On the subject of white.

Here's how that look works on the other side of the Pacific. Shot taken in June in Eagle Rock, Los Angeles, California. Sunglasses from Bangkok, T-shirt from H&M, shoes and shorts a mystery.

Sunny in Silverlake.

Silverlake is one of the best Los Angeles neighborhoods for strolling around. There are cafes with amazing coffee, interesting independent shops and vintage outlets, and most importantly, lots and lots of beautiful people dressed amazingly well. It's a great area for people-watching and style spotting. We headed over yesterday for the Farmer's Market, where we picked up some delicious berries and heirloom vegetables, and kept an eye out for stylish locals.

Sometimes, I can't stand how much great style everyone has.

It does help, at least, that one of the best dressed gents out was my husband.

Around town in American Apparel.

After a year of living in South Africa, during which Bordeaux and I each added literally 1 item of clothing to our wardrobes (but wore out all of our older garments), we're both in the process of rebuilding our closets. The good side of this is that we can basically start from scratch, focusing on certain styles and colors. So while in San Francisco, we made a few trips to hit up local-California store American Apparel. Not only is it a fantastic place to stock up on locally and responsibly made style basics fairly inexpensively, but because they make each item in a variety of core colors it makes it really easy to co-ordinate. So re-outfitted, we took to the streets of San Francisco to put our best colors forward.

B in the Mission: Cotton pique tennis shirt in dark purple, Seersucker Robert Kennedy short in white and black.

X at the Golden Gate: Flex Fleece Zip Hoodie in mermaid green

B Downtown: Striped Fleece Zip Hoodie in purple and black (also seen in top photo).

Redressed in Taiwan.

After a year of not getting any new clothes in South Africa (where they were too expensive and mainly dull), we quickly got back into shopping upon our return in Asia. In Taiwan, we're playing around with the local nerdy fashion-- a mix of retro preppy and street styles.

Style shopping in Bangkok.

Bangkok can be an ideal destination for shopping, but great style and prices aren't always easy to find. A few extra tips will ensure that you leave Krungthep with a happier suitcase.

Bordeaux, re-styled after a day in Bkk.

1. Check out the malls, even if you never take out your wallet. Bangkok has some of the most incredible shopping malls in the world-- like the elegant and high-end Gaysorn, hip and funky Central World, and classic Siam Paragon. The shops are a mix of international labels, with some local talent thrown in-- check out Greyhound (at Paragon) for offbeat Thai fashions, Thann (flagship store at Gaysorn) for incredible spa products, and Vanilla Industry (across from Siam Centre toward the back of Siam Square) for great lattes and cupcakes. But perhaps the best part of a day spent among these malls is the people watching-- it's a great way to get a sense of Bangkok style.

2. Give MBK a miss: At some point, the MBK shopping mall developed a reputation for being a great place for cheap shopping. Tourists weren't the only ones in on this secret however, and the vendors caught on. The result is that most of the clothing at MBK is aimed solely at tourists, and is not only overpriced, but severely lacking in style-- you'll see about twenty stalls selling an identical selection of tacky Beer Chang t-shirts.

3. Get to the Platinum Fashion Mall, and give yourself some time: The Platinum Fashion Mall is-- for now, anyway-- everything that people expect from MBK. The selection is staggering, and the prices are terribly low. It's a little harder to get to than MBK, being a bit of a walk up from Phloen Chit MRT Station on Phetchaburi Road, but it's worth the effort. But give yourself time to search-- the shops at this massive wholesale shopping mall are incredibly varied, though not all are worth a browse. Among the aisles and aisles of shops, you'll find hip clothes, particularly some great warddrobe basics, like simple cardigans, sunglasses, belts, and t-shirts in solid colors. It takes searching, but the clothes and their prices are worth it-- especially if you buy more than two or three pieces from a vendor, thereby earning a decent wholesale discount.

4. Hit up Chatuchak Market, but be selective: Spending a day at the Chatuchak Weekend Market (also known as the Jatujak Market, or the JJ Market) can easily go one of two ways: it can be a fantastic day of picking up style from hip Thai designers, or it can be a sensory overload of too much stuff that you have no interest in. The trick is knowing the layout of the market. The vast bulk at the centre of the market is of little interest for most shoppers, and many visitors get tripped up by simply heading inward and getting majorly overwhelmed in the process. For hip clothes, focus on the lane running parallel to Kamphangphet Road (the far left side of the market when viewed from the BTS station)-- it's particularly good for funky t-shirts and boutique stalls, with designers like the local Hey Pilgrim!. Later, head to the far opposite corner, where some small cafes are tucked in among artist's galleries.

5. If you can't make JJ, get to Suan Lum: It's not the same experience, and the prices are higher, but the Suan Lum Night Bazaar is certainly convenient. Firstly, it's right in the centre of Bangkok, being right up the stairs from the Lumphini MRT station. Secondly, it's open every night, so you don't have to time your visit to a weekend. Thirdly, the crowds are not as intense as at Chatuchak. So while the shopping may not be as rewarding, it's perhaps a more relaxed spot to pick up some t-shirts and a new pair of sunglasses.

So enjoy the city, bargain well-- and let me know if you find a local designer particularly worth seeking out.

Baker man.

I am rather lucky to have married a man who can whip up a meringue-peaked layer cake with Amarula glaze and coconut buttercream, as he did for our friend's birthday; I am even luckier that said man can manage to show up to the party looking even better than said cake.

And just like the combination of tropical and refined in the cake, Bordeaux's look has a very Cape Town flavour-- this despite the fact that the individual items in his outfit are all from abroad (the driver's cap is from Urban Outfitters, the t-shirt is from American Apparel, and the shorts were tailored for him in Vietnam).

Cape Town has some incredibly sharply styled residents, and hopefully our year of living here has had some impression on us. Though I'll miss being here in person to check out what Cape Town is wearing, I'll be keeping track on it distantly, though the Style Guide Cape Town. Something of a Cape Sartorialist, this local stylist does a great job of documenting the city's residents' unique sense of style.

*And I'll get a link to Bordeaux's blog entry on that cake once he puts it up on Itinerant Bordeaux.

culturedPRIMITIVE/style: Out of Africa.

I don’t get to out check other blogs too often, so I was grateful to have happened upon this entry on Design Sponge. As part of a new series about taking decorating inspiration from films, editor Amy Merrick put together this amazing collection of images to recreate the style from the movie ‘Out of Africa’. She did an incredible job, and found a beautiful mix of pieces that capture the mood and era portrayed in the film: folding canvas chairs, hamman towels, woven African baskets. I used to be really big on African Colonial, so I sort of wish she’d have put this collage together for me when I was in high school. Seriously, the above is what my bedroom ten years ago would have looked like if I’d had any sort of budget.

Hmm… with my current taste, where would I be looking for inspiration now? Wong Kar Wai’s ‘Days of Living Wild’ for retro subtropical Hong Kong? ‘Indochine’ for chic French Saigon? Disney’s 1954 '20,000 Leagues under the Sea’ for Undersea Victorian?