{ a second } second chance

the dress below (originally posted HERE) is one of my favorite cocktail frocks. it doesn't wrinkle and thus makes a great travel staple. it looks as sweet with bare legs as it does with tights & boots (meaning it's stayed in my closet year-round ~ an unusual feat), and can easily be dressed up or down with the right accessories (incidentally, it matches a myriad of these).

clearly, i'm a fan ~ so when i noticed that a full-skirted version of it had just become available HERE, i felt it was my duty to inform you. after all, so many people seemed pleased to get a second shot at THIS ONE. happy shopping, my friends!!

{ a second chance } to scarf-tan-ette

remember back in july, when i did a makeover of the forever21 dress below (replacing its original suede straps with shiny gold chain)?!?


if so, you may recall that before i was able to post about the project, the piece had sold out ~ so i followed up with a DIY version of it instead. well, thanks to the helpful tip-offs of several eagle-eyed readers, i'm happy to tell you that the original dress has recently been restocked online. this means you can finally buy it yourself and do your own easy-peasy chain-strap update!

of course, if you'd prefer to spend the day getting crafty, the DO-IT-YOURSELF PROJECT this dress inspired is surprisingly fun and easy to execute ~ and the full instructions are HERE. either way, enjoy!!

{ take two }

yes, you've seen this outfit before. but i'm posting these extra photos because i've been getting tons of wear out of this sequin-front blouse lately, and when i noticed yesterday that it's currently on sale at 60% off, i knew i had to share the news with you.

{ vintage yves saint laurent sunnies, reworked vintage jacket, gifted elizabeth+james top & hudson jeans, vintage clutch, dolce+gabbana shoes }
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once you've put in your order and are still clicking around the internet, i might also suggest checking out this versatile bag, these fierce boots, and all the new jewels i've recently added to my shop (there's more coming in later today too)! and since we're sort of on the subject of surplus costume shots, did you know that i post extras of almost every outfit on facebook? follow me there for more fashion-y fun!!

{ mademoiselle } en jeans

these vogue spain scans of vanessa paradis wearing ripe white tops and embellished tweed jackets, incongruously combined with dilapidated dungarees...


...inspired me to recently wear this jacket with a favorite bowtie top and too-big, moth-eaten jeans:

what do you think, is it a fitting tribute??

{ tom ford anouk sunnies, elie tahari for neiman marcus jacket (recently seen HERE), jean paul gaultier top, men's calvin klein jeans, kenzo for wolford stockings, prada shoes (i've had 'em forever, but just rediscovered them in my studio last week!) }

{ 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 }

{ gritter girl }

when i first saw this flannel frock on modcloth, i instantly knew it would become this season's casual staple ~ it struck me as the winter version of THIS DRESS, which i loved so much last summer.

lo and behold, when it arrived, i realized both pieces were made by the same brand! they clearly know a thing or two about perfectly slouchy day dresses.

for its inaugural outing, i jauntily knotted the front and layered it with a long-sleeve sweater (for warmth, more than anything!) and knit skirt. back in my boudoir, i've been experimenting with wearing it belted, or worn open over other separates. my experiments predict you'll be seeing a lot more of this piece in the coming months!!

{ lanvin for h+m sunnies (current favorites, in case you hadn't noticed!), random cashmere scarf, TOV dress courtesy of modcloth, zara sweater (worn under dress), f21 skirt, michael kors watch, coach boots }

{ 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)!

{ cocooned }

i really, really wanted to shed my faux fur and show you all what i wore underneath, but... it is just too, too, TOO COLD. so it seems this post will have to be all about the coat!

i scored this beauty at the same favorite austin shop where i found THIS FROCK. it was challenging to cart back to new york, as it stubbornly refused to fit in either my suitcase or the airplane's overhead bin. nevertheless, it was worth the effort ~ it's just the sort of thing i need for day and night, when i want to feel elegant, despite the frost's too-cruel bite.

{ lanvin for h+m sunnies, vintage faux fur & mink-trimmed coat, juicy couture bag, no-name OTK boots }

{ old fashioneds }

{ lanvin for h+m sunnies, elizabeth+james blouse, songbird caroline dress courtesy of erin fetherston, stuart weitzman shoes }

my very talented photographer and i had so much fun shooting this riverside story, that we returned to the same location the next day, with a 1950's land camera (and almost-equally old film) in tow, to see what more magic could be made. here's what we came up with! i love that these images feel like they're from another era ~ but if you'd like to see the ensemble in HD, stroll on over to erin fetherston's site, and enjoy the story from a more modern (digital!) perspective.
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PS: click through to see how i wore erin's interpretation of the same silhouette in a solid chiffon, and the same print in another silhouette!!

{ keen beene }

{ vintage ysl sunnies, vintage geoffrey beene dress, michael kors watch, lanvin for h+m shoes }

over the holidays, i found this masterpiece of a draped-jersey geoffrey beene dress at feathers in austin (one of my favorite vintage stores). sadly, it has a few moth holes, so i'm in the market for a magic-making restoration fairy, if anyone knows of one. nevertheless, i couldn't wait to shoot and share this gem with you!! isn't it insane?

{ a fresh start }

{ above: a few of my friends, just before our homegrown fireworks spectacular! }

happy new year, my dears!! i spent the holidays in austin, texas (and surrounding, quieter towns), but am headed back to new york city today, where i'll hit the ground running. there's much to be done in this fresh decade! first up: regular posting to resume posthaste. oh, how i've missed you all...

{ reliably styleable }

today, i present (a bit bittersweetly) my fourth and final costume, as inspired by my partnership with ralph lauren and the big pony collection scents. over the course of this collaboration, i've channeled sporty, seductive, adventurous ~ and today's motivation is stylishness!

now, labeling one's own outfit as being stylish can feel unnervingly presumptuous, so i decided to stick simply with those things i consider to be stalwarts of my own personal style. i always feel at ease in: bow-tie blouses, subtly textured layers, slim-fit, collarless jackets, slouchily tailored trousers, and classic gold pumps:

this collaboration's finishing scent-spiration, as i mentioned in THIS POST, is the collection's most abstracted. it mixes energizing hits of kyarawood and mandarin ~ essences i attempted to recall in the colors of this ensemble (ie: woody taupes met with saffron pops)!



while the ensemble itself felt inherently my style, i loved stumbling across this flag-mural garage art ~ as it seemed so rightly ralph lauren! it felt like an appropriate location from which to conclude the collision of our visions.

{ vintage yves saint laurent sunnies, gifted hare+hart leather trench (also seen HERE), borrowed ralph lauren cashmere cardigan and printed pussy-bow blouse, michael kors watch, prada pants, vintage clutch, miu miu bird brooch, manolo blahnik pumps }

if you'd like to win your own bottle of this stylish scent, please leave a comment below, letting me know what you consider to be your own style standbys. and please give a congratulatory clap to hilaryinspired*, who is the lucky winner** of scent number three!

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by the by, if you haven't already, please be sure to check out my GIFT GUIDE FOR GUYS, which was inspired by this and the other three big pony collection colognes!

*hilary, please email me your shipping information so i can send you your prize!!
** once again, i use random.org to pick contest winners ~ i can't bear to choose myself! xoK

{ wrappin n' happenin }

when i was growing up, my mom used to attend an annual 'wrappin n' happenin' party ~ wherein friends would convene with wine, wrapping paper, and ribbons. they'd gab and wrap til every last prezzie was beautifully boxed. i always thought it was such a cute idea, and certainly could have used such an occasion prior to this weekend, when i realized too late that the paper i'd bought for a friend's gift was not spotted silver (as i'd assumed in the store), but spotted cellophane instead!

minutes before rushing out the door for her soirée, i attempted to improvise by lining the package with white tissue. still, even with the help of tons of tape (and lots of licks from a well-intentioned puppy), the end result was a dizzying mess. ah well, at least my erin fetherston dress was elegantly wrapped, with its pretty bow tied to perfection!

{ kelly framel pleated leather earrings, nina wrap dress courtesy of erin fetherston (lots more photos on HER BLOG!), kenzo for wolford lace tights }

in keeping with the season's perfectly-imperfect theme, i had a few friends over friday night to help decorate my vintage tinsel tree. every one of my loved ones brought an ornament or memento to add ~ and i couldn't be more excited by the results!! it's packed with playing cards, pine cones, feather boas, glitzy garlands, and a million memories. i think i've finally founded my own annual holiday happenin!

{ cool cat }

this weekend: wear, wear, re-wear. { versace sunnies, kelly framel earrings (NEW!), h+m scarf, zara leopard coat & snakeskin blouse, michael kors watch, vintage ring, gifted kate spade broome street jeans, pour la victoire boots }

{ ghost stories }

{ tom ford sunnies, leather trench (in above pic) courtesy of hare+hart, topshop earrings, kelly framel pearl spiderlily ring, bird by juicy couture vest, edith dress courtesy of erin fetherston (many more photos on HER BLOG!), h+m tights, coach boots, OPI's got the blues for red nail polish }

whenever i wear erin fetherston's frocks, i feel like i've fallen into a fairytale ~ and i love how this particular piece seems more deeply indebted to the brothers grimm than to disney-like lore. even its name ~ the edith dress ~ calls to mind edith wharton (writer of many a supernaturalist ghost story), while its spider-web stripes recall lydia deets, beloved beetlejuice babe. paired with this creepy-crawly-cozy vest, methinks i'm ready to hit up the holiday parties with old jacob marley on my arm!! joyeux noël noir...