BAKERSFIELD and the "FORLORN NEON BOUNTY."

...took the long way home from Monterey, Ca. We charted a course down the 99 that lead us to and through Fresno, Visalia, and landed us--for the night--in Bakersfield at The Padre. I'll say this for it, it's a special place this Bakersfield--wildly so. It's abandoned during the day. Then the sun goes down and all of a sudden, the freaks come out at night. Which we stayed completely away from. We stayed in our room, turned it to TCM, ignored the freaks, and stayed complete geeks. At least until morning. 

After rummaging through all of the antique stores (yes, ALL of them), we had one more stop on the agenda. Bakersfield ain't known for much, but what it is known for (after meth addicts partying on freeway overpasses) is Basque. So basque we did, at the Noriega. 

 

Oh yeah look at that mug. The copper one.

CASANOVA'S GRADUATION.

It all began with higher education. That we found Casanova at all was happenstance. We entered the quaint cottage doors of Casanova and immediately encountered an incredibly genuine interior, warm light, bay breeze and traditional Italian accoutrement. It is rustic and warm (service included), and honestly, you feel like you've just landed in Italy to enjoy a Tuscan afternoon. I should explain that none of this could have come about if it weren't for my youngest cousin. He had just graduated from college and the entire family couldn't have been any more delighted. Well, that is what we thought, and then we stumbled upon ambiance, food, and lots of wine at Casanova.

AURAL PLEASURE.

HEALTH-"Tears"

ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER-"I Only Have Eyes For You"

ELITE GYMNASTICS-"Here, In Heaven 2"

MSMR-"Hurricane"


CFCF-"Here, In Heaven 4&5"

I DON'T THINK YOU'RE READY FOR THIS JELLIE.

Uno

Dos

Tres

Cuatro

Cinco

I cannot even describe the endless love I had for my Jellies as a wee one. I mean honestly, I had every color and would wear them every day, not unlike the rest of the world at the time. It was 1990 and I can still vividly remember the way my feet would start to sweat and slip around the rubber souls as I played on the playground. So, considering my apparent undying love, this part of the process is really hard for me. Reflecting on the prior effects of nostalgia on my buying habits, I feel quite indecisive about splurging on a pair of contemporary Jellies. Most especially because I specifically remember these being sold at Payless for about $9.99 a pop. Granted my feet were probably half the size they are now...the incredible aspect of this though--the part of me that is leaning towards getting them even if I just longingly look at them in my closet-- is that I really loved my Jellies. So much that I remember a lot more about what it was like to have Jellies than I remember what it was like to not have breasts. I remember them so vividly, what it was to get them, stack them next to each other in my childhood walk-in closet, sweating in them, and finally, just staring at them on my feet. Waxing poetic thoughts in my little six year old brain that has undoubtedly continued in this post. Man, I think I am ready for these Jellies.

**All photos via topshop.com

AURAL PLEASURE.

I'm still acclimating...

ANIMAL COLLECTIVE-"Honeycomb"

UNO. DOS. TRES. CUATRO. CINCO.

UNO

DOS

TRES

CUATRO

CINCO

SEIS

SIETE

OCHO

Opening Ceremony's Fall/Winter 2012 lookbook is the crisp and cool mirage that hallucinations are made of--especially when a humid and sweltering heat is right around the corner. 

In addition to being the self-proclaimed "worst summer wardrobe enthusiast," the OpeningCeremony fall/winter lookbook only makes finding inspiration for the season of short-shorts and crop-tops that much more difficult. In an attempt to work on my warm weather wardrobe, my focus will be on an aspect I'm more likely to be inspired by, thrifting for summer dresses. The saving grace of the 90's, and I'm talking degrees. Wish me luck.

On a side note, this is my 100th post! Looking back, I can honestly say I am psyched about three things 1. I'm a centenarian. 2. I am proud of every single post I've published and 3. I'm still happy and motivated to work on creating unique, inspiring, streamlined and substantial content. Ok, back to drooling over Opening Ceremony, go ahead--click on it.

**photos via Opening Ceremony