CLARION ALLEY

I've been coming to San Francisco pretty frequently for work over the past two years, and the one thing I try not to miss each time I'm in town (aside from the Sockshop in the Haight) is Clarion Alley.  The alley is a tiny street in the Mission that is covered with graffiti, and it's different every time I'm in town.  Started in 1992, the Clarion Alley Mural Project is a collective that facilitates the painting and repainting of murals along the alley between Valencia and Mission Streets, with a content focus on social inclusion.

It's one of my favorite places in San Francisco, and it was such a treat to be able to share it with an old friend from the East Coast who recently relocated to the Bay Area after a long period of fulfilling her wanderlust.  Candace also happens to be a wonderful photographer (as well as a renowned writer), and we snapped lots of photos along the alley and then went around the corner to enjoy Southern fare and spiked sweet tea at Southpaw BBQ.

I'm looking forward to my next visit to San Francisco and can't wait to see what's new at Clarion Alley!

Jacket: Vintage, from Held Over in SF

Denim Jumpsuit: Banana Republic 

Boots: Pour la Victoire

Bag: Milly

Photos by Candace Rose Rardon.

ART TO WEAR: Rhombus.

Shannon Finley, Rhombus (White Light), 2013

I finally captured the Miista Siri pumps, which have been on my wish list for quite a while.  They are, essentially, a classic black pump, but with an unexpected twist -- a clear lucite geometric heel.  I couldn't help but note the affinity the shoes held with this acrylic work by Shannon Finley, a Canadian artist based in Berlin.  Finley is represented by the Jessica Silverman Gallery in San Francisco.

Finley image via Artsy, my shoes photographed by Lauren Ricciardi.