{ wishlist }

{ clockwise from left: alice + olivia sequin pants, sandro printed blouse, rachel comey sleeveless coat, urban outfitters cap, maje leather pants, missoni shoes, alexander mcqueen clutch, alexander mcqueen cuff }

a few days of living dangerously fabulously have left me wanting to up the glamour-ante on my regular, everyday experience. a few of these things might help achieve that goal? thinking leather pants are especially necessary.

{ the fancy }

{ pentax camera, chanel clutch, new york times newsprint-scented candle, alexander mcqueen card case, iwona ludyga ring, ny + la tables, emerson made jacket, arne jacobsen chair // all via the fancy }

having a birthday (like i did yesterday) means you get at least a month's week's worth of acceptable excuses to senselessly shop for yourself. which further means, this is the is the wrong time for me to get into the fancy ~ a highly-dangerous site for aesthetically-obsessed online lurkers like myself.

also bolstering my desire to buy stuff? watching american pickers on netflix! are you into it too?

{ bloggers } they're just like us!

do you ever have those days when the best you can do is throw on whatever's on top of the closest pile of clothes? me too! that's why i repeated this skirt instead of 'officially' unpacking my vegas suitcase. i guess it seemed easier than hanging it back up! okay, maybe i just really enjoy wearing it.

i liked the way this tie-dye tank dressed the skirt down for daytime, while the little plaidie camp shirt got added for the sake of modesty. call me old fashioned, but i'm not really comfortable with having bare arms/shoulders on the subway. too much creepy rubbing-up against strangers! so ~ even when it's sweltering ~ i always bring a little something to cover up with when i'm underground.


{ vintage ysl sunnies, earrings from india, cut-off vintage shirt (used to be a dress!), alexander mcqueen tank, forever21 skirt, dries van noten shoes }

{ of angels and demons }

two days ago, i talked about how giddy the beginning of fashion week felt. sadly, that jubilant mood was short-lived. yesterday's tragic, untimely death of alexander mcqueen cast a pall over the proceedings.

odd as it may sound, the news hit me like an ambien. mind in shock, my reaction was entirely physical; i felt immediately depleted ~ all strength sucked dry.

these days, fashion is all commerce. though i don't talk about it much, that's why a traditional design career didn't quite work for me. i quickly tired of churning out the predictable products (no matter how lovely) that stores expected every season. anything genuinely creative was unfailingly declared 'unsaleable'. intellectually, this is understandable, but emotionally ~ to an artistic temperament ~ it can be crushing.

certainly, some designers are able to align their limitless imaginations with retailers' restraints. alber elbaz at lanvin comes to mind ~ he writes poetry with his clothes, and yet women clamber to buy up every piece. unfortunately, the careers of many other talented designers ~ like olivier theyskens ~ have suffered for an inability to master this balance. so often one's vision must be watered-down to be accepted, but alexander mcqueen seemed mightier than this convention.

i shudder to re-read sarah mower's review of his monumental fall 2009 collection: " alexander mcqueen may be the last designer standing who is brave or foolhardy enough to present a collection that is an unadulterated piece of hard and ballsy showmanship."

we have lost someone ~ and something ~ utterly irreplaceable.