Monthly Archive for September, 2010

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Lunch Lady

Published on September 10, 2010 in Ensemble. 1 Comment Tags: .

I’m happily satiated this afternoon because I had such a wonderful lunch today. Got a call in the morning that the shoes I took over to Joe Pacific Shoe Repair were done. Yess! So Mark and I decided to have lunch downtown and pick up my shoes on the way there. I am content to say that 2 out of the 3 shoes were a success! As you can see above, I am already wearing the bow flats that I thrifted. They were stretched out and now my feet actually fit into them. In a perfect world, they would be a tad bit bigger, but as Tim Gunn would say, I’ve got to just “make it work”. Unfortunately, in the few hours since picking them up, I realized that the heels on these need to be replaced soon too. As for the other pairs, the suede shoes look great and will no doubt become a new everyday staple. But, I’m heartbroken to report that the brand new croc skin bow flats still do not fit. I can get my feet into them, but can barely walk around. I don’t know what else to do. Any ideas aside from traditional foot binding?

Lunch was wonderful. If you are thinking the restaurant looks familiar, you’d be correct. It’s Bruno’s Forno in Chinatown. We took some of our one-year anniversary photos here. The woman at the counter remembered us this time, but I guess it’s not a stretch to recognize a goofy gal with red lipstick posing for photos in a teeny restaurant. P.S. all of these photos were taken on Mark’s iPhone4. Apparently there was some software update with the camera that allows it to correct for lighting situations and takes multiple shots. (I might be getting this all wrong, but I’m sure he’ll chime in to correct it).

We both had a lasagna and salad combo for $8.50. As you can imagine, it was perfection. But, I have to admit my favorite parts were the soft+crusty+flour-dusted+amazing bread and root beer in a bottle. Delish!

HAPPY FRIDAY!

lace top – thrifted for $3
jeans – 7ForAllMankind
earrings – vintage 60′s studs from popCLOTH
shoes – vintage Ferragamo Vara Bow Flats + thrifted

A tale of two soles

Published on September 8, 2010 in Shop. 1 Comment Tags: .

Ah shoes, a woman’s best friend. When I was younger and infatuated with Sex and the City, I wanted nothing more out of life than to skip across busy city streets in 4 inch stilettos all the while looking graceful and light-footed. Years later when confronted with the reality of blisters, throbbing arches and weakened ankles, I turn to flats as my all day, everyday shoes. And which legendary designer has been synonymous with beautiful, timeless flats for decades? Why, yes it’s Mr. Salvatore Ferragamo. So imagine my delight as I recently came into possession of a couple of pairs of vintage Ferragamos.

The first you already know about – my $5 thrifted Vara bow flats in matte black leather. But these next two are also very dear to me. One of my best friends offered me this brand spankin’ new pair of crocodile leather bow flats, still in the box. Her great-aunt was giving them away and she knew how much I would love them. (Thanks, Bri!). The only problem with both of my bow flats? They are size 5′s and I can barely get my feet into them, much less actually be able to walk around. Not one to give up on a great find, I researched the possibility of stretching the shoes and found out that it is indeed possible to go up a whole size! Perfecto, because I could never imagine parting with these babies.

On another thrifting adventure, I found these suede flats with a great wooden buckle design for $10. They were my size and fit like a dream. I was so excited about them, I wore them to work the very next day. Sadly, everywhere I went that day, I left behind crumbling black remnants. Eventually, I noticed that the rubber heel had completely disintegrated and I was left with this sad sight. I desperately needed to find a shoe repair store!

From an online search, I found very few shoe repair shops in Honolulu. The good news though is the ONE shop we do have downtown had very good reviews. It’s called Joe Pacific Shoe Repair (126 Queen Street) and it’s down a tiny alley connecting Merchant and Queen Streets. Last Saturday, I took in all three of my Ferragamo’s – two to stretch a size bigger ($8 each) and one to replace the heel ($14). My total came out to $30. Not bad at all if you are talking about 3 vintage designer shoes that I only paid $15 to begin with. I should be getting them back this weekend and will definitely give my own review. Fingers crossed that they come out exactly the way I want! I also picked up some Shoe Goo and will set off to fix other pairs that I have at home.

Inside Joe Pacific’s tiny little shop with shoes everywhere!

Morphed: Laura Ashley dress

Published on September 6, 2010 in Ensemble and Morphed. 1 Comment

Remember back when I talked about that incredible thrifting adventure? This original Laura Ashley dress was one of my finds. Not sure if you can tell from the ‘before’ photo, but the dress was rather large. It was marked as a size 12, and I usually wear a 0 or 2, so you can imagine the alterations. I will note, however, that through my thrifting experience, it seems that sizes from a few decades ago cannot be compared to sizes now. Indeed, I’ve found 6′s & 8′s from previous decades to fit perfectly, while 2′s & 4′s are almost impossible to get into.

For this dress, I took in the sides of the bodice by a couple of inches, the shoulder straps were shortened 2 inches on each side, and I took up the hem by 14 inches! Because the skirt hoop was so large, I also took that in significantly. I’m sad that some of the photos make it look like the skirt hem is crooked, but I can assure you it’s not. The fullness complicates the way it falls at times, I guess.

This leather satchel was given to me by Mark’s mother. It was actually handcrafted by a friend of the family’s. It’s amazing to think about the care and craft that went into the piece. Apparently that friend is a physician and just works with leather as a hobby… jeez, makes me feel like a slacker.

I LOVE that this dress has pockets!

dress – Laura Ashley thrifted + morphed
flats – Esprit
leather satchel – a handcrafted hand-me-down
earrings – Forever21

Fit for a Queen

Published on September 2, 2010 in Ensemble, Personal and Random Thoughts. 0 Comments

A couple of weekends ago, Mark and I decided to go on a little adventure around the island. We packed up some lunch, our swimsuits, got in our little car and just drove wherever we felt like. Unfortunately, the day did not cooperate. It actually turned out to be quite a disaster.

First, we stopped by an antique store I’ve been meaning to check out, but it was closed. Then, we decided on shave ice, but on the way there got caught up in a little traffic shuffle and actually had an octogenarian give us the middle finger. Once parked, we remembered we had lunch and wanted to eat that before dessert so we set off again for a nearby beach park. We found the beach overflowing with people and no place to park. In a huff, we drove off in search of an alternative picnic place. Mark knew of a little park, but upon settling there, we found the flies unbearable. Cut to: eating our Vietnamese noodle lunch out of the back of the car in the parking lot. Worse part? We forgot the chopsticks and napkins!

Dejected and smelling of fish sauce, we packed up and started back home. On the way, though, I asked to stop at the Queen Emma Summer Palace in Nuuanu. I had never been before, but recently saw the most beautiful wedding photos from our friend Christie. It was so lovely and tranquil – just the perfect thing we needed to decompress from our epic fail of the day.

The palace was the summer home of Queen Emma and her husband King Kamehameha in the mid-1800′s. We were told that most of the furniture and antiques in the home were originals. My favorite room was a back bedroom with a grand chandelier, four-poster bed, beautiful armoire and an airy cotton + lace nightgown hanging from it. We couldn’t take photos inside the palace, but outside on the grounds were fair game.

I was dressed casually for the humid Hawaii summer day, so nothing fancy here. But, at least I stayed comfortable and cool. We really weren’t too bummed about the day. It ended well and I always have fun just riding in the car and looking out at the beautiful scenery.

plain white tank – Target
high waisted shorts – Fashionista’s Market (they were having a 50% sale and I got these for less than $10!)
flats – Samuel
belt – Forever21
vintage studs – CLOTH
vintage Coach purse – inherited
sunglasses – Max Mara