Summer nights

If there is one thing summer nights were meant for, it's concerts. With the warm night air on your face and the thrilling energy of 15,000 people packed into one massive stadium, summer concerts are the best of the year. When Lily, Maisie and I heard that Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes were coming into town, we had to buy tickets. So last night we all piled into a car and made our way to the Hollywood bowl. Of course, parking in the lot would have been too mainstream so we decided to find the most remote space we could. After driving in circles for what felt like hours and a rather tense moment between Lily and her mom (Ellen), we finally found a secluded side street on which to park. Naturally, we got lost trying to find our way back to the bowl and by the time we got there with our picnic baskets, the opening acts had already started. Ellen's friend, Sam, met us on the picnic terrace and we all had a lovely meal and took a couple photos before entering the theatre for the concert.

(ootn: dress - Gap | flower crown - SerenityCrystal)

It was around 9:00 when the concert actually started, but the show was every bit worth the long wait. Alexander was so oddly charming (and very cute) and Jade was simply adorable. They sang and danced their way through the audience, grabbing patrons and giving them the mic or spinning them around. They opened with Man on Fire which was so lovely and proceeded to do numbers such as 40 day dream and Better days. Alexander sang a beautiful ballad to Jade, and by the end she and half the audience were in tears. And of course, what Edward Sharpe concert would be complete without Home? They chose to sing their most famous song as their grand finale. As soon as the whistling started, the entire audience erupted into cheers. And the band was drowned out by the masses singing along. "Alabama, Arkansas, I do love my ma and pa. Not the way that I do love you..." I can safely say that it was one of the most charming and awe inspiring things I've ever seen. 

(a polaroid taken by Maisie)

But perhaps the most exciting part of the evening happened as we were exiting the stadium. We were slowly making our way downhill when Maisie whispered to me "turn around." Curious to see what she was so anxious about, I quickly glanced behind my shoulder and HOLY HOLY HOLY HOLY! Less than a foot behind me was the beautiful, stunning, talented ZACHARY QUINTO*!! Out of the thousands of people at that concert, I ended up sharing air with my favorite actor. Needless to say, I freaked out. But Maisie and I decided not to approach him or ask for a photo as he was with his friends and it would have been invasive. No matter how fabulous he is, he is still just a person like you or me. 

The thing about Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes is that they're so happy. There is so much joy radiating from their music. I'd like to be more like that. I'd like to not care what others think or say, I'd like to just be happy. To dance barefoot with strangers and love as freely as Jade and Alexander do. And by realizing this desire, I'm already half way there. 

*For those who don't know Zachary Quinto is the actor who portrays Spock in the Star Trek reboots and Sylar in Heroes. In addition to being a wonderful actor, he also does fantastic charity work. He's pretty great.

♡

10 miles to the other side of the world

Over the weekend my lovely wifey, Maisie, and I took a trip downtown to Little Tokyo. Although the little city is just several miles away, entering the tiny plaza is like going to another world. The signs were all in Japanese and the words swirling through the summer air were spoken in a foreign tongue. It was utterly enchanting. I have, of course, been to little Tokyo before. In fact, my 13th birthday was a scavenger hunt that took place in the plaza. My friends and I dashed through the stores, attempting to find the things on our lists. But this newer experience was much more intimate, much more personal than the last time. This time 'round, Maisie and I took time to enjoy ourselves. There was no harried rush, no sense of urgency to our adventure. Rather it was an opportunity to spend time with one another.

(ootd: dress - Urban Outfitters)

Some highlights from the trip included:

- Our trip to the Sanrio store where we saw Hello Kitty dolls dressed up as Kiss band members (they wouldn't let us take photos)

- Getting Maisie to try boba for the first time. This type of drink is a favorite of mine and the place near my work makes the best coconut boba ever!

- Trying macaroons for the first time! This was super exciting for me as I have a certain affinity for French things, and the small cookies did not disappoint. We got two, raspberry and salted caramel. I had a hard time deciding which one I liked more.

- Going into a video store where none of the movies had English titles and the children's movies were a bit to close to the porn section, which we wandered into by accident. As soon as we realized what was going on, we ran out of the store and started laughing hysterically. I don't think the lady who worked there was too happy with us.

- Visiting the Japanese-American culture museum. This was super interesting and had some wonderful art and photography exhibits. I highly recommend going. We also wrote our blog url's down in the message journals they had there. So if you found us in there - thank you for taking the time to visit.

The thing I love most about Little Tokyo is that it gives you a chance to experience a totally different culture without going so far away. If you ever have a free weekend, you should go check out whatever little city is closest to your home. There is no such thing as too much cultural exposure!!

♡

confessions of a thriftaholic

Hello my name is Sofia, and I am a thriftaholic. Like most things of the past, I find old clothes to be beautiful. Thrifted clothing is softer, cheaper and full of stories.

Thriftshop part I:

I have only ever been thrifting twice and found it to be a most enjoyable experience. The clothes were conveniently arranged by type of apparel (jeans, shirts) and by color, this made it quite easy to find whatever type of garment you were looking for. I personally believe that keeping an open mind at the beginning of any shopping endeavor is the best strategy. Do not expect to find exactly what you're looking for, that rarely ever happens. Instead, try to focus on a specific color or clothing style and see if anything speaks to you. The first time I went thrifting I did not quite know what to expect, but the experience was everything I loved about shopping and more.

(Eden and I in our newly thrifted clothes)

I went to the Pasadena Goodwill with my friend Eden. Goodwill may not seem like a hip or trendy place to shop for clothes but they had a wonderful selection of garments to choose from. Eden and I had so much fun sifting through the different racks of clothes, bagging the things we loved and ridiculing the things we hated. In the end I bought four things: 

- A vintage houndstooth coat (pictured above). The weather near my home is not exactly suited for heavy coats, but the coat was only $8 and in perfect condition. It was an offer I couldn't refuse. It fits really well and is SO retro-fabulous. I can't wait until winter rolls around and I can wear it out!

- A grey dress (pictured above). The dress is not vintage, but was also in perfect condition. It fits so well and I happily added it to my collection of dresses.

- A sleeveless yellow button down. The soft linen fabric is super breezy and very summery. It is quickly becoming a staple in my wardrobe.

- A red knit cardigan. I am of the opinion that a girl can never have too many cardigans or sweaters, and therefore my closet is overflowing with them. The original buttons on this cardigan were rather hideous faux-diamond things, they made the garment rather senior citizen. But the situation was easily righted when I swapped the buttons for some of my own. With its new mis-matched blue and gold buttons, the cardigan is simply darling.

Thriftshop part II:

(OOTD: Headband - anthropologie | sunglasses - Madewell | belt & shoes - Gap | skirt - handmade | 

top - thrifted from last time!)

This thrifting escapade was less fun than the first. This was largely because of the company I was with. Instead of being with one of my closest friends I was accompanied by my mother (shh she is a great shopping buddy), her friend and her friend's daughter. I found the latter two to be difficult companions with troublesome taste in clothing. They were set upon visiting the "trendy" vintage boutiques and out-of-the-way shops. Most of these places were closed and/or awful. By the time they finally agreed to go to the Glendale Goodwill, I had become very frustrated indeed. This store had a much smaller selection than the other Goodwill I had been to and I only bought 2 items:

- A sleeveless cable knit turtleneck. As weird as that sounds, it's actually really cute. It has the cozy feel of a proper winter sweater but its lack of sleeves makes it much chicer and practical. The nice off-white color adds to the retro feel.

- A small leather bag. The pouch is like a tiny backpack, not built to hold more than a few essentials. There was a small smudge of paint on the back, but it is not noticeable when worn. I love how cute and effortless the bag is. Plus, it's black which means it goes with almost everything!

If you haven't ever been thrifting, I highly recommend it. It is an affordable and fun way to shop for garments you may not have bought in a regular store. I spent a total of $38 for BOTH trips. So crazy! I hope to be able to do it again soon. After all, a girl can never have too much clothing.

♡