Man-tastic Monday

What is more pretentious than a woman who is obsessed with men's fashion? My boyfriend is generally mortified when I try to style him, but this weekend he "let down his hair" and I got to play dress up with him. I paired a checkered GAP button-up with his ONLY pair of jeans, rolled up those sleeves and faux-hawked his hair to the best of my ability. He refused to leave that second button loose and left the house with less than ideal shoes: a beat of pair of blue canvas Sperrys.

He generally lacks a "queer eye" and frankly so do I, so I spend quite a bit of time browsing men's fashion blogs for inspiration when it comes to his wardrobe. Let's face it - I do most of his shopping for him. What pretentious girlfriend wouldn't? So here is some Man-tastic Monday inspiration for helping any man in your life (or youself) get some style on. Have a great week!

Source: http://yellowasian.tumblr.com

Aside from that top button and the ill-tucked shirt, we got the look.

Friday Food Porn

Friday is for food...not just any food, but food truck food. So here is some food porn to start off your weekend right. Unless you've been living under a rock you have probably heard about the rising popularity of gourmet roach coaches. Right? OK, if not check out this article and find the nearest movable feast near you. Otherwise, enjoy this bit of heaven that I pretty much inhaled this afternoon from Mogo BBQ - Hawaiian inspired Korean short rib sliders. Mogo has 2 trucks which have daily stops in the South Bay Area -check them out here.

Pretentious Kitchen

So you heard about this whole Peruvian cuisine trend right? Here is my fresh take on an ancient ingredient: quinoa. Quinoa is a super-food (or so I've read) and pairs great with crunchy lettuce and hearty garbanzos. The great thing about this salad is how you can store your cooked ingredients for a few days and mix them up for a quick dinner or on a picnic. Our fresh salad has three components: quinoa, dressing, and garbanzo beans.

1. Quinoa: rinse your quinoa properly and boil in 2 parts water. Before you get your boil on, add in lemon juice and/or zest, salt and splash of EVOO. Boil that baby on MED until the water drops to the quinoa line, reduce heat and continue to boil until it's soft and fluffy! Cool your cooked quinoa in the fridge for any amount of time you would like. 2. Garbanzos: Preheat that oven to 375 F and while you wait, toss your washed garbanzos with EVOO, any flavor of balsamic, salt, pepper and a dash of cayenne pepper - to spice up your life. Foil line a baking pan and spread the dressed beans evenly. Roast those babies for 15 min and let them cool off in the fridge. 3. Dressing: (skip this step if you are not pretentious enough to only consume homemade salad dressing) Whisk equal parts EVOO and balsamic with a dash of your favorite spices. I use: salt, pepper, paprika, lemon juice, and a dash of truffle oil - mostly because truffle oil is super pretentious. Salad: So once all your hot ingredients have cooled, wash up and chop that crisp romaine head - toss in large bowl with fresh red onions, and your cooked quinoa & garbanzos. Finally top it all off with the dressing and freshly shredded aged asiago cheese.

Enjoy with a glass of crisp white white such as Jessup Cellars buttery Chardonnay! Questions anyone?? Class dismissed!

Closet Style

This is my first "closet style" post. My photography-loving co-worker found this pretty cool backdrop in the ruins of our work parking lot...so this will be standard. Anyway, I plan to feature at least one outfit a week from my personal closet and design a Polyvore set of how to get the look. Pretentious right? I just assume everyone wants to dress like me...but seriously...people do ask frequently...so I am here to tell. Today was a bit windy, but warm so I layered a sheer Forever 21 chevron print blouse with my khaki boyfriend blazer, bright blue skinny jeans and my new Coach sandals. My dream closet would have afforded some MOSCHINCO pants with nude MK flats and bright orange leather satchel. I used contrasting orange in my dream set, but in reality I just paired my outfit with a gilded Coach tote. Enjoy!

MAXI-NISTA

MAXI-NISTA by style-mi-vida featuring ankle length skirts

Maxi's have long endured in the memories of our predecessors, the flower children of the 70's, and the boho chic style that emerged in the recent years. Last year, maxis re-emerged and might be on their way out by now but I continue to droll over the endless variety and effortless style maxi skirts bring to my life this spring. My maxi wearing days are limited and will most likely cease as summer 12' comes to an end...but we are not there yet!

My fave maxi's are fold-overs like this floor length skirt shopambience.com. These are super easy to wear and wont create that bulge associated with tie or elastic waist maxis. I like to tuck in my favorite sheer sleeveless henley or a cutoff tie front tank.

I won't leave for summer vacation without something like the Zara long legs short skirt...perfect for a romp on the beach or drinks under the sun. When the sun goes down I would choose a textured or tiered maxi dressed up with some over-sized bling and a simple tank. The versatile maxi creates endless outfit possibilities and I plan to rock this trend to the end!

Pretentionista Pick: Coral Blanks

I finally found my coral denim (Marshalls - about $32)...a little late to the trend but nevertheless...in time for spring and summer! For work I will pair with a striped blouse and lightweight menswear inspired blazer. Hot summer days I'll go with a simple tank or native print front tie shirt...flats or wedges work fine with the details of the season...sea foam green, fedoras, feathers and native prints.

Coral Blanks by style-mi-vida featuring steve madden sandals

Peru 2012 Day 6: Beach Day & Dancing Night

Peru 2012 Day 6: Beach Day & Dancing Night by style-mi-vida featuring plastic jewelry