{ graphic goodness }

living in the over-the-top sensory experience that is new york city makes me appreciate coming home to a calming palette of black and white. but just because i like to keep the spectrum simple, doesn't mean i want it minimal. au contraire! bold, graphic pattern radiates energy ~ and i love the verve this new houndstooth rug from nuLOOM has injected into my living space. i've also bought a few more striped poufs since THIS POST ~ they're like little candies scattered all about my place! super handy for impromptu entertaining, plus i figure a gal can never have too much of a fun thing.



{ helmut lang jacket (worn in top pic ~ find a more affordable version of it HERE), gifted victoria's secret dress (similar option HERE), zara shoes // striped moroccan pouf, nuLOOM rug }

{ new bags }

i've been on a bag-buying-bender recently!! these four are my favorite new acquisitions: your classic chanel 2.55, a vintage gold-hardware ferragamo that i'll wear till i rot, that giraffe-applique-pattern charles jourdan clutch that does day-to-night double duty, and this red-froth box with beaded bow that was generously gifted to me by my pals at lena erziak. that one's obviously got #fashionweek written all over it.

{ a tiffany holiday }

as i mentioned to you HERE, i'm currently working with tiffany & co as their eyewear ambassador ~ which means that this holiday season, all my girlfriends can look forward to a little blue box under their tree from me!!

but first, a few treats for myself were obviously in order:

you've seen me wearing the gold aviators like crazy lately (examples here, here, here, here and here), so i acquired the rectangular jazz style (above right) to mix my go-to game up a bit. i love that their arms are dotted with tiffany-blue crystals ~ it's such a wonderfully subtle touch of luxury. i also had several sunglass styles turned into prescription spectacles. you saw me wear one of them (the butterfly style, whose lenses i replaced with a super-light grey tint) yesterday, and i'm also loving my new script-inspired cat eyes (above left) and key-trimmed glasses (below):



i'm planning to dazzle my friends (who are probably reading this. darn) with the pièce de résistance of tiffany's holiday offerings: the garden cat eye style (below, in tortoise and ocean blue). oversized, dramatic, and finished with crystal-packed, floral filigree arms, it's easy to see that they were inspired by the diamond brooches in tiffany's archives. they're pretty spectacular:


{ wearing: tiffany & co rectangular key sunglasses-turned-spectacles, vintage necklace, elie tahari jacket, alice temperley dress // all glasses c/o tiffany }

CLICK HERE to peruse all of tiffany & co's superb eyeglass styles!!

{ behind the scenes } with the coveteur

love these behind-the-scenes snaps of bunny & me at home, from my shoot with the coveteur. check out similarly intimate glimpses from the coveteur's other stylish home tours on their fun tumblr!!
{ FYI: the blouse i'm wearing is available HERE // the pup, however, is one in a million! }

{ currently } at home

i'm constantly, subtly rearranging my spaces. here's the living room, circa yesterday afternoon. newest updates include: turning the lucite desk-cum-dining-table base on its side, repurposing the piece into a coffee table // fresh lampshades // replacing my worn-to-shreds barcelona chair with a cozy black velvet wingback // picking this delightful footstool up on amazon.com.

{ coveteur'ed }

i've been coveteur'ed! CLICK HERE to see it all.
{ photos courtesy of the coveteur }

{ tales of endearment }

i'm a HUGE fan of natalie joos's vintage-centric site, tales of endearment (i've blogged about it before), and as such was massively flattered when she emailed me, expressing an interest in scoping out my own humble vintage collection. what ensued was a truly delightful morning, spent playing dress-up around the house. natalie, please pop by again any time!!


{ vintage sunnies from brimfield flea market, paola mendoza necklace (i'm obsessed with it!) courtesy of boticca, vintage 1960's gown (made from 1930's fabric) via shrimpton couture (i also wore it HERE) }



{ vintage hat from pittsburgh, elizabeth & james 'monroe' sunnies, vintage bill blass dress from shrimpton couture (i also wore it HERE), gifted kendra scott earrings & ring, vintage bag from angel street thrift shop, prada shoes }


{ house of harlow sunnies, vintage beaded collar from a textiles vendor in austin, vintage victor costa dress found in florida, alberta ferretti shoes }

{ reworked vintage sunnies, kelly framel necklace, vintage dress passed down from my mother }

~ all photos by natalie joos // many more pictures and interviews to be seen on style.com and talesofendearment.com ~

{ a-tisket a-tasket } my yellow summer basket

as you may have noticed from my copious costume posts, i'm mostly an itty-bitty-bag kind of girl, who prefers to carry just the essentials. however, for super-busy days when i really do need to bring my whole life (and/or my dog) around town with me, this colorful crocodile number has become my go-to. yes, bunny fits very comfortably (and adorably!) inside:

on a related (to-this-picture) note, say hello to my new marble + syroco entry table/shelf. picked this puppy up for $10 at brimfield last month. not bad, eh?

{ new } kitchen shelves

one thing i've always disliked about my kitchen is its lack of sufficient storage options. it does, however, have a random, empty expanse of wall at the end of the counter ~ and it finally occurred to me to make some use of this space (it previously hosted a lovely, but unhelpful photograph, as seen here). enter in these great lucite shelves from the container store!!

i'm also pretty excited about these brand-new but vintage-looking water glasses. i think they were made for my place.
the vintage spice canisters came from ebay (i found similar sets for you HERE, HERE, and HERE). i put little white labels on the bottom of each of them (which i can easily see through the shelves!), so i know what's inside.

the antique tumblers are part of my dorothy thorpe collection. i've loved her work for such a long time. the porcelain and milkglass bud vases (seen in the top photo) are collected from local thrift shops.

the vintage aluminum and lucite ice bucket (perched on a glass pie plate, above) holds packets of tea, of which i drink far too much!!

{ where } the magic happens

i've been busy designing lots of bijoux these days, and figured it might be fun to show you some new photos of the little studio where this happens. it's located on the bottom floor of my duplex apartment, just separate enough that i actually feel like i'm 'going to work' in the mornings. it's a compact space, but i've maximized the square footage to efficiently allow room for crafting, blogging, shipping, prepping for shoots, etc. ~ with enough leeway for myself, an assistant, and occasional interns to coexist. plus, the loveseat pulls out into a guest bed ~ making this a truly multi-purpose place!!







i detest clutter, and yet require a lot of miscellaneous stuff for my various projects. thus, i've kept things monotone as much as possible, with less-pretty necessities hidden away in white ikea boxes, stacked atop white ikea shelves. the couch is from crate and barrel, the coffee table (slash extra desk) is from west elm, the floor lamp came from z.gallerie, and the colorful rug is from anthropologie.
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click here if you'd like to see more pics of the new york city apartment where i live and work.