This pic was taken at El Matador beach in Malibu. We drove up there on Sunday afternoon (my husband's birthday), after a lunch and stroll in Venice. I love driving to Malibu (or, I should say, being driven to Malibu) but once there we never know what to do or where to go. I am not a day-tripper at heart but since it was already 4 pm we knew we didn't have to kill a lot of time before sunset and we drove up to this beach were we had never been before (it is quite a trek). This is one beautiful beach and the scenery with the big cliffs reminded me a lot of Portugal. In any case we had a little "aperitivo" there (that we had brought) and it was a beautiful moment.
Can you spot the Hawaiian sunset shorts in the pic? I love these shorts and they were perfect for Malibu. The funny thing is that I dug up a picture of my first trip to California in 2002 and I was wearing a sunset print tank by H&M that I have since thrown away (I regretted it this season but it is the reason why I preferred the shorts to the tank, I guess):
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| Yes, I have been a brunette... |
What can I say, I love palm trees...
Anyway, back to "Vacationland", I had promised pictures of the blouse. The ones with the shorts that I had taken in the store fitting room are still stuck in my phone and at this point I think I am going to give up on them. However, I have the blouse at home (wearing it today) so I took pics for you.
I tried both a 00 and a 0 and went with my regular 0 (the 00 fit too but it was considerably shorter and even if this is not a shirt to tuck in I preferred the longer length). The good news is that it doesn't gape at the chest, it fits perfectly (sorry for the wrinkles, I didn't have time to steam it):
A reader (hello Wendy!) asked me if it felt like wearing a pajama and I have to say that before her asking the question the thought didn't even cross my mind. Yes, it is silk charmeuse (but as the description says, it is printed on the matte side, so that she shiny side is actually on the inside of the blouse) and the print could totally be on a pajama but thankfully they didn't ruin it by 1) making the collar rounded and 2) making a contrasting piping. After noticing this, I understood what bothered me in the dress (strangely called "suncation"):
The dress has the pajam-y collar and piping and looks more like a nightshirt IMO. I think that the collar on the shirt is perfect and it has a timeless feeling to it. I have a friend who has a Lanvin blouse in a whimsical print like this one that I always admired and this "Vacationland" shirt comes closer to it. I think the price on this is right too, especially compared to the uber-expensive (and very pajam-y) Bermuda shorts. I also love that it is a everyday short-sleeve shirt (very rare in Crewland). As a side note, I ended up returning the punk floral swoop top because I had many occasions to wear it and each time I decided to wear something else, it was a bit too delicate to wear during the day and not an evening top so I was trying to force myself to wear it but it didn't fit quite in.
The only reserve could be the color, which is a bit salmon-y. I don't think that it's a color that could wash you out but for some of you it could come too close to the color of your skin if you have a pink complexion. It works well for me because my skin complexion is not pink but beige and I am always a bit tan in the spring and summer so it makes a nice and "healthy" contrast with the my coloring.
OK, I will be back with some anecdotes from my LA vacation and some reflection on what packing for a short stay in another city can teach you about what you miss and what works in your closet.
What's your idea of "Vacationland"?
Vacationland is anywhere with palm trees so that first pic just put a smile on my face because I love going to California. L.A. has been one of my favorite places (minus that ridiculous traffic).
ReplyDeleteI ordered the vacationland blouse but ended up returning it. I don't think my body type lends itself well to short-sleeve shirts and it didn't make my heart go pitter patter, so I let it go even though I loved the print and color. Oh well, maybe something in the next rollout.
The good thing about going over a big holiday weekend is that the traffic isn't so bad.
DeleteI am sure you will find something else that you like better.
Okay - first things first:
ReplyDeletedark curly haired Ema - who knew??? I kept thinking that you look like a cousin of yourself and like you play the two roles in the Parent Trap!
California looks amazing and I am so glad you had a great time and I can't wait to hear all about it!
I really like the blouse of you and no, it doesn't look like pajamas, but the dress sure has that vibe. I am not fashion-forward enough to carry off the pajama shirt vibe, and around here, people would be certaub that you were wearing your PJs!
Vacationland is Prince Edward Island, if I think of Canadian places - the red soil, rolling hills and ocean. In the US, it must be Maine, since they even put that on the license plate! I could live along the coast there no problem!
I actually didn't remember ever being so dark-haired, I am naturally dark blonde. I have to say that in Paris they didn't understand my hair at all, they kept cutting my hair like they were thin and needed volume while they are thick and don't need any volume! And when.I started to have a color because of premature gray they kept dying them darker than my natural color.
DeleteI have never been to Maine, but I want to go one day!
My idea of Vacationland is Tulum, Mexico. It's my more-than-happy place. The blouse is very cute and I actually bought the dress. Though the blouse and dress are both a straight style I think the dress is more to my taste than the blouse but I'm still mulling it over to see if it's a true keeper! Love the Malibu pics...hope to see more!
ReplyDeleteI love Tulum (and Playa too).
DeleteI think.you look amazing in the dress, if you can get over the nightshirt feeling keep it!
After seeing the dress on Audrey and now this on you I have a crush on this print. Love the silk they used too.
ReplyDeleteVacationland... I think for me that's Florida where we've happy times relaxing on our "hols" and the most we think about is how many ice cubes we want in our drink.
Can't wait to hear more about California, I've never been so I'm living vicariously!
Well during that first vacation in 2002 we really toured South California but in recent years we have only been to LA. I will like to go to SF one day but my husband doesn't like it.
DeleteI would think that the print would be lovely in a small scarf.
Palm trees and the beach chairs definitely spell vacationland to me, even if it is often other peoples vacations, because somehow I always end up hiking in the mountains or stairs in some ancient buildings. The blouse is too peachy for my style but I like you in the shorts and tank and I love you in brown curly hair, which one is your natural hair color?
ReplyDeleteI am naturally much lighter than in that pic. I was actually very blonde until I was 20 something, then I cut my hair in a bob and it got darker but still dark blonde. I never felt myself as a brunette. However my hair is naturally weavy, if I cut it it gets weavier.
DeleteHi Ema, I love California, it is definitely one of my tops picks for a vacation destination. I love the blouse on you, it is really pretty. The Hawaiian print shorts look really cute too.
ReplyDeleteThank you Louise. I wore it today and it was very me. I love it.
DeleteIt is funny because my MIL loved the shorts (she ironed them today!)
Oh, the print is great on you! I actually thought "That's for Ema" when I saw it in-store, and I was right.
ReplyDeleteI love California, too, on my first trip to SF I was going downstairs to get on the BART (metro) and there was a stand where they were selling wine in carrying cases, by the bottle not the glass.
I started going grey in college. Now if someone asks what my natural color is, I have to answer that I don't know, I haven't seen it in years.
I've been hedging whether or not to purchase that blouse (since I rarely wear pink). I like the character of the print and it doesn't look too childish and I like short sleeve buttoned shirts for wearing under a blazer in summer. It looks great on you!
ReplyDeleteI love that my state of California is "Vacationland" -- and San Francisco is a gem. Beautiful views from everywhere, good beaches for running, crisp blankety fog that appears and disappears, delicious food and drink everywhere, micro neighborhoods, so diverse, and if you want to eat and drink locally there's local liquor, wine, beer, fruits, veg, meat, I think it's paradise.
I love El Matador beach. I've been there with people and alone. It's so relaxing every time. Glad you had a great trip!
ReplyDeleteOh, this fits you perfectly and is just as I imagined! I hope mine has such a nice print layout- they seem to vary.
ReplyDeleteVacationland is PEI for me, as well as WMM! Can't wait for the end of July!
Malibu is my favourite place in the world, there's a little rise in the road up and once I drive over it, all of my cares and worries just melt away.
ReplyDelete