JUST ANOTHER DAY IN LA

My birthday rolled through, so I thought I'd share a few quick photos.

I was actually lucky enough to have the day planned for me and it was truly fun and jam packed. Up in LA, I got to sift through all the goods at the Vanessa Mooney sample sale and ended up scoring big with stuff like this lovely metal necklace.



Afterward, I made my way over to the new Killspencer storefront which doubles as their workshop. This guy Spencer has been making quality, handcrafted products for a few years now and since his first sale in 2009 he's been able to make a great name for his brand and now employs a team of 9 full timers. The space is pretty cool and all the merchandise is curated perfectly in a small area in the front. Past that, you can visually see their entire workshop filled with a line of industrial sewing machines and chalkboard walls with design sketches etc. It's pretty impressive.

Spencer and I ended up chatting for a bit about his brand and the types of new goals he'd now like to pursue. He definitely seems like the kind of guy that will never stop pushing for what he wants, being that he's super passionate not only about his line of goods, but he also has several other interests as well. We even talked some about 16th Colony and some of the things I'm working on as he checked out one of my handmade ponchos. Definitely a fun/inspiring conversation.



By this time I was getting pretty hungry and spotted the perfect bday lunch place there in Silverlake which was called 'Heywood'. It was a great little cafe that made grilled cheeses - they even came with little tomato soup 'dippers'. Doesn't get much better.

After crusin' down Melrose for awhile and stopping off at the GQ Block Party on Abbott Kinney, I made my way back down to OC and ended the day with the perfect dinner.

After thinking about my day I realized that it wasn't too much different than any other day that I have when I make my way up to LA. I was doing everything that I absolutely love doing which is just exploring, taking photos and learning about cool boutiques and designers. At that moment, I realized that I'm so lucky to be able to do that on my birthday and every other day of my life.

I'm also looking forward to the celebration continuing next weekend when I make my way up to San Francisco.

VINTAGE LOVERS

This one's for all you vintage lovers out there.

I too, really enjoy a good vintage piece. The only thing is, unlike some people, I don't necessarily have the patience to sift through a ton of things jam packed on a rack. Regardless of that I still find myself having an intense desire to pop into vintage shops.

I found Fly Boutique in Miami during my trip to Florida. It was full of stuff - really good items too, like Missoni and Dior. They even had some really awesome antique furniture. Personally, I think I'm mostly drawn to vintage furnishings. I have a few pieces of my own that I am so glad I didn't walk away from.



After chatting with the guy running the shop that day, I learned that they've been in business for about 15 years. 13 years in one location until they had an unfortunate fire in the building. That didn't stop them from reopening again just around the corner along with a second one shortly after that, located in the MIMO District.



If you're in any other state (or country for that matter) other than Florida and mad at me for bringing this cool boutique to your attention because you really, really want to check it out, then don't be mad at me anymore. You can scope their stuff online too - Fly Boutique.

LIFE IN IPHONE PHOTOS - OCTOBER EDITION

Sample Fabric Sourcing - DTLA

All the beautiful labels

16th Colony shipments across the Pacific - Hawaii Bound

Halloweenie

16th Colony Feature for Locale Magazine

On set filming

FEEL THE FEAR - DO IT ANYWAY

Today I read a pretty good/simple quote that pretty much sums up something that I live by. "Feel the fear and do it anyway".

There's plenty of cases where I'm putting myself out there, whether it's knocking on boutique doors or emailing random people to collab for Hanger Shortage or just voicing my opinion in an uncomfortable situation, and I think sometimes it's pretty natural to feel a bit weird about that and even fearful of rejection during the process. But there's always something in the back of my mind urging me to do whatever it is anyway. The way I look at it is, what's the point in being here if you're not going to just do whatever it takes. Ever since I've started doing everything that I wanted, I've practiced this philosophy pretty hardcore - I definitely wouldn't be here doing all of this if it weren't for this mentality and not giving a shit about anyone's negative thoughts.



Lately, I've been making a lot clothes for myself (I get a bit distracted when I'm working on 16th Colony stuff in my studio). Anyway, I knocked out this little crop number before my trip to Miami - you may recognize the lace trim from the Blythe Poncho.

I've noticed that every single time I wear a piece that I personally designed someone stops to ask me about it. It's of course a great opportunity to chat with them a bit and tell what where it came from but it also makes me feel like everything is falling into place. Every bold move or crazy idea put into action - everything's where it's suppose to be.



Photos shot on the rooftop of the Townhouse in South Beach, FL.

Crop Top - Custom made by yours truly, Shorts - H&M, Shoes - Lulu's.com