Mighty Closet: Jaime Chen, Outfit 5

Jaime does cocktail just right. Her outfits are always spot on, but vaguely disinterested, like she ran home to throw something on quickly because she was playing late-afternoon tennis. Except she’s not sweaty. Maybe she was having a late afternoon chess match. As one does.

She bought the scarf to wear with her wedding dress in 2008. She uses it all the time, and says it’s surprisingly warm. (You may remember Jaime as the bride who remained unnaturally calm when the florist didn’t order the flowers I planned to use in her bouquet. Jaime was a shockingly laid back bride.)

The dress is from Hengst, in the Mission. The sexy see-through with no actual reveal is right up Jaime’s alley.

Here’s a close up of the front. As you can see, I’ve dragged Jaime back to the garage again. The light was incredible in there. Nothing like some spectacular garage portraits to remember the paint cans by.

Her shoes are Helmut Lang, purchased from City Soles in Chicago. They’re like a heeled flip flop, but with a raised edge to keep you from stubbing your toes.

And that’s a wrap! Thanks for letting me take pictures of you in front of all your neighbors, Jaime. Also for inspiring me to edit my closet. Does anyone want an orange feather boa and a sequin tube top?

Mighty Closet: Jaime Chen, Outfit 4

This is the kind of thing Jaime wears on a casual day out when she thinks she might run into an ex boyfriend. All right, maybe I’m projecting a little. Her leggings are Wolford.

The happy pink skirt is from COS in Copenhagen. Jaime is totally powerless in the face of unexpected pleats.

Her T-shirt is Vanessa Bruno; Jaime gives a thumbs up to their basics.

Her suede flats are Sigerson Morrison, purchased at Nida in San Francisco. I just realized that I’ve never seen Jaime limping in her shoes. Even on her wedding day, she wore a pair of flat sandals under her dress.

The girl with the comfy flats always gets the last laugh.

Tomorrow, Jaime’s cocktail look and final outfit. See you there!

Mighty Closet: Jaime Chen, Outfit 3

This coat is so Jackie 2010, it probably came with giant sunglasses and a pack of cigarettes in the pockets. Jaime got this at Helen Yi in Chicago, and it has some nice details.

I love necklines like this because you don’t need to bother with a scarf.

It also has nice deep pockets so you can leave your purse home too.

Here’s what’s underneath the coat. This is the kind of thing Jaime wears to a nice dinner or holiday party.

The blouse is Tracy Reese, also from Helen Yi. Ms. Yi knows her audience.

Jaime’s skirt is from Sabine Poupinel in Copenhagen, and it has surprise blue lining in the pockets. Colored or patterned lining just makes me feel more pulled together. Blue pockets are such an incentive to shave your legs.

Her wool tights are Wolford.

The patent wedge heels are from a Zara in Hong Kong. Brown patent is not something you see every day.

A lot of Jaime’s jewelry is sentimental; her grandmother gave her the pearls. Her earrings were a gift from her mother-in-law who received them from her husband shortly after she was married.

This is what Jaime does when you mention that she’s been scowling at your lens for the better part of an hour.

Ah! There she is.

On Monday we’ll be back with leggings. Leggings! Don’t try to resist, they are rad.

Mighty Closet: Jaime Chen, Outfit 2

Apologies for the post delay, yesterday was one of those days. Thanks for checking back.

Don’t mind Jaime, she’s just stepping out for a stroll through the open-air markets of Cuba.

It’s so easy for hats to look forced. Who throws on a fedora this effortlessly? Urban Outfitter models and Jaime, that’s who. Jaime does low-key sexy better than anyone I know.

Her hat is a Stetson, but was purchased in Copenhagen. Jaimes likes to shop when she travels — she worked as a consultant for years and is a travel enthusiast, so she has lots of trips under her (weathered leather) belt (purchased in Zambia).

Her J necklace was a gift from her sister Nancy, who wears the same necklace but with an N on it. Aww. Wearing matching necklaces is pretty much the best reason to have a sister.

Her black tank top is Banana Republic, purchased in a NYC Soho store circa 2001. Can anyone else believe it hasn’t acquired a giant stain in the last nine years? Clearly Jaime doesn’t eat spaghetti. The green cardigan is JCrew.

Her split skirt has a subtle stripe, it’s by waukerhaus and was also purchased in Copenhagen at a store called Sabine Poupinel.

The bag is Hermes.

Thought I’d just let that settle in for a moment. Jaime says she gets her more expensive clothes on sale, but the Hermes bag was an exception. She fell in love the first time she saw it, and worked up her courage (and presumably savings) for two years before laying down the cash. Now she sleeps with it and bottle feeds it.

By contrast, she bought her sandals from Ann Taylor twelve years ago and has had them repaired three times.

And that’s a wrap. Tune in tomorrow for a little more Subtle Sexuality. Jaime, take us out:

Yep. That’s still working for you, girl.

The Big Eat 2010: 1-9

Every year, one of our local magazines publishes a list of 100 great things to eat in San Francisco. As part of getting to know San Francisco, I’m working my way through this year’s list. If you want to follow along in real time, my friend Alexa made the excellent Big Eat photo scavenger hunt on her site Foodspotting. My profile is here.

I don’t have photos of everything, but I’ve tried nine so far:

1. Morning bun at Tartine Bakery
Everything at Tartine is excellent.

2. Basil gimlet at Rye
I found this way too sweet for my tastes. If you like your cocktails to taste like alcohol, you should probably skip it.

3. Salted-caramel ice cream at Bi-Rite Creamery
I’ve been back for this again and again.

4. Oysters on the half shell at Swan Oyster Depot
One of the coolest places in San Francisco, but it’s always overrun. The freshest seafood anywhere.

5. Fried chicken and waffles at Little Skillet
Amazing. I haven’t had fried chicken so good since my mom made it. The syrup was amazing, the waffles were just waffles, which is fine by me.

6. A Gibraltar at Blue Bottle Café
This is essentially a short latte with some of the best espresso you’ll ever come across. I’m not supposed to drink coffee, but I make exceptions for a few places in town, and Blue Bottle is one of them. So, so good.

7. Rotisserie chicken at Limón Rotisserie
Delicious and an excellent deal. All of this plus one other side was only $9.95. A great place for a brokey date, because the atmosphere is pretty upscale for the price.

8. Chips and salsa at Papalote
What? I don’t get this at all. The chips weren’t even good chips, and the salsa is a liquid blend of meh. Someone on the editorial staff must drink near here is all I can say.

9. Ginger snaps at Miette
Everything you’d expect from a gingersnap, though I much prefer their gingerbread cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.

As part of getting to know San Francisco for my Mighty List, I’m making my own list of the 100 best things to eat in San Francisco and the 50 best cocktails. If you have tips, please share in comments.

A huge thanks to Verizon Wireless for sponsoring my Mighty Life List, and feeding me so well for the last month. Verizon is helping me cross off a few goals, and they also gave me a Palm Pre Plus. I used it to take most of these photos. Thanks, guys.

The Winner and a Reminder

And the winner is? #986. JJ, you won! You are officially a lucky person. I sent you a note with details, so check your spam filter.

As for the rest of you, it is officially the last day of March. When the Verizon campaign started, many of you promised that you’d finish three things off your life list this month too. How’s that coming? If you haven’t already commented about your victories, please do today, so I can read what you’ve been up to and include you in the roundup.

If you haven’t gotten started yet, do it! You have 24 hours to rock. Reeeaaddy? Go!

Mighty Closet: Jaime Chen, Outfit 1

Hooray, a new Mighty Closet! My friends, it has been too long.

This is Jaime Chen, a dear friend with incredible taste. Pity she’s so unattractive.

Her hideous deformities aside, I admire Jaime’s approach to wardrobe building because it’s the opposite of how I shop, and the results are enviable. She focuses on buying clothes she knows she’ll wear, which means she’s willing to pay more when she finds something she loves. I buy everything that interests me and is under $20. We go shopping all the time and she almost never buys anything. I find myself baffled, shoving shiny things at her in an effort to feel less alone in my rampant consumerism, but she remains steadfast.

Her outer jacket is by Hengst, purchased in the Mission. Jaime is incredibly faithful to brands, and Hengst is one of her favorites. In fact, she owns a heaver version of this same jacket in wool.

This warmup jacket is by Heff Christiansen, purchased at Helen Yi in Chicago. Jaime is also faithful to stores once she feels like she can trust the selection, so Helen Yi is another favorite. The grey cords are J Brand.

The back of the jacket is the best part, by the way. Jaime was trained as an architect, and her clothes reflect an interest in structure. Her pink tank is by Vince. She owns it in two other colors, which she has yet to wear, because she’s hoarding them for when the pink one dies.

Her colorful wallet was a gift from her husband Henning. It’s a mywalit from the I.D.E.A. Living store in Amsterdam. Now let’s talk about The Bag — it’s from the Pleats Please line by Issey Miyake. Jaime has been looking for a bag for years, since I met her in fact.

She finally found it when she randomly walked into Mio for the first time. I was actually surprised by her choice, particularly the color — Jaime tends to wear lots of grey and black. The fabric is so lightweight that the empty bag is almost weightless. There are tons of pockets, and it ripples and folds along those triangle shapes, so it looks like a completely different shape whenever you change how you’re holding it. So killer.

These boots aren’t so bad either. As I’ve mentioned before, San Francisco is a walking city. Jaime’s hill-friendly boots are by an unknown Japanese designer, purchased at Cotton Sheep in Hayes Valley.

Nicely played, Chen. Tune in tomorrow to see Jaime wearing a fedora without looking like she planned her whole outfit around it. I’m still not sure how she does that.