West coast Styles: Vancouver, San Francisco, Los Angeles

Over the past few weeks, I came to observe that each city has its own unique fashion style. Here are my observations from Vancouver, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. 

Vancouver

I have lived most of my life in Vancouver, BC, a city which was named third worst dressed city in the world in 2011 according to MSN Travel.

This was the list:

10. Jersey Shore
9. Pittsburgh
8. Ottawa
7. San Francisco
6. Seattle
5. Boston (Damn it they beat us again!)
4. Harajuku, Japan
3. Vancouver
2. Maui
1. Orlando

Yes, we as Vancouverites pride ourselves to be the birthplace of Lululemon, the famous worldwide yoga gear brand. Saying that, here's what MSN Travel mentioned about their reasoning to put Vancouver third: "There is one reason, and one reason only, why we’ve decided to include Vancouver on this list of the sartorially damned: yoga pants. We blame you, Vancouver, birthplace of a certain, insanely popular yoga gear brand which will go unnamed, for spawning a street trend dreaded by all women with wobbly bits and fat deposits in the wrong places." (http://www.cbc.ca)

After the release of this ranking, people in Vancouver had an awakening and started to think twice about their daily outfits. I believe, the influence of international diversity, Europe, Middle East, Asia and South America, was also a big help. So many new stores started opening in the city and more are still opening. 

Recently walking on the streets of downtown Vancouver, I do notice so many people who clearly have put so much effort and time into what they wear. Bravo Vancouverites.

San Francisco

The style in San Francisco is in general relaxed and casual. The lower your heels are, the more you fit in. I would say compared to LA or NY, fashion is not a priority to people in SF. This makes sense, since I believe this city is based on new ideas and startups, not style, spending money, and who has the best car and house. And I think that is what makes it a cool city. You can be you in this city and not worrying about who is going to ask you what brand you are wearing or what car you are driving. 

Lack of interest in shopping in this city came clear to me when I started to go to experience it. The shopping malls are almost empty, except for tourists. The stores are mostly quiet with a few visitors hanging around. Now that I think about, the busiest stores I have noticed are the electronic stores. Coincidence?

SF has always been a center of debate for fashion bloggers and fashion stylists. Some of my favorite articles/ blog posts evolve around the conclusion that even though people have high earnings in this city, they want to show off less and dress as casually as possible. 

In 2010 Guy Trebay from New York Times referred to the Bay Area as "...the land that style forgot." (http://www.nytimes.com)

As you see on the list above from MSN Travel back in 2011, SF was voted number 7 worst dressed. When you walk on the streets of downtown SF during the business hours, you see cleaned up business people, but you can not help but notice one style only: dress pants, button up shirts and a wind proof jacket on top. Yes that style is ok, but when you see it on almost everyone, everyday, you kind of want to see a variety of styles. 

In 2013, New Yorker magazine published an article with the title THE POWER OF HOODIE-WEARING CEO, which focused mainly on Mark Zuckerberg and how he always gets away with wearing hoodies and Adidas sandals. The conclusion was: "A really wealthy person, can distinguish himself from the mediums by choosing not to send costly signals of wealth. If he has enough secondary signals of status- a prime address, a high-profile list of friends- he'll feel secure in not being mistaken for poor. Thus, Harvard graduates say only that they went to school "in Boston"." (http://www.newyorker.com/) 

To sum up, the style in SF consists of:

• Flat shoes
• Jeans 
• Flan shirts
• Less Brands
• Fleece jackets, Wind Proof Jackets, or hoodies
• Outdoor vests
• Fashion scarves
• Converse shoes

Los Angeles

When it comes to Los Angeles, you can't really point your finger on one specific style. There are a wide variety of styles across the city, depends on which area you go to. There is no doubt that the year round sunny weather plays a major role in the style as well. You don't have to worry about heavy jackets or warm scarves. 

What you observe is a mix of surfer styles, 80's bohemian styles, lots of brand names, and modern punk rock styles. 

M. 

Women Rule

Not so long ago, my best friend gave me a book to read. It was called LEAN IN by Sheryl Sandberg. For those of you who don't know her, she is the COO of Facebook. I started the book thinking that I would finish it in a couple of months or so, not knowing that I would get so addicted to it that I would secretly read it at work under the table. I finished the book in less than a month.

My first obsession with Sheryl Sandberg started when I watched a TED Talk video of her back in 2013, in which she mentioned "The most important career choice you'll make is who you marry."

Since when I watched that video, I am obsessed with whatever Sheryl Sandberg writes: articles, more books, any reviews on other books*. And now I learned that she is the new guest editor of Cosmopolitan magazine Careers supplement.

Her recent article in the Cosmopolitan is titled: "Sheryl Sandberg on Looking for Men Who Lean In". You can read the whole article here www.cosmopolitan.com/career/. One thing you can take away from this article is that the partner you choose for life should be someone who can "support your deepest ambitions and desires, and know that you can support theirs."

Sheryl also started a website, called Leanin.org. If you go to http://leanincircles.org, you can either start a new circle and have people join your circle, or join an already formed circle. These are circles made by women, for women, and it is a good start to grow together.

If you have not read this book, I highly recommend it.

M. 

* She wrote a review on THRIVE by Arianna Huffington.

Go Au Natural For The Summer

Summer is the one time in the year when sometimes I realize I have not used my make up for over a few days. Long summer days, holidays, hanging out by the beach or pool...all of these are reasons not to put any make up on and go Au natural. But to look good without makeup, you need to take care of a few things.

1. First things first...Sunscreen. Applying sunscreen on the face is a must anytime of the year. In the Summer, it should be doubled. 

2. Always have your eyebrows done. The shape of the eyebrow on the face goes a long way.
For eyebrows, I was always using a tweezer. But recently I am doing threading, since it picks the hair from the roots.

3. Exfoliating skin, specially in the summer, is crucial. Exfoliate two to three times during the week, with a cleanser that has exfoliating beads in it.

4. Use self tanner on your face to keep that glow on it.

5. Use moisturizer on your face to keep your skin hydrated.

Can not wait for the Summer.

M.

Norouz

March 21 is Persian new year, which means the first day of Spring or Equinox. We are entering year of 1394, year of sheep, which means year of prosperity and promise.

Our traditional spread:

Every year, this time, all the Persians around the world set a table spread that consists of some items, which also includes seven items that start with the letter "S", and each of them symbolizes one good thing for the upcoming year.

Sabzeh (Lentil Sprouts): symbolizing rebirth

Samanu (Sweet Pudding): symbolizing affluence

Senjed (Dried Oleaster): Symbolizing love

Sir (Garlic): Symbolizing medicine

Sib (Apple): Symbolizing health

Somaq (Sumac): sybmbolizing sun

Serkeh (Vinegar): Symbolizing patience

Happy New Year to all my Persian people.

M. 

Face Masks

Which girl doesn't like a spa treatment? And what's easier that to have it at home? Benefits of face masks include:

• Inexpensive way of treating your skin
• You can take the face mask anywhere with you
• It is easy to use
• Relaxing

Facial masks are one of the key steps of taking care of your skin, after cleansers, toners and moisturizers. Here are a few things I have learned about face masks, its benefits and how often to use it.

• Always steam your face before putting the mask on. You can either put your mask on after the shower when your face is steamed and the pores are open, or just use a pot with boiling water in it and steam your face that way.
• Using a facial mask is needed at least once a week for the perfect effect.
• Leave in for 15 minutes and then wipe off with warm water. Apply moisturizer right away.

There are so many DIY masks out there and each of them are good for specific skin types. I have dry skin type and for me, Oatmeal facial mask (www.rd.com) has worked perfectly. 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup hot water (not boiling)

1/3 cup oatmeal

2 tbs plain yogurt

2 tbs honey

1 egg white

Combine hot water and oatmeal and let sit for about two to three minutes. Add the yogurt, honey and egg white. Apply on your face and leave for about 15 minutes. Rinse with warm water. 

M. 

Bracelet Stacking

Stacking bracelets on your arms is not as easy as it looks. If you want that wow and eye catching effect, you have to put some thought into which bracelets to wear together.















Here are some tips as to how to match bracelets:

1. It is ok to wear different colours together. (Wear gold and silver colours together)

2. It is a good idea to always add that one piece of an edgy bracelet in the middle. What I mean by this is to add one piece of more expensive bracelet.

3. It is also a good idea to add a bracelet that means something to you, such as having your initials on it, or your zodiac sign.

4. If you are wearing only gold, or only silver, add a pop of colour in between.

M.

Spring Closet Cleaning

With the Spring Equinox coming up on March 20, 2015, it is time for closet cleaning. This is one of my favourite things to do, since it is not only relaxing and almost like meditation, it also means that you make room for new pieces in your closet. 

One rule I go by when I am cleaning my closet is that I leave out any piece that I have not worn for a year or so. Subsequently I follow the steps I point out below to make the process easier: 

I pull EVERYTHING out of my closet at once, whether it will be sweaters, pants, dresses, jackets, and spread them on the floor. This way I have to go through them all at once. 

I then subcategorize them into similar designs. For instance all black dresses, all sweaters, all summer dresses, long dresses, etc. Then, I can decide which ones I have not used for over a year and which ones I want to keep. 

I used to keep all my T-shirts, sweaters or comfortable pants that I would not wear outside anymore, to wear at home. But recently I have come to the conclusion that if I don't want to wear them outside, why would I want to wear them at home? Why not wear something nice inside that I enjoy? So, I always throw out every piece I wouldn't wear outside. 

For sweaters and any other piece of clothing that I will keep and are foldable, I usually colour cod them and visible.

For hanging garments, it is visually nicer and easier to choose from, when they are hanged from left to right, longer ones to shorter.


What to do with the clothes you don't want anymore?

Donate: Most of the your clothes (that are wearable) can be donated to your local donation centre. Donating has that feel good factor about it too.

Sell: I recently came across this app called Depop (depop.com) which is a combination of Instagram and Craigslist. You can follow people and vice versa, put pictures of your used clothes or anything you want to sell on the app, add your Paypal account to it and try to sell. I am putting my wearable pieces on that app. Please follow me @mshayega.

Happy Spring Cleaning.

M.