Style: Sarah's latest

My friend Sarah Rosandic recently graduated from FIDM and has joined many others in looking for work in fashion. Here's some of her designs. She did a little photo shoot in her LA dining room. You might remember her from the special fashion show she did in August.

Style: Sarah's first fashion show

It wouldn’t be wrong to say Sarah Rosandick’s style

made a big debut at her first fashion show.

All too often, the fashion industry is criticized for its tiny sizes and toothpick-thin models, which constantly reinforce endless weight and image battles for women of all ages.

But fashion student Sarah, a close friend of mine, was recently presented with an unique opportunity to prove her talent beyond the fashion norms.

It was an annual special fashion show held for the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA). Sarah won a $1,000 scholarship for the featured student slot. And it was her first fashion show. Ever.

Here are some photos of model Jessica in Sarah's creation on the runway.

The NAAFA competition provided the ideal challenge – designing more than a stylish outfit that would fit a stick-figured woman. The best pieces in the show creatively used layers.

“All women deserve to look and feel beautiful, and express themselves through fashion in a variety of styles to suit their unique personality,” Sarah said as she presented the plus-sized outfit she designed.

Sarah (top left) is finishing up her studies at the Fashion Institute in Design and Marketing (FIDM) in LA.

The Curvy Fashionista Blogger Marie Denee (pictured above in the blue dress) emceed the event. Sarah's model, Jessica (pictured above at far right with Sarah), said she would definitely buy the coat Sarah designed.

Sarah's family (at right) flew from Boise, Idaho to San Francisco for the show.

Bravo, Sarah. The NAAFA is excited to see your career as it blossoms, and so am I.

Style + Travel: Jump photo evolution #4 - Venice Beach series

On our way to jump photo success

Photos taken at Venice Beach, California. October 2009.

Style + Travel: Jump photo chronology # 3

Step # 3 - make the jump photos your own

Brett's style. This was taken on the roof of the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Our friend let us get up there to feed the sea otters ice cubes (hence the blue booties).

I'm a water girl, and therefore usually take my jump photos on a beach or some other scenic waterfront location.

On the beach at Hendaye, France.

(Side note - go to Hondarribia, Spain - right across the river. Amazing.)

Ocean Beach, San Francisco, a few months after I moved to the Bay Area from Idaho.

Style + Travel: Jump photo chronology # 2

The second big milestone, in my personal life history of jump photos, was finding someone I could jump in sync with. This was achieved quite well in this photo I took with in Toldeo, Spain with Maggie, who studied abroad with me.

Step # 2 - Jump together (duh)

Style + Travel: Jump photo evolution #1

Jumps photos. It's not the most creative idea, but worthwhile nevertheless. I've found my jump photos have gradually improved. In the last few months i've taken some of the best yet (but you have to wait a bit until you can see those - i'm all about anticipation).

Here begins my jump photo evolution.

Step # 1 - Find a pretty location

This wasn't that much of a jump photo success (we aren't in unison). But it still is a fun photo to look at. We took this photo in 2006 somewhere in Washington. We were driving from Moscow, Idaho, to Portland.

Photos + Style: 40 and Fabulous

San Francisco Pride: 40 and Fabulous

Sarah and Anthony picked the best possible time to visit San Francisco - Pride weekend! We all took the ferry into the city early Sunday morning from Marin County to see our first SF Pride parade.

Hundreds of dykes on bikes (or scooters in this case) started the parade.

Then there were the cyclists...

I enjoyed the variety of organizations and groups that were in the lengthy parade.

I hope you can read all the signs.

And of course the costumes were... well... fabulous

And pride had a ton of adorable moments

The mom with a cute and fittingly content smile was clutching her

sign that says "This mom is proud to stand beside her son."

And i've discovered in the last two years that

every San Francisco street party event comes with cute party girls in tu-tus.

Style + Photos — Bay to Breakers costumes (part 1)

Just in case you haven't already heard, the 99th annual ING Bay to Breakers was last Sunday. Just a few of the hundreds of photos I snapped will be featured in a series of blog posts.

This first one focuses on some of super amazing and creative costumes we spotted.

B2B attire that is perhaps the most

famous is wearing nothing at all.

Here was a creative spin on the birthday suit,

captured in front of the painted ladies in Alamo Square.

Each one of these ladies (their group was much bigger)

was a different Mr. Sketch scented markers color.

You know, it's the markers that smelt so good you ended up with marks on your nose.

Turtle power.

Smurfs.

One of my favorites...

Lady Gaga bubble outfit.

She hot glued clear plastic ornaments together.

Synchronized swimmers.

Tiger Woods and fans.

Rainbow full body suit. Of course.

BP worker.

Her sticker is of Sarah Palin and says "Drill Baby Drill!"

More B2B photos and posts to come.

Travel + Style — Inside Sausalito’s Yellow Ferry

Houseboat fans unite.

Here's some photos from Sausalito's famous yellow ferry, which few get to see inside.

Briefly, here's how I got to see the extraordinary interior.

Some influential architects (below) came to Sausalito from China recently to study the community’s distinctive houseboats and floating homes. They’ll use Sausalito as a model for a huge waterfront development in Shandong, China. I wrote about their visit for Marinscope Newspapers (click here to see it) and then we gave the site Buoyant Life permission to publish it.

Their elaborate visit to Sausalito (unfortunately the sea plane tour was cancelled due to weather) included a stop at the Yellow Ferry Dock, where they met with the dock owner Chris Tellis, inside his historic yellow ferry, the S.S. City of Seattle.

The yellow ferry is one of the oldest houseboats in Sausalito — originally built in 1888, it was the first ferry boat in the Puget Sound. Tellis has done some amazing work on the boat, which he lives on (it’s divided up for different family members).

Tellis spoke to the architects about the history of Sausalito houseboats. He has designed quite a few, including the area's first green houseboat, and has big plans for the dock he owns and operates. If the architects get the gig they want in China, they will use Tellis as a consultant.

Now here's some photos of the ferry interior:

(The above right photo shows a couch swing. Sweet idea for a home on the water.)

The decor in the ferry is bohemian and inviting, but the half with lots of books and bookshelves was the coziest.

Chris Tellis (left) gives his presentation to the architects from China.

One of the newest parts of the ferry, a sunroom with a view of Mount Tamalpais.

The living spaces make excellent use of large window and doors that open to decks.

My favorite feature is below. Chris Tellis put a motor on this dock, equipped with a sound system and heaters. He hosts dinner parties on the small dock, driving it to the middle of the bay.

Most of the photos are courtesy of Photography by Privette.