ChasingKendall - Page 5 of 48 - Fashion and Lifestyle Blog based in San Francisco, CA

Don’t judge a book by it’s cover. It’s the oldest saying in the book, yet still so relevant! Probably even more relevant in the world we live in today where we’re constantly battling stereotypes for gender, race and sexual orientation.

Recently someone told Katie “wow, she doesn’t look gay at all” (about me) and Katie had to school them. 😝It’s like… what does “look gay” even mean? Why do you have to look a certain way to get people to believe you’re gay!? Just because I don’t fit the mold of what people view as a lesbian, doesn’t mean I am any less gay.

Sorry minor rant.. But I’m making a point here! 😬

My point is that it can also apply to something as surface level as the type of alcohol one “should” drink. Just cause I am a feminine woman means I don’t “fit the part” for scotch drinkers. Yet one of my main drinking habits is to come home after work and pour scotch/whiskey/bourbon on a large ice cube (even sans sugar)! Some might consider this “manly,” I just call it Tuesday. 🤷🏼‍♀️🥃#badass

I love how simple yet rewarding scotch on the rocks is. I feel accomplished, like a badass woman sitting on the couch drinking my Glenlivet after a long day. I love having something to sip on slowly, as the ice melts the drink naturally becomes sweeter and more palatable. For me, it’s the ultimate “you deserve this” drink. Well, that and sometimes I’m just too lazy to make anything fancier haha. Like I said …. long day at work.

Full disclosure, The Glenlivet approached me for a collaboration but it felt more than natural to accept because I’m so passionate about their “Make No Assumptions” campaign. Who says old white men have to be the main consumers of scotch whiskey?! It’s time we repaint that picture! 💯

So cheers to women… And scotch whiskey. And to women who drink scotch whiskey!! The Glenlivet has a permanent place on my bar cart and I’m already counting down the seconds until 5pm when I can pour one out.

This post is sponsored by Glenlivet but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

Special thanks to Mission Loft for this amazing space.

Travel

Stay Here: Gaige House + Ryokan

Posted on October 29, 2018

Last week, Katie and I had the luxury of spending a few days up in Calistoga wine tasting up a storm at some of our favorite spots, but when the drinking was done? We checked into Gaige House + Ryokan, a Japanese inspired boutique hotel in Glen Ellen.

It was the perfect way to end the trip because we had gotten all our “activities” (🍷) done and were ready to just loungeeeee. Gaige House hit the spot….at least the large tub definitely did…which I bathed in twice over 24 hours. 😂

There isn’t much to do in the town of Glen Ellen so I’d plan on doing what Katie and I did and lock yourself in the room and VEG. OUT. Why would we want to leave when the rooms are UHmazing. (complete with sake and mochi too). 😋 We only surfaced to enjoy golden hour on the deck, with the included (and endless) wine and cheese spread because, duh! Finishing off the night by starting a fire and watching our favorite show from an insanely comfy bed. I kill for moments like these. ❤️

While I didn’t dive into any of the Japanese traditions that inspire the hotel, sitting poolside in my kimono was enough of a zen moment for me. 😉

The facts:

pool + hot tub always open
no spa on site but they can call massage therapists to come on-site if desired
meditation room
free wine and cheese “magic hour” every night 5-6pm (way more hotels need to do this)
endless sake and port in the main house
breakfast is included and served daily 8-10am
no dinner or other food on site for purchasing (except for a cheese platter) so bring snacks!
WiFi available, but no cell service (at least for AT&T)

The town:

Glen Ellen is pretty much a ghost town with just a couple small restaurants and a market but I did manage to find 1 cute lil’ french cafe, “Les Pascal’s Coffee,” complete with instagrammable back patio and pastries! Def the best thing around haha but at least, downtown Sonoma is only about a 15 min drive, a trekkable distance for dinner. Typically this would be an issue for us but since it was a short stay and we were coming down from our wild wine weekend, the lush rooms and pool did us just fine. 😊

Anywayyy…..

Gaige House + Ryokan was such a grounding and relaxing stay, and we didn’t even take advantage of the meditation room. But you can feel the zen of the place just by walking around. Everything is so quiet and peaceful. It immediately sent us into a mush zone…wallowing acceptable at all times. Next time I need an escape from it all I’ll be checking in here. 🙌

Day Style

Finding the Perfect White Tee + Denim

Posted on September 27, 2018

Lets face it, I’m pretty much in jeans and a tee everyday. Despite what my Instagram feed may (or may not) show, when you’re sitting in a desk for 9 hours and running to catch the bus, this look is pretty much all I can handle. I’m basically the NFL football player the “tees & jeans” team. (Wait actually though, that totally sounds like an AYSO team name, anyone else)!?

So about this perfect white tee…

The sleeves have to be just the right length, preferably semi-vintage looking, worn, soft (👈🏼key)…the list goes on and on…Talk about a hard find, am I right? See the comments below for why I stand for these tees.

…and the jeans to match??

The right amount of high waist (to not slice me in half while I sit at work all day – the worst), just enough room to avoid cutting into my tummy after lunch. Must be flexible enough to get that perfect tuck, and soft/comfy enough to wear on a plane. I’m beyond partial to the button fly, and I never like things skin tight. Skin tight skinny jeans feels like I’m trying too hard, I prefer the casual cool, flock to me vibe.

There’s just nothing like a good pair of jeans and a white tee 👉🏼 #CLASSIC

Day Style

Fall Trend Report: Leopard Print

Posted on September 19, 2018

Proven by the street style round ups of the top fashion mags and then permeating through IG feeds, animal print is one of fall’s biggest fashion trends…actually from the looks of recent NYFW runways, it isn’t going anywhere for SS19 either! Personally, unless it’s a zebra print rug on the floor of my office (a la Diane Von Furstenberg), my only focus in rocking this trend is through le spots. 💯🐆❤️

First, a few important personal rules I abide by when succumbing to a new fashion trend:

1) Don’t spend a lot of money – I never know how long the trend will last and the last thing I wanna do is overspend before I get enough wear out of it. I tend to go to the fast fashion retailers (🤫) when in search of on-trend items for the season, because next thing you know… it’s onto the next.

2) Let it settle – It can be tempting to JUMP at the first sightings of a new trend, but I prefer to wait it out a few weeks, see how the trend is manifesting in the space… What types of products are adopting the trend (ie: shoes? bags? jackets? etc.) because then I can figure out what is right for me. Waiting it out a little doesn’t make me late, it makes me smart. ✔️

3) Have fun with it – Since trends aren’t typically long-lasting “classics,” I don’t worry about purchasing a piece that I know I can get tons of wear out of. This is my time to play, to explore a new avenue of styling with an unexpected piece. New trends can be a great tool to my current wardrobe a refresh opening up a new series of outfits in a way I never thought of before – so utilize it and be open! 😍

As for out I feel about the animal print trend for fall? A+ 👍🏼👍🏼….anything that adds a bit of vibrancy to everyday life and style. I love prints, and this one doesn’t fall short…so consider yourself informed, the time for spots is NOW.

Shop my favorite leopard pieces below:

Wearing // Shoes: Nike (similar: here, here) / Skirt: Calvin Klein (similar: here, here) / Shirt: Monogram / Sunglasses: ASOS / Purse: //

Booze Cocktails

New Kombucha Cocktail Recipe: The Pink Chicas

Posted on August 26, 2018

Can you taste it?! No not the drink… the 3 day weekend on the horizon! (But, if you can taste the drink from these pics then A+ to me 😛😛😛)!

Labor Day weekend is ahead aka another excuse to gather, socialize and DRINK (as if i needed any more excuses 😆). I’ve got to say though… this is an especially cool cocktail recipe, different than i’ve ever done before… dun dun dun… because KOMBUCHA!

Haven’t you heard? Kombucha cocktails are all the new rage! Haha well maybe they’re still on the up and up, but I have been seeing them pop up at bars around the city and wanted to try and tackle this new ingredient head on! What’s even more interesting is that I’m not even sure if I’m a fan of kombucha. 😯🤭My mind was unmade for awhile but definitely more recently I’ve begun to develop a palette for it – and man does it go great with alcohol! (I mean…. afterall…it is fermented… and it does have an ABV 😉).

I’m super excited about this new cocktail recipe – The Pink Chicas. Named after the “Pink Lady Apple” flavored Health-Ade Kombucha used in the drink, with a tequila twist of course! 💃💃💃

Ingredients (for 1):

1.5oz Blanco Tequila (I use Espolon, great bang for your buck)
2oz fresh pressed bartlett pear juice*
.5oz fresh lemon juice
3oz Health Ade Organic Pink Lady Apple Kombucha
1 pack fresh rosemary
1 pinch sea salt

*I honestly couldn’t find pear juice anywhere 🤷🏼‍♀️ so I snagged this all natural apple pear juice at Whole Foods, which worked just fine… IMO

Process:

Add rosemary and lemon juice to cocktail shaker and gently muddle
Add the tequila, pear juice, sea salt with ice to the cocktail shaker –> shealth hake vigorously for 15 seconds
Strain the drink over a fine strainer into a 12oz highball glass with ice, or if you’re like me and (for no reason) hate those glasses, opt for a stemless wine glass or large rocks glass.
Top up glass with the Health-Ade Organic Pink Lady Apple Kombucha, (you add or subtract amount based on your affinity for kombucha lol I find it mainly adds a nice carbonation but my GF didn’t like the drink overly kombucha’d)
Garnish with a sprig of rosemary 🌿(and edible flower if your feelin’ extra cute) 💁🏼🌸

Even if you’re not a kombucha fan, I urge you to take a risk, you can’t knock it until you try it! And (IMO) the kombucha isn’t too much of a dominate flavor as it is an effervescent addition. 👌🏼😄

The Pink Chicas is great for backyard hangs, and Labor Day weekend fun! I’ll be off to NYC for the long weekend and PUMPED – too many drinks in my future though. 😬 Hope everyone has a great holiday and more importantly, a great #SippinSunday today! 🍹🍹

✨ Cheers! XX, Kendall ✨

Discover Stuff

These Crowds Got Nothing On Me! [AKA How I Hacked My Uber Pickup]

Posted on August 14, 2018

SPOTTED: ME! BECAUSE OF UBER’S NEW PICKUP MESSAGES FEATURE

I’ve done a few collaborations with Uber now, and I have to say that this new round of feature releases is definitely their best yet! Uber is practically a daily occurrence of mine so teaming up to work with them is always a no brainer. I’m proud to report on this new Pickup Messages feature that allows you to chat your driver, giving them relevant info for a smoother experience all around. The best part of this new feature? The Pickup Messages are spoken out loud to the driver distracted driving and safety remains priority. 💯

I’ve already used this feature so many times – from the everyday to the more memorable. Smaller moments at my house when the driver overshoots the pickup and I can easily chat them to turn around and come back down the hill (I live on a super steep heel, and I am NOT walking up it if I don’t have to hahah). Seems anticlimactic but I can’t even tell you how helpful it’s been.

But then I really saw this feature shine when I was out at Lake Merritt for my friend’s birthday BBQ bash. We were out on some lawn by the lake, filled with tents and blankets of different groups getting in their weekend sun. When it came time to leave, I requested an Uber, but when there are no direct cross streets how are you supposed to tell the driver your exact location?!

I walked towards the road and found a large tree with a canopy, deciding this would be my landmark. I opened the pickup notes window and chatted my driver that I was wearing all orange, a few minutes later he showed up to my exact location. BAM. Annndddd complimented me on how easy it was for him to find me! See, everyone wins!

Heading to a baseball game at the end of the month and pumped to have this option for pickup. Honestly, for any crowded summer outing or something “off the beaten path” (hike, picnic etc) this new pickup feature is my saving grace!

This post sponsored by Uber, all opinions developed on my own.

Day Style

Timberland’s Go Getter Fall Boot

Posted on August 8, 2018

Ew are we already talking about fall?!?!? Well, yes…we are. I always lament the day I see the first fall related email campaign land in my inbox. It means it’s time.The fashion world is moving on from the sun kissed styles for summer travels and days at the beach and onto those “transition pieces:” lightweight jackets and boots.

I just got the Timberland’s Sutherlin Bay boots last week, but I can already tell they’ll be a staple for the fall season because of how easily they integrated into my wardrobe. Not kidding, I had 4 outfits laid out in the back of my trunk that I was trying to decide between for shooting after work. 😧😂 That’s when I realized they were the perfect boot to elevate any jeans and tee look (my typical go-to outfit of choice).

Not these Timberlands! They have me running down the SF hills, spinning in driveways and jumping on mailboxes. Great for stomping around my city since I spend most of my commutes on foot and love getting out and about on weekends.

Where should I take them too next? Maybe I’ll toss them on later today when Katie and I leave the house to go to Flora Grubb Garden for some new plants. 🌱😌It’s household improvement week – yay! Or maybe I’ll take them for a spin at Outsidelands this weekend – I’ve never worn a boot to a festival out of sheer worry that my feet would hurt at the end of the night, but these are a V promising option!

Wherever my Sutherlin Bay boots take me next I know it’ll be a good time because my feet will be happy. Happy feet = comfortable me = happiest me. 😄

Shop the boot: