{ costume of the day } glamourmayan

watching all those old dynasty videos inspired me to dust off my best "krystle dress," from the norma kamali vintage archive. though i'm definitely not on board for all things 80s, i do love the way a pair of shoulder pads can completely transform your body. everything else looks so small in comparison!

this 'tinsel totem' necklace (along with this one) just got shipped off to shrimpton couture ~ one of my favorite online vintage shops. i was sad to see it go! wearing it (especially in combination with these granny glasses) made me feel a bit like ms. frizzle, riding her magic school bus toward a lunchtime tour of ancient mesopotamia.

i hope it finds a good home, and many great adventures!

vintage dress & sunnies, self-designed necklace

glamour in gray

above, below + last, lanvin pre-fall 2009

"looking glamorous is a feminine survival instinct," said lanvin designer alber elbaz, referring to the perseverance of fashion despite the currently gloomy economic climate.

aesthetic endurance is actually useful in any clime, and in winter the most glamourous guardian is layering in a way that is both warming and cool!

subtle but serviceable layering is a hard art to master, whether for fashion, warmth, comfort, or decor. when it's unavoidable, but feels unnatural, opt to combine comparable tonalities of agreeable hues, such as grayish blues, greens, and blacks, or stick with one color in a collusion of textures.

garnish the palette with yellow, gold or white to break the continuity and create faint friction.

norma kamali coat, barney's coop long cardi, go international blouse, h&m velvet skirt, vintage belt, melie bianco bag, patricia field booties, anne klein sunnies, self-designed necklace

speaking of savvy survivor style, one of the most vitally important secrets i've gleaned living and working in this city regards how to rock a mini when it's absolutely arctic out - wear

many pairs of tights at once (bonus points if they're wool!).

not only is this trick crucial to my stubbornly sporting fluttery frocks the whole year-round, it is also the only way to achieve a truly opaque leg color.

{ costume of the day } form + content

i loathe the harsh chill of winter, but to better battle the senseless cold, i'm learning to embrace the outre in outerwear, recently adding a vintage norma kamali coat, from her famous blanket

collection, to my oeuvre!

it's one part this:

and one part that:

and voila!

norma kamali coat, jean yu dress, vintage hat, oliver people's glasses, antique pearl earrings, lanvin beetle brooch, vintage bag, fendi booties