Jaime is a true blue Nevada City girl, but I ran into her in Grass Valley where she was getting coffee for a jaunt to Berkeley. She was looking amazing in her clothing (as usual) and I was stoked that I had my camera with me:
Jaime seems to always have an elaborate and eye-catching decollete space happening, with beautiful jewelry and uniquely detailed neck lines (very fun for the many little ones in this county who absolutely adore being held by and playing with her!). Her gorgeous black curly hair always complements her outfits:
Jaime, like our first Nevada County Street Style participant Chia, spends a bit of her time working at After The Gold Rush Records in Nevada City. She is also an Ayurvedic practitioner and tour manager for her good friend Joanna Newsom. In other words, she travels a lot, knows tons about natural health, and has a record collection to die for!
Love the skirt and the lace-up-in-back boots...
...which also double as her cell phone holder!
And you haven't even seen the earrings or hair piece yet!:
On top of all this, Jaime also lives in the sweetest little cottage on the planet with an AMAZING herb garden. Here is a blog that Sasha posted about an herbal medicine making party the three of us had there this past summer:
Love ya Jaimes!
(Photo of Jaime and one-year-old Mycelia taken at Esme's 1st birthday party in August 2007 by our friend and Violet Folklore model Alison).
After a long and arduous day of taking photos on a freezing ass hillside two Sundays ago, Sasha and I headed over to our local natural foods co-op for some hot dinner and some quality time with our laptops. I usually take my camera with me every time I leave the house just in case I spot an outfit worthy of our world famous NCSS posts ;-)
Too bad I forgot mine that night.
Good thing Sasha remembered hers.
Because, about 15 minutes to closing time, standing there in the checkout line I spied with my little eye one Alela Diane (check her out on MySpace too), clad in the coziest looking sweater, some seriously loved boots, and one fabulous flower motif stamped leather purse.
Luckily it wasn't raining out, because Alela has worn these boots so many times that they literally have holes on the soles:
If you haven't heard yet, Alela is one of the darlings of the ever-growing folk music community (also referred to as free folk, freak folk, psych folk, New Weird America, and anything anyone else can think of that sounds interesting and folksy and hip). A Nevada City native, Alela grew up steeped in a rich cultural milieu surrounded by artists (such as her mother) and musicians (such as her father). She didn't pick up a guitar until she was 20 years old (interesting aside- Alela was my husband's high school girlfriend and she once told me that she started writing songs to get through the heartache of their breakup), but it didn't take her long to master the technicalities of the instrument, which provides the perfect accompaniment to her strong, entrancing voice and rich, haunting lyrics.
Though she possesses the voice and poise of an old soul, Alela's clothing reflects the hip and modern tastes of a hometown ever at the forefront of creativity. She is, like most of us here, a thrift enthusiast. Which surely has something to do with why she is always well attired, appearing perfectly dressed to fulfill the dreams of so many free spirited artists born and bred in these hills who came before. As Sasha said in her intro to our first ever Nevada County Street Style post, "Nevada City is home to some of California's most beautiful girls... Raised swimming in cerulean rivers and breathing clean mountain air, these daughters of the Gold Rush and the hippie urban exodus of the early 70s are smart, well dressed, and full of independent spirit."
This outfit is a perfect example of said well-dressed-ness. The sweater she got while touring in Canada. Sasha and I just loved the color, the cable knitting, and the big, bold buttons:
And the purse! The perfect touch to finish off this "sophisticated bohemian ingenue that just got back from touring in Europe and needs to stock up on groceries" look:
Here is a video of Alela and boyfriend Tom Bevitori performing the incredible Dry Grass & Shadows:
Alela's new album To Be Still is coming out in February! And here is a video of her singing my favorite of her many beautiful songs off her previous album The Pirate's Gospel, Oh My Mama:
Winter is my favorite clerk at the Salvation Army in downtown Grass Valley. Well, I wouldn't say any of the other clerks even come close to favorite, so let me say that Winter is my friend and fellow clothing-lover who I met at her work, the Salvation Army.
She's always looking amazing in her clothing, an no wonder! Girl's got access! She told me that she purchases at least one item of clothing a day. Sometimes when she is ringing me up she says "Oh I've had my eye on this! Ah well, one less thing to buy."
I would have gotten more pictures of her, but my camera was full of pictures (and an amazingly cute video) I had taken of my daughter Mycelia earlier in the day, wearing a 100% thrifted outfit. (In fact, as this little photo sesh was ending, the manager at Salvo walked by and said to Mycelia, "What a cute skirt!" "We got it here," I replied).
The world is in desperate need of a stylishly attired two-year-old folk singer/songwriter, isn't it?
Nevada City is home to some of California's most beautiful girls, as anyone who has been here can attest. Raised swimming in cerulean rivers and breathing clean mountain air, these daughters of the Gold Rush and the hippie urban exodus of the early 70s are smart, well-dressed, and full of independent spirit.
For our first spotlight on Nevada County street style, we are featuring the lovely Chia, who I found hanging out at After the Gold Rush Records in downtown Nevada City on a Sunday afternoon. Known around town for her innovative dress sense and sometimes elaborately feminine getups, this day she was moving house and so she was dressed in "utilitarian" mode. I just love how her "casual" outfit incorporates so many thoughtfully charming elements!
Proving that true bohemians have the best ring collections!
I can't believe I had never heard of these amazing Muck boots before! They are an English boot made to stand up to the "muckiest" of conditions and keep your feet dry and warm. I love tromping around the muddy forest behind our house in the winter, so obviously I NEED a pair!
I just adore this delicate, magical leather purse...
Since Chia is a record store clerk, I had to ask her a musical question:
Violet Folklore: What three records are your personal favorites right now?
Chia: Virgin Killers by The Scorpions; Blood on the Tracks by Bob Dylan; the new one by Bright Black Morning Light.
Thanks to Chia for being our first Nevada County Street Style star!
