{ classic plaid } grunge is gone / preppy's passé

there's nothing like an idyllic weekend in the country to remind you how haute and handy pretty plaids can be... suddenly, i feel i need more pieces in this pliable pattern!

(matt jones / via fashiongonerouge)


(alexei hay / harper's bazaar UK / november 2008)


(tim walker / vogue UK / march 2009)


(alexei hay / harper's bazaar UK / november 2008)


(mario testino / vogue US / november 2009)

{ wonder wear }

somehow, these spare but sumptuous images convey everything i'm feeling right now ~ both in style and spirit... fashionably and physically...

{ horst diekgerdes for numero magazine }

{ costume of the day } dark heart

it is finally officially fall in new york!

i try to prepare in advance for the changing seasons, i really do. but every year, as soon as it actually becomes cold, i completely forget how the heck i dealt with it last time. i look at my closet and wonder: what in the world did i wear?!?!?! (i feel like there's nothing there.)

and although i'm *almost* too confused to shop, i have miraculously managed to acquire a few ductile duds to cope with this conundrum, including rachel roy's perpetually pliable 'transformer coat.' it can be a vest, a frock coat, or ~ as in the case of today ~ a cropped bomber jacket (yes! all in one garment!). expect to see its oodles of incarnations on this blog as the season swells.

i'm also enjoying toying with my new ankle chains. yeah, okay... i know they don't contribute to keeping me warm. but they do look cute with boots!

wearing: fred flare sunnies, self-designed jewelry, (coming next week to the glamporium!), rachel by rachel roy jacket, tse cashmere sweater, F21 skirt, h+m tights, bebe booties

{ costume of the day } let's make a list!

last week, gilt groupe (email me if you need a membership invitation!) contacted me with some questions for a feature on their blog. one of them asked what my must-haves are for fall. it's a difficult question, but one that everyone should think carefully about before embarking on a buying binge.


wearing: fred flare sunnies, self-designed jewelry (bottom necklace available HERE), reworked vintage dress (i added the beaded cuffs), vintage belt + bag

at the beginning of every season, i analyze what i already have, then make a list of the 'holes' i see in my wardrobe ~ the pieces i need to make what i already have both 'of the moment' and weather-appropriate. besides always being on the lookout for interesting statement jackets and coats, right now my list for fall includes a lot of layering basics:

1. ivory lace fitted tank 2. black drapey tank 3. silk+cashmere cardigan(s) 4. sheer patterned tights 5. hosiery-weight black socks 6. black thigh-high boots 7. red shoes (bonus points if they're bejeweled) 8. leopard-print purse

did i miss anything major? what's on your list this season?

*update! i forgot to include: 9. khaki trench (thanks readers!)

wear were we?

having just finished seeing the spring 2010 shows in new york, i've been feeling a bit adrift in terms of what to wear right now ~ in the actually happening fall 2009!

for the first time in quite a while, i've lacked inspiration. i've walked in and out of a score of stores, empty-handed. i couldn't figure where to focus, what i needed?

so this morning, i went back to my folder of favorites from this season's shows (presented way back in february), for a visual reminder of what i longed then to wear now...

(above 3: etro)

(above 2: 3.1 philip lim)

(above: marni)

(above: paul smith)

{ preparing for fall } 2009

am i the only one who is still not over this collection?

PRADA, FALL 2004

{ all you need } is bling

i think it goes without saying that, these days, most of us are buying rather less than we'd like. the sunny side of it is that we're thinking strategically about where & how we spend, and i think in the end we will be all the more stylish for it.

in the face of economic challenges, fashion is finally catching on to a maxim i have always held: all you really need is shoes and jewels!

keep a few seasonless dresses in your closet ~ pieces that can be worn year-round. as seasons change, add or subtract trendy tights, vintage jackets, etc. then, spend your money on really fun jewelry, and really good quality shoes! usually, you can't wear an expensive dress 10 different ways, but the right accessories can be worn in a new way every day of the week.

if you take a look at my own costumery, it's easy to see what i mean. often i wear simple, seasonless, or super-budget basics, but i make the looks special with what i pile on top and on my toes!

right now, the best things to buy are: patterned, sheer hosiery, a pair of new bejeweled shoes, and perhaps a pretty neckpiece or two!

(images: 'enter the dinner dress' by javier vallhonrat for vogue uk sept 09)

{ tale as old as time } song as old as rhyme

i can't get fall clothes off my mind! there's the coming of fashion week to plan for, and every magazine on the stand is teasing me with tights, coats, gloves, hats....

and still, it feels like summer outside. here's how i'd like to bridge the seasons without looking uncomfortable or out of context:

('la belle et la bête' by pejman birounvand / source: fashion copious)

to me, this is pre-fall fashion at its finest: autumnal colors in summer-weight fabrics, draping in place of layering, tulle mixed with knits.... all with a flirty touch of feathery nonsense. sublime.

{ green with envy }

i still have not found the perfect jadeite nail polish to satisfy my chanel craving, and yet i find myself already falling for a distinctly different dosage of greenery:

(stems spotted on the sartorialist)

olive green sheer hosiery?!?!?!! i need to rock these every single day, come fall. where can they be found???

little bunny frou

tickled by the plethora of charming "homemade" details on the louis vuitton fall 09 runway, notably the wrecked taffeta bunny ears and mock paper-chain collars, reminiscent of a kindergarten christmas tree, i'm calculating my next diy initiative.

i'm thinking of taking any old cotton or cashmere t-shirt to my tailor to have button holes inserted sporadically across the collar seam, so i can loop vintage scarves or ribbon reams through them like so:

the effect looks so adorably french, seems both frivolous and functional, and it will be fun to change the insert with every wear!

{ i DIE } then i DIY

i've caught a raging crush over marni's new baubled crumb-catcher breastplates! the heart yearns, then the wheels start spinning...

to wear now: i want one on black satin, with a crunchy taffeta tie and dizzying tack of doo-dads ~ culling all my vintage brooches and bakelite buttons shall immediately ensue:

for spring: i'm planning a tat of felted brocade, iced in wilted rosettes, melted pailettes, and a sprig of sparkle:

mon Dieu / my oh my / do you diy?