Review of San Francisco's Van Gogh Installation Exhibit

The new main attraction for everyone who's anyone on instagram in San Francisco: the Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit San Francisco!  I've gotten a few questions on the SF Van Gogh experience, so I thought I would take a page from my friend Steven's blog and share my own take on the experience. 

 

For context, my brother got Andrew and I the VIP Flex tickets for Christmas.  Apparently my family had been getting served the instagram ads for this experience too!  The VIP Flex tickets allow the ticket holder to change the date of their visit, and can also arrive up to 2 hours before or after their ticket time. This ended up coming in handy on the day we went, because I was NOT ready to get up and go at 10am, so we got to go in at a leisurely 11am and I could really dress the way I wanted to.

How Often The Real Real Offers $30 off

I love The RealReal. I will say, their purses are very hit or miss, as their quality control standards leave a lot to be desired.  On the other hand, their selection of unique designer clothes at amazing prices is unparalleled.  I like to keep a collection of clothes in my "obsessions" that are affordable, but could use a further discount or the extra $25-30 off that TRR offers every once in a while. I have been dying to make some purchases, and I haven't seen anywhere that has tracked the frequency in which TRR offers these sales, so I decided to start tracking.  Come back to this post for regular updates! 

Friday 1/22/21: 4 days to take $30 off your purchase from 01/22 12:01am PT - 01/25 11:59pm PT.

Purchase: Mansur Gavriel linen jacket

Okay, I paid so little for this because I also had another credit on TRR for selling some sunglasses or something.  It was final sale and now that I have it it's way too huge and oversized.  I thought it would have been a good spring/transition coat for San Francisco weather.  I still may try to make it work or may resell it on Posh. TBD!

Friday 4/2/21: 3 days to take $25 off your purchase from 04/02 12:01am PT - 04/04 11:59pm PT. 

Purchase: Alice + Olivia floral maxi dress

This is the first time I've seen an offer for $25 instead of $20, but I have been WAITING for this coupon so I was still happy it came around.  It's been almost 3 months since the last coupon, and I have been worried that this dress would be sold (but clearly not that worried, because the price before the coupon is reasonable enough and I almost checked out with it many times).  I bought this dress for a wedding in October because I clearly have issues. BUT, why wait if you can score a perfect dress for a formal October wedding for such a great price! Hopefully it fits, but even if not, I know I can resell this dress for at LEAST $70.

Bookmark this page to keep checking back in for more!

MARCH 2021: 14 Werk From Home Zoom Lewks

Apologies to all 5 of you who read my blog, but I recently discovered TikTok and that's where I've been spending every free waking moment of mine for the past month.  You can check out my videos here: https://www.tiktok.com/@sabellareyes

Even though I haven't been posting, I was keeping up with my weekly Zoom screenshots for the most part and my desktop has been littered with the photos.  I feel like at this point, there's no time like the present to get them back up! 

MONDAY  03.08.21

Cashmere Boyfriend Sweater: The Reset

True to its name, I got this cream cashmere boyfriend sweater from The ReSet from my boyfriend Andrew for Valentine's day. I love it, it's extremely comfy and chic (Nancy Meyers vibes) yet still professional enough to wear to work.

TUESDAY 03.09.21

Cashmere "All Rise" Sweater: Lingua Franca | Dickey Collar: Amazon

I live for RBG but the merch out there for her tends to be a little too basic for me.  This Lingua Franca collab was in support of the RBG movie On the Basis of Sex and is a nod to both my profession and one of my feminist icons.  It is perfect layered with this Amazon dickey, that I feel makes everything look even more put together. 

WEDNESDAY 03.10.21

Cardigan: Zara

I'm an outfit repeater just like Lizzie McGuire and I'm actually wearing this cardigan again as I type this. I love it, it's so soft, and I love the subtle glamour statement these buttons make for work. I will say I sized all the way up to a large and the sweater still fits a little TOO cropped. It's meant for Gen Z though so I'm just making it work the best I can. 

Werk From Home: Zoom Outfits 3.5.21

The weeks are going by so slowly now that we are completing our one year of staying at home.  I have my favorite sweatpants now, I tend to want to wear the most comfortable thing which is not always the most flattering or professional, and trying to make myself look different every day for these posts has slightly helped with my overall lewk and demeanor.  Now that I'm obsessed with drag race, I'm starting to get into makeup for the first time in my life, and that's added a new layer to my WFH lewks. Enjoy!

MONDAY. 

Top: Tory Burch | Earrings: Nordstrom Rack (similar)

Mondays suffer if I don't plan out my outfits ahead of time, which is almost every Monday, unless I have a zoom meeting scheduled that day.  Today I only had phone calls, so I resorted to comfort as usual. I will say, with how much Drag Race I'm watching now, I'm hoping my makeup skills start to noticeably improve. I'm loving the NYX soft matte lip creams and I just bought two more over the weekend.  This being one of them, and a perfect zoom pop of color.  The soft matte lip creams are perfect for wearing under masks, they actually don't budge! 

Simone Rocha x HM Wishlist: Should I Buy This?

The Simone Rocha x HM collaboration comes out at HM on March 11.  The pieces are beautiful - playful and statement-making but still feminine and elegant - which are the exact words I want to describe my own style and wardrobe. 

Prices, per WWD.com, range from $7.99 to $349. 

For most purchases I'm making, I'm challenging myself to write down three ways I would style each potential new piece that I would be adding to my closet.  This doesn't always work when I'm making impulse purchases for things I think might sell out (see: Hill House Home nap dresses), but so far I think it has been actually stopping me from buying things I don't need or won't wear. 

Statement Puff Sleeve Trench Coat

While the price of this coat will be determinative, my jaw dropped as I was scrolling through the announcement of the collection and saw this trench.  I LOVE a good trench (even though I only have one).  It's a great light weight layer that is good for almost every season (if you live in California) and can make you look more put together without very much effort. 

This is obviously a huge statement, that would be a real "fashion" element to add to my otherwise basic (in comparison) wardrobe.  But how would I wear it? 

1) with a white button up, black leggings, and my black chain detail Vince Camuto combat boots 

2) with my teal Stine Goya dress underneath, and white AF1s

3) with a black turtleneck, black slacks, black ballet flats and a black beret

Werk From Home: Zoom Outfits 2.26.21

Another week, another week of Zoom screenshots for things that I wear to work, regardless of whether or not I have any scheduled Zoom meetings.  The weather is starting to get warmer, and I'm noticing that it is probably going to get very hot in my office over the summer because the sun shines directly in here most of the day.  The 60 degree weather but the heat from the sun have resulted in outfits all over the place this week. Enjoy! 

MONDAY. 

Striped Short Sleeve Cardigan: J. Crew (on sale!) | Bow Earrings: Tiny Tassel

Y'all know how I feel about Mondays, and that's probably the same as everyone else feels.  I didn't do a Peloton ride on Sunday, and thus I woke up on Monday with greasy hair.  I was feeling lazy and I didn't understand the weather, so this lewk was just sort of thrown together.  I've worn this striped button up cashmere cardigan before, but I do love it. It's a jail shirt, for when I feel stuck at work. I paired it with my cream Tiny Tassel bow earrings, which I thought added a playful element to an otherwise professional-severe look.

Attending a Virtual Wedding, At Home

It looks like virtual Zoom weddings are here to stay.  I had the pleasure of attending my ading's (basically a sorority "little," but for Filipinos) virtual wedding earlier this month and I wanted to make my virtual attendance an event.  Because what else is there to live for at this point in the pandemic?

Rotate Birger Christensen Dawn Polka Dot Puff Sleeve Satin Dress

Rotate Birger Christensen Dawn Polka Dot Puff Sleeve Satin Dress

I bought this Rotate Birger Christensen dress because of its iconic #RHOBH status: both Lisa Rinna and Kyle wore this polka dot puff sleeve dress to some event during filming unintentionally matching.  This is the SECOND Rotate dress that RHOBH wives have worn to the same event - it's clearly a stylist favorite and that is reason enough for me to buy the dress (so long as it's on sale and not $300 ha).  Did I have an event to wear the dress to? No.  Once I got invited to this virtual wedding though, I knew that would be the perfect time to break it in.  I LOVE this dress. 

Werk From Home: Zoom Outfits 2.19.21

I decided that this week's theme would be a play on my usual work uniform- a white button up with accessories.  I have a lot of statement earrings and hair accessories to work with, so I thought that keeping the palette of my blouse the same would allow for those little items to really make a statement.

MONDAY.

President's day baby, which means NO WORK! I allowed myself to really take the day off work for the most part, until I got some aggressively critical emails from a partner after dinner and proceeded to sit at my computer for the rest of the night. Happy weekends always for lawyers!  

TUESDAY. 

Shirt: Brooks Brothers | Earrings: Nordstrom Rack | Blue Light Glasses: The Book Club

Day One of the white-shirt lewks this week.  I have 6 of these Brooks Brothers white button up shirts because I decided soon after law school that this would be my work uniform.  These babies have been through a lot with me, and spritzes of bleach have revived them time and time again.  These pearlescent flower earrings I got on clearance from Nordstrom Rack for about $4, but they give serious Rebecca de Ravenel vibes, so I got them. I love a white floral earring moment to pop against my dark hair! 

STAUD Tommy Beaded Bag Review & What's In My Bag

The Staud Tommy Beaded Bag is one of the newest bags in my collection, and reviews of the bag are few and far between on the internet.  STAUD is one of my favorite brands right now because they are cool and give their own take on current trends in an elevated and chic way.  As I may have already mentioned, Andrew got me this Arctic Blue Staud Tommy Beaded Bag for my birthday last year. I LOVE these Staud beaded bags, and it's a little bit shocking to me that I haven't seen that many on social media, other than the light blue zebra bag on KarenBritChick.  I love gingham, and I love a pastel blue, so this bag was perfect for me, especially as zebra is probably my least favorite animal print.  

Staud Tommy Beaded Bag | Shacket: Nordstrom BP | Leggings: Zella

The shape of the Staud beaded bags are perfect, especially given the rise of the shoulder bags (this is the exact same shape as the Coach pochette I got for my 8th grade graduation in 2005 lol).  I love that shoulder bags are basically top handle bags but you can hold them under your shoulder and out of your hands...what a concept! I find that to be the most annoying part about crossbody bags now, they are difficult to grab onto when you are getting out of your car if they don't have a top handle.  I'm also over the sensation of crossbody bags constantly bouncing off of your body while you walk.  I'm just into handheld bags and shoulder bags now, just like everyone else!

Werk From Home: Zoom Outfits 2.12.21

More outfits that I wear to work as a lawyer on zoom.  Another dreary week! Another week where I don't leave the apartment and thus am fine wearing soft pants all day.  I would be atrophying as a human if not for my Peloton.  I don't know if it's always the week before a 3-day weekend that feels the longest, but this went by exponentially slower than the rest of my weeks have gone.  I have been buying a lot of new clothes but not really wearing them to work zooms (other than this Zara cardigan below), which is something I need to work on.  There's always next week!

MONDAY.

Sweater: Zara

I LOVE this little jeweled cardigan! I have been wanting a nice novelty cardigan that I can wear fully buttoned up like a sweater.  This Zara one was on sale for $20, however it looked extremely tight and cropped on the model. I decided to size all the way up to a large, and it fits perfectly. I honestly could not imagine how the smaller sizes would fit.  It's a perfect comfy look for a Zoom client call.  I'm loving how it looks with my little stud earrings, and I feel like Charlotte from Sex and the City.  You wouldn't think so if you saw my whole outfit though, because I've actually paired this with the Miramar fake denim joggers from Rag and Bone.  It's a totally different lewk outside of the zoom screen, and I can't wait to style this up in an even different way! The possibilities feel endless, although they are actually relatively limited in reality. Ha.

Celebrating Galentine's Day

Galentine's day should also be written in our calendars with Valentine's day, because they feel equally as essential to our yearly lives.  How am I celebrating Galentine's day this year? With a bunch of pictures of myself of course. 

Galentine's 2019 at Pizzeria Delfina, when we could still eat indoors with our gals!

Even though (and especially because) I've been with Andrew for almost 8 years now, it's so important to me to celebrate my girl friends. I've always had a few close girl friends and have also always tried not to let my relationship take precedence over spending time with my gals.  This year (and last year) we had themed Galentine's book clubs to celebrate.  I wore this tan jogger suit with pink accents for my gals.

We are all encouraged to bring treats for each other to every Book Club (individually wrapped of course since we have all been meeting outdoors), and I so far have not indulged in doing so until now.  Now that there's a theme to work with, who am I to say no to preparing treats?! I decided I would go with my specialty: rice krispy treats.  I've also previously made RKTs in the past and sent them to my girlfriends cut into little hearts and presented in cute little pouches.  I decided why not do the same thing with my new friends!

Women's Suits for Valentine's Day

Even though Valentine's Day is a made-up Hallmark holiday, I will never pass up an opportunity to dress to a theme. I was an RTR member last Valentine's Day, and also had actual things to do last year since we weren't locked in our homes.  This year, since we aren't going anywhere, I have tried to stop myself from buying new outfits just for Valentine's day.  I've only partially succeeded.  My excuses? I can sell these pieces later or wear them another time.  As a lady lawyer, I love suits, and per my love of themes, I LOVE a novelty suit. Valentine's day is a perfect excuse to break out one of my many novelty suits, especially the pink ones! 

Plaid Heart Suit: Halogen x Atlantic Pacific | Earrings: BaubleBar | Purse: Tory Burch Small Radziwill

I have loved this Halogen x Atlantic Pacific plaid heart suit set since I saw @lombardandfifth wearing it on election day.  I still like it, but on me, something just doesn't feel right.  I don't know if it's the quality or the fit of the blazer, but I don't think I'm going to keep it.  The pants, I actually love, but I don't need statement pants in this time of dressing from the waist up. Plus, they are too long for me, and the likelihood that I will get them tailored and hemmed anytime soon is very slim to none.  Luckily, I bought these pieces at Nordstrom and I will be able to return them!  For reference, I got the pants in a size 2 and the blazer in a size 4.  Sizing up to a 6 might have helped with the blazer, but they are totally sold out which is a bummer because they are currently a great sale price! 

Jogger Suit: Wayf via Nordstrom | Top: Vintage Gucci via @saltandbloom 
Shoes: Nike Air Force Ones | Bag: Tory Burch Small Radziwill

Hot Pink Tory Burch Small Radziwill

I've recently been following a lot of Nordstrom stylists, and Fashion Jackson's stylist, @styledbyabbywest, posted this WAYF set and how she wears the pieces several different ways. You know I immediately ordered it.  It's basically an athleisure suit but it looks like a regular suit. It's still suiting fabric, but it's not stuff! It's an amazing addition to my wardrobe and I think it could go with a lot of different tops underneath.  I can also wear either the joggers or the blazer on their own and with different outfits.  The blazer is my first really oversized blazer that I always felt was a little bit too "cool" for me, but I'm excited to pair it with denim shorts in the spring/summer. I'm excited to find new ways to style the whole thing and use it for a lot of my next themed lewks this year! 

I wore this for my Galentine's day book club this year, which I will detail in another post in the future. I thought it was the perfect amount of girly and cute, without going overboard on the actual Valentine's day theme.  This hot pink Tory Burch Small Radziwill is one of my favorite new bags that I got for my birthday last year.  It is the perfect pop of color for me, especially for these Valentine's Day outfits.  It is unfortunately sold out on the Tory Burch website in this color, but I highly recommend the silhouette in any color.  It fits my iPhone 11pro, card holder and keys, and not much else, but it packs the perfect statement and gives serious Hermes Kelly vibes. 

Werk From Home: Zoom Outfits 2.5.21

What a long and tiring week! I don't know if it's just me, but as we inch closer and closer to the one year anniversary of the stay-at-home quarantining orders, I feel worse and worse and every day of work is more of a struggle than the last.  This week's outfits were truly something else, I think partially because of the weather and partially because I am going to get my period next week and I just feel off. 

MONDAY. 

Flannel: Equipment | Earrings: The Tiny Tassel

Now that I'm writing this, I see that I need to take Monday outfits the MOST seriously, because they end up being the hero photo of the post! This is an outfit that is phoning it in, esPECIALLY my hair! I was tired, I was up until 3am the night before working (and entering my January billing), and I just wanted to wear soft things.  These uniqlo mock necks are some of my favorite work shirts, and I was cold, so I layered this Equipment flannel shacket over it.  This has to actually be my lesson that flannels are not acceptable nor appropriate for workwear.  Not that it really matters right now, but I definitely don't feel like my best work self whenever I wear a flannel.  I do love this flannel though because it is soft, but is cinched at the waist so is more flattering than a typical flannel.  It's currently up for sale in my Poshmark closet if someone is more into flannels than I am! 

TUESDAY. 

Vest: Lululemon | T-Shirt Dress: J. Crew | Earrings: Costco

Ugh! Hair up again? I already had in my mind since last night that I wanted to wear this black Lululemon vest. My idea was to wear it with this black J. Crew t-shirt midi dress, and it is exactly what I wanted. I feel like I look sporty, but I'm comfortable because I'm basically just wearing a long t-shirt underneath.  If I ever went outside, I would really fit in with the SF scene. 

WEDNESDAY.

Burberry Shirt: @morganschadegg | Headband: J. Crew

I had a 9AM Zoom call this morning (the first of two this week) so I really had to think about what I was going to wear the night before.  I was meeting with a partner who I rarely see, so I wanted to make sure I looked presentable but not too presentable to give the impression that I'm trying too hard or might be interviewing after the call.  I'm wearing my staple black leggings, because I plan to do a Peloton ride today and I was very tired getting up at 8am, so I figured I could wear any patterned top with them.  I bought this Burberry plaid shirt from one of Morgan Schadegg's instagram story sales, and I love it! It's the perfect amount of classic and subdued but still patterned. It's a IYKYK type of shirt. It's very gray toned with a very very subtle hint of pink, so perfect for attorney lewks.

Werk From Home: Zoom Outfits 1.29.21

Another week of work, another week of werk from home outfits.  I won't lie, I'm starting to think about this post the night before every work day, which is actually a good thing. Putting in effort into my appearance even for a silly screenshot for a blog that no one reads yet feels silly, but it actually feels good. One of my resolutions is to be camera ready at all times, and this is helping significantly with keeping to that.  I'm also trying to avoid outfit repeating! It's getting a bit tough with how cold it is, and that I'm typically actually wearing my new black and white leopard barefoot dreams blanket over whatever it is I'm wearing. 

MONDAY.

Turtleneck: J. Crew (similar)

It's FREEZING in the City today! It's supposed to rain, but hasn't yet. I'm tired, and wanted to only wear cozy clothes.  This J. Crew turtleneck is one of my favorite and most-worn items of clothing ever, just because it's so comfortable. It's actually an XL so it is huge, but that's what makes it so comfortable.  It's the perfect thing to wear with leggings but to look relatively put together because it's not tight. I got it several years ago and wear it every winter, and I still love it! Black and white stripes are my go-to look in an effort to look pulled together and chic.

Werk From Home: Zoom Outfits 1.22.21

Anyone still wondering what to wear as a lawyer, working and appearing remotely via zoom or other videoconferencing apps? I am on a journey to document my outfits every (work) day, so that people can see how to meet the expectations placed on female lawyers in terms of workwear, even in a remote environment. 

MONDAY.

 

Dress: Who What Wear for Target

Not an official work day, but here I am catching up on all my work.  I was wearing a Hillhouse nap dress but it is too see-through to wear outside, so I opted for this next best thing, a Who What Wear flowy tie-dye dress from Target.  It's a beautiful day in the city and I need an excuse to go outside. No Zoom meetings scheduled today, but I still wanted to look nice, in keeping with my new outlook on life: Life's No Dress Rehearsal.  I'm also honestly very into my hair here, where I actually brushed it up into a top knot but brushed down some strands of long fake bands to make it look ~intentional~ and for the most part I think it's actually working.  I've also noticed that I wish I was wearing earrings in every photo I take, so I am reconsidering storing my earrings somewhere in this office to put on for zoom (and for these posts). 

Inauguration Day! What to do With Campaign Merch

Happy inauguration day all! To celebrate, I am wearing some campaign merch for potentially the last time.  I am a Kamala head for life, as a fellow Bay Area female attorney, and I sure did invest in her merch, especially when she was running for President on her own. 

My inauguration day LEWK, featuring "That little girl was me,"
purchased immediately after the second Democratic Presidential primary debate

I am an avid collector of merch, and have been since I was a child.  Take me to a concert or even a musical? I need to check out the merch tent.  $100 for a Britney Spears sweater that I could buy at target for under $20? Gimme, gimme more.  If someone creates a design that I like, for something I like, then I MUST have it on a t-shirt or sweatshirt. 

Werk From Home: Zoom Outfits 1.15.21

Since I'm really not wearing outfits these days, but I am pretty regularly appearing on Zoom, I thought it might be helpful to show what I have been wearing for my lawyerly zoom meetings on a daily basis.  There's a reason I've kept all these work clothes right? While I don't usually meet with clients every day, I want to start trying a little bit harder every day to look nice on zoom and this series will hopefully motivate me to do so instead of looking like a slob every day.  The next step is going to be to stop wearing soft elastic pants with these tops. 

A screenshot from last week, since I just started taking these Zoom photos on Wednesday of this week: 

Top: Sandy Liang via Poshmark (similar)

I took this screenshot last week when I was testing out how my new Zoom background looked with this new print up. I did not have any client meetings, but I was taking other photos of myself and I also wanted to start dressing up.  However, this is the only day I dressed up last week.  I love this Sandy Liang top because it looks professional, but has an elastic bottom which makes it feel appropriate to wear with non-black leggings and also has  a kangaroo pocket which I keep my phone in all day. 

Hindsight is 2020: Best and Worst Purchases

Shopping is my easy button in life (per Glennon Doyle, who I imagine I will quote in every other post going forward).  An "easy button" is what you choose to do that you think will take you out of pain and stress, but really just help you abandon yourself (thanks Glennon).  Reading this last night was a huge realization for me and my shopping addiction.  Anyone who knows me knows I have a problem with shopping, and until last night I've basically accepted it as *cute* and *quirky* personality trait.  I'm also usually pretty proud of the *good* buys that I've made and how all of my possessions display my elevated taste and prowess for finding bargains.  The problem is all the actually bad buys that I've made that I don't share with anyone. 

This purpose of this post is to highlight good buys that I've made, or the purchases that I used the most last year.  It should also remind me of everything I have that's good and that I don't need even more things. 

Similarly, I want to highlight things that I bought and did not work for me but may have bought in an "easy button" fashion and I now regret. 

But for now, let's start with best purchases: 

1. Dyson V8 Animal Cordless Vacuum

Full disclosure, this was actually gifted ... by my PARENTS! Ha. I wish I got gifted items.  If you actually follow bloggers, this should be no surprise, and you can just read their very well-thought-out reviews and sponsored links. I'm just linking to an eBay find because that's what came up on google when I searched it.  Anyway, I'm not exaggerating when I say this vacuum changed my life. It is cordless, so you don't have to worry about the added extra "stress" of plugging in a vacuum and only vacuuming to places that it extends to.  The attachment shown in the photo is also my favorite for what is essentially spot treatment for vacuuming. It makes me want to vacuum anything and everything! And I do.  We still kept our regular plug-in shark vacuum for when we need to do heavy-duty vacuuming of our rugs (which I admit, is not happening as frequently as it should due to our spot-treatment habits) but this makes cleaning up crumbs and other messes so easy. I LOVE IT!