Loafers and Slip-ons have been fashion staples for decades (and centuries) for their ease, comfort, and style.  Right now, they are fall’s most coveted flats for women and men. We all know and love the classic Penny Loafer and Smoking Slipper, but designers this season have really taken these slip-ons to the next level. Velvet, glitter, studs, and even plastic, here are a few fun twists at every price point for you guys and gals to try out… Now Boldly Go! Featured image credit: grabadonut (Cropped from eugene) [CC-BY-SA-2.0], via Wikimedia...

I have a penchant for reading cookery texts, from M.F.K. Fisher on transatlantic shipboard cuisine in the 30’s to Apicus on Roman cuisine. I enjoy imagining what a paste of stewed calf’s brains seasoned with pepper and cumin, and cooked with broth, wine, milk and eggs might taste like. Foods come in and out of fashion just like modes of dress, and tastes evolve with the inclusion of other cultures. There was a time when the now ubiquitous pizza was considered exotic or when the tiny breast meats of thrushes and other small songbirds were looked upon by many as delicacies and not potential SARS carriers. Today’s modern cooks have nearly unlimited access to ingredients and cuisine, but very limited time for cooking. Luckily fresh garden produce goes from kitchen to table with little or no cooking. My mother, the green thumb of the family, has donated many a zucchini to my pantry. This recipe makes great use of them and also includes fresh basil and mint. Zucchini ribbon salad with ham (courtesy of Good Housekeeping) Ingredients 2 pound(s) (5 small) zucchini, ends trimmed 4 slice(s) (1 ounce each) deli ham, sliced into 1/2-inch ribbons 1 lemon 2/3 cup(s) salted pistachios, shelled 1/3 cup(s) packed fresh basil leaves 1/3 cup(s) packed fresh mint leaves 1 clove(s) garlic Salt Pepper 3 tablespoon(s) extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoon(s) water 8 slice(s) whole wheat baguette, toasted 1 1/2 ounce(s) goat cheese, softened Directions With vegetable peeler, peel zucchini into wide ribbons. Transfer zucchini ribbons to large bowl and add ham. If making ahead, cover and refrigerate up to 1 day. From lemon, grate 1 teaspoon peel and squeeze 2 tablespoons juice. Cover and refrigerate lemon peel. Prepare pesto: In food processor with knife blade attached, pulse pistachios until finely chopped. Add...

San Francisco has a special place in my heart.  It has the romantic feel of New York City mixed with the casual, laid back feel of California. This combination makes San Fran a bit of a utopia for me, except, it’s still too darn cold. If it had the same weather as LA, I would definitely have been tempted to live there, but now that I’ve grown accustomed to sun and warmth, I am happy to visit the City by the Bay at least once or twice a year.  My husband and I never grow bored of the city, and are always discovering something new to do and somewhere new to see. On this last trip we went to the city’s Carnavale festival, saw the Jean-Paul Gaultier exhibit at the de Young Museum, took a Noir-themed walking tour that focused on the life and writings of Dashiell Hammett, and took in the fireworks honoring the Golden Gate Bridge, among other fun little adventures that I will detail in upcoming blogs. Being that this is a FASHION and TRAVEL blog, I would be remiss to not tell you all about the Jean-Paul Gaultier exhibit. Back when the E! Channel used to focus on fashion, I spent many hours of my youth watching their fashion runway telecasts. During fashion week I was glued to the television watching pieces of magnificent art walk down a little runway. Jean-Paul Gaultier’s fantastical and irreverent designs quickly became my favorite and greatly inspired my youth and the designer I am today. The exhibit at the de Young was overwhelming to say the least.  There were six large galleries filled with Gaultier’s creations, sketches, videos, monologues, photographs, etc. And each of the galleries was absolutely packed with people. There was a...

I hope you all have been busy searching stores and the interwebs for fun and funky steampunk accents for your home these last two weeks. Time does fly fast!  I had a great time working on this week’s blog, and I hope you all enjoy it too! This week we will go through, step-by-step, how to make your own leather belt floor mat. 1) Gather your supplies: You’ll want to check out a few thrift stores to buy your belts. If you plan your visit right, go when the belts are most discounted, and you can get them for less than $1 each. I recommend buying 15-20 belts, depending on the size you want to make your floor mat. The more interesting the pattern or texture of the belt, the better. But make sure you get a few plain ones too as filler. This will give your mat a more interesting look. Additionally you will need: Sharp Scissors Exacto Knife Shoe Barge (shoe glue: I like to use Barge, or Goop) Ruler Felt (Get a color that will go with the belts-this will be your base to the mat) Chalk or a marker (to mark the felt and leather for cutting) Some heavy books to help flatten the leather Paper towels or wet ones for clean up 2) Sort out your belts: Once you have all of your belts together you might find that one or two just don’t fit in with the rest of them, just set those aside for now,  they might make for good filler. 3) Cut off the buckles: Make sure you get as close to the buckle as you can so you have as much leather to work with as possible. OR, if you’re like me and fell in...

As defined by Urban Dictionary: Steampunk is a subgenre of speculative fiction, usually set in an anachronistic Victorian or quasi-Victorian alternate history setting. It could be described by the slogan “What the past would look like if the future had happened sooner.” It includes fiction with science fiction, fantasy or horror themes. Starting with niche cosplay and con-goer groups decked out in bustles, corsets, monocles, and top hats, the Steampunk lifestyle has been slowly filtering into our daily lives. Today, you can’t walk into a coffee shop or target without seeing a hipster with an overly ornate mustache. Anthropologie’s current clothing line is pretty much the perfect mixture of hipster, earth goddess, 50’s housewife and steampunk mistress. When it comes to fashions for the home, it’s in vogue to buy items that are carefully, and artistically hand crafted, worn in, and just a little bit funky. While many proclaimed Steampunkers are very into the DIY movement, I’ve found many a website to help you spend your hard earned cash on beautiful bespoke pieces…and in my next blog, you can see how I DIYed one of these projects step-by-step. Now, I’m not suggesting your turn your house into this place: But, adding a dash of Victorian sophistication can add a lot more interest to your lovely abode. William Morris, the father of the Art and Crafts Movement, quoted, ““If you want a golden rule that will fit everything, this is it: Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” To start, here are some clever instances where people have made modern day pieces look so much more beautiful. I believe that with enough creativity and thought, one can turn the most ugly of objects into...