it's all over now, baby blue

Starting off the day sans cardigan was fine but by the time these photos were snapped (by the Brit incidentally) I was absolutely freezing!  I do love this dress, though. Yet another vintage find from one of LA's various flea markets which I put away last fall and forgot about until Saturday morning.  Such a pleasant surprise to find it in the front closet waiting for me!  I quickly threw it on and went about my day...

And yes, I too have succumb to the clog craze. I have two pairs - these are the lower heeled ones. I have to say, they're surprisingly comfortable. If you're toying with the idea I'd say go for it!

outfit details:
blue 1950s dress: flea market
clogs: mia

it's all over now baby blue -- them 

DJRD tackles your FAQs

Since starting this blog back in 2008 I have received my fair share of questions pertaining to it SO I suppose it's about time I did a FAQ section for you all!  Without further ado, I bring you...

 don juan's reckless daughter tackles your frequently asked questions...

 

where did your blog's name come from? 

My blog got it's name from a Joni Mitchell song, "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter". It's a song about a free-spirited girl making her way through the world (find the lyrics here.) I'm a big Joni fan; I love and I suppose can relate to the song in my own way. When it came time to pick a name for my blog it just popped right into my head - it was meant to be!

where do you live?

in LA - Laurel Canyon to be specific.  I live with "the Brit" in a little house built in the 1920s.  It's just a few blocks above the hustle and bustle of Sunset Blvd, up in the Hollywood Hills.  Laurel Canyon is full of music history and still has an artistic energy you can feel in the air.  I love it - living here has made me warm up to LA a bit more. You can read and listen to more about it here and here...

you mentioned you once lived in Seattle - where else have you lived?

I have lived in many places - especially in my teens/twenties, including...Seattle & London.

who is "the Brit"?

"the Brit" is my nickname for my boyfriend who hails from England, so it's not a stretch, you see! :)  

where is the best vintage shopping in LA?

This should (and will) get it's own post as soon as I have a moment to put that together.  I have posted about the Pasadena Rose Bowl Market before: here and here.  I highly recommend it but it's only one Sunday a month so be sure to check their site! I promise to post more about other shops & markets soon but if you are visiting LA and need suggestions please feel free to email me  I'd be more than happy to help!

what's your day job?
without going into too much detail, I currently work in the film industry. Yes, it's fun times here in Hollywood.

what kind of camera do you use? do you take your own photos?
Most often I use my Canon XSI.  Yes, for the most part I take my own pictures using a tripod and either a remote or self-timer. Occasionally, I ask "the Brit" for assistance or post photos that friends helped with but I'll always note the photographer in those cases.

is that your garden? what, do you live in the woods or something?
As mentioned above, I live in the hills and it is quite green.  Most of the reckless wardrobe photos are in fact taken in my yard.  I really need to explore a bit more and find some new photo-taking spots but I don't want to freak out my neighbors ;-)  I guess I need to to gather up some nerve and get out there!

what are your dog's names? I have two very small Chihuahuas Charlie (2) and Lola (5 1/2). Sometimes they are little mischief makers but mostly they are such fun it's hard to get mad!  We also have two cats ("...in the yard").

do people from your personal life know about your blog?

In general, it's not that I hide my blog from people, I just don't feel like I need to tell people who might not get the whole style blog concept.  There are a small handful of friends who know about it and many of them have their own blogs or are into fashion/style themselves. Blogging is something I enjoy immensely mostly because it helps me connect with incredible people from other places that I would otherwise not have been in contact with.  I love it and if I didn't anymore I'd stop blogging. Simple as that.

will you do a post about my: shop, product, clothing line, etc...?If you would like to talk to me about being a sponsor or having your product mentioned on this blog please email me.  Do keep in mind that I will only accept sponsors / review products and sites that I genuinely like and feel are in tune with the concepts behind Don Juan's Reckless Daughter.  Most likely, I'm not going to do a product review for a power drill or diet pills, if you catch my drift! So please only send me requests if you have actually looked at the content of my blog! thanks!

will you link my blog, follow me, etc...
Please feel free to contact me with these kinds of questions via email or in the comments.  I update my blog links very sporadically but like I said, send me a note and I'd be happy to check out your blog!

what are your favorite blogs? 
I link many of my favorites in the sidebar but a few of the blogs that started me blogging were: the cherry blossom girl, the clothes horse, style bytes, the sartorialist, and vain & vapid.

These FAQs will also be linked in the side bar and added to on occasion. If you have any questions that remain unanswered please send them my way!  thanks for being such wonderful (and patient) readers!

 

outfit details: 
dress : h&m
cardigan: vintage
scarf: madewell
gray dot tights: nordstrom 
boots: vivienne westwood pirate boots

xxdjrd

sleep to dream

I bought this new white dress in honor of spring's arrival. Let's see how long I can go without spilling anything on it! So far, so good...though, I may have just jinxed myself with that statement.

Wearing a white dress can feel a bit like wearing a nightgown in public if you don't style it right. But, to be honest, pajamas and bedding are two of my favorite things in the world so perhaps that's why I like this dress so much! hmm...

And speaking of bed-related things, I've been having the craziest dreams over the past few nights! I think, maybe it's just been too hot in my bedroom*? Or maybe it's that everyone keeps telling me we might have a big earthquake in the next few days (total rubbish, since earthquakes are unpredictable. but still). Whatever the case, at the moment I feel like I could pull a "sleeping beauty" and snooze for about a month!

(*Does this happen to anyone else? I'm guaranteed to have kooky dreams or nightmares if the temperature is to high in the room or I'm under too many covers. weird)

(above was my genuine reaction when I learned I was being spied on through a window

by no less than an English man and a small Chihuahua! I'm sure he was wondering why I had on his cardi...)

outfit details...
dress: pins & needles
cardigan: stolen from "the brit's" closet - by AA 
shoes: jeffery campbell 

official post music:  A little Fiona never hurt anyone...

working girl

Now that the weekend is here, I thought I'd post an outfit I wore to work earlier in the week. Makes sense, right? ;) Well, nonsensical is one of my specialties so why not!  (I took these at the end of my workday - hence the slightly disheveled look I'm sporting...)

outfit details:
blouse - uo
skirt - xxi
cardi - vintage
scarf - banana 
plane necklace - etsy 

for what it's worth...

I hope you all enjoyed your weekends! I certainly did, now that I'm back to my old self again.  I saw a few movies, ate a few exceptional meals, shopped a bit, went to the dog park, the books store (no Lula though! :(  where is it!?), read, took long drives with "the Brit" in search of photo-ops, took a load of Polaroids and spent Sunday afternoon in Santa Monica...wow, seems like an awful lot come to think of it!  Dressing for these adventures proved less than easy because old Mr.Weather hasn't made up his mind about what season it is here in Sunny California. Sunday, for example, there was a definite chill in the air and layering was required. 

I put the blazer down for a few of these shots to show off the cut of this little dress (because it's fun) and then quickly put my layers back on...

Oh, and here's this one from Santa Monica pier later that day, only with a hat this time...

outfit details:
velvet blazer - vintage (thrifted years ago in Seattle)
dress  & tan flats - UO
tights - h&m
bag - marc by marc jacobs

help me get my feet back on the ground

This was one best of my roadtrip finds... A lovely little 70s tea dress I was lucky enough to find on the racks of Feather's in Austin.  I loved the slightly washed out colors and it fit me really well to boot.  'Twas meant to be!

I really agonized (silly) about whether or not to take pictures over the weekend because I'm still feeling so very not great but the amazing weather and lovely sunset coaxed me out of my shell.  And though I started off the mini-shoot with sunglasses on, eventually, I decided it was ok to take them off and get on with the picture taking, already! 

I am also happy to report that I (finally) went to the doctor and got antibiotics which, combined with positive thinking, I will use to make a full recovery in mere hours! watch in amazement! Anyway, wishful thinking never killed anyone...I don't think...

In other news, something dreadful is going on with my camera and it's not focusing as easily as it used to :( It's sick too! The camera in question is a Canon XSI... anyone else experienced issues like this? If so, I'd love your input!

well... that's it for now, loves!  I leave you with my favorite lads singing one of my favorite tunes...

saturday night's alright for fighting

Luckily, there were no physical or verbal altercations (despite my post title) as we all trekked over to that strange place they call Venice, California.  "The Brit" and his band had a show at a place called The Stronghold - which is a really cool performance space upstairs from a high-end denim store on one of the main streets in Venice.  I only wish I had taken more pictures of the space itself - I'm shy about photo-taking sometimes - but it has a very urban-loft feel. wooden beams, metal, exposed brick, distressed wood flooring, very cool. So here we are, lets start with the important stuff... like my shoes!

and the set list...

vintage exit sign...

ah, exposed brick

a little reminder that I need to go to the hairdresser asap!*

boys before the show...

the backdrop to the stage - an incredible spiral iron staircase...

time to play

and me again...(PS:I really wanted to steal that leather chair)*

outfit details...

dress:: vintage

sparkly maryjanes:: shop on portobello road

cardigan:: vintage 

bow::xxi

(*thanks to kristin for snapping a few shots of me)

my wandering days are over

Remix posts have always inspired me and I'm constantly experimenting with my own closest.  If you get creative you can come up with a million ways to wear one piece - the sky's the limit.  This isn't much of a remix but I really only set out to get pictures of at least two different ways to wear one dress.  The dress in question is relatively new so I haven't even begun to scratch the surface as far as remixing goes but here you are...

dressed up:

 and dressed down:

outfit details, set 1...

dress:: urban outfitters

shoes:: jeffery campbell

bag:: marc by mj

jacket:: a gift

set 2...

dress:: same 

shoes & bracelet:: vintage

cardigan & belt:: xxi

bag:: alphabet bags

belle & sebastian - - my wandering days are over