two birds with one stone

What a busy week this was! And it looks like this coming week will be no different. While I have a rare opportunity to sit down and pause, I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone and show you
1. what I'm currently wearing (just got back from a weekend in NY, and I'm headed back again Thursday night for Christmas - it can be so exhausting all this back and forth!) and
2. what my Christmas tree looks like!
(and 3. how awful was the NY Giants loss today - to Philadelphia, no less!)


silk/cotton button-down tunic from Scoop/NYC // cashmere A-line tunic sweater by Velvet // Theory skinny pants // Charles David boots



Also, I was tagged by one of my favorite bloggers Dead Fleurette to do a "what's in my bag" post, so voilà:



- YSL wallet (highly recommended, it is very well-designed with tons of compartments and it is extremely sturdy.)
- Blackberry Bold 9780 with OS6. I actually just upgraded my Blackberry this weekend and I love it! The OS is much improved over my previous one, especially with regard to the web browser. I noticed that a lot of bloggers carry Moleskine notebooks around - I did too for many years, but my smartphone has since replaced my Moleskines. I also have unlimited web access as part of my data plan, so my phone has also replaced newspapers and magazines - I just view everything online now.
- That red blob is a giant Bottega Venetta leather tassel which is attached to my keys.
- My Alain Mikli eyeglasses (I don't wear them except for distance - driving, watching TV, etc.)
- A water bottle.
- And last but not least, the blue LeSportsac pouch holds: my iPod, a pack of tissues, Chapstick, hand cream, lipgloss, a Pilot G-2 pen, a small bottle of Tylenol, my Blackberry charger, and a compact mirror. This pouch makes it so much easier to switch handbags since I don't have to dig out everything individually and transfer each one-by-one to a different handbag.



Well, that's all folks! I will be missing in action all this week and probably next week as well, but rest assured I will be keeping up with all of you via Google Reader mobile on my Blackberry, which works so beautifully on OS 6. Yay!

Happy Holidays everyone!

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.

tl;dr part deux

I was given an "I love your blog" prize by Dead Fleurette. Thanks so much! I'm very honored, and now it's my turn to answer the questions.

The rules of the prize are:
- Do an entry with the prize.
- Answer the questions.
- Give the prize to 10 blogs.

1. Why did you create the blog?
I used to post regularly on StyleDiary, an online community where people shared pictures of their daily outfits. Many of this blog's followers knew me first from that site. You can view the archive of pictures from StyleDiary on the page above, there's a link below the header. This blog is just an extension of that; it's basically the same concept, except this time my outfit pictures are slightly bigger.

2. What kind of blogs do you follow?
I follow tons of fashion blogs, much more than can fit in my blogroll. I also follow nerdy blogs like xkcd, slashdot, and BoingBoing, and silly ones like The Daily What and Comically Vintage on tumblr (<--Click! Best site ever!) I'm a native New Yorker but work in Philadelphia now, so I follow random New York -centric blogs to keep up with the times - I love the New York Public Library's twitter and tumblr, and I'm obsessed with the MTA's time-lapse videos.

3. Favorite makeup brand?
Well, unfortunately I am headless, but if I did have a face I would use La Roche-Posay's Anthelios 60 Ultra Light Sunscreen Fluid, Powder FX mineral makeup, YSL Touche Eclat, and Chanel's Inimitable Noir Obscur mascara.

4. Favorite clothing brand?
I collect original Helmut Lang by Helmut Lang pieces. I don't like the contemporary re-incarnation of the brand under Theory, most of the stuff just looks like wannabe Rick Owens. Incidentally, Kate Lanphear also collects vintage Helmut Lang so she is probably the one outbidding me on all the super amazing pieces on eBay. If Helmut Lang gave up his fine art career, bought back his name, and started designing clothes again, I would empty out my retirement fund and be the first on line (or maybe 3rd, since Kate Lanphear and Carine Roitfeld would probably get there ahead of me.) I do like the regular Theory line for work wear though, and Steven Alan for work shirts. I can't live without my Les Chiffoniers pants - I have 4 so far. Other brands I love and wear are Rick Owens, Ann Demeulemeester, Martin Margiela, and vintage YSL. For shoes I like Louboutin and Chanel. I must also mention that I never buy anything at full retail price, so put your darn claws away!

5. Your indispensable makeup product:
YSL Touche Eclat.

6. Your favorite color:
Beige.

7. Your perfume:
It's always been Jivago 24K.

8. Your favorite film:
Oh man, I was going to pretend that I like artsy French films (which I do!) to sound more interesting, but what I really love are violent films with good plots, and if there are a bunch of good-looking boys in it, even better. So one of my all-time favorite films is Scorsese's The Departed. I also like The Godfather, Aliens, and Terminator (the sequels of all those, not so much...) And randomly (also to sound less like a dumbass), I like many of Atom Egoyan's films.

9. What country would you like to visit and why?
Japan because I hear they have fancy toilets that greet you by lifting the toilet seat when you enter the bathroom, and also Sweden for all those great clothing brands (Acne, Weekday, Monki, etc.) that are hard to find in the US.

10. Make the last question and answer it yourself:
What is your greatest fear?
Mediocrity.

too long; didn't read

ah, so tired. today is the first time this week i didn't come home from work only to do more work! t.g.i.f. tomorrow, that's all i'm sayin.


Theory button-down shirt // Theory pants // vintage leather jacket // Louis Vuitton x Stephen Sprouse scarf // Lanvin shoes (not to be confused with the errant Lanvin ballet flat in the corner! ;-)

i thought i might take advantage of this (most welcome) downtime to answer some recent questions...

Q: why are your weekend outfits so different from your work week? do you work in a conservative environment? i work in education, and i must admit to loving my work week outfits so much more than my weekend outfits. so it is surprising to me to see one of my fav fashion bloggers (::blushing::) have the complete opposite experience.

A: i'm an engineer, and yes we do have a dress code, although it's not very strict. i pretty much interpret it as "shirts with collars + no jeans." i'm totally okay with dress codes. it's like back in the day when i had to wear a school uniform - everyone else complained, but i loved it. that's an extra 15 minutes of sleep when you don't have to think about what to wear! i think a Devil Wears Prada sort of situation where i had to look chic everyday (Paris Vogue team, i'm lookin at you) would be a nightmare actually. i have to commute outside of the city for work, so when i'm stumbling in the darkness of the early morning, the last thing i want to do is come up with a cute outfit. it's not everyone's cup of tea, but i take comfort in the fact that all i have to do is pick out trousers and a button-down shirt and i'm out the door. i know i'll always have the weekend to wear whatever i want, just like those precious "first fridays" at school when you didn't have to wear your uniform. it's probably also why i'm generally overdressed for the quotidian things i do on the weekends. there's another advantage to having separate wardrobes - i extend the life of my weekend clothes by not wearing them so often. all the clothes i love would be in dire condition by now if i wore them as often as my work clothes. everyone's situation is different of course, but i don't feel like my self-expression and creativity are stifled by boring work wear. if anything, unless you work in fashion, when someone's handing you a paycheck every week you want to be known for your work not your flair. as you can tell from my latest post, i'm into this whole fashionista-secret-identity thing... i don't think my co-workers would recognize me if they saw me on the weekends! luckily the chances of that happening are slim to none, as they are probably holed up in their basements all weekend playing World of Warcraft, not partying in the city. lol. love you, nerds.

back in black

House of Holland garter stockings!



at first i wasn't sure these stockings would work since a) they are one size fits all and b) i am not blessed with mile-long legs. i think i pull them off though!



i wore the boots to run errands in the morning then switched to heels to do some window shopping. i should wear heels more often, i'm always running around in flats.






ITEMS (mouse over to view detailed picture)
Comme des Garcons silk tunic (old, from Housing Works Thrift/NYC)
vintage Alaia shorts
Balenciaga boyfriend blazer (old, from eBay)
House of Holland garter stockings (from sevennewyork.com)
Chanel motorcycle boots (old, from Barneys clearance)
Chloe platform sandals (old, from yoox.com)
Alexander McQueen animal print pashmina (from Alexander McQueen/NYC)
Chanel purse with charms





and now for some belated answers to a few questions:

do you only buy things online that you've tried on before?
i do often buy brands that i already own online since i pretty much know how particular brands fit. if it's something i'm unsure about or a brand i'm not familiar with, i will only buy online if the merchant has a good return policy. i know my size in a bunch of different brands so it's easy for me to shop online.

do you have any favorite etsy sellers?
i find etsy a little overwhelming; so far i have only purchased two items, so i am not a big etsy buyer. i do not keep tabs on vendors, i only go on etsy if i am looking for something specific, like a sword pendant.

do you have any favorite eBay sellers?
i don't have favorite sellers on eBay, either. i have a bunch of saved searches for favorite designers. the trick in searching is to use common search engine tricks to maximize a search. for example, one of my favorite saved searches is for avant-garde designers and this is what goes in the search box:

(cdg, comme des garcons, watanabe, demeulemeester, margiela, yamamoto) -(h&m, play,y-3)

the first set of terms in parentheses will search for cdg OR comme des garcons OR watanabe etc. etc., and the second set will exclude certain terms, noted by the minus sign in front of the group - for example, most of the CDG Play stuff on eBay is fake so i exclude those in my search. basically any search trick you can use on google will work in an eBay search field. since the second set is separated from the first set by a space, it will be an "AND" condition - so it will search for all those designers AND exclude certain terms.

here's another example: say i was looking for Stella McCartney items but only from the main line, this is what i would type in the search box:

stella mccartney -(adidas, target, h&m, gap)

so this will search for Stella McCartney items and exclude most of the diffusion lines. i hope you get the idea! if not, i will try to expand in another post...

are your Miu Miu motorcycle boots/Alaia studded boots/DRKSHDW fur-lined hooded sweatshirt/Rick Owens Lilies asymmetrical zipper top for sale?
unfortunately no, those are all keepers!


if i missed any other questions, feel free to ask again!

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!***