Spring-Summer 2012 Dinner Party with Diesel and SOMA Magazine

What’s more fun than getting together with a bunch of awesome women, enjoying cocktails and a delicious dinner, and celebrating the launch of a new clothing line?

At the Diesel & SOMA Magazine S/S12 Housewarming & Dinner Party

A couple of weeks ago I attended a dinner party hosted by Diesel and SOMA Magazine. The main event was an informal fashion show highlighting jeans from Diesel’s Spring/Summer 2012 line, I Am Who I Am.

But before the main event, we socialized over cocktails . . .

Cosmopolitan cocktail and beautiful table setting at the Diesel & SOMA Magazine S/S12 Housewarming & Dinner Party

. . . and browsed the existing collection – I particularly loved the colored jeans!

Diesel colored jeans

In the new collection, my fave was the high-waisted jeans (shown in the bottom left image, below). It’s a welcome change from the low-waisted jeans that dominate the market!

At the Diesel & SOMA Magazine S/S12 Housewarming & Dinner Party

I had a fabulous time – the people at Diesel and SOMA Magazine who organized this event did an amazing job! And receiving a Diesel watch (one was wrapped around each napkin at the dinner table) was an incredible surprise.

With Kivalani, who shows off the Diesel watch wrapped around her napkin.

I left the party feeling not only inspired by the fashion, but also by the dinner party! I totally need to throw one of my own soon – though I’m afraid I won’t be able to give everyone watches!

Dresses, Drinks, and Dungarees: Diesel Launches “Our Glory”

Last week, Diesel celebrated the launch of its new men’s denim line, “Our Glory”, with a party at Industrie Denim in San Francisco.

Diesel's "Our Glory" line, inspired by 1950s workwear. The denim is created using traditional shuttle looms and dyed with vegetable indigo.

The scene at Industrie Denim

I joined the bloggers and media gurus who came to check out the line, sip cocktails, and mingle. My cocktail of choice: the Spicebox Ginger, which involves a jigger of Spicebox Whisky (I’m a gal who enjoys whisky) in a Collins glass filled with ice, a lemon slice, and ginger beer. The only other drink I’ve had before with ginger beer was a Dark & Stormy, and I have to say I liked this mix better!

With Whitney of Britt + Whit and Lindsay of A City Undressed. I didn't get the memo that navy & aqua were the colors of the evening!

And later in the evening we listened to PAPA rock out!

PAPA

What I wore:
Dress: Blogging Molly Dress in Wallpaper, Effie’s Heart via ModCloth

Celebrating 20 Years of Glamour by Louboutin

Sky-high heels. Extraordinary designs.

Red soles.

I can really only be talking about the fabulous shoes by Christian Louboutin.

Hot pink platform heel by Christian Louboutin

Neiman Marcus hosted a blogger event to introduce Louboutin’s 20th anniversary line, and I absolutely swooned over these shoes!

Check out these killer Louboutin boots!

Showing off a glittery Louboutin heel. Photo by Eli of Thrift Eye.

Cage-y heel by Louboutin

But the shoes that captured my heart? A pair of beige patent leather Pigalle flats with the word “love” spelled out in rhinestones across the toes.

In love with Louboutin's Pigalove Flats. Photo by Eli of Thrift Eye.

A closer look at Louboutin's Pigalove Flats in Nude

Besides admiring the shoes, I had a fabulous time hanging out with awesome SF bloggers!

Chandamheer of Pancake Stacker, Eli of Thrift Eye, and Sarah of Sarah's Ambitions

Sweet manicures by Angie of The Hotness Your Momma Warned You About, Adiel of It's because I think too much, and Eli of Thrift Eye

The whole crew! Photo from @neimanmarcus

So we sent up a toast to Louboutin, and a toast to fun people!

Cheers!

What I wore:
Dress: vintage Shelton Stroller dress (early 1960s)
Belt: vintage
Shoes: Marc by Marc Jacobs (alas, no Louboutins for me – yet!)
Bracelets: black & white bangles from Senegal; the silver cuff was a gift

Brilliant Colors with Gap and Rue!

Gap recently teamed up with FabSugar, Refinery29, Rue Magazine, and others to launch a look book with outfits styled by bloggers, Styld.by. And to celebrate their collaboration, Gap and Rue threw a party at Gap’s store in the Marina District, San Francisco.

In keeping with Gap’s spring line, the party was filled with brilliant colors. Brights abounded in the Smilebooth:

With Jackie of The Hourglass. Photo via Smilebooth.

. . . as well as on bloggers and throughout the Gap store:

Clockwise from top left: Katie and Lindsay; party scene at Gap; Taylor of The Glitter Guide and Sarah of Sarah's Ambitions; requisite shoe shot.

Left to right: With Eli of Thrifteye; Jackie of The Hourglass, Melissa of Savvy in San Francisco, Whitney of Britt + Whit, Jes of Ryzenberg On, and Sarah of Sarah's Ambitions.

By the way, my fave thing in the store? The pink chihuahua purse I’m holding in this Smilebooth pic! (Too cute!)

With Jackie of The Hourglass, Eli of Thrifteye, and Jess of StyleSays. Photo via Smilebooth.

Gap and Rue definitely know how to throw a fun party! But really, how could all those bright colors not get you into the party spirit?

(P.S. Individual photos & a couple extra shots are on my Flickr set.)

What I wore:
Dress: T.A.G. via ModCloth
Cardigan: Final Touch
Bag: Upwardly Mobile Satchel in Red – 14″, The Cambridge Satchel Company via ModCloth
Shoes: Hot for Hemlock Heel in Crimson, Chelsea Crew via ModCloth

Spring Beauty at Neiman Marcus

Neiman Marcus hosted a blogger event at their Rotunda Restaurant to introduce a few of their newest beauty products. Of course, some of the loveliest bloggers in San Francisco attended!

SF Style Bloggers at Neiman Marcus

Everyone loves polka dots!

Eli of Thrift Eye and Jes of Ryzenberg On

Punam of Nothing Broken being photographed by Chandamheer of Pancake Stacker

Love the bold yellows and reds here:

Eli of Thrift Eye with Whitney and Brittany of Britt and Whit

And what I wore? Stripes (a fave) on a 1940s-inspired dress by Stop Staring!, an exclusive Be the Buyer pick at ModCloth. Plus some yellow and fuchsia accessories because I can’t stay away from color. :)

Sweet on Stripes by Stop Staring!, via ModCloth. Photo by Eli of Thrift Eye.

There were some delish drinks and tasty treats to enjoy while we heard about the newest offerings from Creed, Clinica Ivo Pitanguy, Fresh, and Tom Ford Beauty.

Had to take a photo of this tongue-in-cheek sign next to the buffalo chicken bites:

Buffalo Chicken Bites. Allergy Alert: Calories

After the event, we left with goodie bags filled with beauty products to try at home:

Neiman Marcus Beauty Goodie Bag

My personal fave? Tom Ford’s Neroli Portofino Eau de Parfum. It’s a lighter, crisper scent than I usually go for (normally I’m one for spicy, woodsy scents), but I enjoy how it evokes a fresh spring day. The top note smells like fresh honeysuckle blossoms, right off the vine. As a kid (and, who am I kidding, even now), I picked honeysuckle blossoms to taste their nectar. They always struck me as magical flowers, and I guess I’ve fallen for Neroli Portofino because the scent carries some of that magic.

And who doesn’t love a little magic?

Dress: Sweet on Stripes Dress, Stop Staring! via ModCloth
Earrings: vintage
Purse: Longchamp Planètes Tote Bag
Shoes: The Chosen Fuchsia Heel, Chelsea Crew via ModCloth

Retro Revamp

I had a rather fun morning – got to be a hair model for a DIY to be posted on the ModCloth blog. The only downside was that I had to let my hair set all day. But ModCloth has a stash of vintage scarves (used for other DIY posts), so I was able to grab a silk scarf and wrap up my ‘do.

Showing off my super-fashionable head wrap ;)

Okay, totally not my usual style, but it was kinda fun. And went pretty well with my outfit.

It seems I’ve had a thing for patterns recently – this dress is another Trashy Diva fave.

Retro Revamp Dress by Trashy Diva, via ModCloth

I wasn’t actually planning on taking pics while my hair was still up, but went out with Santina to snap a few photos of her because her outfit was adorbs.

Santina strikes a pose

And as you can see, I somehow managed to convince her to ham it up a little. I think it suits her, even if it’s not really her MO. Check out this sweet kawaii pose:

Santina’s Kawaii Pose

After work, Santina and I headed to the San Francisco Center for a party hosted by Madewell and Fabsugar. This was, of course, after my ‘do was finished: a tightly curled 1920’s hairstyle.

Santina and Kate @ the Madewell & Fabsugar Party

The party was all about shopping, meeting other bloggers, and talking fashion. Not a bad way to unwind after work. :)

Shopping and socializing @ the Madewell & Fabsugar Party

Lovely bloggers at Madewell.

One of the coolest parts of the party was the Fabsugar style contest: anyone who wanted to participate had to style & model an outfit using Madewell clothes. And I’m happy to take advantage of any excuse to play dress up!

Participants in the Fabsugar Style Contest

It was a little tricky, because most Madewell pieces are cut for thinner, straighter figures. Their skinny jeans? Not gonna work on someone like me. But I found this awesome green dress and managed to whip something up that’s totally my style: retro & colorful.

Kate à la Madewell – or Madewell à la Kate?

Two outfits in one day? Not bad!

Have you had an opportunity to play dress up recently?

Outfit #1:
Dress: Retro Revamp Dress, Trashy Diva via ModCloth
Cardigan: Button-Up Basics Cardigan in Brown via ModCloth
Shoes: Tippytoes Heels, Seychelles via ModCloth
Scarf: vintage
Belt: thrifted
Bracelet: Victorian mourning bracelet
Tights: Hue
Purse: Un-Teal the End of Time bag, Magnes Sisters via ModCloth

Outfit #2:
Dress: Madewell
Tote bag: Madewell
Belt: Madewell
Necklace: Madewell
Shoes: Madewell
Bracelet: Victorian mourning bracelet
Tights: Hue

My outfit photos taken by Santina of Style by Santina.

In which our heroine learns she *must* start a blog

Santina – a friend from work and the lovely blogger of Style by Santina – invited a couple of us out to “Holiday Big Shot,” a cocktail party at Photobooth, hosted by Mira Mira and Rue Mag. It was after work and involved dressing up & free cocktails (from ORO Pisco), so of course I went. It wasn’t so much about the free cocktails as it was about dressing up. For reals.

With Santina

Santina and I both chose dresses that we could wear in the office (of course, where we work, I’ve seen people wear formal gowns…) but could still be considered holiday glam. Frances, a friend from work who joined us, absconded to the restroom after work to change from day to dangerous. (Although she totally could have worn her dress during the day – and it’s my goal this year to encourage her to dress a little more fabulously around the office!)

With Frances and Santina

Sequins were THE THING to wear at the party, and I absolutely fell in love with one skirt in particular, worn by Angie of The Hotness Your Momma Warned You About. You know when you decide you absolutely MUST have something, and everywhere you look you’re searching for something to satisfy your craving? That’s how I feel about Angie’s emerald green sequin skirt. I don’t think I could quite pull off her skirt, since pencil skirts generally are a disaster on me (if they fit my waist they’ll never get over my hips, and if they fit my hips they’re like a sack around my waist – hardly the most flattering look!). BUT I have decided that somehow I will buy or MAKE a green sequin a-line skirt. If I succeed you will be the first to know!

Angie of The Hotness Your Momma Warned You About, wearing a green sequin Asos pencil skirt. Photo by Kurt Manley: http://www.kurtmanley.com/.

The place was packed with bloggers – and it was the first party I’ve been to where everyone’s first question was, “What’s your blog?,” rather than “What do you do?”

Packed with bloggers! Photo by @shootrr_tpk: http://popularjunk.tumblr.com/.

Alas, I had no blog – and somehow my data analyst business card just didn’t seem to be appropriate. So, spurred on by peer pressure, I opened a WordPress account, and here I am.

Cheers!

Dress: Starlet, Star Bright Dress by Mae, via ModCloth
Shoes: Veronica Heel by Seychelles, via ModCloth
Earrings: Magicicada Earrings by Erica Weiner, via ModCloth