{ back } in new york

{ victor osborne hat (last seen HERE), tiffany sunnies, halston heritage trench, marni blouse (last seen HERE), gifted rebecca minkoff bag, blank nyc pants (also seen HERE and HERE) , zara boots }

even after one of the best weeks of my life ~ which took me first to malibu for the kelly wearstler shoot, then to austin for a dear friend's wedding (more on that later!) ~ there's no place like home. i'm glad to be back in new york for a while. desperately need to get caught up on life ~ but first, sleep.

{ photo diary } milan p1

{ some snapshots from milan // sherbert-toned tribal references at marni, elisa nalin's chunky fendi bracelets, pillows on each seat at etro, a pop art spectacular at iceberg, and unexpectedly sliced silks at mila schön }

{ 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!!

{ the very next day }

{ forever21 sunnies (last seen HERE), helmut lang jacket, marni knit top, forever21 pleather skirt (i picked it up in their times square store last week), dedegumo watch, coach classic duffle, j.crew sandals }

ran around in this comfy costumery last friday; i haven't had a day off since fashion week ended on thursday, but have at least been giving my feet a break with flat sandals. i have a huge project currently on my plate ~ as soon as it's cleared i'll get to work on a big fashion week photo diary for you all. fingers crossed that happens before i head to milan!!

{ M&M's } modcloth + marni

for me, winter doldrums inevitably lead to increased online shopping (especially when i seem to be snowed in every day!), and i'm currently craving way too many things from modcloth's offering. luckily a few of the beauties below are already en route to my wardrobe ~ but which would you choose?

{ clockwise from top left: black + cream dress ($45), planet earth-print tunic ($90), boxy fox bag ($115), plastic animals necklace rack ($60), black-pocket top ($38), polkadot romper ($45), spunky all-star-style socks ($8), which i would wear with these open-front prada shoes (full post HERE), floral palazzo pants ($70), fiery floral blouse ($88) }
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meanwhile in mixology, i'm positively flipping for marni's prefall 2011 lineup (favorites below). the silhouettes and styling are so, so right ~ and the pieces themselves are appropriately minimalistic at moments, but still totally textural, and adorably, opulently layered. it's just the sort of everyday inspiration i was unknowingly craving right this second, as it's all so uncannily close to perfect:




{ marni lookbook snaps via style.com }

{ 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.

{ j'adore } marni's magic mushrooms

{ runway photos via style.com // fungal photos via google }

{ glamourai diy } the old bow and chain

recently, on my DIY idea tumblr, i posted pics of bow-bedecked chain handle bags from lanvin and marni, and pledged to pick a bag from my personal collection to be-ribbon.

this normally neglected, vintage morris moskovitz fur purse was perfect for the project:

{ABOVE: BEFORE}

i wove a bias silk ribbon through a little over half the gold chain handle {just enough so it would crest over my shoulder when worn}, braided the remainder with a smaller brass chain...

{ABOVE + BELOW: AFTER}

...then finished the ribbon ends with my favorite fanciful flourish ~ floppy bows!


i am thrilled with the results of this fun and easy project, and can't wait to wear my newly improved {so much better} bag!

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)

{ costume of the day } urban jungle

this is pretty much my version of hiking clothes. i literally break out into hives & dry heaves when an occasion calls for 'casual wear,' but today it's threatening to monsoon, whilst i'm stuck running errands all over town ~ so i did my best to tone things down!

inspired by marni's resort 2010 harem shorts, i chopped the hem off these h+m trousers. watch out, rest of my pants! i have a feeling this will mark the beginnings of an entire waste-bin full of discarded cuffs.

i'm also trying to enjoy a few new accessories before they're shipped off to shrimpton couture. click here to read all about the groovy new collection of reworked YSL sunnies i just finished for them!

custom ysl sunnies, self-designed jewelry (necklace available for pre-order on shrimpton couture!), reworked chloe t-shirt (it was a dress. also, i'm wearing it backwards.), reowrked h+m pants, dolce+ gabbana shoes

new pants, sunnies, and jewelry aside, the best, best, BEST part of today was my lunch date with the delightful jessica schroeder of what i wore. full report to come!!!

{ costume of the day } crop hunter

since the success of my gap-redux, i've been searching for more tops to crop!

this F21 oldie was a no-brainer. i wore it constantly last summer, with a border ~ like the one on the sleeves, but a bit wider ~ along the hem. it was fine the way it came, but i thought: new year, new look! so i hacked off 9 inches. goodbye border, hello new shirt!

custom sunnies, self-designed necklace (available soon at shrimpton couture!), reworked F21 top, vintage skirt + lucite bangles, club monaco clutch, kenneth cole clogs

most folks will tell you that 'fast fashion' never lasts past a single season. i don't think that has to be true. the trick to getting the most bang out of your budget buys is two-fold:

• buy classic shapes, in classic colors (in most cases, dark colors will better hide cheap construction, but there are always exceptions)
• splurge on dry cleaning! cheap clothes do tend to wear out quickly, especially if exposed to the typical wash cycle. dry cleaning them will double your wear time (and since you saved so much on the purchase price, you can afford it!)

since i have neither the luxury nor the inclination to replace my entire wardrobe every season, i make it a habit to regularly reassess my clothes and brainstorm ways to refresh them.

occasionally, a collection comes along that makes me rethink my approach to proportion, giving me new set of 'tweaking tricks' to try. for example, i'm really excited to dabble in a few details from the recent marni resort 2010 collection:

short pants with black socks? don't think i wont do it!

now plotting to crop all of last season's harem pants into this season's drop-crotch shorts.

ok really. how do they get the socks to stay up and slouch out?

i intend to discover.

also, i'm not sure how i'll manage it, but i really want to work out this look for the beach:

short shorts with a built-in bum cover? yes please!!!