Shopping – Page 5 – Will Bake for Shoes

The Factory and Monogram

Posted on July 10, 2013by Brandy Saldana

I can’t believe it’s almost been 2 weeks since this event happened, but I still need to share it on my blog because the pictures Armando took are incredible and I had a lot of fun!
On the same Wednesday that I attended the JETLAG Fashion Show, I also attended a shopping event in SOMA at The Factory featuring the latest fashion app Monogram. Monogram is a shoppable collection of fashion magazines. I met the founder, Kristen Slowe, at the Mira Mira event, and was instantly hooked with the app and website. This party honored the launch of The Factory’s magazine in Monogram and had fabulous clothes and plenty of yummy champagne to celebrate this exciting collaboration!

It’s Jack! He is The Factory’s Mascot and has his own Facebook page here.

Dressed to impress: Armando wearing a grey H&M Suit and black Steve Madden dress shoes. I wore a Diane Von Furstenberg Wrap Dress and Christian Louboutin Pumps.

Elise and I browsing the gorgeous clothing at The Factory. The decor and a lot of the clothing were inspired by Jennifer Evan’s trip to Marrakech.

Elise found a blouse you just had to touch and I picked out the brocade shorts for her to pair with it. The outfit looked like it was made for her since the two pieces matched her shoes!

Here I am with the Monogram ladies! Starting from the left we have me, Kristen, Lisa and Prachi!

Of course, a group photo wouldn’t be complete with Chavis and Jennifer from The Factory.

The entire monogram team along with my blogger bestie Elise and introducing fashion blogger Stephanie of Chic Vic on the far left! I am so excited to have met the the team and to have discovered the new app. It is like the new Pinterest for me and I love reading through the fun articles on my iPhone. My blog is also featured in their Style Diaries here in case you download the app or visit their website and want to subscribe to my blog.
I love the Monogram team and I look forward to seeing this start up grow and bring exposure to smaller brands and labels! Make sure to check it out! And, if you are ever in the SOMA area in SF, make sure The Factory is on your list as a shopping destination. The clothes are high-quality in terms of fabric and craftsmanship as well as unique because of the low-quantities made of each item. You’ll definitely find something to splurge on there (like those brocade shorts!)

Fashion Friday on the Plaza

Posted on June 24, 2013by Brandy Saldana

On Friday I attended Fashion Friday at the Plaza in Oakland for an evening of fun and shopping. I was also very curious with the concept of mobile boutiques. I’ve become accustomed to seeing food trucks in the Bay Area, but fashion trucks!? Where have these chic stores been hiding all my life!?
This event was made possible by Popuphood. Popuphood is a small business incubator focused on revitalizing neighborhoods block by block. Oakland may be known for many things, but I wouldn’t say Fashion comes to the forefront of that list. Personally, I always think of San Francisco, but after this event it is pretty evident Oakland has style.

The trucks that were present at the event were: Go Go Glam, JasyB, Oaklandish, Stop Shop & Roll, Just Because, The Butler’s Pantry, Topshelf, and Pretty Parlor A Go Go. It amazed me that there were so many trucks related to fashion, and that there was even a mobile beauty salon. Perfect to invite to your home for a wedding or party. There was even a truck that sold for house-ware supplies (Perfect for me since I also like pretty thing in my kitchen!) Having a chic mobile boutique seems like such a great concept. Sometimes you just need the store to come to you.
The highlight of the evening was the fashion show which showcased items from the local boutiques. Here are a few of my favorite looks:

The models make their final pose.

Everyone looked chic and our MC event was very entertaining. After visiting the mobile boutiques and seeing the show, I left with the impression that Oakland definitely has some style cred.
I am hoping to see more fashion-related events in the East Bay, until then make sure to “Like” me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter to stay updated with events in the Bay Area.
Until next time,Brandy| BLOGLOVIN | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM |TUMBLR | TWITTER |

Outfit

Evening Wear by the Factory Collection Launch Party

Posted on June 7, 2013by 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 |

Ladies Night at Mira Mira with SFShopGirl

Posted on June 3, 2013by Brandy Saldana

Thursday was crazy busy for me. I went to a retirement happy hour party straight after work for which I decorated a lobster cupcake for (that I will feature in a separate post), attended Ladies Night at Mira Mira and then attended a party hosted by LOOKBOOK and Levis and the lovely ladies of The Sixth Tractate blog. Needless to say I was exhausted having stayed up late 3 nights in a row working on my cupcake masterpiece and attending parties in SF. I got home from work Friday night and passed out at 7 and did not wake up until 2 am!
But I must say, the events I attended were so fun I am glad I lost sleep for them. This shopping party at Mira Mira was hosted by Alex from SFShopGirl. Look how fabulous she looks in her little white dress! It really complimented the whimsical and dreamy vibe of the store. I am glad I ran into her at the Poshmark Party Wednesday night because she invited me and Elise from WTFAB to this event.

As you can see, there was a nice spread of fruits, cheeses, and champagne. The champagne was amazing because it had hints of lavender and had some lavender flowers in the cup for decoration. I loved a lot of the dresses in the shop and I realize I need to tour the Mission more. I loved discovering this cute little boutique. The location is pretty small, but it adds to the appeal because it feels like its your dream closet. I could not get enough of the lilac silk dress featured by the store’s window!

I ran into style twin Sabrina from the blog RougeSpark and the lovely Carlina from the blog Allergic to Vanilla. There were a lot of people at the event mingling, shopping, and taking photos upstairs in the photobooth.

Overall I had a blast at the event! I ran into so many friends I had made through blogging that it was nice to hang out and catch up on the latest projects everyone had been working on. In the last photo I am seen with Sabrina ( RougeSpark), Elise (WTFAB), Sofia ( Youtube channel here) and KT (KTRstyle). Everyone looked fabulous and I am almost regretted not wearing heels, but after the Poshmark Party on Wednesday I realized I needed to take it easy on my feet! lol
Anyways, hope you enjoyed my recap of the event. Make sure to follow me on Twitter @willbakeforshoe for updates on events like this in the Bay Area. I’ll do my best to share things with enough time for you to RSVP!
Stay tuned for my recap of the Levis and LOOKBOOK party I attended!

City Chic Posh Party in San Francisco

Posted on May 30, 2013by Brandy Saldana

While I shared some photos via Instagram, here are some more photos taken by the Poshmark team from the party I attended Wednesday night with Blogger Bestie Elise of WTFAB. The event was held at the Spanish Suite in the CLIFT Hotel.

Already you can see the venue was gorgeous. The drinks were served in the sky-lit veranda with a gorgeous view of the city’s skyline. Elise and I had a blast networking with other bloggers, Poshmark team members, and Poshmark users. I know I will be busy this weekend listing items since I’ve cleaned out my closet from back home and I felt so inspired after chatting it up with all the wonderful people at the event.

Elise and I met up with fashion blogger Jennifer from Just Add Glam. She is so funny and is clearly a style genius! Her gorgeous statement is made up of 2 necklaces in similar colors that work really well alone but are even better paired together! We also met with Kat from KatWalkSF and Kate from The Fancy Pants Report. I look forward to meeting more bloggers and fashion lovers in the bay area. I’ll be sharing details of upcoming events via Twitter for now until I can create a social calendar of all the happenings in the Bay Area. You can follow me on Poshmark and Twitter with username @willbakeforshoe.

Overall, I had a great time at the event. The Poshmark team is extremely friendly and it is nice to see their company growing with more and more energetic and dedicated people. As a seller on the app, I really feel part of the community and enjoyed seeing familiar faces from the last meetup recognize me! It is a start up, but they are on the right track and people really matter to them. It is refreshing to see the people behind the technology and I thank them for hosting this fabulous event.
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more event posts from this week!
Brandy| BLOGLOVIN | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM |TUMBLR | TWITTER |

Ted Baker Celebrates 25 Years

Posted on May 17, 2013by Brandy Saldana

Krystal and I wearing Ted Baker!

I’ll have the Langley please!
I was invited by Avanti, fashion blogger at 2 Eyes 4 Style, to attend the 25th Anniversary Party hosted by fashion blogger Krystal Bick of This Time Tomorrow at the Ted Baker San Francisco flagship store last night. Music was playing, cocktails were given away, and to make the event sweeter there was a 25% off discount for your purchase for that day. The discount also applied online, but even though that is over there is still the chance to enter a contest to be sent off to some far off land. Check out the giveaway here.
The top I am wearing is the only item I own from Ted Baker, and had found it at Crossroads. Entering this shop for the first time, I was both in awe and in shock! I really loved the feminine cuts of the clothing as well as all the bright colors and prints, but I could not buy anything since I recently splurged on a Marc Jacobs cross body bag and wallet. If I hadn’t come in with that mindset I would have bought quite a few items in the store! For now I have to be content with just having photos of the clothes as a way of taking the store with me. (On a side note: all the photos were taken using my iPhone and I have to admit they didn’t come out to bad. I like the idea of covering events just with that instead of bringing along my DSLR camera a.k.a. my boyfriend Armando ;D.)
I ran into Alex from SFShopGirl which was a plesant surprise! We’ve run into each other 3 times and I expect it will continue happening. I also met a couple of new faces and I am excited to connect with them and run into them at other events too. While I enjoy sharing my love of fashion and baking, I have enjoyed meeting people through blogging just as much. It took me awhile to work up the confidence to start a blog, share it, and now put myself out there in the real world. It is easy to hide behind a computer and avoid making the effort to meet people face-to-face, but I can say from experience that I am always glad to have made it to an event like this. I am lucky to have met so many like-minded, ambitious, and kind women that live near me and I am thrilled at the thought of continuously meeting new amazing people. It is what keeps me inspired and tethered to the blog community.
On a side note, I would love to share news of upcoming events more often, and I am wondering what the best way would be to do that? Twitter? Facebook? A calendar posted somewhere on my sidebar? Let me know what you think would be the most effective tool or what you prefer just in case you decide to muster up the energy and confidence to go to an event in SF!
Thanks for reading!Brandy| BLOGLOVIN | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM |TUMBLR | TWITTER |