May 21, 2012

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Spotted (SF Street Style): Eclectic Blue

January 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Spotted: San Francisco blogger Punam, at the Space Gallery’s City Dolls trunk show, scoring some sweet jewelry at the Polk Street sale while donning a cream turtleneck, blue vintage sweater with cutouts and sequin detailing, black motorcycle inspired lace-front boots and chunky statement bracelets for the finishing touch.

How does this local style blogger (who writes at Nothing Broken) describe her personal style?

“Lots of vintage. Sometimes I’m dressed like a drag queen, sometimes I’m dressed like a prep, and other times I’m dressed like MC Hammer,” she tells us.

Her favorite places to shop in the city? A girl after our own hearts, she loves to peruse a combo of Goodwill, trade shows, pop-up shops, clothing-by-the-pound and anywhere that doesn’t have an official cash register.

Photography courtesy of Alexandra Naughton with editing fun by SF Indie Fashion

More San Francisco street style…

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Alexandra is a San Francisco writer with a passion for style and creativity. You can find her on Twitter @theTsaritsa
Filed Under: Cheap & chic, Indie Fashion, San Francisco Fashion Bloggers, San Francisco style series, Street style, Vintage Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Behind the Shop: Dina Louise

December 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Colorful rayon-silk blend 80's-era dress in the window of Dina Louise (260 Divisadero St., SF)

Just off Haight Street, vintage boutique Dina Louise has been a neighborhood gem for nearly a year and a half. The shop stands out for not feeling like your typical vintage-slash-thrift situation, but rather an upscale boutique with uncharacteristically reasonable prices.

In the front shop window, handbags from different eras and of varying designs are nestled on an old-timey service cart, while a potted plant and retro kitchenware to add to the homey and welcoming feel. A mannequin dressed in a vibrant rayon knit dress in hues of purple, magenta, black and green sports a bauble-laden gold chain and beckons onlookers to come in for a peek.

When you do, you’ll meet owner Dina Laquaglia, whose wealth of style knowledge is vast and insightful. Not surprisingly, she tells us she was “too young to remember” when her love for retro glamor began. A glance around the store shows that her ardor for old school style is ever-enduring: vintage furniture brimming with fuzzy sweaters and well-edited racks of blouses, dresses, and outerwear from labels such as Yves Saint Laurent, Joseph Magnin, Lanvin, Louis Feraud and Jaeger adorn the small shop’s interiors.

We got a chance to chat with Dina in her shop about vintage style, her boutique and why retro-shopping is oh-so-smart:

A sampling of handbags at Dina Louise

What do you look for when picking new pieces?

I look for pieces that are classic and well-made, good tailoring. I look for something that’s just really fun, unique, something that you would not see if you were to walk into a regular store.

What is currently inspiring to you?

Pieces from the 1980s. I’m really into color right now.

Why do you love vintage?

The quality. For people who can’t afford to spend thousands of dollars on well-made clothes, vintage is a great way to go. Things were just made better back then. Nobody makes clothes like this anymore. I mean, they do, but it’s mostly couture and out of most people’s budgets.

How has Divisadero Street been treating you?

Sales-wise, my best month so far was last month, so things are starting to take off.

What does it take to wear vintage?

You have to be creative, and you have to be willing to take risks. My customers are comfortable with themselves and their style.

Photography courtesy of Alexandra Naughton

More San Francisco vintage…

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Alexandra is a San Francisco writer with a passion for style and creativity. You can find her on Twitter @theTsaritsa
Filed Under: Eco-Friendly, Indie Fashion, Indie-friendly stores, Interviews, San Francisco boutiques, san francisco shopping, Vintage Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

5 Reasons to Buy a Vintage Handbag

December 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment

As you well know, we at SF Indie Fashion love us some vintage. And a you-won’t-see-it-everywhere-else aesthetic is only part of the romance. There are many more reasons to shop vintage these days – for yourself or someone else. Our friends at Ubokia recently gave us five good ones, and we thought we’d share.

Reasons your next handbag should be vintage:

1.    Save money. This one’s obvious, but that doesn’t mean it’s not important. A well-made handbag will last for years. When you buy a quality vintage handbag, you’re getting all the benefits of new at a fraction of the price.

2.    Greener. Handbags take a lot of resources – just think of all the raw materials that go into making a new bag, not to mention all the chemicals and dyes used to treat the leather or fabric. But when you buy vintage, you’re giving new life to old materials rather than contributing to the extraction of new ones. It’s a zero-footprint way to be fashionable.

3.    Vintage is in. Need we say more?

4.    Built-in character. While the new-handbag smell is nice, a vintage one has character and a story to tell. If you don’t know the story behind your handbag, make one up. When someone asks you where you got your gorgeous handbag, it’s way better than saying, “At the mall.”

5.    Make money. Like we said in #1, a well-made handbag will last for years. That means that only can you save money by buying vintage, you can also make money by selling it to someone else when you’re done. It’s a virtuous cycle, really. Buy a new-to-you bag, love it, sell it, rinse, repeat.

This post is brought to you by Ubokia, the place to buy, sell, trade and borrow gently used handbags and other fashion accessories. Be sure to check out their Perfect Handbag Giveaway, too!

To enter, create a free Ubokia account and post a Want for a handbag. That’s it! You’ll be automatically entered to win a handbag of your choice, up to $500. The winners will be announced on December 21, 2011.

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This post sponsored by Ubokia. We love our sponsors and hope you will, too. They make it possible for us to keep bringing you San Francisco’s independent fashion news five days a week.


Filed Under: Deals & Promos, Eco-Friendly, Indie Fashion, Recycled fashion, san francisco shopping, Sponsored Posts, Vintage Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

We Came, We Saw, We Shopped: City Dolls

December 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Stepping into Space Gallery for the City Dolls trunk show to do a little holiday shopping was like stepping into an alternate universe, thanks to an art installation by Bunny Reiss and Monica Canilao (en route to the SF MOMA) composed of quilts, lace, branches and collected items ranging from dream catchers to paper cutouts. The overall effect: a gallery with a romantic, bohemian vibe. Oh, and sweet unique finds from local designers and artists.

An amazing art installation by Bunny Reiss and Monica Canilao was a centerpiece of the event.

Gathered at the Polk street space to spread holiday cheer and handcrafted gifts alongside chow provided by Whiskey Commons Street Food and spiked hot ciders were a number of California artists and designers, including Siri Hanson Jewelry, The Loin, Christine Mayrina Jewelry, K.M. Knits, Olivous Retro Jewelry, Stolen Sunday, Paulina Carcach Handbags, Black Pyramid Vintage, Anisa Esmail Jewelry, Phoenix the Fox, Amour Vert and Dear Mina Jewelry.

During our chat at the trunk show, City Dolls founder Kirsten Incorvaia told me she wanted to, “create a place for people to shop that wasn’t about the hectic holiday pressure… a fun and friendly environment unlike the impersonal malls” of the world. The event on Saturday night was the second-ever City Dolls trunk show.

Read on for a few of my favorite items at the show:

Christine Mayrina is a jewelry collector who sources her vintage and antique jewelry from a list of places that ranges from the American Southwest to Turkey for a collection with a bold, international vibe.

Statement necklaces, antique cocktail rings and belly-dancer bangles from the Christine Mayrina Jewelry collection.

Dear Mina, a handmade jewelry line by Mina Caragay, is both modern and primitive, hard and soft, solid and fluid. Her pieces are made with crystals, semi-precious stones, rock specimens, metals and textiles, and fun touches like skull beads and arrowheads happily marry the sophisticated with the quirky.

Jewelry by Dear Mina

Shop or design your own purse with a visit to Paulina Carcach, who has has been personally designing unique and handcrafted handbags since 2008. In luxuriously soft leather with thoughtful details, her bags are affordable and well-made. You can design your own bag on her website and get inspiration from bags in her shop and from previous collections.

Gorgeous handcrafted leather bags by Paulina Carcach (photograph courtesy Paulina Carcach)

Inspired by nature, Siri Hanson's whimsical jewelry line.

Siri Hanson Jewelry is a San Francisco local who creates her handmade pieces from such various materials as clay, rolled bits of magazine paper, metal work, and strips of leather reclaimed from a pair of gloves found at an estate sale. In addition to her line of funky jewelry, she also had on display some handmade ceramic Christmas tree ornaments.

Photography by Alexandra Naughton

More San Francisco local designers…

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Alexandra is a San Francisco writer with a passion for style and creativity. You can find her on Twitter @theTsaritsa
Filed Under: Custom garments, Eco-Friendly, Handmade, Indie Fashion, jewelry, Local designers, Recycled fashion, san francisco shopping, Vintage Tagged With: , , , , ,

Secondhand News: Sui Generis Launches Online Boutique

December 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Part of the holiday collection from the new Sui Generis online boutique is this Lanvin black silk mini dress, size 4, ($480) paired with purple silk velvet YSL pumps featuring snake skin heels and mink ankle straps, size 8, ($280).

Guys will find a bold, yet classic pairing with this Jill Sander wool and mohair coat, size 38, ($345) and Jill Sander fuchsia pullover, size medium, and Marc Jacobs wool Pants in size 31 ($110).

A classic black on cream wool Chanel coat in size 4 ($1,400) with silk bow at the neck and white Chanel wedges in size 9 ($300) with gold hardware details are among the chic picks in the newly launched shop.

Versace fans will no doubt swoon over this great condition black leather vintage Gianni Versace jacket, size large,with gold detachable hardware details and Medusa snap buttons ($426), a Versace silk print shirt, size large, ($244) and Helmut Lang leather pants in size 32 ($260).

Hot on the designer vintage heels of its land-based expansion, which brought a larger men’s shop and a brand new women’s boutique to San Francisco’s Castro earlier this year, Sui Generis continues to up its secondhand glam quotient with the official launch today of the Sui Generis Online Boutique. Stocked with rare, hard-to-find, vintage and designer consignment pieces for men and women, the shop offers easy access to the Market Street shops’ selection of apparel and accessories handpicked by owners Miguel Lopez and Gabriel Yanez.

In addition to the items shown here from the shops’ holiday editorial photo shoot with photographer Cecilia Austin and stylist Ken Baldwin, a recent perusal of the shop turned up such to-die-for finds as a pair of men’s Balenciaga high-top sneakers in black and brown, Ann Demeulemeester adjustable height leather boots, a perfectly polished Alexander McQueen wool dress and a Marc Jacobs brown leather mini skirt.

To celebrate the launch of the online boutique, shoppers can take 15 percent off of any purchase over $200 until December 25 with the discount code SG2011XMAS. If you’re a local resident, you can save a little more by picking up your online purchases at the store. Free gift wrapping is also an option at check-out.

More San Francisco fashion news…

Photography courtesy Cecilia Austin for Sui Generis; art direction and styling by Ken Baldwin

Filed Under: Eco-Friendly, Indie Fashion, Indie-friendly stores, Men, Recycled fashion, San Francisco boutiques, San Francisco Fashion News, san francisco shopping, Vintage Tagged With: , , , ,
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