Outfit

Weekend from Hospital to Carnival

Posted on by Brandy Saldana

Leather Jacket H&M | Teal Sweater Stella McCartney | Jeans Forever 21 | Panda Necklace Betsey Johnson | Ruffle Nude Flats Steve Madden | This weekend was slightly stressful for me. On Friday morning I went down to Salinas to visit my grandma, from my dad’s side, who was in the hospital after having open heart surgery. I felt guilty because I could not be there on Thursday for the surgery. My dad recently had surgery in April for his shoulders, and while I was there the day of his surgery, I regretted going back to work the next day when I really just wanted to be there for him. I didn’t want to have the same regrets again, so I headed home and surprised my parents and grandma by visiting this weekend. I am happy to report she is doing well and so is my dad. He is actually the oldest amongst his siblings, so a lot of the weight of taking care of my grandma falls on his shoulders. I was glad I was able to be there for him while he is going through his own recovery and when he needed his family most. It’s not easy taking care of someone else when your own health isn’t back to 100% yet.
Needless to say, I didn’t have a chance to go to the Fashion Show I had planned to attend Saturday night, but it would have been hard for me to enjoy it knowing that there was all this going on back home. My nephew/godson turned 3 on Friday, and my brother really wanted me to be there for his last-minute birthday party too. Despite all the madness, I had fun at his party and today after hanging out with my sister. She and I got on BART at Fremont station on Saturday night and she slept over at our apartment. We had brunch on 4th Street and then had a spontaneous trip to the carnival by the Oakland Coliseum. My sister, Armando and I were actually on our way to go play mini-golf when we passed by the carnival and my sister decided she wanted to go there instead. We got on a few rides and she won a prize: a dolphin stuffed animal.  We had a blast!
I wore this outfit today except I ended up switching out my shoes in the end. I tried to not be too matchy-matchy with this outfit and picked the tan ruffle flats to go with the ruffles in the sweater despite them not being the same color. I threw on the leather jacket to toughen up an otherwise “soft” look. I think it sums up my feelings for the weekend: beneath an edgy exterior is a big ol’ softy that wants to put others first. Or I am reading too much into my clothes when in reality it is the outfit of someone that was kind of lazy and just threw on a leather jacket to add interest to an otherwise basic outfit. I prefer my initial analysis of my clothes though. It was perfect going transitioning from brunch on a muggy day to a couple of fun hours at the carnival.
Hope you had a good weekend that was slightly spontaneous and thanks for reading!
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Evening Wear by the Factory Collection Launch Party

Posted on by Brandy Saldana

On Wednesday I attended an Exclusive Press Presentation for the launch of The Factory’s new custom label “Evening wear at the Factory”. There were cocktails and light refreshments in a posh, private penthouse in San Francisco. The location alone was worth seeing because of how gorgeous the room was furnished and the picturesque view it had of the city. This suite was basically my Pinterest board of Home Decor in real life! The sounds of a violin filled the room as the models walked out in their dresses making the place even dreamier…

But enough about the location, and moving on to who was there. Fashion designers, fashion bloggers, the lovely ladies of Monogram Mag, and of course photographers all made it out to this event. Jack (pictured below) also attended and looked dapper by wearing a bow-tie for the occasion. He is The Factory’s mascot and even has his own Facebook page!

CEO of the Evans Group, Jennifer Evans, credited CODE Salon for the models’ hair and Sasha Maks Vintage for styling the models with their vintage jewelry. Her pieces are gorgeous and I am thrilled I get to share the ones used for almost each dress. I am also blown away by the 5 gown silhouettes that can be customized and I already know which two I want! 

The Cocktail Dress

My number one pick out of all the dresses. I would wear this all the time. It is fun, flirty, and has a sassy vibe to it. The jewelry added an edge to an otherwise girly dress and has a nice effect. (I adore the shoes too!)

The Column Gown

The Ball Gown

The print of this dress is amazing and the shape could flatter anyone! This dress is my number two pick because it would make me feel like a princess.

The Empire Gown

The Fishtail Gown

The Trumpet Gown

The Complete Collection

Leather Jacket H&M | Top Layered with Love | Pleated Black Skirt Everly | Silver Sederaby Heels Manolo Blahnik, Headband and Swan Ring Forever 21
The gowns were gorgeous and the event was really fun. I met a number of people and connected with bloggers Caity Shreve of moicontrelavie.com, Esther Lee of esther-lee.com, and Chelsea Taguchi of chelseassecret.com. Check out their sites and their style. I had a blast getting dressed up for the event and wearing my Manolo Blahnik heels. (I bought them in Vegas last year at the Manolo Blahnik Boutique: You don’t even want to know how many cupcakes I had to bake for these lovelies.) I know they would look perfect with all of these evening gowns.
 To stay updated on upcoming fashion events in the Bay Area follow me on Twitter and Facebook. Thank you for reading!Brandy| BLOGLOVIN | FACEBOOK |  INSTAGRAM |TUMBLR | TWITTER | 

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All Saints Black Dress

Posted on by Brandy Saldana

Black Dress All Saints | Asymetrical Stacked Rings Forever 21 | Black Cardigan Forever 21 | Studded Belt Forever 21 |Black Beatrix Spiked Flats Sam EdelmanHope you all are having a wonderful holiday! I came to Salinas to visit the family for my three day weekend and I am happy to report that things with the family are a lot better. It seems odd to me that I was slightly afraid of coming home and having the door shut in my face, but that wasn’t the case. I received a warm welcome and I think it might be because I gave my parents time to process what had happened and their realization that it is time to move forward and not linger in the past.
I am ecstatic and even the cloudy weather cannot bring my mood down. Speaking of gloom, I know my outfit post might seem a little too dark, but I actually thought it was perfect to wear for happy hour after work last Tuesday. One of my co-workers is retiring at the end of the month and one person from the team would not be around for her good-bye party this Thursday and decided to invite everyone for a small get together at Sliver Pizzeria.
The pizza and the cocktails there are amazing! I ordered a Mint Julep for myself and it was surprisingly sweet and refreshing. It complimented my pizza slices very well. I sometimes wish I liked beer, as it is usually cheaper for happy hours, but I am just not a fan. I took a sip of a coworker’s PBR during our small party which wasn’t bad, but it also wasn’t amazing. I feel if I keep going out with my co-workers I’ll eventually develop a taste for it like I did for coffee and espressos. ( I still don’t like black coffee, but I enjoy mochas a lot more.)
I dressed myself keeping in mind that I would be going to happy hour at a pizzeria where the dress code is pretty casual. I would have worn jeans, but I had been wanting to wear this dress for awhile now. I paired it with some accessories that complimented the odd structure of the dress. I wore this dress during the winter with more layers here and it amazes me how well it can stand with a few simple accessories for warmer weather. I am slightly cold in these photos because the winds started picking up during the afternoon, but the lighting allowed for some cool photos. Mando always comes through with his amazing photography skills and I am very happy with these photos! This dress is just meant to be photographed and I have Crossroads to thank for it.
Anyways, hope you have been enjoying your holiday weekend and remember to give thanks to those that served our country.
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Birds and Bunnies

Posted on by Brandy Saldana

Pink Cardigan Charlotte Russe | Bunny Print Dress Erin Fetherston for Target | Natasha Petal to the Metal Cross Body Black Leather Bag and Wallet Marc by Marc Jacobs | Nude Ruffle Flats Steve Madden | Bangles Forever 21 | Silver Rabbit Ring Crossroads Trading Co.
After my last post I feel it is time to lighten up the mood with a quirky patterned dress and the latest additions to my wardrobe. I wore this dress last Easter as seen here and only changed the shoes and the bangles. This look was a lot more casual, but still flirty with the ruffle flats and colorful arm candy.
Accessories can really help reinvent an outfit, and I am happy to introduce the newest member to my handbag collection: my Marc Jacobs Natasha Petal to the Metal Cross Body aka the “grandma bag” as nicknamed by Mando. I’ve coveted this bag for about 2 years now, but could never bring myself to pay full price for it at Nordstrom. After finally being hired full-time at the office and imagining countless outfits I could have used it with I finally took the plunge and purchased this bag on eBay. I found a great deal for this authentic bag and soon after the wallet followed. It always amazes me that when it comes to designer handbags, the wallet will cost just as much as the purse! I got my wallet for a good deal on eBay as well,  and I am glad to have found a wallet that matches a majority of my black handbags.
I am very excited to own this bag and love the size. I was hesitant to make the purchase before, but I can tell I will be using this for awhile. I also appreciate its modest size. It forces me to not carry more than I need and really makes me reconsider what is essential.  And last but not least, I adore the gold plated sparrows! Mando does not find my bag cute hence the “grandma bag” nickname, but then again he isn’t the one using it (nor does he have a fashion blog so his point is mute). I collect animal jewelry, but it seems to be branching off onto my clothes and other accessories. I am quite content with this transition, but he might not be too thrilled. He thought this outfit was cute, so maybe he is okay with all the animal theme items I own. 
Hope your week has been great so far!
Brandy| BLOGLOVIN | FACEBOOK |  INSTAGRAM |TUMBLR | TWITTER | 

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Black and White School Girl Look

Posted on by Brandy Saldana

Black Cardigan, Black and White Top, Denim Shorts, Rings and Bracelets Forever 21 | Tights c/o HauteLegs |  Flats ParisSomebody at work described me as a Japanese school girl in this outfit. I think it might have to do with the tights I had on courtesy of HauteLegs. They give the illusion of knee-highs, and I love how they completed my black and white look. This is definitely my favorite pair of tights out of the 3 I received because this is the second time I’ve worn them!
This was another one of those outfits I just threw on without planning it out the night before. Typically I have an outfit in mind that I want to wear, but this outfit came to me just before work. I had initially intended on wearing a white blouse tucked into the shorts to show off the high waist detail, but decided against it after I put on the sweater top with black ruffle detail. There was already a lot going on with this outfit, adding a ruffle blouse and tucking it in to show the detail on the shorts would have been too much. You can imagine me scrambling in the morning trying to put this outfit together quickly so I could still make it to work on time. Adding the accessories did not take long since my jewelry had been recently organized too! 
I had been trying to steer away from being too matchy-matchy, but I loved this look and am so glad I was able to wear the black and white flats I purchased in Paris after graduating high school.  I just have this thing for shoes, if you don’t already know.
Hope you treated your Mom to something nice this weekend!
Until next time, 
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Flats and Pleats

Posted on by Brandy Saldana

Navy and Black Top Stella McCartney | Black Cardigan and Bangles Forever 21 | High Waisted Pleated Black Skirt Zac Posen for Target | Beatrix Black Spike Flats Sam EdelmanHappy Friday!
This week has been very long and I am looking forward to relaxing a little this weekend in order to face work head-on come Monday morning. There is a huge project that I am working on at the office that has started to creep its way into my dreams, which is both scary and slightly fascinating. If I can come up with a way to work smarter and not harder that would be too good to be true!
Luckily, some things just come to me on the spot, like this outfit. I knew I wanted to wear my new flats that arrived the day before. I am a huge fan of the Beatrix flat by Sam Edelman, and now I have them in black. I also own them in pink, gold, black and ivory, and grey. The are very comfortable because of the cushion inside, and they are not tight like most flats that are gathered. I also love how sweet they look and have a slight edge with the spikes.
I opted to wear this amazing pleated skirt from Zac Posen’s collaboration with Target with my Stella McCartney top tucked in. I love how this gave the illusion to a number of people that I was wearing a dress. I tied the look together with my simple black cardigan and some arm candy. Navy and black is such a classic combination, and I especially like how simple the look is overall. The small details make a big statement and I am very glad to have been able to pick this outfit on the fly. (I usually have a mental idea of what I am wearing the night before so I am not scrambling in the morning with nothing to wear.) It is amazing how adding one item allows you to see your wardrobe a little differently.
Feliz Dia de las Madres to all the moms out there and until next time, 

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