Street Queen♕: Booking It

When I was waiting to cross the crosswalk home, I saw this petite Queen pass me, and I got so excited because some of the best parts of outfits are not necessarily jewelry or clothing. This Queen was reading on the go. (You'll notice she has her fingers holding her place in her book). 

I was so honored that she stopped her adventure to let me take some photos of her! I feel that the most unique piece in her outfit is her brown pants. I thought they were vintage but silly me...they are Urban Outfitters pants! I've always been into vintage and I keep forgetting vintage is the new new. 

Her outfit inspired me to simultaneously drink coconut milk, read The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, and listen to Joy Division.  

I think this might be because great fashion IS a lifestyle and this Queen reigned the streets. 

Full-Gown Fashion Fusion

Designer Rory Castillo held a fashion show at Lounge on 20 that benefited The Leukemia & 

Lymphoma Society. Models of all ages and ethnicities donned the delightfully creative designer gowns. 

Each gown was unique in their own way. But what I really enjoyed was the use of textures. In part because of heavy attention to detail such as beading, knotting, and other fabric applications, the clothes echoed traditional Middle Eastern styles while at the same time also resembling clothing from more Hispanic regions. This made for a fun and appealing twist!

It was apparent in both the excellent fit and color of dress chosen for each model that Rory Castillo truly not only cares about the craft but the wearer as well. 

Lucy Garcia and model/activist Maria Luna

As Fashion Week Las Vegas mentions in an article, Rory Castillo is extremely active in promoting and showing at charitable events. In my opinion, this is what makes a great Sun King. A man not only utilizing his talent but using it to help others in his community. I dub Rory Castillo Sun King of the week!

 

Bravo! Bellissimo!

Oui! I did have have fun!

What a better event for The Sun Queen to cover than at a French market? After-all, the inspiration for this blog was King Lois XIV of France. ;).  

The event took place at the Janet Pomeroy Center in San Francisco. 

 

There were quite a lot of amazing vendors including those who sold French candies, French styled bags, French food and of course, French desserts. 

^Model wearing the official Sun Queen crown

Everything was beautiful even then way the shoes were placed on the ground. 

Spectator Fashion! The lovely lady said she bought all of her adornments from Neiman Marcus and that her husband bought his pants from Italy. Aren't they dressed divinely? 

Overall, the fashion show was both fun and exciting! 

bɔn‿ivɛːʁ a.k.a Bon Iver

Bon Iver played at Freeborn Hall at UC Davis on Tuesday April 12th. I must say, although I do appreciate his music...he puts on a fantastic show (so for those of you who are totally gaga about his recordings...this show was a special treat!)

I was mesmerized by the little lights they had on individual stands.  They would alternate colors to echo the psychedelic backgrounds projected onto the hanging material. 

Crowd fashion was fun to look at. 

When I approached this guy I said "Hi. I really like your mustache. Can I photograph it?" He said "yea", pinched the ends and began to twitch it. ^_^ There was a lot of facial hair at the Bon Iver concert. Lots of beards. 

I had Mr. Vernon sign to "The Sun Queen" ;) (front of ticket). I also had the violinist sign (back). He wrote "owner and lover" because I let these wildly starstruck groupies use my pen to have him sign their stuff (owner of pen)....but whats awesome is I got to keep the pen he touched ;P!

Me and these two pretty chicas united over the ever so talented Justin V. 

He was signing some pretty kooky stuff like this girls crochet needles. He also signed some body parts,  random pieces of paper and a beer can case. 

Overall, it was a superb show and especially after getting signatures it was definitely worth $40.

-♔

I walked towards the light

A couple of months ago after working late night (about 11pm) at the bar...it was pitch black and I saw light flashes coming above the surrounding buildings a couple of streets down. 

I imagined it was dragons. 

To my dismay, it wasn't dragons...However, I wasn't too disappointed when I saw what was going on and today I brought my camera to capture the magic. 

^using fire fans

A group of about 20+ guys and dolls gather downtown and practice using their:

 fire sticks

 fire hoolahoops

 fire nun chucks

 fire swords
fire whips

fire fans

aaaaand

fire flails

YES. It's all true. The reflection of fire was in my eyes for a glorious hour. 

I decided to make a gif because as I was watching them, I wished I could slow it down to take it all in...so I actually did slow it down. :) (I LOVED THOSE FANS!!)

It was so beautiful to see people light each-others "weapon of choice".  

It was also quite beautiful the way that even as the fire was dying, they stayed with their "weapon" till they end and kept twirling until it went out. 

It was a performance fit for a queen. 

On the Roof of America

Song to listen to as you scroll: 

When I saw this "sun" of a gun, I could not resist shooting some photos of him. To me, this look is superb. This easy going look hits all the right notes. Why? It's because this guy...knows how to accessorize. 

The Blues Brothers button added a touch of iconic cool.  

His hairstyle (which I consider an accessory) was a relaxed pompadour quietly pulling his style into a past era. 

His earthy colored shoes were a neutral yet smart choice letting the other accessories (such as the ones below) do the talking.   

The hardware that he added to his outfit were in fact the nuts and bolts that really made this look fuse together. 

While I didn't ask him too many questions, I did inquire about his rings. Smiling, he said some of them used to belong to his grandmother while others he bought on his own. 

When you first glance at the featured King, his look is holistically solid. But what makes it work really well are the little details. It's amazing how although his outfit is saturated with accessories, it doesn't look overdone or cheesy...it looks supreme. 

May we all strive to look as effortless as he!

-♕

Exhibition Expedition

is

ARTifact is a brand new public gallery in Davis that...is...well they (founders Kris and Dennis) say it best when they say it is:

"The legitimate love child of Kris Rosa and Dennis Brovald. An attempt to unearth local talent and rid the surrounding area of blandness."

...it was just that.

Artist extraordinaire Miss Kate Alloway 

Alloway and her work

minglin'

chick chick chicken! by local artist

wonderfully dapper attendee

♕ In the middle of genius founders Dennis (left) and Kris (right)

The apple looked good enough to snatch from the paper

I love the punny name "ARTifact" because not only does it make me grin but it also lives up to its name in that when you visit, you feel like you are unearthing a side of Davis that hasn't been explored. Can't wait until the next art expedition!

Depiction of Bowie by Kris Rosa