Let's go (shopping)...to San Francisco!

I've recently had the glorious joy of having a wee holiday in San Francisco. If you ever get the chance to go, I'd heartily recommend that you do. There's so much to see and do and it has, minus the crazy fog, a glorious but not too hot climate. We were there late June so we missed the first of the crazy UK rain while we were away - bonus! Obvs, I'm getting rained on now good style. Ah well - I'm not a witch, I won't melt.

Back to San Fran. I was there for a week and in California nine days total - way too much action for one little post. So, I figured I'd break it down (y'all) and start with what I'm good at: the shopping highlights. San Francisco shopping is really good. You have all your high street stuff and big department stores if you're so inclined and you know what works out cheaper bought in the US. The exchange rate's only ok just now though so there aren't quite such amazing savings to be made these days. Though tell that to a $3.99 bottle of perfectly drinkable Californian wine. One high street place you can definitely save is Forever 21 - plus, it seems like their stuff in the US is nicer than the selection I've seen here. I snaffled a couple of mini skirts (bring on the rainbow lurex mutha fugga!), a diamante studded t-shirt (cause I'm 12) and a purdy summery maxi dress there:

F21 aside, I didn't do too much high street shopping at all: so much of it is the same stuff we have over here and there was much more to be seen than the generic inside of another H&M! Plus, one thing San Francisco is brilliant for is vintage and thrift shopping and little boutiques. And it was in these stores I bagged my best bargains. First up, my $12 jumpers:

Don't even try telling me there's no place in life for orange neon lace jumpers. I wasn't sure about this at first but the sun went to my head and I got it anyway. I've now worn it and it's bloody awesome! That was a wee boutique-y bargain. But the same place did vintage and second hand and yielded this:

Being a big time magpie, I couldn't walk past it - it was hanging way up the wall and I had to get the chick to grab it down with a grabber stick and, even if it hadn't fitted, I probably would have bought it anyway! I've sewn back on the loose sequins and handwashed it now and it's hanging up airing - it's one of those that's clinging desperately to its musty smell. Ah well, if I have to go out smelling a bit old lady-tastic, I have to go out smelling a bit old lady-tastic. I'll look frigging awesome. You win some, you lose some. The top is made by a brand called Tally Boutique New York. A quick Google search isn't turning up anything on them unfortunately, just a few other pieces for sale on t'interwebs.

Unbelievably, I'd nearly walked past the shop - I was put off by all the slutty-clubber looking neon tat in the window (they definitely favoured a net tutu and a boob tube). Feel free to have an ironic LOL as you recall the lurid orange number I bought...anyway, the shop (whose name I didn't notice - it was on the main street in Haight Ashbury) also did good ol' second hand and I bagged this, still tagged, Calvin Klein dress for a mere $24.95!

It's a gorgeous cornflower blue and still had all the pin tucks in the skirt tacked closed. The skirt is super full and the bodice is boned and just ever so slightly neat on - it'll be grand if I'm standing up and not eating loads. Though, that doesn't sound like me...

And so to my last fashion based bargain. A pair of woven leather, tasselled Bally loafers. For just $8.50! That's about £5.50! Holy Mary. These things are expensive new! They're so Man-From-Delmonte. And, to them, I say YES! Time to go - I have a medallion to polish and some pimpin' to do...

 

Gucci, Zara, Gucci, Zara...

Check out these Gucci shoes - swoon!

They're so crystal clad and sparkly! And they're currently on sale at Net-A-Porter at £735 down from £1470. Bargain, huh? Eh, no, not so much. I mean, I know they're Gucci and all but that's still pretty crazy money. So, in theory, they're out of reach. Or are they...

Look what I found in Zara!

As usual, my pictures do them no justice - they're far prettier and sparklier looking than I've captured and look waaaaay more expensive than their £59.99 price tag. I'll be honest: I actually bought these a month or so ago for the sheer love of them, having never seen the Gucci numbers. It was just today while I was browsing designer sale shoes (post on that coming soon. Too. Much. Swoon) that I spied the Guccis and did a whiplash inducing double take. My Zara's may not have crystal heels too but the difference between the tens and hundreds of pounds will go a loooooooong way! On more shoes most likely...

McWho? McQueen you say?

Yes, McQueen

And, yes, we're talking shoe porn. And we're talking a big fat bucket list tick. Oh, you know the shoes are good when there's a proper dust bag.

When it comes to porn, it's an each-to-their-own thing, isn't it? What works for one doesn't for another and all that jazz. And when it comes to shoe porn, S&M mine up baby! Bring on the STUDS!

Ew. S'cuse that blurry pic. I'd already taken it and uploaded them all by the time I realised how bad it was and, frankly, I couldn't be arsed going back to get a better one. Is that terrible? I couldn't not include it though because you really need the back view. Of the studs. Here's a sidey back view:

Gay god, are they not an utter joy?! The neat rounded studs (S&M lite, if you will), the gorgeous electric blue leather. Oh the leather. I don't know about you but, when I get new leather shoes, I have to give them a good sniff and a good stroke. And working in shoes, there's usually no shortage of colleagues waiting for their stroke and sniff too. I usually oblige. These smell good. And feel good. Especially when you run your hands over the studs. Did I mention they're studded?

Look how gloriously pointy the toes are. I love a good almondy toe. I've just got back into the idea of a stiletto in the last year or so. They're still only a tiny portion of my shoe collection but those I do have are crackers. When I get a mo', I'll show you some more. They're worth it.

At this time in the proceedings, I'd desperately like to get a "woop, woop" for the white heel tip and white platform. It's shit like this that I die for. Electric blue stiletto = good. Electric blue stiletto with stud detailing = I'm swooning. Electric blue stiletto with stud detailing and a white rubber platform, sole and heel tip = Llara's shoe heaven. I swear, I put these on (and I was wearing a heap of random stuff that they did NOT go with) and I was just cooler. Instantly. These shoes kill shit shoes. Shoes like this are why I push the boat out and embrace a bit of designer from time to time. Oh glory. I'm off to go hug my shoes.

Herman the German

We once met a German called Herman when I was on holiday as a kid. Even back then I loved a good dose of wordplay so I found the moniker 'Herman the German' immensely satisfying. This post isn't about him (though if you're interested, he was dead tall and rocked a Speedo.), it's about a cake. Herman the German friendship cake. I'd never heard of such a thing until I was given a piece of the mixture from whence Herman springs. He was given to me by a lovely lady I met on jury duty (that's my most recent excuse for having not been hanging about here for, like, aaaaaaages) and, in a nutshell, he's like a chain letter but in cake form. You get given a bit of cake mix, which you add to for 8 days, split into 4, giving 3 parts of the mixture away to unsuspecting friends/eager bakers/ anyone you can find who reckons they can get another 3 folk to take a bit. You add some extra basics, some fruit, bake it and, voila, a fully formed Herman. Here's how it goes - be warned, this isn't one of those gloriously shot food posts. In fact, he doesn't look great most of the way through. Who cares though, right? Hopefully the words are painting a tiny picture and I can tell you that he tastes bloody lovely! Enjoy.

Mmm, non-descript cake mix.

Adding to the mix on day 4.

Masquerading as a giant jar of jam.

Warning, do NOT taste Herman raw. He is not a spoon-licking kinda cake. Who woulda thunk it with all that milk in him, sitting out for days. He's a bubbling bad-ass.

Herman split into 4, the rest of the ingredients are added, including apples and raisin. Fruit means he's totes healthy, innit?

I had so much cake mix, I had to bake two Hermans...

The Herman bits that got stuck in the cake tin. Perfect with ice cream on top! Yum!

Big bright flowers and an Easter beasting

Evening. Don't be alarmed. When I say 'beasting' I'm being over dramatic. Easter has kicked me clean off the healthy wagon and I am huffing and puffing behind it, trying desperately to get back on. But I figure, whilst I'm off that wagon and hiding indoors stuffing my face with Celebrations and tea, I might as well hop on the blogging wagon. Make good use of my time and whatnot.

To catch you up: I joined Weight Watchers a couple of months back and am doing so-so with it. It's dead easy and actually makes good sense and seems to be encouraging a healthy lifestyle and healthy eating, as opposed to some unsustainable ideal. However, what I wish to do, is incorporate said healthiness into my actual life in a way that lets me have... an actual life. I'm never going to be the chick that won't go partying or have a nice gin because she's "on a diet" or who won't go out for tea or cake for fear of what'll happen to the waistline. Equally, I don't want to be fat and unhappy but claiming to be 'enjoying' myself because I eat and drink what I like. There's more to life than the eating and drinking after all and I know, when I feel overweight and bloated it makes me unhappy. So I'm doing weight watchers. And the weight's coming off slower than it might if I stuck rigid but...see above. Plus, I have been gyming it dead diligently of late. I'm going to a big mix of classes and trying new stuff and mainly liking it. I've started (with the notable exception of the last few days) to look forward to my classes, whether it's sweating on a bike or knocking seven shades of imaginary shit out of whoever's pissing me off, at Bodycombat. But Easter. Man, Easter has knocked me flat in terms of both exercise and eating well! However, I've decided not to let it bother me too much, to have this few days blow out and to climb BACK on the wagon before the weekend. And, frankly (and smugly), I'm plenty fit enough these days to catch it...

So today, in an attempt to convince myself that I should be getting back on the aforementioned four wheeled, horse drawn vehicle, I decided to wear a pencil skirt. Cause they're all sooky and unforgiving, like.

OK, so this one's stretchy, which makes it a wee bit more sympathetic but, silhouette-wise, it is not forgiving! I breathed in a lot today when standing! Haha! You try getting a non bespoke pencil skirt to fit proportions like mine. I love this skirt though. I got it recently in H&M. They've done about a hundred million things in the print (I've seen a shirt, t-shirt, another skirt, a dress, trousers - there may be more) so normally I'd steer clear but I just loved the big bright florals so I nabbed it anyway. I actually tried the trousers too. Step too far for the pear. Ah well, gawd loves a trier. In a sly attempt to cover le belly du chocolate, I wore it with a nice baggy leopard jumper:

Jumper: Primark

S'cuse the smug arse face. I have no idea what that's all about. But, look! I stood somewhere new for a change. Yup, ALL my pictures are usually in the hall because there's a nail on the bathroom door that allows me to hang the camera at a height that works for pictures and to get far enough back to get my full length. You see, the only person who's ever in when I do my pics is my lovely and awesome husband. But - 1) he takes crap pictures, 2) I feel like a giant twat posing, so I prefer to just DI-My and use the nail. But, I realised today that there's a pic in the bedroom with a nail at an OK height. Woop. Don't I just tell the BEST stories? Here's a close up of my stinking awesome £1.50ish Primark sale necklace.

And it's only right that we finish up with some shoe perving, non? These shoes are bloody awesome. One of my best pairs for sure. Amazing. They never fail to bag compliments and why should they? I nearly broke my ankle at the front door this evening. But that's by the by. If I had, at least my feet would've looked good...

Somebody stop me feat. Camilla Skovgaard

Actually, don't stop me. You see, the thing is, I seem to be developing a taste for expensive shoes. Oh, don't get me wrong, I've always had an eye for them but, like those posh pastel macaroons or tea time snacks from Fortnum and Mason (if you've never tried their Florentines, you should. They're hideously expensive for what they are but, oh, Florentine heaven. Heaven. For the record, the ones I tried were a gift.), I assumed they were for, well posh folk and TOWIE types and just a bit out of my price range. But then came the Louboutins - one of my shoe holy grails (I'm planning a post on my shoe bucket list...) - slashed in price on the Outnet. Oh the Outnet. It's basically like the designer equivalent of eBay but without the bidding process. You see designer shoes, you love them. You see the price and know they're a bargain (relatively speaking) and that there's only one left and it's your size. It's fate. But then comes the lightning fast mental arithmetic - has the money come out your account for shite you've bought in the last week, has your pal paid you for those train tickets, can you afford them, do you really need them, all the while knowing that some beatch could snap them out from under your nose as you try to figure out what £347-£124+£54 is... So, in summary, the Outnet and similar such sites make shoes you thought you couldn't afford more attainable. And this week, it happened to me again...a bucket list item (you'd never have guessed from the post title)

What could it be?

Oh Camilla!

Dust bag = poshness.

Plummy perfection. Oh, ok, I acknowledge that they look a bit dull from this angle.

But, the deep plum is so classic and just look at that doused-in-petrol effect heel!

Look, just look! It's all at once so pretty and so fierce!

And the box is like an architectural wonder of the world. Well, of the box world, maybe. I appreciate this detail.

BOOM! Not so boring now, eh? That's what I call a platform. Someone get me a field cause these babies are rubbered up like a mother effing tractor! Actual boring shoes can kiss their ass. Or their heel or something.

The thing is, designer labels have never really been my thing. I'll happily wear stuff from anywhere (that isn't on my customer service blacklist). But, oh, posh shoes. They just feel so decadent on the foot! The construction is so beautiful and they genuinely do feel more comfortable. And these: the nubuk upper is so soft. Butter, babies butts, whatever - doesn't cover it. Doesn't come close. Even boys in my office stroked them and cooed when they arrived. Such joy. And that's a little of why I shall save pennies to indulge my little habit occasionally...

#scottishbloggers meet for International Women's Day

Fancy dancy - I've never been to a blogger's meet up before. Or should I say I had never been to a blogger's meet before. Last Thursday, in honour of International Women's Day, Kirsty of Forty Four Sunsets, decided to get a bunch of Scottish bloggers together to raise awareness, celebrate the ladies of this world and to make some cash for Oxfam. And, amazingly, she ended up with around 50 responses and about 30 of us getting together!

The evening kicked off with a wee "Amazingly Awesome" quiz which Kirsty's lovely mum was handing out at the door. It was for a bit of fun and to be filled out during the evening, but it was also full of some pretty sobering and important messages - things like: "more women than men are killed during natural disasters" and "70% of people living in poverty are women". International Women's Day aims to highlight issues such as these but also issues closer to home such as domestic violence and male to female wage gaps. In it's simplest form, I take from it a feeling of sisterhood and looking out for your girls! And having a big get together with so many beautiful girls who were moved to be together for such a great cause was just wonderful. Here's a bit of what we got up to...

As well as the quiz, money was raised through a raffle. And Oxfam thought of everything in their IWD packs, right down the the beer mats and bunting!

You could also have your nails Shellac-ed by Rani of Cupcake Couture for a mere fiver! That money also went into the charity pot. I went for pink glitter with a teeny heart with a strawberry in the middle on my ring fingers.

Rani also baked for the bake sale - what a lege'!

The venue, Glasgow's Hillhead bookclub was friggin awesome. It looked amazing, the barmen looked amazing (what? I don't stop 'ppreciating dudes on women's day!) and their fried whitebait was to-die-for delicious! Oh, and their strawberry gin mojito (not sure how that works when it's rumless) wasn't too shabby either.

I caught up with my awesome (see, 'ppreciating the chicks too!) buddy Carol (My Stylisms)...

And found time to strike a cheeky pose myself...

We got a lovely goodie bag with some nice bits and bobs for the hair and I was lucky enough to win a prize in the raffle: an Elemis skincare set and a massage! Wowzers!

The fab news is that, by the end of the night, the grand fundraising total was £222.50! Given that this started as a tentative 'does anyone fancy...' and progressed to girls turning up from all over Scotland, this is brilliant! It was so nice to have an evening of chilling and chatting and we must give a huge thanks to Laura from Oxfam who came and did a talk on IWD. For those fancying a bit of inspiration, you can check out this post by Kirsty. In the meantime, here's a bit about the difference that ONE girl can make...