bunnyshop shopping fashion blog

One New Website: Lavish

This is without a doubt, one of our favorite stores in San Francisco. We miss a bit more of San Francisco than we thought we would—we also are dying for some Paper Source and Candy Store. We were thinking it might not be too excessive to drive to Washington DC or Boston just to get to a Paper Source. Because even if it is a little chainlet, there is just nothing to replace here—at least that we know of. We went to Kate's with high expectations and left being all, "If we leave immediately, we could absolutely make it to Boston by midnight." Paper Source, by the way and we will discuss this further very soon, makes the nicest letterpress cards on the planet. If it is not possible to make them yourself (and check out the San Francisco Center for the Book if you're interested, it is fabulous if not super cheap), Paper Source it must be.

Anyway. This is about Lavish, and all of their wonderful, gift-y things. We have been trying to get the name of the artist who makes these bird vases forever—if anyone knows it, please pass it on; we asked at the store and the person who was manning the desk didn't have it—because we love them. Talking Sparrow vase, $50

We also totally like this one. Shorebird vase, $39

These candles are so beautiful. Though we heave with agony spending $30+ on a candle. Leather mahogany soy candle, $34

Lotta Jansdottir! Such fans. Can we just say that we have been so pleased to own a bag like this lately, and it is doing wonders for us in the not-spilling-shit-all-over-the-place department. LJ zipper bag, $18

25 Best Stores in SF: The New Bloomingdale's

We might, in fact, attend the opening of an envelope, if free drinks and snacks were offered. We remember one particularly long stretch when we were still a magazine editor in New York, and we had no money for food, or, indeed, drinks, so we would just have our friends meet us at whatever reception some PR person was having for some whatever. Dear God, it was heaven: little plates of carpaccio and salmon and artichoke and ... not all together, mind, but arranged on nice plates. We could complain, for a very long time, about that job, but we will not complain about the food. It was quite possibly sent directly from heaven.

There was, sadly, no free food at the opening of the giant new Bloomingdale's in SF this weekend. Er, we don't know: There's a Bloomingdales in our hometown, but a rather low-rent one, and we'll never forget the day everyone (including us) was so excited because someone had mistakenly shipped us a few Marc Jacobs handbags meant for the Short Hills store. We sort of ooh'd and ahh'd and then they went to our rich neighbors. Tss. So: a new Bloomingdales? Meh. But it was quite crowded.

We were thinking, "String quartet? Meh," and how we would not be swayed by a string quartet.

And then we sort of half-pivoted and, in mid-scoff, saw the tiny but beautiful Biba collection, and we got all gooey in the stomach, the way you will when you see a puppy. Tss. It was beautiful. It was out of our price range.

Having successfully declined the opportunity for a Bloomingdale's credit card—it's like, Er, APR debt in exchange for a crappy looking umbrella? Pass!—the rest of the store was somewhat uneventful, compared to the Biba collection, the first time we'd seen it up close. Tss. Sigh. It was really nice.

We did find a xylophone, elsewhere in the mall. Hey, we love new malls. You can take the girl out of Jersey, but ... yeah. We'll call it one of 25 best stores in SF, partly because we have trouble actually ever getting to 25. But mostly because of the Biba.

25 Best Stores in SF: Minnie Wilde and Their Dress, Denim and Jacket Goodness

Love Minnie Wilde. It, and Painted Bird, are the two bright lights of our San Francisco shopping lives. And! Unlike Painted Bird, anyone can enjoy it, thanks to the miracles of the Internet, and Fed Ex. Or UPS. We once read those Motley Fool books, during a moment of extreme financial security, and they tell you to invest in companies you use all the time. (Which for us would be Topshop, Kiehl's, PopTarts and whoever makes Red Vines. Now there is an investment strategy.) We were all, "We must invest in Fed Ex!" And then we forgot. We're pretty sure we would have made money. If we hadn't forgotten. Of course, we would have spent it all on Topshop, Kiehl's, PopTarts and Red Vines, so ... pffft.

Isn't this dress beautiful? Look at the draping on the shoulders. Love it! Also love the haircut, now that we are haircare professionals. Angel dress, $225

We don't completely adore this in gray, but we would be exceptionally excited about the black. And again: love those bangs. Frenchie trenchie, $325

Both the jacket and the jeans here. Especially the jeans. This is an example, one of the rare ones, we think, of skinny jeans not looking ass-y. Moto-Nouveau jacket, $215, and Jordache slim fit jeans, $145

Here is a better picture of the jeans:

Ooh, we totally want them. Jordache just seems to offer all of the denim loveliness without any of the Citizens-Paige-True Religions-etc-bother. What is wrong with us that we're thinking, "$145? Really quite budget."

25 Best Stores in SF: Painted Bird

So this is our official post on the Painted Bird, officially our very favorite store west of the Mississippi. Vintage dresses, around $14. $14! We don't mind the bleach-mopping when we're wearing a dress that costs less than a cab ride. A fairly expensive cab ride, mind, but still: a cab ride.

The best thing about this store was that we tried on five dresses: two we bought. For some reason we only have pictures of the ones we did not buy, but they were excellent in their way. Like the vintage DVF dress, which we would have skipped all the way home with if it wasn't the completely wrong size. It was pretty awesome. And $16.99. That is amazing.

Then there was this Celine-y shirtdress, but for some reason it was closer to the price we would have expected to pay for the DVF dress, $49.99. That, unfortunately, was more than our budget would allow, and we were quite glad to find a small rip in it, or we would have probably talked ourselves into buying it instead of paying our student loan bill on time.

And this, we actually wish we'd bought this one, because honestly, terry sunset-print summer cover-up? Fuck. Maybe we will go back and look for it. That's hysterical.

And here is the outside, in case you were wondering what it looks like. Honestly, we are going back this weekend.

Details:
Painted Bird
1201A Guerrero @ 24th
(415) 401-7027
"Open 7 days a week from 11-8"