Mixing it up in San Jose

While I do love Washington, DC, it’s fun to get away from time to time. I recently jetted to the west coast for a week in San Jose for a conference. The city is an interesting juxtaposition. Founded in 1777, it is considered to be California’s oldest civilian settlement. Yet it’s also the largest city in the Silicon Valley and has over 7,000 technology companies calling it home. Thereby creating an interesting mix of the old world with the latest advances. Factor in the proximity of San Francisco and wine country, you have the making of a truly exciting location.One of the things, I enjoyed was the fantastic sunshine during my visit. So I jumped at the chance to shoot some photos outside. For the shoot, I started with these floral pants by Gant. They are a slim cut with a cuff and rise just about at the ankle. What’s nice is that they are bold but because they’re done in blue and white, they are not too over the top.I think simplicity is the key to rocking any statement piece such as these floral pants. A crisp white shirt and blue blazer was all that’s needed to achieve my San Jose look, creating my own juxtaposition with a classic shirt and blazer look with attention grabbing pants. Folding the sleeve up and not wearing cufflinks is a great way to keep the look casual. Both the shirt and the jacket (part of a suit) are by Theory. My shoes were by Soludos. I opted for espadrilles however I think black loafers would work just as nicely. As soon as I picked up these pants, I knew that these were going to get lots of wear. The question that kept coming up was, “What are you going to wear them with?” “Confidence,” has been my quick response.

 Photos by William Cardoza (Atelierdeluxemusique) @bluecabaret)