Tag Archives: leather jacket

Girl in the Hood

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Although I was born and raised in the inner city that rhymes with smokin’, there’s nothing hood about me even if I tried – save for this hooded leather jacket.

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After successfully selling some of my unwanteds at Buffalo Exchange one day, I did my usual post selling song and dance on the sales floor. Not wanting to spend more than what I had earned in trade-in credit, I had to make an important, yet impulsive decision. Would you believe I chose this jacket over an equally amazing vintage 1940s beaded cardigan? Sometimes, even this vintage lady needs to let her hair down and embrace the modern.

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The hooded bomber-esque style is more youthful than most things I have in my closet, which is a refreshing change from my usual feminine, dressy, and sometimes “old-lady” style preferences. I like that it adds a hint of laid back casual cool to my wardrobe.

With an equally fall appropriate plaid shirt and mahogany brown wedge sandals to match, I am ready for warm sunny days and brisk evenings – typical of autumn weather in the Bay Area. The leather hood doesn’t give me much street credibility, especially when it feels like I’m channeling the flying nun.

You can take a girl out of the hood, but you can’t take the hood out of a girl. Or off her.

vintage leather jacket (similar) / vintage plaid blouse (similar) / vintage Natural Comfort wedges (similar) / Gap skinny jeans (similar) / Urban Outfitters sunglasses (similar) / compass pendant necklace (similar)

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Body Electric

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Even a casual outfit can be charged with electricity.

It may come as a shock to you, but as a child I absolutely loathed the zap of static electricity. The source of this unfortunate encounter was often in the family van, a huge brown Toyota Hiace.

That trusty van held many memories. It was our main mode of transport for family outings, whether it was a trip to the mall, out to dinner, or grocery shopping in Chinatown. I took naps in that van. My siblings and I consumed many a Wendy’s bacon cheeseburgers in that van. There was something about the fuzzy interior of that van that charged up the electrons in my body – I am positive of that. As a result, static shock ensued when one reached for the sliding door handle. That is one memory I do not miss at all. As ugly as that van was, it was stolen twice. When the unknown scoundrels ended their joy rides, they left the van abandoned and intact on the other side of town, newly minted cigarette burns and all.

My mom often boasted of the van’s amazing turn radius, but unfortunately, we got rid of it before I was old enough for drivers ed. It was replaced by a much cooler sedan. Vans get a bad rap thanks to soccer moms, and I’m sure I’ll opt out of one even when I start a family. If I’m gonna have a van, make that a pair on my feet.

Lately I’ve got my Vans on but they look like sneakers. Perhaps it’s my preference for comfort, my casual work environment, or just general style slacking, but I’ve gradually been trading my pumps in for lower heels, flats and – gasp – sneakers! No chiffon blouse here – just an urban tee that I simply cannot be neutral to since it is positively electrifying. Hardy materials of faux leather, denim, and canvas coupled with a dark color palette means I’m ready to head into the city in search for an electric street hole cover. Or better yet, make that a manhole cover. That’s where they keep men, right?

Fashionista, blogger, writer, doodler extraordinaire –  I’m proud of my body of work. Perhaps I should add light weight lifter and yogi to the list. After all, that’s what keeps my body electric.

Urban Outfitters jacket (similar) / City of Oakland Electric tee / Silence & Noise jeans (similar) / Vans Lo Pro Camo / Baggu canvas tote / seatbelt belt (similar)

The Cool Chic

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You’re hot then you’re cold.

I’m talking about the finicky weather lately. A heatwave one week, and a chance of rain the next week. Or, it can happen all in the same day: mild in the daytime, but winds pick up soon after sunset. Lightweight layering pieces are key to surviving these fast-changing temperatures.

For this weather driven style challenge, I reached for my leather jacket. I finally got my hands on one for a price that I can live with – $15 at Goodwill! A simple leather jacket is classic and timeless – you won’t have to worry about it going out of style. It’s the perfect mid-weight item for that in between weather, when it’s neither frosty nor too hot.

It’s black and it’s white. Still high off my previous outfit post, black and white seemed most appropriate for this leather jacket. Not one to be very edgy, I softened up the ensemble with feminine details: a polka dot bow, a strand of pearls, a sheer blouse, and a vintage beaded cardigan.

Between the jacket, the killer heels, and the graffiti in the background, I couldn’t help but feel too cool for school (while staying warm) in this outfit. I tried my best to give a mean mug, but to no avail. Instead of looking bad ass, I just look cool chic.

This cool chic chick needs a cigarette, a tatted up boy toy, and a motorcycle. Who da baddest chic?


thrifted Banana Republic jacket (similar pleather jacket) / vintage cardigan (similar cardigan) / Old Navy blouse (similar blouse and blouse) / Levi’s jeans (similar jeans) / Dollhouse booties (similar booties) / vintage Coach Willis handbag / thrifted headscarf (similar scarf)

Fur and Leather Weather

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Flu season is in full swing and thankfully I have avoided it so far. Unfortunately, I have come down with hustler fever and the only cure for it is fur and leather.

I wasn’t looking for a fur collared leather jacket to add to my wardrobe. Instead, the jacket found me. After successfully selling a few items at Buffalo Exchange, I did my usual song and dance through the racks of clothes to decide if I wanted to take the cash or store credit. That’s when I found this beauty of a jacket. It was in immaculate condition, with no broken seams, perfectly conditioned leather, and intact fur. It didn’t even have any detectable odor that usually comes with most vintage clothes. Most importantly, it fit like a glove and that was what sealed the deal.

This jacket is the ultimate show stopping statement piece and is sure to turn a few heads – fur and leather just beckons drama and attention like that. But why stop there? I pulled out all the stops to make this a surefire 1970s head to toe look, which includes a wide brimmed hat, oversized sunglasses, gold chains, and high waisted pants. Watch everyone stop, drop, and roll when I step onto the scene.

I have always been a believer that our style choices portray to the outside world our inner beauty and personality. However, the same can be said on the contrary: clothes can actually transform the way you feel. The leather jacket instantly made me feel like a confident, sexy, and powerful diva lady. I never fully understood the meaning of swag – in the style sense – until the day I put on this jacket. Do I wear the jacket or do I let it wear me? Let’s just say it’s a symbiotic relationship.

Between the fur, sunglasses, and big hat, I might as well be known as Ms. Incognito: baller and shot caller. There is no better way.

vintage Wilsons jacket (similar jacket) / Ecote blouse (similar blouse) / Uniqlo hat (similar hat) / Levis jeans (similar jeans) / Guess shoes (similar shoes) / vintage necklace (similar necklace) / Daiso sunglasses (similar sunglasses)