{ acute angles }

{ forever21 sunnies, self-designed necklace, club monaco dress-turned-top (previously seen HERE, HERE and HERE), vintage belt, h+m leather skirt (similar option on sale HERE), camille zarsky clutch, zara boots }

in order to transition my wardrobe for fall without spending a fortune, i've been reworking pieces that have already had their fair share of wear. for example, this top used to be THIS DRESS. i felt like it was ready for a change! and i'm simply loving the look of interestingly angled layers, though it's hard to find tops that are cropped just right. better to do-it-yourself (or have your dry cleaner do it for you, like i did).

i always like to kick off a season by rethinking what's already in my wardrobe before adding in new duds. this time next year, don't be surprised if this skirt is six inches shorter!!

{ goodbye bare }

{ gifted kelly wearstler necklace, club monaco blouse, alexander wang shorts (also seen HERE), primary clutch, gifted pour la victoire shoes }

i actually wore this outfit nearly two weeks ago and hadn't gotten around to posting it yet. now, it's way too cold for me to wear bare legs like this! oh well, perhaps you west coast gals can get a little inspiration here. over on this side of the states, i'll be frantically pulling all my pants out of storage.

{ the duomo }

{ lanvin for h+m sunnies, club monaco jacket, kelly framel jewelry, gifted kimberly taylor blouse, forever21 skirt (recently seen HERE), corello bag, alexander wang shoes }

shot in front of the duomo on day 1 of milan fashion week ~ tourist alert!!

{ a sweatshirt } and sequins

{ self-designed necklace, club monaco sweatshirt (from the men's section!), vintage louis vuitton sequin skirt, gifted camille zarsky clutch (last seen HERE), khirma eliazov cuff, alexander wang shoes (also worn HERE) }

another fashion week look, as captured in the living room of the w times square. like i said last season, having a lincoln-center-convenient crash pad during this crazy time is invaluable (if you've tried to get around nyc this week, you know what i mean). i'm so grateful to them for putting me up ~ between the traffic and the manic hours, having an oasis that's only 5 minutes from the tents is a life-saver. and this time around, bunny came with me! i adore a hotel that's dog-friendly ~ being able to run back and snuggle her up during random breaks in the day makes both of us very happy.

by now we're back home in brooklyn, but life hasn't really slowed down. looking forward to getting some sleep in october?

{ orange crush }

so far, this has been an especially rainy spring in new york. i'm fashion-coping as best i can by wearing bright pops of color, and special shoes whenever a bit of sun seeps out from behind the clouds.



{ zanzan sunnies (last seen HERE), gifted white+warren cashmere wrap, zara blouse, club monaco shorts, bangles from a friend's trip to bali, american apparel clutch, alberta ferretti shoes }

{ must love fluff }

{ barney's cashmere cap, kelly framel earrings & ring, bird by juicy couture vest (last seen HERE), club monaco shirtdress (last seen HERE), j.crew belt, TOV skirt (current favorite staple!) courtesy of modcloth, american apparel clutch (i blogged about it HERE), gifted l.a.m.b. 'kandis' shoes }

{ a stylish staycation }

this season for fashion week, the w hotels generously offered me a room in their union square location (smack dab in the middle of nyc), to more conveniently bounce around town to my many shows, meetings and parties.

i figured it would make for a fun mini-retreat ~ but underestimated just how much i would appreciate having a centralized changing room all week long (not to mention maid service and other ammenities!!).

in a week where i'm simply too busy to take proper care of myself (or make sure there's food in the fridge!), being coddled by an uber-comfy hotel (with an extensive menu of delicious room service options) has been a lifesaver. i owe them a very, very big thank you!

these photos were taken in their glamorous, garden-party-ready bar (aka my week-long meeting room), which happened to perfectly match these fun, floral palazzo pants. what stylistic serendipity!

{ tom ford 'anouk' sunnies (seen in 2nd pic), vintage boy's blazer, club monaco blouse (last seen HERE), gifted modcloth pants (i was lusting after them HERE), prada shoes (seen in better detail HERE), michael kors watch, vintage rings }
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for more info on the w hotels' hip happenings this season, including inside scoop on their fashion insiders (like designers frank tell and michael angel ~ plus their fab fashion director amanda ross), CLICK HERE.

{ smoke }

{ h&m beanie, kelly framel teardrop talon necklace, zara blouse, club monaco clutch (it doubles as a laptop case when i travel!), gifted juicy couture pants, b.ella cashmere socks, donald j. pliner shoes }

shot these tests with jeremy late last week. it was villainously sleeting outside, so we played around with tissue filters in the fading afternoon light of my apartment lobby, just before i shrugged on my trusty smoke-toned coat and slumped out into the evening. i've officially hit that point in the winter season where it seems that all i wear are shades of gray. in other words, warm weather withdrawals are in full effect.

{ synergy }

there sure is a lot of black, white and gold in my life these days ~ i've recently really realized how much i dress like i decorate like i design. every passion, inspiration and fixation feeds into all the others!!



{ wearing: club monaco shirtdress (last seen HERE), kelly framel leather hoop earrings, teardrop talon and citrine fringe necklaces, plus ~ from left to right ~ ibiza ring, raveonette ring, and liberace ring + OPI's my private jet nail polish }

{ so suit me }

yesterday's schedule included a few obligations that were a bit more uptown/corporate than my usual itinerary involves.

as such, i decided it was as good a time as any to wear my version of a business suit! this meant: an embellished bouclé jacket, a front-knotted top, draped wool-crepe pants, and frivolous felted pumps (maybe not the best choice for snowy streets, but that's why new york has car services).

perhaps it's not everyone's idea of boardroom chic, but it certainly worked for me!!

more than that, i think this ~ and all my more recent ensembles ~ demonstrates my personal embrace of fashion's sudden minimalist bent. i'm still mixing textures and prints, but keeping the colors more monochromatic, and enjoying simpler statement jewels than ever before. right now, that's just what feels right.

{ lanvin for h+m sunnies, self-designed jazz age carcanet necklace, elie tahari for neiman marcus jacket, rachel rachel roy shirt (last seen HERE), club monaco pants (seen in better detail HERE), juicy couture bag and gifted cuff, prada shoes (last seen HERE) }

lest you forget how cold it still is in new york, i wore this ensemble with the same coat you saw here thrown over top ~ but because i adore you, dear readers, i managed to shrug it off long enough to make these photos happen. see the full effect on facebook (where i always post surplus costume shots)!

{ costume of the day } hair/bow

when i cropped the last of my locks off back in april, i noticed myself suddenly gravitating towards dramatically collared clothes. at first, it was all about sharp menswear-inspired collars. now, 7 months in, i'm still most comfortable wearing face-framing things ~ but i've learned that something as soft as an oversized bow will do just as well as razor-sharp ruff!

thus, this top has proven to be an invaluable layering piece (i also wore it HERE and HERE). it helps that it buttons all the way up to the neck before exploding into a bow; this way it's easier to tuck under stuff than most of my other bow-tie blouses. earlier this week i paired it with this very sixties-esque erin fetherston dress (more photos on her blog) and a pair of eerily-perfectly matched boots ~ and enjoyed the way the combination felt both mod and modern!

i think my crumply, paul-mccartney-coif reinforced the modish energy, and that's probably why i enjoy switching up my hair so often. each incarnation allows me to experiment anew with my style ~ and learn something fresh in matters of dress. so, even as i'm growing my locks out again, the transition is still inspiring me to transform.

{ self-designed jewelry (new store coming soon!), club monaco blouse, julia dress courtesy of erin fetherston, h+m tights, bottega veneta boots (i'm rocking the same pair on tory burch's blog today too!) }
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in other news, i keep replying to emails/tweets/facebook queries with promises of the imminent relaunch of my jewelry shop... and yet there's still just a liiiittle more work to be done! i'm sorry to keep those who have asked waiting; we're just now finishing up all the photographing/coding, etc., and i promise i'll update everyone the moment it's ready (hopefully by friday!). in case you can't wait that long to get your shop on, pop over to erin's ~ where all the pieces i've worn on the blog are now 30% off!

{ costume of the day } condiment colors

{ F21 knit cap, sunnies, and skirt (last seen HERE), l'ecole des femmes trench, club monaco mustard silk shirtdress, minkpink beaded sweater, michael kors watch, marni clutch, anthropologie tights, pour la victoire boots }

it seems that everything i'm buying this season is mustard and/or olive hued. this works out well on days like today, when it's suddenly super cold outside and i'm super busy ~ i just throw on everything that's close by and trust (hope!) it somehow matches!! also, these sunnies are basically what you'd get if my chloe and prada rims were to mate. trend dissemination really is our friend.

{ costume of the day } cougar town

{ vintage scarf-turned-turban (tutorial coming soon! tutorial posted HERE!), vintage YSL sunnies, gifted tory burch blouse, hyde belt, club monaco wrap-front pants (last seen HERE), hue socks, pour la victoire boots }

{ costume of the day } upintheclub

{ gifted club monaco blouse (last seen HERE / it's quickly become a favorite staple!) and wrap dress, vintage belt + jewels, dolce vita shoes }

i actually wore this look several weeks ago (my hair was so summery-short!) and sort of forgot to post it ~ which weirdly worked out because it's almost all club monaco, and putting it up now gives me a relevant reason to remind you to come by the westchester mall for tomorrow's event! i think it's going to be a lot of fun.

the new store is gorgeous ~ it's just been revamped as a women's-only super boutique, and features a special assortment of achingly beautiful vintage baubles (that's where i got the first crystal-fringe piece featured in THIS POST). plus, there will be yummy food, good music, and a really great cause! be there?!

{ save the date } a glamour-eye styling soirée

pen it in!! this saturday, september 25th, i'll be hanging out at the newly redesigned + reopened club monaco in westchester, new york ~ doling out free styling advice to anyone who's interested!

i'm really thrilled to be a part of this party. it's going to be a delightful day full of dressing up AND doing good, because 10% of the event's sales will benefit go pink ~ an amazing organization created and run by westchester-area teens to combat breast cancer. i met the (17 year old!) founding members at a recent planning meeting, and was so moved by their maturity and sense of social responsibility. so, if you don't come out for me (or the fun festivites, or the gorgeous clothes), please come out for them!! their cause deserves all of our support!

let me know in the comments if you think you'll be able to stop by. i LOVE meeting readers!

{ costume of the day } hot step

{ topshop earrings / the glamourai amethyst amulet necklace / heritage1981 blouse / anemone cropped cami / hyde belt / club monaco trousers (gifted) / vintage bracelets, rings + clutch (w/ miu miu swallow brooch attached) / d+g shoes }

satisfied yesterday's yearning for fall-ier fashions by pairing draped crepe trousers and animal-skin accessories with my more summery separates. today, i plan to sort through my closet and cycle out anything that's too tropical. if i begin to transition my wardrobe, perhaps the weather will adjust itself accordingly? at the very least, it can't hurt!