Back in Big Sur

Big Sur

This past month I got to go to Big Sur, one of my favorite places in the world, twice! I went camping with groups of friends at different campgrounds along Highway 1. I'm still a new camper and I will always go for glamping, but it's still great to get so immersed in nature, and sometimes camping really is the simplest, most convenient option.

Our basecamps were in Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park and Kirk Creek Campground. We hiked in Pfeiffer Big Sur and Andrew Molera State Parks, and on both visits the food included meals at Big Sur Bakery. (Side note, I want my future backyard to be like Big Sur Bakery.) Big Sur has a bunch more hospitality options (like Treebones resort which I've mentioned before), than are obvious at first. Moreover, both camping trips were in good company, which is what I appreciate most about them. Everyone helped each other set up their gear, and the ones who hiked those trails before gave the rest of us a heads up how tough it would be... A few days later, my legs were still a little tired walking up the hill in San Francisco!

Below are some shots from the recent trips. This is the first time I'm posting some pics from a Samsung NX3000 in addition to my iPhone, but I hope to use the Samsung more often. 

our tents at Kirk Creek Campground (photo taken by someone in our group)

Kirk Creek Campground

Big Sur Bakery

Big Sur Bakery

Big Sur Bakery

Big Sur

McWay Falls

from Nacimimento Road

from Nacimiento Road

Andrew Molera State Park

surfers at Andrew Molera State Park

Andrew Molera State Park

Big Sur River at Andrew Molera State Park

The Effort in Being Effortless (related: Favorite SF Brands)

my Cuyana tote

Now that it's spring and the weather has been nicer, it seems like there's a lot more to do (which is not new to me, apparently). This month I've had two weekend camping trips, a jazz show, a drag show, birthday parties, wine country, and friends visiting in town. I've been outdoors as much as possible when not stuck behind a computer screen. 

One small way I find simplicity in busy times is to rely on a more streamlined style that fits wherever I go. After all, wardrobe style is part of lifestyle. And I've adapted a style over the first decade or so of adulthood that I really rely on. 

For me, part of 'growing up' was developing my own style (in professional settings, this would be referred to as 'creating your brand and image'). In grammar school and high school I wore a uniform, so my classmates and I would express creativity, or not, with accessories. I was very excited to build out an everyday wardrobe once I hit college and over a few years amassed so. many. clothes. It didn't help that I came of age along with fast fashion, so it was almost too easy to play around with different styles and trends and you know, really "find myself". (insert winking emoji here) Even friends would remark that I had an eclectic style and would even say "that's totally an Ingrid type of [whatever item]" when we were out shopping.

In the last few years, once I hit the later 20's, I started to pare things down a bit and stick to more of the same looks, if not a strict uniform. This also came about with lifestyle changes - new cities, jobs, activities. I wanted to focus less on the activity of shopping and instead on buying higher quality pieces and feel more like my grown-up self.

Luckily this train of thought came along the time that minimalism and capsule wardrobes also became more mainstream. (I don't know about anyone else, but after reading a ton of blogs I feel like I should be able to develop the perfect minimal capsule wardrobe, even if I don't want to.) I've still had some hits and misses, but overall I see my wardrobe becoming more streamlined. Even now I know I have more items in my closet than I truly "need". But my truth is that I still want the choices to play around with style a bit, while of course still looking and feeling "effortless".

There's the sophisticated, gamine, French-girl image of being "effortless". And there's the "groomed" kind of effortless - I know women who admit they straighten their hair and put on makeup so they're perceived as professional, or hardworking, or whatever. Then there's the stereotypical Silicon Valley "effortless" of hoodie, jeans and backpack. (Now despite the Bay Area being known more technological innovations there are some great companies catering to the more fashionably-inclined part of the population, which I'll get to in a bit.) I knew I had to come up with what kind of "effortless" style I wanted for myself. 

As much as I enjoy fashion, what l appreciate most are clothes and accessories that let me live my life, not get in the way of it. Therefore, my aesthetic has evolved in line with trying to simplify a fairly busy schedule that is probably familiar to other 30-year-old urban professionals: commuting to the office, figuring out after-work plans, packing in as much as possible on the weekends and of course, making exciting travel plans, preferably with friends. For all of this I want clothes with forgiving cuts (I just love a draped sweater or blouse), colors and prints that go together, and versatile basics that stand up to everyday wear. Also on my list of demands: clothes that don't make me feel guilty for adding to the human rights and environmental problems that fast fashion has fostered. Luckily, besides checking out some good consignment shops in the Bay Area, I've found some companies that answer this call with the clothes they manufacture. And I've realized that quite a few of my wardrobe staples come from them. Over the last few years I've become a loyal fan of these local brands:

• Everlane - The first of the local brands that I tried, I appreciated Everlane's 'luxury without the markup' and 'transparent supply chain' strategies. I started with their t-shirt, then bought a couple silk tops for <$100, and most recently their wallet. Here's a referral link if you want to try them out: https://www.everlane.com/r/y2nkha
• Cuyana - They first caught my eye with their lean closet movement and fewer, better motto. They also provide the story of where they source their materials. I was doing periodic closet purges and bringing bags of my unused items to Community Thrift. I first purchased a bag from them, not for myself but for my mom (who now has two, go figure). Finally this past Christmas my gift to myself was one of their classic tote bags (above) which I use nearly every day. I'm also interested in some of their clothing items for when I need to replace some wardrobe items.
• Amour Vert - I love the variety of cuts and prints by Amour Vert. They have a couple shops in the Bay Area and are distributed by some department stores. Over the last couple years I've collected silk/cotton mixed media tees, cotton tees, a silk pineapple-print tank, and silk printed pants.
• Betabrand - Dress pant yoga pants! (I wear the cropped version which hits my ankles) They  really are a dressy-enough material to not get called out as leggings, and they really are very comfortable. This is a fun company that crowdsources designs and makes most of their stuff right in SF. Again, a referral link: https://www.betabrand.com/referrals/landing/friend/?r=70dH (they also have student discounts)

These brands have gotten press elsewhere so they don't need me to sing their praises, nor do I wear them exclusively, but I did want to call them out since I was happy to find them close to home. Everyone has different brands they like and not everyone even cares so much about what's in their closet. I still care what my wardrobe is made up of, but in a different way than I did when I was an excited college student. Below is some more reading on this topic, I'd be interested if anyone else has more suggestions.

Ethical Shopping on Refinery 29
Local Fashion Labels on SFist