Brandy Saldana – Page 41 – Will Bake for Shoes

Japan
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- Outfit
- Travel

Shopping in Harajuku and Ameyoko

Posted on January 3, 2014by Brandy Saldana

Black Pea Coat and Pants Forever 21 | Polka Dot Sweater Banana Republic | Magenta Scarf Jones New York | Gold Beatrix Spiked Flats Sam Edelman | Natasha Petal to the Metal Cross Body Marc by Marc Jacobs | Photos by Nicole SaldanaHappy New Year!
I am back in the States, but I wanted to share a few more outfit photos from Japan and also a recap of what I did during the week I was there.
My sister and I went to Harajuku to do some shopping. These photos were taken on a little side street on Takeshita Street in Harajuku. I love the bright yellow graffiti and the color of the wall made my black and white outfit stand out. I wore the pink scarf for that pop of color and to stay warm. I was wearing 4 layers on top, two on the bottom and even socks with my flats. I should have packed another pair of boots for this weather, but my previous trips to Japan have been during the summer and the hot and humid weather made me think it couldn’t possibly be too cold for flats.
I did do some shopping and came home with 3 new coats. Fur, either real or faux, was everywhere. Women had jackets with hoods lined with fur, coats with fur trim or had fur stools as a finishing touch for their outfits. Needless to say my coats have faux fur trim which is also detachable. The coats are ridiculously warm and I am excited to share them on the blog!
After browsing and doing some damage at Harajuku we visited Ameyoko which is an interesting shopping district in Japan. We shopped and bought a bunch of candies and sweets. (Ame means sweets in Japanese but also refers to America). It is mix of small shops selling goods, American Imports, seafood and items being auctioned. It will be tough pairing down the photos and videos from our day of shopping but I am excited to go through them as I eat some Japanese sweets. (Hello Green Tea Kit Kats!)
Hope your first days of the year have been great and easy for you to keep your resolutions. I haven’t thought of mine too much but I will keep you updated if I think of anything profound. I am really trying to be realistic about what I want to improve on. One thing for sure, I am glad I did a lot of traveling this year and expect to do some more this year.
Until next time,Brandy
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Holiday
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- Outfit

Recap of 2013

Posted on January 1, 2014by Brandy Saldana

In spite of the recent bad luck and news this month,this year was pretty amazing. I met some fun,interesting people, traveled to Japan twice and to Vegas for PoshFest. I’ve also tried a lot of new things so I am pretty proud of the way I lived my life this year.
I’ll admit I did not keep all (if any) of my resolutions from last year: I am still a shopaholic at heart and can’t resist investing money in my closet instead of my savings account. One way I have redeemed myself is earning back my impulse shopping money back thanks to the sales I’ve made on Poshmark. I’m pretty active on the app, and so much so that I’ve been named a Suggested User. I am not shopping at places like H&M and F21 all the time, but I am shopping too often at thrift stores and repeating my pattern of buying things because it is on sale/cheap. While I can sell some things on Poshmark, I buy faster than I sell, leaving me with a space issue in a studio apartment. (I am working on reducing what I am not wearing and avoiding the thrift stores so wish me luck and shop my closet if you want to help!)
As I reflect on last year’s resolutions and think of this year’s tweaks, I wanted to look back and share my favorite outfits of the year. I was planning on doing this for the blog’s 2nd birthday, but since I still have photos to share from my trip and a couple of collaborations, I thought there is no time like the present!
So without further ado, here are my top 12 outfit picks from 2013:

Holiday
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- Work

Office Holiday Party

Posted on December 28, 2013by Brandy Saldana

Black Princess Coat Steve Madden | Red Sweater Alexander McQueen | Demask Black Pants Alice + Olivia | Ring Forever 21 | Black Scarf Marc Jacobs x Target | Suede Black Booties Nine WestI wore this outfit to our office’s holiday party which happened 2 days before I left to Japan. I found/thrifted both the red Alexander McQueen sweater and demask print Alice + Olivia Pants at Crossroads Trading Co. I won the festive, Christmas headband at a holiday event the week before and knew I had to wear it to my office’s holiday party. We had it at a restaurant down the street from our office at the end of the work day, so I tried to dress festive but still be work appropriate.
It’s amazing to me how quickly the month and my trip went by. I’ve been absent from blogging not only because of the travel back to the U.S. and then to my hometown, but also because of some unfortunate tragedies that occurred while I was gone. To start, Armando’s car was broken into and his bike, his alternate mode of transportation, was stolen. That bummed me out to hear when I returned back because although he wasn’t hurt physically, I could tell he was affected by it as evident as the broken window of the car. As we cleaned the glass out of the car it made me reflect on how lucky we have been these past years together. Bad things happen sometimes, but we have each other and are lucky that we are okay physically.
The worst thing that occurred while I was in Japan was learning that someone from our office had passed away. It was completely unexpected and I am still in disbelief over the news. He was fairly young, about 39, and I had made cupcakes for his wedding in June of a vegetable garden. He was also part of the paintball team. My office environment is like a big, extended family and since I have been out of the office I can only imagine how devastating a blow this been to everyone who heard the news firsthand. It feels only fitting that this post is also one of those memories of him because I vividly remember him trying to convince others to “steal” his white elephant gift at our holiday party.
His sudden and unexpected death has made me very aware of how short life is and that tomorrow is not guaranteed. I spent the holidays with my family and I can honestly say that I treasured just being able to be with them.
I hope you had a Merry Christmas surrounded by family or close friends. With that in mind, please also send your thoughts or prayers to the family and friends of my beloved coworker and friend, Steve Maranzana.

Japan
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- Outfit
- Travel

Winter in Japan

Posted on December 19, 2013by Brandy Saldana

Red and Black Checkered Jacket and Black Pants Forever 21 | Black Merino Wool Sweater Banana Republic | Black Long Sleeve Heat Tech Shirt Uniqlo (Worn Underneath) | Leggings Wet Seal (Worn Underneath) | Scarf Marc Jacobs x Target | Brown Boots Ugg Australia | Black Leather Cross-body Marc by Marc Jacobs | Photos by Nicole S.Finally an outfit post from Japan! This was Wednesday’s outfit and I must admit I was not entirely ready for he really cold weather and rain in Japan. My previous visits have always been in the summer, and that can get extremely hot and humid. While I packed most of this outfit, the jacket and boots are borrowed from my sister’s closet. The rain and Ugg boots do not get along, unfortunately, so I have dully noted that if I visit Japan in the Winter I should make sure to bring weather proof boots or short rain boots. (I did bring an umbrella so I wasn’t completely unprepared for the rain, but umbrellas are really cheap and can be bought anywhere.) Layering is key and I would recommend having thermals to wear under your tops and fleece-lined leggings to wear under your pants.
Tomorrow I’ll be visiting Disney Sea in Tokyo with my sister and two friends. I am hoping it doesn’t rain, but if it does I am prepared since I spent my day browsing a couple of department stores and found a good pair of boots for this weather. They were also 2000 yen which is roughly $20. If they don’t fit in my suitcase I think my sister can make good use of them here since they are pretty warm.
I am not too sure what they plans are for the weekend, but if I have time while I am here I will post a recap of the things I’ve seen and done so far in Japan. I will admit not a lot of sight-seeing has happened. I’ve visited the surrounding cities (districts) and my sister’s school, Chuo University. I’ve even attended a few classes and even this photo shoot occurred on campus. Most of my photos that I’ve taken are of the university so it will be difficult deciding what to share on the blog. The campus reminds me of Berkeley and it makes me a little homesick, but I know I will be back home before I know it.
Good Night from Japan and until next time!
Brandy
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Outfit
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- Weekend

Metallic Stripes

Posted on December 15, 2013by Brandy Saldana

Metallic Sweater Borrowed from Sister | Sweater, Pants, Knit Beanie, Rings, and Belt Forever 21 | Zeda Boots Madden GirlHello from Japan!
I flew in last night to visit my sister for the week before I head down to my parent’s house for Christmas. It was kind of a last minute trip meaning I had to pack my winter essentials and finish up a lot of loose ends at work before our holiday break.
I have not had a chance to take any photos yet, but I managed to take two outfit photo posts last week in spite of all the madness. This post features a sweater that used to belong to my sister. Before leaving to study in Japan for the year, she cleaned out her entire closet and gave me two huge bags to either sell or donate. I donated a bit, listed some items for sale on Poshmark, and I kept a few pieces. I love the stripes, shape, and sparkle it has. It adds a lot of interest to an all black outfit.
I love how there is symmetry with the asymmetrical striped cardigan and the architecture of the building behind us. Armando has some pretty great skills and I love how he has an eye in making a picture just a little bit more interesting. I am hoping he can let me convince him to be the one behind the lens and feature his personal style. He is claiming more space in our closet with some great sweaters that I might just have to borrow as it gets colder in the Bay Area.
It is also pretty cold here in Tokyo, and I hope to share a post soon of what I am wearing here. I am also interested in sharing what I packed (in a smaller suitcase than last time) for a week and what I would have done differently. Stay tuned for food photos on my instagram account as well! (@willbakeforshoes)

Fashionista of the Week!
On a side note: I’ve also won the title “Fashionista of the Week” thanks to Kimberly of Sensible Stylista. Thanks to everyone who voted for me via Facebook! You can read about in her post here and also checkk out the great giveaways going on every Sunday! Her style is also pretty sweet so I would recommend following her for some lovely style inspiration too.
Talk to you soon and I guess good night to those of you in the States.
Until next time,
Brandy

Date
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- Outfit
  - Holiday

Holiday Red

Posted on December 9, 2013by Brandy Saldana

Black Princess Coat Steve Madden | Red Basuto Dress Diane Von Furstenberg | Rhinestone and Chain Bracelet Forever 21 | Silver Sederaby d’Orsay Heels Manolo Blahnik It is time for the Holiday Reds in your closet to come out for the parties and dinners happening this month. Jennifer from Just Add Glam invited me and a couple of bloggers to a holiday event she was hosting in Marin. I dressed up in this Diane Von Furstenberg dress and invited my arm candy aka Armando to “Meet Me Under the Mistletoe.” Armando and I had a blast on this date. We took our photos in a booth, won gifts in a raffle, and even had our tarot cards read! And we ate yummy mini bundt cakes from Nothing Bundt Cake. The best part was hanging out not only with Armando, but also with my blogger friends! We were the loudest group during the whole event and we were joking and laughing the whole time (and it was a dry party!)
I went to a flower shop to buy some mistletoe earlier that day, but they did not have any in stock yet. I tried a Christmas tree lot later that evening and still nothing. (It’s almost Christmas, these places need to step it up pronto!) Instead I came out of the flower shop with the red Poinsettia flowers. Back home, my mom will buy a big pot of Poinsettias around the holidays, so to me these flowers really do say Christmas and are part of my family’s tradition. I put them in the center of our meeting table to spread some holiday cheer in the office after using them in my outfit shoot.
I painted my nails with the Dimepiece silver nail polish by Floss Gloss. I’ve tried it before when I’ve had a mani/pedi at Beauty Company and love how it reminds me of the glitter on Christmas ornaments. I never would paint my nails before and it is now something I don’t mind trying on my own. All my money would be directed to clothes but I like that I’ve discovered a beauty product that makes a statement and is inexpensive. I should note I am not getting paid for sharing this product, but it is something I genuinely love. Who doesn’t want sparkle in their day-to-day life?
Hope that you are having fun dressing up for your holiday parties! My office will be having is Holiday Party this week and I am already planning my outfit.
Until next time,
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