third time's a charm

I never thought my calves were particularly big until one day last fall at Bergdorf Goodman when I tried to squeeze into a pair of Louboutin Egoustina boots. They didn't even go past my ankle! I suppose my calves are healthy runner's calves, nothing like the super-slim ones all French Vogue editors seem to have. I think it also has to do with the fact that I'm short, so the thickest part of my calf is a few inches lower on my leg than the average.

I have tried several versions of over-the-knee boots. These Biba ones were the most recent to date. I still love how they look but they are so tight around my calves that when I take them off at the end of the day there are huge dents in my skin from where the zippers dig in.

When the price dropped on these Calvin Klein suede boots from theoutnet.com I decided to give them a try. They are still snug around my calf but not uncomfortable, just enough to keep the boots from sliding down. I can actually stuff a thin pair of jeans or pants in them (unlike the Bibas) and the heel height is perfect. I am pretty confident that these will be the last pair of black over-the-knee boots I will ever buy. Between these and the others I should have all my bases covered.

Rag & Bone shirt (yoox.com) // Vanessa Bruno Athé jacket (theoutnet.com) //
Calvin Klein Collection over-the-knee boots (theoutnet.com) // Prada mini bag (eBay) //
rings by Elizabeth & James and Iossellani

runway to my way

Ann Demeulemeester S/S 2011 skirt.

Ann Demeulemeester S/S 2011 skirt // Nation Ltd. gray top // Martin Margiela black mini tube skirt //
thrifted Donna Karan sandals // Prada evening bag

Skirt on the runway and on Harper Bazaar Australia's Christine Centenera

Although I cannot imagine a situation where I would let the train drag behind me (that is until I buy my marble-floored mansion and hire a team of minions to keep it dust-free) I still wanted to keep that option open. I saw these snaps-on-a-strip at the sewing supply store and tried them out, sewing the strip along the edge of the skirt and at the tips of the train. It works very well and because the snaps are an inch apart I can actually adjust the length for different heel heights. This skirt is currently my favorite "not-so-basic" basic. It looks great with a plain white tank top in the summertime and I plan on using it as a layering piece when cooler weather rolls around.

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

scripted

there aren't enough weekends in autumn to wear all of my favorite jackets; pretty soon it'll be time to hide beneath thick wool coats. i solve this dilemma by preparing a "script" for my day and writing in as many wardrobe changes as possible.

... first, an early morning coffee run ...


Les Chiffoniers leather pants // SHIRT by CP Shades flannel shirt // 3.1 Phillip Lim chunky cardigan // Alexander McQueen pashmina // Tres Fluo leather bag // Miu Miu harness motorcycle boots


... later in the afternoon, making the rounds in thrift and consignment stores to console myself for not being in NYC for Lanvin x H&M. i briefly considered jumping on Amtrak for a day trip but that would have been silly seeing as i'll be heading home on Wednesday for Thanksgiving. i'm sure all of the good stuff will be gone by then. oh well, you win some, you lose some ...




Alexander McQueen sharp-shouldered tee // Chanel jacket // Hermes collier de chien cuff // Louis Vuitton x Stephen Sprouse leopard scarf // Charles David suede boots


... and finally, an evening look ...


Costume National silk jacket // Alexander McQueen pashmina // suede boots from Daffy's

lookbook look, part 1

i didn't make those fall inspiration collages cuz i got time to kill, i actually do reference them for my outfits. the look i chose below is actually from theoutnet.com. their styling of the leather shorts in this particular outfit is probably what influenced me most in my decision to purchase the shorts:



don't worry, i didn't actually walk out of the house with the YSL heels (i wasn't interested in getting picked up on the street!); it's merely a segue to confirm, for those of you who asked, that these Tribtoos are incredibly comfortable. in fact, they are the perfect evening/going out shoe. i do have to mention that these are the lower-heeled version, which was not sold in a lot of department stores, but was available in the YSL boutiques. the heel is much more manageable - minus the platform the heel is only about 2".

here is the "in real life" version of the outfit.



oh dear Miu Miu harness boots, so glad to see you again after all these months!

ITEMS (mouse over to view detailed picture)
T by Alexander Wang pocket tank layered over Rick Owens ribbed tank
McQ leather shorts (from theoutnet.com)
Rick Owens long cardigan (super old, from net-a-porter.com sale)
Wolford Velvet de Luxe denier 50 tights
Bliss Lau body chain (old, from blisslau.com)
Alexander McQueen Viking warrior skull ring (from saksfifthavenue.com)
Yves Saint Laurent patent leather Tribtoo pumps (old, from YSL, 57th St./NYC)
Miu Miu motorcycle harness boots (old, from mytheresa.com)

night light

i should probably learn how to take pictures with flash now that the days are getting shorter...

Nanette Lepore silk blouse (one of the few "going out" tops that i own);
Balenciaga leather pants;
Prada evening bag;
Alexander McQueen warrior skull ring;
Yves Saint Laurent Tribtoo patent leather pumps

vicky cristina barcelona

i loved Penelope Cruz's wardrobe in Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona. she had the perfect summer bohemian look, with vintage floaty dresses and blouses, plenty of crochet and lace detailing, and quirky accessories. i wish google yielded more stills and screenshots from the movie...








my outfit this past saturday had the same vibe. i wore this dress a lot last summer, and after wearing it again i remember why. it is comfortable, keeps me cool in hot days, and every time i wear it someone stops me on the street and asks me where i got it!

i think i will be wearing my hair in a side braid for the next two weeks until i finally get a much-needed haircut...




ITEMS (mouse over to view detailed picture)
Jen's Pirate Booty "senorita" dress/top (old, from MadisonLosAngeles.com)
Miu Miu bamboo wedges (old, from Barneys sale)
Cecile & Jeanne gold cuff (super old, from Cecile & Jeanne, Madison Ave./NYC)




and thank you very much to the lovely (and funny!) QUEAN for the blog award!!!

ceinture

yes, you will be seeing this belt all summer long so get used to it!



the reason i forked over $ for the belt in the first place was because i envisioned it with a ton of spring/summer outfits.


TLuxury tank (from sample sale); Catherine Malandrino high-waisted pants (old, from sample sale); vintage Hermes collier de chien belt; Giuseppe Zanotti sandals (old, from Anbar Shoes/NYC - now sadly closed down! where will i buy my discounted designer shoes now...); Miu Miu printed silk coat (old, from amazon.com - yup, that's right, back in the day they used to have a special designer clothing section); Balenciaga duffel bag (old, from Distractions/Aspen, CO)


happy to have my Miu Miu coat and Balenciaga duffel bag back in the mix

in memoriam I

Alexander McQueen trench. now more than ever, my favorite jacket.









Alexander McQueen trench; American Apparel cotton turtleneck; Comme des Garcons silk tunic; Louis Vuitton x Stephen Sprouse leopard scarf; Lee Angel necklace; Armando d'Alessandro over-the-knee boots; JCrew coat; Prada quilted evening bag; Sermonetta leather gloves

deja vu

a familiar formula...

2009:



2010:



one great thing about blogs (or other some other form of a virtual closet) is that you can always look back for some ideas if you ever get stuck on what to wear.


ITEMS (mouse over to view detailed picture)
T by Alexander Wang striped top (from Barneys Co-op/Philly)
Prada mohair vest (old, from eBay)
Go Green by Phillip Lim oversized cardigan (from Barneys Co-op/Philly)
Vanessa Bruno Athe wool shorts (from theoutnet.com)
DKNY wool leggings
Portolano extra-long cashmere scarf (old, from Filene's Basement/NYC)
sword pendant (from etsy.com)
Chloe Paddington brown boots (old, from yoox.com)
Autumn Cashmere fingerless zipper gloves




**edit** so i spent part of this snow day catching up on spring and pre-fall 2010 runway shows (super late to the game, i know...) and look what i came across... marni pre-fall 2010... a familiar silhouette, no? hehe...

default

this is my current default "night out" outfit. it's one of those outfits that i don't have to think about, i pretty much know it'll work. best of all, the hosiery, belt, and shoes are easily interchangeable.


Joie silk minidress (discounted from Bergdorf Goodman/NYC because the belt was missing); D&G lace leggings (old, from Century21/NYC); Balenciaga belt (from eBay); Biba over-the-knee boots (from eBay)


and this is my current default traveling outfit. with the exception of this past weekend when i got snowed in, i've gone home to nyc for holiday parties and other engagements so i've been on trains frequently this month.


T by Alexander Wang classic l/s tee worn under T by Alexander Wang striped linen blend tee (both from Barneys Co-op/Philly); American Apparel "winter" leggings; Miu Miu motorcycle boots (old, from mytheresa.com); extra-long cashmere scarf (two Portolano scarves from Filene's Basement sewn together)

the american apparel leggings were actually an emergency buy. i wore my leather pants on the train ride from philly to nyc and found them a little uncomfortable, plus they made a funny noise on the vinyl seats. so before heading back to philly i popped into american apparel and bought these winter leggings. if this stripe tee was a little more affordable i would have bought two, it's perfect for travel - comfortable but a little more interesting than the plain oversized tees i usually wear.


i'll be heading home to new york this thursday, but i did schedule some posts via draft.blogger.com so the blog won't be completely inactive while i'm away. enjoy the holidays everyone!!

snow day!!!

first real snow day of the season! it looks like we'll be getting at least 3 inches today. i certainly hope businesses are open, i've got a ton of errands to run.



i love this wool onesie! i've been wanting one but didn't want to spend a lot of money on it because it's such a specific look. i found this one on sale at intermixonline.com, and you can take an extra 40% off the sale price with code "sale40" (note that it is final sale.) it's a fine merino wool, not at all itchy or cheap-looking, and it is so comfortable. i can't wait to play around with it (i'll be checking out alexander wang's fall looks for some ideas), but for now here's how i'm wearing it - nothing like piling on a bunch of cosy layers when it's snowing out!



ITEMS (rollover mouse to view detailed picture)
Prada mohair vest (old, from eBay)
Portolano extra-long cashmere scarf (old, from Filene's Basement/NYC)
Brighton wool onesie (from intermixonline.com sale)
Balenciaga belt (from eBay)
Missoni ombre cardigan (from Filene's Basement/NYC)
Soixante Neuf tusk necklace (very old, from small boutique in NYC)
Hunter "Huntress" wellies (from zappos.com)

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

sunday, september 27th '09

last sunday as i was getting dressed watching the downpour through my window i thought up a haiku:

rain rain go away
so the Yankees play and win
clinch the A. L. East

haha, dorky i know. (they did end up winning though.)

back to what i was wearing...



some of you might remember the scarf i "made" (ok, not really, i just sewed two together to make a really long one) from last winter. took quite a bit of digging but i did find it. in the end i had to take it off, it was warmer than expected. it was also the debut of these cool $3.00 rings with latin sayings on them, which i purchased at the "marc jacobs store of random cheap accessories" on bleecker & perry in the village.

ITEMS (rollover mouse to view detailed picture)
extra long scarf made from two Portolano cashmere scarves (from Filene's Basement)
vintage tee (from unis in nolita)
Les Chiffoniers ankle-length pants (from last winter's Intermix warehouse sale)
Miu Miu motorcycle boots (old, from mytheresa.com)
vintage leather jacket (from eBay)
Marc Jacobs Latin rings (from Marc Jacobs accessories store in the Village)
Bliss Lau body harness (from blisslau.com)



i went shopping for an ivory shrug for an upcoming black-tie event but didn't find exactly what i was looking for. i did pick up a couple of missoni pieces from filene's basement though. here i am in the dressing room, trying on a fabulous sweater that i ended up buying:



the missoni skirt so carelessly thrown on the floor also came home with me. (don't worry, i'm not one of those brats who leave messy rooms behind!)

sunday, may 3 '09 and misc.

as i was getting dressed i realized i was putting on almost the exact same outfit as one i had worn recently so i just threw on different outerwear to give it a new feel. i had to layer quite a bit since my coats are at the dry cleaners getting cleaned before summer storage. i hate that time of year, my dry cleaning bills are astronomical. i included some close-ups since the original came out so dark. (sorry for the odd crop-and-paste, the most advanced editing software i have is MSpaint. so lame.)



ITEMS (rollover mouse to view detailed picture)
Vince hooded sweater
Rick Owens asymmetrical zip jacket
Prada mohair vest
Les Chiffoniers ankle length skinnies
Miu Miu motorcycle boots
Marc by Marc Jacobs bag
Elizabeth & James knuckle ring and hammered silver ring from the Met
Ann Demeulemeester scarf



and to answer red_soles's question, here are the bags that i use most often. i always forget to include them in my pictures because handbags are usually the last thing i decide on before heading out the door.



vanessa bruno classic tote, balenciaga duffel that i only break out in the spring/summer, marc by marc jacobs shiny bag that i use when it rains because the water slips right off the slick patent surface, and a prada quilted bag i use for going out at night. i also have a boring men's APC bag that i use for work, and these two bags that i don't use that often - the fluo bag which i love but can't overload and a quilted bag by nila anthony which is huge so i use it if i'm lugging a lot of stuff around or sleeping over a friend's apartment.



i need more bags, especially bright colored ones, but it's so disheartening shopping for one around here. everyone in nyc always has the latest "it" bag so i get sick of seeing it everywhere, no matter how nice it is. i also don't like to spend more than $1k on a bag because i'm always afraid i'll get sick of it (the balenciaga duffel was a good find - i bought it on sale from Distractions in Aspen, CO). i'm not sure what your budget is, but i do like the YSL "easy" bags, they have that subtle Y shape in the front which makes it look kind of sporty and it's not as ostentatious as other logos. i loved it in a color they called "petrol," which was a beautiful teal blue but may no longer be available. for fall i still like the givenchy nightingale in classic black leather, i love the one with the tejus lizard handles. some of the colors and patterns they have out now for the nightingale scare me a little. mulberry is a brand i've been eyeing. one of my favorite bloggers, gala of amlul, has a nice collection of mulberry bags. most styles are under $1500 and come in a variety of colors. my dream work bag is a pretentious goyard briefcase painted with my initials, but that's not high on my priority list.

and pretty_face, there are several definitions of heirloom tomatoes, but basically they are tomato varieties that have been around for 50 or more years. many of the seeds have been passed down through generations (kind of like when you hear of families passing down starters for yeast for bread - sometimes they are like a hundred years old!). they are not the prettiest looking tomatoes, but they are delicious. they are sweeter and more fruit-like. in fact i would never cook an heirloom tomato, i just eat them raw. when we were younger and used to take family trips out to the countryside my sister used to eat heirloom tomatoes like she would apples - just as a snack, no preparation, no dressings. get them from a farmer's stand if you can.


and yes, it's 3 am and i can't sleep so this post has gotten really long.

saturday, april 11th '09

i've been wearing these boots as often as i can because i know i'll miss them when the weather gets warm (if it ever does... it SNOWED on wednesday... wtf.) i bought this cross pendant from portobello market in london but haven't gotten 'round to finding a proper chain for it, so i just strung it through a jersey belt that came with one of my dresses.



ITEMS (rollover mouse to view detailed picture)
Rick Owens Lilies asymmetrical zip top
Herve Leger pants
Balenciaga boy fit blazer
Miu Miu motorcycle boots
vintage cross pendant from Portobello market in London
Elizabeth & James knuckle ring and hammered silver ring from the Met
Marc by Marc Jacobs bag
Ann Demeulemeester scarf



by the time i walked out the door my outfit changed slightly with the addition of a shoddy manicure and my ann demeulemeester scarf and topshop ribbed beanie.



oh! and while on the 1 train i sat across from cynthia nixon, she ran in right as the doors were closing at either the 86th or 79th st. stop, i forgot which. she was wearing these awesome greenish alligator (?) boots and white jeans, which i was a little puzzled by because white pants are never a good wardrobe choice for stormy weather like we had yesterday. she looked lovely even without makeup, her pale pale skin is absolutely flawless. that makes two subway sightings this year, the first being caroline kennedy on the 6 train. i have yet to see mayor bloomberg on the train though he swears he rides it. that would be quite economical, he lives 4 blocks away from the 77th st stop on the 6 and it goes straight to city hall. yeah right he takes the subway.