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 ;-)

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)

backlog

original Helmut Lang top // McQ leather shorts

Ann Demeulemeester shirt and pants // Ralph Lauren Collection sandals

Ralph Lauren shirt // Current/Elliot shorts

where there's a will there's a way

All you knowledgeable fashionistas will probably recognize this attempt at an Isabel Marant runway look.

For those of you who (like me) do not want to spend $185 on the original Isabel Marant tank, I would suggest searching on eBay for "string vest" (include men's and search worldwide) and make sure you get the 100% cotton ones, not the nylon fishnet. And don't spend more than $10. 

Alternatively, if there's a section in your city populated by Jamaicans, the neighborhood stores there might sell them. Again, don't spend more than $10, $20 tops.

The camisole I am wearing underneath the open-knit tank is awesome - Le Mystere Tisha lace cami. It has a full, built-in underwire bra. It is quite expensive but I highly recommend it. It goes under everything and eliminates the quadruple straps you would have to deal with if you wore both a bra and a camisole.

cotton open-knit tank (eBay.com) // Sara Berman leather pants (theoutnet.com) // Costume National silk blazer (eBay.com) // Christian Louboutin pointed-toe pumps

you snooze you lose

Another repeat outfit (sort of.) Still waiting for warmer weather to try something new.
The frequent torrential downpours are not helping the situation either.

This is another one of my favorite shirts, by Ralph Lauren. I love the white collar. I went back to purchase a few more and maybe other colors but sadly they were all sold out.
Oh well - you win some you lose some!

Ralph Lauren Collection shirt (RL outlet at Woodbury Commons/NY) // Les Chiffoniers leather pants (barneys.com) // vintage Chanel jacket // Christian Louboutin "Rollerball" studded loafers (eBay.com) // G-Shock men's watch // cheap mirrored aviators from Daffy's

uniform update

Cropped (leather) pants, comfy shoes, plain tank or tee, and a sharp black blazer - I fell in love with this silhouette after seeing versions by The Row and Theyskens Theory. I have a feeling this will be my uniform this spring.

I bought these leather pants during theoutnet.com's clearance sale. $39 for genuine leather pants was such an irresistible deal I bought two pairs and had no qualms chopping about a foot off these to make them the perfect cropped length. The small strip of cloth along the inside calf makes them slim but not skin-tight as it tapers toward the bottom, which is exactly the shape I was going for. I'm not sure what to do with the second pair - I might turn them into flared cropped pants or hold off until the next trend in pant length reveals itself.

Yves Saint Laurent "Le Smoking" tuxedo jacket (old, ebay.com) // Sara Berman leather pants (theoutnet.com clearance sale) // Christian Louboutin cut-out flats (old, net-a-porter.com) // Maison Martin Margiela Line 11 gold ring set (yoox.com)

winded

These pants were so well-concealed among the tons of other black things in my closet that I forgot all about them. I'm glad I re-discovered them, the high waist works perfectly with my lace crop top. This is also the inaugural picture using ---> Tag Loudly <--- just hover over the first photograph for information on what I'm wearing (might not work in some RSS feed readers, like Google)!





Maybe it was the brief taste of spring we got last Friday, but I really did not feel like wearing a winter coat anymore even though it was still quite cold; I wore a scarf and cashmere wrap in lieu of a coat. I was totally fine until I got hit with the wind gusts. Holy crap. It was quite a workout just walking against the wind.



How do you like my market bag? I'm so trendy, I know. It's no Jil Sander but it'll do... for now... (It's really old, from Whole Foods ;-)

before the season's over

Earlier this month on Groundhog Day, Chuck the groundhog predicted an early start to spring. Judging by next week's weather forecast it looks like he might be right (he does after all have a winning record of 6 out of 8 years!) Knowing that spring might be around the corner forces me to wear fall/winter items that I neglected to wear during the season, like this Helmut Lang hooded scarf from his F/W 2002 collection. I can hardly wait until all the snow has melted and the temperatures climb up to the 50s and 60s, but it would have been a shame to let the season pass without wearing this scarf at least once.





This scarf/halter top hybrid is more than five years old now. Some of my readers might remember it from my Stylediary. Here is a back view and runway picture of the scarf (Stella Tennant opened the show wearing it) to give you a better idea of what it is. Flipping through old Helmut Lang collections is so nostalgic for me, it always reminds me of his quiet genius and brilliance as a clothing designer.





original Helmut Lang by Helmut Lang scarf (Century21 Dept. Store/NYC) // Martin Margiela nude bodysuit (yoox.com) // Balenciaga pants with ankle zippers (Joan Shepp basement sale/Philly) // Christian Louboutin pointed-toe pumps (eBay.com) // Hermes collier de chien cuff // BCBG (Repossi knockoff) gold knuckle ring // Alexander McQueen warrior skull ring (saksfifthavenue.com)

no fuss

i'm back! a little bit worse for wear. with the exception of this morning's run i haven't worked out since Thanksgiving and i'm starting to feel sluggish and puffy. i plan to go back to my regular workout schedule this week, but in the meantime there's nothing a good chunky sweater can't hide!



now all i need is a battle plan against that one co-worker (i'm sure there's at least one in every company in America) who turns into Martha Stewart during the holidays and brings in batches of baked goods every day until Christmas...


Dolce & Gabbana shirt (Filene's Basement/NYC) // Prada ribbed cashmere sweater (eBay) // Helmut Lang by Helmut Lang cropped pants (Tokio7 consignment/NYC) // Christian Louboutin rollerball studded loafers (eBay) // Chanel quilted purse

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)

straitjacket

it's still too warm for thick, chunky scarves here on the east coast (we almost reached the record high of 80F today), but at least this type of weather gives me the opportunity to display some great detailing on my fall jackets, like these cross-straps on my Helmut Lang blazer.





et voilà, all strapped in!



(actually it was slightly too warm even for a jacket last sunday when i wore this outfit, but sometimes you have to suffer a little for fashion, no? ;-)

ITEMS (mouse over to view detailed picture)
- Helmut Lang (original, pre-Theory, by Mr. Helmut Lang) strap tank (old, from eBay)
- Helmut Lang (original, pre-Theory, by Mr. Helmut Lang) cross-strap blazer (old, from eBay)
- Les Chiffoniers seamed pant (old, from Intermix warehouse sale/NYC)
- Christian Louboutin "rollerball" studded loafers (from eBay)
- assorted rings

reality check

oh, the irony. one day last week these were the only two things in my mailbox - the new Barneys shoes & handbags catalog, and some news about my retirement fund. cruel, huh? at least the universe (or the mailman) has a sense of humor. i'm sure the TRowePrice ram breathed a sigh of relief when i didn't find anything in the catalog i couldn't live without.

may as well stay on topic and post a work outfit, seeing as i'll be working for the next 40 years until i reach retirement age...


Costume National one-piece shirtdress; Christian Louboutin wedges; Prada bag

i absolutely adore this Costume National dress/one-piece suit, which i purchased many moons ago. i don't wear it as often as i would like because
1) whenever i deviate from my usual trousers + button-down shirt combo and wear something dressier at work, people worry that there's some big meeting they aren't aware of. i should totally mess with them one of these days - "you mean you weren't invited to this very important meeting today?" j/k, i'm not that mean...
2) the skirt part does not have a back slit so it severely restricts my movement; i have to climb stairs bow-legged and forget about trying to board a bus - i would have to request for the driver to "kneel" the bus toward the curb like they do for the elderly and handicapped! but it's such an awesome piece of clothing and i love it, even if it takes me twice as long to get anywhere because of the half-strides i'm forced to take.

still staying on topic, here are some looks from the Barneys house collection which i would love to wear to work. the pants in the third outfit are perfection:



let's see, if i wanted to update my work wardrobe with these pieces it would cost me roughly $7500 pre-tax (and that's not including the shoes!) while i would much rather have the clothes, i think i ought to put that money in my retirement fund instead. thanks for the ideas, though.

thank ye, weather gods

quick after-work costume change. needless to say, i found any excuse to go
out after work since it's cool enough to wear leather pants and a jacket!
woohoo!


vintage Yves Saint Laurent blazer; Rugby Ralph Lauren button-down; Les
Chiffoniers leather pants; Christian Louboutin flats

reader request: rollerball preview

i did plan on styling several different outfits with the Christian Louboutin
"rollerball" spikey loafers but got lazy when i realized i would have to take
a lot of my fall/winter things out of their plastic bins, where they currently
reside. so i apologize for this half-assed attempt, which was the best i
could do with stuff i could easily reach for. no worries, you'll be seeing
these shoes with better outfits in the fall! 'til then, here's the preview:




Rick Owens tank; thrifted plaid shirt; thrifted army shirt; Les Chiffoniers
classic leather pants with zippers; Hermes collier de chien cuff; etsy.com
sword pendant; cross pendant from Portobello Market; Christian Louboutin
"rollerball" studded loafers

the pants are the latest addition to my Les Chiffoniers collection. i never
thought i would find these on sale, it seemed like all the other styles would
go on sale except these. but there they were on Barneys.com, 60% off.
woohoo! Les Chiffoniers makes the best, most comfortable leather pants.
these aren't Ross's leather pants, y'all.

summer skin

ITEMS (mouse over to view detailed picture)
re-worked vintage scallop-hem shorts (from etsy.com seller neneee)
Yves Saint Laurent ruffled shirt (old, from eBay)
vintage Hermes collier de chien belt
Cecile & Jeanne hammered gold cuff (old, from Cecile & Jeanne, Madison Ave./NYC)
Christian Louboutin mary-jane espadrilles (old, from Barneys clearance)
Mulberry Alexa handbag
Chanel "Gold Lamé" nailpolish

back to non-basics

took a break from the pretty dressing i've been showcasing lately. this weekend was all about designers who inspire me the most.


Comme des Garcons cropped top with felt appliques;
Ann Demeulemeester blush-colored pants;
vintage beat-up leather belt;
Chloe platform sandals





Junya Watanabe "apron" dress;
Christian Louboutin espadrilles (yay! cobbler was able to resurrect them!);
Marc Bernstein leather and metal wrap bracelet

super score

i was too busy to snap any outfit pictures this weekend. fortunately for times like these i have a few old outfit pictures sitting pretty in my hard drive that i never got around to post. here's one of them:



ITEMS (mouse over to view detailed picture)
Louis Vuitton x Stephen Sprouse leopard scarf
Yves Saint Laurent upside-down Eiffel Tower logo tee
3.1 Phillip Lim wide-leg trousers (old, from Barneys Co-op sale)
Ann Demeulemeester cropped biker jacket (from Bergdorf Goodman sale/NYC)
Christian Louboutin patent leather leopard print wedges (very old, from Barneys clearance/NYC)




thank you to everyone for your suggestions for work shoes! i did like the Dandy Slip-Ons that a few of you recommended, but i was too unfamiliar with the brand and quality to drop that kind of dough on them. i was glad i didn't because on a recent trip to Woodbury Commons Premium Outlets in upstate NY, i nabbed two pairs of Tod's loafers from the clearance rack - the cost of both pairs together was less than half of one pair at full retail! SCOOOOOORE!!!



i am all set for spring work footwear now.

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!

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)