{ homeostasis }

i know i've settled back into the new york swing of things when i'm once again swathed in layers of wonderful, uncomplicated, fail-safe black:



{ rag + bone hat, ray ban sunnies, primary coat, moon collective dress (from beehive in austin), pour la victoire bag, hue tights, l.a.m.b. shoes }

{ colorblocking } continued

as i promised earlier today, to follow is my finest shot at fall colorblocking. yesterday was one of those perfect, picturesque days in new york, when a girl can get away with wearing open-toed shoes and a jacket. that's my kind of perfect, anyway. the leaves are starting to turn and drop, but there's still a bit of green left on the trees. in other words, the city is in on this season's sartorial spirit, colorblocking along with us!





{ tiffany sunnies, necklace from catbird, lamb jacket, zara dress, primary clutch, gifted B brian atwood shoes }

{ grazia }

i'm currently writing to you from milan, where i am honored to be a guest of grazia magazine for fashion week. before coming over, they asked me to shoot a story and share a few words for their website on the topic of grace ('grazia' is the italian word for this). it's a trait i certainly aspire to exude, albeit one i don't always achieve. anyway, in case you don't speak italian (me neither!), i've included excerpts from the piece i wrote below:



{ karen walker sunnies, primary blouse and skirt, forever21 cropped cami, gifted corello bag, alexander wang shoes }

GRACE. Grace is a virtue that’s far-too-infrequently celebrated these days. It’s not about stature or prominence or even glamour. Grace is elegance. It is deference and authority in equal measure. It is good manners, it is kindness and it is a sense of propriety.

But grace is not stuffy. It is being comfortable in one’s own skin, while conscientiously allowing others to feel equally at ease around you. In fashion, this means dressing in a way that is appropriate to your lifestyle and surroundings. That is, embracing your age (at any age!) by combining femininity with a dose of mystery, plus a necessary nod to functionality.



{ nine west sunnies, club monaco jacket, kelly framel necklace, vintage dress (last seen HERE), corello belt, yves saint laurent shoes }

Happily, graceful is the perfect word to describe this season’s long-skirted look. Full and pleated, or languidly bias-cut, it matters not. Either way, the look is simultaneously timeless and contemporary. It harkens back to the silhouettes of Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly, but can be paired just as easily with a utility jacket and wedges as a trench coat and pumps. Modern mid-length skirts can veer fairly formal or incredibly casual – this is not a 1950’s sort of femininity. It’s current in that it’s comfortable and it’s elegant because it works in nearly any situation. You’ll rarely feel under-dressed...



{ juicy couture sunnies, halston heritage trench, meg dress, gifted corello clutch, lamb shoes }

please CLICK HERE to read the rest of the article and see many more pictures of these looks on grazia.it. then, CLICK HERE to check out my up-to-the-minute updates from milano!!

{ plaids }

{ karen walker 'number one' sunnies, gifted l.a.m.b. top, vintage moschino skirt (recently seen HERE / the plaid is created from rows of type!), anya hindmarch clutch, alexander wang shoe }


as my hair gets a teensy bit longer, i've been alternating between tighter, twenties-ish curls (as seen yesterday) and this looser, more natural wave (also worn on monday). it's the same process, but this time around i'm curling bigger sections at a time and using much less hairspray. love having another option! i can't wait till i can break into braids and buns and center parts and such. this is a whole new frontier of girlhood for me!!

{ home again }

{ lanvin for h+m sunnies (are you getting sick of seeing them yet?!), self-designed necklaces, beulah cardigan (via modcloth & originally debuted in THIS LONG-AGO POST), primary | new york 'kelly' dress (yes! it's named after me and is available HERE and HERE // i also wore it in black HERE), hobo bag (recently featured HERE), gifted l.a.m.b. 'caitlyn' wedge shoes }

{ south by south W }

as i mentioned HERE, i'm currently in austin, texas for sxsw. knowing that this is my hometown, my friends from the w hotels asked if i'd like to host a brunch here for some of the city's style cognoscenti (including my dear friend marie ely, who sweetly agreed to appear with me in this post). of course i said yes!!

this get-together kicked off the w's own three-day music series, and also paid tribute to their global glam collection (which is curated by fashion director amanda ross, and sold exclusively in the hotel's boutiques). i love getting to work with the w hotel team, as we share the same passions for luxurious interior design, great food, fashion, and travel! and i believe their brand-new austin outpost may just be their coolest location yet.

austin's idiosyncratic style has had such an influence on my own aesthetic, and it means a lot to me to be able to come back here and do even a little bit to support its ever-expanding fashion scene. the brunch we held was delicious, delightful, and attended by the best local fashion bloggers, magazine editors, and two of the w's global glam designers, shaesby scott and catherine nicole.

as soon as we finished our feast, the group decamped to the jaw-dropping pool area to sip on champagne and snack on strawberries ~ which is when marie and i snuck off into a cabana and launched this impromptu photo shoot!

{ marie wore: vintage hat, kelly framel necklace, vintage chiffon dress (from feathers, one of our favorite hometown stores), american apparel lace dress, topshop shoes // i wore: kelly framel caramel crystal earrings, vintage oscar de la renta sweater, vintage 1930's tea dress and vintage alexis kirk belt (all from feathers), l.a.m.b. shoes & OPI's 'i want to be a lone star' nail polish ~ a subtle tribute to my home state! }

{ love you } mean it

{ lanvin for h+m sunnies, vintage earrings, steven alan blazer, necklace from catbird in brooklyn, rachel rachel roy blouse (last seen HERE), gifted hobo bag (with self-added tassels and talisman), bvlgari snakeskin bracelet, michael kors watch, gifted rue de... jeans, l.a.m.b. shoes }

currently in austin, my beloved hometown, for the SXSW interactive/film/music festival. a little work, a little play, and lots of spare moments spent escaping to the superb patio of the hotel san jose ~ my longtime home away from home. see the last post i shot at this very special spot HERE.

{ 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 }

{ shoes } glorious shoes

as i mentioned wednesday, i spent the first part of this week with gala darling in las vegas, nevada, as a guest of ENKwsa, a trade show dedicated almost entirely to SHOES!! tens of thousands of shoes.

every conceivable kind of kicks were represented (from sneakers to stilettos), including affordable favorites like steve madden, jeffery campbell, and the adorably irreverent irregular choice. obviously, it was pretty spectacular! my personal favorite finds came from stalwarts of my own wardrobe, like L.A.M.B. and badgley mischka (via their new contemporary collection mark & james ~ which is set to launch online later this month), plus the incomparable charles jourdan. here are a few that MOST made me drool:

{ above left: steve madden // above right: charles jourdan // below: L.A.M.B. }


{ above left: steve madden // above right & below left: irregular choice // below right: unknown }



{ above & below: L.A.M.B. }