This was the second time in my life a best friend had announced to me that they were sorry to tell me but they were suddenly moving to Hawaii. Oh hell, no. Bradley and I had developed a friendship which was way too pure for this goddamn world and its …weather. So I invited myself to visit him and his exceedingly blue-eyed boyfriend, Jonathan in their heavenly studio loft in Chinatown, Honolulu.
For 2 months.

They didn’t say no.

Friendship! We swam with sea turtles, rope-swung, hiked towering watertrickles, drank mai tais on premature afternoons, crashed infinity hot tubs at sunset, buoyed ourselves in the warm and silvering dusklit Pacific, and turned a bottle of wine and a dirty concrete slab overlooking moonlit freighters into our own personal loveseat… And we were so good-looking!

But mostly, we opened a vintage boutique (rather, Bradley and Jonathan opened it while I pretended to be right about everything), Barrio Vintage, a concept pop-up. What a dream! Leather, cashmere, Gucci, Dior, preposterous prices….

Quite literally speaking, it was paradise.

Then Rian Flynn came and shit got real:

Photos by Rian Flynn
Styled by Amber Mortensen and Bradley Rhea
Model, Johnelle Anderson
Clothing from Barrio Vintage

Barrio Vintage is open every First Friday at the Chinatown Artists’ Lofts. Add them on Facebook to find out more.

Have you ever purchased a garment that managed to change your entire outlook on life? A garment so wearable, functional, comfortable and versatile, you can barely bring yourself to remove it? I went from moving myself to the desert, in denial that temperatures below 40F exist, to hanging out in Iceland and Lithuania in late fall for fun and not even bothering to complain about the weather.
This little coat by Merrell is responsible.

This is me after being stranded overnight in a heinous snowstorm in a convertible with no heater. I am not even kidding. Yes, I may look a tad bit FRAZZLED, but I am miraculously ALIVE.

It’s not just the cute toggle buttons that make this coat amazing. It is the warmest thing I’ve ever sported, but it is also breathable, and compact enough to fit in my backpack or drape over my bag while shopping. It has deep, numerous and hidden pockets for passports, bicycle keys, train tickets and stolen pub coasters. It even looked chic with the $14 mall dress I bought at the mall to meet a Lithuanian president in.

Berlin

Reykjavik

I am in love. Copenhageners say that there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing. I am starting to believe them.

Know what else I was a genius for bringing to Europe? These little numbers from MustHaveShoes:

Supplemented with some amazing arch supports (from Foot Petals), these boots were perfect for miles and miles of walking. They were warm, but low profile in the suitcase, gave me jusssst enough height to feel slightly more Giselle-like but still be comfortable, and melded seamlessly with every outfit I brought.

What is the best thing you ever packed for a delightfully impractical vacation?

Wha..wha…what??! How is August already winding up? I think I may have been caught in a wormhole. Don’t be too alarmed… Thank you all so much for your tips! I couldn’t believe all the legit get-rich-quick schemes you could spout when asked… it makes me wonder what you are doing on my blog? Keep one eye on your emails for your free copy of The Wanderlust Workbook from Yes and Yes!

Alas, not a lot of money has been made (I even considered becoming a go-go dancer at a gay bar, but I think I may be too straight-I’m not fooling anyone), but I am still determined to become stranded in a foreign country for the winter because it sounds like too much fun. Well, character-building anyway. I better get used to the cold because I may be moving back to Canada in a couple of years! Details forthcoming and aren’t they juicy!

The plan right now is to hit New York in early October for a pending shoot with the peerless Market Publique and one of my favorite photographers, Kailas. In the meantime, I am working on my quicklycomingomgit’shere! fashion show at Hotel Congress!

The promo photo was shot by the fabulous Steven Meckler and my cohort for the fashion spreads that will soon be hitting Zocalo Magazine. Everyone who knows me knows that dogs are my favorite people. So this event was custom designed for me. Our shoot also featured rescued dogs, including this adorable mutt, Alley, who is now (but not for long!) available for adoption at Hope Animal Shelter.

And this is Butter Bean the Sex Machine, who was recently rescued and adopted.

The theme for the show? I will be dressing my models like a prep school girl with hippy parents. Our dog models will be dressed in their birthday suits. Be there!!

Yesssss. That’s right. I’ve caught the wanderlust again. We’ll just try and forget that this idea is way beyond my means, that i just spent the hottest months of the summer in the southern Arizona desert, and that I’ve been keeping nothing but my pet flies in my wallet… The itinerary is set, the fingers are crossed and I’m headed north at the coldest time of year to some of the chiliest and most stylish cities in the northern hemisphere.

My mission? To see how I, a Bona Fide Desert Child, will keep warm and functional but still, er, Painfully Hip, while traveling solo with nothing but a tiny backpack for awhile.

I’ve come up with some janky schemes in my life, but this one’s a doozie.

So far I have a one-way ticket to Reykjavik and enough dough saved to get me to Copenhagen if I couchsurf. Inter-European travel is ridiculously cheap, so if everything goes as planned, I would like to chase the sun all the way through Spain and/or Italy to Marrakech and/or Athens. My return ticket will just have to wait. But I’m getting a little ahead of myself now, I need a plan. And I can’t let this muggy, monsoon-baited weather make getting stranded in Iceland sound like a good idea.

First things first.
Ideas:

• Read the new eBook, The Wanderlust Workbook by Sarah of Yes and Yes, who just happens to be leaving on a well-planned, perfectly executed 9 month long journey across the opposite hemisphere departing on almost the exact same moment as my janky one.

Seriously, this book rocks. If I didn’t pay heed to this delightful publication, I’m pretty sure I would have ended up in the fetal position in an shitty airport hotel in Copenhagen snotting into the phone at my mommy.



• Throw a Fashion Show and Benefit for Hope Animal Shelter on Aug 27th at Club Congress and schedule a million photo shoots (yes, I realize these won’t help with either problem, but at least they’ll keep me distracted)
• Start a Wardrobe Consulting Business – will travel (duh)!
• Get a Second Job (ooh Arizona, your minimum wage makes me saaaaad)
• Put myself under house arrest till October
• Lend my body to medical studies (thanks, Sarah!) or sell my plasma in spite of my irrational fear of needles
• Ask you guys what your best travel tip / get rich quick scheme is.

GIVEAWAY: The TOP TWO TIPS in the comments on this post will get a FREE download and mp3 of Sarah’s gem-laden eBook, The Wanderlust Workbook (plus some extra feel-goodies!

Holy cannelloni.
If there are two Top Things I love in this crazy world that both start with an S, they would be San Francisco and Shopping. Which is why, when the San Francisco Visitors Bureau offered me (and four other bloggers) one of their patented Stay & Shop SF packages the weekend before I was due back in California, I sure as hell changed my plane ticket double-quick-like.

What to do? What a question. Having lived only 1.5 hours out of the city for a third of my life, I’ve come to know this city and its multifarious wiles like a good friend. And while I know I have barely scratched the skin of its numerous diversions and plan to dig deeper on this trip, here are a few of many unmissable places I get homesick for when I’m away.

Continue Reading…

Telegraph Hill Golden Morning Sun by lonebuffalodave

Continue Reading the rest of this article…

When sensational Sarah of Yes and Yes (two of my favorite words and definitely one of my favorite reads), approached me to guest post on Painfully Hip, I nearly pooped myself… it felt almost akin to Angelina Jolie asking politely if she could guest host on The Bonnie Hunt Show.
I thought I had the subject of packing light covered, but now she’s gone ahead and one-upped me like I’m, well, Bonnie Hunt.
Thanks so much, Sarah (I think)!

Do you guys actively fantasize about The Type Of Woman you want to be? My imaginary best self usually boasts a wardrobe of carefully selected vintage gear, makes witty commentary about current events (“Oh that Kim Jung Ill is just rapacious!”), owns a boxer named Steve and never, ever has to check her luggage.

While I may never accomplish the dog-ownership (my apartment’s too small) or the witty commentary (unless you count thinking of a clever comeback in the car two hours later) I think I can manage the luggage component of that fantasy. In fact, I’ve got this bit so down pat, I successfully packed for a weekend in Chicago using only my purse.
What? Yes.

Now, I grant you that my purse? Well, it’s rather large. But within its confines I managed to fit my netbook, camera, makeup bag, pajamas and two outfits. If you’re keen to try this madness yourself – a few tips:

Dresses are Best
Dresses are fantastic even when you’re not trying to pack in your purse – one thing! outfit complete! You can bring one cute dress and a few things to layer with it and viola – several outfits, you genius, you!

Accessories = Totally Different Outfit
Yes, I’m now applying for a job with the Obvious Committee. But it bears repeating – headbands/necklaces/leggings completely change the look of your ensemble, right? I brought a cute navy dress that I thrifted to wear on its own with a funky necklace as I poked around Millennium Park and shopped. The next day, I wore it with a little button-up and a different necklace when I met Winona of DaddyLikey fame for lunch and gossip.

The All Important Big Scarf
The big scarf. It elevates most any outfit, makes you look like you miiiight be European (or at least from New York) and it can double as a pillow/wrap/towel/blanket. When I got off the bus in Chicago at 6 am, I wandered around the city in my pajamas taking photos. When I stopped at a coffee shop for breakfast, I asked the barista if it was painfully obvious that I was wearing my pajamas and she assured me that it wasn’t. I credit my big scarf for this answer. And her desire for a tip.

Skimp on the Toiletries
If you’re staying with friends or at a hotel there’s really no need to bring shampoo/conditioner/lotion and the like, eh? They take up heaps of room, weigh your bag down and might spill all over that cute satin lining. Besides, I’m always partial to trying out my friends’ products to see if I’m missing out on anything.

The Patented Roll-Packing Technique
Any experienced packer will corner you to sing the praises of roll-packing. Rolling your clothes will keep them (relatively) wrinkle free and take up exponentially less space. If you want to up the level of anal retentiveness just a bit, you can put your rolled clothing in a separate bag inside your purse so they don’t come unrolled and mingle with everything else. You will also be less likely to pull out your black thong at Panera when you’re digging through your purse looking for change.

Would you ever pack in your purse? What are your packing tips?

I don’t know if a red carpet event qualifies as such if it starts at 8am at a discount department store and there is no booze or paparazzi involved… If, however, it means that a corporation spoils the spit out of you for 24 hours, then yes, I attended a red carpet event. In Glendale, California.

Thank you very much to TJ Maxx for inviting me, putting me up at the Hilton and then, so very kindly, offering to buy my “return” leg to Tucson. You could say that the price of my interstate move was on the dime of a corporation. That’s how I roll. Thanks again, TJ Maxx.

Two rad DKNY dresses. The one on the left is, like 99% off. Or was it the right one.

Anyhow. Style expert and TV personality, the lovely Alison Deyette, explained to us the ins and outs of why off-price retailers, Marshalls and TJ Maxx are so effing rad. In the words of legit wordsmith, Well-Heeled With a Mission:

TJ Maxx buyers travel 40 weeks out of the year to speak to vendors all over the world.

Off-price retailers engage in “opportunistic” buying, i.e. when forecasting mistakes, canceled orders, or overproduction result in more items that a full-priced retailer can buy, an off-price will come in and buy the merchandise at vastly discounted prices.

Most of the merchandise at off-price retailers are in-season, and are released at the same time as full-priced merchandise at department stores. (i.e., you can find a dress at Nordstroms and the same dress at TJ Maxx in the same week.)

Off-price retailers have a fast turnaround time of as short as 2-3 weeks from the time a shipment is ordered to the time that the products are delivered, processed, and shown on the floor.

Department stores have the option of shipping back merchandise they don’t sell, but off-price retailers’ purchases are final.

As you know, I am not huge into “labels” and “names,” but I do, indeed I do, appreciate quality and a good deal when I see it. At this TJ Maxx, I managed to score:

I am currently editing photos from the Preen Glam Rock Fashion Show! Here’s a teaser:

These WILL be joining the ranks of my closet soon enough. That is legit vintage python. BELIEVE.

Rather a gypsy myself at the moment, I couldn’t resist posting this advance look at Kate Moss giving the recession mad street cred for V Magazine (hits newsstands tomorrow). It’s cool to be homeless once again, ladies and gents. Kate sampled the transient lifestyle and “lived” with the gypsies in Cornwall, England over the 2-day shoot.

I want to do this shoot. Biblically, that is.

Photographed by Iain McKell
Styling by Karen Langley
Kate wears Isabel Marant, Chloe Sevigny for Opening Ceremony, Kenzo, John Galliano, Stefanel, Dsquared, and vintage.
Thank you to Austin Smedstad for the sneak peek.