Runway Hippie

Tangier

Sonia — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 10:00:22 +0000

Tangier is a city along the northern coastline of Morocco and is best known as the pit stop for many writers, artists and poets during their travels up or down the Atlantic coast. Everyone from Henri Matisse and Eugène Delacroix to Jimi Hendrix and Truman Capote traveled to Tangier, becoming inspired by its colorful buildings, romantic coastline and intricate mosaics. And while unfortunately none of these people are alive to roam the streets of Tangier with, the city still has plenty of charm to lure you in.

One of Tangier’s most famous attractions is the Kasbah which is a walled in compound housing a number of villas and the Dar Al Makhzen, a palace once occupied by a sultan in 1912. The Kasbah sits high up on a hill which not only offers exceptional views of the entire city, but you can also catch glimpses of the coast of Spain. Two countries – One hill.

Other necessary to-dos in Tangier are to visit the souk on Thursday or Sunday mornings to see the women of Rif Mountain sell their delectable produce or to venture out to Cap Spartel which has breathtaking oceanic views and out-of-this-world caves (no seriously, they look like the caves in The Goonies). There are also incredible markets for shopping, delicious seafood for munching, legendary mint tea for sipping and colorful murals for gazing. And while this city seems all to good to be true, there is one attraction that I’m going to have to pass on: the snake charmers. If I come within a five foot radius of a snake I’ll shriek and panic and cause a big scene, so whenever I make it out to Tangier I’ll definitely be steering clear of snake charmers.

• the Kasbah •

• famous mint tea •

• Rif Mountain Women •

• Cap Spartel Lighthouse •

• Hercules Cave near Cap Spartel •

Have you ever been to Tangier?

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photos via flickr & google image search

Ladies Who Brunch

Sonia — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:42:40 +0000

Saturday and Sunday brunch is one of the biggest to-dos in New York City, particularly when it’s nice enough to sit outside. Between the hours of 10am to and 4pm restaurants all over the five boroughs are a-buzz with bloody mary’s, eggs benedict and stylish ladies who aren’t giving in to their hangovers from last night’s rampages.

It wasn’t until I moved to New York that I fell in love with weekend brunch. Normally I would wait around until lunch time to grab a bite with friends or I’d just eat whatever I had lying around the house. But there really is nothing like meeting up with a friend or two on a Sunday morning to gab about last night’s activities or catch up on each others lives. I admit that there are times when all I really want to do is throw on a pair of sunglasses with a loose-fitting outfit and grab a cup of coffee and a bagel and moan about my pounding headache, but I try to avoid these situations as much as possible.

There is something truly wonderful about waking up on a weekend morning, putting on one of your finest outfits and heading to brunch knowing that you have an entire day ahead of you to do whatever you please.

And it seems that New York isn’t the only city that loves its brunch. On my visit to San Francisco I met my friends Gillian and Carolyn for a nice leisurely brunch and during a recent research project I stumbled upon a number of photographs of fashionable ladies dining at Parisian cafés, cozy restaurants and sidewalk lunch spots.

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photos via adore vintage, the sartorialist & tumblr

Feelin’ Leggy

Sonia — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:15:23 +0000

Lately the weather in New York has been pretty unpredictable. It’s either unbearably hot or just cold enough that you need a sweater or a light jacket. But I must admit that this can get kind of old. I mean honestly how many times can you throw a denim or leather jacket on over a summer dress before it gets a little repetitive…

So, I’ve turned to hosiery. While one of my main wardrobe staples is a pair of black opaque tights, lately I’ve been trying to be a bit more experimental and fun with my legwear choices. From colorful thigh-highs to argyle ankle socks, I find that adding a little something to my legs not only drastically jazzes up an outfit but they keep me warm when I need to be and surprisingly cool when I want to be. Here are a few that I’m hoping to add to my closet ASAP!

What’s My Line Socks – $18
House of Holland Super Suspender Tights – $28
Henrik Vibskov Striped/Checks Tights – $51
Forever21 Striped Knee-High Socks – $3
Hail Mary Thigh Highs – $12
Gap Classic Argyle Socks – $5
Cherry Truffle Socks – $20
Topshop Flock Rose Sheer Tights – $16
Forever21 Floral Knit Tights – $5.80

Emma Hardy

Sonia — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 18:09:25 +0000

When I buy a new cd, there are usually only a few songs that I actually enjoy, the rest I’m pretty “meh” about. I think I can count the number of CDs I listen to straight through on two hands. Legend by Bob Marley & the Wailers, Feel Good Lost by Broken Social Scene, Staring at the Sea:the Singles by the Cure, Morrison Hotel by the Doors…the list goes on, but not for long.

I encounter this type of situation frequently; whether it’s a designer’s latest ready-to-wear collection, the food on a buffet table, or an art exhibit, I tend to only like a selection of what’s presented. Which brings me to the topic of this post; I recently stumbled upon the work of photographer Emma Hardy and while in the past I’ve had the easiest time picking out my favorite images to feature on Runway Hippie, this time I could hardly narrow it down to 10 images. Emma does everything from portraiture to landscapes to fashion editorial spreads, but there is a cohesiveness between all of her photographs. She has a real understanding of light and the saturation of colors in her images is breath-taking. There’s an apparent narrative to her photographs which is absent in so many editorial spreads these days. Or if there is a narrative I can’t figure out what it is for the life of me. It’s like trying to find meaning in a Lady Gaga performance…but that’s neither here nor there.

Here are my favorite images by Emma Hardy:

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photos via emma hardy & eastphotographic.com

She’s Crafty

Sonia — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 23:56:35 +0000

I’ve always been a fan of D.I.Y. projects. From crafting headbands and jewelry to adding studs or spikes to pieces of clothing, I just love it when I can create something. There’s nothing like going to a store and seeing something for sale that you can easily make with your own two hands. Not only is it economical, but it’s fun and extremely rewarding!

While there are tons of different sites and books devoted to D.I.Y. projects (P.S. I Made This is my personal favorite/obsession), I find that I am constantly ripping pages out of magazines or saving images on my computer of things that I want to make. I admit that attempting to turn my apartment into a full on art studio can get a bit ridiculous, especially when I have little Finn stomping on my projects, but it’s a small price to pay for the fun and satisfaction I get from these D.I.Y. activities. Below are a few items I hope to make in the near future.

Painted Sticks

via trendland

Patched Up Denim

Givenchy Spiked Headband

Drapes

via greenlaundry

Rachel Comey Lace Pocket Blouse

San Francisco

Sonia — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 15:44:25 +0000

As much as I love to travel to new and exciting places, I admit that sometimes there really is no place like home. Yesterday Finn and I hopped on a plane and ventured back to my hometown of San Francisco, one of my favorite cities in the world.

I consider myself rather spoiled to have grown up in as beautiful a city as San Francisco. Between the crisp Pacific Ocean air, the delectable food, and incredible Victorian buildings, San Francisco really is like living in a postcard. Everything is picturesque. Everytime I come home I find myself wondering why I don’t live here full-time. And although right now I need somewhere a little more fast-paced like New York, we never know what the future holds, do we?

A few years ago my best friend Kirstin and I spent a few days doing the touristy things in San Francisco. We walked across the Golden Gate Bridge, hit-up Fisherman’s Wharf, drove down Lombard Street in Go-Cars, and ventured out to Monterey Bay Aquarium for some sting-ray touching and jellyfish admiring. While we had a ton of fun going on those little San Francisco adventures (and I highly recommend doing them if you ever visit SF), I have to admit that what I love most about coming home is bopping around my house, hanging out with my wonderful friends and family, and hitting up all of my favorite places in the city by the bay.

Below is a combination of some of my favorite spots and some of the most beautiful places in San Francisco.

• Kirstin and I before we trekked across the Golden Gate Bridge •

• Alta Plaza Park – the park across the street from my house •

• Palace of Fine Arts •

• Picco, my favorite restaurant in the whole wide world •

• Ghiradelli Square •

• driving down Lombard Street in a Go Car •

• the San Francisco burrito – we have our own Wikipedia page •

Have you ever been to San Francisco?

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photos via me & flickr

Awaiting Autumn

Sonia — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 10:00:40 +0000

These past few days in New York have really felt like fall. The air is crisper, the leaves are falling, and I’ve finally been able to wear pants without feeling like I have sausage casings around my legs. Unfortunately, this weekend’s weather forecast predicts temperatures to be back up in the high 80s and 90s, but I will luckily be escaping this heatwave as I am headed back to my hometown of San Francisco for the weekend. Ah, San Francisco. The city of perpetual fall-ish weather. Bring on the pants, jackets, scarves, and boots!

Although I will only be back in fall weather for the weekend, packing for the climate change has definitely got me thinking about all the things I’m looking forward to this coming autumn. Here are a few of them:

•watching the leaves change colors•

•more importantly: crunching leaves•

•wearing my buttery leather jackets•

•fashion week•

•my brother’s much anticipated wedding!•

•boots, boots, and more boots!•

•pumpkin picking for Halloween!•

•knowing that my birthday falls on 10-10-10 this year!•

What are you looking forward to this coming fall?

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photos via tumblr, jak&jil, flickr, icanteachyouhowtodoit

Kitschy Doodads

Sonia — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 10:00:18 +0000

I like to think of my interior design aesthetic as “shabby chic”. I tend to like a softer vintage look with bold accents like colorful walls and patterned pillows (see here). That being said, I have a serious soft spot for obnoxiously kitschy bits and baubles. Take Sanrio for example; most people grow out of their Sanrio obsession by the time they hit 6th grade. Well not me. I still use a Sanrio “Little Twin Stars” make-up bag and if the plastic hadn’t ripped I’d probably still be using my Hello Kitty wallet. I also love miniature characters, or as I like to call them “little friends”. From a tiny turtle that sits on my TV stand to three plastic alien looking doodads that my friend Sevan gave me, I seem to constantly accumulate strange little figurines. If I pass a toy store, souvenir shop or 99¢ store it is almost impossible for me not to enter because I know that little gems could be right at my fingertips. I particularly love those vending machines where you insert a quarter and receive a plastic container with some kind of surprise novelty item inside.

Although these kitschy trinkets don’t occupy a ton of space or change the overall aura of my apartment, they definitely add a youthful and cutesy spark to my shabbily chic apartment. I love being able to go into my kitchen and see a bright pink face bank on my counter, or that my dressing table has multiple knickknacks interspersed between my jewelry, make-up and picture frames. Since I seem to constantly be adding things to my apartment decor, I thought I’d share some of my latest kitschy obsessions with you.

Meow Eyes

Sonia — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 10:00:40 +0000

I wear the same make-up everyday – a little bronzer, a little eyeliner, a little mascara – wham bam thank you ma’am and I’m out the door. Sure, sometimes I’ll toss in a bold lipstick color to mix things up a bit, but all in all my make-up routine never changes. This is partly because a smidge of eyeshadow can easily make me look like I belong on the Jersey Shore, and partly because spending time on hair and make-up has never really been my thing.

There are a few looks however that I do bust out from time to time that don’t make me look like a “guidette”, one of which is the “Cat Eye” look. This is honestly just an exaggerated version of my day-to-day look, but the difference is drastic enough that you can see a change in my appearance. All you need is a good liquid eyeliner and thick mascara and boom! you’re a sexy cat-eyed vixen ready for a night out on the town. Keiko Lynn just featured a great step-by-step guideline on how to create the cat-eye look, but I also like to turn to four women for inspiration, who’s sex-kitten eyeliner has become one of their most celebrated trademarks: Brigitte Bardot, Audrey Hepburn, Anna Karina, and Sophia Loren – these ladies could give Cleopatra make-up envy.

Brigitte Bardot

Audrey Hepburn

Anna Karina

Sophia Loren

Shop ♥ Runway Hippie

Sonia — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 10:00:06 +0000

I have never been one to enjoy the process of cleaning out my closet. While some people find it refreshing, I always end up fretting over something as inconsequential as a lonely sock, coming up with twenty different excuses as to why said sock should remain in my drawers. Suffice it to say, I have a ton of STUFF.

Living in New York for the past few years has made me realize that not only do I not wear half the things in my closet, but I really don’t have the space to store it all. So, I’ve decided to take control of the situation and “downsize” my closet.

So, it is with great excitement that I present you with Shop ♥ Runway Hippie, my online store filled with wonderful treasures in search of a new home. In it you will find everything from DIY projects to vintage and new (sometimes never worn) clothing, shoes, and accessories, that at one time occupied a space in my overcrowded closet.

By no means is it easy for me to part with certain items, but it’s time that I stopped hoarding things that simply take up space in my apartment. And who knows, maybe (and hopefully!) you’ll find something that you’ve been relentlessly searching for!

As the saying goes, one persons trash is another persons treasure!

Happy shopping!