A Dash of Classic

Over the Fourth of July weekend my boyfriend and I took a mini vacation to San Francisco! On Monday he began a new night job along with his current day job, so we spent the weekend as our sort of final hurrah together. We decided to check out all the things in the city I've always wanted to do, but for one reason or another never got a chance to. So over the course of three days we rode down Lombard Street, visited Golden Gate park and rode the carousel inside, dined at the Crown and Crumpet in Japan Town, walked through the Disney Museum in the Presidio and watched fireworks from the USS Hornet!

Truly it was an amazing weekend and I was more than excited for a chance to wear Lolita! The first day I wore my new Chess Story dress I received just a few days ago as it's extremely comfortable and I didn't want to be dealing with a petticoat on the long car ride up there. I suppose it's not really a proper Lolita outfit at the moment, but I still was pretty pleased with it overall, especially since it was my first time ever wearing anything that doesn't include black!

Sadly this is the best photo I have of this outfit which doesn't really show much. My close-up turned out so blurry!

The second day I decided to go back to old faithful, a solid kuro outfit for a day around the city. I originally wore this with printed tights, but I quickly had to take them off since they were unbearably uncomfortable. I admit I was pretty disappointed since I've never worn printed tights before and was looking forward to once again trying something new, but despite the fact that I purchased a size too large, the discomfort was just too much to handle for more than an hour.

On the final day it was once again another Lolita inspired outfit rather than 100% Lolita, but unfortunately I neglected to take any photos. I still had plenty of Lolita during my trip however! Although Japan Town is not someplace new for me, we stopped by both Saturday and Sunday to check out the shops, eat at the Crown and Crumpet and of course, take a peek inside Baby the Stars Shine Bright!

Unlike my last visit to BtssB, the shop was super stocked this time, and the shop girls were SO sweet! Since I had dipped my toe into the realm of different colored dresses (and I made my boyfriend swear he wouldn't allow me to purchase any more solid black dresses as I have way too many as it is), I was really taken by this charming JSK in ivory.It was a bit out of budget however so I decided to sleep on it and come back the next day. Fortunately, another item in the store had also caught my eye while I had browsed around.

Ta-da! Isn't it absolutely gorgeous? Although it might not be as flashy as a dress, this necklace charmed my heart the moment I noticed it. It too is so different from my usual style, as I tend to shy away from childish motifs. However, the art style of the bears is so dainty and old fashioned, it definitely feels so much more classic than sweet to me, and as I'm working on incorporating more classic elements into my wardrobe this is the perfect fit! I can't wait to coordinate with ivory and brown and perhaps even gray.

Next up, we also had to take a small pit stop at Angelic Pretty. I admit, I'm not a huge fan of Angelic Pretty as much of their dresses are way too sweet and the cuts too short for my taste (and Harajuku Hearts is likewise a bit too punk), but I always try to make a point to visit anyway since the shop girls there are always unbelievably sweet and I like to show my support by purchasing a small accessory if I can.

This time around I was actually really looking forward to their Crystal Dream Carnival line. Though I wouldn't wear one of the actual dresses or skirts, the silver necklace with the pegasus charm instantly snagged my attention when I was browsing through the web store. Sadly, while the store had a few of the dresses in stock, there was no jewelry to be found. Not to be put off however, I soon stumbled upon this little beauty.

Now, I'm not usually one for brand names plastered all over me, but the simplicity of the design and the adorable rocking horse (again, not too infantile in its design) demanded me to give it a second look. Initially the necklace on display had a strawberry pink background behind the horse, but when I asked to see it the shop girl told me they had a second one in stock and brought out this necklace. I was smitten.

Again, I really feel like I'm starting to push my usual boundaries with this necklace. Like the BtssB necklace this piece has a lot of pretty browns that I think can be coordinated nicely with a lot of future classic coords. But not only that, it has a gold change! Honestly, I'm a silver girl-I generally think it's more subdued, prettier and classier. But I'm beginning to open up my mind more and realizing that's not always the case. So even though I didn't leave with the necklace I'd hoped I still think I snagged a pretty gorgeous new piece!

I had such an amazing weekend in San Francisco and can't wait to return.I hope all my fellow US citizens also had a safe and awesome Fourth of July weekend!