fashionable – The Raw Raw Newsletter

When you think of California you think of perfect weather, beaches and surfers…. not in San Francisco. San Francisco is a sophisticated city that reminds me of a small-scale New York. Even if it is the middle of summer and there are record highs along the California Coast, you would still need to bundle up and wear a jacket in San Francisco.

I’ve been visiting San Francisco every year since I was very young. Being here countless times there are many different things to do such as Ghirardelli Square, Fisherman’s Wharf, the Golden Gate Bridge and going to Alcatraz. All those things are awesome, but already having gone to those places in past trips I start to look for new places to go. For this trip I was on a mission (literally) to find something different.

One of my favorite parts about the trip was discovering Clarion Alley. Clarion Alley is located in the Mission district and is a wall of murals (aka artistic and meaningful graffiti) that is stretched throughout the entire 6-foot-wide alley. Walking through the alley you feel like you are in Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory, however the murals on the walls have meaning and some of them date back to 1994. Below are some pictures of Clarion Alley.

I stayed at the Westin St. Francis in Union Square. It is a very old and nice hotel right next to all the shopping. One thing that never gets old is the shopping in San Fran. Some of my favorite shops have flagship stores there which means they will have waaaaay more inventory than the normal stores in your hometown. So, I made sure to have time to go shopping while I was there. I went to H&M and Express (love express for work clothes) and found vast inventory that I haven’t seen before. Be sure you have enough room in your bag to take it all home with you.

If you are going to visit San Francisco, make sure you bring a jacket and leave your sun dresses at home! I wore a Faux fur jacket during our visit to Clarion Alley and it was perfect in protecting me from the wind and cold. Anyone that travels to San Francisco will find an array of activities, tourist attractions and an overall fun experience!

My Mom always told me to wear an outfit that does something for you. And what that means is to wear something that highlights your best features. For example, if you are like me, you consider yourself to be short and curvy, you might want to wear tops with a v-neck in order to lengthen your torso and possibly show off some cleavage. In these photos I am wearing a typical Saturday-night outfit. My outfit includes a v-neck body suit to lengthen my body and highlight some of my assets. I paired it with a leather jacket to tone it down, and high-waisted black jeans and heeled booties for a slimming effect.

Wearing clothes that are fashionable, but not flattering to your body only does a disservice to yourself, your body, and the people around you. If you are deciding on what to wear you should always ask yourself one question, “What does this garment do for me?”

The next time you are shopping for clothes, shop with this mindset. If it does something for you, then it will make you feel confident and sexy. You won’t have to question it. If it doesn’t, you will most likely feel insecure or be filled with doubt. I don’t know about you, but I would rather feel good about myself than wear something because it’s trendy. My two cents for any woman out there is to gravitate towards wearing trends that are right for you – there is nothing more sexy than a confident and stylish woman!

If you’re looking to make a statement or dress like an icon, do it in a way where people will comment on how good YOU look not how good your outfit looks. Every woman is different and some trends may be right for you while others are not. Just because one trend doesn’t look good on you, it doesn’t mean anything is wrong with you.

Clothes: Zara Leather Jacket, Forever21 Nude Body Suit, BDG High Waisted Black Jeans via Urban Outfitters, Forever21 Black Perforated Belt;

Makeup: Aveeno Daily Moisturizer, Neutrogena Shine Control Primer, Nars Creamy Concealer ‘Light 2 Vanilla’, Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer ‘Sand’, Maybelline Mineral Powder ‘Nude Chair’, Anastasia Beverly Hills Brown Definer ‘Ebony’, Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit ‘Java’, BH Cosmetics Carli Babel Palette ‘highlighter #3’, Kylie The Burgundy Pallette ‘LA’, ‘ Brick’, & ‘Almond’, Maybelline ‘Golden Halo’, Maybelline The Colossal Mascara, Lancome Art Liner ‘Black’, and Too Faced Matte Bronzer ‘Deep/Tan’, Kylie Lip Liner ‘Dolce K’, Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipstick ‘Stripped’;

Jewelry: Sophia Harper Necklace, Forever21 Lariat Cross Necklace, Slate Crystal Ear Jackets, David Yurman Petite Albion Ring //