The maxi dress is my favorite piece; I love the colors, pattern, and flared tier at the bottom, the cotton is soft and the dress is lined, very comfortable and the perfect length
N. and I woke up bright and early today and headed to the Target on La Cienega to check out the release of the Calypso St. Barth and Target designer collaboration. We met at the Lanvin x H&M launch, so I knew she was one of the few people who wouldn't think it was crazy to wake up at 7am on a Sunday. The weather this weekend has been warm and gorgeous; definitely the perfect weather for the Calypso lifestyle. We arrived a little bit after the store opened at 8am and there was a ton of stock in all sizes. The collection is huge; lots of apparel including several pieces that weren't in the lookbook, accessories, bags, home goods, childrens apparel. I was slightly disappointed by the collection in person as many of the pieces weren't quite as nice as it appeared in the lookbook, particularly with some of the finishing details. While the colors and patterns are really pretty in person, some of the fabric just didn't feel that nice, the cotton was rough on some of the pieces, like the maxi skirt, and the 100% silk pieces were too flimsy, wrinkly and see through. I did pick up a couple of comfortable pieces in 100% cotton, including the pink and white tie-dye striped maxi dress ($39.99, size 2), which is lined and probably my favorite piece, the off the shoulder blue ruffle embroidered dress which is also lined ($39.99, XS), the 3/4 length sleeve turquoise fan print dress ($36.99, XS), and the turquoise fan print in a romper ($14.99), which is actually a girls size 14-16. Even though its the most mainline Calypso-like silhouette and pattern, I'll probably be returning the blue fan print dress as it is too sheer to wear as a dress around town; it's more appropriate as swimsuit coverup and I don't need such a fancy swimsuit coverup, plus I don't want two pieces in the same pattern. I'll probably just use the romper as my coverup. I also purchased some of the melanine servingware for our summer bbqs. After shopping, N. and I had a really tasty breakfast at Green Peas on Sepulveda in Culver City. I had a delicious and inexpensive vegan breakfast burrito, I'll definitely be going back.
I'll be returning this one; it's more appropriate as swimwear coverup. Dress is a little too A-line as well; would have preferred it more slim fitting. Worn with Toms red striped wedges.
Worn with my own belt. I don't have anything in this style so I'll probably keep it. Unfortunately wrinkles easily as you can see.
Yes this is from the girls collection, but it fits and I've been wanting a romper for several seasons now
I have some Orla Kiely x Target melamine dinnerware that I use all summer long; these pieces will be a nice addition
I really liked this caftan in the lookbook but not in person. Silk is super thin and wrinkly, the rope is attached strangely and I feel like Princess Leia on vacation or a monk
5/1/11 Note: Updated here with review of new purchases and photos.
Although I wasn't completely enamored with the Target Go International re-release last month (caveat: I did pick up a few pieces when they went on sale this week), I am loving the just released images of the Calypso St. Barth collection. I hope everything looks as good in person as they do in pictures. I think I'm ready for summer lounging by the pool; I love the colors, patterns, use of crochet and tie dyes, and overall breezy effortless feel of this collection. Dresses are $30-$50 and they have shoes, bags and home goods too! Collection launches May 1st. My favorite pieces (images from Target):
I love the idea of a caftan / maxi dress with sleeves and fits the 70's vibe of S/S 2011. Perfect for the variety of Santa Monica summer weather. Apparently this dress is silk.
Good as a coverup or a casual around town dress
I love the versatility of separates, plus I liked another image with a similar style skirt worn as a dress
I've adored off the shoulder looks since I was a kid, but the length of the dress might be challenging for my height
Gratuitous St. Barths sunset photo from April 2007. Sigh, I want to go back right now...
After several weeks of the usual misty June gloom, it finally feels like summer over here with bright blue sunny skies and temperatures in the 70's. I've been spending more time outdoors running, biking and walking the dogs. I'm trying to cook more, eat healthier and work out more, energized by the nicer weather. One of my updated regular summer outfits below inspired by the easy 70's vibe of the season: Calypso St. Barth for Target crochet silk tie dye top (purchased on sale), H&M Conscious Collection organic eyelet shorts, Swedish Hasbeens x H&M white wooden sandals and Prada Minimal Baroque Sunglasses. The silky Calypso St. Barth top is breezy and comfortable and the 3/4 length sleeves are perfect for the range of temperatures in Santa Monica. I pretty much wear all three pairs of the Swedish Hasbeens sandals everywhere; they are comfortable to walk in (I even biked in this pair this afternoon) and have held up to wear very well.
Our trip to Puerto Vallarta last week was actually my first trip to Mexico ever. I've been to a bunch of tropical places including the Caribbean, Central America, Asia but somehow never made it to Mexico, even while growing up in Southern California. Puerto Vallarta is nice, but definitely has the feel of a big tourist resort town. The beaches are dominated by a row of large resort hotels curving all along the bay. We stayed at one, the Westin Puerto Vallarta. I much prefer smaller, more private boutique hotels or villas; my favorite places that I've traveled to are places like Bali and St. Barths. It just feels too overdeveloped and corporate otherwise; it feels like we could be anywhere. We stayed on the 9th floor of a huge 14 story resort with several pools and restaurants. I know a lot of people like this kind of experience, but for me, it was just too much people, too much stuff, not enough peace and privacy, all the time. The Westin was fine; we got a great airfare / hotel package through Orbitz, so I can't really complain too much. It definitely wasn't as nice as some of the other Westins that I've stayed at, particularly in the rooms and bathrooms. The beds and pillows weren't "heavenly bed" soft and the rooms and bathrooms could just use a little freshening up. I'm just happy it wasn't too noisy in the hallways. Many of the water features in the front of the hotel were turned off, but the pool grounds with all the palms were pretty. I wasn't too pleased that they charged for internet, although it seems to be the norm for all the hotels in the area. The beach was rather rocky with a strong current so we never ventured into the water, although I'm not a fan of going in the ocean anyway. When the sun was out though, it was really pretty, the water just sparkles and shimmers intensely blue, though different from the Caribbean turquoise. We strolled around the Marina a lot for meals and ventured to the Centro district downtown for a stroll along the Malecon around sunset followed by dinner a few blocks up the hill. The Malecon along the water was lined with huge nightclubs and touristy restaurants but a nice place for a stroll before dinner. The sunsets in Puerto Vallarta are gorgeous, particularly when there are a bit of clouds; fiery pinks, reds and oranges over the bay. All in all, we had a nice vacation, though it's not a place that I would be rushing back to return to since there are so many amazing places in the world to travel to.
Shots of the Westin Property:
View from our balcony
The Malecon at sunset
The marina. Calypso St. Barth x Target dress; I've actually gotten a ton of use out of this dress while on vacations, nice coverup from the sun
There's another menu behind the counter as well as on the left wall
I try my best to eat vegetarian / vegan at least once a week so I was happy to discover a new vegan focused restaurant on the westside: Green Peas on Sepulveda near Culver in Culver City. I really enjoyed my vegan breakfast burrito post Calypso St. Barth x Target launch in May, so I was eager to go back and try some of their other menu items. We ordered off the vegan side of the menu and tried the Gardein Curry Chicken Sandwich with carrot soup and the Veggie Burger with a side salad. Both were hearty and flavorful with lots of food for less than $10 each. It's cheaper than Real Food Daily and healthier and higher quality than Veggie Grill. They have a huge menu with both vegan and non-vegan options and everything looks great; I don't often go out for lunch, but this is going to be one of my go-to lunch places.
