the tomboy’s side of the closet, the femme tomboy puffer isn’t exactly one of them. (Believe me, I tried. Shh, don’t tell! She’s very possessive of hers.) When I saw this one by Ralph Lauren, I fell in love. It was the perfect outdoorsy shade of green, and really doesn’t betray itself as being for her aside from being quite nicely fitted. It makes such a difference! With the campy finishing touches of the chunky wood and rough rope toggles, who the hell needs fleece?! (Answer: Bloody no one, that’s who.)

Then…at the risk of sounding like an advertisement, when I spied two little boy’s shirts for $20 apiece over the weekend (also Ralph Lauren), I snapped them up, too! LAYERING! With weather that’s finally started to behave like a proper winter, any day now I’ll be tucking my fully lined leggings into rain boots and traipsing through city streets like a real live lumberlady! Hooray!

Two of my favorite things: Tornado Recovery t-shirt from My Shirt Helps (I made some minor modifications) and the Otter-Messer sailor’s knife M slipped into my stocking this Christmas. It’s German, has a carbon steel blade and brass anchor inlay. I use it all the time. I get so mad when I reach for it and realize it didn’t make it through the last purse change or it’s still sitting in my jeans pocket on the bedroom floor at home, etc.!

True story: When M first met me, I carried a knife everywhere. I slipped it into a boot or my clutch or a pocket,  and while I still have it (it’s a lot bigger than this one), it’s been awhile since I’ve carried it. It feels good to have one on me again!

The outdoorsiness of the outfit required rigorous testing, obviously. I adore the huge green ring, which is a total treasure I found at the Crossroads in Rockridge (Oakland). My manicure goes with it quite well, too – a few coats of Zoya’s Cynthia (“smoky, blackened peacock teal” blue) with a layer of OPI Gold Shatter on top! Close-up you can see the different colors, but from a distance it looks like a gilded green.

What else is new? The petite and I did mother/daughter manicures and pedicures at a cute little Potrero Hill salon on a lovely sunny day, both M and I had routine haircuts at our respective places of grooming (Watermelon Sugar and F.S.C. Barber), and we’ve had a few dreamy little dates and nights out and about. We saw Pariah, which was really so good and well done and I urge you all to see it if you haven’t already, and we’ve surrendered to the charms of Downton Abbey, a new addiction on PBS.

After a bit of research, we’ve also added a handful of towns to our Massachusetts shortlist, should the final decision lean that way – we’re supposed to commit one way or another exactly two weeks from now!

Denim & Vest: Denim & Supply Ralph Lauren
Tornado Recovery T-Shirt: My Shirt Helps
Tartan Poplin Shirt: Ralph Lauren
Suede Ankle Boots: Trouvé
Necklaces: Culp Baubles (lipstick bullet) / Lisa Galibardy (winged crow skull)
Pony Watch: Asos

How’s 2012 treating you so far?

XOXO,

FFAF

Here it is, folks, the first official FFAF post of the year!

Picking out the first outfit of the year was a challenge – I felt like it had to be special, but at the same time the tomboy and I wanted to get ready in a jiffy for an afternoon playing around in San Francisco and at the beach (after a deliciously long morning in bed). Luckily, we spoiled Californians had lovely weather. All of these photos were taken at the Pacifica Pier, a quarter-mile long pier jutting out into the Pacific Ocean from the tiny coastal town of Pacifica, which is about a five-minute drive from our house.

Blue skies, just a hint of chill in the air, and a bit of haze around the edges to soften things up a bit. (I’m sure the hungover masses appreciated that last merciful touch.) If it’d been a touch cooler, I would have layered my lime green blouse under the sweater – how cute the pointed collar would have been against the black! Alas, t-shirt weather.

Even though in my world this is a pretty un-fussy, low-key outfit, I sure got some looks from the anglers on the pier in Pacifica! Good thing these tights are nearly as thick as pants, what with all the wind blowing around. I could never wear this skirt without super thick leggings underneath – in addition to being terribly sweet it’s also obscenely short.

Sometimes I see other style bloggers bare-legged in skirts this short (sometimes shorter still) and my mind is thoroughly blown. What about wind? What about sitting down? What if – God forbid – you drop your bloody lens cap? Are they outfits for blog purposes only and not IRL? If not, what’s their secret and must it exclude modesty? I NEED TO KNOW.

Daytime snuggles on the beach are kind of the best snuggles, no? I don’t ever do my hair this way, but I kind of love it, especially after seeing the pics. This is second day hair, teased a whole bunch at the crown with the top third or so pulled back and pinned into place, with a spritz or two of trusty Elnett to keep it all secure. I just used some shine serum on my brushed curls and heavy bangs (they’re growing out so quickly), and that’s it! Of course the sea breeze whipped things up, but it appears to be for the better.

I’m gonna talk about my nails, and then let y’all look at the rest of the pictures sans interruption. I saw an online tutorial for ombre nails, yes, just like the clothes or hair, but for nails. It was metallic and blue, but I wanted to do a girly pinkish gold version for NYE, so I picked out four colors (yes, four) and went to work. I layered a muted brown (Zoya Dea) over a pinkish nude (Who Comes Up with These Names? from OPI) over a creamy pink (Zoya Lo), and then blended it all together with a glittery layer of Butter London’s Tart with a Heart. Success!

Details

Skirt: Zara
Sweater: Target
Leggings: Silence + Noise
Studded Suede Ankle Boots: Trouvé
Patent Leather Clutch: Alice + Olivia for Payless

Silver Cuff Bracelet & Ring: BCBG
Silver Thorned Bangle: Made Her Think
Rhodium “bamboo” hoop earrings: Lauren Adams
Watch: Citizen

By now I’m sure everyone’s had the chance to recover from their New Year’s Eve shenanigans and to tailor the first day of 2012 to your individual hopes and dreams. We had a really lovely, quiet evening at home, but I want to hear all about your wild nights out on the town! I thought I’d put together a little “Best Of FFAF” for 2011 since I never quite got around to it last year. It was fun to look back through all the year’s outfits and occasions, and especially to see how much I grew to embrace pants in the latter half of 2011!

This morning, we stayed in bed until 11AM, lingering over our morning coffee, and then decided to grab the balmy winter’s day by the horns. We took a stroll down Valencia to Good Vibes, had a delicious brunch at Le Zinc – crêpes with warm chocolate sauce and eggs aurore - a very sweet little French bistro in Noe Valley, and it was so gorgeous out that we ate our meal on their lush patio. Our next stop was the Pacifica Pier, and it was an absolutely stunning late afternoon by the water! We’ve had a mellow evening, made a light salad for dinner, and are settling in to watch a movie. Perfect!

Exactly one year ago, we vowed to “hit the new punching bag (20,000 for M; 10,000 for me), explore more small batch whiskeys, not get groped by TSA, and to throw ourselves into a secret project for 2011. I want to invest more in my studio for FFAF, read a book per week on average, visit the shooting range a few times per year, and ride horses as often as I can afford to.” Ambitious!

Perhaps a bit too ambitious, as resolutions can sometimes be. While I can say that reading, riding and consumption of small batch whiskeys were all wildly successful endeavors – especially riding, I never imagined I’d come so far in so short a time, and discovering that weekly lessons weren’t out of reach was far more than I dreamed possible – the remainder of the resolutions either changed a little bit or fell by the wayside!

Still, if 2011 set the bar (and that it did), 2012 is poised to break records. We let one hell of a charmed year go in order to usher in another – one I hope is full of just as much love and excitement, plus a few rounds of delicious, deserved change fluttering madly in the wings.

I plan to keep reading and riding as much as possible this year, but will keep shooting guns and prettily lit photos at the top of my priority list! Perhaps the trick is setting deadlines (we’re doing the same thing with new tattoos, I think we picked May 31st). TSA and the punching bag can shove it – I give up! – and our secret project has become our #1 goal this year, thus we’ve decided against setting any formal resolutions for 2012. Eyes on the prize (and that prize is real estate).

What are your goals or resolutions this year? Better health (that seems to be a big one among our friends)? Less drama? Romance? More success, sex, money, friends, hobbies? One friend has vowed to wear more lipstick this year, and I salute her determination with a bold tube of Russian Red!

Wishing you all the best of luck with your 2012 aspirations,

FFAF

Have a safe and marvelous New Year, everybody!

Welcome back, kittens! I hope everyone’s holidays were delightful and cozy! We’re still recovering from ours, but how fantastic it’s all been. My mother had nearly two dozen folks celebrating Christmas at her place, so it was a boisterous and jolly and very merry day. We played my mom’s annual round of “reindeer games” – there are prizes! – opened presents, and had a festive Christmas meal at her beautifully set table. I was tickled pink to see that my stepfather added a toy train set around the small vintage tree they keep in the living room (the real tree is in the big family room) – its adorned with all of my grandmother’s old ornaments and family photos. We stayed ’til nearly midnight and slept like babes.

The petite doesn’t go back to school until January 9th, but will be spending the long weekend at Grandma’s house, so the tomboy and I will have a nice long weekend to ourselves, too. What are your New Year’s Eve plans?

M & I found this little park by the library, and this was just a cozy little outfit I had on for running errands (and obviously with very little makeup on). The denim skinnies are Silence + Noise, and I layered an RVCA collared shirt under a little boy’s sweater from H&M. I love the colors! The little red satchel is from Target and my suede pumps are Franco Sarto. I popped by Ray Bans on, as well as my thorny Swarovski cuff from Made Her Think. That’s it!

Here are a few random shots I like from Christmas, enjoy!

Hopefully lots of you are already on holiday or readying to be there! We’ve run the last little bit of errands, I’ve just got a bit of baking yet to do and then we’re all set, I can hardly believe it. Not that we ever get white Christmases here, but it’s been unseasonably warm out, and I’m ready for some wet weather (like last year, it was pouring). We just bought 40 lbs. of almond firewood, for crying out loud!

Well, here’s our grand old tree, y’all! It’s hard to see the full effect in daylight, but it’s a big, beautiful Noble Fir, decorated in lots of driftwood-ish (as approved by M) ornaments and a few old ones that went with the theme, and a handful of ones I’m too sentimental not to put on the tree every year. We love it. It’s perhaps our best tree yet (excepting the 10′ tall flocked beast we had at Hill Manor in 2005). Sometimes I’ll catch M gazing at it tenderly from the couch, she’s so enamored of it.

This is the kind of outfit a gal picks out when it’s December but warm out. You have to find a happy medium. I paired a sheer black skirt with this sweet cotton top from H&M, with its Peter Pan collar and tiny heart print, topped with the old California Girl standby, a snug jean jacket (mine’s from Old Navy). Because this was a “let’s be comfy and look cute” day, I swept my hair into a braided top knot and laced up my Seychelles ‘Meteor Shower’ canvas boots. Done and done!

The little satchel is from Asos, aka “the portfolio”, and the little vintage lady pin on my jean jacket is from an artist in Dublin, Ireland. The lipstick bullets are Culp Baubles, the earrings from House of Harlow, and I have two big bracelets on – the gold/black one is from Pier One and the black/white hearts one is Betsey Johnson.

Bird decided to come check things out during these photos. Such a nosy little guy! We caught him trying to goof around with his present under the tree when we came home tonight, too. Tsk! (It’s a new soccer ball, since he at last killed the one we got for him in Dublin over the summer.) They’ll have their own silly little stocking on Christmas morning, full of toys and treats. They both inevitably end up covered with bows and ribbons, too, in all the chaos and giddiness.

This’ll be the last post for the holidays! I hope y’all get to spend it with loved ones or however best you like to do enjoy the season. We’re headed up to my mama’s house with lots of treats for everyone – darling boxes filled with homemade shortbread, molasses cookies, and to-die-for bourbon caramel sauce – tied with a big red bow. Since this could very well be our last Christmas here for awhile, we’re going to savor and appreciate every little moment!

Lots of love and joy to you all, be safe and kind and stylish (of course).

XOXO,

FFAF

HI.

I’ve been in a Hunger Games trance for the past week or so, burning through the entire trilogy as if my life depended on it. Let me tell you how tricky it is to become so engrossed in something at the precise time of the year you’re supposed to be focused on holiday nonsense! Very tricky! I only just finished the final book, Mockingjay, earlier tonight, and I’m still in a stunned daze. The petite has only just gotten through half of the second book, and the tomboy has pledged to at least read the first one. Do you know what that means? My lips must be sealed in the comfort of my own home (for the time being, anyway) – I can’t talk about it all! It’s brutal! I have so many feelings!

We did have a really wonderful weekend, though, when my nose wasn’t deep in a book. On Friday night, M took me on a low-key secret date. She warned me beforehand – “it’s just a casual one, Jonesey, don’t go getting all fancy now!” and so I threw this outfit on. We had dinner with gorgeous vintage motorcycles floating over our heads, and antique toy train sets circling the perimeter of the entire place. They had tasty, old-fashioned sours, too!

On Saturday, we headed over the bridge and under the estuary to Alameda, where some dear friends were hosting a holiday soirée at their home. We’ve been meaning to get together for beer can chicken for months but you know how it is, and we finally got around to it!

Lord have mercy, did they ever feed us! Fresh veggies with homemade ranch, and some sort of mysterious and delicious cave-aged cheese for nibbles. Baked brie with caramelized brown sugar and soft, fresh chunk bits of baguette for scooping up the sweet, warm cheese, bacon-wrapped brussels sprouts, their incredible beer can chicken, roasted pork tenderloin, and freshly baked coconut macaroons for dessert. All the Kentucky bourbon in the world, which M sloshed into her eggnog and I with a splash of ginger ale.

It was amazing, their home is lovely and warm, and we just talked and talked until it was time to take a stroll down Christmas Tree Lane to see all the houses lit up in their holiday finest. We had the incredible good fortune to catch both the Dancing Christmas Tree Ladies and the festively lit motorcycle brigade, too! Afterward, we all had coffee or tea and a light, layered chocolate mousse before presents were opened and we parted ways. It was a fantastic evening!

Of course, we came and collapsed and stayed that way all Sunday long, watching holiday movies like The Family Stone and Love Actually, and It Happened on Fifth Avenue for good, old-timey measure, all snuggled in and nursing a small fire for hours.

Now here we are, five days ’til Christmas and just twelve until the New Year! The other day I said that parting ways with 2011 will be like saying goodbye to an old friend, though I know there are lots of you who can’t wait to kick the old bugger to the curb. 2012 is bound to one hell of an adventure for my girls and I, and I’m so excited to roll up my sleeves and get in there already.

411 on the duds:

Corduroy Skinny Jeans: Levi’s
Silk Geometric Print Blouse: Laila & Savannah
Foil “Tantra” Cardigan: Vena Cava
Studded Suede Ankle Boots: Trouvé
Patent Clutch: Alice + Olivia for Payless
Braided Necklace: Tilly’s
Earrings: Silver Crane Sterling
Bracelets: Made Her Think (cuff) and Juniper Tree (beaded)
Rings (L to R): Made Her Think, BCBG, vintage

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.

As good a way to start a new post as any, eh? Behold M and her Knob Creek flask. I have lost count of all our flasks. There are many. Some leather-bound, some traditional, some all aerodynamic, one bedazzled with skulls…I think the only addition ours needs is one vintage, slender and ladylike flask, for yours truly. I’d like it to be silver and embossed with an elegant design. Simple. 

Remember how I thought the Habitat for Humanity fiberglass incident would be the end of cargo pants for my beloved? Well, of course she ran out and got herself a new pair, and wore them tree-huntin’, naturally. She also wears them when she doesn’t feel like getting dressed. They’re like sweats or pajama pants, in her mind. Anytime she puts them on, it’s a silent act of defiance.

This saw was way more dangerous than it looks! Very sharp. Last night we met some friends of ours in Oakland at a place called Dogwood. It’s on the same block as the Fox Theater, just a lovely, dark little nook on a corner, and they specialize in cocktails and charcuterie. We loved the long, loose wooden community tables, and especially the big pheasants adorning the walls. Though the cocktail program could have used a bit of refinement, they were still pretty tasty, and their gin and bourbon selections extensive and pleasing. The grilled cheese I was fed was incredible. I daydreamed about it today! It was a fantastic night.

Here are the details:

Shirt, Calvin Klein
Puffer, Polo Ralph Lauren
Cargo Pants, Target
Boots, Mark Nason
Belt, H&M

Here are some lovey-dovey pic of the tomboy and I; she really wanted to take some by this plantbutchthingy plantbushthingy. Does anyone have any idea what it is? They’re not cattails and they’re not foxtails, I don’t think. They’re our favorite.

This morning I woke up (a bit fuzzy, I’ll admit) to the most wonderful early Christmas surprise – Eleven Objects, New York-based makers of exquisite, ultra-luxe detachable collars, picked me to win one of their special styles for Louis Exposure! It is easily the best thing I’ve ever won, I’m so honored and can’t wait to have it in my hot little hands!

Hope y’all are having delightful weekends, can you believe we’re already down to 12 days ’til Christmas? Bananas!

Love,

SBJ & M