summer staple

 

Missoni ombre duster sweater
Kain pocket tank
AG Jeans boyfriend shorts
Chloé sandals
Margiela gold ring set

Got a bit of a 'Tobias Funke' vibe going on with these jorts, lol. 

(Arrested Development - yes/no? Moving on...)

Clearly loving these Chloé sandals right now.

Nation Ltd. oversized tee
Rick Owens Lilies jersey skort
Chloé sandals
bag by Fluo

I love this getup, I would be perfectly happy dressing like this all summer long.

high time

Yves Saint Laurent ruffled cotton top
JBrand high-waist waxed jeans
Giuseppe Zanotti jewelled sandals

I'm no stranger to high-waist bottoms. I've worn wide-leg ones, shorts, and I often hitch my skirts up when I'm too lazy to hem them. High-waist + skinny, however, is a new silhouette for me. The appeal of high-waist pants is that they make your legs look longer, which is true, but I am also more conscious of my hips and I'm always afraid my butt looks long when I wear these. They are a great new addition to my closet though, they were on sale and I realized I actually own a lot of shorter and cropped tops. It's great not having to pull up my pants every five seconds and I love that I don't have to wear a belt! That's one of my peeves with jeans - when they stretch out I have to wear belts and sometimes outfits just look better without.

nothing new here

So here are a few odds and ends. As usual my closet is a mess this time of year, with lightweight summer dresses fighting for space among winter coats that I have yet to dry clean and store. Most of my sandals are still tucked away which makes it difficult to figure out what I need to buy for the season, if anything. I'm going shopping with my mother and sister tomorrow on Mother's Day and I only have a vague list in my head. The only thing I'm sure of is that I'll be paying close attention to return policies!

I have been taking outfit pictures I just need to find the time to sort through them. I also want to be better at documenting my 'fancier' outfits ('fancy' might be a stretch, most of the time it's just one of my regular outfits with dressier shoes!) It was difficult in the fall/winter because by the time I was ready to head out it was so dark outside, but perhaps now that it's light until late in the day I will do better.

Thanks for sticking around, guys. I have always said that my blog is for myself primarily as a point of reference but I'm still very glad to have a few loyal readers ;-)

overload

Junya Watanabe F/W11 puffer vest, my only sale purchase last season

Junya Watanabe vest again // Margiela shirt // Les Chiffoniers suede pants

Current/Elliott leopard jeans (guys, size down 1 or 2 in these -
they stretch out a ton! I'm sooo annoyed they are super loose now) //
T Alexander Wang striped tee // Sorel boots // ADD down vest

LOVE the cut of these Balenciaga pants - super low-rise,
yet magically I don't need a belt to hold them up //
worn with 2 Rick Owens ribbed tanks

American Vintage tee // McQ leather shorts

Stella McCartney romper // thrifted army jacket // original Helmut Lang watch band bracelet

vintage leather jacket // Rick Owens tanks and maxi skirt // Alaïa grommeted ankle boots

Balenciaga skirt // Chloe boots // Gucci watch

Red Engine jeans (so old - they still fit!!) // American Vintage tee //
Dolce & Gabbana jacket // Balenciaga belt // Charles David boots

tough call

I always have trouble getting dressed this time of year. It's as warm as it's been all summer but I'm tired of wearing my summer clothes.

Junya Watanabe CDG studded collar shirt (eBay) // Luxirare cuff // Sara
Berman cropped leather pants (theoutnet.com) // Charles David boots (endless.com)

shorter days, longer nights

Well I'm back! I hope everyone had a great summer!

I feel like myself again, fashion-wise, now that the weather has turned cooler. I wouldn't rush to switch out your closets though - it looks like next weekend will be warm again.

Missoni ombre duster sweater (Filene's Basement/NYC) // Rick Owens tank x 2
(Barneys and theoutnet.com) // Les Chiffoniers sparkly pants (Filene's Basement/NYC)
Givenchy boots (Century21/NYC) // Hermes cuff // Alexander McQueen ring

in limbo

The calendar says spring but the temperature says winter! Although I will always love black, sometimes I get tired of wearing drab winter colors.

I spy... a Martin Margiela gold ring set! They popped up one day on yoox.com - I don't think I checked out so fast in my life!

I'm in a state of limbo right now when it comes to my wardrobe. Every week I wrestle with the decision to switch out my closet from winter to spring. So far I have resisted - I think I'll wait until we have a string of consecutive warm days. Hopefully it will be sooner rather than later, I have a few pieces just begging to be worn!

T by Alexander Wang striped linen tee (Barneys Co-op/Philly) // Current/Elliot jeans (Saks Off Fifth outlet) // Zara coat // Mulberry "Alexa" handbag // Rachel Comey boots (Steven Alan Outpost (their sale outlet store)/NYC) // Martin Margiela 11 gold ring set (yoox.com)

even better than the real thing

After several failed attempts to purchase the Martin Margiela ring set I've been lusting over from thecorner.com (I would go through the entire checkout process only to be told the item was unavailable), I turned to my trusted personal shopper, a.k.a. Google, out of frustration. He came through for me once again. I found these cuff rings from a site that turns old silverware to jewelry - these rings are actually made from old butter spreaders. When I received them they were all a little too big. I had trouble re-sizing them without proper jeweler's tools (you can imagine how sturdy a butter knife is) but after pinching them for several hours in a vise and fine-tuning with a pair of long-nose pliers, they fit quite well. Overall I am very pleased; usually when I settle for second best it's only temporary until I get my hands on the real thing. Not so with my butter spreader rings - I love that they are recycled. These are a permanent addition to my jewelry collection.

casual friday

Here is a selection of my work outfits from the past month.

On the far right is an outfit for casual Friday. I had not been able to participate in casual Friday that often because my jeans were either skinny and too tight to wear to the office or boyfriend-fit with too many holes in them. Several weeks ago I decided to do something about it and bought a pair of jeans appropriate for work - still on the slim side, but not so baggy as to look sloppy. These are actually just skinny jeans which I bought 2 sizes up from my regular denim size. They are by Resin, from Barneys. I have a similar pair by Diesel that is a darker wash, so between the two I'm able to take advantage of a few more casual Fridays. It's a nice little perk, it makes the weekend seem that much closer.

à bientôt

this is certainly not the most scintillating outfit picture to leave you with for the Thanksgiving holiday, but there you have it, this is what i wore last sunday.

i'll be logging off and taking a break from the blog for a few days. i'll be spending time with my family, catching up with friends, eating way too much food, and maybe starting my Christmas shopping (let's see if i can resist buying things for myself!)

also, i took a cue from Dead Fleurette (hope she doesn't mind!) and recently started a tumblr to archive images i find inspiring.

for those in the US, enjoy the holiday and try not to get trampled during Black Friday sales. i'll be back in a few days with some brand spankin' new outfits. or, a more likely scenario, i'll be back with the same old, same old...



Martin Margiela nude body - what an awesome winter layering piece! (yoox.com) // Current/Elliot boyfriend jeans (Third Street Habit/Philly) // Rag & Bone t-shirt (Barneys Co-op) // thrifted Calvin Klein collection navy blazer (Housing Works Thrift/NYC)

in hiding

ITEMS (mouse over description to view item detail)

- Rick Owens cashmere/leather poncho (Barneys/NYC)
- Current/Elliot jeans (Barneys Co-op/Philly)
- Helmut Lang by Helmut Lang elbow slit shirt (ebay)
- Christian Louboutin rollerball studded loafers (eBay)
- Elizabeth & James knuckle ring (Intermix/NYC)
- Marc by Marc Jacobs Latin rings
- Iossellani tiny skull ring (Barneys Co-op/Philly)

uno más...

Costume National jacket // Alara tuxedo shirt // Current/Elliot jeans // Italian suede boots from Daffy's // Alexander McQueen animal print pashmina


Q: what is your process for creating new outfit combinations? i don't have a very large wardrobe, yet i often forget i own certain pieces.

A: it doesn't take a lot of time or effort for me to get dressed. after checking the weather forecast, it usually takes me 5, 10 minutes at most to come up with an outfit. i really had to think about this question, but i managed to boil down my process to a few loose guidelines. (these are for dressing in fall/winter, i don't really like my summer style so i'll just ignore that entire season, lol.)

1. most of the time i start with a base layer - for me, that's skinny pants and a slightly oversized top. from there i "build" an outfit, usually by throwing on a sharp, well-tailored jacket and a plush scarf. here are previous versions of the outfit above, all starting off with that base layer:





2. statement jackets are key to my look. this is probably why i can't turn down a good jacket, even though it's the last thing i need more of in my wardrobe!

3. it helps that my fall/winter wardrobe is comprised mostly of basics in neutral colors - white, beige, black, gray. if you walk into my closet blindfolded and pick out a random top and a random bottom, chances are you'll be able to walk out of the house in that outfit - everything matches. (it also helps that everything fits.)

4. when i get dressed i think about texture. shiny with matte, cashmere with leather, cotton shirts with chunky knits, etc. leather and lace is a combination i'll be playing around with this particular season.

5. i also think about balance. this is very important to me, and i think it's the key to looking effortless. i am forever balancing opposites when i get dressed. i pair skinny-leg pants with looser shirts or oversized sweaters. i balance tight dresses and short skirts with boxy jackets and grandpa cardigans. i wear men's style button-downs with leather or latex leggings. i'll throw a tough motorcycle jacket over a girly dress.

a great example of this balancing act is Carine Roitfeld during fashion week. she often wears very sexy thigh-high boots but she'll pair them with a demure knee-length skirt and plain sweater, or a classic trench coat that falls just to the knee. it's all about downplaying sexiness without getting rid of it entirely - taking it down a notch from overt to subtle.





that's pretty much it - an outfit "base", a great jacket, neutral colors, texture, and balance. the rest is trial-and-error, and having a blog or other style diary helps tremendously.

if anyone has other tips to share, please do! i would love to hear your process.

shorts story

yeah, was in a booty shorts kind of mood for labor day. must be because it's
almost time to retire them for the season?! i certainly hope so...





dang these are short... i wonder how many more years i can keep wearing
this stuff? they do have Garance's seal of approval, though, so i think i've
got a few more years of booty shorts left in me ;-)



SHIRT by CP Shades oversized button-down (old, from Intermix/NYC);
Prps denim shorts (old, from Intermix warehouse sale/NYC);
Charles David "Bryden" boots (from endless.com);
cross pendant from Portobello Market/London;
G-Shock MT-G men's watch;
Oliver Peoples "Elsie" sunglasses (from Oliver Peoples/NYC)

lost weekend

killing time before my Amtrak train...



just back from the beach, in my (well, i guess it's no longer mine!) old
bedroom at my parents' place in ny.


1: Margiela Line 4 button-down shirt; Current/Elliot jeans; Jeffrey
Campbell boots. 2: Shoshanna bikini; Shay Todd romper cover-up.


just some random photos for a quick post before the weekend.
have a good one everyone!

randoms!

here are some random outfit photos until i take some new ones, hopefully
this weekend.

some of these are really old (the chunky gray sweater should clue you in...)
"going grocery shopping/running errands" outfits. others (like the third
one down) never actually made it out the door - they were "would this outfit
work in real life?" test shots. mostly these pictures just fell through the
cracks and never got a dedicated post.

things i should stop buying: part 1 - button-down shirts

you know how you keep buying the same thing over and over again? as part of my "smarter shopper" resolution, i have compiled a list of items i should stop buying - i have way too many of the same thing! first up on the list are button-down shirts.

Steven Alan is one of my favorite brands for button-down shirts. they are sturdy (made in the USA!) and come in a variety of nice prints and colors. the cut is basically a man's shirt shrunken down to a woman's size without the addition of bust or waist darts or any of those things i don't like in most women's shirts. here is part of my Steven Alan collection - the pink double-gauze in the middle is a new favorite:



i'm a big sucker for blue stripes in particular. if it's striped and it's blue i will probably buy it. the one on the left is vintage Dior Jeune Homme (shown here.) the one in the middle is by Martin Margiela Line 4 - i reach for it time and time again and never want to take it off when i wear it. the one on the right is by Rugby Ralph Lauren - a good, dependable brand and not as expensive as Steven Alan:



i also like my shirts oversized. the one on the left by JCrew (shown here) and the one on the right by H&M are actually from the men's departments. i don't think i was the only girl buying the JCrew men's shirt because they eventually made a women's version in the same fabric. the one in the middle is by CP Shades from Intermix (shown here.) it is falling apart because i wear it so much:




i'm not sure why i keep buying shirts - i suppose it's a good thing i can wear them to work. i do have a preppy side, it must be from all those years of upper east side schooling and uniforms (although i must clarify that i am a west-sider - west side is the best side! i just had to cross central park to get to school every day.) mostly the prepster in me surfaces when i have to run errands after work - i wear the same shirt and shoes i wore to work, swap out my trousers for jeans, and head out.




Martin Margiela Line 4 striped shirt; Paige denim shorts; vintage Gucci dragon belt; Tod's patent leather driving mocs; thrifted vintage army shirt (so authentic i found sand in one of the pockets - freaky!)