reader request: garden party, part 2

i had to cut down on my clothing expenses for a few weeks on account of the recent Alexander McQueen splurge. i've been avoiding temptations like Barneys and yoox.com and instead i've been shopping thrift and consignment stores for inexpensive additions to my spring wardrobe.

perfect segue for part two of the spring/garden party outfit reader request (although you might not be able to wear a white dress if it's a wedding party... hmmm) anyway...

once again, the background pictures were taken from the flower show earlier this month.

"lacy white minidress" has been on my spring shopping list for a while, something Valentino-esque (minus the price tag!) and not too boho. two weekends ago i crossed that off my list when i found this cotton lace dress, fully lined and perfectly tailored to my body as if it were made-to-measure.



i considered getting rid of the linen shoulder panels - a little too Blair Waldorf perhaps - but decided to keep them because they give the dress a little character. the linen panel in the front is actually detachable, in case i wanted to show off a little more cleavage (not likely.)

this next dress is also from a thrift shop. it is by Vivienne Tam, black mesh with navy velvet accents, and it is also very well made and fits me perfectly.



i have always been envious of kate moss's neverending supply of vintage minidresses so i'm excited to start a collection of my own!

randoms

some random outfit pictures which i dug up from my computer while attempting to free up some disk space. for one reason or another these have never gotten their own dedicated blog post. i think the first set i just forgot about after downloading from my camera, and the second i'm pretty sure i didn't like the shoes and ended up changing them but didn't bother to re-take pics. oh well, here they are anyway.





Alexander McQueen padded shoulder tee (from net-a-porter.com) - the "tails" are tied in the back in the last photo; Balenciaga leather skinnies (old, from yoox.com); Rick Owens boots (from brownsfashion.com sale); Ann Demeulemeester cropped biker jacket (from Bergdorf Goodman sale/NYC); Alexander McQueen pashmina (from Alexander McQueen/NYC); Hermes collier de chien cuff; sword pendant (from etsy.com); Hunter "Huntress" wellies (old, from zappos.com)




D&G dress (from Joan Shepp clearance/Philly); Balenciaga blazer (old, from eBay.com); Marc Jacobs shoes (old, from Bergdorf Goodman clearance/NYC); Tres Fluo leather bag (very old, from oogaboogastore.com)



*** not sure how many of you noticed, but i added a new page for my old StyleDiary outfits, which you can access by clicking the link up top, right under the header. those pictures aren't linked so if you have any questions about specific items, just ask! maybe i should be real nerdy and edit to add row and column numbers or something...

reader request: garden party, part 1

i received a reader request to post outfits appropriate for a spring/garden party in april. unfortunately most of my spring clothes are still boxed up in storage at my parents' house in nyc so i won't have many to post right now, but here's one. this is actually what i'm wearing today so i killed two birds with one stone! some pictures i took at the flower show earlier this month provided a perfect backdrop.



i picked up this cotton trench coat from Urban Outfitters the other day. now that Alexander McQueen has passed away i can't abuse my McQueen trench as much as i used to so i needed an alternative. i like this one because it's floppy and not stiff, kind of like the McQueen one. since it's cotton i can throw it in the washing machine as many times as i want - hopefully it will soften up even more with time.




ITEMS (mouse over to view detailed picture)
Urban Outfitters cotton trench coat
Banana Republic ivory camisole
Dolce & Gabbana lace trim camisole (old, from Filene's Basement/NYC)
Rick Owens silk bias skirt (old, from Filene's Basement/NYC)
vintage Hermes collier de chien belt
Christian Louboutin patent leather leopard wedges (old, from Barneys sale)
pearl and gold jewelry




ok, enough blogging - off to enjoy this gorgeous weather!!! have a great weekend everyone!

rain on my parade

one thing i learned from last year's wet, washed-out summer (it felt more like typhoon season at times) is that you shouldn't let the rain cramp your style.





one caveat: you have to spare your pretty footwear from dirty puddles.





i trust the weatherproofing of this jacket so much that i just toss my blackberry and iPod in its pockets and run out the door, umbrella be damned.


ITEMS (mouse over to view detailed picture)
Magda Berliner lace top (so old, i purchased it from lagarconne.com the year the site debuted)
Balenciaga Edition miniskirt (old, from eBay)
Hermes collier de chien belt
Dries van Noten chunky scarf (old, from eBay)
Go Green by Phillip Lim gray cardigan (from Barneys Co-op/Philly)
Chloe pull-on boots (old, from DSW Shoes/NYC)
EMS hooded raincoat
Hunter "Huntress" rainboots (old, from zappos.com)

showdown

leopard scarves - a reader's dilemma...

Louis Vuitton x Stephen Sprouse:




Louis Vuitton scarf; H&M oversized cardigan; Balenciaga leather skinnies; Alaia boots

vs. Alexander McQueen


Alexander McQueen scarf; H&M oversized cardigan; Balenciaga leather skinnies; Chanel boots

it's a tough call, but right now i am loving the alexander mcqueen. it's not as common as the vuitton and the colors are beautiful. it also feels more luxurious and it is slightly bigger. there is also the fact that it is from mcqueen's last collection, which makes me cherish it more.

the vuitton is an absolute classic though. it's so recognizable and makes any outfit instantly chic - if i feel like something's missing from my outfit i just throw on the vuitton scarf and it seems to solve the problem every time. it is the "safer" bet, you will have it and love it forever.

to s.b.: i hope this helps a little - neither scarf is cheap so i know you really have to think about it. the best thing to do is to inspect the scarves up-close before purchasing, if at all possible. let me know if you have other questions.


i too have a dilemma, although not quite as difficult... should i keep this cardigan in both colors? only one? or neither? the beige would be right on-trend for spring, but i'm a sucker for anything black. hmmmm...

p.s. more reader requests on the way - i'm working on a post dedicated to eBay, snapped some pictures of work outerwear for Pennerad, and re: rick owens asymmetrical zipper cardi, currently not for sale but i'll let you know if i ever come across one!

p.p.s. thank you to everyone for your suggestions on new sites to check out and new sources of inspiration. i am going through them slowly and have to say you all are a stylish bunch, i've gotten so many great leads! thank you!!!

sunday, grocery day

the weather gods smiled upon us in the northeast last weekend, i was able to run around in short shorts without a heavy winter coat :-)



i keep reminding myself that sunday is the absolute worst day to go grocery shopping and vow to go earlier in the weekend, but life usually gets in the way and i find myself stuck in trader joe's fighting people traffic with my cart and glaring at whoever grabbed the last of the organic kiwis...



this outfit was just a casual sunday outfit, but i feel like it was more fashion-blogosphere-inspired than usual. the "fashion blogger look" on my bloglovin'/chictopia/lookbook updates is getting a bit too predictable and homogeneous these days so if anyone has any recommendations for new blogs for me to check out, please share. preferably more forward-looking than retro/vintage inspired, not overly trendy, and please, NO POSTS ABOUT CLOGS!!! i don't care if they're chanel. lol. thanks.


ITEMS (rollover mouse to view detailed picture)
Zara linen-blend t-shirt
Prps distressed denim b00ty shorts (old, from Intermix warehouse sale/NYC)
Yves Saint Laurent "le smoking" jacket (old, from eBay)
Alexander McQueen animal print cashmere-blend pashmina
Wolford Velvet de Luxe denier 66 tights
vintage Moschino belt
Lanvin classic patent leather flats (old, from Barneys sale)
Oliver Peoples "Elsie" sunglasses

domus, part one

a few pictures of my humble studio apartment. very much a work in progress, i have much to learn about the art of interior decorating.

bonus feature

i've created a new page - if you look right above my blog list there's a link labeled "Outfit Archive." it's a handy thumbnail view of all the outfits i posted on my blog. i had a eureka! moment while i was creating a new "summary" post, i thought a new page would be a better way of summarizing outfits. if you click on a picture it will take you to the original blog post. eventually i hope to create a page for my old stylediary outfits.

and now for some work outfits... which are not included in the archive, but you can filter them out via labels...



left: AG Jeans "Angel" bootcut corduroys; Rugby Ralph Lauren Cashmere sweater; Zara cotton vest; Louis Vuitton x Stephen Sprouse scarf; Stuart Weitzman waterproof boots

middle: Steven Alan plaid shirt; Prada mohair vest; Grifoni navy cotton slacks; Clarks UK "desert" boots; Ralph Lauren belt

right: Design History knit blazer; James Perse t-shirt; Portolano cashmere scarf; Clarks UK "desert" boots; Istvan Francer wool pants


fun anecdote about the Istvan Francer pants in the right-most image above. i found them a long, long time ago at a random sample sale in soho. they are the most perfect-fitting pants i own. i remember searching frantically for more information on the designer so that i could buy more pants, but i gave up because there wasn't much out there. i found out, just recently actually, that he is the design director behind Theory.