the family business

No, I wasn't in Alaska this week, which you probably know if you've been following my recent activities via twitter or instagram.  These photos are leftover from when we were up there for Christmas!  I totally forgot about this outfit shoot, which is fortunate because I haven't taken outfit photos in over a week!  I could've, but it just would've been a boring outfit with dirty jeans covered in sawdust, six layers of long sleeve shirts and fleeces, a raincoat, and work boots.  I've been wearing the same thing every day, just sleepily slipping into it every morning, pouring coffee and heading out to work on siding for 8 hours.  I did get to clean up a bit to go out to dinner with my Dad, Uncle, and Dan a couple times this week, which actually felt really great.  Work clothes are nice for functionality, but it's good to shed that skin and put on something that feels more "me." 
Working with my dad and uncle on this project has been giving me flashbacks to when I used to commercial fish in Bristol Bay on my uncle's boat.  The weather and temperature is just about the same (probably a bit better, actually), and even though the work and hours are much easier, I haven't worked alongside my uncle like this since I fished with him.  I remember grabbing sleep whenever/wherever possible, usually only a couple hours here & there, and then waking up to the sound of the huge twin diesel engines starting up and the anchor being raised.  I'd drag my half asleep body out of my bunk, slip on my Xtra Tuffs and rain gear, and head out on deck to set our nets.  I'd find fish scales glued to my face after fishing periods, and I'm pretty sure I wore the same braid the whole time, as we only got to shower a few times, either on a tender or on a rare trip to shore.  Detangling my hair at the end of the season was a lengthy ordeal, but worth not having to deal with my hair while fishing.  I just tucked it up into a baseball cap and there it stayed.  I posted some videos and photos from my fishing adventures a few years ago, here.  
dress/dear creatures courtesy of modcloth :: jacket/coldwater creek :: tights/target (thrifted) belt & cardigan/thrifted :: shoes/courtesy of blowfish  I think blogging is somewhat odd, because you see someone daily via their blog, but stories about their lives are often missed because really it's probably impossible to share an entire life via a blog.  And if your blog isn't focused on your life, like if it's a style blog, DIY blog, etc, then you miss even more of who that person is, simply because they've chosen to focus on a small aspect of their life, even though they probably enjoy a wide variety of things!  I think hanging out with family reminds me of all those things that really make me who I am.  All the little fun things that happened, but get forgotten, all the things that you don't think about anymore, but rush back when you're talking to someone who has known you your whole life.  There were so many family stories shared this week, it was fun remembering old stories and hearing new ones.   Doing such a big project with my dad and uncle gave me such a sense of family, which I don't get to experience as much being so far away from them.  My dad and uncle both worked for their dad doing construction work, when they weren't commercial fishing.  I felt this interesting sense of connection with my family, doing work that they had done alongside their father and now I was doing with them.  We totally forgot to get a photo when everyone was here working (dad, uncle, both my brothers, and my cousin), but I would've loved to have recreated the hats from my grampa's old construction company and get a photo of all of us in front of the house wearing them.  I might still do that and send them to everyone as a thanks for all their hard work.  I love nostalgic little things like that.

featured sponsor // tailor + stylist

January's featured sponsor is Tailor and Stylist, a pretty shop full of vintage inspired and glamorous pieces to add a bit of drama and feminine flair to your wardrobe.  I recently styled their boyfriend sweater, and actually Rebecca and Tieka also styled that same sweater in the past month as well!  I thought it was fun that we all styled the exact same piece, but wore it in completely different ways.  If I can finally stop wearing dirty old work clothes and working on the house, I'm gonna style up their mermaid maxi skirt, which just came in the mail.  Such an elegant silhouette, but such a comfy, casual fabric!

I asked Grace & Jon, the founders of Tailor & Stylist, a few questions about style, their jobs as a stylist and tailor, and what inspired them to make a career in fashion!

Delightfully Tacky: True to your shop's name, it's run by a Tailor and a Stylist! Was the fashion industry something that brought you and your husband together?

Grace: We actually met on a white, sandy beach in Hawaii! It was pure fate.
Jon: Grace was in Honolulu on a job, and I was on vacation. For me, it was love at first sight. For Grace, well, I think she fell in love with me when I patched her favorite worn out shirt with a heart on the sleeve. Yes, ladies, I swept her off her feet with my thimble and sewing needle.

DT: So, Grace, you're the "Stylist" in T&S. What's your favorite thing about styling looks?

Grace: Styling is like magic and art mixed together. Many models come on set like a tall, ugly duckling, but then are transformed into swans by the time the camera snaps. I love maximizing someone's looks and confidence through powerful clothing and a strong vision. Many models in real life look nothing like their photos, where a crew of makeup, hair, and fashion stylists work together to create a beautiful photograph. It's really like magic!

DT: What have been some of your favorite styling jobs in the past? What would you love to style in the future?

Grace: My favorite styling job was for a photography book, where we shot models and 50+ classic cars, which I just loved because I'm an old soul. The entire shoot was done in a week, guerrilla style (no permits), which definitely added to the adrenalin factor too! Another fave styling job was for a major healthcare ad campaign because I got to style the sweetest 80 year old men and ladies.

I would love to style real women in the future (lookbook idea lightbulb going off!). Being in the industry for so long, it's easy to be lulled into the false reality that all women are perpetually 20 years old, 5'8" and size 2. It's easy to make models look beautiful, but what I'd love to do is help real women find what makes them look best and gives them more confidence in their step. That's actually a major reason I founded Tailor and Stylist.

DT: What are your wardrobe staples?

Grace: I love my custom made white collared shirts. I blame Jon for this bad habit. I throw one on, and it looks great with any bottom, be it our Mermaid Maxi Skirt a la Carolina Herrera style or distressed jeans and a worn in leather jacket. Oversized vintage sunglasses and pearls are staples too. As for shoes, I only have loafers or 4"+ stilettos. I clearly need to break out of the dichotomy that is my shoe collection.
Jon: Lip balm. And that's only because Grace is constantly asking for it, so I've carried one in my pocket since I met her. I also have a sewing kit at home and in the car because you never know when just a few of the right stitches can make or break a piece of clothing.


DT: Grace, you've said that your mother and grandmother had a huge influence on your interest and passion for style. What is a favorite fashion-related memory from your childhood.

Grace: My grandmother had rooms upon rooms of haute couture clothing. Walking into a room was like going into a forest of ruffled silk, beading, and fur - but it smelled like roses and moth balls. I would roam through the rooms every time I visited her house, trying on jewelry and dresses. But one day, there was something in one of the rooms, and I could feel its eyes staring at my back. And it was a freaking fox! Its head was still part of her mink stole! It was this day that I realized her fur collection came from animals, and that I knew I would be totally and completely against fur for the rest of my life.

DT: Quite a few of us in the northern hemisphere are in the grips of winter right now. What are your favorite styling tricks for keeping warm without sacrificing personal style?

Grace: I was born and raised in LA, so to me, 55 degrees is freezing.
Jon: I grew up back east in the snow belt, so I know what it's like to scrape ice off your windshield at 7 am. My tip is to invest in really stylish wool hats because so much body heat escapes from your head. And invest in a special coat that you can layer underneath. The Glam Slam Jacket we carried for fall/winter was a perfect example. I guess that's why it is completely sold out, but the designer will be creating a similar one for Fall of 2013 in an array of colors, including hunter green!

DT: Jon, what sparked your interest in becoming a tailor?

Jon: My grandfather owned a chain of fine shoe stores, and growing up, I would watch him get dressed for work in awe. He had wool and tweed hats, monogrammed suspenders, starched custom shirts with cuff links, and the most well shined shoes I've ever seen. He was a natty cat, and my respect and admiration of him inspired me to be a bespoke suit designer and tailor.


DT: From the perspective of a tailor, do you have any fashion advice?

Jon: It is absolutely critical to dress for your own body and shape. Don't be tempted into the latest trends if it does not look flattering on your body shape. It's so imperative to understand what looks good on your unique figure. I'm seriously elated to see that the skinny jean trend is waning because too many men and women were not putting their best assets forward (or behind, rather), so to speak.

DT: What tailoring faux pas do you most often see?

Jon: I designed shirts for many male TV newscasters in LA, and they all had one problem: their shirts were stained inside the collar with bronzer makeup! That's not a tailoring faux pas, but I couldn't believe how many men wore bronzer in LA!

On a tailoring note, you would be surprised how many men actually have sloped, uneven shoulders, which make a suit look sloppy. Some bespoke designers don't adjust the cut of the suit for the asymmetrical shoulders, so even though a client spends $2000 for a suit, it still looks off the rack, or worse, like a teenage boy wearing his father's suit for prom.



DT: Do you have a favorite bespoke piece that you've created?

Jon: I designed the collar on the shirts for Pat Riley, the longtime coach of the Lakers and now of the Miami Heat. It looked amazing on his neck and framed his face perfectly on TV, even when they were losing.

I also designed suits for lots of bodyguards. They needed room in the chest for their Kevlar suits and guns, and I had to tailor the jackets just right so that the iron underneath wouldn't show.

DT: What was the spark that ignited the idea to create Tailor & Stylist?

Grace: It's easy for celebrities and models to look amazing when you are pulling wardrobe pieces that cost hundreds and thousands of dollars. But what about us real working girls?! I wanted to bring the high style I was pulling for photo shoots (but couldn't afford myself because, seriously, who has $550 to spend on a t-shirt?) to real women, on real budgets. And from all that I had learned about making people look good for the camera, I also wanted to launch a boutique where everything is flattering to a woman's beautiful figure.
Jon: On a similar note, it is easy making men look fantastic when they can afford custom suits on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. But Grace and I really wanted to bring the style of Rodeo Drive (especially of nostalgic decades past) to the budgets of Main Street. Plus, I really love my wife and her ideas :)

DT: Any exciting plans for T&S in the future?
We are starting to plan an exclusive T&S designed line that encompasses fine tailoring, flattering cuts, and nostalgic styling - and it will be made right here in Los Angeles to support our local economy.

Thanks Grace & Jon!  Check out their lookbook below, and you can also find them on Facebook, Pinterest, & Twitter.

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partner with delightfully tacky!

Interested in partnering with Delightfully Tacky?  Get on board this February!  If you're interested in reaching independent, crafty, stylish, adventurous ladies, partnering with Delightfully Tacky is a great way to do so!  I love working with blogs, shops, and companies that mesh with my aesthetic, values, interests, and style.  I've still got ads available in Mini, Small, and Large sizes.  If you're interested in running a giveaway, slots are available in February and are included in the Small and Large ad packages.  Wondering about what it means to partner with Delightfully Tacky?  Want to know more about advertising options and other partner-related info?  Head over here to find out more and/or purchase your ad.  And, as always, if you have an questions, don't hesitate to email me!

vegetarian chili

This past week we've been eating a ton of chili and my crock pot is getting a work out!  For a few days there I was feeding six large, full grown men (and me!) who were working long hours, so I knew that I would need some heavy duty food to keep us going through the day.  I had my lunches planned pretty well, and uh, pretty much all of them were some iteration of chili.  I made the White Chicken Chili and Chicken Taco Chili, which I've featured here on the blog before, my standard bbq pulled pork recipe (I always add a splash of whiskey for flavor), and then this Vegetarian Chili.  I got a six pack of boxed Jiffy Corn Bread and made corn bread muffins to accompany each chili meal, which was the perfect addition.  Crock pot meals were a great way to feed a lot of mouths a warm, filling meal, which is exactly what we needed for lunch to warm us up and keep us energized to power through the rest of the day.  Plus, chili is a pretty inexpensive meal since it's mostly comprised of canned beans.  This veggie chili recipe is super cheap, simple, and quite filling.  I have to say, I'm used to cooking for just me and Dan, but I have a whole new respect for people who cook for big families!  So time consuming and expensive!  The older I get, the more I understand why some ladies choose to be full time housewives/moms.  It's a ton of work to run a household, especially (I imagine) if you've got little ones running around!  Props to you moms and dads out there, mine included!


(recipe via Betty Crocker's Slow Cooker Cookbook)

Ingredients:
1 (15 or 16 oz) can spicy chili beans in sauce, undrained
1 (15 or 16 oz) can pinto beans, undrained
1 (15 or 16 oz) can dark red kidney beans, drained
1 (14.5 oz) can chili-style chunky tomatoes, undrained
1 large onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
2-3 tsp chili powder
1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper

1.  Mix all ingredients in your slow cooker
2.  Cover and cook on low 5-6 hours, or until flavors have blended
3.  Stir well before serving.  Tastes great served with cornbread! Yum!

You can also play around with the kinds of beans you use in this recipe, just sub in something like great northern beans, black beans, etc to give it a different taste!  Or if you'd like to make it non-vegetarian you can throw in some shredded chicken or browned ground beef.  Chili is super easy to play around with, recipe-wise.

brb...

I'll be back to regular blogging in a couple days.  Right now we're banging out this huge project from dawn to dusk and then passing out, and repeating the next day.  I'm super happy with how things are looking so far!  A much improved look to a house that used to have nasty old shingles with thick layers of paint chipping off.  This project has made the whole homeowner thing really sink in, and it's awesome.  I'm so thankful for my amazing Dad and Uncle who came down to help us take on this project.  And my brothers and cousin came up to help as well!  It's a family operation here at the house!  Isn't it looking so smart?  We still need to finish half the house and then paint, but it's coming along!