OTK boots

i did not pack my camera when i went home for thanksgiving, so no pictures from new york. i did have this outfit to post though, from two saturdays ago:


Pringle 1815 sweater dress (old, from net-a-porter.com); Biba over-the-knee boots (from eBay); H&M tights

so more on over-the-knee boots...



those of you who followed me on stylediary know that i already own a few pairs of over-the-knee boots and have worn them frequently over the years, even before this year's trend. i still love the boots pictured above, but i felt that i needed a better black pair. the one i had was cheap, and you could kind of tell. it fell apart after a few wears. with over-the-knee boots increasing in popularity, this year was the right time to search for the perfect pair.

enter these fabulous boots by Biba...



these are pretty darn near perfect. the heel is thick as opposed to stiletto, making these boots more "kate moss," less "julia roberts in pretty woman." the heel is also perfect walking height, so they are pretty much an everyday shoe for me. and when a new yorker says shoes are comfortable, you know they definitely are! unlike ahem - a lot of west coast bloggers who claim 4-inch heels are comfortable, probably because they are hopping in and out of cars most of the time - i can actually walk all day with them, up and down subway steps, from the bronx to soho. they are snug around my leg (unfortunately they do not stretch out much, so i would not recommend them for anyone with large calves; i have healthy calves from running and struggle to get the zipper up.) i actually first saw these boots on yoox and had them in my dreambox for the longest time. i held out from purchasing because they were quite pricey. then one day they vanished from my dreambox, and i had to resort to eBay. i thought i would have to wait several months, but lo and behold, after a couple of days of searching, they appeared in my size, for half the price on yoox! it was definitely meant to be!!


a reader asked how i take care of my boots. for suede boots, i spray them with Garde Rain & Stain Repellent. i do not spray my leather boots, because i kind of like it when they are a little beat up. i keep them in boot shapers from Bed Bath & Beyond, and always keep the dust bags (but throw away those big boxes) for storage in the winter. when they are stored away, i still keep the boot shapers in, i just lay them flat and pile them up behind my closet.

***the links for the stain repellent and boot shapers above are the exact ones that i use, and i believe they are the exact same merchants i purchased from as well. i hope that answers your question!***

4-day weekend

in just a few hours...

home sweet home!!!





i will not be taking my laptop, so i'll be back to posting next week...

have a great holiday everyone, even if you don't celebrate thanksgiving i hope you at least have the day off!!!

sunday, november 22nd '09

had a very nice sunday - woke up to giada de laurentiis and alex guarnaschelli on the food network followed by gordon ramsay's kitchen nightmares and mary portas's "mary queen of shops" on bbc america; forgot it was the philadelphia marathon but managed to run my full route anyway, with a few detours; found a patisserie that was actually open on sundays and went later in the day when all pastries were half price!; started my christmas shopping and found some great things for my friend and my sister; went food shopping and cooked myself a fatty (i.e., authentic) carbonara; loaded my iPod with a few new songs; did some research for work. if only i was this efficient every sunday!



my outfit looked completely different by the time i walked out the door, after all the layers i piled on...



ITEMS (rollover mouse to view detailed picture)
Nation Ltd. top (from Intermix/NYC)
weathered vintage tee (from Unis/NYC)
Tt black skinny pants (from Tokio7 consignment/NYC)
Chloe pull-on boots (old, from DSW/NYC)
Berkeley cashmere cardigan (v. old, from Filene's Basement/NYC)
Furla modal scarf (old, from yoox.com)
Ann Demeulemeester scarf (old, from aloharag.com)
lace armwarmers (from Intermix sample sale/NYC)
random street vendor necklace
Elizabeth & James knuckle ring (old, from Intermix/NYC)

sunday, november 15th '09

i can't believe i wore a miniskirt, sans tights, in the middle of november! i actually could have gone without the jacket but felt too naked without it.



i re-discovered this ysl tee when i was packing for my move. that's the danger of owning so much black in your wardrobe - i had completely forgotten about it because it was hidden among a bunch of black tops!


ITEMS (rollover mouse to view detailed picture)
Alexander McQueen lightweight trench (old, from yoox.com)
cotton miniskirt by Velvet
Yves Saint Laurent silk/lace top (from Tokio7/NYC)
Christian Louboutin cut-out flats (old, from net-a-porter.com)
silver rings
faux diamond earrings (old, from New York Look/NYC)

method

i usually take 3 or 4 pictures in succession then pick the best one to post on the blog. my camera has a remote control which is quite handy. it's good to have choices - lighting varies from picture to picture and since i am no professional model, i often end up with a few extremely unflattering poses!



this was last saturday's outfit.


ITEMS (rollover mouse to view detailed picture)
Karoo cashmere "boyfriend" sweater (old, from shopbop.com)
Balenciaga belt (from eBay)
Balenciaga boyfriend blazer (from eBay)
Yves Saint Laurent metal tipped flat boots (old, from eBay)
LNA zipper leggings (from shopbop.com)
Zara vest
Soixante Neuf tusk necklace (super old, from Montmartre/NYC)

casual

i try to put effort into all my outfits, but sometimes (usually on sundays), i just want to be comfortable. i take a break from heels and tight jeans and break out the boyfriend jeans, jersey pants, and oversize tees and sweaters.


Autumn Cashmere sweater; Prada mohair vest; Balenciaga leather pants; Elizabeth Gillett fringe scarf; classic Lanvin flats


Pringle 1815 chunky sweater; Rick Owens Lilies tank and jersey pants; Nikes


Nation LTD oversize tee; AG boyfriend jeans; Elizabeth Gillett fringe scarf; Chanel t-strap flats

wednesday, november 4th '09

the outfit i wore on my last day of freedom, a.k.a. the day before my first day of work. i really wanted to wear my new drkshdw skirt, which was one of my last purchases in nyc before i moved.



ITEMS (rollover mouse to view detailed picture)
Autumn Cashmere v-neck sweater (from revolveclothing.com)
Rick Owens Drkshdw skirt (from Century21/NYC)
Balenciaga belt (from eBay)
Chanel moto boots (old, from Barneys clearance - the metal tips fell off!! grr...)
Balenciaga blazer (old, from eBay)
Ann Demeulemeester scarf (old, from aloharag.com)

sweater coats

for some reason the weather in philadelphia feels a bit milder than in new york. perhaps because the buildings aren't as tall there aren't as many wind tunnels? call me crazy, but the cold has a little less "bite" here in philly. perfect weather for sweater coats! with temperatures hovering in the 50s and 60s, i have yet to break out a coat. with just a few layers of silk jersey or cashmere (both lightweight fabrics that keep you warm), i can get away with wearing a chunky sweater as my outermost layer. i also throw in a scarf for added warmth, but often find myself unwinding it and sticking it in my bag, especially when the sun is out...


Helmut Lang (by Helmut Lang) pants (from Tokio7/NYC); Rick Owens Lilies zip-up (from Century21/NYC); Rick Owens combo open cardigan (old, from net-a-porter.com sale); Alaia studded boots (from Bergdorf Goodman clearance); Ann Demeulemeester scarf (from aloharag.com); Elizabeth & James knuckle ring (from Intermix/NYC)





Missoni cardigan (from Filene's Basement/NYC); Autumn Cashmere shirttail hem sweater (from revolveclothing.com); Kier+J cashmere leggings; Chloe pull-on boots (from DSW Shoes/NYC); extra-long scarf made from two Portolano cashmere scarves from Filene's Basement; Ann Demeulemeester scarf (from aloharag.com); Elizabeth & James knuckle ring (from Intermix/NYC)


now that this blog has been up and running for a couple of seasons, you may have noticed that i use the same items over and over again. i don't like to amass tons of clothing and would rather have a few key pieces than a closet bursting at the seams, so i apologize for the repetition! sometimes it's difficult but i try to resist the temptation of buying clothes for the sake of showing something new on the blog. i will continue to add new pieces here and there, but until then be prepared to see a lot of familiar items!

i got the idea to layer two scarves from Siena Fleming on stylelikeu, it's quite ingenious and something that i'll be doing quite often from now on. i want more scarves! maybe that ought to be my shopping focus this winter...